Food glorious food, and more digging Nov 17 & 18 2012

They say that the amount of work expands to fit the time available.  The same can be said about me and cooking....

Although our charming guests said not to go to any trouble, I like cooking,  had time up my sleeve, and so planned accordingly (back in Melbourne)

Made chicken liver pate, beetroot dip, bagna cauda (red) dip, pita chips, grilled capsicum with garlic, (and also served my own Inglewood picked and cured olives, and bought sundried tomatoes) for starters

starters ready to be taken outside

Then, olive/caramelised onion & anchovy tart, fetta & eggplant meatballs with tzaziki, calamari/red pepper & chorizo salad,  grilled garlic/ginger/soy chicken, and fresh mixed salad  picked from the garden

All ready to go

To finish - (Inglewood) lemon tart and coffees/teas

And I was so organised  - that we had time to spare...(Justin set the table, vacuumed, general tidied up etc)

Justin very interested in something or other

Anyway, Michelle and Richard were our special luncheon guests, and this was their first time to Inglewood - so we wanted them to enjoy themselves.

They came around 1pm bearing lovely gifts :-wine, chocolates, and flowers from Richard's garden, (which I ended up bringing back to Melbourne - and they're still going strong

flowers from Richard's garden (you can also see the
recipe/photo for the fetta/eggplant meatballs in the background 

Gave them a quick tour of the house and garden, and given that Justin was going to be doing some BBQing we ate the dips etc outside

And then into the dining room  for our mains  - where food, wine, good cheer and good conversation were plentiful

waiting for me to hurry and sit down, so that they can start....

Now, all good lunches last til about dinner time, and this was no exception - as we saw our guests off close to 6pm - after having a quick tour of the town's Collectables shops

Ended up at the Charlie Napier Hotel (now Fusspots Collectibles)

Charlies Napier hotel, now Fusspots (photo from the internet)

Catherine introduced us to her husband Barry and he showed us the rather impressive heritage murals which we hadn't seen before.  They were in the old front bar, and had been wallpapered over for years

Murals #1 (photo from the internet)

Murals #2 (photo from the internet)

Murals #3 (photo from the internet) 

Murals #5 (photo from the internet)

Anyway, I should have said that we had some guest crossover - as Alex and Frank were coming around 4pm, but were early, so sat down with us for dessert and coffee/tea

They were spending the rest of the weekend with us - and it was likewise Frank's first visit

Given that we still had plenty of food left from lunch - we had that for dinner with Alex and Frank, and similarly had a very pleasant time

However, after all of this food revelry, some actual work had to be done.

Justin finished off painting the inside of the front door on Sunday

painting master

And I went back to my digging /redistributing of those bloody piles of dirt...And I remember now that dirt is heavy, very heavy - when piled into a decent sized wheelbarrow and trundled around.  It was quite tiring especially in the warm sun.  Also, if  I wasn't careful, the wheelbarrow would fall over sometimes when I was throwing the dirt into it -piled too high on one side- that was rather annoying!

very staged shot isn't it

  

queen of the "hill"

Also cleared away all of these snake-trap dead weeds - and no I didn't see any, and I forgot to take a photo of the finished/cleared result.  Normally I forget to take a before photo.  Oh well.

And lastly, I fixated on this irrigation bloody pipe that had been 1/2 buried in the larger pile.

Here I am trying to pull it out

and success - it's finally out!

Singin in the rain (and digging) 10 & 11 November 2012

Well, a lightening trip this time, as Steve and Denise had told me that there was going to be a special viewing of Singin in the Rain at the Town hall on Saturday 10 November.  It was the last movie that had been shown there, back in the 1950s, and this was the anniversary of its last viewing  - so here it was again

Poster outside the town Hall

The only thing was that we were having friends over for lunch on Sunday in Melbourne  - so it had to be a rather quick visit (and we had only been up a few days before hand - Melbourne Cup weekend)

But, obviously I couldn't resist (the rest of the family could) and I drove up early on Saturday after dropping Fraser at school cricket

As (nearly) always, it was a glorious sunny blue day. I firstly went and said hello to Steve and Denise, and then did a little food shopping for dinner tonight

I also introduced myself to Marge who lives across the road from the IGA, and has a wonderful rose garden out the front.  I had been meaning to go and congratulate the owner/gardener on their beautiful blooms, but as it was she was out the front gardening, so I walked over and started chatting, and told her how much I admired her roses.  She told me how a lady from Bridgewater had come and taken 150 cuttings, and then put them in a bathtub in her garden.  She only lost 2 - and gave them away throughout the neighborhood, keeping a few for herself.  Marge said I could also have cuttings at any time.  I may well take her up on that next Winter when it comes time to prune the roses.

Anyway, the task that I had set for myself today was to get rid of the weeds on those 2 large piles of dirt that the plumber had (scandalously) left behind next to a large hole.  Why he couldn't fill it back in - who knows.

Lots of weeds on the 2 x piles of dirt

I used the mattock to get them out - rather than by hand - it was much easier/more efficient.  I was also mindful of snakes in the long grass - didn't see any.  And I fantasised about just setting a match to it all, rather than pulling put the weeds.  Obviously this was an idle daydream inspired by laziness, I would never seriously consider doing anything that reckless.

I eventually finished the denuding of the piles....

Weeds now around the dirt piles

 And thought that I may as well start shovelling - as you can see in the below photo - I have already started to fill in the hole (forgot to take a photo at the very start - but then again it was covered with weeds there too)

the hole (hard to tell the depth)

I ended up almost flattening one pile

One pile gone, one pile to go

hole can still take more dirt

So, after a lot of digging, it was time to shower and have dinner

Denise and Steve came and picked me up at 7pm (despite living across the road from the Town Hall).  They dressed up in 50s gear and came in Denise's old chevy??

We did a bit of a spin around town, and stooped at Bubbletoes for a pre-film drink

 The film was great - however not that many people were there - but we all enjoyed ourselves

The next morning, in keeping with me doing something with lemons each time I go there, I made up some preserved lemons  using Stephanie Alexander's recipe

Chopped up lemons with sea salt 

finished product

Gave the vegie garden and roses a quick watering, and then headed home around 9.15 - to get ready for lunch (had most everything already prepared)

Group painting & J's birthday 3rd - 6th November 2012

Had a lovely long weekend up here - given that the kids had the Monday off as a Curriculum Day, and Tuesday was Melbourne Cup Day.

Mad's friend Aimee came up with us, and the girls had a lovely time trawling through the shops for clothes bargains - they literally spent hours in the Inglewood Emporium.

off on one of many shopping expeditions

Some other friends came up too, Chris & Jo and their 2 sons Nick & Hamish.

J and F were carefully painting the back veranda posts when they arrived, so Jo suggested that they all pick up a paint brush and help (very Tom Sawyer like with the painting of the fence - if I remember correctly)

J on ladder, F in overalls, and Chris barefoot

many hands make light work

I just watched and took photos, as there weren't enough paint brushes to go round

Chris enjoyed clowning around a bit

no belt Chris #1

No belt Chris #2

At some stage Chirs and Justin disappeared off to the pub to sink a few coldies.  Jo and I went and found them later and found them deep in discussion with 3 locals :- Wade, Ron and Andrew.  I was still in my overalls, and was somewhat taken aback when Wade demanded (nicely) to know where I had got them from.  

I'd bought them years ago at Camberwell Market, and had used them well in the ensuing years, gardening, painting, plastering etc .  I'd just brought them up to Ingewood however, as it was a bit too warm to wear my normal long-sleeved coveralls

Well, the reason for the interest was that they were Vicrail overalls with the little insignia on the pocket.  I was offered a cool $100 for them on the spot ,and told that they were collector's items.  Train spotters would pay a fortune for them on ebay.   

the overalls in question (photo from last year)

the overalls in question (photo from last year #2) 

I politely declined, and said they were all dirty anyway ie paint, plaster, dirt etc - no matter - they were still of interest.  

Once we got home, we had a  BBQ feast for dinner, with some delicious pre dinner starters by the BBQ area 

Jo with pre dinner snacks

 

a bountiful spread #1

a bountiful spread #2

And of course the guitars came out after dinner

Chris and guitar by candle night

Chris & Justin & guitars

Even though it wasn't that cold we had a fire in the dining room - to create even more atmosphere

Jo, ipad and open fire

The 2 younger boys had electronic stimulation on the couch

Shy boys

While Nick entertained Mad & Aimee - no photos of that

And as per normal, when we have guests, we had a slap-bang bacon and eggs breakfast with sausages, and my home made bread the next morning

Chris hamming it up again

passing the salt

breakfast for 9

 

And, speaking of food, I had also made us what I coined an Inglewood cake (back in Melbourne) :- made from Inglewood organic lemons  from Denise & Steve, Inglewood free range eggs and wheat grown and then ground by David into flour.  

Inglewood produce in Glen Iris kitchen

The cake itself was a lemon yogurt cake - very moist and quite dense, no fluffy sponge that!

the finished cake

 The idea had been to have it as afternoon tea with Denise & Steve.  Given that they close up the shop at 5pm, we took it around to to them with a pot of coffee around 4pm

me, wearing my sentimental I love Casa Lucati t-shirt

The 4 of us sat outside at one of Greg's tables (and chairs). It was all very civilised, and we enjoyed ourselves.  Cake tasted quite good too.  Gayle came outside to see what we were up to, so gave her a slice, and Don also walked by and had a chat, so we gave him a slice too. 

Pub for dinner that night, with the kids as per usual trying their luck on the claw chocolate machine

Aimee & Fraser expecting a huge cache of goodies

Came back and took a number of photos of the sunset from the veranda - as you could see rays of sun striped against the darkening sky.  Looked great, and I think I managed to capture this

Sunset #1 

  

Sunset #2

Sunset #3

Sunset #4

And the next day - Monday was Justin's birthday, 

Made him a nice breakfast

Birthday breakfast #1

Birthday breakfast #2

Birthday breakfast #3

He had a nice relaxing day, played a bit of Sony play station with Fraser. I know, I know, we relented and brought up an old small tv, and the playstation so that there is more there for the kids to do.  Had to run the long  extension cord up the stairs and into the big bee room.  Obviously a temporary measure until we properly wire up the house. 

birthday boy & Fraser racing

 The girls went off scootering and more shopping

 

They also had homework to do

sunning and homework on the veranda

clowning around

couch homework

"the horror" 

And of course I pottered around in the garden - putting the brick perimeter around the 2nd mulberry tree.  I was quite pleased with that

Lisa - the brickie's handiwork

Hamish had also drawn our attention to how incredibly dusty the downstairs back hallway light shade was - by writing an H in the thick dust

you don't notice the dust until it's wiped off?

 

This of course shamed/spurred  me into cleaning it - of course without touching the frail electric cord

look - it's blue!

And it seems as though we are always eating and drinking up here.  Well sometimes we bring some Inglewood food back home with us.  last week i had rought a bag full of spinach, chard and lettuce home.  this week i did the same, but also picked some artichokes

I found a recipe for baked artichokes with lemon, garlic and olive oil which I liked the look of.  Mad, Justin and I enjoyed this back in Melbourne.  I had only cooked artichoke once before, and wasn't that impressed with it.  I liked it this way though, perhaps I was a bit biased after growing it...I also wondered how anyone would have ever experimented enough to eat one of these huge thistles, like olives which are incredibly bitter off the tree, and only palatable after being heavily brined

unwrapped baked artichoke - with recipe photo on laptop in background

me - enjoying it