Sunday mixtape - chooks, gifts from across Bass Strait and music

As I write this, I am listening to the number one Australian album of all time as voted on Triple J. Odyssey Number Five by Powderfinger. I love this album. It is such a complete album. Listening to it is like being with an old friend.

I took these at their farewell concert last year.

Number two was Frogstomp by Silverchair - I'd have preferred Neon Ballroom.

Seeker Lover Keeper got me through the domesticities of my day.

Seeker Lover Keeper is a band comprising three talented Australian musicians - Sarah Blasko, Holly Throsby and Sally Seltmann. How beautiful is Even though  am a woman?

Woah I
I got a secret
I think I’m in love with missing you
More than I’m in love with you
That’s why I go away all the time
That’s why I travel the world and roam free
There’s a time you leaving me
This is how I feel
I feel like a traveling salesman

Even though I’m a woman
Picking up my bags from the station
Standing there face to face
I’ll be lying if I did not say
I love you more when I’m missing you
That’s why I’m always away
Believe me it’s true

Woah I
I got a secret
I think I was born to be in a state of longing
Born to be wanting wanting
I put in a letter for you
I love the danger in distance
This time I’m leaving you
This is how I feel
I feel like a traveling salesman

Even though I’m a woman
Picking up my bags from the station
Standing there face to face
I’ll be lying if I did not say
I love you more when I’m missing you
It’s why I’m always away
Believe me it’s true
Believe me it’s true
Believe me it’s true

I love the danger in distance
I’d rather be missing you
I love the danger in distance
I’d rather be missing you
I feel like a traveling salesman
Even though I’m a woman
Picking up my bags from the station
Standing there face to face
I’ll be lying if I did not say
I love you more when I’m missing you
It’s why I’m always away

Believe me it’s true
Believe me it’s true
Believe me it’s true
Believe me it’s true
Believe me it’s true

I met my parents for breakfast this morning. We went to the farmers markets. The ABC news was filming a segment for the carbon tax announcement, getting farmers' opinions.

I had my usual - poached egg, polenta and salad with relish. So good!

We walked around the poultry show. Lots of ducks,

Chickens

And roosters.

Some birds were so fat. It was the junior finals, and so the pavillion was full of children nursing chickens and putting vaseline on their beaks. Who knew chicken breeding was so big in the city?

My parents got off the boat from Tasmania this morning. They came bearing gifts.

The salmon and cheese diet is the best for my skin.

Elderflower cordial and apple and quince paste.

And a felted brooch from The Spindle Tree. Beautiful.

I have a new iPhone. The camera is great!

I tried it out last night at the Boom Crash Opera concert.

It was ok - but I was a bit bored, and Dale Ryder wasn't on stage for half of the show - a singer from The Models sang for a lot of it.

I also made a bread and butter pudding using some organic produce. Sourdough fruit rolls from the market, duck eggs, lemon and quince paste. It's cooking in the oven now.

Blogger is playing up. My scheduled posts are prematurely posting. Hmmmm.

Domestic Goddess duties. I buy a new vacuum and roast a fish!!

Today I was a Domestic Goddess. In between sleep and eating, I was doing some housewifery. Dad would be proud.

After a week of eating dangerously - who was I kidding - I wasn't going to snap back into healthy eating after the Easter break - see exhibits A and B below...

Exhibit A: chocolate hot cross bun and butter pudding, made with chocolate hot cross buns, gooey Easter eggs and duck egg custard, served with thick vanilla custard.

 Exhibit B: the food I ate on the first night in Brisbane - a balanced meal of four plates of seafood,

 A plate of ribs, and sweet potato plus salad I didn't eat, and

A plate of desserts. Glorious. The jeans I wore on Wednesday night now do not button up.

 Plus many glasses of champagne on both nights.

 ...I thought it was time I ate healthier. So I bought some organic stuff (this plus butter and dip came to $42!). I have popcorn, lentils to cook with goat in the slowcooker, kale chips and a mix to put in my porridge.

I also bought some goat, lots of vegies, and a whole fish. I met my Dad to pick up my car and we did some leisurely grocery shopping.

Meanwhile I bought a new vacuum cleaner. And it vacuums well. I rarely by homewares so this is an exciting purchase. The old one is eight years old and stopping. This one is suitable for allergies.

 I topped up my liquor cabinet modest shelf with affordable cheap alcohol.

 And I acquired a fire blanket.

I felt so grown up - a responsible 29 year old with a new vacuum, organic food and a fire blanket. No frivolous throwaway fashion purchases today. And some more homewares from years gone by.

My Dad brought me a bag of things from my Grandparents' old unit. Poppy moved into an aged care home last month and Mum and Dad have inherited all of these interesting things from their past. There's an opal ring of Nanny's waiting to be fixed and then I'll wear it.

In the bag was this pretty plate from England. It's a bit broken but still beautiful.

 And this one from Bosnia. It's a gorgeous teal and gold.

 Those ones I'll display but this one I'll use.

 I reorganised my plates at my stove and put the peacock one on display.

 I cooked some rhubarb - this bunch was so long - a good 60 centimetres.

 I cut half a bunch of rhubarb, an apple, a sprinkle of sugar and some vanilla.

 And then the fish! Can you believe I got this whole fish - as long as the rhubarb - for $5!!!

I stuffed the fish with garlic, tomatoes, leek and lemon and seasoned it with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

 And then I roasted it in the oven.

Meanwhile I cooked some vegies in the pan. Squash, cauliflower, chickory, beans and capsicum. They were seasoned with Middle Eastern spice and olive oil.

 It came out of the oven like this, and it was delicious. The fish is Australian salmon.

I am going to eat a piece of chocolate hot cross bun and butter pudding and watch Notes on a Scandal. Enjoy your Saturday nights!

Fish pie

In the words of Faux Fuschia, this morning 'the universe directed me' to make fish pie. I woke up feeling like I just had to have it. I just had to make it.

So I added the ingredients I needed to my grocery shop.


How I love you, Coles Showground Village. You are so beautiful and have everything I need to get me through a fortnight, but your beauty makes me spend!

I sliced onion, leek, garlic and cooked them until they were soft with a bit of olive oil.

Then I added mushrooms, snow peas, celery, carrot and parsley. I cooked these until soft.

I used seafood mix and salmon.

Look how beautiful the pink salmon flesh is next to the silvery skin.

I added the salmon and seafood mix to the vegetables, and let it cook further for about 15 minutes.

Here are the remaining ingredients needed for the pie. I only used a smidge of cream, and the butter was for greasing the dish and brushing on the pastry.


The pastry was low fat, and I think this meant it didn't turn out as flaky and crispy as full fat pastry. Still it was delicious, and very rich!


I love pie.

Superglue, brooches and Ethiopian food

I wanted to share a few of the things I have done so far this weekend. It's been busy but nice.

My Mum was down to stay last night and we went for dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. It was wonderful! Excuse the quality of the photos, I only had my iPhone.



Ethiopian food is to be eaten with your hands. I've never eaten a hot meal from a plate with my hands, other than a burger or a toasted sandwich, or if I pick up a bone to scrape. You wrap the food up with pieces of bread.

For entree we had grilled eggplant that was marinated in lemon and spices.


The eggplant was served with Injera bread.


Injera bread looks like a giant flat crumpet. It's a bit lemony, very soft and delicious.

Mum ordered slow cooked goat cooked with cinnamon and cardamom. It was like a home cooked meal in a slow cooker - so full of flavour. Very sweet and rich.



I ordered raw beef marinated in paprika, onion, lemon and chili. I like my steak mooing, so this meal suited me. Raw beef is nothing to be afraid of if it's done right.


The food was so flavoursome and I will certainly be going back to eat there or get takeaway. Cheap too. Highly recommended!

Today I did TWO HOURS of bellydancing and my calves are tired! So. Much. Shimmying. It was my last week of the term as next Saturday I have uni all day. I will miss class, but I will go again next term.

For the rest of the day, I went to a meeting/BBQ for my volunteer work. It was great to see everyone.

And tonight, I cooked a meal - pasta with seafood.


I wouldn't normally get Weight Watchers pasta, but it was the only egg fettucini in the fresh pasta section at Coles and it was only $3.

I cooked up some of Mum and Dad's homegrown greens, a few halved cherry tomatoes, two cloves of garlic, olive oil and lemon juice, plus seafood marinara mix, salt and pepper.

These are two of my favourite pots. The green one is from my Nanny. It is very old and a bit battered, but it cooks pasta well, and also good for soup. The black one is from a little store in Brunswick - it can go in the oven and microwave and on the stove. I cook a lot of things in there - stews, Asian hotpots and rhubarb are my favourite things to cook in this pot - it seems to allow foods to develop great flavour. I have a taller one too. It was only about $14.



I served it the the pasta.

Really easy, really cheap. And it took about 20 minutes.

I had a glass or two of the best cheap wine you will ever taste - Banrock Station pink moscato for $5.25. I love this glass too. It's a champagne flute, but I use it as a wine glass because it's pretty. I bought a set of six from an opshop for $6.


I decided to watch Mrs Doubtfire for the 4858th time and make some jewellery.

For some reason I can't find my pliers so there was no chain and charm action happening. Glue it was.

Woah. What an adventure.

I have a heap of little things that are pretty but I don't use or are broken. Like hairclips, pendants and charms. I want to use them again, and show off their beauty and cuteness.


I didn't know superglue was so dangerous.

As soon as I managed to open it, it squirted out, over my hands. Then I felt my eyes burning from the fumes. I rushed to the bathroom to wash it off, but it dried quickly. Fortunately my eyes only stung for about 30 seconds.

Dad wasn't home to seek advice from. So I googled it.

Acetone gets superglue off skin. What has acetone in? Nailpolish remover. Guess what - the nailpolish remover I use is acetone free. Because acetone hurts my skin.

So I've just been soaking my hands in warm soapy water, which also does the trick according to Google, but it takes several applications. My fingers are less rigid now, and I've managed to peel some dry superglue off. It doesn't hurt, and I didn't have to go to hospital like I imagined.

I digress.

I had to make my jewellery wearing vinyl gloves and sunglasses. Hah!

Tonight I have made four brooches. I love brooches and have quite a few. And my little thingies from previous accessories were perfect for brooches.


The heart is a clay pendant my Mum bought me from the Henty Field Days (as the song on the ad says, 'go to the Henty Field Days, there's nothing like it anywhere...'). It has a little girl with a bonnet on, watering flowers. I have had it since I was about eight years old and I love it.

The flower is a gold, green and clear plastic clip-on earring. I bought the pair of clip-ons from an op-shop and I've been meaning to make one into a brooch. Not sure what I'll do with the other one.

The dog is a hand-made resin cut out that used to be attached to a hairclip.

And the panda was from a belt I used to wear when I was three years old. The belt was purple and had little pandas printed on it, with the plastic panda as a buckle. I think it's cute.

And that's it so far. Tomorrow I am writing a paper for uni summarising a report about the ethics of researching people who know they are going to die. It's pretty interesting.

Hope you are all having a good weekend.