Salami making with Mad, Hughie & Terry 24 - 28 August 2023

Had a nice walk with Chris Mc in the morning - along the bike path to the end of the footbridge past St Kevins. And then drove up to Inglewood on Thursday afternoon - with a lot of pork and a bit of beef

I'd called the Inglewood butcher shop the other day, and asked about buying some pork fat, they said they didn't sell it, but did sell "pork sides" for smallgoods making

I bought some of that - it was a 3kg? (can't remember exactly how heavy) frozen pack - that I needed to defrost before tomorrow afternoon - took ages

I called Terry and told him that Madeleine and Hughie would arrive around lunchtime (at the earliest on) Friday. I also asked him if he could have a look at the jarrah wood that we were planning to use for the island benchtop.

He was coming into Inglewood on Friday morning, so I suggested that he stop in for a coffee and a look at the wood.

The rest of Thursday was pretty uneventful/can't really remember what I did....

Friday, and pottered around a bit, went and visited Denise for a chat, and then back to the house to have a coffee with Terry.  Also showed him the jarrah.  Given that the pieces weren't long enough - he didn't think it appropriate for the bench top - so Ludwig the cabinet maker will have to source the wood for us. 

Madeleine and Hughie arrived close to 1pm, and we pretty much drove straight to Terry's for lunch - before the smallgoods making

We had a delicious spanakopita with a green salad, and I brought two bottles of wine, one to have with lunch, and the other for flavouring our smallgoods

Once we'd finished lunch it was down to business

Firstly cutting the fat off the meat, and putting in separate bowls 

Then putting it through the mincer, measuring the right proportions of fat to meat, and adding in our flavourings ie salt pepper, garlic, red wine, chilli etc 

We each  had a large bowl - I was doing the salami mixture approx 3kg, and Madeleine did one type of fresh sausage approx 2kg, and Hughie another approx 2kg.  Terry was working on his own on the island bench  

And then it came time to put the mixtures into the sausage machine.  Was a little bit tricky this time, as the skins tore a bit. We made the sausages first  

And then I realised that we didn't bring anything to put them in.....

Terry lent us one plastic container, and then Madeleine and I drove back to Inglewood to get some more tupperware, and some plastic fruit bags from the supermarket.

By the time we got back, Terry and Hughie had pretty much done all of the salami - and they had run out of salami skins - so we had quite a bit of meat left over.  (Ended up making some sausage rolls back in Melbourne, and froze the rest)

Anyway, we had another glass of wine each - finishing off my smallgoods ingredient wine, and left around 6pm

Didn't really feel like going to the pub, so Madeleine and I went to the takeaway, and got some dinner there - which we ate back at the house

Had a reasonably early night, as Madeleine had an 11am medical appointment on Saturday.  Pity they couldn't stay longer

Anyway, they left around 8.30 or so, and I got stuck into the garden

Wanted to weed/tidy up the public garden beds out the front

Did the one on the left first

Before

After - yes there is a difference

It took me pretty much all day (from 10am or so) to do that side

Was a nice sunny day, so I was getting warm, but it cooled down after the sun went down, so I had a lovely hot bath

Did the right hand side on Sunday - and that took pretty much all day also

A number of people walked by and enquired about the house - so I chatted with them for a while.  Was a good distraction from the weeding

And Shane came by also - he had made some initial blue outlines in the garden ie a round garden bed near the rotunda, proposed paths etc - but we had to discuss further

I also decided to stay another day - as the paths were very overgrown

Once again - first the left hand side

And then the right hand side - forgot to take an after picture of this.  I didn't really weed the paths, as they will be replaced anyway by Shane

I basically filled Gordon's trailer - and forgot to take a photo of that too

I did some planting - ie the buddleia that Rachel gave me

  and some rogue plums that keep coming up in the vegie garden

The grape hyacinths were coming into bloom

And I spied two sad daffodils that I had planted recently - sad because something has nibbled away at the petals

Lastly, I hung the salamis up in the cellar - am looking forward to sampling them

 

Pirates of Penzance & cast party 18-20 August 2023

Well, what a weekend....Alex picked me up around 2pm (after I had made cakes for the CWA pop up shop at Umina)

Nice easy drive in his new Volvo

Chris Mc was also supposed to get there around 4pm, however he beat us, as we saw his car parked outside the Inglewood Emporium as we drove past

Advised him that we were here - and he came soon after

Showed him around - as he hadn't really been there before. Years and years ago after we had just bought it - he drove past with a previous girlfriend and had a wander around the garden, peering in through the windows, so he had never been inside

Given that it was nice and sunny - and reasonably warm, around 5ish we went up to the veranda and had some drinks and dips/biscuits that Alex had brought 

But once the sun dipped down below the horizon clouds it certainly got cooler so we went inside to the dining room for some dinner

Chris and I had been up to the IGA earlier, and bought a roast chicken which I had warming in the little oven, and we also had some salad and other bits and pieces with it 

Very nice

And then  upstairs to watch a movie - (both Chris and I fell asleep at different times through out - not sure about Alex

We watched A Good Year with Russel Crowe - Chris chose it - wanted something light, happy and good to look at 

A simple breakfast on Saturday morning

And Justin arrived around 11am from Warrnambool

I then got everything together for our Pirate drinks and nibbles, and also dressed up. Fraser had purchased a pirate costume some years ago, so I wore that.  The sword was a bit in the way, so I soon got rid of it

Anyway, guests started arriving around 12 - ie Damo & Nicole, (and 2 of their friends) Terry, and Rachel - who was dressed as a policeman.  I explained the various foods that I had laid out - ie Pirates balls ( Vietnamese chicken balls), Pirates pate (self explanatory) Brandy tuna dip (nautical), red dip (pirates blood), chorizo and prawn a la sidra, chips, twiggy sticks (dried beef), golden chocolate  etc etc. And for drinks - rum (of course), and I tried to buy nautical type wines ie oyster bay etc 

Jenny (Damo & Nicole's friend) also brought me some flowers - which was very nice of her 

 And Rachel brought us a swashbuckling Pirate flag - which I put up on the veranda

And then across the road to the show at 1pm

Rachel, Jenny and I were waylaid by the local Loddon shire reporter and had our photos taken - as we were dressed up.  However, we only made it to page 7 this time (as opposed to front page for the Gondoliers)

We sat upstairs this time, and had a rollicking good time

Pirates of Penzance was marvellous  

And because I had (characteristically) over catered, we went back to our place for more drinks and nibbles 

I was outside putting a bottle in the recycling bin, and saw the "Pirate King" outside, and so went and said hello

And of course invited him in for a drink

And then magically, most of the rest of the cast came too - it was glorious!  Particularly when they started singing. I was almost bursting with joy!  

After an hour or 2, the guests eventually left, the cast to the pub, and the others back home.

We ended up walking up to the pub also - and saw the cast all over again

Well, after such a big day, it was a relatively early night, and a slow start for Sunday breakfast

And then onto Kingower at 11am, as Terry had invited us to come up to the winery - more for Chris' benefit, as he hadn't been there before

Alex, Chris and I went - Justin stayed back and did some work.  Terry opened up a few bottles for us to try which was nice

After this went to WaterWheel Bridgewater - but it was closed, so back home, and Shane the gardener came over to discuss plans etc 

Then a casual lunch in the rotunda