It Used To Be So Simple

It was my partner's birthday recently and as I drove down to Sydney to meet him to see a movie together, I considered this fact. You see, in the car I had my son, one dog in the back seat with him, the other dog (who vomits) in the boot area (so she would vomit only on the plastic flooring and I could hose it down), the pram, my bags, my son's bags, my son's food and the dog beds. It had taken me the better part of the day getting everyone organized and the car packed. We were staying at my partner's parents place and they were babysitting the dogs and baby. It had been planned a week before. It had become a military operation. No longer can I leave home with just my cell phone and wallet. It used to be so simple.  

It's The Little Things

That I miss about living in the city. I wouldn' t change my life on the farm for anything, and I get all claustrophobic after too much time in town. However, when I stay in Sydney I am reminded of the small things I forget about, being on a property. The sound of a car late into the night, a siren waking you up as it screams by. Signs of human life. Stepping out for a coffee. People. Seeing friends without having to arrange it weeks in advance. People. Cafes. Restaurants. Stores. The energy of the city. The hum. The grit. The smells. The angst. The rattle of a train in the distance. Just knowing that there are people around. Culture. The ease and convenience. Did I mention people? 

Weekend Chores

We spent the best part of Saturday vacuuming the paddock. That's right. A paddock vacuum. Think your Miele on steroids. Greystone MaxiVac. Electric Blue. It sits attached to the back of the ATV and sucks up horse and cow manure. Someone must have thought it a good alternative to shoveling. Never thought I would find it so satisfying. Fun for the whole family.

Mittagong Preschool Kindergarten 2012 Family Fair Bush Fun Run

A girlfriend of mine Sky Hunt, moved from Sydney to the Southern Highlands NSW a couple of years ago with her partner and two kids. She is an amazing Personal Trainer and this is what she has been organising in her spare time. If you are in the area and feel like running for fun sign up. Visit the Mittagong Preschool Kindergarten website for details. 

You Just Gotta Laugh

The Snappers

A gorgeous and brilliant friend of mine, Catherine Merchant, works for ABC Radio National. She recently produced this program called The Snappers. Check it out. 

This program recalls an almost forgotten era of media social history—of men and women who were passionate to the point of reckless about their profession, about the next big picture, who rubbed shoulders with cops and crims alike, and bonded amid the glamour of the celebrity set, or the tragedy of a grisly crime scene.

Says Merchant:

"The Snapper’s is a revisit and a celebration of the wild and woolly days of Australian press photography in pre digital times. Some would call these the halcyon days of papers and magazines.
These days so many of us have an interest in photography..there are 6000 photos a minute loaded up onto the photo site flicker, but what was required of our snappers in the halcyon days of newspapers and magazines?
These were the times when just getting the film back to the office might involve more than a stroke of genius..the days when the pub was the other office, and practical jokes were a part of life. The era when Rupert Murdoch was looking over your shoulder and Frank Packer was calling you into his office.
When I began looking into my late father’s lifetime occupation, I heard about Damon Runyon style characters who congregated on jobs and bonded in darkrooms. They were people who predated OH&S and made up their own rules. Characters, who were prepared to do anything to get the shot despite limited technology. They were up close and personal with Australian life and they lived and breathed our history through their camera lenses.
Despite the fact photographers prior to the 70’s were often considered like tradesmen, there work was vital as nobody was tweeting photos of huge events around the world or daily life.
It occurred to me If you were a photographer who lived through all the technical changes that occurred in photography from the 30’s and 40’s to 2000, it would be like going from flying a tiger moth to a jet plane..
In producing this story, I found a family I never realised I had. I dedicated it to the late Cliff Neville who believed I ought to make it a much bigger project.
The response to the program was wonderful. So many people wrote in to me personally and there were 20 comments from different listeners on the website."

The Honesty Box

It has been really refreshing to come across the honesty box. I couldn't believe they still existed, but in the country it seems they do. There are lots of local produce stands along the roads where we live and depending on where you stop, the fruit and vegetables are of amazing quality and cheap. Run by local farmers who grow a lot of what they sell, it is a full time business for most and extra money for some. Our area is well known for citrus, and has been one of the largest citrus producing regions in Australia. Stone fruits and avocados are also locally grown. Some stalls are fully operating stores, which have grown from small stands over the years. Others are a bit of tin roofing on poles selling whatever is in season. I have even seen a wagon with bags of oranges hanging off it. When the stalls are closed or unattended, they have an honesty box. You take what you need and honourably pop the correct money in the slot. Can you imagine this in the city? Good old country honesty.

RSPCA

We recently got a second dog. Our first dog came from our local RSPCA shelter a year ago, when he was 8 weeks old. He is a Kelpie cross - his mix has been the blue plate special mystery - as he grows we think it could be Greyhound. I have spent weekends over the last month driving to the RSPCA shelter at Somersby to see if they had anything suitable. The first visit I was stoic and desensitised myself to the fact that many of the dogs could be euthanised if they couldn't find a home. The second visit was not so easy. My partner was no help - he is so soft he had to wait in the car. We wanted a female puppy - there were none, but there were so many dogs that for whatever reason had ended up there: stray, unwanted or injured. My heart bled walking away leaving them potentially waiting on death row if they were not reclaimed or rehomed. Just over 34% of all dogs taken in last year were reclaimed, 27% were rehomed. A staggering 29% were euthanised. 


My third and final visit was more focused - I was a woman on a mission. I had looked on the adopt a pet website the previous night and seen a listing for a 6 month old Border Collie/Kelpie cross. I arrived at the shelter as soon as they opened in the morning and found her. She was full of beans and initially a little annoying, but was so pretty and the fact that our dog loved her sealed the deal. I had forgotten my phone (accidentally on purpose) so had to make the decision alone. I couldn't bear to leave without a dog and the thought of returning again just killed me, so I filled out the paperwork, paid her adoption fee and sat her in the back seat of the car. She has worked out very quickly that she has landed on her feet in what is equivalent to canine heaven on earth. Aside from the retraining we will have to do, the mess she adds to my floors and the hassle of taking a holiday and finding a babysitter for two dogs instead of one, we adore having a new family member.


If you are considering getting a new pet, visit the RSPCA as one of your first options. 

Old Fashioned Marmalade

It has been a slow news week. I've decided to make Marmalade. We have a huge, mature orchard behind our house. Oranges, lemons, grapefruit and mandarins. Short of setting up a stand outside our front gate and selling lemonade, each citrus season season rolls around and I am at a loss as to how to use our masses of fruit. Not yet ready for canning and preserving, I am going to start with simple old fashioned marmalade. Love or hate it.

Ingredients
4 large seedless oranges

2 lemons
8 cups sugar

Directions

Cut the oranges and lemons in half crosswise, then into very thin half-moon slices. Discard any seeds. Place the sliced fruit and the juice into a stainless-steel pot. Add 8 cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.

The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 2 hours. Turn the heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often, for another 30 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms on the top. Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer. If you want to be sure it's ready, place a small amount on a plate and refrigerate it until it's cool but not cold. If it's firm - neither runny nor too hard - it's done. It will be a golden orange colour. If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it and if it's too hard, add more water. Pour the marmalade into clean, hot Mason jars; wipe the rims thoroughly with a clean damp paper towel, and seal with the lids. Store in the pantry for up to a year.

Recipe courtesy of Food Network

Byblos

Last weekend our Son went to stay with his Grandmother. It felt so good to have some time off, the freedom was overwhelming. There were moments I almost forgot we had a child.  My partner and I went on a couple of date nights to reconnect. Fine dining is slim pickings around our parts, in fact the only option to go out locally is the Memorial Club - great if you are looking for a cheap meal, meat raffle, beer and 50 in the pokies. Feeling like something a little more romantic we thought we would make an effort and look further afield. Googling "fine dining Gosford", top of the list (which also included Trackside Restaraunt) was Byblos Lebanese Restaraunt and Bar. It seemed an exotic choice. 


Fine dining it ain't, good food it is. The place was buzzing. If you had not made reservations, you were assured by the owner that he would do his very best to accommodate, despite being booked to 160 capacity. The classic menu was authentic and fresh. The cocktail list inviting, the service professional. The night was chilly and not even my Martinis were keeping me warm, so for me it was all about the neatly folded blankets on offer for patrons dining outside. Tres nice.

Byblos