Anatomy of a proposal - The rest of the weekend

Saturday, 7 November
Yamba, NSW

The second best thing about coming back is that I am able to see Mum, Dad and Cass.

Cass doesn’t even know I am in Australia. Dad stayed overnight in Yamba, while Mum and Cass are to ‘meet’ him up there today for lunch. Cass must be thinking Mum and Dad have lost it with all this “Oh, it would be a nice little trip up there” chat.

So I’m driving down to Yamba today to meet them at the Pacific Hotel in Yamba for lunch. I’m loving being back amidst the Australian countryside, driving through all the cane fields and country where Clare’s family has lived for generations.

I call Meils as I travel down the Pacific Hwy – she was pretty stoked about the news, but as disappointed as I am for not being able to have time to go to Sydney and say hi…

About an hour in and I’m driving down alongside the Clarence River, digging the fishing culture and pelicans dotted along the way. I wonder if Penny is randomly in town with Josh and little Campbell...

I pull up a stump at a table next to the Pacfic Hotel’s grand glass frontage - I’ve got the whole of the Pacific Ocean and a bunch of surfers rolling around only a couple of hundred metres below. What a view!

And what a spectacular day. Perfect 2ft rolling surf…I just wish I had time to get the old sea tractor out for a spin.

Then Cass arrives. She has no idea what was going on – a wonderful moment when I tell her what I was in town for. And to see Mum again was divine – it had been such a long time. I swear Dad’s pushing out a bead.

We smash a mezze plate and a few drinks, slipping straight back into family mode. Skype really does rock – I reckon it goes a long way to helping keep that family familiarity.

Today is one day I’m really glad to be around in person though, as Mum has just found out Nan has terminal cancer. It’s not the nicest news, but I’m happy I can at least be around in person to hear it and offer support – as much as Skype rocks, a hug is something you can’t really do online.

We end up moving down to a pub just up the Clarence for lunch and coffees – Cass has been as snap-happy as a clapping Jap today. Our lunch is also attended by a pod of dolphins doing their thing in the river. Could this day get any more spectacular?

The day rolls by into the afternoon - sucks to have to leave my family yet again after just a teasingly short few hours. Jeez I wish I could be living closer.

I give Libby and Greg a buzz to let them know I’m just about to head off, Libby suggests Mum and Dad come around for tea…they accept! The dream stays alive. Party time.

And what a party it is. Greg CAN cook a steak. The BBQ is just brilliant, very Australian with all the traditional accompaniments – salads, bread, snags, top-quality meat, wine…

Clare’s Uncle Tom and Aunty Carmel are also staying with Greg and Libby at the moment, so it is a pretty full house. Clare's brother Nick has also randomly popped home for dinner, so we are able to have a good chat out on the deck, with his questions as to my intentions far harder than anything thrown up the previous evening by Greg and Libby!

With so many of the respective families home, it’s an excellent way to celebrate. The hard part now will be keeping the secret under wraps!

Clare would love this.

How my family celebrates birthdays

It was my Dad’s birthday today. I spoke with him and Mum over skype and chatted to Mum about what she was preparing for his birthday dinner…very much indicative of how my family celebrates!!

Sad I have to miss yet another family event, but happy knowing they’re celebrating in style!!

ENTRÉE

Carpaccio

The beef is seared until crusty but still rare inside, dressed with extra virgin olive oil, horseradish cream and lemon juice, and strewn with capers and rocket leaves.

Ravioli

Roasted pumpkin, fetta and sultana with a sage beurre noisette.

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MAIN

Chicken

Roasted tenderloin served with steamed seasonal vegetables and a mustard sauce.

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DESSERT

Something sweet

Selection of mixed berries with a white chocolate sauce.

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WINE

2008 Giesen Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

2000 Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz

Chicken salad?

There's a terrific little French place up the road from my work that makes arguably the best sandwiches in Bangkok. Good bread is hard to find in this part of the world, theirs is excellent.

Anyway, went in there today for lunch, feeling like something a little different. After sitting down, a young waiter brings across the specials board - I notice the Chicken Niçoise salad.

Not entirely sure what I'm getting myself into, I ask the waiter, "can you please tell me what's in the Chicken Niçoise salad?" To which he replied nervously, "um, chicken and salad".

I couldn't help but smile.

Good on the bloke though for having a go at another language - I'd have no hope in describing the ingredients of a complex curry paste in Thai language.

I ended up enjoying their delicious potato and leek soup, along with a selection of fresh crusty bread on the side. Reminded me of watching the Brumbies play in 1996 on a Canberra winter night - Mum used to pack a couple of thermoses full of soup, along with enough other treats to feed us until Monday.

Social garlic

As many of you may know, my Mum is on Facebook.

She recently uploaded a terrific photo album of her garden, including the developmental stages for the rose contingent. One of the photos included a curious-looking light-green spear-leafed shrub.

It also caught the eye of my mate Whitnall all the way over in the UK.

Our question was, what on earth is this so-called ‘social garlic’, and how can it help the blogging geeks of the world get out and about and become more popular???

The answer follows from a string of emails between myself, Whitnall and our resident botanical expert:

Subject: Social garlic
Date: Wed, 3 Sep 2008 17:33:59 +0700

Hi Mum – this from a recent email from my mate Whitnall all the way over in the UK:

“Can you ask Maria Bell what exactly is ‘social garlic’? Does it mean it mixes with the onions?”

It seems your gardening photos on facebook have caught the eye of more than just your son…

Please help clear this question up. We’re both want to know more about social garlic’s social habits…

Cheers
Steve

___________________________________________________________


Subject: RE: Social garlic
Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 2:54 AM

The correct common name is actually 'society garlic' (I have always called it social garlic for some unknown reason!) and it gets this name because - when used as a garlic-flavoured garnish it doesn't leave that nasty 'garlic breath'.

It has strap-like leaves which are a bit fleshy - the leaves are chopped for sauces, soups etc. It also has quite a pretty mauve flower on a long stem.

But to answer your question - 'society garlic' does not carouse with chives, osculate with the onions nor frolic with the fennel.

Catch ya soon, Mum.

So it seems social garlic can’t help one’s social life, but it can perhaps make a nice garnish or additive to a variety of dishes. Perhaps the answer is in reviving the humble dinner party, backed by the brilliance of social garlic…

Gourmet club anyone???

Excuse me, but has anyone seen this girl?? (2)

No leads as yet.

I thought I was onto a winner when I saw this article from earlier today on BBC Online about a wild young chick popping up in Ireland. Sadly, no love.

To give the search a little extra kick, it has been suggested (thanks Steven and Mum!) that a better quality photo be posted up to help aid this search of all searches.


As you may be able to tell from my Dad's killer mo, this photo may have been taken around 15 years ago after a St Monica's Primary blue light disco. Sorry guys. It's the next best photo I can scrounge. ;-)

Cricket, catches, crimson sunsets and a couple of days in the car

So you've probably already seen my Christmas post. So, so much more went on. The days at home were quite strenuous - cyclically spent lying on the couch, watching the cricket, sleeping, getting some exercise walking to the fridge for some nourishment, watching the cricket...

When that wasn't happening, I was playing cricket with the fam on Dad's beautifully prepared (mowed) pitch. As you can see from the picture, Mum has most definitely mastered the sweep/hook/on-drive combination. Dad didn't do much, as Mum was pounding Cass' thunderbolts to every corner of the yard. Meils simply resembled a smurf.

Dad and I also went fishing - we bagged two beautiful flatheads and a ripper afternoon in the boat. We ended up BBQing the two flatties the next day. I also caught a flounder, but we won't speak of it.

Let's just say that it's kind of like Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore: too wrong - too young.


Alas, all good things must eventually come to an end - it became time for the sun to set on my holiday in Coffs. Get it - there's a picture of a Coffs Harbour sunset from my parent's balcony!

So we left Coffs and the road trip continued (see the red below):

The five of us - bundled up and on our way to Nan & Pa's in Central Western NSW, approximately 750kms away. What a trip - thank Christ for iPods! But seriously, I really enjoyed (if not lamented) seeing the different life and landscapes along the way: from the seemingly endless waterfalls in the mountains near Dorrigo, through to the patchy wheat crops and lanky, shrunken cattle around the Tamworth and Quirindi areas; not to mention the dry gum-leaf enshrouded roads along the Bell River from Wellington to Cumnock.

Below: A picture of one of the paddock's adjacent to Nan and Pa's residence.

Once finally there, it was just so great to see the rels. After a couple of days of BBQ's, cups of tea and catching up with all and sundry, we headed back to Sydney, where New Years awaited...