fiveandtwo

Larry and Snugbomb

A book I found at the op-shop (where else):

 

It's just plain weird, but I find it strangely compelling. It's set on Magnetic Island which I have good memories of. Went there on school camp in year 8 - 1977. The best food of my entire boarding school life. We collected coconuts and husked them on star pickets. The island was undeveloped then, as far as tourism goes. I don't know what it's like now.

I went to boarding school in Charters Towers which is 100km or so inland from Townsville. I went to Townsville every six weeks for a couple of years to get my braces adjusted.

 Anyway, back to the book.

 

How do you like this fellow's hairstyle? He's one of the ambulance officers. The shirt, shorts, shoes and socks are just like what my dad wore to work.

 

The kids go to the clinic to see the doctor, read comics and the nurse gets a needle prick injury. Her name, according to her badge, is Iva Pain. I do like that pic. of the kids on the plastic chairs reading comics. Oh, and one with eucalypt leaves. In case the koala gets hungry.

 

 Mrs Spigot is a dill.

 

 Yes, when your koala  just goes back to bad habits it's a good idea to wipe your hands of koala business and go play in the creek. A good creek too, by the looks of it.

Just Some Stuff

I made a quick visit to one of my regular op-shop haunts last week. Two of the Wednesday volunteers, Gwen and Monica said, "We've got something for you", and brought out a pile of fabric. "You're always buying fabric here so we saved this for you to look at". I felt really honoured.

Since I am in the process of a big fabric purge I carefully selected two pieces and put the rest in the material box.

 

My fabric collection has become insanely huge. Boxes, suitcases and drawers full of it. Piles all over the place. It's hard to get your head around sewing and crafting when getting to the machine requires moving piles of stuff, and then moving it all back to enable getting into bed at night!

So, I've been through it all once, and the monster has diminished slightly. Another go should see it back to manageable proportions. Man, do I find it hard. Every piece suddenly seems rife with potential. The ideas that pop into my head as I sort make the process more difficult, even though I know they'll never be realised (who has that much time?).

Some use was made of my stash on the Sewjourn weekend. Here is the first thing I made, based on what I think was a "housecoat" from the op-shop (I pulled it apart to use as a pattern).

 

My top is actually blue and my leggings purple (and it was really hard posting a pic. of myself on the blog...). I"ll make this pattern again, I think, and fix up the neckline gape when I do so.

Some weeks ago I raised the sides of my vegie garden using besser blocks, those concrete blocks with holes in them. I filled the holes with soil and compost and planted seeds and seedlings. I am most pleased with the result (and they will keep the mulch in the garden too).

 

Coriander seedlings and strawberries.

 

Pick a salad. The hole goes all the way through the block so reasonably large things can be grown - the roots go out the bottom of the block and sally forth.

The Chicken Recipe

I've just had a wonderful weekend of sewing at Sewjourn in Lancefield. In the company of a bunch of splendid women. I can't show what I made just yet - buttons and buttonholes need to be done.

Requests were made for the recipe of the "french-style" chicken we had on Saturday night.

Here it is:

7 chicken maryland portions

butter and olive oil for browning chicken

1 bulb garlic, peeled, finely chopped (yes, the whole thing, not just 1 clove)

2 leeks, halved, finely sliced, rinsed of dirt

2 carrots, peeled, finely diced

2 sticks celery, finely diced

half a bottle of dry white wine

salt and pepper

fresh parsley, chopped

Brown the chicken in butter and oil and place in a large baking dish. Heat a bit more oil and butter in the same pan used for browning the chicken, add garlic and soften a little. Careful not to burn it. Add celery, carrots and leeks and stir for a couple of minutes. Add wine, salt and pepper. Stir and heat through. Pour mixture over the chicken, spreading the vegetables around. Cook in a moderate oven about 1.5 hours, until the chicken skin has crisped a bit and the "sauce" has reduced.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve. Very nice with plain cooked rice and a green salad.

All I added to the dish at Lancefield was an extra carrot and 3 extra maryland portions (to serve 10).

Since I don't have a picture of the cooked dish you'll have to make do with this somewhat disturbing one.

 

It comes from The River Cottage Family Cookbook by the quintessentially english-named Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Fizz Carr. A lovely cook book aimed at the novice cook of perhaps 11+ years and onwards. Or younger, if cooking with an experienced helper.

And now for something completely different.

I found four Kathie Winkle plates and two Kathie Winkle bowls at the op-shop yesterday! And a cup and saucer in a green I particularly like.

 

It's a wonder you didn't hear me hyperventilating from there.