Vale Mary

Yesterday we farewelled a wonderful lady, the publican of our local watering hole. We had some wild times in the back bar and beer garden at Mary's after many a rugby game in the 80's and 90's; win, lose or draw, the Wheatmen knew how to celebrate and commiserate (it was always the same - boat races, sing a song, have a party).

The eulogy (delivered by four people) was a fitting tribute to such a lady and Fr. John's homily was excellent. The cricket and touch associations formed a guard of honour; the rugby boys acted as pallbearers - Gibbo was extremely honoured to be asked to help carry Mary to her final resting place. Drew was one of four who represented the school.

The main funeral procession made its' way up the main street where shopowners and the public spilled onto the pavement to clap her as she went by. Along the road to the cemetery, people stopped their cars and got out to salute her; the workers at the local council depot and hospital all came out too. 

We caught up with a lot of people from those years ago and after her burial we celebrated with a few drinks and tall stories and plenty of laughs at the showgrounds for a couple of hours.

Now an era in our town has ended; no more Happy Days, only memories - all good ones.

PC and the Round Garden

The permaculture, or round garden as I’ve taken to calling it, is still coming along nicely. The single thing that has impressed me the most about starting the garden is that there’s a definite plan to follow. By loosely following the book and sticking fairly close to what the moon calendar is telling me I’ve managed to actually grow something that we’ve eaten. I’ve done that before, sporadically, but with a bit of guidance this is the first time I’ve replanted and had a continuous supply of veges growing at different stages. Here's two of my main assistants, who mostly watch what I do!

Last weekend we planted leafy veg – lettuce, spinach, coriander, mint, broccoli, cauli and cabbage. Station 2 was still a bit hot but I added a bag of potting mix and a couple of buckets of black soil and it came up a treat.

This morning (Thursday) I planted fruiting veges (those that you eat the seed or fruit of) including zucchini, capsicum, peas and cherry toms. Next week I’ll plant root veges again.

We’ve discovered that the two adolescent Barnevelders that we thought were roosters have had a miraculous sex conversion and are actually pullets! So now I will have 3 Barnie hens and a rooster and they will be my permaculture chook tribe. The current tribe is a bit of a motley crew – the 2 original barnies (rooster and hen), 1 white Wyandotte and 1 silver laced Wyandotte. Barnie’s lay fantastic eggs so there’ll be plenty for cooking and eating.

I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned that I’m going to make the middle station the herb garden. I can’t wait for the circle to be ready so that I can go back to the nursery and buy all those beautiful smelling herbs that I can’t help but touch and smell when I'm there, especially the lemon scented verbena. I probably won’t use half of them to cook with but they’ll look and smell good!
Photos to come…. still.

Stormy skies but no rain.

Canneloni for Dinner

Last week Meg wanted to cook spinach and ricotta cannelloni, a dish I’d seen in magazines but never really had the urge to cook (or eat). That’s all changed now. It was very delicious – and not a piece of meat in sight! It was made all the more special because we went to the round garden and picked spinach, eschallot, lettuce and basil, fresh from the ground. Absolutely delicious and definitely a dish we’ll savour again.

PS - Photos to come; with five in the house our internet download limit is met before the month is up - and then we revert to dial up speed so photos are taking forever to load:)

When we picked the veges their smell was so very strong and fresh.

One of My Favourite Songs

This photo that Megan took stirred something deep within. I was finishing Grade 12 at the end of '79 when I discovered the song, Storms, on Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album and I would play the song over and over again, trying to relieve teenage angst and loneliness and boyfriend blues! I also played it in the early 80's as I tried to sort out my life and future and that boyfriend. It seemed to say everything I couldn't - which, in 2010 at 47, all seems overly dramatic but at the time, 30 years ago now, it was oh so relevant and real!

Storms

Every night that goes between

I feel a little less

As you slowly go away from me

This is only another test

Every night you do not come

Your softness fades away

Did I ever really care that much

Is there anything left to say

Every hour of fear I spend

My body tries to cry

Living through each empty night

A deadly calm inside

I haven't felt this way I feel

Since many a year ago

But in those years and the lifetimes past

I did not deal with the road

And I did not deal with you I know

Tho the love has always been

So I search to find an answer there

So I can truly win

Every hour of fear I spend

My body tries to cry

Living through each empty night

A deadly calm inside

So I try to say

Goodbye my friend

I'd like to leave you with something warm

But never have I been a blue calm sea

I have always been a storm

I have always been a storm

Ooh I have always been a storm

I have always been a storm

Stevie Nicks said it so much better than I ever could! Many, many years later, around 2003,  I rediscovered Fleetwood Mac and bought a Greatest Hits double CD - and there was Storms - and right from the very first note I was back in 1979 in amongst all those memories! I smiled to myself and it made me a little bit wistful and nostalgic but not sad.

When I drive in the car alone I PLAY IT REALLY LOUD!

The Girls Came Over

A couple of times a year, three girls and I get together and have lunch. It was my turn and I decided to make the Eggnet Salad recipe that I'd found on the SBS website not long after we came back from our trip to the Australian Open in January '09. It was the standout dish, for me, at the banquet at the well known Thai Restaurant, Longrain, housed in an old stable in Melbourne. Fourteen of us spent a really enjoyable couple of hours there on our first night. I'd been wanting to make the Eggnet for a long time but was waiting for the right occasion - I'm very patient, I waited over a year.

In keeping with the Asian theme I went for thai chicken mince balls, pork wontons and sushi for entree. In not keeping with the Asian theme I chose a very decadent crunchie cheesecake served in martini glasses for dessert.

I typed up a game plan, assembled all the ingredients, got Drew off to school and then Meg and I started. We chopped and grated and rolled and steamed. We measured and mixed and cut and diced. The kitchen was a mess and around 11 o'clock, absolute chaos reigned. I had to zest a coconut so I took it outside and just dropped it onto the bricks - it split beautifully but then I broke the tips off two knives when trying to extract the coconut flesh- and zesting a coconut is not as easy as it sounds. Luckily Chris came home and did a 15 minute clean up of the sink which allowed me to wash my hair and Meg to race outside and cut some flowers. Also luckily, the girls were a bit late - by the time they arrived everything was calm and ordered and ready - no hint of the panic of an hour before!

We had the entree.............

We had the eggnet salad with cucumber relish..................

and we had the wonderful dessert.............I couldn't finish all mine.

and here is Chris helping!!!....................

We had a really nice time and it was good to catch up. Sometimes I forget that you need to open the circle now and again; this reminded me.

Sass and What?!

Sass and Attitude, albeit a little blurry but I liked the photo!

A Week Off???

Yesterday, Thursday, felt like the first day of my "week off". Monday was spent shopping, cooking and preparing for the American, Company and MLA visitors; I had an Education Board meeting that night; Tuesday I finally decided on the menu for the girls lunch (on Wed) then went to town and shopped for it; Wednesday was a very full on morning of prepping for the 12 noon lunch and Wednesday night was our usual drive to Toowoomba for the drama workshops.

So yesterday was spent pottering; a bit of time with the chooks and vege garden, a bit of time reading, a crossword or two and a catch up of my favourite blogs as well as planting our winter pansies in the pots at the front path. We had to duck to town to the accountant so caught the library as well and went to the post office and ordered the GBP and Euros.

Dusk Shots

Drew took some photos right on dusk as well. Autumn is with us.

Posing for the Camera

Drew brought his friend Lydia home on Monday afternoon so that they could take some character photos for their Drama Journal. The class is performing excerpts from "A Streetcar Named Desire" and these two are performing a rather tense scene between Blanche and Stan.

After a huge afternoon tea of leftovers from lunch (3 Americans, 2 Branded Beef and 1 MLA rep) they went to the old pianola at the dump and took lots of photos; Drew then played with them to produce these beauties.

Getting Ready

Having Trouble with the Braces

End Results - Original

Manipulated x 2

Others

An Interested Observer, came for a looksee

When I look at these two I can't believe the transformation. They were chubby, gawky little kids in Grade 5; I used to go in for reading and maths groups - they've grown so much since then.....

After all that, they had mini wagyu steakburgers for a quick tea before heading off to touch football (where they actually won a game).