Laugh More Live Longer



 Laugh More- Live Longer  so says  the Campervan and Motorhome Club, of which we have just become members. An apt slogan to adopt on the eve of 2011 as thousands of wrinkly wanderers like ourselves laugh their way around  Aussie on The Big Lap.  Well who wouldn't be laughing with the promise of  pristine beaches, towering canyons,spectacular waterfalls and  all that outback topped with a really big sky.Who doesn't want to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, be dwarfed by Uluru or ride a camel along Cable beach at sunset...........we are going to have to live longer so we can enjoy it all!
This is my last blog of 2010 and what a  year it has been. Marrying my soul mate, Tommy, on the cliffs at Schoenies in Port Elizabeth,after a memorable Christmas spent with friends and family . Honeymooning at Coral Bay in Western Australia and swimming with Manta Rays. Another honeymoon in Kenya  at Watamu with my precious sister Kathy and family. Starting the Soul Food Kitchen back in South Africa, a school reunion and connecting with  friends 40 years on, but most of all a year of decisions, decisions, decisions.
One of the biggest to move back to Oz,  sell  our permanent homes and to embrace a new nomadic lifestyle.The most important thing I have learnt this year is that my vision for my life is only limited by my lack of imagination. I must stop imagining of what I think is possible but rather what I want to be possible. Life is infinitely larger and more glorious than we can ever imagine and the possibilities are endless.If I could make one resolution for the New year it would be to be fully present in any given moment, to savour  and find enchantment in the simple. Wordsworth said it well...........     

 And I have felt, 

A presence that disturbs me with the joy

Of elevated  thoughts; a sense sublime

Of something far more deeply interfused,

Whose dwelling is the light of setting suns

And the round ocean and the living air,

And the blue sky, and in the mind of man:

A motion and a spirit, that impels

All thinking things, all objects of all thought,

And rolls through all things.

 We are loving this cool, calm forest at Quininup and will stay here a while longer. We go for long walks along paths that follow what used to be the old railway line. The bird life is amazing. We are fast becoming "twitchers" and now know where to find the Kookaburra and beautifully coloured Western Rosella Parrot . Yesterday we had a wonderful experience as we walked past a huge clump of bramble . Out of the corner of our eye we saw a flash of iridescent cobalt blue and came upon a flock of Fairy Wrens ,tiny birds of the most exquisite colour. As the setting sun caught their plumage they flitted through the bush like sapphires.Is this the fabled bluebird of happiness I wonder? It works for me!

To you who have followed me so far on my travels I wish you love, joy, the gift of friendship, good food, great wine,and a fresh adventure for every day of 2011,and remember" Life can only be understood backwards; but it has to be lived forwards"Soren Kirkegaard.

Catch yer later................................



Soul Food Kitchen

Cardamom  Ice Cream

This must be one of the most requested recipes from the Soul Food Kitchen. Its magic after a curry but great any time of the day or night whenever the craving for ice cream beckons!

I tin of Ideal Milk
1 tin  of full cream condensed milk
250 ml tub of thick cream
10 green cardamom pods.

Bring ideal milk to the boil with the green cardamom pods. Remove from heat and cool, (overnight is good to infuse the flavour of the cardamom but not essential.) Strain. Whip cream and fold in cool ideal milk and condensed milk. Put into ice cream maker or freeze in a container in  your fridge. Take it out 10 mins before you want to serve it so it can soften slightly. Delicious served with a fresh mango coulis.
Warning this can become addictive, do not eat whilst operating machinery or driving, causes extreme feelings of well being and subsequent lassitude.

Christmas in Oz

The first stop in our round Aussie adventure is  Quininup,  a peaceful park in the middle of  beautiful forests of tall Jarrah,Marri and Karri trees on the banks of Lake Karri. This is the heart of the Western Australia's timber industry, in its heyday supplying the world with jarrah, an exceptional hard wood, for ship's masts, mining supports and  pavers.

It is also  filled with "ups". Manjimup, Nanup, Jerramunup ,Beedelup, Dingup, Wigarup to name a few.   Sounds like someone had a severe case of hiccups when naming this area!  As I write this the "28's" (Western ring necked parrots) are taking turns sliding down the awning of the van hoping for some seed, the magpies are serenading me for some bacon rind and Sweetpea the tame roo is waiting for her weetbix.

This is my first Christmas in Oz but some things never change.  Its animals, not people I'm feeding this Christmas!

We left Perth a week ago after filling a 40ft container with twenty years of the accumulated belongings of two houses, and bidding an apprehensive farewell to our comfort zones.The van was groaning by the time we had filled it with enough food and drink to last us a few weeks and everything else we thought we would need on the road . Photos of our kids, favorite coffee mugs, books, music, pictures, linen, clothing, computers, printers, fans, patio sets, fishing tackle, craft projects, and  of course "must have" kitchen equipment.
After numerous attempts at trying to pack everything in we finally had to admit defeat and cull everything that was not VITAL (aka everything)  and take another trip down to the storage depot.  The staff watched nervously as we hammered the doors closed for the umpteenth time and breathed a collective sigh of relief when we left. 

We repacked again......this meant everything as before but packed tighter. The shower stall  proved to be an excellent storage compartment . Who needs to shower inside anyway when you have a hosepipe outside.

 It is taking time to come to terms with the enormity of our change of lifestyle. Time is rapidly losing its meaning as one day merges into another and we have no fixed timetable or agenda. We are "being" not "doing" and after a lifetime of the protestant work ethic the guilt in having so much fun does tend to have a nasty way of sneaking up.........but its not putting up too much of a fight!

The difficulty is to remain focused as there are so many exciting things to do and see and I would rather be outside than sitting at the computer writing. We have made friends with a lovely couple of nomads. Neville and Carol gave us such a warm welcome when we arrived we felt we had known them forever. They have been on the road for three years and haven't looked back once. We have learnt so much from them already and their enthusiasm is contagious. Most afternoons we get together for "Happy Hour" a misnomer as after a few coldies and some good stories time ceases to matter..........it makes a difference when the journey home is so easy........turn around and there you are......just don't trip over the roo.

We get up to the magpies warbling outside, some of them are incredible mimics , one barks like a dog and wolf whistles. Their young cry like babies and make a helluva racket if you don't feed them .They are so tame and all line up in the morning for their breakfast Some of the roos have been hand reared and Sweetpea my favorite with her baby "joey" is a regular visitor. The bird life here is incredible with large flocks of 28's, multi coloured parrots, and in the evening Kookaburras though we cant see them laugh manically in the trees. Tommy has got the "Marron" bug and puts his nets out in the evening in a local dam. These are black fresh water crayfish with a sweet succulent flesh and we had a feast the other night with our neighbours. Done to a beautiful red turn with garlic butter on the barbie. Delicious

The Twelve Days of Aussie Christmas

On the twelth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
12 firefighters grilling
11 snags a-sizzling
10 Magpies warbling
  9 Roos a-jumping
  8 Marron in a trap
  7 Koalas climbing
 6 Crownies chilling
  5 Opals black
  4 pink Galahs
  3 cricket stumps
  2 Cockatoos
 And Oprah with a Kookuburra in a gum tree

A Blessed and Peaceful Christmas to you all.
May 2011 be filled with everything you wish for and more

Soul Food Kitchen

When you are on the road you often crave something sweet........my friend Carol has the perfect recipe!

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 Tablespoons Self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons chocolate chips
A small spash of vanilla
4 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons oil
1 large coffee mug


Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. add the egg and mix throughly. pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add chocolate chips and vanilla, mix again.
put mug in microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug but don't be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little and tip onto a plate if you are being posh.
EAT!!! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous)
And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?
Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

ENJOY!

                                                   

The kangeroo's down sport.





Thank goodness for a little light relief with the posh couple's saga, they have helped to distract us from more pressing and sad events down under. The jacaranda are in full bloom here and our street is bathed in lilac light,even soaring temperatures in the high 30's have been diffused by the carpet of blue. It is an appropriate colour. The country is blue and filled with a spirit of  mourning. As I write news has just come through that there is no hope of survivors in the New Zealand  Pike River mining disaster. Another 3 blasts have destroyed any chance of finding any of the husbands, sons, brothers or  fathers .......the collective pain of the families is overwhelming as we watch their faces on the TV. Our hearts and prayers go out to them with Christmas  just around the corner..........may the peace of the Christ child be there to uphold them and fill them with hope for the future in spite of their loss.

The Spirit of Australia, our "Flying Big Roo" is grounded. Not even the arrival of John Travolta for Qantas's 90th Birthday bash helped to diminish the impact of this blot on an impeccable record of air safety of the national carrier. In the middle of mopping up the oil leaks we did have a respite with the annual Perth Telethon.This amazing television charity drive for just one worthy recipient, the Princess Margaret Hospital for children, has managed to raise over 9 million dollars in 24 hours. This brings  its total amount to 100 million raised over the last 43 years, quite mind blowing. Almost all donations from private individuals, one family pledging to match donations to the tune of  a million dollars,and Julia Gillard our PM (aka the government),did chip in a cool million as well. This is a very rich country and the Aussies love this sort of thing and really step up to the plate. One guy, I think Superman in disguise, spent 26 hours, yes, you heard right, 26 hours non stop on an elliptical trainer to raise 40 thousand dollars. I can hardly do 20 minutes on the damn thing,  Anyone need a quick weight loss? You will shed 9 kilos guaranteed! You wont be able to walk for a week but who cares you will look just as good sitting down.



Just relaxing mate............no worries.

In an attempt to understand more of the collective Aussie psyche I have immersed myself in Australian literature, and have discovered a wonderful living Australian author,Tim Winton, who writes lyrically of this part of the country and his books are a joy At times like this I long to share the experience with my girl friends in the Schoenies Skollies Book club.Try and get a copy of "Cloudstreet" girls, the definitive Australian novel, you won't be disappointed. Another compulsive  read, horrifying and humorous, at times touching and at others inspiring, but  thoroughly absorbing is The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes. This tome is a historical account of the birth of Australia which came out of the suffering and brutality of England's infamous convict transportation system. . Hughes states his intention: "To see the System from below, through convicts' testimony—in letters, depositions, petitions and memoirs—about their own experiences.”  As Hughes points out, “the post-colonial history of Australia utterly exploded the theory of genetic criminal inheritance.”
Whew well that's a relief!.........history lesson follows...........


In the latter half of the eighteenth century, Britain was changing dramatically. The population tripled between 1750 and 1850, and London's population doubled in the 20 years before Captain Cook landed at Botany Bay in what was to become Australia. It was a period of massive urbanisation, as the growth of the Enclosure system forced more and more people off the land.  Armies of rats roamed the streets of London. Occupational diseases and child labour (from as young as age six) were commonplace.  Gin, promoted by the gentry, was the escape (due to a surplus of corn there were no restrictions on its manufacture or sale).


Poverty, particularly in the cities, was extreme and crime was rife. England had many capital statutes (predominantly to protect property) and public hangings, which drew huge crowds, were the primary deterrent to crime. The proportion of capital convictions actually executed dropped from 69 percent in 1749 to 46 percent in 1788 (at the beginning of transportation). By 1808 it was down to 15 percent. However, there was an increasing shortage of jails. Transportation therefore answered a number of problems.


Initially the convicts were sent to the New World of America and the Caribbean, until the American Revolution. Britain then used old rotting ships (known as “hulks”), moored in the docks, as jails, believing that America could not hold out for long. The “hulks” quickly reached crisis levels. With an extra 1,000 convicts arriving per year, Britain needed a new area for transportation. Thus Australia was settled.


To understand what banishment to Australia meant, one must understand the geographical knowledge of the day. In the late eighteenth century, the world was largely unknown to Europeans. The interiors of most continents were still unexplored, and even North America had only pockets of population. Australia and Antarctica were terra incognito. Hughes points out that it could hardly have been worse if the convicts had been told they were going to the moon, “at least one could see the moon from England”.


The book tells of the enormity of the undertaking. The First Fleet, with Governor Arthur Phillip at the helm, consisted of 11 ships and nearly 1,500 passengers, of whom 736 were convicts. Some of the convicts had already been on the ships four months before the fleet set sail. It then took another eight and a half months to reach Botany Bay. Some of the convicts had died whilst still in England and about 3 percent died en route. The Second Fleet (the worst of all) lost 41 percent of the 1,006 convicts who sailed. Following reforms suggested by William Redfern (a popular surgeon of the colony and himself an ex-convict) the death rate would drop from 1:31 to 1:122.


Having decided that Botany Bay was unsuitable, the fleet established the first settlement to the north, at Port Phillip (Sydney) in January of 1788. With no skilled labour, few tools and thin soil, it was a struggle to survive the first years. The soldiers received the same rations and punishment as the convicts, which caused severe resentment. It was over two years before a relief ship arrived (with meagre supplies) .


Fully 80 percent of convicts were transported for crimes against property, compared to only 3 percent for “crimes against the person”. A further 1.5 percent were deported for “political” crimes (treason, conspiracy to riot, trade union membership, etc). There were examples of most of the working class movements of the period—Luddites, Swing rioters, Chartists. Almost 20 percent of Irish convicts could be called social or political rebels. The System treated them particularly badly “for fear of mutiny”.


The book also deals with the particular fate of women under the System. Some 24,000 women were transported, about 1 in 7 deportees. The System considered almost all of them to be prostitutes (though this was never a transportable offence). In fact, just about any woman who was not in a Protestant marriage was considered a whore. Though never policy, the practice was to send women of marriageable age, and marriage was certainly encouraged. Soldiers and officials would invariably have first pick. Since this might mean the end of their sentence or at least a reduction, most women agreed to it.


The  harshest of conditions were inflicted on the convicts. These are remembered by popular history, although incorrectly, as being most representative of the System. Only a minority of convicts were ever held in the secondary detention centres, “but they were absolutely integral to the System: they provided a standard of terror by which good behaviour ... would be enforced.” The authorities needed secondary detention centres for those who committed offences whilst in Australia (“the Botany Bay of Botany Bay”). Initially they used Norfolk Island, which is some 1,000 miles east of Australia. Port Arthur and Macquarie Harbour, both of which are in Van Diemens Land, (Tasmania) followed later. Port Arthur is the site of the infamous "Model" Prison system which preferred to break the convicts spirit by mental rather than physical punishment. Prisoners here were kept in total isolation, no contact with other prisoners,they were masked when they went out of their cells to chapel on a Sunday. and even their foot ware was covered so that their steps made no sound..The worse offenders were deprived of light and touch in strict solitude and some went mad. A lunatic asylum was built nearby to house them. Boys as young as nine were sent here to a special boys prison, many of them threw themselves off Point Peur, suicide was preferable to living in a place "worse than death"


 By the late 1820s and early 1830s there were moves toward abolition. There were three main reasons for this—growing opposition from English reformers, the development of an alternative penitentiary system and also opposition from within Australia as it became a more established and respectable colony. By 1840 transportation to New South Wales had ceased. The general tendency then, particularly from the “well-to-do”, was to collectively forget about or bury the convict past.


Following the end of transportation to New South Wales, convicts were still sent to Van Diemens Land and Norfolk Island for another 13 years. Opposition to transportation continued to grow, but it was the gold rush of 1851 that sounded its death knell.

(Note: parts of the above description were taken from a review by Brian Smith, 1999.)

On a lighter note, Tommys house in Perth is sold, and all will be finalized in the middle of Jan 2011. We will then be officially "grey nomads" and have the green light to start our "groot trek". We are excited busy planning our route and will start in the new year  by heading for Adelaide across the bottom end of  Australia ...............across the Nullabor Desert.

The Bead Wagon rolls! We have started selling our beads at various Craft markets at the weekends and its great fun and proving to be a lucrative sideline. Now we can advertise as we travel!

Hambagash'li

Insimbi Queen of the Outback

Soul Food Kitchen

I am feeling nostalgic and missing my daughter.This was a recipe we baked together when she was a tiny tot, and most of the mixture was eaten before it got to be baked! She has since then turned into a "Baking Goddess" so continuing a generational blessing, and makes delicious and delectable goodies which are irresistible to taste buds! So in your honour Ems..................this is where it all started!

Grannies Rock Cakes (you can tell this is an "old " recipe no metric here!)

8 oz SR flour
4 oz Butter or marg
4 oz Caster Sugar
4 oz dried fruit
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 large egg beaten
A little milk


Sift flour and rub in butter till it looks like breadcrumbs.Add sugar and fruit and mixed spice.Mix in beaten egg and a little milk if the mixture is too dry. It should be a fairly stiff mixture. Put dollops of  mixture on a greased baking sheet ,sprinkle with a little extra sugar and cook in moderate oven 180. for 20-25 mins. Great for picnics and to munch on the road.  Easypeasy!



  

Home is Where the Heart is

A month since my last blog, a hectic time , no time to sit and write. A quick trip across the big pond back to P.E. to sort out business affairs and to hand over the keys of "Chocolat" to her new family ,the lovely Butlers. It was strange to walk into the empty house so full of memories but devoid of my essence, definitely no longer home in the truest sense. My heart is no longer in Africa, I felt it keenly when I landed at Perth and realized that my home is where my heart is, here with Tommy in Oz and where ever we find ourselves on our "groot trek".

 It was good though to catch up with friends I didn't have a chance to say goodbye too the first time. I spent a happy evening with the talented and inspiring Nina learning how to make an "affirmation mirror " Had a last walk on the beach with dear Toni and Nicolette,who showered me with love. A wonderful girlie lunch date with  Anita and Fundi to  Eat,Pray,Love which we very nearly didn't get to see .The projectionist had locked himself out of his room 20 minutes before the show. The management at Walmer Park eventually  had to call in a demolition expert to break down the door. He proceeded to try and drill out the lock which made for even more confusion with various patrons offering conflicting advice. Then in desperation brute sense prevailed and he kicked the door in.......Eishh.........only in Africa. A wonderful Sunday lunch with Brenda and the Gang, gracious friends, great food  good wine, the best recipe for happiness.  My last night at Schoenies with  Denise who even though she was sick made us some delicious soup, and as I walked back to the Tonnins under a starry sky  I glanced back at Chocolat to see it all lit up and filled with happy laughter. A good memory to end a chapter of my life.   

The week after I arrived back our cargo was delivered. Those damn brown boxes, we counted them out and now we had to count them back in!    By the time we were finished moving them around and trying to get the furniture under cover we were exhausted. I have no idea what is in them and haven't missed the contents...........why do we have all this stuff.? One of the best things about being on the road will be that we cant take too much with us .  Enforced minimalism, could take a bit of getting used too but liberating at best. We also  started sorting out the Intsimbi Beads  into colourways  and have a collection of fishing tackle boxes filled with different designs, one step closer to becoming itinerant hawkers, this will hopefully be our petrol money on the road.   Tom is busy getting signage  made up for the van  so can advertised as we travel.

Then came the call........the van was ready! It was off down south to Albany again and an overnight stay in a little town called Denmark, nothing fishy going on here, just the best croissants I have ever tasted from the local bakery which is famous for its cakes. As we drove into the forecourt of Cameron Caravans there she stood ,the little bewdy,our Ultima. A sight to brighten sore eyes. Once inside we had great fun discovering her hidden treasures. The cutest kitchen with all mod cons, the washing machine even has a steam cycle called "Refresh" Ten minutes in this baby and you can kiss your iron goodbye! A flat screen TV which pops up out of the desk at the touch of a button, another button to slide out the awning, and yet another button to slide out the side of the van for extra room. I was so overwhelmed all I wanted to do was slide into the queen size bed and test out the eco friendly mattress made from recycled soft drink bottles,not joking, maybe they are those famous ones that go ............ssshhhhh open happiness. Could make for some interesting bedtimes?.This is the ultimate "Green" caravan and we have gained major brownie points for lowering our carbon footprint , Tom says we are fast becoming what he calls "mung beans" grey nomadic hippies......................I like that!.

We had an eventful trip back ,our first time towing the van,  all went well until we tried to reverse it and the nose hit the rear windscreen  with an almighty crack.......the air was so blue even the blackboys blushed.  I learnt a few new Aussie sayings during the ride home as Tommy berated himself "made a bad blue there,reckon I haven't enough brains to give myself a headache" I'm that unlucky if it rained soup, everyone else would have a spoon and I would have a fork" "Strewth can you believe I can carry on like a pork chop"  We eventually got home and reversed it perfectly into the front drive with help from Craig ...........home sweet home.  At every opportunity I sneak back in to play house and am having fun filling the cupboards and putting out our few treasures to make it feel like our place.

I'm so happy I'm as mad as a cut snake...........a little crazy!

SOUL FOOD KITCHEN

Best Spare Ribs by Julie Goodwin

 This is one of the nicest spare rib recipes I have found, needs a bit of cooking time so plan ahead and then break out a coldy  and relax.


Prep time: 15 minutes plus marinating time

Cooking time: 2 hours



4 kilos pork spare ribs

1 cup  hoi sin sauce

2/3 cup rice wine vinegar

½ cup honey

½ cup  soy sauce

6 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup grated fresh ginger

¼ cup vegetable or peanut oil



Cut the ribs into individual pieces.



Combine sauces, honey, garlic, ginger and ¼ cup water together in a large snap lock. Add the pork ribs and seal the bag well. Place it in a bowl in the fridge overnight. Turn the bag occasionally to make sure all the pork is marinated evenly.



Preheat oven 170° C/ 150° C (fan forced)



Remove the ribs from the marinade, and place onto large shallow baking trays. Reserve the marinade for later. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 ½ hours.



Meanwhile heat reserved marinade over medium high heat and boil until reduced to a syrupy consistency.



Remove the foil from the baking tray and brush the marinade generously over the ribs. Drizzle with oil. Return to the oven for a further half an hour, uncovered, until the marinade is dark and sticky.



Serve with rice and greens, or potato wedges and salad.



Cook’s note: For ribs with a bit of a kick, add 1/3 cup hot chilli sauce to the marinade.



NOT a dish for a dinner party! Make it for your mates and get stuck in!  You'll be messy but its worth it.

Delish!

Wheels Whales and Wildflowers





If "the earth laughs in flowers" then springtime in Perth is hilarious. The highway verges are covered with banks of Geraldton wax with its tiny pink and mauve sprays and Golden Wattle full of fluffy yellow pompoms. The undergrowth is thick with wild freesia and whilst they may lack colour they make up for it with their sweet fragrance, a scent so strong its intoxicating as you drive past. A few minutes from our home in Armadale and high in the hills of the Darling range is a gem of a botanical garden called Araluen, an aboriginal word which means "singing waters" or "place of lilies". Creeks running through a long valley have created a cool moist climate and it a place of great natural beauty with waterfalls and deep peaceful pools surrounded by scarlet rhododendrons, white camellias and lilac wisteria. The magnolias and tulips were in full bloom when we visited and the garden was a patchwork of vivid colours. A tranquil place to linger and recharge our batteries after a hectic couple of weeks spent searching for wheels and our new home.

I lost count of the number of car dealers we visited in pursuit of the perfect "Ute" (bakkie).It made our heads spin as Tommy agonised over torque, manual verses automatic, load bearing capacities, gross vehicle weight and other sundry details of Nissan Nevaras, Holden Colorado's, Mazda BT50"s, Ford Rodeos and Toyota Hilux. My idea of a great drive is more primitive and based on colour and comfort. I spent a lot of time sitting in the cab and fiddling with switches, checking the air con,vanity mirror,legroom and storage facilities whilst Tommy's head was stuck under the bonnet.. We found a great buy but with an unfortunate number plate.....1 DIE 4WA and decided that it was one vehicle we wouldn't be seen dead in............forgive the pun. In the end we settled for a "pre-loved" silver Nissan Navara 3 Lt Turbo Diesel with adequate torque (no that is not a french pastry) to pull our motorhome .It feels enormous compared to the little Ford Fiesta that I used to drive but I am getting use to surveying the countryside from my elevated status.Our next step was buying the right rig (motorhome). After a lot of research online we decided on a Fifth Wheeler and the nearest dealer was in Albany. We drove south through  neon yellow fields of canola and giant Karri forests to reach this small whaling town on the shores of the great Southern Ocean. In the calm waters of the King George Sound we saw eight Southern Right whales playing with their calves, a wonderful sight. This is a favorite habitat for them as its sheltered waters are ideal for young whales preparing to take the long journey south to the deep icy waters of the Southern ocean around Antarctica. From 1820 hundreds of whaling ships left from this harbour to hunt the Humpback and Southern Right  and it was the last whaling station in the southern hemisphere to close in 1978. The whaling factory is now a museum and the town is very sensitive about its whaling past preferring to dwell instead on its claim to fame as the first penal colony in Western Australia in 1826 some three years before the Swan River Colony later to be known as Perth. On a more poignant note it was the last sight of land for the Anzac soldiers leaving Australia in their troopships for the Ist World War in November 1914. Many of them went on to die at Gallipoli, never to return, but the fame and resourcefulness of the Aussie "diggers" is now the stuff of Anzac legends.




Ultima Fifth Wheeler

 The "Ultima", it was love at first sight.. It looked even better in the flesh then in cyberspace. This was a miniature home on wheels,the bedroom complete with a double bed and skylight overhead to watch the stars at night.A shower and separate loo and storage space for our clothes.The living area has a slideout section down one side with a beautiful cafe style sofa which turns into a double bed for guests (book your time share now) and a cute kitchen in the rear end with built in oven, microwave and gas hob, fridge freezer and washer/dryer. Loads of cupboards for foodstuffs and a desk area with a pop up TV for entertainment. As a little girl my childhood dream, never fulfilled, was to have a "wendy house". Now I have one and this one has wheels too! The enormity of what we are doing strikes me .This is now a reality, this is our home for the foreseeable future, life on the open road as a "Grey Nomad" beckons, well less of the grey actually......... with a little help from my friends at L'Oreal I shall ward off the "grey" for as long as possible ......".because I'm worth it. 

 On the journey back  we stopped at a roadhouse to pick up some snacks.  I found an interesting treat called "RoadKill"  apparently the "champagne of jerky" The "Bloody Hot Chili" took my fancy and lived up to its name. The gift shop was a treasure trove and I found just the right Christmas present for my good friend Julius.

 A pack of 5 Dinkum Aussie Disposable BullshitBags

Directions: 1 Open Bag before opening mouth

                 2 Tuck open Bag beneath chin

                 3 Start "talking" Let the BS Flow

                      4 When full, seal bag and dispose of.

WARNING Do not attempt to dispose of your BS through any government agency since they produce more bullshit than they can dispose of themselves. We suggest that you send it to the major networks in return for all they send out each day.

Let me know how many you would like sent..................no charge for postage, just a handling fee.

SOULFOODKITCHEN

Honey Fried Prawns with Sesame.

We had a dish of these at our local Chinese the other night, easy to make and very tasty.

Serves 4

12 large green prawns, peeled with tail intact.

I tablespoon sesame seeds

Peanut oil for frying

1 1/4 cups cornflower

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup chilled soda water

1/3 cup honey

Fried vermicelli noodles

Use a sharp knife and cut prawns along the back from top to tail. Remove vein. Place sesame seeds in a non stick frying pan and toast over high heat shaking the pan till seeds are golden. Transfer to plate. Heat oil over medium heat till hot.

Meanwhile place cornflower and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add egg and chilled soda water. Whisk with a fork until just combined. Dip prawns one at a time into batter and then drop carefully into hot oil. Deep fry 3 or 4 at a time for 3-5 minutes or until batter is crisp and golden brown. Do not overcook. Transfer to wire rack lined with kitchen paper to drain.

Heat honey over low heat till runny. Place fried noodles on serving plates and top with prawns. Drizzle over honey and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve.

To make fried noodles cut vermicelli in 5cm lengths and deep fry in hot oil until puffy. Drain on paper towel.

Makes a great starter.....yummy!

Catch yer later.......................................

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Well crammed into a metal canister for 11 hours and flying at the speed of 550 mph over 6,000 miles of ocean does eventually get you to OZ, but there is no sign of the yellow brick road. The wonderful Wiz was not there to meet me, but a stern Chinese immigration official stamped my "spouse visa" and told me I had not ticked the boxes correctly. You must tick inside the box! Not an auspicious start to my new identity as an Aussie. Fair go's mate, I expected a better welcome than that. At least a rousing chorus of Advance Australia Fair, even a few bars of Waltzing Matilda to greet my arrival, but they didn't seem too excited to see their new migrant. Even the blond hulk of a customs officer wasn't interested in my secret stash of chocs.

A week ago Chocolat's walls were reverberating to the sound of ripping tape as everything in the house was turned into brown paper parcels. Elliot's are Amazing, nothing escaped the brown scourge and if it didn't move it was wrapped. By the third day it resembled a post office with a serious sorting problem. And then it was all over. One red Studebaker 293 boxes and the collected memories of 20 years safely packed away in the container bound for Fremantle on the good ship Darwin and Tommy and I left standing there with a suitcase each of dreams.

Exhaustion overwhelmed us but we had a safe haven in the Italian quarter of Schonies where we were pampered and loved for our few last days by the Tonins. We took a meandering trip around the Karoo, visiting Tommy's old haunts and spent time at Graff Reinet and visited the Valley of Desolation. From the top of the Ouberg the Groot Karoo with its stark beauty stretches for miles in all directions. Spandaukop like a flat topped sentinel stand guard over the small Karoo dorp. In the days of the Boer War the commandos used it as a lookout and a refuge from the British. There was a secret route to the top but the climb must have been treacherous. The valley is enclosed with huge dolerite columns of stacked rock and its a dizzying drop to the bottom.

I had a small silver angel medallion in my pocket.It was given to me by my precious sister when I was going through a particularly dark time. One word, HOPE, was inscribed on the back. On a whim I threw it as far as I could into the chasm. Two courageous and wonderful people who are dear to me are battling cancer at the moment. Maybe a tiny piece of HOPE in the midst of desolation is what is needed to turn the tide in their favour. I pray so.

Now I am busy settling into the Aussie way of life which can be confusing at times. The attitude of officialdom is pedantic at best but there is a strange and rather endearing whimsical side. Here we have "pre-loved" cars not second hand, and go to a garden center and you can buy tiny seedlings called "fairies". it all comes tumbling down of course when you go back to the car park and find a car parked next to you with FIWAOFOM on its bumper. "Fit in with Australia or **** off mate!" Now that's more like the Aussies I know!

A visit to the local supermarket to buy groceries is mind boggling and time consuming. I spent an hour just looking at the choice of vegetables many of which I didn't even recognise. Dorian fruit ,like a large shaven hedgehog looked interesting. I am told it tastes heavenly like creamy sweet custard if you can get past the smell, which is like a combination of sour milk, old tackies and dog poo. In Malaysia where they grow you are not allowed to take them on trains they are so pungent.Reminds me of that tale in Jerome K Jerome's book Three men in a Boat when he repels people from his railway carriage with the smell of his strong cheese. Its hilarious and a book that deserves to be read at least once a year...I digress. I think I'll pass on Dorian fruit and save that experience for later.

Now the wine is another matter. The rule of thumb here is not to buy cheap, the cheaper the wine the more ridiculous the name. How about a drop of Dancing Chook, Rusty Ute or Kanga Rouge? No. Well here's a nice Chardonnay called Slippery Fish....one critic is quoted as saying " the best thing you can say about this wine ...is that's its wet".Mind you I have drunk some delicious wine from Margaret River called Greedy Sheep and Swooping Magpie, so its not all bad. I'll keep you posted when I'm sober.

I am awake most mornings at 3 a.m., jet lag lingers. By lunchtime I am ready for bed. In-between I have managed to make some delicious Kumquat preserve made from cute miniature oranges like drops of sunshine. The trees in Tommy's garden were laden with fruit so sweet I couldn't resist making a batch. This preserve is delicious on toast for breakfast but is also great with cheese and biscuits to round off a dinner party.


Kumquat preserve (Spread some sunshine on your toast)


Rinse the fruit well and soak overnight in cold water.
Drain and weigh the fruit, you can leave them whole or slice into little rings.
Put into a heavy based pot with the equal weight of water, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer till the fruit is soft, takes about +- 20 mins.
Add the same weight of sugar and bring to the boil again. Boil till setting point is reached . (Jam crinkles when dropped on a cold plate and pushed by your finger. Don't burn yourself!)
Pour into clean glass jars and seal with melted candle wax.
Keeps well.
Try it folded into bought ice cream and refreeze. As a filling for a sponge cake with cream, or even as a base for orange sauce with roasted duck.
Hm mm......now that's lip smacking.

Min Dae Schoenies

Sadness. Looking down the trail I realize again my time here is drawing to a close. The walk on the beach today was lonely without the dogs. I miss them so much. Leo and Robbie barking joyfully at the sight of the sea and trying to catch the gulls wheeling overhead. The sight of Boo and Coco racing across the sand towards us,the white flash on their foreheads and black button noses making them look like flying exclamation marks. Even fossicking for sea glass and the blue and white shards of pottery from the wreck of the Sacramento holds little joy today. Schoenies is a special place of space and light which resonates with peace. It has been so much a part of my life and I will carry it in my heart always wherever I go.
Charles Holing has painted a beautiful view for us from the bluff where Tommy and I got married, looking west towards what we have named "Blue Feather Bay". It will evoke so many happy memories for us whenever we look at it.
The house is chaos with piles of books and boxes scattered over the floors, pictures and paintings propped up against walls, carpets rolled and cupboard doors open disgorging their contents. All is mess. The packers come in next week and then the house will be empty and ready for the new family. It makes me glad to think that the walls will soon ring with the happy laughter of children and barking dogs again. This home Chocolat needs to be filled.
Our new adventure beckons and we will be "down under" in a few weeks time. I am now an official aussie" sheila" my visa for permenant residency came yesterday........shall have to put off the solar topee and don the hat with corks but even that will not deter those damn antipodean flies ......thank the Lord for Aeroguard!
There are so many recipes I could attach to this last letter from Schoenies, Tommy's Oxtail is a legend on its own, roast potatoes and Malva pudding from Sunday lunch at The Soul Food Kitchen. Home made fresh spinach and ricotta raveoli with sage butter from the Italian Evenings but perhaps it is best to go back to where it all started...........Cream Teas at the weekends with Susie's Scones. I have had too many requests for these to ignore.
Whenever I make these scones I will be transported back to happy times, friendly faces, and whale watching from the deck.
Good bye Schoenies " A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul" You have been to mine.


Susies Scones
Make a lot, you can never eat just one, especially when topped with whipped cream and strawberry jam!


8oz self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt.
2 oz butter
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Milk

Sift dry ingredients and rub in butter. Sprinkle in tablespoon caster sugar and add enough milk to make a soft dough. Roll out gently and not too thin, you want puffy scones! Cut and place on baking sheet. Sift over tops a little flour.Bake in a preheated oven 190C .for approx 12-15 mins. Best served fresh and warm but they also freeze well.
(Omit sugar and add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a some fresh chopped herbs, parsley, thyme and marjoram work well, and add 2 oz grated strong cheese to the mixture before rolling out for delicious savory scones.)
Enjoy!