Sunday Selections # 737
Long ago, Kim of Frog Ponds Rock, (who no longer blogs), dreamed up a meme called Sunday Selections.
A place where those who were willing could put up photos they wanted to share, new, old, good, bad or indifferent, any photos you please.
Nothing rude or vulgar though.
And we don't mind at all if other bloggers care to join us.
The meme is now continued by Elephant's Child and I join in as do a few others. Andrew is one. Messymimi is another. Drop in to their blogs and have a look.
Wisewebwoman has also been joining us more often.
Beginning today with South Australia's iconic "Frog Cakes" some of you may have heard of these, some have attempted to replicate them.
little squares of sponge cake topped with a ball of cream filling, then coated with fondant icing, a slit cut for the mouth of the frog and two dots of chocolate or white icing (frosting) for the eyes.
here you see the exposed layers of a halved frog cake.
This article from our newspaper might be too small to read and I have thrown away the original so I can't copy it, but it tells of an annual swarming of ladybirds (ladybugs) which far exceeds those of previous years, down in the South East of my state, quite close to the city of Mount Gambier.
here you see a small portion of the ladybirds swarming onto a "stobie pole" one of many hundreds across Australia that carry our electrical wires from here to there and back.
the ladybirds even swarmed onto the back and neck of this man.
a giant metal dragonfly spotted in a garden
small lilies brightening up a corner
and some "permanent" poppies, made of metal.
Dawn was lightening the sky as I arrived for my early morning surgery last Thursday.
late on Friday afternoon Lola was happy to have me back in my TV chair
one of the girls keeping warm with Dad.
Ana jumping without holding the support bar
Gen dismounting like a true olympian with arm raised
Sisters with their new sunflower sunglasses.
"stobie poles" are tall poles made of concrete with iron bars up each side, used throughout the country. I had a picture somewhere but can't find it, but probably google has one or two dozen pictures.
lady bugs are cute...but not en masse to that extent! No, that is just horrific. The girls are darling as usual. Growing fast!
ReplyDeleteLinda Sue; I don't know why the ladybirds were swarming, perhaps it is mating season, but I rarely see any at all here in the city. Maybe two per year in other gardens. The girls will soon be three!
DeleteThe ladybirds will keep the aphids down, but I wouldn't want them on my neck. They bite!
ReplyDeleteThe girls look so cute with their sunglasses on, cuddling each other.
I hope your eye feels okay.
jabblog; ladybirds bite? I did not know that, hopefully they didn't bite that man. The girls often cuddle, they are very close. My eye feels better every day.
DeleteI love the good Lady Bugs but not the mean ones. The good ones, I can't wait to shoot this year. The mean ones, not so much. Would love to shoot a dragon fly.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to the Baker's Rack. I love that piece. We got it years ago for a very, very then good price. It's a piece that travels with me from room to room as needed. Though right now, I don't want to bring anything like that into the space, unless I build it.
I get being happy with what you have for now. That makes sense.
The Happy Whisk; I'd love to shoot a real dragonfly, but never see any unless I don't have my camera with me. I know a few people who have Baker's Racks, they find them so handy and if I had space I'd get one. one of my daughters has one, all metal and all her baking pans live on it.
DeleteI would love to see that many lady bugs (and the hopefully death to the aphids). Love the twins. And the dragon flies and poppies.
ReplyDeletePS: That sunrise was lovely.
DeleteElephant's Child; the sunrise was a nice surprise, I rarely see them, but I arrived at the hospital a little before it opened so had the time to stand and watch the sky turn pink and gold. It's a Day Clinic. I wish for ladybugs here every year when I see the roses swarming with aphids. The twins are noticing that I don't visit while the eyes are recovering, they say "Nanny's not here."
DeleteWhat attracts the annual swarming of ladybugs to the Mount Gambier area, does anyone know? That poor man
ReplyDeletehels; I didn't read the entire article, so don't know why, it may just be that area has the right conditions for mating or hibernating.
DeleteI've heard about the lady birds, and I've never seen that before. A lot have been around here this year with one day the side of my car having perhaps thirty sitting on the paintwork.
ReplyDelete"one of the girls"? Lol, you still aren't certain which is which in all situations. They look adorable in the last photo.
Andrew; lucky you to have so many ladybirds on your car, though hopefully not pooping on it. It's true I can't tell the girls apart unless I am there visiting and they tell me their names. Then I might notice that one wearing a darker shade of that day's clothing is Ana or Gen which leaves the other one in paler shade to be Gen or Ana. If one is in pink and one is in purple it's usually Ana in Pink and Gen in purple. But now they both have rainbow tutus...
DeleteFrog cakes, they look like fun.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have the regular ladybirds here any longer, they've been driven out by the invasive Asian beetles which look about the same but bite and stink.
It's always a joy to see the girls.
messymimi; the frog cakes are fun, but very very sweet, I can only eat a half of one. I'm sorry you have those awful asian beetles instead of ladybirds.
DeleteI googled the cake. It´s from Paris! ... "a frog with its mouth open", uhhh, I´ll pass. In railway, sections are called "frog legs",so I am really out of this, LOL!
ReplyDelete"uniquely South Australian"... and "Frog cakes feature in the 2023 film Emotion Is Dead, written and directed by Pete Williams."
Mount Gambier... we had our very first meat pie and Ingo burned his mouth and finger! You so make me laugh! And really. If I´d known about all the insects you have... I´d never ever visited! Glad I did not know and stumbled right in, and met you many years later!
Dragonflies also use busses. And then my neck. Poppies are one of my fav flowers. Oh, surgeries. Why always so early in the day? Lola and cute Dad-Daughter-pic! 6C here btw...
Iris; the frog cake would be far too sweet for you. Even I can't eat a whole one. Not all surgeries are early, the first eye surgery was about 11am. I think most surgeons like to get things done early then have the afternoons to check on their patients.
Delete6C?? I would be wrapped up in many blankets at that temperature.
Mine always early, the surgeries, I am thankful we get.
Delete13C now. Meep. Off to the city soon. I don´t know what to wear (we have Spring Festival).
The sweets look delicious regardless of their origin,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about them!
Yes, I rarely see ladybugs anymore!!
The little girls are wonderful!!
Have a beautiful Sunday River!!
Katerinas Blog; they are delicious, but too sweet for most adults. Thank you.
DeleteGolod grief, so many ladybirds, never seen so many in one place.
ReplyDeleteLove your Lola, looks content.
The poppies are amazing, and I bet they look real as can be.
The girls are sweet as always.
Margaret D; I've never seen so many ladybirds at once either. Lola loves to sleep in the tv chair with me. The poppies are too shiny to look real and they are quite large. I love "my" girls.
Deletewe have some ladybirds here that are not native..... mebbe i am using the wrong term but we have some voracious interlopers..... doesn't everyone..... but the ones we don't want are called harlequin ladybirds...... and they swarm a bit but not on THIS scale!!!!!
ReplyDeleteArcicFox; the whole world has interlopers of one sort or another. They travel much further these days, just as people do. Once upon a time everyone and their bugs stayed within their own caves or tribes, mostly anyway, I guess there were territorial battles even back then.
DeleteWell, I'm a fan of ladybirds (or ladybugs as we say in the states) but I don't believe I'd want that many of them around -- and certainly not ON me!
ReplyDeleteThe frog cupcake is similar to one I used to see in a bake shop in New York, made to look like a dinosaur. It was sort of pear-shaped with a small head and pretty much all icing inside. I was surprised because I thought it might have been a pear!
Steve Reed; I'd like to see a dinosaur cake, but the thought of all icing inside is just too much. They should do a pear shaped cake and coat it with icing?
DeleteI love ladybirds and wish we had more here in the gardens, although with winter soon upon us I'll have to wait for spring. I don't mind the occasional one landing one me, but not that many!
Ladybirds in such amut are a pest, they stink and bite! You told of Frog cakes earlier, and I promised to tell of the Danish equivalent. I suppose I forgot. I'll snap ione next time I'm at the bakery. Here they're called Kaj-kager (Kaj-cakes) after a famous childrens' TV show puppet ... the very same Kaj snging in my Poetry Monday post on 'Free' last Monday ;)
ReplyDeleteCharlotte; I didn't know ladybirds could stink, but I guess with such a huge number all at once that could be the case. I've never seen so many so don't have any "smell" experience.
DeleteI'd like to see the Kaj-kager.
I've never seen a frog cake. They DO look tasty, but from your description, probably too sweet for me. That's a lot of ladybugs! They do indeed bite, but I don't know what triggers it. Many (not that many at once!) have landed on me, but only a couple bit, unprovoked. They also have a bad smell if they get smashed. Not that I would ever smash one intentionally. Looks like the girls had a nice sunny day for outside fun.
ReplyDeleteVal; the frog cakes are tasty and very sweet, but also quite small and there are mini versions too. A bit like original petit-fours I suppose, they gradually got larger over the years too. I prefer the mini ones.
DeleteI never knew ladybirds bite until commenters here enlightened me. The girls are enjoyed the sunny days while they can, and even in winter they get rugged up for a bit of outdoor time if it is sunny. I think their Dad, J, remembers me doing the same when he was little. I'd wrap the kids in jackets and scarves and beanies and they be out in the yard running around getting warmed up and oxygenated.
I love ladybugs but the most I've ever seen together is 2. I don't think I would love them so much if they came in swarms like that where I live. - I love the girls' glasses and I think Lola has the right idea. I think I'll take a little nap today too.
ReplyDeleteMMM; I've never seen more than two together, but have occasionally seen more spread throughout someone's garden. The girls love sunglasses, their pink heart shaped ones are too small now, so they have these new ones. I nap daily too, just like Lola, in the TV chair with the footrest raised and a blanket over me.
DeleteI love the frog 🐸 cakes and the ladybugs. Lovely photos.
ReplyDeleteLinda's Relaxing Lair; thank you.
Delete