Like a hurricane

This looks really hokey but look what I pulled out from the cupboard tonight while making muesli.

This is a souvenir from New Orleans;  just something you pick up for fun, like a packet of the famous beignet mix.  Who knows, one day I might even make it up. But tonight it made me think of all the family and friends in NYC and on the east coast of the USA who have been impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  Some have had to evacuate as the power and water are off in lower Manhattan; others had to batten down the hatches but sat it out and all is now well.  Two we haven't heard from and hope it is only because their apartment is without power.  We are told that while above 37th Street life is fairly normal, below is dire.  It is so hard to imagine a powerful and vibrant place like New York at a standstill.

So here's to thanking the powers that be that we know most are safe and hoping to hear from J & R soon.

Happy New Year

We saw out 2011 with some lovely friends, just sitting out under the stars, having a barbecue, a chat and a few cold beverages.  Give me a catch up with a small group any day over a big party!  As we had seen some illegal fireworks close to home the previous night, we decided to leave a bit earlier to make sure that Misses K and P weren't spooked by the noise, but they were fine.   Then the official fireworks went off at midnight and we had great views of the action over the city (but not the Art Centre Spire fiasco!), the west and the north where there were also firework shows.  Unfortunately the camera isn't really up for good pictures at night and while out of focus, I thought this looked quite pretty:

For the first day of 2012, we were up early and I went to the gym at 11pm.  It was another beautiful hot day and we were able to get out on the deck again with S and S over another dinner.  The menu was simple; just chicken cooked on the barbecue, Vietnamese coleslaw and Jill Dupleix's Crash Hot Potatoes out of her Simple Food cookbook.  I made these on Friday night and they were so delicious and easy, I thought I would make them again.  I did learn that before you flatten the potatoes, they should be cold - when I flattened one batch that had just come out of the microwave and they stuck to the potato masher.  The recipe, with some slight changes is below:

Crash Hot Potatoes (Jill Dupleix's recipe with a couple of tweaks)

1 medium potato per person (or more if you like)
Olive oil (I used extra virgin)
Sea salt
Pepper
Fennel or caraway seeds
Fresh thyme

Heat the oven to 250C.  Cut potatoes in half and cook  in the microwave on High until done.  I find that 5 minutes cooks four potatoes (eight halves) nicely.  Place on a greased oven tray (I prefer to use baking silicone) and flatten each half potato using a masher or implement of your choice.  However, I found with the narrow gauge metal masher, the potato still tended to stick to it so I would use the flat style or a large spoon.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with seeds of your choice, thyme sprigs and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for around 20 minutes until crisp and golden and serve.  I found that 20 minutes wasn't quite enough - I took some out of the oven at this point, then turned the oven off and left the remainder there for a bit longer.  The latter were much more golden and crisp.  This is one dish that is going to stay in the repertoire - easy and universally popular!

That's what friends are for

Stos has a milestone birthday coming up on Wednesday.  He is not interested in celebrating with a party or a dinner so I have organised a number of small gatherings with friends.  Most have been social serendipity i.e a dinner at a very favoured restaurant with one group of friends;  a lunch date with another couple expanded to include other people from the same circle.  In one way, a party would have been much easier to organise and I would have felt entirely justified getting caterers in.  But , the group by group thing has been fun and is going to continue for another week or so.

The first "do" was Saturday night - dinner at Lau's Family Kitchen with the Triple Rs.  We just love Lau's; great food, great service and great environment.  It ticks all the boxes.  The night started with glasses of Piper Heidsieck before heading off for the usual delicious meal.  Stos was totally spoiled with lovely gifts and a birthday "Mystery Box" from the floral R.  Then yesterday was a lunch for 13 of our oldest (as in longest standing) friends.  The weather was ideal for an afternoon out on the the deck and we soaked up the sun, ate, drank and caught up.  It was a very special afternoon.  And all of this is before his birthday!

Delicious chocolate Brownies from
Nigella Lawson's "Express"

Holidays in the sun

It's been a bit quiet over here for a while.  The lead up to a holiday is always exhausting and the day job was very hectic as it was, let alone preparing to head off for two weeks of sun and relaxation.  So STLT HQ was largely deserted, even before we went away.  But finally the day came and we headed off to Broome.  I heard only good things about the place when talking about this much awaited break and I'm happy to say that I can only say good things about it as well.  What's not to like about a place that is 31C each day, has 15C nights, lovely beaches to lay on and a laid back environment.  We were there in peak season together with loads of other people seeking some sun, yet never felt like the place was full of tourists.  It was a great place to relax but offered lots of opportunities to do things, such as marvellous day trips to Cape Leveque, Windana Gorge and Tunnel Creek.  I ticked all the boxes on things that I was told to do - sunset camel ride on Cable Beach, a visit to the famous outdoor theatre, a trip to the pearl farm and so on.  I will definitely be going back.  On the way home, we spent three fabulous days with D & S in Perth.  This was jam packed with activity starting with a Coonawarra wine tasting on arriving in Perth then time spent in the Avon Valley, wandering around King's Park and brunch at Cottesloe Beach.  Total bliss!

Windana Gorge

The beautiful colours of the Kinberkeys

Birthday Boy

You know those times when the trickle of milestone birthdays becomes a flood?  Well, it's one of those years.  Two big birthday celebrations a week apart - last week a family member, this week a friend's - with Stos's next milestone due in the next few months.  But no celebration, he tells me.

Anyway, this was a fun night out with old friends.  Who like a dress up.  Fortunately the birthday boy obliged by telling guests to wear what they would have worn to the Royal Wedding if they had been asked.  There were the predicatable long frocks and tiaras but honourable mentions go to the gent in ecclesiastic robes and our friend C who donned the outfit that she wore to the birthday boy's wedding MANY years ago.  She gets extra points because it still fits.

 We sang, danced and did some silly things.  As usual.  A great time was had by all.

Teddy Bear's picnic

We have a new resident in the house.  He's not here for a long time, but we hope it is a good time.  Meet Marty:

Marty is a gift for my new niece or nephew due in September.  If I can bring myself to part with him. He is a fully jointed, handmade mohair bear created by lovely Jess of Teddy Bears Wednesday.  I think he will be a very good first friend for the new arrival.

Day 362: That's what friends are for

The blog has been a bit neglected lately as the STLT team have been very busy - the Day Jobs have been hectic, Stos has been spending time in Canberra and we headed up to Sydney last weekend for some culture; the magnificent Entombed Warriors exhibition and the Annie Leibowitz photographic display.  And the baby elephants at Tooronga Park Zoo; touristy but very fabulous.  Sadly we were not able to see Auntie Jean but it was a great break overall.

Last night we had a dinner party here with some 6 old friends, most of their partners and a couple of the kids.  Nothing out of the ordinary about this but it has made me think about how lucky I am.  I have known all of these girls since at least my late teens and one has been a friend since I was 13.  We met playing hockey and even though I have not played for years, I still consider this group (aka "The Originals") some of my closest friends.  I don't see a lot of them, but when we do catch up, we just pick up where we left off and I know if I had a problem, I could turn to any of them at any time. I know people who have a lot more friends than I do and they seem to go through phases and culls of the people they hang around with.  But I like to think that each and every friend I have made over the years will be around for life, and to date, this has largely been true.  But of all the people in my life, I do consider this group of girls as very, very special.  These are the sort of people who you ask to dinner then bring everything, know which of their culinary repertoire you love the most and make it just for you, get one of their kids to make you another version of something that you admired in their home and leave you with delicious leftovers .  My kind of friends.

The picture above is of a dragon that Veteran's daughter made for me after I saw and loved one that she had created for her mother.  We have received some and thoughtful gifts on moving back to STLT HQ, but nothing bespoke, so this is very special.  Spookily, it is also the red of the front door, one of the sails and the fabulous chairs. 

As I was writing this, I was scoffing a large piece of custard cake that the Scone Queen made.  Just for me.

Day 294: The Sweetest Gift

I think I'm a pretty modern girl but I really love the old fashioned niceties; hand written thank-you notes, gentlemen opening doors for ladies and that type of thing.  One lovely custom that we have noticed lately has been the offering of house warming gifts, cards and wishes.  I don't do these things often enough myself and need to make a New Year's resolution to be more thoughtful.  People have been so kind to us; Bob's mother bought us a lovely plant that she thought would go well with his landscaping efforts, then on Saturday, R presented us with a gift from local artist in original home ( from Northern Scotland) which she bought on her last trip back in August.  She was also happy to see that it blends in beautifully with my turquoise themes in the bathroom and kitchen.  We are so lucky to have such kind and considerate friends.

Day 112: We are family

This weekend has been a busy one for catching up with old friends and family.  Last night was a barbeque at L & D's.  It was originally planned as a dinner with the friends (all us girls worked together at various stages), but due to a flying visit from D's son J, this morphed into a barbeque with their family and other friends.  As usual L & D outdid themselves and we had a real feast, cooked by D and co-ordinated by L.  We had drinks, laughed and chatted and, of course, we had photos of the house to show off/bore people to tears with.  Today was a lunch for Dad's milestone birthday at Monsalvat (note the photo of the restaurant on the left is from the Monsalvat website).  My parents aren't usually into big celebrations for birthdays but Dad decided to have a lunch with the family, in-laws and some of their old friends - 26 people in all.  We had a delicious lunch comprising shared entrees of whitebait, scallops, terrine, mushrooms and duck pate followed by choices of Atlantic salmon, fillet mignon or a pumkin and ricotta tart for main course.  If that wasn't enough, a flourless orange birthday cake followed. 

We had to do a photo of the whole family given that it is a rare occasion that we are all together. The above photo doesn't include Stos or D, who were behind the camera at this point but we will get a complete one from another source.   It was also wonderful catching up with Mum and Dad's friends, some of whom we saw a lot of when we were kids but very rarely in recent years.  Dad had a great time but I think that the best part was seeing him with the grandchildren.  And Stos even got into the act by holding 9 month old A (and seeming to enjoy it).  L has suggested that this become his Facebook photo, but he's not keen on the idea.  Afer two days of eating very well, a walk was in order so when we got home K and R went out for the second time today.  A 7pm yoga class finished a very hectic weekend,

Hopefully Bob is refreshed from his holiday and ready to get the roof on the house this week.  We still need to see the kitchen guy, hopefully before the end of this week, so we can agree on the kitchen window and Bob can start building the door and window frames.

Day 98: The Wall(s)

A bit of a long time between posts, but it's a bit hard to update with images at this timeof the year when it gets dark so early.  The other reason for procrastinating is that I don't have much to show on my granny shrug update - I have only done another two rows since the last update, so feel a bit guilty. 

Anyway, there has been quite a lot of progress since Day 88.  The deck/boardwalk wrapping around back, side and the front of the house is finished and Bob has put up most of the frame for the street level of the house; the side wall for the lounge room and study and the walls for our bedroom, walk-in 'robe, ensuite and loo.  Stos has been helping with the frames while he has been on leave but is now back to his day job.  There have also been some discussions with more of the supporting cast:  the man making the roof trusses for the front of the house, Paul the steel man who will produce the railings for the deck, gates,fences and the brackets for the sails and the Sail Maker also dropped by.  Stos also met Sparkie Dave who will be handling all things electrical at the appropriate times, but in the meantime we need to think about what we want in terms of controls, switches and wiring.  Bob has been having a chat to them about our job and it was good that Stos was there to put in our viewpoint.  Hopefully the frame will be finished by the end of this week, but the weather forecast is pretty dire, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that Bob will have a productive week before taking some time off for the school holidays to spend time with his boys.

The shot on the left is looking into what will be the lounge room.  The windows are much bigger than I imagined, but they are built as per the plan (Bob hasn't been making more enlargements without telling us!).  We will definitely have to put something up on/in front of the fence to make the view a bit more interesting - something like a green wall perhaps.  I have seen a large plastic sheet with pockets for planting greenery that can be used on walls, so will look into this further. 

The last week has been a biggie for catching up with family and friends.  Last Saturday we caught up with a posse of Stos's cousins, their partners and his aunt.  On Sunday we cooked dinner for my sisters, partners and my parents and gave R & C their wedding presents (better late than never).  Yesterday we went to see Animal Kingdom while open house was being run at the Landlady's place and when we came out, had an invite to meet D & P and their daughter J for dinner.  That was a lovely surprise so we ditched our plans to stay in and cook for the much better option of joining them at our favourite Indian restaurant.  Today was a planned lunch with R, K and N who we haven't seen since the beginning of 2010.  It's times like these that reminds me of the importance of keeping up with the people who are close to you; Stos has a lot of cousins but these are the ones that he saw most of growing up, and he lived with B for a number of years.  I also lived with him as well for the first 6 months after we got married..  Stos saw all of them this year for the first time in ages and this was at family funerals.  Which is very wrong.  So more efforts need to be made to ensure that we all stay in touch with not only the cousins, but other people that we love, whom we tend to forget from time to time.

While I am on the soapbox, go and see Animal Kingdom.  We need to support great Australian films and this is a cracker.

Day 55: Big Five Ohhh

No further progress at the house to report since the last post. We had a look around the framed upper floor today but have decided that we really need to get the kitchen people in to come up with some suggestions on layout.  We can see a benefit in having the bigger windows on the south side, but need to get our heads around how we then fit a 900 ml stove and the planned walk in pantry on the same side, that also includes a door to the decking. 

But on to social matters.  Last night we went to a milestone birthday for a very dear friend W.  I can't remember when I first met W; it was through playing hockey at the same club and I think I might have been about 16 or 17.  We became close when we were both with boyfriends who played in the same team at our club.  Mine was a keeper, her's wasn't.  W forms the nucleus of the "original" hockey mob, which includes S, sister of Bob, and another group of 10 or so girls who I have known for long periods of time.  Our respect and admiration for W knows no end; she is one of the most caring, generous people that I have ever met.  She is endlessly kind and supportive of her friends; a confidante and supporter of many through a number of different trials and tribulations.  Since she and her family made a seachange some years ago and her  involvement in catering has increased, we don't see as much as her as we would like, but when we do catch up (particularly with the "originals") it feels like nothing has changed, and we pick up where we left off.  We talk like mad, have a few beverages and laugh hysterically at the silliest things.  It is fun and liberating to be yourself with people who share history and many memories. The theme of the party last night was "Leather and Lace" and to maintain the dignity of the attendees, the only photo I'll put up is the magnificent cake made by P (to the right of the photo)- above all, these girls (including me) love a dress up theme and get right into the spirit of things.  And you can probably imagine some of the outfits that appeared.  But what happens at the party stays at the party. The partners are also pretty good value at these events, but we were all upstaged by another guest who let it all hang out literally.  We'll leave it at that.  We had a lot of fun on the night and the subsequent sleepover, followed by a traditional bacon and eggs breakfast.  The icing on the cake was the attendance of some old members of the gang who had come from interstate to celebrate. I wouldn't have missed this for the world.  Happy Birthday W - we love you!

Day 43: Introducing Bob the Builder

Nothing further happening until tomorrow, so I thought I'd introduce Bob the Builder, pictured above with his trusty nail gun. I have known Bob since I was 13 years old. I met him at the same time as I met his sister, S, who is my closest friend, through hockey. Their mother was also involved as were their younger sisters, and over time got to know the whole family. I always got along well with Bob - he played Under 16 boys at when we played Under 16 girls competition and we all trained at the same time. I was a goalkeeper and later, Bob would stand behind the goals and chat to me when things were quiet down in defence. They were great days as S played right back and another good friend L played left back and we had a lot of fun. And we played on grass; none of that synthetic stuff! I have kept in contact with Bob over the years, mainly through catch ups with the family when S is visiting from Sydney. The family has always made me feel very welcome and Stos and I are without fail invited to a gathering at these times,. Strangely, when we first bought this house (now block), I asked Bob to drop by with S and her partner D (also a builder) to see if he had any suggestions. While D had some good ideas, for rennovation Bob just said "Pull it down" and wasn't interested. Prophetic as it turns out, but far from not being of interest, it is now as much his project as ours and he is passionate about it to the point that we are going to have some healthy debates about look and finish. But that's fine - I would rather that than have someone just building a mass market design, with no stake or interest in the outcome other than completing the requirements of the contract. I must get around to putting up a link to Bob's website so that people can see some of the wonderful properties that he has built, and having been to all that he has lived in himself, I can say that they are as impressive as they look. But our house will be a different shape given that we have a rectangular block as opposed to the irregular land that Bob normally builds on, so it will be quite unique. Just the way we want it. Photo courtesy of Bob's youngest sister Y, who turned up for a visit when I didn't have my camera - great work!

Day: Floored

Finally the day job is going back to be confined to the day, so I have been able to get down to the site and see it in daylight. Progress last week was the laying of the sub-floor and the requisite insulation. Not quite as exciting as seeing the frame on the lower level go up, but progress none the less. We spoke to Bob last night and he needs to make a trip to the country to pick up his scaffolding, so won't be back on the job until Wednesday.

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon driving around looking at Colourbond. A relatively new estate nearby has a number of houses with Colourbond roofs so we took a drive through there on the way to another estate that was listed in the Colourbond site as having some of the colours we were interested in. As many of the houses are close to the street, we were able to check our samples to garage doors to confirm the colours. We felt like silly school kids, but it is not easy to connect a large area of colour to a 5 x 2cm sample at a distance. And after all this, we are none the wiser. Of the four shades of grey we are looking at, one is too green, another too blue, one is too dark and the one that I was convinced was right looks too pale. I think we are going to need some expert help on this one, given that we also want to have a red front door and the window finishes will be natural timber, with the timber poles at the rear holding up the deck and the feature pole forming part of the front porch.

After all of this running around (which included trips to bathroom display centres as well), we headed down to Mornington to see Ro Baby. Bob's sister, who is a close friend, was showing her dog nearby and staying the night, so Ro invited us to dinner and invited some other people, including another friend from the olden days. Ro put on a superb seafood feast, much to the dismay of Stos, who ended up having sausages and rice. This was a spread that would have put Rick Stein to shame; crab, crayfish, fish curry, prawns, oysters and smoked salmon from a small producer. A long drive, but well worth it for the great food and the chance to catch up with old friends who should get together more often and to meet some lovely new ones. I think the next catch up will be at the new place in the New Year, but I've got my work cut out to equal Ro's hospitality.