Gribbles 60/70s Bash

Went along to Gribble band this evening at the Mosman Park bowling club. It was a blast from the past with all the old 60s ad 70s clothes coming out to play. I wore a ghastly orange and brown number from the dress up box. I raced down to Fremantle in the evening before the show to get a long wig. Luckily I found a 'matching'one with orange highlights. The dress was very short so I wore leggings underneath.
The music was great. I had fun dancing - it was too loud to talk inside while they were playing so I chatted outside for a while. It was a beautiful night and the view over the river was fantastic. What a great venue.
I had a tasty hamburger, and then headed off home. Unfortunately Andy didn't make it there as the jury was out until late

Winny Stayed Over

Having a lovely week with Winny. She came up from Gracetown to stay for a couple of nights. Like old times - planning, cooking, moseying around. Today we went to IKEA and stocked up on some essentials for Gracetown. We bought small items that seem to have be overlooked - spatula, whisk, scissors et al.
Enjoying the great weather. Last weekend I got stuck into the orbital sander. This was a new experience for me. At first it seemed to have a mind of its own and wandered around the bench seat. I eventually got the hang of it with great success. The benches that used to belong to my grandfather have come up really well. I stripped off a lot of the old paint - including lead based red lead (I wore a mask). They are now an eclectic mix of old paint and natural wood. I was so enthusiastic about the sander that I moved on to the outdoor tables. I sanded down the tops of them and they also look fantastic. Over the last few days I have been sealing them. I also got stuck into the weeding, and repaired the reticulation. Today I ordered sheep manure for the garden. It is looking great.

Swimming Squad

Last week at the Titty to Surf I had a long chat to Jill Ando who inspired me to get back to swimming. So after work on Monday I headed off to Uniswim to check out the adult swimfit squad. With trepidation I joined in. The coach was terrific and understanding of the fact that it had been a while since I had followed the long black line. I lagged somewhat behind the regulars, but managed to swim 2.2k. Afterwards I went home, ate and then collapsed into bed for the best nights sleep. On Thursday morning I went along again and met up with Jill and Genni. The coach Chris used to coach the kids when they were at school. We swam laps in beautiful sunshine and thanks to daylight saving - in the gentle warmth before the sun was too high. I am hooked again.
Take a look at the session times and join in: http://www.aquatic.sseh.uwa.edu.au/?p=1964

Neil Perry's Dinner

On Thursday night the girls, Simon and I all went to a Dymocks dinner hosted by Beaumonde featuring Neil Perry food. The menu was from his latest book - Balance and Harmony which is Asian food but more of a fusion style. Neil Perry gave an engaging speech talking of his childhood and Asian influences which led to his cooking style and the production of this tome.
Fabulous entrees with Prawn cutlets served with a spicy mayonnaise. The mayonnaise had just the right amount of piquancy with a touch of chilli. Poached white cut chicken was served with a very tasty ginger and spring onion sauce, shiitaki and cucumber pickle. Both of these dishes were eminently reproducible in a domestic kitchen. I was not enamored with the Cod fillet with black beans - altogether too bland. The spicy braised duck and yam curry was delicious and the stir fried szeshuan snake beans definitely worth cooking at home. I have a bit of a sweet tooth and did enjoy the roasted coconut ice cream with fresh fruit.
We sat with an interesting mix of people, and left feeling well replete and inspired. Mark and Garry of Beaumonde were as always the perfect hosts.
Beaumonde http://www.beaumondecatering.com.au/
Dymocks http://www.dymocks.com.au/search/results.aspx?N=0&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nty=1&Ntt=balance%20and%20harmony
Neil Perry http://www.rockpool.com.au/

Titty to Surf

Yesterday Angela, with Win and Jess's aid ran the inaugural Titty to Surf scavenger hunt to raise funds for Breast Cancer Foundation. It was a lovely spring day - fine and not too hot. I arrived at Ange's to find everything in full swing. The girls were dressed up as the 3 little pigs, Simon was carrying things to the start line and Jill arrived ready to help where she could.
Before 10 the first of the competitors arrived. Fantastic costumes. All put their hands in their pockets to buy raffle tickets for the cause. At 10.30 they were off and racing. Cars, bikes, scooters and on foot.
The support crew headed down to Swannie surf club and set up the finish line. The club were most supportive and helpful. Even before we had everything ready one team came in. There were lots of laughs at the finish as the competitors told of the fun they had busking, and completing all the tasks. The sausage and onion rolls were well received. I departed at about 1.30 and the party was only just starting.
Congratulations to the Titty to Surf team - till next year.
For more pictures http://1000snaps.jjdan.com/gallery2/v/Eve/

Recipe of the Week - 6 November

Things were not looking good at 11am this morning. The syrup cake had collapsed into a raw heap, and had to be bundled back into the oven to be cooked. The red capsicum jam was still on the stove and wasn't very jammy But it all came together in the evening with thanks to Sophie Salokar and her Cumin-roasted chicken with red capsicum jam.
The red capsicum jam is a meld of red onion, red capsicum, chilli, sweet paprika, allspice and tomatoes. The brown sugar and sherry vinegar give it a sweet/sour tang. This was served over chicken coated with oregano and cumin. For the full recipe see http://grub-love.blogspot.com.
The meal was a great success - amazing according to Winnie. Bad luck to Dan as he missed out.
There was some left over red capsicum jam that will be fantastic on a steak sandwich tomorrow night.

Καλησπέρα σας - 3 Νοέμβριου

Το βράδυ άρχισα ενα βλογ που καθένας μπορεί να το κάνει ενα ημερολόγιο και μοιράζει ιδέες στην ελληνικά. Αυτό το βλογ είναι για φοιτητές να γράψουν και μάθουν ελληνικά. http://groups.google.com/group/Practicegreek

Recipe of the Week - Baked Seafood with Coriander and Coconut Chutney

This weeks recipe was very well received by the family. It is in the latest Delicious magazine, and could be adapted readily for any seafood. The recipe was for seafood baked with coriander and coconut. A paste made in a food processor with dessicated coconut (although I used the very moist coconut flakes), coriander seeds roasted and ground, garlic, ginger, green chilli, fresh coriander, coconut cream and lime juice. This was put over mixed seafood including prawns, mussels and snapper. The fish was cooked in a packet made with baking paper and alfoil in the oven. The girls, their partners and Simon came over for dinner. We each had a parcel and as we opened the parcel the aroma was superb. The 'chutney' could be used over a whole fish, just mussels alone or any other fresh seafood readily available. I served it with a fresh light cabbage salad with lime juice, coriander, coconut milk and fish sauce. We had a crisp Hamelin Bay 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from the Margaret River region which complemented the dish perfectly. For the complete recipe follow the link to Grublove- www.grub-love.blogspot.com

Chinese Brush Painting - Second Lesson

Settled down into the second class. Paper hard to find here but one of the class members tracked down a good supply and kindly on-sold it to us. After some further demonstrations we were allowed to put brush to paper. This was very challenging. Clearly the quality and type of brushes is important. My brush did seem to work well and I was able to come to a very fine point. As I completed pages of repetitive strokes I drifted off into a very relaxing state. I don't really know if the work improved, but the enjoyment level rose. This discipline is said to reduce blood pressure. One of the class member had "The Chinese Brush Painting Bible" by Dwight which looked interesting. I look forward to my next class and will practice on butchers paper over the weekend.

Puzzles

I love doing puzzles. Mostly I like a time frame, so the daily ones I find are the most interesting as they must be done before the next paper comes out. Times-on-line is entertaining as they have a quick crossword daily. The talented complete this in minutes. I take lots of minutes and in the end there can be one word that completely evades me. Join the crossword club at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/.

Καλημέρα

Καλημέρα σας,

σήμερα το πρωί πήγα στο μάθημα Ελληνικό. Ήμουν αργά γιατί πήγα στην συνάντηση ιατρική πιο νωρίς. Στο μάθημα διάβασα όσο αφοπά τα ρήματα - σηκώνομαι, σηκκώθηκα κτλ. Το βιβλίο του μαθημού μου είναι Επικοινωνήστε Ελληνηκά - Κλεάνθιης Αρβανιτάκης. http://bibliagora.co.uk/promo.php?mt=20.
Θέλλω να ασκήσω Ελληνικά στο νετ.

Τώρα πάω με τον σκύλο μου, Λεο για την βόλτα στο πάρκο.

Καλησπέρα

Καλησπέρα σας. Με λένε Έυα και μαθαίνω ελληνικά. Θέλλω να αλληνλογπαψώ με άλλους φοιτητες. Πάω στο μαθιμά το Σαβατο στις εννιάμισι. Θα γράψω ενα ημερολόγιο κάθε μέρα για να μάθω ελληνικά.

Attended my first Chinese Brush painting lesson. Frustratingly we didnt' put brush to paper. We learnt about the brushes - soft goat hair for soft wash - hard weasel or horse hair for outlines. Fortunately the brushes I purchased in China were of very high quality as there is no good local wource of brushes. Searching on the net for on-line resources but difficult to see the quality of such items as paper.

Chinese Brush Painting

Today I am going to my first Chinese brush work painting. I have enjoyed water colours in the past and have always been attracted to the simplicity in traditional Chinese painting. The artists seem to emphasise shape, form and shadow. The scenes are generally uncluttered. I felt that gaining skills in this discipline may improve my water colour paintings. I especially enjoy water colours and sketching when I am travelling, and in this setting there is a need to capture details and effects quickly.
Claremont School of Art is running this course http://www.claremontschoolofart.com.au/