too many tomatoes?

Posted on April 24, 2016 by kathy

This is for all of you who planted tomatoes in summer, nurturing the young plants, giving plenty of water through the warmest, driest summer on record. The excitement when the first ones ripened.

The first batch of tomato sauce, tomato soup, the second batch, then the third as the little darlings turned red before your very eyes. Gathering momentum as the weeks pass, you give them to friends by the kilo until this point where you just wish they would stop! And so do your friends.

3.tomatoes

I want to share a very special find with you. A recipe for the most sensational jam – yes, tomato jam. You can’t go wrong with a Sally Wise recipe and here it is:

1kg (2lb) tomatoes

1.5kg (3lb) sugar

juice of one and a half lemons

Chop the tomatoes, I left the skins on and they ‘candied’ in the mixture. Add the lemon juice and bring to the boil. Add the sugar and stir till dissolved. Boil fast till setting point is reached (I use jam making sugar to speed things up).

4.jam

This recipe made six jars and it is delicious.

The tomatoes are still coming so I guess I’ll be adding to my already ample stash of Pomarola and Roasted Tomato Soup in the freezer.

the wild west

Posted on April 22, 2016 by kathy

The small settlement of Arthur River on Tasmania’s west coast is home to less than 50 permanent residents.

1.looking back

Named after the only Tasmanian river that is completely wild – never logged, never dammed – the mouth of which empties into the mighty Southern Ocean.

2.river meets ocean

The winds of the Roaring Forties combine with fierce ocean currents and travel from Argentina, 15,000km away, across the longest uninterrupted expanse of ocean in the world. I tried to capture the power of the waves breaking over this solitary rock. I didn’t succeed.

3.rock1 4.rock2 5.rock3

The washing machine effect of the waves, combined with the river flow, carry five hundred year old forest giants of Tasmanian Oak, Blackwood, Myrtle and Sassafras and heave them ashore as if they were twigs.

6.flotsam1 7.flotsam2

Just south of Arthur River is Gardiner Point…..The Edge of the World….

8.the edge

Written by Brian Inder, a Tasmanian tourism pioneer, he describes exactly how it feels to stand on the rugged coastline with nothing but ocean beyond.

9.shoreline1 10.shoreline2 11.shoreline3

bedazzling bridge

Posted on April 20, 2016 by kathy

Crossing the Serchio River near the town of Borgo a Mozzano is the stunning Ponte del Diavolo, Bridge of the Devil.

1.bridge

Commissioned by Countess Matilda of Tuscany and completed around 1100, it became an important medieval pilgrimage route to Rome from France.

2.bridge

Legend has it that the stone mason was struggling to complete the bridge on time and so, asked the Devil for help. The Devil accepted, with the payment being the soul of the first to cross the bridge. Long story short, a pig was sent across first. The Devil was so angry, he threw himself into the river and disappeared.

3.from other side

On a gloomy day it’s easy to imagine the Devil lurking in the murky depths.

4.downstream

In 1500, the bridge became known as Ponte della Maddalena, from an oratory dedicated to Mary Magdalene, whose statue stood at the foot of the bridge on the eastern bank.

6.bridge

On a perfect spring day, the Devil is nowhere to be seen.

7.bridge 8.bridge up 9.downstream 10.upstream 11.bridge down 12.bridge

Bath & Bulford

Posted on April 15, 2016 by kathy

While staying in Wiltshire, we crossed the border into Somerset for a day trip to Bath.

1.Bath

Known for it magnificent 18th century Georgian architecture

2.Bath

5.Bath

and natural hot springs, we headed for a tour of the original Roman Baths. Our attention was diverted to a gathering crowd and we joined them to find two g-string clad gents who proceeded to entertain with an array of cunning stunts for the next half hour.

Some of the ladies enjoying a cuppa in the adjacent tea rooms had a bird’s eye view.

The grand finale of synchronised hand stands with sparklers in their bottoms was spectacular.

It was well worth the £5 we donated at the end. We never did see the Roman Baths! We strolled along the river

18.Bath 19.Bath

22.Bath 23.Bath 24.Bath 26.Bath

and made our way to Royal Crescent. The row of 30 terraced houses was built between 1767 & 1774 and is one of Bath’s most iconic landmarks.

27.Royal Cresc Bath

In need of a well earned lunch and a pint, we found The Curfew, a traditional British pub built in the 1820s.

We returned to our fabulous B&B in Bulford, The Dovecot.

30.Dovecot Bulford

The core of the house is the old 18th century dovecot for Bulford Manor.

Set on 6 very peaceful acres on the banks of the River Avon

38.Dovecot Bulford 37.Dovecot Bulford

even the outbuildings had charm.

We found a pub in a nearby village, Upper Woodford, for dinner.

41.The Bridge Upp Woodford

This is not quite what we expected when ordering fish cakes in a pub.

42.The Bridge Upp Woodford

The bottle of South Australian white completed the day perfectly.

Katherine Gorge

Posted on April 13, 2016 by kathy

The Katherine River has carved a deep gorge through ancient sandstone, beginning at Kakadu. The thirteen gorges and surrounding landscape have great ceremonial significance to the local Jawoyn people. Nitmiluk means “place of the cicada dreaming” in Jawoyn language.

1.Nitmiluk Gorge