Saturday Morning Fun...

The weather has been rather splendid (yes, splendid!) for quite sometime now. Besides a southerly that seems to hit our suburb each afternoon, the days have been cloudless and full of sunshine which warms the skin (and the soul!).

Monet and I spent yesterday morning at Muddys, the children's water playground on the Esplanade whilst Lyndon went to work for a few uninterrupted hours.

It was nice to be there soaking up the atmosphere along with the sunshine. And to say that Monet has a lovely time is a bit of an understatement. She even made two friends. She started playing with two little Japanese sisters who were simply gorgeous. I love watching Monet interact with other children and watching her from afar. I love it.

So Monet and the girls were having a great time running through the water fountains, giggling, screaming and having a ball. The older girl kept an eye out for Monet and they laughed at each other as they stood on the fountains together...

...until it all got spoilt by one big, chubby boy who ran straight towards Monet and knocked her over. Poor Monet. She looked straight at me, saying "I'm okay Mum...I'm okay". I knew she wasn't. She says that to reassure not only me, but herself. Then she got up and started crying, and walked over to where I was, still mumbling "I'm okay Mum..." Poor little butterfly. She wanted to leave then. Her fun was ruined by some chubby kid who bowled her over with no apology. I wish I could have spotted the parent in the crowd. I know if that was Monet who bowled some kid over, I would have said something to the parent if I had witnessed the incident. But anyway, no harm done.

We walked down the Boardwalk towards Lyndon's work, after spending a good two hours at Muddys. We had farewelled our new found Japanese friends (I say 'ours' because the mother and I had begun talking) and strolled towards Lyndon's work.

It was lovely to be out and about in Cairns city for a change, on a Saturday morning, with all the tourists. Perfect holiday weather. Perfect Saturday morning.

What did you get up to on Saturday?

Avoiding the Regret Period

I like shoes but I am actually pretty fussy these days when it comes to shoes. I guess that's why I don't own many pairs. Do you know how many pairs of bad shoes there are out there? By my standards, there are more bad shoes than good shoes. But that is just my opinion. I've had many a-pair of bad shoes during the years...

Seeing as I have only bought two pairs of shoes during the past year (and one pair were a gift from my Parents-In-Law) I justified a new pair pretty well. My other shoes I wear religiously are my Birkenstocks.

These ones...

and these ones...Seeing that Monet and I are off to Melbourne and country Victoria, in less than 3 weeks time, I can't exactly go around exposing my toes as they might drop off. Literally. It is cold down there. And one can't possible wear socks (or tights) with Birkenstocks now, can they?

So after weeks of looking and researching I actually found a pair of shoes that I like. That I can wear with both jeans/three-quarter pants or casual skirts. I saw them in a window of a 'skater' shop in Cairns Central a while back. I came home and researched them on the internet and really, to see if Lyndon liked them. True. I have bought shoes before that Lyndon hates (being the 'Shoe King' he is and all) and needed his 'nod', because I know that if Lyndon didn't like them, I would never wear them. (Is it only me who does this? Meaning, if your partner screws their nose up at something in terms of clothing or shoes, you never wear them again?) I trust Lyndon's opinion to avoid the all important 'regret period' that often happens in this household. (ie. You buy something, come home and then feel the biggest regret in purchasing that product after looking at it again. Okay then, maybe it is just us!!)

I tried the 'wanted' shoes in store, the following week to discover my size was not in stock. So they ordered them in for me. How nice. I wanted those shoes. (After getting the 'nod' and all!)

They arrived this week and I picked them up today.

I'm happy.

That '8' Meme....

...that is doing the rounds at the moment. I've been tagged twice to do this meme, by both Bob-Kat and Kikimiss, so I figure I may as well do it. And you never know, you just might learn something...

1. When I am in the car, particularly when I am driving, I love to sip on a Red Bull. I don't know why, I just do. I remember when I was pregnant with Monet, I would actually sniff an open can, if Lyndon had one, as one knows, you shouldn't drink the stuff when pregnant and lactating. I remember the first can too that I had after I gave up breastfeeding. Yeah, I'm a little bizarre. It's the smell I love, not the actual taste. I say I'm not addicted but don't all addicts of any and every kind say the same thing? Oh, I'm not addicted...

2. At the age of 4 I fell over in the backyard when playing 'Hide and Seek' and I practically ripped off my bottom lip. I can still remember the blood on the black and white lino in our old house. Mum zoomed me into hospital whilst my sister sat in the back seat with me, holding my lip up to my mouth with towels. I had 14 stitches all up if I remember correctly (it was 30 years ago, after all!) and I have a scar to prove it. Being a parent now, I can really feel for my mum on that day. How horrifying.

3. I once bet 'Bones' Hillman (he was the bass player for Midnight Oil, he is the one on the far right in thie piccie posted here), at a game of pool in some seedy Karaoke bar in the back streets of Melbourne city. My sister, a friend and I had gone to see Midnight Oil perform at the Palace in St. Kilda. We had had a great night and decided to stick around after the gig to see if we could meet them (maybe we had one too many drinks!) We all, for some reason or another, wanted to meet 'Bones' rather than Peter Garrett (whom I admire - politics and all) and Rob Hirst (whom I also adore and kinda swoon at!) So we hung around in the club with a few other people. We were just about thrown out of the venue by big Maori bouncers, when these two guys said they were Bones' mates and to stick with them. We did. Out came the band, all bar Peter Garrett, and we got to meet Bones. We took them up on an offer to go into the city and play pool (mad, I know!!) but I remember Bones and his 2 friends being really sweet and friendly and the 6 of us, well, us 3 girls, had a great memorable night. I won't spill any beans. End of story.

4. My favourite number is the number 8. If I was on Deal or No Deal, that is the number I would choose.

5. I always thought I would live in Melbourne forever. I love that city. So when we moved away we always said to ourselves, we'd return. But that isn't in our sights any more. We have different goals now and the possibility of us ever returning there seem slighter and slighter. And you know what? I don't mind. Moving made the possibility of doing anything and going anywhere more open to me. Life is short and the world is an amazing place. And just how wonderful and diverse is Australia? We have a lot more exploring to do yet.

6. I used to hate beer. Hated it. I guess that is one reason why I never used to go out when I was at uni. I preferred Saturday nights in watching 'The Late Show' and 'The Bill'. (Now its still 'The Bill' but now also 'The Movie Show' on ABC2!) When I went to the UK in 1996, I was introduced to Beer and Lime and loved it. I came home to Australia and found I could go out and enjoy a beer (and so did my wallet!) I finally got rid of the lime in my pints or pots or halves in 2000. And I have never looked back. I have a particular fondness for European Beers (they are nice and light tasting) - Becks has always been a favourite of mine. I also love Grand Ridge Brewery's Natural Blonde. Mmm...

7. I have never had a cup of coffee. Never. Not even an iced coffee. I've never been a big tea drinker either until lately. I enjoy my evening cup of tea (white with one thank you) and sometimes one in the morning. I don't like it when people say "Want to meet for a coffee?", because, umm, no, I don't drink coffee.

8. When I backpacked around the UK in 1996, I went alone and I never thought twice about going alone. During that trip I learnt a lot about myself in the fact that you can do anything you put your mind to. I survived 4 months before I headed back to Australia. It was during this trip I stayed with my 'then pen pal', Rachel, where she lived as a student in Cardiff. Rachel is now a regular reader and contributor to this blog and she even has a wonderful blog of her own now! Go and say 'Hello' to her over at 'In A Land of Milk, Honey and Cider'...

There is my eight random things. It's actually taken me all day to write this post. I will not tag anyone but if you wish to do a list yourself (like you Rachel!), let me know and I'll come over and visit.

Sunday Tour (part II)

After leaving picturesque Lake Eacham, we decided to head south, about 50km to Ravenshoe, which is the highest town in Queensland at 930m. We didn't go there beacuse of that fact though, we went to see these...

...20 wind turbines spread across farmland. The largest wind farm in Australia.

It is bizarre to see these dotted along the landscape, capturing the wind. Not that far from my parents place in Victoria, there is a wind farm there (with 6 wind turbines I think - correct me if I am wrong!) I don't know if wind turbines differ in sizes but the ones I have seen in country Victoria looked bigger than these ones, even though the Ravenshoe ones were huge.

From the lookout at the Wind farm, we drove through Ravenshoe but didn't get out. I wasn't too keen to have a pub meal at 'The Highest Pub in Queensland', which is probably something Lyndon will not let me forget in a hurry!

We drove home via Atherton (and via the KFC drive-thru!) and Mareeba home. And tired. It was a 300+ kilometre Sunday drive.

There is a lot to see and do on the Atherton Tablelands. (You may remember this post about Millaa Millaa). The only crap thing about the tablelands is actually getting there! I'm not one for windy, bendy roads which is one of the reasons we decided to keep to the sea side off the Gillies Rangers. You can travel via Kuranda, which means a 20 minute drive through the mountains, or via Gordonvale with the Gillies Highway, which would have to be the most bendiest road I have ever been on!! Urgh. Or via Innisvale and the Palmerston Highway, which is a non-windy road but it is a big detour for us to go this way. The trip over the mountain rangers is usually worth it though.

I wonder what we'll get up to next weekend? (I'm loving Lyndon not working Saturdays anymore -yay!!)

Sunday Tour (part I)

Yesterday we decided we'd go on a bit of a family drive to view a few things on our 'to do list'. We headed towards Yungaburra on the Atherton Tablelands, about 100kilometres south west of our home.

Yungaburra sits on the waters of Lake Tinaroo, which was made in 1959. The waters of Lake Tinaroo hold more than the whole of Sydney Harbour. And it was beautiful yesterday with the sun shining and people enjoying boating and skiing and fishing. And we were there early so I imagine by lunch time the place would have been pumping!

On our way to the lake we had seen a sign post directing the way to the Curtain Fig Tree, which I had read about so a detour past it was a must. And I am so glad we did.

Magnificent is how I describe it, very much like something you would see in Lord Of The Rings, don't you think?

The boardwalk surrounding the tree was a terrific idea to whoever built it as it allows prams, wheelchairs and protects the undergrowth. And judging by the people who were coming and going it was worth building.

I could have stayed there all day.

From there we, well, Lyndon, drove to Lake Eacham, about a 10 minute drive east of Yungaburra. I had read (yes, I study The Lonely Planet's guide to Queensland & The Great Barrier Reef, like one would a bible!) that it was possible to spot turtles in the clear waters of the lake, so Little Miss Monet was very excited to get to our original destination of "the Turtle Lake".

The Lake was so crystal clear and if it was the wet season when the humidity is in the 90's, we would have been swimming in there no doubt.

Unfortunately, we didn't spot any turtles. Boo Hoo. But Monet (and Lyndon and I too) found it rather amusing when I read out loud, a sign about the freshwater turtles. Besides being the only turtle species that live in the lake, they are the only turtles who have the ability to breath through their 'bottom', (or bum as I told Monet.) Monet thought that was hilarious and rather naughty, but we got good mileage out of that for the remainder of the day.

Stay tuned for Part II...

Blogger is not liking me lately! I've actually had a gutful of Blogger to be honest with you. For the past week after I have typed and published a post it is not appearing like it usually does. Err... Now today, Blogger is not letting me type a Title Heading. I've had enough. Better luck later on. Maybe. Or maybe I find a new home...

Mini Baguettes

Once upon a time, making bread, without the use of a bread maker, used to scare me. Not anymore. It is rather easy, but I don't knead the dough by hand, my mixmaster does that part, which I guess why bread making doesn't scare me anymore! If the recipe states to knead the dough for 2 minutes then yes, I do it by hand then.

This recipe is delicious and is very crusty. The bread freshness doesn't last too long (an afternoon), so don't expect to make this with the aspect of keeping it for another day, as it won't last. It'll all be gone anyway, so no need to worry.

*Taken from the Murdoch Book 'The Essential Baking Cookbook' published 2000*

Ingredients

7g sachet dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

3/4 cup (90g) plain flour

3 cups (375g) white bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs polenta, to sprinkle

Method

Place the yeast, sugar and 1 1/4 cups (315ml) warm water in a small bowl and mix well. Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy and slightly increased in volume. If your yeast doesn't foam it is dead and you will have to discard it and start again.

Mix together the flours and salt and transfer half the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture. Using a large metal spoon fold the flour into the yeast mixture. This should form a soft dough. This forms the 'sponge'. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 30-35 minutes, or until frothy and risen by about one third of its original size.

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients and add up to 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water, enough to form a soft, but slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If the dough sticks to the work surface while kneading, flour the surface sparingly, but try to avoid adding too much flour. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.

Lightly grease two large baking trays and sprinkle with polenta. Punch down the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into 3 portions and press or roll each into a rectangle about 20 x 40 cm. Roll each up firmly into a long sausage shape and place seam-side down, well spaced on the prepared trays. Cover loosely with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to a hot 220C. Lightly brush the loaves with water and make diagonal slashes across the top at 6 cm intervals using a safety blade. Place the trays in the oven ans spray the oven with water. Bake the bread for 20 minutes (I baked for 15) spraying the oven with water twice during this time. Lower the temperature to moderate 180C and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and firm and the base sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

Baguettes are best eaten within a few hours of baking.

Lumberjack Cake

If you ever want to taste just a divine homemade slice of deliciousness, this is the cake. It seriously felt like I was sitting at some fancy cafe eating a slice of cake, rather than in my home environment. It was soooo good!! The element in my fan-force oven has died so I had to bake this the 'conventional' way so it burnt a little on top, but it still tasted that good. Lovely and dense and moist. Everything a good cake should be.

*Taken from 'The Essential Baking Cookbook' a Murdoch Publication, 2000*

Ingredients

200g fresh dates, pitted and chopped

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

125g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, grated

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup self-raising flour

icing sugar, optional, to dust

Topping

75g unsalted butter

1/2 cup soft brown sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 cup shredded coconut

Method

Grease a 20cm round springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Preheat the oven to moderate 180C.

Put the dates in a small saucepan with 1 cup water and bring to the boil. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda, then remove from the heat. Set aside until just warm.

Cream the butter and sugar in a small bowl with electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Stir in the date mixture and the apple, then fold in the sifted flours until just combined and almost smooth. Spoon into the tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all the topping ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the butter is melted and the ingredients well combined. Remove the cake from the oven and carefully spread the topping over the cake. Return the cake to the oven for another 20-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the cake is cooked through.

Remove from the oven and leave the cake in the tin to cool completely, then turn out and place on a serving plate. The cake can be dusted with icing sugar just before serving.