GIFT FROM OZ

These Abalone flavoured Macadamia nuts were brought back from Australia by Neil.

I specially asked him to bring me back some as I had tasted them before and liked them. Douglas had brought a pack back from Australia when he came home after running The Gold Coast Half Marathon some years ago. Becky and I shared the pack and thought they were great. So Neil had instructions to try and find some to bring home for me and Becky. He got 2 packs at Sydney Airport on the day he left.

I have eaten all of mine - they were just as nice as I remembered. Very more - ish.

Abalone is a common name for any of a group of small to very large edible sea snails. Other common names are ear-shells, sea ears, as well as muttonfish or muttonshells in Australia and ormer in Great Britain.

Spent this morning phoning insurance company and getting calls from valuers and a maintenance firm. The wheels are in motion for my base unit to be collected on Monday to be taken for repair -if possible - or replacement. I'm waiting to hear from maintenance company as to when someone will call to look at TV - and my Freeview box which is also broken. I have borrowed Neil's laptop again and am watching TV on a tiny portable.

My troubles are certainly nowhere near as bad as all the folk whose homes have been flooded. Apparently 2 weeks worth of rain fell in one hour yesterday afternoon. The Met Office are saying it was a supercell thunderstorm which is extremely rare here in Britain. There was unprecedented rain and night-like darkness beforehand. The thunder boomed around the streets and lightning randomly struck any sticking up metal including the Tyne Bridge. ( and somehow managed to break my computer, TV and freeview box )