The Renovations are afoot!

So here is where we are up to. The pond has been re-lined, re-filled, and we now have to replace the edging and surrounds. All has been fairly straightforward, except for the odd shape, which makes it a little difficult to fit the new liner neatly. But, we have done our best, and as you will see, Jim needed a little relaxation while waiting for the pond to fill up. So all that is left, is to replace the slabs round the edge, cut off any excess, and do tha pathway, and "hey presto"  a new pond.

Good News

I received these photos from Dilys. Her son Christopher and his partner have a new baby boy.....Barnaby Ralph.....born at Christmas...maybe Christmas Eve, I am not sure. The picture is the proud father, and the other one , no guesses needed...a typical English Christmas lunch....with, I am sure, Brussel sprouts.  This is one of the English Christmas' staples. Whether people like them or not...Christmas is the time for sprouts. Who knows why?  Just one of those things.
 Anyhow...many congratulations to them all, and all the best for 2013.
 I should say that the man next to Dilys is Godfrey, her brother, with Joy, his wife.

Christmas Day 2012

No prizes for guessing what I got for Christmas!!!  Actually, the little bottle in front, I bought myself when shopping for everyone else.....I liked the scent, and as it was cheaper than named brands (from Body Shop) I thought  "why not"?   Little did I know what Summie and Tiff had up their sleeves!  So I consider I have been extremely lucky this year.

We went to Tiff's farm for the day, and the weather was sunny, coolish, but very windy. We would have sat outside to eat, but I think the food would have been blown away, so it was cooked on the barbecue, but eaten inside. Needless to say, we all ate too much......it was so delicious.....prawns, cold meat, lovely salads, and my cheesecake and trifle, washed down with champagne of course.
 The roads were extremely quiet, both going there and coming home again, so that was a bonus. We got home at about 6 pm...pretty knackered, and had some leftovers for tea...which we had brought home with us.
 So all in all, a good time was had by everyone. Angus and Tiff will stay at the farm for a while...they both have holidays, so I hope they relax and have a restful time. They were both getting very tired towards the end of the year.

The Pond.....Again!

Yes...it's the pond again. We had it emptied, and it just sat there looking sad. When it rained, the water sat there too, and didn't drain away at all, so obviously there was no major leak. So today, I said I was going to just fill it up again...all the silt had been shovelled out. So the plants were hosed out, and put back, and the pump is up and running with the "Spume" nozzle going gangbusters. Of course, there are no fish...they have all been eaten by the birds, but at least it looks a bit better than 2 inches of muddy water in black plastic!!    So we shall see how it goes, and we can always empty it again if need be. One more thing that is no longer an eyesore.

Yes!! Again!

Mulwala Motel

And Again

The Hume Weir in full force!

Peacock by the roadside

So  here we are once more!!  It was a "shall we shan't we" sort of decision, but how glad we were that we went away again. We stayed 2 days in Mulwala, and the weather was glorious. Swam in the motel pool several times, and enjoyed a very convivial evening, sitting round this table with the owners, who we have got to know very well now. We also stayed 1 night in Albury, and drove out to the Hume Weir. They were letting some water out, and the force was breathtaking. Again, a stunning day.
As we drove away, we saw 2 peacocks on the side of the road, so Jim stopped briefly to snap them before they moved away. Not a sight you see every day.
 To round off the trip, on to Echuca for the last night. Weather a bit cooler, but still nice enough to sit outside the room with a chilled refresher. All in all, we had a wonderful time.

Big Boris

R.I.P. Big Boris!!!   Our last remaining fish, which we put in a fish tank while we sort out the pond, has gone to that big fish tank in the sky. To be more precise, he is in a sort of holding pattern at the moment....in a plastic freezer bag in Jim's freezer in the shed!!

When Jim went to the shed this morning, there he was, floating on top of the water. Of course, we don't know how old he was, as he was pretty big when we first had him. But, there you are, I don't think they have a particularly long life.
 I am a bit miffed,if only for the fact that I had just bought a large tub of fish food!!!

Anyhow, when bin day comes round, he will join the general collection, well and truly frozen!!

Guess what!!!

Well.......I have just had an email from Dilys....nothing strange about that, as we correspond regularly...but she and Richard are coming to Australia again in March 2013!!  They are off to N.Z. first, to see their daughter and family, and then coming here for a week. I have been surfing the net to find a B & B for them...we only have one single bed here....which won't do at all, so I have sent her some details for them both to peruse. The ideal one is just across the road, but they are trying to sell, so I don't know what the 'state of play' is at the moment.

 I hope we shall have some nice Summer weather then, and we can show them around a bit. How lovely to catch up with both of them this time.
Here is a pic. she sent a little while ago....Ju, what a lovely cat!

What a sorry sight!

Well folks, this is the pond as of today. We emptied it a week or so ago, and the bottom was inches deep in silt and debris, so I had to bucket a lot of it out. We think there is a leak somewhere, although very slow, but  a new liner is probably the way to go.
Hopefully we can fix up the waterfall at the same time, now that we have a much stronger pump, so it would be nice to get it ready for Summer. Keep our fingers crossed there are no 'glitches' with it.

Away Again!

Benalla Park

Another View

The River  and water feature

Swimming in the pool at Mulwala

What glorious weather!

 

 

We had 3 days away. Two at Mulwala...our favourite motel. We knew the weather was going to be wonderful...and it was. We both swam in the pool on both days, and then went to Echuca for the third day. I had a swim there too.
It was a very happy trip, and we thoroughly enjoyed it all...except when we left Mulwala for Echuca, and accidentally went the wrong way!!  We have done this trip a million times, but weren't paying attention, and drove nearly 40 kms toward Albury, instead of away from it!!  What idiots. It made the drive 80kms longer than need be. A bit of a nuisance.
We stopped at the park in Benalla on our way to Mulwala, and it was such a lovely day, we had to stop and take a few pictures of the most unusual 'edifice' there. It has a lot of seating in the rotunda part. Never seen anything quite like it before.

What a Find

I was scrolling through the bits and pieces in Google Chrome, and came upon a program called Adblock plus. I downloaded it, and now there are no horrible ads on my blog!!
 I have only checked once, but I hope this is the state of play for the future, and I have also installed it for Firefox too. What a little gem!!  To get rid of all those unwanted ads that kept popping up was a good days work, in anyone's language. So hopefully I have got on top of the problem now.
 I should say that I have only just come to Google Chrome, and am really impressed with it. I tried it a few years back, and then ditched it, but now it has improved out of sight, so I shall be using it from now on.
 How satisfying to find something really good.
 Keep up the good work Google!

Word verification

What a shame we have to try all we can to keep out the spam, junk, and all other 'nasties' that can be insidiously slipped into our blogs.
 This is why I have the 'word verification' on.....maybe it will make a bit of difference, and I know it can be a nuisance, but what can you do?
 Of course, nothing is fool proof, but we do what we can. I would love to catch the blighters that spend their time trying to mess up other people's pleasure, and they would all be wearing their computers in very uncomfortable places!!!

So that's my gripe for the day....There's no apt picture for this post!
  I WISH THERE WERE!!
I have also made sure that only people on my contact list can view my mad ravings and very amateur 'snapping'!!

On a lighter note, Jim is finding all sorts of 'goodies' on Chrome. here is one of them!!
What can I say....the shed is obviously a lot colder than we thought!!

More 'Pondage'

Here is "Big Boris", happily ensconced in a temporary home.  The pond is just about empty, except for all the sludge, and now we have to get the new liner, and start from scratch again. Hopefully, this time we can stay in control of it more.
 He seems quite happy where he is...probably feels safe from all the birds that used to hover over the pond, no doubt looking for lunch!! In sole splendour, he spends his days shuttling to and fro........What a life!

Pond Update

Here is the start of the big "pond cleanout" !!  We have had to get all the water out before we can start cleaning it properly. The silt in the bottom is inches deep, so when the water is gone, it's shoes off, and  paddling around to get all the muck out.
We are getting a new liner, thicker than this one, and meanwhile, "Big Boris" is scooting around in a fish tank, not bothered at all.
 So the fun begins!!

The Pond

This is just to let you know that all the fish in the pond have been gobbled up by the Kookaburras and Egrets!!!
 We have one left......"Big Boris" and he is skulking under the plants.....too scared to come out. We had between 25 and 30 fish...including babies that were born in the pond the previous year, and some we had bought, and were growing at quite a rate. So we have decided that we shall clean the pond, and have it as a garden feature....with just the one fish...until we can organise a decent way of protecting it from all the predators. What a shame...we put a net over, but it was too late.
 Now we need the net for the fruit trees, so the plums don't all get eaten by the birds too!!
 You can't win, can you?

Slow Cooked Corned Silverside

This is such an easy recipe. It is cooking away as I write this. You can get a good piece of meat for between $8 and $10. Here's what you do:-
In a slow cooker put:-
1 piece of corned silverside
2 small (or 1 large) onion, halved or quartered
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup malt brown vinegar
2 cloves garlic
2-3 bay leaves
2 litres beef stock
water to almost cover meat
A few Pepper corns

Put all ingredients in slow cooker, silverside on top of vegies. Make sure meat is almost covered with liquid.
Cook on  low for 6-61/2 hours, until tender and almost falling apart.
 Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
You can also make a tasty mustard sauce to go with it.

In a small saucepan put:-
a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid
1 tablespoon plain flour
1-2 teaspoons mustard
30g. butter
1 egg
2 tablespoons vinegar.

Stir all the time (only takes a couple of minutes), and add egg last.

This is sooooo tasty, and next day, the left-overs are great in a sandwich with pickle.

Spring garden

 Here is a picture of the igloo after we moved it up the back out of the way. At the moment the grass is green and lush.......for how long?  I wonder.

 Down the front...the archway is almost totally obscured now by all the new growth. Still, a nice bit of privacy.

 Even the front of the house got a bit of a 'tart' up. The red Japanese maple makes a lovely show too.

The powton is out at last. Unfortunately, the birds love it, so after a while, the lawn is strewn with bits of flowers. Such a shame, after waiting all Winter to see it!!

Unfortunate 'Time Out'

We hadn't been away for a while, as Jim had been battling a really bad bout of Vertigo. So we were planning an extra day or so to make up. We left on Sunday, and booked in at Echuca for 2 nights. On the first day, Jim didn't feel too bad, but on the 2nd, got worse. Yes.....Bloody vertigo again!! So that was that. On Tuesday morning, instead of heading off to our next stop, we hurriedly piled everything in the car, and came straight home. Fate must really be out to get us.
 Still, while away, we took a quick trip down to the warf, and spied two little paddle steamers that were getting done up on the slipway on previous visits, and have now been moved out to await finishing touches. Not boats for paid trips, but just for personal use I would think.

What a laugh!

Dilys and I arranged a Skype contact last Sunday evening. 7pm here, and 9am over there. It was just as if we carried on chatting from the time she was here!!  What a laugh we had...some of her stories were hilarious.
 The other thing is that they are renting a barn out to a friend who has raptors...eagles, owls etc. he goes around giving demonstrations and shows, and so she and Richard are clearing out one of their largest ones to house the birds. I will be  most interested to see a picture once they are installed!

What have we here?

At long last...here is our (almost free) business card. We saw a special offer....250 free, and another 250 half price, so we thought...why not?  We give out cards to people who come to look at the plants, and up until now, I have just written out the details on small pieces of paper....How business-like.................NOT!
  Obviously, the free ones had to be chosen out of a limited amount of designs, but that's OK.  As I said to Jim...with a colour like this, people will be more likely to notice it in their wallet or purse.
 So this is a free plug to Vista...they arrived much quicker than they said (we only paid for the slowest postage), and actually, the real thing is a little duller than this pic, so they won't be blinded by the colour!!

Wonderful azalea

This is the azalea on the front corner of the house....driveway side. The rest of the year it just looks the same as the others, but when in flower, it really stands out. You can hardly see the leaves for the flowers, and every year it just goes berserk in the Spring....a real pick-me-up!

Spring at last!

Here are a few pictures of the garden after I had done a bit of tidying up....long overdue I have to say. The weather today was lovely...blue sky, and warm sun, but not too hot, so it was time for some serious cutting back, removing dead tree fern fronds, and a general tidy up, which I haven't been able to do before, because everything was so wet, and it's no fun getting soaked when crawling under bushes etc.
 The cherry blossom is lovely at the moment, so we are hoping for no more gales just yet, which usually blast all the lovely pink flowers off the tree!!  Also hoping for a nice Summer this year.

Oh Dear!

Yes indeed.....Oh Dear....Jim has discovered E-bay!!!  What monster have I unleashed when getting him a laptop!!
  Yesterday he discovered some  Historex military models for sale....he can no longer get them here. Before you could say "knife", he had a bid in!!   Now I have to go out to the shed (now his computer room) and set up a Pay pal account......am I opening a can of worms or not?
  maybe I should put a lock on his PC except when Googling!!

Tiff's new Toy!

This is MY kind of present!

Here is Tiff with her new present from Angus. He rides his bike up at her farm, and she now will be able to go with him. They have been talking about it for some time now, and, Angus being Angus,  had to do all the research for it before committing himself. So yesterday, he went down to Ferntree gully to collect it from Jeffrey's....the Mecca for bikes. Today, while she is working, he is riding it around to break it in.
I think they are planning to take both bikes up to Bonnie Doon next weekend, for the inaugural "bike fest"!!  So it won't stay this pristine for very long.
  Tiff has driven so many different vehicles (farm and road) that she should be a pretty quick learner.
  Will keep you up to date on any exploits...good or bad!

Best Ever Marmalade

So here it is....The best ever marmalade. Bought it from Aldi the other day....not expensive, of course, nothing is there. Hadn't had marmalade for a long time, and wanted something different.
By the way Ju....you would love it....tart and tangy, and a long-forgotten taste to it.
 So one more thing to put on my list from there.
 It's a slim jar....just right for a household with only one marmalade-eater.

Mum and Dad

The picture at the top is really the way I remember Mum and Dad best. The photo is a bit of a mess now as it has been folded over to fit in a small frame.
 However, what a lovely reminder.

Mia

Here is Ju's cat Mia. He has had her for 2 years now......How time flies. What a beautiful face. I am sure she is just as spoilt as Ju's other cats (especially Min) but absolutely loving it too!

How times change!

Ena and Jessie

Here is a picture of mum (on the right) and her sister Ena. How fashions have changed! Ena was about 7 years older than mum, and lived in Southampton with husband Bill....he kept bees in the New Forest, and made the best honey you EVER tasted.  They had 2 boys.....Neil and Dave....have lost touch over the years with the boys.
 What a blast from the past!!

Believe it----Or Not!!

Well, it's happened again!!  The power came back on yesterday afternoon...amid general cheers. Then last night, at about 9.30pm...off it went again.
Once again...off all night...so no shower AGAIN this morning...just the wash-down in the basin in the shower, and it was a freezing morning too. Tiff left at about 5am, and David Hill Road was closed....tree down. When I went to Monbulk at about 9.45am....still closed, and when I returned at 10.30 STILL closed!  How long does it take all these men with massive chainsaws to clear a tree trunk?
 At 11.30am the power came back on......another 14hours without. This must be some sort of record.
 We reminisced about the good old days, when the SEC would come hurtling down the road in their trucks to repair lines, no matter what time of day or night. Not so now.

Anyhow...let's hope we get an uninterrupted power supply for a little while.  At the moment I am in the midst of catching up with about 28 loads of washing , and , ominously, the wind is still blowing the trees about wildly. Just let me at least finish the washing before anything else happens!!

The last 24 hours

Well, we have again had a prolonged power cut. It went off yesterday at just after 2pm, and it has just come back on. (About 2.30pm) So 24 hours without light, heat, or hot water. I have almost got a system going now, as this isn't the first time by any means . So it's a large cauldron of water heating on the (gas) stove. The kettle out of the cupboard to sit on the gas, and I gathered odd bits of wood to light the wood-burner.
 I have a system whereby I fill a bowl with hot water, put it in the shower, and stand in it to have a wash-down. The big cauldron does for washing the dishes, and we can still have a cup of tea whenever.
But I have to say, that when the power came back on, it was a big relief. What softies we have become!!
 Still..it's lovely to have the house warm again. One good thing, our fridge kept cold extremely well, so no loss of food at all.

Pictures of Eastbourne

 Here are 3 pictures of Eastbourne sea front. They always had beautiful gardens on the upper level of the promenade, and over the road are all the hotels for the holiday season. The town used to be crowded with 'trippers' in our growing-up years. A good place to stay, as you could just walk over the road to the beach, and behind the hotels is the town centre. A very central place for everything, including the cinemas, theatre, and entertainment on the pier
       

 The Bandstand is another attraction, with plenty of deck chairs for those who liked to listen to military-style music. In the distance you can just see the Wish-tower (see next picture).

Here is a view along the front, looking up towards the Wish-tower.  The wooden breakwaters were to stop the erosion by the water, which could wash all the beach away without them. Yes, even pebbly beaches can be eroded.  Note more deck-chairs lined along the front, for weary holiday-makers to rest and contemplate the sea, and no doubt benefit from the ozone, which was supposed to be healthy. Note also, the heaps of stones up against each breakwater, having been washed there by the sea.

Father's Day

A big thank you to Fraser and Summie for Jim's father's day present. Needless to say, he is eating his way through the chockies as I write!  The picture has come out well....he almost looks happy!!  This was obviously before the cold weather struck, as at the moment he can't seem to get warm....maybe this has something to do with sitting over a computer in a freezing shed.

Summie and Fra......he was dead chuffed with your gift.....so thank you from us both.

New York Times no-knead bread

This is the original New York Times bread.....see link....It is fair to say that it isn't quite as quick as the 5 minute bread, but I think it turned out a bit better. Maybe it is my expertise that helped!!  Made 2 loaves in the last week!  Some record for me. The good thing about it is that I only had ordinary plain flour (from Aldi), so next I shall experiment with different flour, and maybe seeds as well. Is there no end to my bread-making talent?   Yes...there probably is!  But it's nice to know it can be done with the minimum of know-how.
 We shall have to see how the family reacts!!

New Links

I have just added a couple of links, and I hope they work. The first is the link to the blog for all would-be self-sufficient fans. How to do practically anything. The second link is for the original recipe for 5 minute bread.....slightly different from the "down to earth" version. I am sure both are just as good. The original recipe was printed in the New York Times, so you can compare the two. My pic in my post, is the Down to Earth version. The other version is called "no knead bread".

5 minute bread

I found this recipe on the "down to earth" blog.....all about self sufficiency. It has been taken from a recipe printed in The New York Times"....easy to Google and get the recipe.  It literally only takes 5 minutes....a quick hand mix of the few ingredients...cover the bowl with cling film, and leave overnight.
It is cooked in a cast iron pot...with the lid on, and for my first attempt....not much to go wrong.
 Next time I will try different flour, or you can add grains, or practically anything.

My kind of cooking....no fuss and bother!!

Lovely weather

This is the first day that we could happily work outside without freezing. So.....washing out on the line instead of all hanging indoors, and out in the back garden for some serious raking. Haven't really had a chance....or inclination...to get out and do some gardening up to now, but today was the day.   So, the first step towards getting the garden in some sort of shape for Summer.....and let's hope we have a decent one this year.   Needless to say, lots more to do, but at least it's a start.
 Now, we just wait for the fish to wake up from their Winter sleep. Haven't seen hair nor hide of them since they went into hibernation, so don't even know how many we still have.
   Still.....a nice surprise...I hope...when they wake up!

At Long Last! No more shanty town!!

So this is the wobbly old 'edifice' at the top of the brick steps. For ages it has been gently leaning to one side, held up by the ferocious Banksia Rose, while the wood gradually rotted away. It was such a lovely sunny day yesterday, that Jim decided "now was the time". As usual, I was the 'man' on the ground, handing hammers and spanners, and catching falling wood.  But, it is gone, and Jim has a few extra pieces of wood to burn in his shed fire. So a good result all round, and it all looks much clearer and more open, with room for the Camellias and Rhododendrons to spread.

Corowa Station

This is Corowa Station, that we have passed many times, but never had a good look round.  It has been very well looked after...note the sign above my head, and they are still open!!
It backs onto a lovely park, and then the huge RSL club, which is responsible for all the maintenance of both park and station. The weather was fairly dull and cold, but well worth a quick look.

Another fattening recipe!

Here it is....Mars bar slice!! How indulgent is this?  here's how;-

In a saucepan put
120g butter
270g Mars bars- sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons (30mls) golden syrup
  Heat over low heat until melted, but with a few soft lumps of nougat still there.
 
When melted, pour into a bowl containing 3 3/4 cups of Rice Bubbles, and stir gently until cereal is all coated.
 Put into a slice tray and smooth until even.

Then melt 225g of choc (Cadburys or another brand) with 45g butter.
 I did it in a dish over a saucepan of simmering water.
 When melted and smooth, pour over Rice bubble mixture and smooth out.

Refrigerate until set. And don't eat it all at once, or you will be sick!!
 Best to keep it in the fridge  I think.

There are a million and one recipes, so just google for more.

Bobby (Father-in-law) with medals

Jim's Dad in war-time Naval uniform with medals.

At long last we have got Bobby's medals framed, with a picture of him, so they won't get lost. For ages they have lain in a drawer, forgotten and neglected, so it is nice to get this done after all this time.
 We went to the framer in Monbulk, and he got the plaque made with his details on it.
A nice way to remember a really lovely man.
 Sorry about the flash...couldn't get round it.

Yummy Chocolate Brownies

Here's the recipe, which, by the way, I have had for ages, but only just made!

Heat oven to 180c.
In a saucepan put 180g /6oz. butter,
1/2 cup water,
3/4 cup cocoa powder,
 Heat until butter is melted..stirring..then let it cool to lukewarm.

In a bowl put...
1 1/2 cups of caster sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
Beat until pale and thick.

Then add cooled cocoa mixture and stir, and then add
1/2 cup plain flour
3/4 cup S.R. flour....both sifted.
  Stir until smooth.

Pour into square deep cake tin...20cm square approx, and lined with baking paper.. although mine was a little bigger.
Cook in preheated oven for 25-30 mins...mine took a little longer...make sure inserted skewer comes out clean.  Cool in tin, then lift out by the paper, and cut into 16 squares. I covered with choc. icing, but you can just dust with icing sugar...these are really yummy, and very filling!

A nice Video

Fo anyone who hasn't seen this one....Ju, I know you have....I just thought there was something really charming about it. The soundtrack of course is beautiful too.

A Short Break

So this is the Stealth Bomber!!  Angus lent his pride and joy to us for a short trip away. The weather here was lousy, but in Albury it was cold and sunny.We were able to sit outside for a while, and enjoy the sunshine, and a cold glass of refresher.  We appreciated the luxury of an expensive car....if not the amount needed to fill it with petrol!!   Always a catch somewhere....still, it made for a very comfortable drive.

Never Throw Anything Away!!

So here is the latest invention!!  Half of an old water storage heater, with a door and vent cut into the side...a grill for the wood, and an old flu that was kicking about in the shed for ages!!  A quick hole cut in the roof, and Bob's your Uncle!!   Not quite as easy as that, but a resounding success....if NOT the most attractive thing you've ever seen!!
  The heat radiating from it is really impressive, and so the lad will have no more grumbles about cold feet and hands!!  Of course, there is still the matter of re-organising the rest of his shed, but I think getting this working first was probably a good idea, from the comfort viewpoint at least.

The Torrances...The Early years

Peggy, Jim & Bobby

Bobby in the War years

Here are some old pictures of Jim's Mum and Dad, when very young. Also his Dad in his naval uniform during the war years. In the middle is Jim as a young stripling....innocence personified!!