Sunday Breakfast in Lara

Breakfast at Tiffany's Ella's

Homemade pancakes, Fresh stewed Apples, Cream and a drizzle of honey from their own bees.

Oh, and cappuccino.    I know its bad but its so so good and what a way to start the day.  Good friends, great food and only 20 minutes drive down the road.

Now what could be missing - I know, a fire to warm my butt up on.....



Perhaps, a stroll around the garden on a sunny autumn day.....



Native - Hakea Petiolaris  (Pom Pom Tree)



Or some new gardening toys, introducing the new greenhouse and some new raised beds.....



Now you cant get better than that, or could you ?????

Arriving home at 12 to find both your men still in bed and they haven't missed you at all.  A whole afternoon of playing in the back yard with my new compost bin and later on babysitting my two favourite munchkins.   

Hope your Sunday is as pleasant as mine.   

Thanks for visiting Living in the Land of Oz

Wartime Poetry from Active Servicemen

If you read my post last night I put a poem in that i thought was lovely but i'd photographed the book and it was not clear.   So today im posting it and others that took our fancy from Tom's new book from 1941.   Below each one is the writer's intials and army number. 

My Favorite

To One at Home

Do not be saddened for my sake,

For I shall keep my tryst with you

Some morning when the dawn shall break

Upon a world where hope is new.

Yes, I shall keep the rendezvous,

Beloved One, which we have made -

And all the past shall fade into

A dim and dream-like cavalcade

Of half-remembered griefs and fears,

Which we shall doubt were ever true -

And love shall fill the golden years

With sweetness - when our pain is through.

"VZ36684"

I wonder if this soldier made it home to his beloved one to keep their rendezvous?

Tom's Favorite

Song of a Military Surgeon

Behold me, a surgeon! Perhaps you will think

Im a solemn and serious chap;

That my head's full of surgical wisdom and lore,

That i revel in other men's gore

As it drips to the floor from my lap;

And yet I assure you I visibly shrink

At the sight of a mouse in a trap.

The Diggers, I'm sure think my nerves are of steel;

That I'm forceful and strong in my way;

That patients all worship my capable hands;

That the D.M.S. heeds all my strangest demands

An hangs on each word that i say.

Withal, at the dentist's it seems that I feel

As humble and wretched as they.

The orderlies, doubtless, imagine I'm great,

And the Sisters, of course, all agree,

As I don rubber gloves and then pick up a knife

To save some great general's valuable life,

There's no one as brilliant as me.

And yet, in the mess, im reserved and sedate,

And as modest as modest can be.

You'll say that my function in life is to heal

And devotedly tend to the ill;

To give a fresh hope to the halt and the lame,

And even - Oh, Rapture - at last attain fame

By giving my name to a pill.

But can you imagine the sorrow I'll feel

With no Army Forms left to fill.

"NX70280"

Were those that were thought to be brave and strong just as scared as those in their command?

Porthole Reverie

Gazin' through my porthole

At the lazy swellin' sea,

Thinkin' hard of distant lands

So far astern of me.

Yes! Thinkin' of a sun-drenched land,

An' rollin' black-soil plains

Where we mustered "clean-skin mickies"

In the months before the rains.

Thinkin' of a homestead

Where the "paper-barks" grow tall,

An' the laughter int he stock-yards

When some "Myall" got a fall.

Ah! Those days were always pleasant,

An' our lives were always free,

When we'd celebrate the brandin'

Up in Darwin on the spree.

Grazin' through my porthole,

At a sea of deepest blue

It's nice to go on dreamin'...

But for me, there's work to do.

"DX113"

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land of Oz

Im having a Mum moment... excuse me!

Yep, very teary tonight.   I did something tonight I've been waiting for at least a year to do and that is to give my son a book.  Not just any book.  One i found on the dusty shelves of a country bookshop/cafe and put aside for a time when i knew he would be able to look after it and truly appreciate it. 

For those not in the know,  Tom has Aspergers.  His speciality is military.  So when i came across this book i knew that one day i would give it to him.  That day was today.   He was on his way to English tutoring and i gift wrapped it with a letter explaining the importance of the gift from me. 

So why teary? Because i think i finally got my timing right.   He and his tutor poured over the book, reading poetry and songs written by servicemen and as i waited in the corridor for his session to end i could hear the chatter between them and the excitement.   His tutor said she felt very emotional about the book also.  Knowing his interest in military she had brought Winston Churchill's speech, not know that Tom knew it very well.  He is at this moment in the front room watching a documentary on the B17 bomber used during WW2. 

This book was published in 1941 making it 72 years old.  It was written during the war, not after.  The text is present tense not past tense and it reeks of emotion.  It was published by the War Memorial in Canberra 1941 and a record for The Military History and Information Section.

Tom is fascinated by the inscription in the front cover saying "From Pat, June 1942".  He wonders who Pat is and how she came to have the book and who she gave it to.  Where has it been all these years and who looked after it.  Tom believes that he is now part of the book's history too and will look after it for the next owner. 

Some of the photos were previously not published (in 1941) and were included to provide a more intimate understanding of the campaigns.

My purpose of course was not only to gift him something i knew he would love but also to encourage a love of books.   Tom is a big user of technology and he just keeps saying, you cant find stuff like this Mum.  Every thing he has read thus far was written after the war.  I made a point of saying that because it was written at the beginning that perhaps he might find things that were not accurate but at the time they had no knowledge of.   Almost all the content are the works of men on active service and the authors are identified only by their army number or initial. 





I love this one, so romantic but Tom thinks that he is telling his girlfriend not to run off with someone else.

It is naturally quite fragile and i have made space for it in the glassed cabinets rather than the general book shelves.  He knows that he is not allowed to eat or drink with it and must use a table to support the spine. 

Ive caught him looking at me several times tonight, and he just says thank you Mum.  He said he feels quite emotional about it.  Well thats OK by me.  How many 16 years old boys would say that!

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land of Oz

Thanks for 5000

I know this is only a small milestone in blog land but from little things, big things grow.   So time to reflect and look at some stats..   Why?  Because that's what i do.    I haven't set out to be Miss Popular but as someone who loves to read other's blogs and many many books, i seem to have lots of ideas and words running around my head that have finally found somewhere to go.  

Total Posts  - 61 counting this one

First Post - The Beginning  - 30 Jan 2013

Most Popular Post -  Emoticons, Text Message Shorthand - 10 Mar 2013 (Huh, what i knew the least about but good links)

Least Popular Post - 20/20 International Cricket  - 31 Jan 2013   (warning - stay away from sport)

Most Popular Theme -  This seems to be the posts relating to my veggie garden and also the Shoestring courses that i do on self sustainability and permaculture. 

Most Comments - Groan.... I Ate Too Much   - 28 Apr 2013    - are you trying to tell me something?

Comments - 190

Followers - 16 loyal and much appreciated

Audience: Australia            2519 United States      1032 Germany             294 Russia                 247 United Kingdom  241 India                    94 Canada                57 France                 48 South Korea        42 Romania              31 I think this is the coolest of the lot - I'm reaching out to the world and people are connecting.   I'd love to hear from you - I'm not in this to talk to myself you know.   If you don't have your own blog just follow by email and leave a comment.
Thanks for visiting Living In The Land of Oz PS.  There's a big gap under this title and i dont know why - still learning!

Compost Bin for Mother's Day!

Arent i a lucky girl.  It wasnt so long ago that i would be looking forward to flowers, perfume, jewellery etc.  all that girl stuff on Mothers Day.  Times have changed and i am more than excited about my latest gift.   Its a Keter Dynamic Turn & Go Composter - 230L.

Oh I know, what you are thinking.  Shes gone all green and bought a compost bin made from plastic (as in the kind made from petrochemicals)!  Not very green you might say.  I'd like to tell you it was made from recycled plastic but Ive hunted through the manual and i cant find my get out of jail free card.  My friend Jessie who posted about the 400 PPM today (which made me feel even worse) told me i should look after it, keep it out of sun and use it for producing my home grown veg thus reducing my carbon miles buying supermarket food.  So with an embarrassed face (and a big smile) I'm going to tell you all about it.

It has a large door at waist height (no bending) for easy fill.  Air circulation and heat is controlled by switching the aeration vents between open and closed positions.  It has a geared handle that moves only in one direction.  Turning it 5 times every few days should be enough.  When it is in position, open bottom vent and place a container under it to collect compost tea.   Once the compost is complete, remove the door and rotate until compost falls into container for spreading. 

So why, you might ask (or maybe you don't care) did I get one so fancy.  I've seen so many beautiful ones made from pallets or recycled timber.  Yep, they are great, authentic, eco-friendly and cheap.

 They also involve having available space and time to turn the materials and move from section to section and i don't have either of those things.   I dont think i have enough material to fill one of these.  I did have one a while ago that was a big square box with a lid and a trap door at the bottom but it was useless (or should i say i was).  It was smelly and didn't break down anything.  Now, with all my new found knowledge of green/brown ratios, air, water, microorganisms etc it probably worked just fine - problem is i gave it away.  I also like my yard to look neat and tidy.  My last gift was a battery powered whipper snipper - so no blade of grass better get out of place while I'm around - anal huh!

You see, this is all part of a process.  At the moment all the grass clippings and veggie waste are laying on the ground in big holes i created by mixing our clay soil (mineral rich) in with veggie soil (fluffy and full of humus) in order to fill my extremely large raised beds without going bankrupt. I need that patch of ground in the corner to be firm clay (never thought i would say that) to build my chicken coop on.   Rob tells me he cant sink stirrups into grass clippings. DOH!    So the big pile of clay on the front nature strip from building the driveway for the camper will have to be barrowed around the back.  I told you it was a process. 





 I worked today (yes, on Mother's Day) so Hubby and son were given the task of assembling my gift.  I thought this would have been quite a simple matter but NO having just reviewed the manual i can see that they would have needed an engineering degree to do so without pulling their hair out (hard for Tom to do, he keeps shaving his head).

I received a text from Hubby that said "In the beginning there were parts. Lots of parts. And the lord said some assembly required.  All due respect to God."

The instructions go 17 pages under the following headings:

Barrel Assembly 1
Door Frame Assembly
Drum Wheel Assembly
Axle Assembly
Axles Connection
Leg Bracket Assembly
Gear Assembly
Leg Bracket Assembly
Handle Assembly
Leg Assembly
Door Assembly

Do you think that two males would have paid much attention to the manual or would they only think of that after several hours of conversation at various decibels and plenty of expletives? 

Still they managed and the result was Ta Da!

Thank you Tom and Rob.     Happy Mother's Day to all the Mums. 

Thank You for Visiting Living In The Land of Oz

   

Please Please Watch

If you love dance, if you love the human form, if you simply love, then please watch the following.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvQBUccxBr4

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land Of Oz. 

Groan..... I ate toooooo Much!!!!

but not enough that i didn't take a plate home for Ron (LateR ON). 

Today i had the pleasure of being invited to my friend Ella's for her birthday lunch.  Shouldn't it have been the other way round?  Anyway joy Oh joy, her mum was also invited and so i got to eat generously from the combined cooking efforts of both.  Don't we all wish we had a polish matka (mum) that arrived with bags of good wholesome polish food.  Ive told her before that she can adopt me any time she wants and turn up every Sunday lunch time.  

OK, starter was "barszcz" or beetroot soup (borchtz in polish).  This is usually a clear red soup (beetroot) or clear white soup (potatoes) but today ours was not clear and had pieces of beetroot in it to give it texture.  I enjoyed it with a dash of cream.

Confession - I don't like beetroot.  Its not the flavor its the memories of self-sustained living in childhood and during the season being faced with too much beetroot and mushrooms for that matter.   I'm going to have to get over it because i seriously enjoyed this soup.  The sour component was lemon (rather than vinegar) and it just takes the sweetness off the beetroot. 

Mains was a cheese bake with tuna, macaroni, cauliflower, broccoli etc made by husband, Rob.  It was lovely but not as good as his seriously good cauliflower cheese (I've bagged this for the next feast).  My polish Mum made Golabki(gaw-WOHMP-kee),  served with tomato sauce and cream.  



These are naked Golabki - without the sauce. 

Golabki is stuffed cabbage rolls.  Ours were made from beef mince, onion and garlic, and buckwheat, and of course cabbage leaves. 

OK, now hang onto your stomachs because its desert time.   One must remember, that we were not feeding 20 people, only 7.  

Ella truly outdid herself with a new Greek recipe (we are very multicultural with our stomachs) - Creamy Custard Pie (Galaktompoureko).  see recipe

Then because she was given a bag full on cumquats she made Cumquat Liquer Cheesecake.  This was seriously good - the marmalade tang on top of the cheesecake with Grand Marnier and walnut and biscuit base.  I do have the recipe for this but its long and i cant find a link to this recipe from an old Women's Weekly cookbook.  Leave a comment and i will post.

Did i mention the Paczki - (POHNCH-kee) baked rounds of yeast dough similar to a light doughnut brushed with melted butter and icing sugar straight out of the oven.  Sometimes they are filled or sprinkled with sugar & cinnamon but ours were not.  I couldn't fit anymore in so i forgo the delight but the others were putting jam on them with much ummmming and oooinnng so i guess they tasted great too.  

Oh, and lets not forget the freshly baked almond macaroons that were perfect.

So who is Ella, the wicked queen of deserts and over feeder of friends.  She forced me, honest!


See that evil grin as she serves another piece. 

Happy Birthday for Tomorrow Ella 

For all these polish dishes - search here

 

So what did i give her for her birthday.  A huge bunch of flowers, perfumed soaps, fragrant candles  etc.  No.  I went to the local fruit market and went out the back and got a car load of Styrofoam boxes for her new glasshouse.  I also went through the waste bin and filled two boxes full of veggie scraps for her chookies "the girls".    I'm such a good friend, aren't I.  NOT

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land of Oz  (& Gluttony, only sometimes)  

2 Minute Noodles

OK all you food snobs, no judgement allowed.  Sometimes you need something super quick, cheap,  a pantry staple that's filling and easy to prepare.  Especially for teenagers that seem to eat all day and Mum is not always around to answer the universal call "I'm hungry Mum, what's to eat?"

I prefer IndoMie Mi gorgeng but Tom is a stickler for Aldi's Simplee Noodles.

Tom's Noodles and Cheese.

This is Tom's recipe and he wanted me to add it to my blog.  In fact its his idea to do this as he thinks he's created something worth sharing.  I keep telling him its my blog not his but what can you do.

Cook noodles (without sachet) in microwave container for 2 minutes (funny about that).  Drain and add grated cheese and stir whilst hot.  Put back in microwave for 30 seconds to melt cheese, add pepper and serve.  Told you it was easy.   Good thing is that it is real cheese (light) and not that yucky powder cheese clag.    I'm so glad that Tom doesn't like the flavor sachets as this is where a lot of the fat, artificial flavor enhancers etc are. 

2 Minute Noodle Omelette

This one came from by boss who said it was a staple during his uni days.  I would never have put these two together but its cheap and filling.  I guess you could add the noodles to any omelette recipe to bulk it out. 

Ingredients

1 Pkt of 2 minute noodles

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of butter

1 pinch of salt

1 pinch of pepper

Preparation method

Cook the 2 minute noodles as you would normally but without flavour sachet.

 

Drain the noodles and add the flavour sachet and noodles that have been drained into a bowl with the eggs and salt and pepper, mix well.

 

Heat the butter in a frying pan.

 

Pour the mix into the heated frying pan and let it cook for a couple of minutes making sure the mixture is spread out within the frying pan.

 

Flip your noodle omelette and cook on the other side. Both sides should be well browned.

 

Serve hot and add cheese (if you want to) or anything else you think you would like- note if you want bacon or chicken or anything added, add to the mix before frying!

 

 

2 Minute Noodle Salad

 

Ingredients

 

1/4 cup white vinegar  (can do a little less but no more)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 cup boiling water

2 X 85gm pkts of 2 minute noodles

1/4 cabbage, shredded

2 spring onions, sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

 

Preparation Method

 

In a large bowl mix the water and sugar together until dissolved

 

Crush noodles then add to sugar water.

 

Add oil, vinegar and mix thoroughly well with the noodles, set aside.

 

Add vegetables to noodles and mix well

 

Add the flavor sachets and mix well - Oriental flavors are recommended.

Notes

Will keep for 2 days in fridge , mix before eating.

 

Add other ingredients for taste eg. pine nuts, grated carrot, finely chopped capsicum, chilli flakes

 

I would definitely be adding something - i hate food that looks bland in colour.  Does taste great though.

 

2 Minute Noodle Cakes

 

 

Ingredients

 

3 x 85g packets chicken flavour 2-minute noodles

1/4 Chinese cabbage (wombok), finely shredded (see note)
1 carrot, peeled, coarsely grated
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup plain flour
vegetable oil, for pan-frying

Preparation Method

Cook noodles following packet directions. Drain and place in a large bowl. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Add cabbage, carrot, green onions and flour to noodles. Season with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Beat 2 eggs together. Stir into noodle mixture.

Pour oil into a large, non-stick frying pan until 1cm deep. Heat over medium heat. Using a heaped 1/3 cup of mixture per noodle cake, drop 2 noodle cakes into hot oil. Gently flatten with a spatula. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel. Repeat in 3 batches with remaining mixture, adding more oil if necessary.

Place 2 noodle cakes on each serving plate. Serve with egg and bacon.

Chicken And Vegetable Rice Paper Rolls  (with 2 minute noodles)

click here for recipe

Chilli Pork Stir Fry  (Fat Free Noodles)

click here for recipe

 

OK, so there are quite a few recipes out there which don't look too bad.  I'm definitely trying the rice paper rolls.  

 

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land Of Oz

 

Oz Population - 23 Million (and climbing slowly)

On 26 April 2013 at 10:06:39 AM (Canberra time), the resident population of Australia is projected to be:

23,002,623
This projection is based on the estimated resident population at 30 September 2012 and assumes growth since then of:
- one birth every 1 minute and 44 seconds,
- one death every 3 minutes and 32 seconds ,
- a net gain of one international migration every 2 minutes and 19 seconds,

leading to an overall total population increase of one person every 1 minute and 23 seconds.


So where are we all?




As you can see we are all pretty much hanging onto the coastal areas and there is an awful lot of space unpopulated.   Climatic conditions, lifestyle choices and employment opportunities in the cities surrounding bays and harbours with ports for trade are all good reasons for this.








Melbourne - Worlds most liveable city for 2011 & 2012.  

I made a point of putting Melbourne instead of Sydney because i live here but because there is a city rivalry that exists between us that must be fought at all costs.





See that Sydney (a lowly 7th).  Pretty amazing isn't it to think that 4 State Capitals in Australia made it into the Top 10. 

All that yellow on the map is the "outback" and is desert and uninhabitable except for kangaroos, emu's, camels.  There are many "stations" out there, some that take days to drive across where hardy frontier people live (Kudos).   I come from an area in the light orange shading.




You can also see, if you squint at the colour key on the map that we are not that densely populated.  The whole of England can fit in our second smallest state (Victoria - bottom right before getting in the water to visit Tasmania) and they have a population of 56 million.  7.8 million in London alone!

This totally blows my mind.  I sit and watch Escape to the Country each week and look at all the moors, forests, farm land, lakes district, the quaint little villages and designated heritage areas and ask myself, where are all the people if there is so much space in the country.  Are you living on top of one another? 






Apparently So - I hope you like your neighbours + your calves must get a workout with stairs.

I live in a 4 bedroom single story house on a suburban block that's about 695 Sq mtrs.  Its about average size for 15 years ago.  The blocks in the new estates are heading down to 450-500 Sq mtrs and costing over 5 times as much and the houses take up almost the entire block.  Thank goodness, i had room for a cricket pitch years ago and now  a veggie patch out the back.  Im in one of the fringe suburbs on Melbourne and its about 28 km from the central business district.  On a good day, i can be in there and parked within 40 minutes.





I long for one of these.

If you haven't worked this out yet, i have never travelled outside of Australia.  Somehow Ive made it to middle age never having left these shores.   There is so much to see out there and so much to experience.  One day (Ive been saying that for a while) I will get to see something of the world.  Perhaps on one of those granny tours.  I have a passion for Tuscany and Canada and hope I'm young enough to be able to traverse all those steps and natural wonders.

This is why i love blogging.  I get to see into the daily lives of other people all over the world.  Yours photo's, posts and comments give me a peak into how others live in different countries. 

Frugal Queen the other day did a post on England and why she loves it.  I enjoyed it immensely.

Though i don't get comments from many (thanks to those who do) i know there are some of you out there in some pretty amazing places.  My Stats tab tells me you are out there so let me know who you are and share your life and love of your country with this armchair traveller.






Thanks for visiting Living In The Land of Oz

For the Muthas - Living In the Muthahood

Thanks to Glenys from Narrandera for sending me this link.  I saw her facebook message first thing in the morning when i was feeling particular down about being a Mum.  Dont we all feel sometimes like we are failing our kids.  It certainly picked me up for the day and made me reflect not about what i dont do, but what i do do. 

In The Muthahood

Thanks for visiting Living In The Land of Oz