Day 2 in Canberra

We still had one more day for seeing some of the sights in Canberra. There are certainly lots to see especially in the form of art galleries and museums so we chose the War Memorial. I hadn't really given much thought to what to expect here but it was well worth a visit. It is a very comprehensive collection of all things 'War and Australia'. The two hours we spent certainly wasn't near enough time to view all the exhibitions. As both the lads like planes we spent some time in this Hall. On the hour there are two audiovisual presentations. Peter Jackson had been involved with the WWI one which showed a 'dog fight' between the British and Germans and even I would have to say it was impressive.
More information about this museum can be found at this link:Visitor information | Australian War Memorial

Rob then chose to drive us out through some of the countryside to a place called Bungendore. There is this most amazing gallery that specialises in wood products. The workmanship is truly outstanding with products ranging from large pieces of furniture to kitchen utensils to art work. You are able to see some of the pieces at their website. On show at the moment is a piece of furniture called the Hannah Cabinet that took six years to craft. It includes 140 drawers, 18 doors and 34 different timbers.
http://bungendorewoodworks.com.au/content/visit

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Canberra

We arrived in Sydney on Tuesday evening after what felt a very easy trip. Rob was there to pick us up and drive us three hours south to Canberra where he and Helen currently  live as Helen is teaching in a Montessori school here.

Rob was our tour guide yesterday and we started by going up Black Mountain to the Telstra Tower. This is a landmark visible by all of the city and it gave us an excellent overview of Canberra and the ACT.  It is a well laid out city with easy access to all parts of the city via its well designed arterial roads. The suburbs are all spread out and it feels more like a provincial town than a capital city with its population of about 300 000. 

Next stop on the tour was Parliament House, and later in the day we were to hear that it was an historic one for the Australian Government, with the overthrow of Julia Gillard the current prime minister. When we arrived it was obvious it was a busy day. We first had difficultly finding a park and then we had to queue to get through security (unheard of by our host). We had a good look around the building in which no expense seems to have been spared when it was built. We ventured out onto the roof top for a look and a close up view of the flagpole. From here there is a panoramic view along an avenue to the original Parliament House and in the distance the War Memorial.

We finished the day with some shopping for a few essentials like a local SIM card for our phone, and then enjoyed a Vietnamese meal at a local restaurant. All in all a good first day.

Snow at Montalto (Mid Canterbury foothills)

Every picture tells a story!  It is truly a beautiful sight here this morning on my brother's farm, though these photos were taken late afternoon yesterday. It was -5 degrees C outside when we woke this morning and -2 inside the bus!!! Our wood burner does the trick though and it wasn't long before we were toasty warm and the sun was shining.

Haircuts

When bad weather sets in like we have been having over the last few days, even such activities as getting to your hairdresser's appointment can become a bit of a drama.
We had thought we would both get a hair cut in Geraldine before we head away across the ditch. There is someone here in town who cut our hair before (whom we liked) but unfortunately she wasn’t available. We did try to get someone else in that same salon to do it and it was all set for Friday. But they closed the salon as they couldn’t afford the risk of having their customers part way through a treatment and losing electricity.

So Mum rang her hairdresser, who happens to live just along the street in the next block and she had had some cancellations. So we donned plenty of warm clothing and gumboots and walked the 100m along the street for our haircuts. We are very pleased with the results though mine is probably a bit short for such cold conditions and my ‘ears’ are yet to acclimatise!!!

Ahead of the storm

 

We had been watching the weather forecasts closely for several days and were concerned that we might not have been able to get through from Central Otago to Geraldine on Thursday. So on Monday morning we made the decision to leave on Tuesday. It meant a bit of a rush to finish off some of the jobs as we thought we had another two days. One such job was disposing of the poplar prunings and the two days of rain hadn't helped.

We awoke to a beautiful day on Tuesday but it wasn't long until the fog closed in. We managed to get all of our gear packed the bus ready for our next journey. We needed our suitcases and contents for our trip to Australia, as well as food and fuel our for road trip to Geraldine. We got away at mid- day and drove into sunshine by Cromwell. This stayed with us all the way to the Lindis Pass where we parked up and had a late lunch.

We spent the night on the shores of Lake Pukaki and although there was a view of the mountains when we arrived it was short lived and the fog descended on us. We headed off again by 9am as we were keen to get over Burkes Pass in case the storm was closer than we thought. There was plenty of snow on the ground between Tekapo and Burkes Pass but this was the remnants of Sunday's event. We have never been on that road when it has been so quiet. I think you could count the number that cars that came towards on two hands.

We were very pleased to get settled at Mum and Dad's in Geraldine. We watched the weather forecasts and the panic buying on the news and were glad we had made the decision to arrive early. After listening to the radio and all road closures out of Central Otago this morning and seeing the ground covered in snow this morning confirmed this decision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Good Samaritan

We were heading through the Cromwell Gorge on Sunday morning in order to catch up on family. It was a miserable day and the steady drizzle wasn't helping. We had just passed Champagne Creek when we passed a car on the other side of the road with a flat tyre. We could see that a very elderly gentleman was out trying to change it. So we turned around and Stephen got out to help. Just as well to as we think he had been there for some time and obviously no one else had stopped on this miserable day to ask if he was OK. He had the spare and the tools out but he couldn't find the jack. He had had to get the manual out to find out where it was stashed and then he was still having difficulty getting it out.

It didn't take long for Stephen to get the jack out from under the passenger seat, get the the damaged tyre off and the space-saver spare on.

It is nice to be able to help and it isn't hard to be kind.

 

 

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Stephen’s Projects

While I have been beavering away at more domestic type activities and projects Stephen has been doing what he likes doing best - construction and chainsaw work.

Concrete came first. Up until now we have only had a concrete slab outside the bi-folding doors and along the rest of the wall has just been ‘dirt’.  But now we have concrete along the whole wall and it does make such a difference to how tidy it looks as well as stopping us drag so much dirt inside.  There is still a bit more to do that will create a path from the driveway but time and the weather have now put that on hold until the spring.

Inside we have a very compact bedroom but with some clever design we now have a walk-in wardrobe. Stephen has created it but going into the space under the stairs and into the garage. It is now all lined up, stopped, and sealed and just waiting for some wallpaper before we put in some shelving. It will make such a difference to keeping everything in its place and tidy. Always a challenge when space is at a premium.

When we first came to 108 Shields we had a blank canvas, and were the first in the subdivision. We moved the house here and as part of the conditions of being allowed to do this we had to plant a set number of trees/shrubs.  Poplars always look good in the autumn and  were a cheap option to put along the boundary at the back of the section. Of course we have built our garage/flat at the back of the section and the trees now are both too close and needing to be continually cut back. So we have been rather drastic and cut them back to turn them more of a hedge. (One or two have actually been taken out at ground level!)  It makes such a difference to the light we get into our flat, particularly in the mornings and one thing is for sure. They will grow again!!!

His latest project is to add a pergola off the front of the verandah.  Once again both time and wet weather have left him with this project in its infancy.  It is always good though to have something to come back to.

My Projects

Both Stephen and I aren't ones to sit around with nothing to do. We both like a project or two to be going on with.
Currently I have a couple on the go: a sewing and knitting one. Both of these activities are things I have done a lot of in the past but not so much of late. Being in Clyde during the winter months is the perfect time to resurrect such skills so both the knitting needles and the sewing machine have come out of hibernation.

I found a dear wee long lined child's cardigan in a Women's Weekly magazine so that has been my first project. I have used a merino double knit wool from a shop in Alexandra and at $3.70 per 50g ball is good value compared to similar products I have seen elsewhere. Not having anyone of that age to give it to I am now on the look out for a size 3-4 year old who would like to wear it.

The next knitting project is a newborn singlet. Francie, our neighbour up here in Clyde, has given me some 3 ply wool, pattern and knitting needles to use. I am finding quite therapeutic to be sitting at night to the click clack of the needles. Would anyone know a newborn who would like this?
My sewing project is a bolero type jacket to wear with a dress I have been wearing to all the weddings we have been attending. Already we have the next invitation for the start of the next wedding season so I thought a jacket would give it a new look. The silk ones I have seen in some fashion shops were $399 so I decided I could do much better than that. Time will tell. Anyway I am now beavering away at that too.

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Favourite recipe books

One of the bonus's of being back here in Clyde is access to all of my cooking books. (I only have a very select few in the bus at any one time.) As a cook it is amazing how attached you can become to some of them. The internet is a very useful tool for looking for a new, or perhaps a favourite recipe that may have found its way on line, but there is nothing like browsing through the recipe book itself. 

This morning I delved into one of my destitute gourmet books for mock maple syrup. We often have Scottish pancakes on a Sunday morning for breakfast and we usually serve them with either golden syrup or some 'real' imported maple syrup that we get from my friend in Otatara. This morning we had neither so I knew I had this 'mock' syrup recipe which would be better than nothing.

Sophie Gray has quite a collection of books out now but I only have the first four.  She is a woman with a philosophy after my own heart when it comes to food. I see the first book she published was in 2000 when she was wanting to cut back on her food budget but not on the quality of food she prepared for her family.  This first book, Stunning Food from Small Change, certainly shows you how to prepare economical but nutritious food though probably my favourite one is 'more stunning from small change'. This one has lots of bread recipes that I return to time and time again.

However there is nothing like inspiration to flick through a recipe book to 'pep' up the weekly menu and I can see that we will be enjoying some new recipes this week.

Scottish Breakfast Pancakes - a regular weekend breakfast for us. Some times served with  crispy bacon, fresh fruit and yoghurt, they often double as brunch.  They are very economical and easy to make, using a cup of rolled oats, a cup of milk, an egg, flour, BP and some butter. 

The following link will take you to her blog:  destitutegourmet

or the following one to her website:destitutegourmet website

Four Seasons

One thing that makes Central Otago appealing is its certainty of providing four definite seasons.

Yes it may be really cold at the moment with the day starting with a hard frost but there is something about hunkering down for the winter. A bit like hibernating really. And then knowing that there are three more distinct seasons to look forward to. We haven't had a hoar frost yet (this takes  the cold to a whole new level of cold and prettiness ) but some of our early morning scenes are still spectacular.

Each season is equally spectacular and each provides its own rewards and treats.
Spring is a treat as the fruit trees blossoms and everything springs into life again. Alexandra even has an annual Blossom Festival to celebrate this.

Summer brings the heat and the holiday makers. Day after day is usually hot and dry with temperatures  often in the late 20degrees.







Autumn brings out the squirrel in us - harvesting the final fruits of the summer and bringing in the grapes for wine, as well as preparation for the approaching winter.  The deciduous trees make for beautiful picture postcard scenes as locals enjoy the last days before winter sets in.





Our winter days here have developed a pattern. A late morning rise, the cooking of rib warming porridge to go with freshly brewed coffee all before pulling back the drapes at 10:30 when the sun rises over the hill.
A walk to the shop for the newspaper is our next activity, and on our return another cuppa and a read sitting in the sunshine (behind glass) takes us through to when it is safe to venture outside.
It is very easy to fill in the day until 4:15pm when the sun goes down behind the hills and you instantly feel the change in temperature. We then draw the drapes to keep in the heat and stay cozy for the rest of the evening.
And like many locals, by July, many take the opportunity to holiday in warmer climes until the first signs of spring begin to show in August. We are going to be no different when we head across to Australia in late June.

Happy Birthday Stephen

How does a birthday boy celebrate his big day in Clyde?
Well first he has to survive a very cold frosty morning so there is no incentive to get up very early. As we are tucked under the hill here in Clyde at this time of the year it is 10:30am before any sunshine warms us up.

So after a leisurely start to the day it was time to open the presents:
warm brushed cotton PJs and a cover for the boat.

Later in the day there was time for 'play'. We have a washing machine that has passed its used by date and I knew that he always had his eye on it.  He has seen lots of ideas on how to recycle various such things ( I think a wind turbine is on the plans) so today was the day when he had time for that first look. We will have to watch this space.

Once the sun was down (4:15pm) it was time to retreat back inside to enjoy a birthday drink, and a birthday tea, that included a wee apple pie. This was followed by a piece of Fudgy brownie, complete with a candle to finish a lovely relaxing day.




The following link takes you to the recipe for this delicious recipe that uses 225gm of 72% dark chocolate.
Fudgy brownie