The Lady Grace Mysteries

• Book Review
  The Lady Grace Mysteries: Exile
  Patricia Finney
  
  
  Today a most unusual guest arrives at the palace- Banoo Yasmine of Sharakand! ‘Banoo’ means ‘Lady,’ for Banoo Yasmine is from a noble family and said to be very beautiful. Sharakand is thousands of miles away near the Holy Lands.
  
  Lady Grace Cavendish is writing again in a new secret daybooke, this time about Lady Yasmine, the new visitor in Queen Elizabeth’s court.
  There are many rumors about the exiled noblewoman of Sharakand and especially about her famous jewel, a large ruby known as ‘The Heart of Kings.’
  While Yasmine is at court Lady Grace discovers many things about her mysterious and exciting past, but things go wrong when ‘The Heart of Kings’ is stolen, and Grace’s good friend Ellie is falsely blamed!
  Things go from bad to worse as Grace tries to prove her friend’s innocence, but only with the help of her friends and the Queen herself, will she be able to uncover the real thief.
  I enjoyed reading this stimulating mystery, and younger girls aged 8-14 will also be excited by the adventures of Lady Grace Cavendish, Lady Pursuivant for the Queen!
  The other fantastic mysteries in this series are:
  
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Assassin
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Betrayal
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Conspiracy
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Deception
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Feud
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Gold
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Intrigue
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Haunted
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Loot
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Keys
  · The Lady Grace Mysteries: Jinx

Barney

Like I said on my last post, Tom is staying with us while doing Tafe, and with him is his black-and-white rascal, Barney.

Take Tessie:

Fluffy, white, cute....but very unsociable....with other dogs.

Take Barney:

Black, white, cute, jumpy, and very playful.

Their personalities tend to clash a little. Tessie has forever thought that she is better than other dogs...that they are the 'lower caste.' Barney just wants to play...Tessie....doesn't....

Tessie ignores as much as of Barney as she can, but one can only take too much....

Then you get angry at Barney for playing too rough with Tessie and he turns and looks at you like this....

What to do....?

Satay Sticks with Peanut Sauce

This recipe is so good. After those delicious pictures comes....

The Recipe

250g chicken breast fillets

250g beef eye fillets

250g pork fillets (Mum just used chicken)

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon sambal oelek

1 teaspoon ground tumeric

1/4 " curry powder

1/2 " ground cumin

1/2 " ground coriander

2 tablespoons peanut oil

Satay Sauce

1/2 cup (802g) roasted unsalted peanuts

2 tablespoons red curry paste

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 chicken stock

1 tablespoon kaffir lime juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1. Cut chicken, beef, and pork into long 1.5cm-thick strips; thread strips onto skewers. Place skewers, in single layer, on tray or in shallow baking dish; brush with combined garlic, sugar, sambal, spices and oil. Cover. refrigerate 3 hours (or overnight)
2. Make satay sauce (above)
3. Cook skewers on heated oiled grill plate (We BBQ) until browned all over and cooked as desired; Serve immediately with satay sauce.
4. (For the satay sauce) Blend or process nuts until chopped finely; add paste, process until just combined. Bring coconut milk to a boil in small saucepan; add peanut mixture, whisking until smooth. Reduce heat, add stock, cook, stirring, about 3 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Add juice and sugar, stirring, until sugar dissolves.

And it's really, really yummy!

And because I haven't written in quite a few days, quick three point update....

• I'm going through the sniffing, headache stage caused by a cold....Quite horrible actually. Jenna passed it to Kaity who passed it to Emily who passed it to me. I feel like one large tissue....
• Tom and his cuteish dog, Barney are staying...Barney is destructive, jumpy, annoying, yet adorable. Today he somehow got out and Emily and I searched all over until we found him, sitting innocently in the backyard of our house.
• I love free stuff! Jenna got us a free head wash, massage, treatment, and blowave at the Tafe that she goes to every tuesday. My hair hasn't felt so lovely in ages...

Now, I'm going to go help Mum make pizza...

Febuary Daybook

Date...17th February, 2010

Starting time...4:36

Mood...Quite happy.

Outside my window...Mum and Emily are swimming in the pool...

I'm going...to Youth on Friday! Water sliding...:)

I'm thinking... I really ought to go for a walk...

I'm reading...Dresses of Red and Gold, by Robin Klein.

I'm listening to...'What a Relief,' by Hannah Sunderland.

My current favorite song...That's a little difficult...

I'm wearing...a black and white top with blue cherries on it, and quarter length skinny jeans.

Today I...brought presents for Dad's birthday tommorow.

Yesterday, I...learned about large rodents. Check out the aardvark on Images. Yuk! (Yes, an aardvark is a rodent.)

I'm excited for...Easter. I'm hoping I can visit Bourke again!

I'm sad because...I really want to go for a swim with Mum and Emily...but I should finish this Daybook first.

I'm hungry for...the lasagne that Mum is making tonight for dinner (Haha, Kylie!)

I want...a new MP3 or Ipod.

I love...Tessie.

I loathe...Her breath!

From my picture journal...a picture I've edited on Picnik, an internet photo editer.

Finishing time...3:45

Yum!

Last night our family went to Hogsbreath Cafe...
So yummy, and I was so stuffed. Just looking at these pictures makes my mouth waters...

The Golden Goblet

I don't know if I've done this is as a book review before, maybe for the Argus last year. This is an improved version anyway, for the Mailbox Shopper.

The Golden Goblet
Eloise Jarvis McGraw

I love historical novels that have both mystery and adventure in them. This exciting tale has both.
Ranofer loves gold working. His dream is that one day he will be apprenticed to Zau, the goldsmith, but his dream is impossible while he is apprenticed to Gebu, the stonecutter.
Ranofer is practically a slave for his half-brother, Gebu. He hates and distrusts him and wants to get away from him as soon as he can
When he finds the golden goblet in Gebu’s room, he knows that Gebu must have stolen it from one of the crypts in the City of the Dead. To finally get away from his hated half-brother he must somehow prove that Gebu is guilty, yet protect himself from the danger that lurks behind every bend.
This fantastic Newberry Honor book is for ages 11 and up.
I really enjoyed reading this story both for school, and for pleasure. I love that it leaves you in suspense and keeps you interested throughout the whole story.
“An exceptionally vivid, swiftpaced, and stirring” story recreating the glories and evils of Ancient Egypt- Horn Book
Some other books by Eloise Jarvis McGraw are:
· Mara, Daughter of the Nile
· Moccasin Trail
· The Moorchild
· Tangled Webb

I would rate this book four stars out of five

Back to the 70's

Last night we went to a 70's party :)

Rain...

Rain....

Need I say more?

Primates

Right now in Science I'm doing Primates. Interesting? I wasn't overly excited at first, nor am I now, but I'm loving all the different kinds. Ugly and....ugly....

Proboscis Monkey

Orangutan

How ever computer generated and scary this looks, it is real. It's called an Aye Aye. No wonder the nativies of Madagascar hate it. They believe that it if points one those long, bony fingers at them, they are cursed. Aye Aye's are not at all shy, and like to go up and sniff people's feet. I can see why they freak people out.

The older Orangatun's get, the bigger their 'cheek flaps' get.

Mandrill