Self indulgence

Self indulgence = Big Dads Pies and Bundaberg Naturally Brewed Ginger Beer.

Penance = Walking from home along North St. to Mary to Bridge St. to Jubilee Park (Jubilee Park consists of 293 ha of bushland situated below the escarpment between Prince Henry Heights and Mackenzie Street. There... are five graded walks in the park - the 3.7 km Bridle Trail, a shared walking/horse riding trail; the 1.2 km Scenic Rim Track; the 1.8 km Tristania Track; the 1.4 km ... See MoreSandstone Ridge Track, and the 900 m Crebra Track.) where I did the the 3.7 km Bridle Trail then on to Harvey St to Mackenzie to range St. to Mary to North to home.

I think that should be enough penance.

A view towards the end of my walk at Jubilee Park near Toowoomba. I did the the 3.7 km Bridle Trail starting from the south then to the east finishing up at north. (Jubilee Park consists of 293 ha of bushland situated below the escarpment between Prince Henry Heights and Mackenzie Street. There are five graded walks in the park - the 3.7 km Bridle Trail, a shared walking/horse riding trail; the 1.2 km Scenic Rim Track; the 1.8 km Tristania Track; the 1.4 km ... See MoreSandstone Ridge Track, and the 900 m Crebra Track.)

The Food of Italy by Claudia Roden

Whilst I was out on my training walk for my Mt. Kosciusko climb yesterday, I knew full well I'd be going past the Lifeline second hand Book shop at the Range Shopping center and that I'd find it irresistible to dropping in.

And as usual I came away with a little gem. This one is called The Food of Italy by Claudia Roden.

I've only had this book just on twenty-four hours but already there is half a dozen recipes I'm eager to try.

The inside liner notes suggest 'The Food of Italy' is an original and authoritative record of the world's best loved cuisines.

It goes on to say, 'For her award-winning series 'The Taste of Italy' in the Sunday Times Magazine in 1988, Claudia Roden travelled up and down the country, through every region, to discover the local specialities on their home ground. She spent much of her time in the kitchen of both professional and private cooks, watching them at work and listening to their stories. In this book, which is based on her series but offers a great deal more, she gives us the best of the dishes she discoverd in more than 300 fully tested recipes. Uncomplicated and unaffected, they are part of the authentic regional traditions now being rediscovered'.

I'd go on further to say she gives each region, eighteen in all, its own introduction including some history of the area. The recipies also include a brief introduction along with an Italian and english title ie:-

PATE DI FEGATO

Liver Pate

The recipe for this pate comes from Danilo, the young owner-chef of La Crota at Roddi d'Alba. Most of his customers ask for assaggi-small tastings of everything, a way of eating which has come into fashion in the last ten years.

I'm going to find this book very enjoyable as a read as well as a reference for some good cooking.

Biography

CLAUDIA RODEN was born and brought up in Cairo and educated in Paris and in London, where she now lives. Widely admired as both a great cook and a fine writer, she is the author of several books, including The New Book of Middle Eastern Food and The Book of Jewish Food. The Food of Italy grew out of "The Taste of Italy," a series of articles she wrote for the Sunday Times of London. Her writing has been awarded many prestigious international prizes, including five Glenfiddich Awards, the James Beard Award in the United States, the Versailles Award in France, and the Prince Claus Award for Culture in the Netherlands.

Happy cooking and cheers everyone,

Stewart

seven years weeding

You all know the saying, 'can't see the forest for the trees', well around here it's, 'I can't see the veggie garden for the weeds'.

Now that we've had some good rain since Christmas and with some good hot growing weather in between and then with the rain, 'conspiring', to fall on my gardening days the weeds are having a field day.

I'm hoping for a few hours in the morning so as I can at least get some of the weeds out that are about to go to seed. You know what they say 'one years seeding = seven years weeding'.

Till next time

Cheers

Stewart

Nevele

Nevele/eleven

Walkies again this morning, but nothing as extravagant as yesterday.

Just around the big block to walk out some stiffness from yesterdays epic.

I found this nice reference to the number eleven while I was out so I took a photo and now here it is.






Stuart and Mabel street will mean nothing to anyone. It's just a photo I took to show I was there.













Oops, looks like it's the end of the road for me, but fear not fair maiden, for I have a plan.....umm, what was the plan again???

Ok so this is the top of North street that I refer too from time to time. And yes it is as steep as it looks.

As for the veggie garden we have rain predicted here for tomorrow and I am hoping it will hold off long enough for me to prepare for and plant (direct sow) some carrot, cabbage, cauliflower and brocolli seeds before it sets in.

Cheers for now

Stewart.


P.S. Happy Valentines day.

And I know why he had his head chopped off.

The first representation of Saint Valentine appeared in the Nuremberg Chronicle, (1493); alongside the woodcut portrait of Valentine the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius II, known as Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner -- until Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor -- whereupon this priest was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stoned; when that didn't finish him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.^[8]

Walkin'

Holy hole in the sand shoe Batman.

Who'd a thought walking could be so hard.

I had a rush of blood this morning after getting fed up with myself about not making any head way on losing any weight. So it was I decided to Walk a few errands and make a circuit out of it.

And after walking a circuit that covered half of Toowoomba and three hours later arriving home absolutely stuffed with my feet, knees, hip and back aching I'm more than hoping it will pay off next time I go out for a walk and it starts to become easier.

Hawkesbury Wonder

Amazing. After giving up on the veggie garden about four weeks ago due to the oppressive heat and then a few rainy days when I had spare time and couldn't get there I still had some lettuce to tend to after making it down to the community gardens this morning (the third lettuce down on the right will be dinner tonight).

I have lost my radish and beetroot I'd previously planted, but managed to replant these again this morning. Along with two rows of Hawkesbury Wonder Dwarf Bean from D.T. Brown seeds.

Where I am currently working is in a raised bed within a secure, fenced area that costs 24 dollars a year (50 cents a week) to rent.

Now that we have received some rain (though not as much as some of our neighbors, though better than none) and the excessive heat seems to have abated for the time being, I hope to get into full veggie production again.

Well that's it for now. Cheers and happy veggie gardening

Stewart

Predicted showers

I shoulda' know better, yesterday the Bureau of Meteorology predicted showers tending to rain and it was fine. Today they predicted fine weather and it is showery tending to rain at times.

How much are we paying these wallies and how much money do we spend on resources for them? I think they could save you/me/us a whole lot of money if they just stuck their head out the window and had a good look around every once and a while.

It is my only day off today, so to speak, and I had planed a fair bit of veggie gardening for today, but all I can do now is enjoy the rain, watch the weeds grow and start knitting the beanie I promised myself.

Cheers for now

Stewart.

I made it.

Remember my post back on the 11 of January (Knit one save one) where I wrote about an ad in a newspaper that was finally worth printing. Where I was reading the Queensland Courier Mail and I saw an ad with the heading 'knit one save one' to help save children in need around the world?

Well here is my progress. It has taken me ten squares to knit one without any mistakes but I'm getting through them pretty quickly now.





This lot here will be sent off tomorrow and in the meantime I'll be starting on my next batch.













And just for a giggle I thought I'd kit myself a hat and here is the result. Again full of mistakes but I'm learning a lot along the way.

When I started I thought all I'd need would be a couple of needles and some wool. Well that has grown to five sets of needles, one set of 40cm circular needles, a craft needle and a tape measure. Oh and some of those double pointed needles most of which I didn't even know existed until now.

Anyone else taken up the challenge yet? I'd love to post about your progress.

Cheers and happy knitting

Stewart.

Just add water.

Just add water and look what you get.

After a initial fall of 51 mls of rain (there was also a storm in there somewhere prior to the 51ml which dropped 20mls) we received a further 18mls over the next two nights. A fair bit of happy dancing around here atm.

After weeks of waking up in the middle of the day to face 30+ temp after working all night the last thing I wanted to do was was go out and spend two hours watering just to have it all dry up in the next two hours, so consequently the whole of the veggie garden has fallen into a state of neglected abandonment.

But since the rain and with some kinder days ahead I'll be getting back into it and start planning some Autumn/Winter veggie gardening (even been thinking about potatoes already).

Cheers and happy gardening,

Stewart

Sniff, sniff.

Oh, I've just gone all teary eyed. Who remembers Kimba.

VIDEO: On the road with AC/DC

Sigh, if only I had the money.

VIDEO: On the road with AC/DC