Visiting my Favourites

Yesterday the temperature reached 35deg. I put the air-conditioning on at 8am. Rushed out to the shops and back into the cool. Spent the best part of the day cleaning my room from top to bottom.

Today after a lovely swim and a coffee with neighbours I went to the Art Gallery to visit some of my favourite paintings. I wasn't in the mood for anything modern or confronting - just comforting beauty.

The detail on these pears is just wonderful

The grapes are glisening

I love the way the lemon is cut

Figs and oysters

The Dutch did this so well

A little more modern

I have chosen these for the feel of the content, not by artist.

Pineapples and banana's - Queensland

Just liked this

Definately a local artist

There is something about food and flowers in painting that I really love.

Christmas Day 2013

For the first time since I was about 15 years old I was not responsible for the major cooking/cleaning/organising of Christmas Day for family and or friends.

My Grand daughter G and her lovely partner R (both Chefs) volunteered to 'do' the day. R's fun family from Hutt near Wellington New Zealand are visiting for the holidays.

I did glaze the ham by request. The oven in the townhouse was too small for the whole leg of ham.

Prepped this on Christmas Eve

G had to cut the bone off the end with my pruning saw it was so big. Wouldn't fit in my Le Cruset baking dish (not that I would have been able to lift the dish and the ham). I bought an aluminium baking dish which of course is not 'firm'. What fun I had lifting this out every 15 minutes on Christmas morning to paint it with the fig glaze.

Discovered this fig glaze 13 years ago

Ham with the fig glaze has been such a family favourite that I have made it every year since 2000. I usually do a spicy peach chutney to go with this.

Was worth it

Me toasting 'the ham'

Daughter in law C in one of her fav colours

Chef R - we love him

Grand daughters coleslaw - fabulous

I took some of this home for a snack. She used a bottled dressing that was fabulous - who would have thought.

Fresh bar b qued  prawns cooked by a Kiwi

Lovely veggie selection

Great potato salad

G's yummy chicken roulade's

There was also a lovely roasted loin of pork that missed the photo's with a wonderful gravy, plus oodles of cheese and smoked salmon plus fresh oysters.
A great time with R's family - fun day.

Christmas eve dinner

Had a lovely Christmas eve dinner with my friend Carol and 'Val' the dog we took to Coochie.

As usual her table deco is tops

Festive oranges

This little bird is seriouly vintage and part of her family tradition 

These twigs make mine look naff

Loving this little ensemble - too clever

A festive salad

Dates and Persian feta

It is not Christmas in Brisbane without some frangapani action. I stole these from next door as usual - love a volunteer flower especially in this heat. I am not going to buy them to last one day.

Day trip to Coochiemudlo Island

My friend C and I decided to do a day trip to 'Coochie' to swim and have an adventure. Of course one of the reasons is that 'Val' could come as he would be allowed on the ferry.

Val ready for the ferry

Did you bring snacks?

He was supposed to wear a muzzle

He didn't like it

The beach is fun

Map for exploring

The water was fabulous. We swam for over an hour and played with the frisbee with Val.

Forever fun

We didn't know this

After the swim and a good walk along the tracks we stopped for fish and chips.

Ready to go home

Curlews - haven't seen these since Lamb Island

Al little bit of Retro - Devil's on Horseback

I haven't made Devils on Horseback since some time in the 1970's. Our annual Carramar Street neighbours Christmas drinks/catch up was last night - so many in our little street seem to travel so much that we can go for month's without seeing some one.

2013 - Kim and Jose were in Europe for 6 months, Neil and Karen did Europe and USA both east and west coasts plus Karen went to Japan with her students, Carol went to Seattle I went to Tokyo. Rose and Jim went to France and Thailand and are leaving for India next week. Forgot what the others did - if this is a sample of how Australians are living we are are very well travelled lot.

Any how back to the 'Devils' - our hosts were Kim and Jose next door a beautiful restoration of a house built in the late 1800's - in fact our house is built on what was the original tennis court of their house - gives you an idea of the Queenslander granduer of the period.

We all bring a plate in the great Aussie tradition - I decided on the 'Devils'.

The old Sunbeam is still firing

I beat the cream cheese, Djion mustard, and mayo until light and fluffy then stuff the prunes using an icing tube.

Easier said than done

Next time I am buying a classier brand of prunes. Really, if you are stewing prunes for your porridge or throwing them in with oxtail (YUM) squashed 'home brand' will do. But I had the 'devil' of a time finding the opening in these babies and getting the tube in to fill them with the cream cheese mixture.
It took me 2 hours to stuff 500grams of prunes -

Progress

Showered and dressed at this point

Actually had to have a lie down after the stuffing business - they went in the fridge for an our to harden up.

Yummy final result

I arrived looking fresh and rested from my lie down with a bottle of Rose plus a bottle of my 'Lemonade Syrup' as a hostess gift.
Low and behold Kim had prepared exactly the same thing - talk about coincidence - neither of us has made this dish in recent times. They tasted the same so we must even have the same recipe. LOL

Excellent evening!

Christmas decorations - 2013

My old artificial tree expired early this year. While I was taking it down in early January one of the plastic 'feet' broke and the fake fur/needles started to fall off. It has given us 20 years of good service - time to go.

I didn't purchase another tree. Instead I decided to just do decorations on surfaces around the house.

I love the birds so I used the white sticks to make a tree for them.

Use for the red baubles as well

So festive

There has to be some gold

Maxi and the coffee table

I decided to paint the big seed pod from the travellers palm

This is the original colour before I sprayed it gold

Completed and ready for the back table.

This will be a very easy Christmas for me as Gemma and Rhys are doing the catering - I only have to glaze the ham and turn up to lunch.