About Janice

I love California, both in and out of my garden. My passions are gardening and photography. My goal is to make Plum Bird Corner a happy place to visit often.

Handy Utensil for a Rainy Day

P1010835Today is another cool and rainy day in California. Perfect for a hot cup of coffee with a frothy top, and a sprinkle of cinnamon or cocoa.

P1010817P1010820Several weeks ago my husband, Martin brought home this little gadget. It is called The Quick Whisk. He’d watched a demonstration at a local supermarket, and was impressed with good reason. I love it and use it for frothing non fat milk, making instant puddings, whipping eggs, and anywhere you would use a whisk. It is much quicker than setting up my electric hand mixer. It shouldn’t be used for thick mixtures, but for light whipping it is fast and perfect. By simply pushing the handle up and down the whisk rotates quickly. It is also easy to clean and I use it often.

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fluffy-top
Looking at these photos makes me want to make myself a warm drink, and as soon as I finish this post I will be off to the kitchen. Think about getting yourself a Quick Whisk.I know you’ll love it.

 

 

 

 

 

A Healthy New Year’s Resolution

FullSizeRenderMy New Year’s resolution includes my mountain bike which has been in our garage unused, for a very long time. I can’t even tell you when I last rode it. At one time I competed in sprint triathlons, and enjoyed training six out of seven days a week. Each training session was different. I either swam, ran, or rode my bike, and because of the variety, it was never boring. Six years ago I had a serious bicycle accident, and if I hadn’t  been wearing a helmet, I would not be here now writing this post. So, first of all, if cycling, please wear a helmet. I wasn’t a novice to the world of cycling, but a small dip in the bike trail sent me flying. That was the end of my days as a triathlete. It took months to work up the nerve to get on my bicycle again, and when I did it was on my wide tired mountain bike. No more skinny tires, or racing for me. At the time of my fall, I was in great physical condition, which helped me to heal quickly, but since then I’ve been unable to stay with an exercise routine. I belonged to a very nice gym, but could not drag myself there and on top of everything else, I felt guilty wasting the monthly dues, so I quit, even though I knew how important exercise is for everyone. Those of you who read my blog, know that I have been a motor scooter rider for two years, and now, ride  a can-am Spyder 3-wheeler  motorcycle, but neither gives me any real exercise, and when I pass cyclists going up hill, I feel a little sad about the work- out I’m missing. Recently I was out on my scooter and saw a woman riding her bicycle and I knew then and there that I was going to get my bike out of its corner in the garage. Next, I had to locate my bicycle helmet and other bicycle gear that was stored away. When I found my helmet I was surprised to feel how light it was. I am used to wearing a motorcycle helmet now, and the bicycle helmet felt rather flimsy in comparison, even though my bicycle helmet is sturdy and covers more of the head than most. Here you can see my two helmets, side by side. Continue reading