Tuesday Tune ~ Brooke Fraser.

Welcome friends to Tuesday Tune at NatashaInOz.com!

I hope you enjoy listening to my new favourite singer from "Down Under"!

 

Image via SMH

Brooke Fraser, is from New Zealand and she is an award-winning folk-pop and Contemporary Christian recording artist.

 

Image via Last FM

She is the eldest of the three children born to former All Black, Bernie Fraser and his wife Lynda Fraser. She grew up in Naenae,Lower Hutt and attended Dyer Street School, Naenae Intermediate School and Naenae College. (Wikipedia)

Image via BrookFraser.com

This comes from her official website:

Fraser fell in love with the confessional lyrics and timeless melodies of James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Paula Cole, and eventually began to play the guitar. In 2002, when she was 18, Fraser signed with Sony Music and moved to Auckland where she played regularly at local venues while she wrote the songs that would appear on her debut album, What To Do With Daylight. That album, released in New Zealand in 2003, debuted at No. 1 and achieved gold status the same week. It eventually went eight times platinum, selling more than 120,000 copies in New Zealand alone, and remained in the Top 10 on the album charts for more than a year. The album spawned five Top 20 singles and made Fraser a star in her home country, leading to 2004 tours of Australia and New Zealand with John Mayer and David Bowie.

After the success of her first album, Fraser moved to Sydney, where she has lived since 2004. She commutes to the U.S. for touring. On 17 March 2008 she married Scott Ligertwood, in Sydney, changing her name to Brooke Ligertwood."Brooke Fraser" has remained her stage name for her activity as a Sony BMG recording/touring artist. She continues to contribute to writing songs for Hillsong Church, now as "Brooke Ligertwood". Among her notable worship songs are "Desert Song" and "Hosanna".

Source

Her third studio album Flags has become the most successful album of her career. Today's Sunday Song is called "Something in the Water" and it is from that album. It reached number one on the RIANZ singles chart in 2010 and it is my favourite song at the moment....I listen to it about 5 times a day!

True Moniker Freedom

I hope you also enjoy Something in the Water as much as I do!


brookefrasertv

Do you have a favourite song at the moment, one that you just can't stop listening to over and over again? If so, then I would love it if you could link up your favourite song with me today-you can link up with any post, old or new. Please feel free to even link up a song you have already linked up before or a repost like I have done today! Any song will do!

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without. Confucius

If you would like to link up a song, please just add the url of your particular blog post that you would like us to visit to the Linky tool below. eel free to Tweet about #SundaySong too; just click on the tweet button at the end of the post! 

Thanks for linking up and joining in with Sunday Song! 

Thank you so much for visiting today. I wish you a wonderful Sunday and I hope you have a fabulous week!

Naturally, this week's post is dedicated to all of our Kiwi friends and especially to the dear people of Christchurch. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Best wishes always,

Natasha In Oz 

Nigella's Choc Chip Muffin Recipe

G'day sweet friends and welcome to Natasha in Oz, my little bloggy home Down Under!

My family and I have a new food obsession....

Nigella Lawson's Choc chip muffins!

These muffins are delicious, easy to make and they are super-chocolatey!

It is so easy to vary the recipe too. I added some coffee, figs and lindt balls to mine and they were a taste sensation!

Here's the lady herself to tell you how easy it is to make these delicious treats!

Here is Nigella's Choc Chip muffins recipe via Food Network.com

Serving Size : Makes 12

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
3/4 cup superfine sugar
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 cup milk
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Special equipment: Muffin tin with paper muffin cases
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into a large bowl. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring jug. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, remembering that a lumpy batter makes the best muffins. Spoon into the prepared muffin cases. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are dark, risen and springy.

Enjoy with a cup of tea and your favourite magazine!

I certainly did!!!

I'm also linking this to my weekly Say G'Day Party! Please click the button to link up your recipes, tutorials, linky parties, instagram pictures...anything and everything!

Best wishes for a happy week,
Natasha In Oz 

Please join me each weekend for the Say G'day Saturday Linky Party!

You can also visit me at PINTEREST, TWITTER, GOOGLE+

INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

5 Minute Laugh - A "Walk on the Wild Side."

Welcome friends. Are you ready for a laugh?

Walk on the Wild Side is a 2009 comedy sketch show shown on BBC One. It involves the overdubbing of voice-overs to natural history footage.

Source

Walk On The Wild Side features the vocal talents of some of Britain's funniest comedians combined with remarkable footage from the BBC's Natural History Unit. The series also featured guest appearances from Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Barbara Windsor, Stephen Fry, Richard E Grant, Rolf Harris and Sir Tom Jones.

I hope you enjoy this montage of  hilarious animal voice-overs-thanks for sending this to me Carmen!

I think you might find it will be the funniest 5 minutes of your day!

A day without laughter is a day wasted.

Charlie Chaplin

Best wishes always,

Natasha In Oz 

Tea Time with Natasha in Oz

Hello lovely friends! Thanks so much for dropping by to say g'day. Will you stay for a quick cuppa with me?

Tea is liquid wisdom. ~Anonymous

It seems like forever since I have joined in the weekly Tea Party Link-ups that happen every Tuesday in Blogland! I am so happy to be finally joining in again today! This week I am sharing pictures of all of the tea parties I have had over the last couple of years. Some pictures are from home and some are from abroad. I think you might get the sense once you have seen them all that I am a big fan of taking tea!

Drinking a daily cup of tea will surely starve the apothecary. 

Chinese Proverb

Tea time in Singapore....

There is no trouble so great or grave that cannot be much diminished by a nice cup of tea. 

Bernard-Paul Heroux

Tea time in Hong Kong

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future. 

Thich Nat Hahn

Tea time in London

You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. C.S. Lewis

Time for tea in the USA!

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea. 

Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady

Time for Yorkshire tea in my Spode tea cup at home!

Tea time at home in the Den!

Time for afternoon tea and chai tea cookies in the kitchen

Time for tea...any time of day!

Now it's time to do the dishes!

Thank you so much for dropping by to visit! 

Best wishes always,

Natasha In Oz

Please join me each weekend for the Say G'day Saturday Linky Party!

You can also visit me at PINTEREST, TWITTER, GOOGLE+

INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Tuesday Tune ~ Michael Buble, Haven't Met you Yet

Welcome friends to Natasha In Oz! Thank you so much for stopping by to visit me today.

This week has been another crazy busy one at our place. The kids are well and truly back into their usual routines and their afternoons are filled with activities and homework.

Sadly, there has been less of this....

And more of this.....

Maddy and Big Al are in Grade 9 and 6 respectively and they have both decided to immerse themselves in as many extra-curricular activities as they can manage. They are both in their school's choir and string ensemble and Maddy is in the debating team and Big Al is on the cricket team. On top of these commitments they both have enormous amounts of homework to do. Life sure is busy for our young people these days. They seem to love every minute of it, though, and I am very proud of them!

So these last few weeks have busy for all of us. Mr Attorney helps Big Al with his Maths every night and I help Maddy with her IT and English homework. I have also been busy chauffeuring them here and there and I have even done a day's duty at Big Al's tuckshop! Consequently, I have been a bit of a slack blogger because my family has been priority Number 1!

I have therefore decided to to do a repost of something I did when I first started blogging. It is from October, 2009 and sadly, I only received 2 comments for this post....hint hint!!!

Anyway, this song is still very much a favourite of mine and I always play it when I need to feel happy and energized! I hope you also enjoy listening to the very gorgeous Michael Buble singing "Haven't Met You Yet."

Whether a person is spiritual or not, we all seek to get away from the stress, anger, and anxiety of everyday life. Some people drink, do drugs, or do worse to escape, and they hurt themselves in the process. Some people listen to music and feel better. Yanni

Ah, isn't he so dreamy!

I wonder, do you have a favourite song that lifts your spirits when you are feeling frazzled? Perhaps you have a song that just makes you feel happy whenever you hear it? If so, then I would love it if you could link up your favourite song with me today-you can link up with any post, old or new. Please feel free to even link up a song you have already linked up before or a repost like I have done today!

If you would like to link up a song, please just add the url of your particular blog post that you would like us to visit to the Linky tool below. Please feel free to grab the code for the Tuesday Tune  button below and add that to your post so that your readers might be able to find other bloggers who love music as much as we do! I would love it if you help me spread the word about about this weekly musical link up!

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Thanks for linking up!

Finally, thank you so much for stopping by and spending time with me today in my little corner of the world Down Under. I love it when my fabulous bloggy friends visit-you make my day!

Best wishes for a wonderful week,

Natasha In Oz 

Please join me each weekend for the Say G'day Saturday Linky Party!

You can also visit me at PINTEREST, TWITTER, GOOGLE+

INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

5 Minute Laugh: A Problem with my BlackBerry.

Welcome friends to NatashaInOz.com Have you got time for a 5 Minute Laugh?

 Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield star in this hilarious sketch from the BBC's The One Ronnie Show. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Thank you Mr Attorney and Tony for sending this 5 Minute Laugh to me!

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. e.e. cummings

Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it. 

 Henry Ward Beecher

Best wishes always,

Natasha In Oz 

Please join me each weekend for the Say G'day Saturday Linky Party!

You can also visit me at PINTEREST, TWITTER, GOOGLE+

INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

Valentine's Day Tuesday Tune ~ You're the Inspiration.

Welcome, dear friends, to this special Valentine's edition of Tuesday Tune!

Today I am sharing one of my all time favourite love songs. It is my favourite because it is actually the song that Mr Attorney and I chose as our Wedding song in December, 1993.

Anyone can catch your eye, but it takes someone special to catch your heart.  
Author Unknown

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach.  Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

"You're the Inspiration" was written by Peter Cetera and David Foster for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago 17(1984), with Cetera singing lead vocals. The third single released from that album, it reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in January 1985, and also climbed to the top position on the adult contemporary chart at the same time.

Source

This lyrics to this song are so romantic.... 

You know our love was meant to be

the kind of love that lasts forever

And I want you here with me 

from tonight until the end of time.

You should know, everywhere I go

Always on my mind, in my heart

in my soul..baby

CHORUS

You're the meaning in my life

you're the inspiration.

You bring feeling to my life

you're the inspiration.

Wanna have you near me

I wanna have you hear me sayin':

No one needs you more than I need you.

I hope that you enjoy listening to our Wedding Song.

Since this is the week to celebrate all things romantic, Tuesday Tune is all about love and romance too!

If you would like to link up a special Valentine's song this week, please just add the url of your particular blog post that you would like us to visit to the Linky tool below. Don't forget that you can link up a song from any of your posts, old or new and please feel free to use the button below in your post to help spread the word about #TuesdayTune.

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Best Valentine's wishes to you my dear friends and thank you so much for visiting today.

Natasha In Oz 

Please join me each weekend for the Say G'day Saturday Linky Party!

You can also visit me at PINTEREST, TWITTER, GOOGLE+

INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK!

5 Minutes with...Rebecca from Chow and Chatter!

Welcome friends to my monthly 5 Minutes with.....post!

I am so pleased to introduce my next blogging friend to you today. She is a wonderful blog friend and she has also become one of my very best Twitter friends too! Please meet the delightful Rebecca!

Rebecca authors the blog "Chow and Chatter" and she is a registered dietitian in the UK and the US.

Have a look at some of the delicious Recipes that she has posted about.

Lemon and Spice Drizzle Cake

Carrot, Lentil and Coriander Soup

Thai Inspired Minced Pork

So without any further ado, let's spend the next 5 minutes with....Rebecca!

What’s your daily beauty Routine?
I get up with my little 2 year old daughter have breakfast take a bath then think of something fun to do together :-) I am blessed.

 

What type of music do you listen to when you are relaxing?
I love Joss Stone, Eliza Dolittle (featured here on Sunday Song) and African music and Gospel. I also love listening to BBC radio one I am a Brit living in America so it reminds me of home. (You can hear one of Rebecca's favourite pieces of music here)

What is your favourite fragrance?
Flower bomb by Viktor Rolf

What are you Reading at the moment?
Just finished the Ragamuffin's Gospel by Brennen Manning. It's a lovely Christian book.

Amazon

Which Room in your home brings you the most joy?
The kitchen! Hee hee I am a food blogger!

Rebecca's cute little taste tester is in the kitchen trying Mummy's crepes!

What is your favourite dinner party meal?
I like a good curry (hubby is Indian). I love this Chicken Curry.

Recipe can be found here.

Tea or coffee?
It depends on my mood but I do love this gorgeous Hibiscus, Citrus and Basil Tea.

Favourite holiday photo?
Oh so many...Maybe this one from our last trip to India in September.

Describe your blog in one sentence….
Travel, Good Food and Nourishment. I also recently launched a Recipe app featuring 80 of the best Recipes that are healthy and easy to make. There are Recipes from around the world too. Check it out here.

Any Recipes you want to share?
I would love to share a recipe I recently posted for Mocha spice biscotti as it would make a perfect treat for your loved ones this Valentine's Day.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
a handful of almonds
1/2 a teaspoon of allspice
2 tablespoon of cocoa
dash of vanilla essence
one tablespoon freshly ground coffee

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease cookie sheet
2. beat eggs, oil and sugar together
3. slowly add in flour and baking powder , nuts, cocoa, vanilla essence, coffee beans and allspice and stir, it makes a thick and sticky mixture.
4. put on cookie sheet and press down to 1/2 inch thickness.
5. Bake for 25-30 min until golden brown, then remove and let it cool
6. slice the biscotti then bake for about 3 minutes on each side, in fact the word biscotti in Italian means twice baked :-)
7. enjoy!

Thank you so much Rebecca for spending 5 with minutes with me. I hope that your new APP venture is a huge success!

Please go and visit my sweet friend Rebecca at her beautiful blog, Chow and Chatter. I am sure you will find some more delicious Recipes and you might even pick up a few blogging and tweeting tips too!

Thank you so much for visiting today and thank you also to the wonderful ladies who host such fabulous linky parties every week. I feel so lucky to be part of such a wonderful network of virtual friends!

This week I am linking up to:

Jenny's Alphabe Thursday Party


What's Cooking in the Kitchen with Cheri

Foodie Friday with Michael Lee,

Tickled Pink Friday with Holly

Show and tell Friday with Cindy

and Beverly's Pink Saturday Party

Please be sure to come back on Sunday for my special Valentine's Edition of Sunday Song! It would be Really wonderful if you could come back and share your favourite romantic song with us! I would love it if you could please help me spread the word about this special Sunday Song Linky party by posting this button somewhere on your blog. Thank you!

Best wishes and happy weekend,

Natasha In Oz