spider surprise

Posted on February 11, 2017 by kathy

We all know that feeling of walking smack bang into the middle of an orb weavers web. These clever spiders spin their beautiful webs at night to catch unsuspecting flying insects, enjoy an early morning snack and retreat for the day leaving the web to catch unsuspecting humans. We had one residing in the veggie patch, just to the left of the door and we never failed to fall prey upon entering. The spider proved smarter than we are and moved to one of the beds where she wouldn’t be disturbed. Early one morning, she (or he) was resting in the middle of the web.

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As I watched, she woke up and moved toward a tasty morsel that had fallen foul during the night.

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She grabbed her breakfast

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and returned to the centre of the web to dine.

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She then curled up and went back to sleep.

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I am grateful to her for helping keep the insects from the succulent leaves of the veggies.

not long now

Posted on February 5, 2017 by kathy

I am pleased and proud to announce, the culmination of Michael’s creative endeavour is nigh, with the official launch of “The Tramp” only a week away. The product of two years of blood, sweat and yes, tears, has taken over the dining room table in readiness for packaging and posting.

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For the many who supported Michael through the crowdfunding campaign, your goodies will be on their way very soon. There is an extra bonus of a box of Wild Island Tastes “Shipwrecked” chocolate bark to enjoy while you read your book or listen to your CD. The pen has been busy thanking you all individually,

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we wish you could all be here for the launch. Michael will be supported by the talented guest musicians who appear on the CD and, along with the M.P. MC and readings from the novel, it will be a very special afternoon. The novel and CD will be available at selected retail outlets and online at amazon.com and tigerdreaming.com.au.

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If you can make it to Burnie Regional Art Gallery 1pm Sunday 12^th February, we’d love to see you there.

rampant rhubarb

Posted on January 27, 2017 by kathy

The warm, wet summer we have had so far has sent the rhubarb rabid.

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I have given it away by the kilo, along with the recipe for the very popular rhubarb champagne and still am inundated. Fortunately, I have another fabulous recipe in my armoury – rhubarb & ginger jam. I thought I would share it in case you are in the same predicament. You will need 1.5kg trimmed rhubarb

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chopped into small pieces.

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Mix it in a bowl with 125ml lemon juice and 1.5kg sugar,

cover and leave it overnight.

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Next day, transfer the mixture to a large pan

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and finely chop a 4cm piece of fresh ginger.

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Place the ginger into a muslin bag tied securely with string and add it to the pan.

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Stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved.

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Bring to the boil and boil rapidly 20-30 minutes, stirring often. Remove any scum during cooking. When the mixture has thickened, test for setting point,

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put the muslin bag in the compost bin and spoon the jam into sterilized jars.

I am grateful for my husband’s penchant for Rose’s Marmalade, the jars are perfect.

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It’s not the most enticing colour but the flavor of this jam is awesome.

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Bayviews

Posted on January 13, 2017 by kathy

We don’t usually do anything special to celebrate our wedding anniversary, but last Wednesday we broke from tradition and dined at our favourite restaurant. We were surprised to see a new addition on the way from the car park, a very impressive sand sculpture.

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Bayviews Restaurant is so named for obvious reasons.

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Every seat in the house has a wonderful vista of Bass Strait, beautiful in any weather.

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We opened proceedings with a glass of exquisite Josef Chromy Pinot Gris

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and were soon presented with a tasty pre-dinner morsel of beef fillet with carrot and cumin purée.

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Dogs are prohibited on Burnie’s West Beach but we were entertained by an ambitious young fellow walking a rather uncooperative shopping trolley.

The palate cleanser of Pink Grapefruit sorbet was dispatched too quickly to photograph, you’ll just have to imagine it.

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The main event was superb. I had slow cooked lamb shoulder on butternut pumpkin gnocchi, mushrooms, shallots with a salad of baby cress, toasted walnut, sheep’s fetta and 8 year old balsamic vinegar.

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Michael chose from the specials board, pan fried Tasmanian scallops with housemade fettucine tossed through lemon beurre blanc sauce with cherry tomatoes and fresh dill.

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A glass of d’Arenberg The High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon complemented the flavours perfectly.

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It was very relaxing watching the gulls mingling on the shore below and their indifference to the appearance of a pied oystercatcher.

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For dessert, Michael once again chose from the specials, lemon curd tart with crisp meringue, local currants, raspberry coulis and honey & vanilla bean ice cream.

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I couldn’t decide what to have, so I had them all!

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The dessert tasting platter had smaller versions of Snickers semifreddo, chocolate mousse, caramel sauce, almond crumble, peanut praline & dark chocolate;

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salted caramel tart layered with caramel sauce, banana chip praline, fresh banana & chantilly cream served with salted caramel ice cream;

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basil crème brulee, Tamar Valley yoghurt, sable biscuit, fresh berries, passionfruit & lemongrass sorbet.

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A big thank you to my husband for gallantly assisting with the devoration of my dessert. Sunset is past our bedtime these days but the shadows were lengthening as we made our way home.

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I think we may have just created a new anniversary tradition.

Emu Valley

Posted on January 10, 2017 by kathy

I am ashamed to say, I have lived near Burnie for nearly eight years and knew of the existence of the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden but only recently had the pleasure of spending a peaceful afternoon there. The 11ha site is a natural amphitheatre, sloping down to a large basin fed by natural springs that form a series of lakes.

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The scrub and blackberry infested hillside has been transformed over the past 35 years, mostly by volunteers, and is now classified as a plant museum. There are over 22,000 plants to admire