collect them all! the series

Of course, the Glenmore fleet does not merely confine itself to Big Trucks. Today, enjoy the smaller vehicles in the set.

Of course they all feature the enigmatic Dave (face of Glenmore Meats).


The white sporty hatch.


The silver sporty hatch.


The not Mercedes van


The Mercedes van.

The vans have the quite brilliant tagline: Superior Quality since 1967.

I'm totally stealing that for my twitter online bio.

.

in more than 140 chars

I had all these things I was going to blog about, but now have forgotten what they were (I should adopt hazelblackberry's system of notes).

Don't be disappointed though, I'm sure they were not at all exciting.


Nige provided us with a most fabulously excellent meal this evening: braised oxtail with mustard and mash (cooked over two nights) - perfect for the v. cold weather. Many people were wearing coats today - not me though, I was stylin' in my singlet, cardi and thongs [yes, pants too] - just waiting for the Sartorialist chase after me and beg to take my photo. Astoundingly that didn't happen, perhaps tomorrow.


Also, I now have blonde bits in my hair, which I actually quite like. Perhaps next time I will go the whole distance. Don't they say you look better in your 40s with the hair colour you had as a child? I don't know who they are, but I think they could be right ... blonder here I come. It was quite lovely to go to a decent hairdresser for the first time in ages, long time readers will be aware of my tendency to gravitate toward the more bargain-type salons (and how I always tell myself that I will never do that again, and how I always end up there just one more time etc etc). No more!


The ever brilliant Harriet suggested that I might craft a hat, I rather like this one. I'll have to spend a bit of time writing the pattern out in a manner which I can understand, while I have medium level crochet sk1llz, my pattern reading sk1llz are teh suck.


And none of that was what I had forgotten that I was going to write about.

.

ein kleines spiel cup perpetual trophy award for excellence: 2009 (week 7)

Standings after last week.

1. Carol (62 points)
2. Joe/Frank (59 points)
3. Don (55 points)
4. Bessie (52 points)
5. Dfkan (47 points)

Go me!

.

a wee urban stroll

If you are following my babble on twitter (or reading the stream over in the sidebar), you'll know that we made a failed attempt to visit Everleigh Markets on Saturday. It was a lovely walk despite the failure (arrived to find it was not on, probably due to Anzac Day).

I took some craptacular iphone photos along the way (you've probably noticed that iphone snaps are not my best photographic work)


Don's breakfast: pork roll.


My breakfast: chocolate croissant (always the healthy option!)


Old mini v new mini. I like that they both had white roofs.


In the heart of Chippendale on the footpaths ...


Food for everyone!

.

yarn arts

Now that the colder months have arrived, I need a yarn arts project for curling up in front of awesome 1970s television.

I'm a bit over scarves I think (although I might reconsider for the right pattern!). Don asked for socks, but while I feel that my skill level is probably okay for socks, I'm very daunted by them.

I want something fairly simple (so I can perve on James Garner and pick out the enormous plot holes), knits up (or crochets up) reasonably quickly, is not Nanna-ish (although of course Nanna-ish things are totally rocking, they're not what I'm after).


Suggestions welcomed!

.

collect them all!

Ever since I moved to Hippy'burb, I've been walking past Glenmore Meats ¹ (sadly, their website seems to be no longer functional) on the way to (and sometimes from) work.



Often Don and I visit there for our meaty needs.

But not only do Glenmore Meats have friendly service and maximum discounts! They have so much more!

They have a fleet of awesomely/terrifyingly painted vehicles with a bovine theme.

I'm so enamoured that I'm slowly photographing each vehicle (with the super-fabulous iphone - whatever did I do without it?) as I encounter them. The eventual goal being documenting the entire fleet. Unfortunately, the quality of the images the iphone takes fluctuates greatly, so apologies in advance.


This cow (let's call him Dave, shall we?) seems to be the face of Glenmore.


Dave, face of Glenmore.


The saddest cow in the land.
I really need to re-take this one, you just can't get a sense Dave's terribly fornlorn expression.


Dave, hanging with his homies.


This is my second favourite. Igor serves Dave for dinner.


There is one elusive truck that I see very rarely - it is my favourite and by god I will have it for the collection. I can't say what it features because that will totally spoil it. I will, however, give you a hint ... actually, no, I can't give you a hint, because it is just that awesome².


¹Previously mentioned here

²Yes, giving up "totally" and "awesome" is going really well, thanks.

.

olde woman

Just for Dfkan on the occasion of her 21st birthday.

full contact vixens1

In which Carol tries to explain netball to Don.



I then performed a nice demonstration of pivoting.

The new digital sports channel, in the absence of showing terribly much footy or other mainstream sports is really trying very hard to flog netball as the next! big! exciting! thing!, with adverts boasting "full! contact!"² and showing chicks falling on the floor.

Frankly, I don't really think they're going to make it happen.

Nor is it likely that they going to make Xtreme Paintball: Beyond the Paint happen.


¹Thanks to Don for the title.
²isn't the point of being a non-contact sport, the ... ummm ... lack of contact?.

.

ein kleines spiel cup perpetual trophy award for excellence: 2009 (week 6)

Oh Noes, they're catching up!

1. Carol (50 points)
2. Joe/Frank (49 points)
3. Don (48 points)
4. Bessie (44 points)
5. Dfkan (39 points)

What is this hubris of which you speak?

.

bucolic (2)

On the other hand, perhaps we really are all idiots.

Should you not want to click through - city people moving to the country to live have discovered, to their extreme dismay and horror, that living in the country is quite different to living in the city!

And that "only 2 per cent researched their new locale before moving from the city. Many subsequently discovered living costs were higher than expected, complaining of a lack of cheap rental housing, overpriced properties and expensive food and petrol".

They were probably all shocked to learn where milk came from too.

.

bucolic

As usual, around Easter Show time, articles about rural folk and farming appear in various newspapers. And a least once a year, the patronising, supercillious "golly gee whiz, those cityfolk are absolute morons who don't even know where their food comes from" attitude appears in one of those articles.

This year it is the turn of Ian Pursehouse, 25 who is president of the Agricultural Societies Council Youth Group:
"Simple things like milking a cow help educate city people about where their food comes from, " he said. "A lot of people think it comes from a supermarket shelf."

Do people from the country honestly, genuinely believe that there are a lot of people out there who think that milk just magically appears in the supermarket? Have they ever met anyone from the city? Or are we just a giant amorphous blob of idiocy?

I don't know about you, dear reader, but I have never encountered an adult who did not know where milk came from.

I'm awfully glad I escaped to the city all those years ago.

.

ein kleines spiel cup perpetual trophy award for excellence: 2009 (week 5)

Remember, if you haven't entered tip the tipsterer (for a fabulous prize and kudos!), you have another week.

Standings after week 5.

1. Carol (43 points)
2. Joe/Frank (41 points)
3. Don (39 points)
4. Bessie (34 points)
5. Dfkan (32 points)

Ever closer to that trophy...

.

holy grail

If you've ever tried following an English recipe which has called for Double Cream, you've undoubtedly been confused (unless, of course, you are English, or have lived in England, in which case you'll be all like, "what?").

I first encountered Double Cream back in the day (pre interwebs) and assumed (erronously, as it turns out) that it was the same as thickened cream and so had been subbing happily ever since.

That was until Don read the ingredients in thickened cream. Thickeners?! Eww! That can't be good!

So, recently, I did a bit of investigating - primarily because pretty much every recipe in The Nige calls for Double Cream. I discovered a great deal of antipodean confusion similar to my own, and a great deal of disguntled ex-pats trying to find something similar in the antipodes. Turns out Double Cream is around 48% (!) fat, our pure cream is 35%. Not quite so good, but, I thought, probably the best I was going to get.

Until last night - when in Harris Farm markets at Broadway, I discovered this wonderful bottle:



Double Cream! Hideously expensive ($7.50) Double Cream! But Double Cream!

Tonight we opened it for Nige's Pork Chops, mustard sauce and ZOMGWTF!!!11!!, I cannot even convey how completely fabulous it tastes, but it is absolutely heavenly. I could eat the entire bottle with a spoon. In one sitting.

These fabulously wonderful people at Johnson's Farmgate make it - I need to get more, lots, lots more!

And then go for a little run.

Or a very big run.

.

try the veal and don't forget to tip your waitress

For the past couple of weeks, I'd noticed the posters below scattered around the gym, but had not paid them terribly much attention, other than to shudder at the use of the most hideously, revoltingly, grotesque font in the history of mankind and to briefly roll my eyes at the clip art - all very 1995.



It was only today, when I was idly considering whether I should participate and took a closer look, that I noticed what all of you have probably noticed, and realised that, yes, I could definitely be competitive in one event ...
















The Stationery Bike!

Boom Tish!

Thanks folks, I'll be here all week!

.

surly

<edited to add>Yesterday's post, sucked into the ether - to be enjoyed today.

Given that we had 1.5 cups of stale cornflakes left and that was the precise amount the recipe called for, I whipped up another batch of the cornflake cookies - this time with coconut (a fine and recommended addition to any biscuit).

Golly, I hate the transition into non daylight savings time, it makes me quite grumpish during the working week. Particularly arriving home in the dark - it takes a bit of getting used to and I am not quite there yet. Weekends are easy and fun, I care not if it is daylight savings or not! And there are loads of things one can do, weeknights - dark, tired, blech!

I definitely need a project (more long term than baking cookies) to keep me upbeat while I acclimate - and perhaps some form of artificial sun. Or another holiday. Perhaps I need to read The Secret and manifest myself one (either a sun or a holiday, I'm not fussy).

.

literary

Toddled off to Gleebooks tonight to see Eric Beecher and Chris Masters in conversation about the newly released Best Australian Political Writing 2009. I won free passes from my Crikey subscriber email. I never win anything, so I was pretty chuffed.

Although I have to wonder why it is that I win free tickets and never win, say, a car or a trip. Come on universe, a holiday would be pretty gosh darn nice right about now.

I was rather amazed at the number of bolshie elderly folk there. I'm developing this theory that university students and retired people are the most idealistic and politically engaged. Possibly this is because they are free from the cares of mindnumbing, endless enslavement to The Man. Just an embryonic theory at the moment, I'm willing to be dissuaded.

Anyway, we both quite enjoyed ourselves. What struck me most was that apparently The Australian is not the squalid, right-wing rag that one might ordinarily suppose - certainly better than the Fairfax offerings, which, lets face it, is not terribly difficult. I have a hankering to investigate (once I get over that "I need a shower" feeling which comes with looking at a News Limited newspaper).


A beer while we wait - very civilised. I quite enjoyed browsing books, beer in hand (not a bad drop either, just quietly). In fact, I will return to buy myself 397 ways to pick a DVD, which I spent a very nice 15 minutes with.

Afterward, we dodged the pouring rain and grabbed a bite at the Ancient Britton. Which leads nicely into ... half eaten meals!


Don's laksa supreme. Honestly, you could wear the bowl as a hat. According to the menu (and the website [scroll to the bottom]) Geoff Huegill claims it is the best laksa in Sydney (kind of explains how he gained all that extra weight), and to be honest, I'm not sure that he is that far off - it's quite delicious. Although, sadly, I could never order it for myself - I cannot eat laksa in public, I end up covered in it (such is the elegant, dainty little flower that I am).


Singapore noodles for me. A bargain at $10 and really very yummy (although does not touch the laksa in fabulousness). Yes, that really is a half-eaten meal. They have absolutely enormous servings.

Again, so much for the not drinking! Oh well, there is always next week to get back on the wagon.

.

oui oui oui1 (belatedly)

Completely forgot that I'd not posted about Don's becoming totally Oz, so here is a catchup post.

Finally! After many, many months, Don finally received notice that his citizenship ceremony would would be happening in early March. Dfkan and I were the guests (Joe/Frank and Bessie still being in school - which was fortunate as Don was only permitted a maximum of three guests).

The ceremony itself was a lot better than I had expected (when I worked in Local Government back in the 90s, I worked a couple of citizenship ceremonies, so I was expecting the worst). It fun and casual, lots of cheering and rejoicing, very inclusive. If you can get along to one hosted by the City of Sydney, you really should!

Horribly, the national anthem included the second verse - fortunately crib notes were provided. Really! Who knows the second verse? (except primary school children, who, I believe, are forced to sing/memorise it).

We celebrated afterward with a feast of party pies and mini sausage rolls, followed by a barbie. Of course there was a special "shrimps on the barbie" option just for Don. Dessert featured a choice betwen Paddle Pops and Golden Gaytimes. Passiona was the non-alcoholic beverage option (we tried to find Fosters for the alcoholic option, but failed [possibly because no-one drinks it] and had to settle for Carlton Draught).

Gifts included much Oz memorabilia from various $2 shops (although many of the items were more than $2): tee-shirt, jacket, boxer shorts, hat, socks, thongs (sadly, socks and thongs were not worn together), magnets, flags, coaster, stickers and tattoos. I looked far and wide for a stubbie holder, without success. Amazingly much of this fine clothing has not been worn since.

Here are some photographs of the special daaaaay:


All geared up


Really, you can't be totally Oz without the aussie thongs.


The celebratory party pies and sausage rolls (with celebratory candles)


¹One of Don's congratulatory cards said "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oui Oui Oui". Perhaps a shout out to La Perouse?

.

firsts

After the first effort at kayaking on Friday, first time we've done yoga in the park and the first cooking of cornflake cookies on Saturday evening ...

Today, Don and I joined the ranks of the adults with the purchase of the first "proper" cutlery service for either of us. No, we haven't been eating with our fingers up to this point (unless you include ikea/kmart cutlery as eating with your fingers).


Elegant.

---

As part of the continuing series of photos of half eaten meals ...


Ploughman's lunch at the DJs cheese counter. The first time I have eaten at a DJs counter (normally the counters are 7 people deep and I don't venture anywhere near them).

Highlights were the Pheasant Farms pate and the Ashgrove cloth matured cheddar. Oh, and my glass of Sticks Sauv Blanc (what is this not drinking you speak of?) - which was quite lovely indeed.

---

Yesterday, we ventured out to the Art Gallery of New South Wales to view the Arhibald Prize finalists. Don's first Archibald viewing.


Don thinks about voting in the People's Choice, but then decides nothing really grabbed him.

We discovered we both preferred the Wynne and Sulman entries to those of the Archibald. Possibly because the Wynne and Sulman weren't accompanied by turgid, wanktastic artist statements. As Don noted, "art would be much more enjoyable without the artists". Right on, baby.

While we were there we decided it was about time we became members (something we've been considering for a while). And so joined (thus upping our wanker quotient by rather a lot) and then wallowed about in the member's lounge for a time - away from the rabble.

They've a rather wonderful Rosalie Gascoigne in the member's lounge, as well as a quite well stocked library.

Now all I have to do is start watching Rugby and my wankitude level will be set to 11.

.

frugality and creative re-use

Sadly this isn't one of those crazy frugal tips posts. Unfortunately, I haven't seen an insane frugal tip for ages - if you have seen one, please, please send it to me!

---

It's all about using what we have and reducing our footprint etc etc (ie. not tossing stuff in the bin unnecessarily).

So we have cornflake cookies:

Made from ever-so-slightly stale organic cornflakes¹ (which I would have otherwise tossed), craisins and sultanas.

I used this recipe (which I've not tried before), but subbed half of the sultanas for craisins.

I haven't tasted them yet, but on reflection, I probably should have chucked some coconut in - everything is better with coconut.

¹our packet had a not as cute monkey

---

Don's contribution to frugality was Matt's spectacular fromage fort



We have adored this before and adored it again.

Combined with a thinly sliced, oven crisped, ever-so-slightly stale pane di casa roll from bakers delight, it was a fantabulous afternoon snack.

---

Also, you may have noticed that I'm all about the <hr /> tag at the moment.

my new car

Okay, it isn't my new car, but I surely would love it to be.

On the way to Bundeena yesterday, we spotted this in a car yard on the Princes Highway at Tempe.



Yes, a FIRE TRUCK! With hoses and everything. And what a bargain!



Natually, we had to stop on the way home to take some snaps.

I think I have finally found a reason to regret not being able to drive a manual, it would be truly fabulous to take it for a test drive.

.

catch up (1)

I have a couple of images that I have uploaded to the server, but have yet to include in a post, so this will be a smidge disjointed and unthemeatic.

We go through quite a lot of eggs here in the Don and Carol haus, especially when the babiess are here and there are breakfasts to be had and cakes, biscuits and brownies to make. I always make an effort buy organic, cage free eggs (as Dfkan would say, it's the foodie wanker in me).



I went to grab this carton the other day. Wattle Ridge - the environmental egg, that has to be good, right?

That is until you see the word just above "12 X-Large Eggs".

Yes, that says "CAGE" in writing almost the same colour as the background.

Sneaky.

Unpleasantly sneaky.

---

Last weekend I was in the city buying Bessie a black singlet so that she might be correctly attired to play Jesus in her school's Easter liturgical thingy (at least I think it was a liturgical thingy, I'm not really down with this Catholicism stuff). No, I'm not sure why Jesus was outfitted in a black singlet and black tights.

We also bought a set-top box (which has given us crystal clear television transmission, whereas previously everything had a slightly winterish look to it) and looked for our third kitchen timer in 12 months (no matter how much we spend, they invariably die), which we did not find (DJs having sold out).

What was I saying? Oh yes! I was in the city last Saturday and I came across a Hare Krishna parade in Market Street.



I kind of dig Hare Krishnas, they always seem so happy and dance-y.

And they gave me a wee packet of my current favourite snack!

Boringly, my current favourite snack is trail mix.



.

my new boyfriend

I've been meaning to post this since January, however with one thing and other ...

It all started in the first week of January with an intriguing slender volume in the bookcase of the Marie Celeste kitchen.



Who exactly was Nigel Slater? I'd never heard his name before, so I borrowed it and fell in love with his delightful narrative style.

Then I read about him at the wonderful (but sadly defunct) The Croft and was even more intrigued.

So, I searched for something more substantial than the borrowed volume and found The Book in the not-local branch library after our first yoga class.



After cooking one of the recipes, I knew this book must be mine. So, of course I purchased it from the best online bookstore in the universe.

Then the fabulous kitschenette (she of our favouritest cake recipe ever) posted about him and suddenly he seemed to be everwhere.

And, now that I have found him, I've really been loving hiscolumn in The Observer.

How had I missed him before this?

We use Kitchen Diaries every week and everything we've made has been so utterly marvellous. You should really try to get your hands on a copy - even if you never cook anything from it, it is a wonderful read.


Oh, what about Don? Don doesn't mind the least because he is pretty in love with him too.

.

adventure

It was a really fun two hours and 5.45ish km!

But, golly, I am teh suck at paddling.

There were lots and lots of watercraft and accompanying wakes, a quite strong tide and the kayaks were a lot larger than anything I had been in before.


Calm waters (it was too choppy and scary to snap pix in the un-calm waters)


Paddler Don


Taking the kayak for a wee stroll


Our route

Once we got into calmer water, I was a much improved paddler.

I am sure I will feel it tomorrow, it definitely hit places in my arms that the rowing machine doesn't. I'm kind of coveting one now (yet another Enthusiasm).

ein kleines spiel cup perpetual trophy award for excellence 2009: tip the tipsterer (2)

Well, so far we have three entrants in tip the tipsterer.

Harriet: Joe/Frank
Jano: Don
Hazelblackberry: in a rather bold pick - a tie between Bessie and I

The rest of you slackards and lurkers have until, lets say, the end of week 6 to enter.
If you have a hankering to tip someone that has already been tipped, please do so - you can certainly share the spoils of victory with someone else.

Remember, there will be a fabulous prize (or prizes) and much kudos (which is really the most important thing, isn't it?).

ein kleines spiel cup perpetual trophy award for excellence: 2009 (week 4)

Results as at the end of week 4.

Joe/Frank and I had a particularly revolting week in the NRL. I almost got a perfect round in the AFL (stupid North Melbourne)...

1. Carol (32 points)
2. Joe/Frank (30 points)
3. Bessie (28 points)
3. Don (28 points)
5. Dfkan (26 points)

Mwahahahaha.

stream of consciouness

Today was quite lovely, so I took a few wee snaps with the iPhone on the way to work (all the better for Jano to stalk me).










Why yes, I do indeed wear daggy runners while walking to work.



I got distracted at that point, no, I don't work on the light rail tracks.

---

I was really not feeling going to the gym at lunch time today. In all honesty, I'd much rather have gone shopping: to check out the new Lincraft store (in the old Gowings building) or to see if I could join the utterly crazy lines at Haigh's Chocolates for easter goodness.

But, like a good girl, I resisted the lure of the shoppering and ran on the treadmill instead. The Captain and The Prodigy got me through.

The revolting thing about this fitness stuff is that if you want to maintain any level of health and un-lardishness you have to commit to it for The Rest Of Your Life.

Which is quite horrible prospect indeed.

The Rest of My Life.

Horrible.

---

I'd don't know why I wasted all that time (and $$$$$$) having my teeth whitened at the Dentist when I could have done it at the Shopping Centre!



Sadly, no-one was availing themselves of the opportunuty.

---

For those of you who are not following my terribly interesting twitter stream, Don and I are planning a wee kayaking adventure tomorrow. I haven't been kayaking since I was 12 and Don hasn't been in a paddle propelled watercraft for equally as long.

Sartorially, I'm all at sea (ha! kayak pun!). What on earth does one wear when one is kayaking?

Whatever I wear, I suspect there will be maximum soreness.

snagos

After reading a glowing description on the fabulous Grab Your Fork and having Dfkan email us a link, Don picked up some Nonna's sausages from Harris Farm markets as a surprise.



Shall try them out at some point over the weekend, possibly breakfast on Saturday.

I'm so easily influenced.