I do giant batches of bolognese sauce and freeze them. Don't know if it is "nice" enough for guests, although our guests always like it. Min

I do it all the time; they keep longer than a week, but that might depend on your freezer. I've done curried egg (hard boiled egg, butter and curry powder mushed together) but egg can be dodgy to freeze (I think it needs a good coating of butter), so try a small batch first! As a kid my mom did this with ham and cheese, chicken, cheese. Probably other stuff, I've forgotten. In those days we were allowed to take peanut butter to school, so probably that too. The thing that has the best hit rate in my family is home-made pizza rolls. I make up a batch of regular dough in my breadmaker (or by hand, breadmaker is faster), then divide it up, roll them flat, put in the toppings, and close 'em up and bake them. Min

Ahhh, thank you ThatCyndiGirl! Min

I ***love*** my ipod - audio books and podcasts - there are some fantastic, educational, podcasts out there. In fact, I had to upgrade my internet account to download them!!! Min

I am embarrassed to ask this, but I will anyway. :001_smile: What is "Black Friday"? Min

Terri, Australia has recognised the Southern Ocean for a while, but apparently it has only recently been recognised by the rest of the world so don't worry if you didn't know the term - you didn't forget anything crucial! (Don't know where I read that, sorry! Or perhaps, I read it somewhere and thought "oh that's interesting, a non-Aus source referring to Southern Ocean. Hmm, I'm a bit vague today!) In school, back in the dark ages, we were taught that Australia was both the smallest continent and the largest island. New Zealand and the other countries weren't part of that definition. I didn't hear the term "Oceania" until I was in my 20s and it was a term used by some Europeans for the whole region - much in the same way that Singapore is part of Asia. I think it is a bit like how Pluto (?) is no longer a planet... Ideas change and so do definitions. Makes it hard! Miranda

Hi You can download this book at Project Gutenberg. At least, I did, a few years ago. Miranda

I also agree with piece, for the reasons given. Not an expert, and no official rule, just that it seems logical to me. Miranda

Hi I forgot to mention it, but do you know that clumping litters are very dangerous for bunnies? In order to maintain their gut health, bunnies have to eat some of their droppings (there are two kinds of droppings, it is only one kind that they will eat - it is mostly produced at night and the will generally eat it at night, so you may never see this). When eating the droppings they'll almost inevitably eat some of the litter also. The clumping litter can clump inside them, with dreadful results. Also, we once had a litter that had "odour-reducing pellets". Our bunny ate the pellets - they did look a little like large feeding pellets - and died. They can't vomit, so they have no way of getting poisons out of their systems. :( Rabbit experts here seem to recommend the recycled newspaper litter that look like grey pellets. We've used that for years with no problems. It also has the advantage that it is lightweight and doesn't scratch the floor if (when!) it ends up there. Sorry this post is a bit of a downer, but I thought this was important. Miranda

Hi He looks to me as though he's a Dutch rabbit. They're known for being a lovely placid breed. We have a tri-Dutch. Litter training a bunny is easy and a great option. Basically you notice where he's going and put a litterbox there. :) Then if there are accidents elsewhere you clean then up asap, perhaps with a little vinegar to remove any smells and avoid confusion. We have a litter-trained house rabbit who is a lovely companion. As he gets older he's becoming more and more cuddly and affectionate. Err, btw, do you know if he is a he or a she? It can be challenging to tell until they're more mature (though this one looks as though it may be there already). If you'd like to know more about this please PM me and I can run you through it. Happy bunny owning!!! Min

Hi Sheila I have no experience in anything else, but I am using All About Spelling with my two DDs and love it. http://www.all-about-spelling.com/ Because we use English spelling here we have had to make a few minor changes, but they have been minor and the author has been very helpful. Best wishes Miranda

Hi I don't put any sweetening at all in our bread. My recipe is 1-1/2 to 2 tsp yeast 600g flour (if white flour) 400?g/ml water (sorry, am experimenting, will have to check!) dash of olive oil (maybe a tablespoon?) The olive oil is not necessary, but I think it helps the bread to keep a little longer. We cut out the salt gradually but don't miss it. Also, apparently a pinch of vitamin c powder helps the bread to rise in warmer weather. I'll try the egg bread next! Bye Miranda

Hi everyone Following on from a response here, can I ask about vocab programmes, please? I'm wanting to do some vocab with my kids and don't really know where to start. Any ideas? We're afterschoolers and Australian - hence my spelling of programme - but something that uses US spelling is fine with us; we'll just adapt it as needed. Thanks! Miranda

Hi This unrelated to the original post (though I have many many things for which I am grateful and I think this is a wonderful subject!!!)... Peela, I see you're doing an Aussie Maths curriculum - can I ask please, what are you using? Thanks Miranda