White Coppice

White Coppice is a small village near my cousin's place in Lancashire. It was a beautiful Spring day and in the video, you can hear the babbling brook and chirping birds. And not much else.
The drive had been harrowing - narrow laneways and roads but it was peaceful and quite lovely when we finally found it.

The Flying Orchestra

There is a lovely book in this year's nominations called "The Flying Orchestra." I think that it won a Crichton Award, not Book of the Year.

It begins "Some days are so windy that even the angels lose their balance from the top of City Hall." That's when the Flying Orchestra blows into town.

They play symphonies for travellers coming home, concertos for people awake all night thinking, sonatas for sad moments at birthday parties. The Flying Orchestra always play when a baby is born, at dusk and at dawn.

For me, I hear the Flying Orchestra when I gaze at the stars, in the roar of the ocean or the laughter of a friend. The music is there in the warn rays of the sun and in a gentle breeze.

Music is all around.

St Paul de Vence

We had been travelling for a month. We boarded the ship on the wettest, coldest, windiest day of the journey. We went to sleep...and woke up in paradise. The sun was shining, breakfast was a buffet, there was a bus waiting for us to take us somewhere. And that somewhere was St Paul de Vence, a medieval hill top town just out of Cannes.

The sun was shining as we walked along the cobbles, through the narrow streets, up and down stone stairways, past quaint houses and quirky shops. Views of valleys, vineyards, hills and the snow capped French Alps in the distance.

This is where you end up when you take a risk. Our original tour choice had been taken off the list and we had to find an alternative. What a choice!

I Believe...

I believe that Friday nights should begin with "Wild Wild West" and at some point must involve Jeff Buckley and candlelight.

I believe that the most important people you have in your life are your family.

I believe that true friends are family too.

I believe that everybody has the right to 'lose the plot' every once in a while. As long as the most dangerous thing involved is chocolate.

I don't believe you can ever over cater.

I believe that everyone has a reason for being here and that everyone has their time. I believe that when your time is up, it's up.

And, of course, I believe that love survives death into eternity.

Lover of Life, Singer of Songs

A tribute to the great Freddie Mercury who would have turned 65 today.

"When all the salt is taken from the sea
I stand dethroned
I'm naked and I bleed
But when your finger points so savagely,
Is anybody there to believe in me
To hear my plea and take care of me?"

Even though the space allowed on this blog is unlimited, there is not enough room to write why I love Freddie and why the world is a darker place without him. Fearless. Flamboyant. Brave. Daring. Vulnerable. Freddie was a contradiction and an enigma. One day I might write about my fantasy dinner party. Freddie would be on the list.

Thank you Freddie, for writing and for singing some beautiful, life changing songs. And an anthem.

"Is this the real life?
Is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide
No escape from reality
Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see."

Kate Di Camillo

Kate Di Camillo has written some beautiful books. Fortunately, in my job, I get to read children's books and therefore I was introduced to her work.

I love "The Tale of Despereaux". Don't watch the movie. Read the book. Fall in love with the writing.
"Love is ridiculous. But love is also wonderful. And powerful. And Despereaux's love for the Princess Pea would prove, in time, to be all of these things: powerful, wonderful and ridiculous."

"The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tullane" is also beautifully written. And heartbreaking.
"You must be filled with expectancy. You must be awash in hope. You must wonder who will love you, whom you will love next."

And "The Magician's Elephant" is a joyous, whimsical fantasy. With a true and important message.
"It is important that you say what you mean to say. Time is too short. You must speak the words that matter."

Notre Dame

I loved Notre Dame. It was the first, big, inspiring church of the trip and it was very beautiful. I think it helped that the sun was shining and it was Paris. But the inside of Notre Dame was cool and peacefull and you could feel the thousand years of history surrounding you.

Barwon Heads...

13th Beach Resort at Barwon Heads. July 26th 2011. Pentax DSi.

Just lucky really.

Verrines

Well, here's my first attempt at Verrines...


From left to right, they are Vodka Orange Jelly and Creme Fraiche Mousse; Carrot and Apple and Verrine Passion Crumble. Yum!

Galileo

Venice - Galileo Galilei with his telescope from here on the 21st August 1609 expanded the horizons for men of the fourth century.
Enough said.

Three Wedding Rings

I wear three wedding rings. They are all Welsh gold which makes them priceless but they are also priceless for another reason.
The oldest, and the one I have worn the longest belonged to my Grandma Janet Andrew. She first wore it when she married my Grandad Jonathan Andrew in 1921. It is the thickest of the three rings.
Sitting next to it on the ring finger of my right hand is my Mum's wedding ring which she got when she married my Dad on June 19th 1954. Mum had it on for 55 years.
The smallest ring is on my little finger and it belonged to AC - Clara Bradbury. She married John Bradbury sometime in the 1940s.
It's nice to have the rings together. Grandma and her two daughters. One day the rings should belong to Joanne and/or Lindsey, keep them in the family along the Andrew line.

Teardrops on the City ...

At some stage in the next few days (if you haven’t already done so) take a moment and play Tenth Avenue Freeze Out (from the Born To Run CD) as loud as you can. Marvel in the sound of the sax as it comes in at the start and weaves its magic through the track. Then blast out the title track of the cd, wait for that great sax solo in the middle and give thanks that such talent walked this earth.


R.I.P. Clarence Clemons (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011)


When the change was made uptown
And the big man joined the band
From the coastline to the city
All the little pretties raise their hands
I’m gonna sit back right easy and laugh
When scooter and the big man bust this city in half

Auckland - Sky Tower

They are a little bit "out there" in New Zealand. They invented crazy things like bungy jumping and Zorb. In Auckland, you can leap off Sky Tower. A 200m drop.
The first part of the fall is about 20 metres and the wire pulls you up in front of the coffee shop. They take a photo from above and then off you plummet again.
Of course none of this comes from first hand experience. ARE YOU NUTS???? It comes from watching people do the jump - first while having a coffee and a breakfast muffin (which is when I took this shot) and later with a glass of wine and a snack. Far more civilised than being on the other side of the glass I think.

Moroccan Lamb Shanks

This recipe is for the oven, see note at end for slow cooker.

8 lamb shanks (Frenched or not - who cares???)
plain flour
1/4 cup olive oil
2 brown onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 cup dry red wine
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons honey
2 small sweet potatoes

1. Preheat oven to moderate.
2. Toss lamb in flour (I do this in a plastic bag).
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in flameproof dish and cook lamb until brown.
4. Heat remaining oil in same dish. Cook onion, garlic, cinnamon, cumin and coriander until soft and fragrant.
5. Add wine and bring to boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until liquid reduces by half.
7. Add stock and honey and bring to boil again.
8. Return lamb to dish and place in oven.
9. Cook covered for about 90 minutes.
10. Uncover. Turn shanks. Add kumara.
11. Cook for another 50 minutes uncovered.
12. Can boil down the pan juices at the end to make the sauce thicker.

SLOW COOKER:
All recipes can be done in the slow cooker, just use half of the liquid. With this one, I find that less is better - so use 1/2 cup wine and 1 cup of stock. (Don't reduce any of the other quantities)
1. Brown the shanks (still toss them in flour). Put them in the slow cooker.
2. Chop up the sweet potato and put in the slow cooker.
3. Caramelize (so Masterchef!!!) the onion, garlic and spices. Mix with wine and stock
4. Pour over the shanks
5. Cook on high for 4 hours of low for 8.
(if you think you need more liquid at any stage, go the wine option but warm it first).

Sunrise? Sunset?

Someone I used to spend a lot of time with once asked me if I preferred a sunrise or a sunset. I can't remember what my answer was (let's be honest I probably didn't get to answer, just listen to an hour or two of what he preferred).

I'm still not sure what my answer is. Both are magical, amazing, beautiful and wonder inspiring.

A sunrise holds promise. Of a new day. A new beginning. At sunrise the world is fresh and ready. I saw some fabulous sunrises travelling to work from Geelong every day. There were memorable sunrises in Maldon (of all places!), Queensland and on aeroplanes in various locations. One of my favourites was the sunrise in Western Australia, the morning after we'd watch the sunset at Cape Leeuwin.

Sunsets are different. For me, they should be a sigh of happiness at the end of a day well lived. A fitting full stop to glorious hours of daylight. I have probably seen many more sunsets than sunrises but that does not make either more special. I loved that Cape Leeuwin sunset. Watching the sunsets on the Mediterranean from the cruise ship - Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu. Venice!

Sunset - Venice, Italy. (JB2010)

Family Tree

I got a call a while back from my cousin Janie (well my cousin's daughter actually). She's been putting together the Claber family tree and wondered if I'd like a look. Mary Claber was my Grandmother, Dad's Mum. The tree is interesting and Janie's gone back a long way.

It got me started on my family tree which branches into Bentley and Andrew and then goes back to Bradbury. Susan and I had worked on a lot of this when I was over there one winter (pre 1996) and I will always remember AC helping us and the phone calls to Harold Bradbury. The horror of discovering that an ancestor, Norris Bradbury, owned the land that became Tandle Hills and gave it to the people for a penny. "Tandle Hills is our land," AC told us. Lordy what it would be worth these days!!!!

That family tree ended up scribbled on the back of a flattened out Cornflakes box and I looked after it for many years until I gave it to Joanne when we went last year. Very different to the current tree which is on ancestry.com.

It's interesting to find out about people you didn't know. For example my great grandfather, Thomas Claber, was a self actor minder which meant he watched the self acting mule, a multi-threaded spinning machine. He was killed at Gallipoli in June 1915. On Mum's side, on of Grandad's brothers was Harry Andrew. There is not much information about him but searching the records, there is a Harry Andrew who was killed at Flanders Field who seems to match. I wonder if it is him. Part of me thinks no, because surely Mum would have told me. I wish she was here to ask.

Mr Magorium

Quite a few years ago now, I went on an end of year excursion with the 3/4's at SAPS. We took them to the Sun Theatre in Yarraville to see the movie "Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium". I wasn't that impressed at the time but these days it seems to come on the t.v. a fair bit and I've noticed it contains some quirky little quotes......

"Your life is an occasion. Rise to it." (Don't you love that one?)

"We must face tomorrow, whatever it may hold, with determination, joy and bravery."

They set all the clocks in a store to sound at exactly the same time...in 37 seconds. So they wait, except...." We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime."

And of course there are some fabuolous shoe quotes....
"I fell so completely in love with these shoes, I bought enough pairs to last my whole lifetime. This is my last pair."

"Mr Magorium, toy impresario, wonder afficionado and avid shoe wearer."

Monopoly

Our Boxing Day tradition is board games. For some people this means bored games but I love them! And the one I love most is Monopoly. I enjoy the original game and I am always the canon to blow people out of the water. While it's great to have the prestige row of greens (Oxford, Bond, Regent) and navy blues (Mayfair, Park Lane), there's something to be said about owning the less popular streets and pumping them up to hotel status fairly quickly. I have won by owning only Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road with hotels.

I have also been called a pirhana when playing the game!

Now, the original Monopoly is a great classic but my favourite Monopoly is the Wizard of Oz version. Where else can you try to buy a brain, heart, courage and the way home (instead of stations)? And "streets" include Munchkinland, Emerald City and The Rainbow. Awesome.

My Left Foot

I love shoes. That was said in my last post but this post is about shoes (and feet) too. I am so excited that I won the Style Tread competition and I will be getting a pair of shoes every month for the next year!!! (Providing I don't go over the $3000 limit before that)

Since I had my foot surgery my shoe addiction has become an obsession. I think that it's because I spent so long unable to wear nice shoes - first that giant lump restricted what I could wear and then it took ages to get my feet back into shape after the surgery to take out the giant lump.

Just remember that this is how my left foot looked right after the bandages were removed:

(With apologies to the squeamish).

Anyway I will enjoy "buying" shoes. Trust me on that. I may even get a pair of higher heels in the hope that one day my big toe will feel things again and I will be able to balance on something higher than a couple of inches.

My favourite things .... shoes

Love shoes. Am loving this pair especially at the moment. And one day they will be mine.

http://www.styletread.com.au/zeeman-black.html

Dear Justy

When you were smaller and we would make up stories together, I was always the Princess and you were the funny little sidekick who hung around with me. My little squirrel friend. What a Disney movie it would have made - you and me paddling the canoe up the river singing at the top of our lungs! 

Anyway, I know that I am still a goddess who can do anything in your young eyes but tent erection is not one of my strong points. In fact, as far as I am concerned, anything less than 5 star is camping. So why choose me as the person to help you practise putting your new tent up??? 

Oh yes, that would be for my undeniable skill of picking up the phone and using my index finger to call your Godfather.

Thanks for all the laughter and amusement you gave everyone by asking!

Much love always,

Jean