A few years ago I stumbled upon Ronnie Burkett's amazing puppetry. I've been waiting for him to come back ever since. Two month's ago I bought tickets for his new show, Billy Twinkle. A few weeks ago the holiday heavens collided and we booked flight to Europe 4 days before the show. ARGH!

But I cracked, and rang the Geelong Performing Arts Complex. They had bloody good seats, for a saturday night. I just had to go. one hour down the horrid Geelong road, 40 mins being exposed to electric flute folk music, and most uncomfortable seats I've sat in for a while. But it was worth it.

-- Post From My iPhone

I was invited to go along on a "food bloggers preview" of one of the Prahran Market's new tours.  We had fun - here be pictures.



http://www.essjay.com.au/?p=195

 

Hello FL.  I'm not dead.  Thank you.


Ok - sorry for the absence of posting, commenting or even reading.    There's been an awful lot going on inlcuding the organisation of a trip to London, Paris and France in the first three weeks of September.

I want to eat somewhere really nice in London / surrounds.  I will try to get a reservation at the Fat Duck - but where else is hot right now?

Does anyone have any recommendations for an area to rent an apartment in in London?  All that is on our agenda is Tate Modern and the V&A.    John may cycle to Bath over a couple of days.  I may just camp out at the V& A :-)

Then we want to stay a week in South (probably Western) France in a village near a good market.  So if you have any suggestion there that would be good to.

The Paris for a week, either the Marais or the Latin Quarter.  How lucky am I!

So - email me or comment and let me know of any places to stay or visit!

 http://www.essjay.com.au/?p=126

Review of Birdman Eating

http://www.essjay.com.au/?p=57

 

One of the things I really like about being fully employed again, is that I can be a bit less strict at the Farmers' Markets.

 

This morning really felt Autumnal, a chilly bite to the air, which made me anticipate harvest weather and fabulous, overlfowing Farmers' Markets.
 

( More? )

We drank this with a 1998 D'Arenberg The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvingnon which was bought when I first started collecting wine with a view to drinking it later.  It was pretty scrummy.

Serves 2

4 Lamb Fillets or Backstraps
1 large (or two small) lemons
Coucous
Tablespoon Pine Nuts
Dried Mint, fresh mint
Cinnamon
Sweet or Smoket Parika.
Plain Yogurt, Fromage Fraise etc to serve


Mix 1 tablespoon of dried mint with cinnamon to taste (about 1tsp if you're not sure) and paprika the same, salt and pepper.
Dry lamb with kitchen towel and coat lightly with mix and rub into flesh. Leave for 30min to 2 hours

Meanwhile, zest lemon, and cut in half. Remove skin and pith and slice out lemon segments.
Place in small bowl with zest and sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

In a small dry frypan dry roast pine nuts until lightly toasted.

Prepare side salad or green vegies to serve with.

At serving time:-
Follow packet instructions to make coucous (I use 1/2 cup dry for two people, but we're not huge coucous fans)
In frying pan, or grill plate, with a little oil, grill lamb quickly approx 4mins total, turning once, over moderate heat. Put in warm place, tented with Aluminium foil to keep warm.

Stir a small knob of butter, or oilive oil through coucous, with pine nuts, lemon and rind and small amount of fresh chopped mint. Use a small bowl or timbale mould and mould on to plates. Add salad and lay lamb across.

Finish with a drizzle of yogurt, chopped mint and a squeeze or wedge of lemon. (we used Holy Goat Fromage Frais)

 I must admit that I have been gorging on the Tweets of Stephen Fry as he films in Indonesia for his new series.   It's somewhat fascinating to read half of a conversation, and to sometimes be intrigued enough to follow through on his followers to get the whole story.  Mostly, his anecdotes, pictures and geekdom are enough for me.

Friday 6th March: Alison Neil married childhood sweetheart and long term boyfriend Ross Calear in Canberra. Ali is JB's 2nd daughter.

We stayed at the Diamant Hotel in New Acton which was a really lovely place. A bit edgy, arty, reasonably priced, and not some bland totem of 5 star hotelness. The building used to be the Public Service Hostel, where new Public Servants who had moved to Canberra lobbed for the first few nights until they found somewhere to live. It sill looks like a hostel, and has a small element of rat runs around the wings, but that really is part of it's charm. Three stories, and spread out, half flights of stairs and surprise corners. The shared bathrooms are gone :-) and they have populated the hotel with interesting bits of art, including wallpaper on the ceiling of many rooms.



We ate at Flint's Restaurant in the hotel on Thursday night. The food was a mix of interestingly presented entree's and pretty standard mains. The restaurants hang off the edge of a lovely courtyard which was perfect for coffee and crosswords the next morning.


Then we got ready for the wedding, I had my hair "done" at a salon also in the hotel complex, on the far side o the courtyard, then I got to watch JB get ready - very dapper! He went off to the burb's to escort his daughter to the wedding. I mucked about for a bit, then headed down to the bar for a drink (or three) and to grab my cab - booked 24 hours beforehand, to get me to the wedding 30mins early.

In the lobby I ran into a friend form work who was in Canberra for a wedding, staying at the Diamant as well. Her wedding started at 4:00pm, mine at 4:30pm. Their taxi hadn't turned up. Our taxi hadn't turned up. One of JB's nieces was waiting too - their cab didn't turn up. At about 20 past 4 the hotel staff managed to get a limi to come to the hotel. My friend graciously offered us the cab as we still had a chance of getting to our ceremony on time, and they had missed theirs.

What the heck is it with taxi's in Canberra? Of course, we get to the reception and it seems that everyone knows that Canberra taxis' don't turn up when they are booked. Great - someone want to tell the stupid tourist then! sheesh! So the limo drive made $60 for driving us over a bridge over the lake. grrr. But at least we go there on time.

Canberra - you should be ashamed of yourselves!


The wedding was touching - and a real "moment" for these two. The reception was at The Lobby and it was a pretty good night as well. The food was fine, not even "for function standard" - it was pretty good. The music was a mix of traditional 3 piece and then a party mix CD.

People danced and laughed and sang.  No one fought.  It was a pretty good night.

 
I was standing at the tram stop this morning when a flat-bed truck went past with two identical, very burnt out Toyota 4WD utes on it.    Took a few seconds to realise that these were probably from the fires.   BIt sobering.

 
Some small things that have highlighted the scope of this tragedy for me

Snr Const Wayne Wilson, Victoria Police Media Spokesman - just reporting on the ABC, sounded so exhausted.  I hear him often on Red Symonds show and know he has a spark, heard him last night and he sounded concerned.  Tonight - he sounded totally exhausted.

Christine Nixon:  Calmly speaking to volunteer and career firefighters,  inspiring and empathetic at the same time.

The big boofy bloke who cried on Kevin Rudd's shoulder.



And some stupid things - the idiotic reporter from Channel 9 who asked the woman who said she had lost friends and neighbours if she knew how they had been killed. I would have thrown a punch.  She maintained her dignity as best she could, told him she didn't want to speak about that and walked away crying, with him following behind apologising and telling her it was ok,  IDIOT!  

I keep expecting the ABC to revert to "normal programming" but this emergency is still with us.  

 



From The Age

 
The Country Fire Authority monitors a giant fire raging in the Bunyip State Forest. Photo: AFP Amazing photo