U is for Unutterable Urges

I awoke on Christmas Day and thought I'd like a sausage sizzle for lunch.  Then I remembered we had copious amounts of ham and turkey to consume.  As reported previously, we had ham, turkey and waldorf salad which, just, falls within the limits of Christmas lunch decorum.  But I have asked myself, in the spirit of Christmas, what would I really like to eat?  So, in the spirit of the Spice Girls, let me tell you what I want, what I really really want.

And the answer is sandwiches.  I have always appreciated a good sandwich.  And even a not so good sandwich like the soggy tomato ones, the soggy tuna ones and the sloppy scrambled egg ones Mum lovingly made us for school lunches.  Ham, mustard and Turkish bread can't be beat on Boxing Day.

And nor can turkey, lettuce and cranberry sauce the day after.  When I worked at Mildura Base Hospital, I usually had a turkey, lettuce, cranberry wrap for lunch, so there is a reminiscence factor.  Although the wraps there were often as soggy as school sandwiches.  While I'm lost in reverie, let me tell you about some sandwiches at my Grandfather's work Christmas Party for the Children in England.  There I was introduced to marmite and crisp sandwiches which are very nice and definitely not soggy.  Salty maybe.  Somewhere along the line I've also had vegemite and walnut, which I highly recommend.  Some crisp lettuce may also be added.

So that you don't think me a total philistine, I whipped up Maggie Beer's chestnut cake as a sort of substitute for Christmas Pudding and Christmas Cake.  It has no sugar apart from currants, and is rather sentimental when ingredients include olive oil given by Pearl, and verjuice given by Jools.  The only other ingredients are chestnut flour, pine nuts, orange zest and water.  As you can imagine it is a rather dense cake.  Maggie Beer says Italians eat it with a coffee, and that it should be served doused with Strega or mascarpone.  I used both for good measure.  I absolutely love it.

To celebrate the coincidence of us both choosing grapefruit marmalade for Christmas breakfast, Her Majesty sent me the photo above.  Very nice.

And here's mine.  Uber nice!!!

T is for Tons of things: toast, trowel, turkey, towelling teddy bears, tea towel, twitching, teapot

Christmas Day started like any other day, except that I had toast with grapefruit marmalade thanks to Her Royal Highness, Queen of Hearts and Stomachs.

Gradually Christmas asserted itself,

as did anticipation and being a very good dog.

It was a simple repast because Steve and I decided all we really felt like was ham, turkey and waldorf salad.  One person (and it wasn't Jill) had a glass of red.

The Christmas decorations were a little spartan and Father Christmas is, presumably, trapped behind that glass door.  But somehow the presents had arrived.

At Jill's insistence, the first to be opened was a trowel that she thought was just the thing for That Lady, having seen it on a trip into Sorell with her Dad.

These very clever face washer bears arrived from South Korea.  Sadly they fell victim to the Black Hand Gang.  Jill PD may have had something to do with this because she was very taken with the white bear and carried it around proprietarily, as evidenced by the black hairs.  Actually, the Jills may have been in cahoots.

These jaunty mugs were also from Sarah and Miyeon and must have cost a fortune to send from Korea.  They did bear the good news that Sarah is hoping to visit in 2020.

As well as the gardening gloves, Fleurieu Floosie sent this teatowel.  Steve and I spent quite some time deciding whose caravan was whose.  I think the yellow one is mine - note new bathers, radio tuned to ABC Classic, deckchairs and esky filled with Jantz.  You may have also noted the salad servers straight from the Seychelles.

But wait, these gorgeous chaps are also from the Floosie. Why she would associate me with a pelican I can't imagine...

And then there's the teapot H Bells bought for me at the Central Market in Adelaide.  It is for jasmine tea.

I haven't featured the binoculars Steve thoughtfully gave me, having noticed my evolving interest in local bird life.  And I did excitedly spy on the lonely Pied Oystercatcher on a log in Maclaine's Estuary on Boxing Day.

Soooo many presents!  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.

We were all quite overcome and had to have a good lie down.

S is for Small but perfectly formed

Well I suppose it could be me.  Jill PD must have taken this photo while we were waiting for the Christmas Parade, possibly to illustrate my potential as fresh noodles.

But in fact I had in mind the Christmas Parade itself.  After last year's schmozzle I thought there may not be a parade this year, but there was.  And it was small but somehow perfect.  All done in such a spirit of good fun and generous community spirit.

Here they come now

and there they go, having done a U-y in Melbourne Street.  I think this is for the benefit of Drummer Clare.  Up until last year they used to circumnavigate our block of houses and caravan park but I think with an ageing tarton population...

Jill and I joined Mel and Co.  outside her Dad's house.  This was much to the advantage of this little girl because every time Jill waved to parading people we were showered in lollies.

This is my friend Murray artfully disguised (I'm talking about the taller one).

Jill was most perturbed by this reindeer whose legs swung as he walked.  Jill stood her ground with some barks.  The reindeer does have a look in his eye.

Earlier in the day we did our last tai chi for the decade at the Community Health Centre.

Once again they had gone to a little trouble with their decorations.  And gave us delicious scones for morning tea.

On Sunday we went to an amazing concert at the Spring Bay Mill, Van Diemen's Band's Christmas with the TYO Tasmanian Youth Chorale.  You can only see part of the Band here, and sadly can't see the beautiful and fascinating old instruments they play, apart from the hurdy gurdy.  Beautiful sounds.

And lastly, the Christmas Tree at the council offices.

M E R R Y   C H R I S T M A S

R is for Return

Arrivng in Adelaide on a Saturday, a day or so to recover and some days to do Mummy required things, so it wasn't until the Thursday that I could take my jaunt to Encounter Bay.

The Floosie had gone to some trouble over the repast after my subtle blogging of the fabulous food at the Spring Bay Mill events...

So delicious, and bubbly too.

Replete from lunch, we took a trip to Port Elliot (as we do).

Some of you will recognise this flowery bower, now sporting a Christmas touch.  We bought (Jill's) Steve a delicious looking chocolate concoction at the bakery, and a banbury for us to compare with an eccle.

And then time to motor home (well fuelled with cake) until the 2020 visit - the Year of the Rat's Tail.

The former Mrs History also loaned me this book, purchased at Flanders Fields (and not in or on).

It may have been later that same day - or possibly the day before - when Willowa arrived home with our new bike riding proudly on her car roof.  We had agreed to buy this bike between us last time I was in Adelaide.  I thought she had forgotten but no, there it was in all it's glory. And gloriously easy it is to ride, too, with only 3 gears that move effortlessly into place.  It was also a joy to watch Willowa effortlessly lift the bike down from her car.  How I love strong women.  I was in such awe that I forgot to take a photo.

This bicycle reminds me of the ones the women rode in Viet Nam when we were there the first time.  The riders wore their ao dai, hats and long gloves with unimaginable poise.  One day, when Steve was learning sword patterns in the park and I was surrounded by people wanting to practise their English, a lady's bike was stolen while she joined in this impromptu English class.  I can never quite get over the guilt I feel about this and the moral quandary it left me.  I don't know the lady's name but we were staying with a lady referred to as Ba Muoi (Mrs Ten) at the time, and so I have called my Adelaide bike Ba Muoi.

The jacarandas were in flower in Adelaide, always entrancing even when walking to the OBahn station on rubbish bin day.  My trip into town, however, was not so charming.  I've never been one of those people who avoid shop change-rooms because I can cleverly look at the overall effect and not hone in on the body.  Not so easy when trying on bathers...  When did my skin age like that?  One toss by a Chinese chef and I'd fall into noodles.

On one of my many restorative walks and bike rides I noticed this calming Buddha detail.  The house was also festooned for Christmas, and is situated on the grounds of the now bulldozed Radcliffe Theosophical Centre on Fourth Avenue.  Fourth Avenue is one of the many ways to get to my new food mecca - OG Road.  There I can partake of short eats, rice and curry, and buy pickles and sambals at ridiculously low prices at the Sri Lankan supermarket.  Sadly it is not open on Mondays so I was forced down the road to Han's Sushi.  Yes, they do sushi but they are Korean and have a huge Korean menu too.  So exciting for next time.  I do these food forays 1) because I'm greedy and 2) because Mum has Meals on Wheels so our food adventures together have been curtailed.

My second Big Adventure, after the Encounter Bay Road Trip, was to Raukkan sometime home to David Unaipon of the $50 note.  I'd read about this suggested day trip in the Sunday Mail and Mum and I were to embark upon it.  But she reneged, as she often does these days, so I re-scheduled with The Pearl.  What a fabulous day we had!

First stop:  Meningie for Coorong Mullet burgers

that we ate at Raukkan, which has a lot more to reccomend it that this photo suggests.  The photo was supposed to tell you what an idyllic spot this is.

This little white cat thought it was quite heavenly when I shared a bit of mullet with it.

The Narrung ferry is one of life's great treasure's (excuse the ufos, again) and I'd never heard of it before reading the Sunday Mail.  The ferry crosses the water where Lake albert meets Lake Alexandrina.

The Wellington ferry I did know and it was one of my favourites until Narrung came along.  When I lived in Wentworth it was my special way of getting to Port Elliot,

because all roads lead to Port Elliot.  The Pearl and I indulged in a coffee at Our Table in Our Pub in Our Favourite Easter Place.  But this was not the end of the adventure because we called in to the Floosie's to return her Flanders Field book (read cover to cover) and met the irresistible Bix.

Mum's only request for an outing was to the Botanical Gardens, and we did eventually get there.  This photo looks a bit wan but I was trying to capture the architecture and decoration of this pavillion where we paused after discovering we were too late for both the cafes - not even an icecream to be had.

I did get to the Central Market and the plan was to meet H Bells for lunch.  Sadly she caught the wrong train, possibly The Ghan, and by the time she arrived I'd eaten crispy lechon, corn pancake and coleslaw from Cumbia, and a coconut from the Cambodia stall.  And delicious it all was too.  Helly and I did have coffee together, and a bit of a trot around the fruit and veg stalls.

This is the view from the driver's seat of my car.  The Mum's garden hustles to say hello to you, but also goodbye.  It was time to leave for the lengthy drive back to Tribes.

I always stop at Coonalpyn to buy a pasty at the Post Office cum Bakery (I discovered it's an outlet for the Meningie Bakery).  I took a photo of this rather lovely shed for Steve.

Stayed overnight at the Nurses' Quarters in Warracknabeal with Sandrine.  It was such a perfect evening we walked to the pub for dinner, stopping only to take a fashion shot on the bridge over Yarriambiack Creek.

Drive, drive, drive and here I am again at Station Pier, waiting to board The Spirit on Friday 13th.

Yes yes, but what did you READ while you were away?  For reasons I can't quite fathom, I didn't read much at all.  This library book will be useful if I ever build my pond for wildlife.

This book has been hanging around at Mum's for yonks so I read it and then took it for a oneway trip on my bicycle to the Book Cupboard at Lochiel Park.  I should mention that Mum and I did a couple of strolls along the Linear Park, including the Book Cupboard.  We even got to Mercato one day, an easier trip than I had imagined it would be with a wheelchair.  And once we saw a koala.

I spent most of my reading time with this library book.  It jumped out at me because I have been compiling my own Rules of Life for some time.  I've got to 3 so far, but keep changing them.  I have no problem with Peterson's Rules, in fact they're rather like The Desiderata, which has long been my guide.  However he takes forever to get to each rule - though his anecdotes are often amusing.  He is a psychologist with a Christian bent, and I just can't accept some of his presuppositions. Thought provoking but.