Wednesday, January 26, 2011
TEACHER WANTED
Anybody want to teach Japanese to the WHOLE of rural Bundaberg and a part of North Burnett Shire?
Monday, January 24, 2011
Saddle Up
The wheel has turned and I'm back to teaching Japanese again. I wonder how long it will take for the highschool to find a teacher?
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Wanna see my stud?
Late last year I met a big red boy, with a physique any male would kill for. I salivated over the sight in front of me and decided I was in love. In 2012 I'll be watching him perform at Beef Week and hopefully soon I'll be able to afford a juicy, Brangus stud! Honey! He can come up and eat my turf any time!
But let us digress...
10-ish years ago I was driving with Sonoko, a Japanese friend, and pointed towards a white cow in the distance and said, "That's a Brahman!" She looked confused and relied, "Not sheep?" I was floored and stated "A Brahman is a type of cow." Sonoko responded, "But sheep are white."
I chuckled over this for years until I arrived here and the shoe was suddenly on the other foot. Locals would ask me what sort of cattle had come with the property and I answered, "Brown". If they pressed the point I would say, "With white faces." And they would tell me with delight I had Herefords.
Nevertheless, for the next 6 years they remained "Meh! Just cattle." Until last September, while visiting Kristine Dingle's farm, she introduced me to the Brangus breed. No kidding I was gobsmacked at how beautiful these cattle were and I made a complete idiot of myself blabbing, "Oh my god! They look DELICIOUS!" I am sure she was completely unimpressed but I don't care - I WANT Brangus cattle and the more I learn about them, the more interested I become.
Suddenly I realised I was back in Asia. To start with everyone looked the same but after a month or so I was able to readily distinguish everyone properly. Now, living in Gin Gin you could say I am becoming more familiar with the locals....
But let us digress...
10-ish years ago I was driving with Sonoko, a Japanese friend, and pointed towards a white cow in the distance and said, "That's a Brahman!" She looked confused and relied, "Not sheep?" I was floored and stated "A Brahman is a type of cow." Sonoko responded, "But sheep are white."
I chuckled over this for years until I arrived here and the shoe was suddenly on the other foot. Locals would ask me what sort of cattle had come with the property and I answered, "Brown". If they pressed the point I would say, "With white faces." And they would tell me with delight I had Herefords.
Nevertheless, for the next 6 years they remained "Meh! Just cattle." Until last September, while visiting Kristine Dingle's farm, she introduced me to the Brangus breed. No kidding I was gobsmacked at how beautiful these cattle were and I made a complete idiot of myself blabbing, "Oh my god! They look DELICIOUS!" I am sure she was completely unimpressed but I don't care - I WANT Brangus cattle and the more I learn about them, the more interested I become.
Suddenly I realised I was back in Asia. To start with everyone looked the same but after a month or so I was able to readily distinguish everyone properly. Now, living in Gin Gin you could say I am becoming more familiar with the locals....
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Smoked Duck Pate
Butcher 3 birds.
Rub birds with salt, sugar and olive oil.
Hot smoke them with double sawdust.
Place them in a huge pressure cooker submerged in water.
Chop and add a full clove of garlic, onion and a tablespoon of peppercorns.
Cook them for a few hours until the meat falls from the bones.
Cool and remove the bones.
Reboil and mash well or machine-blend gently.
Scoop out and press into loaf molds.
Chill overnight and serve.
Bon Appetite!
And now you have a palatable use for old chooks. Fair dinkum you would not know the difference.
Rub birds with salt, sugar and olive oil.
Hot smoke them with double sawdust.
Place them in a huge pressure cooker submerged in water.
Chop and add a full clove of garlic, onion and a tablespoon of peppercorns.
Cook them for a few hours until the meat falls from the bones.
Cool and remove the bones.
Reboil and mash well or machine-blend gently.
Scoop out and press into loaf molds.
Chill overnight and serve.
Bon Appetite!
And now you have a palatable use for old chooks. Fair dinkum you would not know the difference.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Yesterday, I went shopping...
...and I bought....
2 tiny cucumbers for $4
a dozen eggs for $6
fresh corn for $1.50 per cob
a small sugarloaf cabbage for $4
potatoes at $5 a kilo
a lettuce for $4
OH MY FREAKING GOD! These are city prices! We pay less than 1/2 this price normally for local grown produce. Thankyou mother nature for reminding me why we left Gold Coast. I have decided instead to drink wine - it's cheaper.
2 tiny cucumbers for $4
a dozen eggs for $6
fresh corn for $1.50 per cob
a small sugarloaf cabbage for $4
potatoes at $5 a kilo
a lettuce for $4
OH MY FREAKING GOD! These are city prices! We pay less than 1/2 this price normally for local grown produce. Thankyou mother nature for reminding me why we left Gold Coast. I have decided instead to drink wine - it's cheaper.
Adapt or perish
Today I noticed residents of Goodnight Scrub emerging from their turnoff with all manner of watercraft strapped to their car roofs. They have been cut off for a month and as you will understand from the ABC interview, it really does not bother them greatly. I appreciated Ray's comment, "Some people work. We brought 2 gentlemen over early to go to work." I wonder if they will ever really want the bridge improved?
Thursday, January 6, 2011
SHE WALKS!
Skye is able to walk...and climb and demand, "UP!" She refuses to sleep because it is all so exciting. So many things to climb, again and again and again.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Discworld
Sean & I cleaned out his office and unearthed this 15 year old game. Kirk desperately wanted to play Discworld so Sean got it going and we are now sitting here, astounded, for so many reasons. However it is a good game for Kirk because there are only a few operations allowed. A few years ago I bought the current incarnation of Kidpix and was disappointed because it had so many new features it was impossible for a small child to use their own creativity and learn the basic functions so we defaulted to using Paint. Mmm...I have Sim City & Dune of the same vintage in my collection somewhere.
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