Category: Food

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Nothing Dodgey about Dodges Ferry

Yesterday’s aqua aerobics ended with a yummy hot chocolate at the Cafe and a nice little tour of Dodges Ferry – a little spot along the bay where the Carlton River comes in. Ralph Dodge ran a ferry business there, starting with a row boat, when the town was first settled. Got people from that side of the bay to a spit of land connected more directly to Hobart. He also carried the mail on horseback for the surrounding area. Busy guy.

Something I wasn’t yesterday (and not the guy thing!).

Both Di and Chris will be going to France in about a month for a dye symposium. Di is presenting a program on using native Australian  plants for dyeing silk so she is busy getting some samples ready. Chris will be presenting something, too, but I think it is more in the poster format. He is heading up some meetings tonight, though, so is involved with getting that all organized.

So I found a lovely spot on the front deck facing the bay, pulled out the bilum that I need to finish before getting to PNG and kept company with the birds in the trees. Didn’t appreciate the mozzies that found me, but they didn’t stay around too long once we put the electric bug zapper on.

Locally caught shark in an orange sauce was our evening meal entree (thank you, Chris!) accompanied by mashed potatoes and steamed carrots/green beans. A bit of cantaloupe finished the meal – I skipped the brandy this time.

Rain during the night as well as off and on this morning. Still looks like it might do some more before the day is done.

The three of us walked along the beach this morning through the drips – very clean, white sand – then made a loop by going up the Dunalley creek and then back along the road to their house. More bilum work as well as some laundry (never done). Will be getting ready soon to go to dinner and a meeting.

Ed.: pics of the beach and home now online.

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Catch-up info

After the lovely evening last night, I had an intruder in the bedroom who very nastily bothered me awake in the wee hours of the morning. One mozzie (mosquito) was determined that I would provide all the necessary ‘juice’ to lay all her eggs. A number of lumps on the face prove she won.

Yesterday was a lovely day in the Southern Highlands of Tasmania, particularly Bothwell. We attended the Bothwell International Spin-in – going on more than 30 years and attracting folks from around the state. Sheep dog competitions, shearing demos, weaving and spinning demos, the longest thread competition via spinning as well as on the spot felting, some marbling and needle felting – all sorts of fiber displays. Very similar to wool festivals in the states.

They had artists from Russia via the US, India and New Zealand as well as participants from a number of different countries and AU states. A local string band performed some good old country songs that could also be considered Scottish ballads.

Di had coordinated her guild’s display so Chris and I pitched in to help take it down at the end of the day.

Bothwell is a lovely little place, hardly touched by time, marking the immigration of Scots to Tasmania. Even the street signs are on different plaids. When we visited the Visitors Center, which is also the Golf Museum (oldest golf course in Australia), the guy at the desk was excited as he needed just one more person to walk in the door to have his first 100 visitor day.

We poked around in the town a bit before stopping at the local whiskey distillery – a really lovely spot of property and set of buildings – will have pics to post later. We didn’t imbibe, but were impressed with their set up.

And this morning I tagged along to Di’s water aerobics – first time for me! I may need a nap later!

Ed.: pics from Bothwell and surrounds now online.

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Sunday, Sunday

Weeeellllllll……….. there is a whole lot to tell you about, but………….. we just finished a lovely chicken stir fry dinner sharing a bottle of Puddleduck Reisling between the three of us and then topped the meal with fresh cut up cantaloupe drenched in brandy and enhanced with vanilla ice cream. It is after 10pm and the eyes are drooping. I don’t think I’ll write much now!

Talk with you tomorrow.

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Touchdown in Tasmania

First let me finish up on the last bit of Melbourne activity: The laundry got mostly dry and Tony was sure that the ‘dinner’ listed on my ticket for Tas would be on the order of a biscuit or cracker. So, we had a bit of pasta with pesto – fresh, homemade pesto that was lovely.

Anne dropped me off at the airport, e-ticket technology worked great and I got all officially ticketed with a seat and gate and all – to find out that the flight was listed as being 10 minutes late. No biggee.

We eventually boarded 10 minutes later than we were supposed to have taken off – Melbourne was down to one runway on a busy Friday night so all the planes coming in had to wait as well as all the planes going out.  Wound up being almost an hour late for arrival into Hobart.

The flight is a quick 55 minutes and the stewards really scurried to deliver and clean up our dinner: white bread sandwiches with some sort of pressed beef slices, processed cheese, lettuce and ‘onion jam’. Now, I don’t know about you, but I thought it meant onion slices and jam and just couldn’t wrap my mind around what sort of jam would be used on a beef sandwich. It turned out to be a sort of thick gravy with cooked onion bits in it. Try anything at least once….  Cute little flat bottles of water, though!

My Tas hosts, Di and Chris, were waiting and scooped me up and off to their home in Dunnalley. A rainy evening, chilly – but snuggled under a doona and wool blanket and I slept the whole night.

Started off this morning with a chat with my love and some friends in Cinti – just love the internet!

After a filling breakfast of oatmeal topped with stewed red plums we headed off to the Saturday market along the waterfront in Hobart – Salamanca (named after a battle that Nelson or somebody fought and won – we think!) An older part of the city where they’ve kept a lot of the old buildings – quite lovely.

Tried Tom’s trick of keeping the camera on, holding it down out of normal sight and taking pictures from that low level – haven’t looked at them yet but I expect at least one or two good ones from the market crowd.

A stroll around the harbor area – including lunch at the Art Museum – then a bit of business that Di had in town, then a bit or sightseeing from Lindisfarne on the east side of the Derwent River.  And THEN, since it was advertised and on the way home, we stopped at Puddleduck Vineryards and Winery for a taste testing – passed up a number of other vineyards in favor of Puddleduck – they don’t sell anywhere else but their own place. Have to support the locals, you know.

We all agreed that the Reisling was the best after checking out all the testing wines on the list – starting with the Bubbleduck.

On to home, winding through the countryside. Now, waiting for the steak to grill and the veggies to steam while enjoying another glass of wine and some cheese, crackers and hummus. Very mellow right now!

Looking forward to another fine day tomorrow.

Ed.: pics of countryside and Hobart harbor area now online.

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Laundry Day

In Melbourne on an overcast, breezy day doing laundry. I kept up pretty good in Halls Gap with hand washing of small items, but just about the whole lot of clothing needs a good cleaning.

While it is washing and drying, I’ll catch up on some bits and pieces.

The class space I was in during Grampians Texture was the Whale Room in the Brambuk Cultural Center – did I mention that already? There was definitely the spirit of the whale present.

Our morning tea and lunch was prepared by the Cafe chef – hot out of the oven scones and damper (sort of like fluffy biscuits) with wattle seeds and jams and lovely mounds of whipped cream,  sandwiches with a number of meats and veggies on them, fruit salad.

The generous staff at Brambuk kept our room warm when it got chilled and entertained all sorts of questions about tools and room usage and cultural stuff. I was also gifted with the last copy from two earlier exhibits with lots of great info.

Ended my Halls Gap duties with a rich ice cream cone:  Stairway to Heaven, white Belgium ice cream w chocolate chips and swirls of caramel.

Was treated to a thick slice of salmon steak and wedges and fresh garden salad when I arrived late in Melbourne last night.

The hosts here have a really cool stove – called an Aga – which stays lit all the time and is useful for making toast, frying, baking, etc. without much fuss or time involved. Slick.

Our exhibit table at the end of the workshop was by far the most exciting – my students were absolutely the best! Would come back in a heartbeat.

Sorting through all my various bits of luggage, trying to consolidate for the trip to  Tasmania this evening. Very fortunately, Anne has offered to bring along anything I need for the basket Gathering as well as take things to Orange later in April so I don’t have to lug things around.  Yipee!

I left some little stuff at Halls Gap, but don’t think it is too important. Another excuse to go to the op shops!

Jane – it isn’t pants, but I did mud up an op shop shirt that I just rinsed out. Will wear it to the Gathering.

Since the second day on  this trip I’ve been mouse-less. My mini mouse for the computer died on me – sure it is just needing a new battery – so I’ve been just doing the keypad thing. Getting better at it as I go along.

Okay – got to get back to laundry.  Tasmania tonight!