French Tarragon

I finally managed to find some French tarragon. This fragrant herb is essential in many French recipes, which is what I'll be using it for.
Anyone have experience with tarragon?

Take 1lb treacle, 18 grains of opium ...

For anyone who may be suffering from a cough, here is a home remedy from my lovely old Victorian (handwritten) recipe book.





For a Cough:





1lb of treacle

18 grains of opium

2oz of juniper berries

2oz of Spanish Juice

1 quart of rain water





To be simmered down in an earthenware jar to 3 gills.





Take a dessert-spoonful on lying down in bed. (Something to do with the opium?)













A really yummy way to use:





Sheep Trotters





Take one gang of sheep's trotters, put 2oz of heartshorn shavings, one quart of milk and quart of water. Leave it in the oven to simmer all night, and when used add a little milk and sugar and lemon to your taste.





Mmn. Sounds tasty. Almost looks as though it could be two completely unrelated recipes mixed together, but that is how it appears in my lovely old recipe book.









Apologies for such a brief post - we have spent yet another delightful day visiting the aged aunt, and then for a bit of R&R we spent this afternoon filling in the trench which we so carefully created the other day.

Show Set-up

Made it to Greenfield with my photos. One casualty - one glass was cracked. Will have the replace that.
Met a couple of the folks with the Opera House. Visited with a local reporter from one of the local newspapers. Hope the show goes well.
Now, if the weather cooperates, I will ride when I get home. Would also be nice to ride the Raccoon Trail later this weekend when I had back toward Greenfield for the show opening.

Sunset Cruise

Didn't do much of anything most of the day. Visited in the breakfast area. Went out to take some photos on the beach. Then more visiting in the hospitality Room.
Some were talking about going to Brookgreen Gardens. I was all for that, but the plan seems to had never gelled.
I heard someone comment it was too hot to got out. About 2pm, i went to the room and took a nap.
Many of the group are planning to take the casino boat. That was a 5 hour cruise that would not get back to the hotel until after midnight. Way too late for me. Several of us took a 1 1/2 hour sunset cruise. That was wonderful cruise. Just long enough. When we got back, the sun had set and there was a little coloring in the sky. Tonight's photo was taken on that cruise.

Grit Needed

Is there beauty in this? Some people can find art even in ice, but I'm having a difficult time joining their ranks. When I opened the blinds yesterday and saw the bowed Loquat, it was like a fast punch to the midsection, and I felt myself spiraling down to a very bad place. Maybe living through decades of midwestern ice storms meant that this sight set off a kind of post-traumatic thing, or something like that. Whatever the reason, all I could feel was despair. To paraphrase Private Benjamin - this was not the Austin I'd signed up for. But today, looking at the blog posts by Pam/Digging and MSS/Zanthan has helped. They're not hiding inside, they're taking photos and even putting videos on YouTube, so I went outside, too. And soon I felt a spark of the scientific curiosity lurking in all gardeners. What will defrost and live? What will immediately rot? Will the oleander ever stand upright again? It will be especially interesting to see whether the native plants can take such a prolonged period of imprisonment in frozen rain.

Henry Mitchell said it well, "It is not nice to garden anywhere...There is no place, no garden, where these terrible things do not drive gardeners mad."

But he also said, "What is needed around here is more grit in gardeners."

My Austin friends have that grit - maybe I can summon up enough to go pour hot water in the bird bath and set out some sunflower seeds.

Does anyone out there actually enjoy this?

A little off-topic perhaps, although perhaps not, as it's the reason I've not had as much time on the bike as I would have liked this weekend. But seriously, if I hear one more thing about Christmas, I'm just about going to puke violently. It seems that everyone out there is happy to nag me for things, but it's just about impossible to get anyone to co-operate. Yes, I know this is an exaggeration, but right now it's just how I feel. I've been trying to get a bed moved from Brisbane to the Gold Coast all week, and all I'm getting from the so-called removalists in this area is short shrift. Even those who claim they can do it are asking ridiculous prices, or worse, making promises and not keeping them (I'm glad I didn't rely on that lot who promised to call me back).

Then there's all the other rubbish with regard to family get togethers. Now I have nothing against my family at all. However, is all the other rubbish really necessary? Is it really that important that I spend all afternoon tomorrow (after a near full day at work mind you) pushing through the last minute shopper crowds trying to find a heap of ingredients to some salad, most of which (the ingredients) will end up going to waste because they can't be purchased in the exact quantities required, and because they're unlikely to have any other use?

Then there are the hours of preparation in what will undoubtedly be oppressive heat (this is summer in Queensland after all), and the hours of cleaning up (ditto), which usually falls to whomever gets bored first and is still sufficiently coherent to do it (i.e. me). Forget about looking forward to the "holidays" -- I think I'd rather still be at work.

I'm planning to head for Hinze Dam tomorrow morning regardless, just for a bit of relief. A quick 4.15am ride out there isn't quite a rainforest-filled night at Austinville, but at least it might take my mind off things for a while. At least the sunset this evening was nice.

Rain is GOOD

It didn't actually rain today, but it was earlier in the week. Most of the rain feel at Springbrook in the Hinterland, which is the way it usually works. This morning I decided I had better things to do than waste time in suburbia, and decided to head for Springbrook. The perfect opportunity to see what rain creates.



It's not just waterfalls. This place seems to provide an oasis from the relentless heat of the coast. Cresting the hill near Wunburra Lookout and arriving on the escarpment was like walking into a refrigerator. The rainforest and wildflowers were everywhere, as were the mountain views. It's a constant source of astonishment that a place like this can be so different from some of the surrounding lowlands, and always good for a quick escape.