Food Frenzy

Hard to believe, but I've been cooking.  Lots of slow-cooked quinces - have eaten some with yoghurt for brekkie but have also frozen some to be used as a bed for pork fillet with caramelised onions.  Made glazed pumpkin and pumpkin puree - these are supposed to go on buckwheat pancakes but I didn't get around to that bit.  Pumpkins, walnuts, mandarins, quinces, I have to buy from the roadside stalls but today I had my first home-grown cumquat.  Oh yes, and a rocket salad from the garden.  All those years of watching cooking show have not been wasted.

Here's Rosie guarding a baby iris from possible marauders.  My Gardener Girl is a little tired these days.
I'm not game to test it but for some reason the idea that I'm no longer allergic to oats came into my head the other day...

Core Business

This blog is supposed to be about life on the Murray Darling Rivers so here's a few photos I've taken recently.  Cuppla Wednesdays ago I had to take Rosie to the vet for her arthritis injection.  Sis came too because she has fond memories of Puppy School there.

I like this stall because it has late season tomatoes and very good mandarins.
Rosie is not too keen on her muzzle - but we promised the dog-catcher...

Last Wednesday, I had a Wentworth day.  On the way to the Post Office I stopped to take a photo of the painter's 3-legged dog (what you see is what you get).  I must check to see what was actually being painted - Royce's or the former Elder's Office?

Had a coffee at Jade's and had to photo these girls lounging in the sun.  I've always had mixed feelings about this bench - I think it is too big for our main street - but I have to admit it looked perfect used like this.

Sometimes I go to the Crown for yabby chowder for lunch

but not this Wednesday.   Didn't want to deprive Focaccia...

Note beautiful bank building in background.

Endless Easter

 

Just when you (and I) thought it was all over...  I went to my sister's place in Christies Beach a weekend or so ago and got Easter presents!!!  Sandra and I promptly ate the Murray Mints as we were driving back to Mildura / Wentworth, so no photos there.  This egg is from Willowa.

So I'm thinking I should bring Easter to a proper end...

  Back at Mum's house, I wickedly photographed this card that Tamasin had sent Mum,

featuring nieces and Monsieur Rufus de Poodle.

I decided to follow a bit of the Murray home to Wentworth.  Here are the cliffs at Walker Flat from the ferry.

Being a Wednesday, there were pizzas to greet me when I got home

because Wednesday night is the night we all watch Inspector Rex together.

Merrily squawish

Bronwyn sent me a knitting book and we have been bantering about wigs and her disappointment that I'm not making this squaw wig.

Been there.

But it has reminded me that, many moons ago, when I first had a PC (computer, not police constable) on my desk at work, Gail the Computer Trainer told me that she had spell-checked a mail-merge letter and the computer had suggested changing the name of one woman to Merrily Whorish.  We were hysterical for about a fortnight.

This also made me realise that a cuppla images I had stored for Bron and Georgia had a bit of an American Indian theme.

For the squaw who has everything (except a good tracking record), a lovely offering from the June InStyle Magazine.

And this little number from the same issue, reminds me of a top I had 30 or so years ago.  It looks soooo Georgia to me.

The sort of thing George would whip up in an afternoon.

(My apologies and thanks to Gail Aa and Merriloy H for this post).

Boo hoo Tuesday

It had to come.  Our last day.  Heths and CK ran around like mad things cleaning up the house

until it gleamed.

Bron completed her Gool a Watu photographic assignment

and I stood around being decorative.

We drove back to Adelaide the long way round - through Milang, Clayton and Point Sturt.

I love Point Sturt.

It is a long, narrow promontary that juts into Lake Alexandrina.

Bron went crazy with her camera

creating images with colours I hope one day to be able to incorporate into crochet...

We started to think about lunch

and drove to Strathalbyn for a seafood lunch in a delightful bikie pub.  Then back to Adelaide to scatter in our various directions

until we gather again.

All aboard for Easter Monday

Francoise Hardy,

Olivia Newton John / Holly Kerr Forsythe,

Lady Jayne and Wild Thing all boarded the Cockle Train for a daytrip from Goolwa to Victor Harbour.

First stop:

The Middleton Mill where we consumed a delightful bottle of local wine, cheese platter and cakes for elevenses.

Then on to Victor Harbor, not stopping at Port Elliot where the locals looked enthusiastic but odd.

After the excitement of the trip

Victor Harbor seemed ho hum to we free spirits so we stayed on the train

and returned to odd at Port Elliot where we spent a lot of time and a little money in the fabulous bookshop, trawled the shops with imminent grandbabies in mind, and ended up in the pub for beer, bubbly and gelato.

Tired but blissed, Francoise, Oli Holly, Lady Jayne and W Thing returned to Goolwa.

The train tragic may have noticed that we occupied a different era carriage on each part of the journey.

I can think of no better way to spend an Easter Monday.  Thank you to all the volunteers who make this possible.

Later that same Easter Sunday

 Rested and biscuited, we ventured to the barrage which checks the Murray's flow to the sea.

It was getting latish but we had a mission.  You may recall that Lady Jayne launched the HMAS Platypus near Brewarrina on the Darling.

The jolly little boat and her crew provisioned in Wentworth and set forth to the Murray and the sea.

Now, here they were, through the Murray Mouth and in safe haven for the night.

We left them to the wild sea and their next adventure.

A white whale was mentioned.

We wended our way back through the dunes, gathering ideas for Heths' garden as we went.

Another perfect day.