Every day surprises

Some days take you by surprise. You have no great expectations of highs or lows (only hoping that the lows aren't too low). If there's to be a highlight it will be in the evening if/when you get to put your feet up and say: Phew, finally the week is over!

Sometimes all it takes to change that is a phone call out of the blue. A friend you didn't know was in town, calls to say hi, wanna catch up?

And if you're lucky enough to be home on those days, there is a rare chance to sit with coffee and cake and talk and laugh, to exclaim over common likes and mirrored experiences, kids, family, funny moments and every day life. All the time realising anew, with pleasure, that regardless of the physical distance no distance really exists at all.

Somehow that small change in what was just 'an ordinary day' changed my perspective. I was smiling, rejoicing in the value and power of fine friendship. Later that day, I felt happy and energised. I cleaned the house (well, bits of it), put a baked dinner in the oven, made pikelets for afternoon tea, rearranged a hall table that had been buried in junk, looked through my latest magazines pile and got inspired about a whole heap of stuff, put classical music on the car radio for the school trip home and laughed loudly at the news from my kids' day.

It's not even night time yet and I don't know when I'll get that elusive 'put my feet up' moment. But I'm thankful for a great day - it held the ordinary and the special, and somewhere along the way, the two melded in to one.

My current mag pile - including some US editions
(courtesy of wonderful travelling husband)


Fabulous Cake worth whipping up for a Surprise Visitor: Potato Ginger Cake
185g butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup treacle
3/4 cup SR flour
1/3 cup plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup grated raw (sweet) potato
Grease a loaf tin, line base with paper. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, until combined. Gradually beat in treacle. Sift in dry ingredients and add potato. Pour into prepared pan, bake in moderate oven for approx. 50mins. Stand 5mins. Then serve.  (recipe adapted from The Australian Women's Weekly Cakes & Slices Cookbook)