A random little post, completely themeless....

This was popped in our letterbox.
We hope Blondie was found.

Perfect location,  walking distance into  town.
Sweeping views of .... a shed !

Now does that look like a pixie? Or am I just away with them ;)

My new rubber boots.
At last we ladies with thick-calf issues are now catered for!

"nah, no fish cleaning today - she just wants our picture"

Not an advertisement.
Just to show Cherri what a milo is. 

It's a bit cool this morning,
so I'm off to have my porridge
Stay warm everyone,
and for overseas friends, stay cool.

Tofu ... Terrible or Tasty?

For many years we've tried to like tofu.
It's a good form of protein, high in calcium and low in cholesterol.
However, we just couldn't stand the blandness and texture of it.

We described it as Terrible.

Recently, we decided to have another go.

Firstly, with paper towels,  I pressed excess water out of a small section (we're starting small) of Firm Tofu (not silken).
Then, using the suggestions of a Supermarket Tofu Tester to "slice it thinly" I did so;  and then went a step further.  I cut the thin slices even smaller and marinaded them as I prepared the rest of the meal:

That's a teaspoon in the photo so you can see how
small the pieces are.

Marinade:

Approx 1 Tablespoon each of the following:

~ crushed garlic, 

~ crushed ginger, 

~ oyster sauce,
~ sweet chilli sauce, and

~ Ketjap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce)

~ Stir fry vegies in some oil, until nearly cooked.

(This is not a high heat stir fry - I like to just shuffle

them around at a low simmer).

~ Then add the marinaded tofu and stir through for a 

couple of minutes until everything is heated.

That's all the cooking the tofu needed and, by the time 

it was heated through, the marinade had mixed with

the vegies, imparting its flavour. No other sauces 

or flavourings were needed.

I'd prepared some "Wokka shelf fresh noodles" (cover
with boiling water for a couple of mins and strain)
separately and served them beside the stir fry.  

Since making that dish, I now throw in the noodles at the
same time as the marinaded tofu and they all heated
extremely well together. 

Our verdict .... Tasty... very Tasty - who'd have thought!.

The key (for us) is definitely in disguising the tofu by cutting it very thinly and small, and letting it soak up some flavour by way of a marinade ;-)

My next tofu venture is to try out Shaheen's Mushroom Tofu Loaf (she's also a believer in disguise !).

This post updated because I'd left sweet chilli out of the marinade!

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Some more goss to share
over on the sidebar!

Froggie's Bathtime

"[Was wondering when I'd get a
look-in on this blog again...]
I like it when it rains - fills the bath!"

For those folk who are new to this blog, here's a link to Froggie's other posts - enjoy!

Heavy breathing and Introducing "Over the fence" in my sidebar

Last Saturday .....

It's raining.  It's chilly, and my poor darling has a cold.
There's been a lot of heavy breathing in our home lately.

A break in the rain.
I take a quick trot down to the backyard to
pick some lemons from our kind neighbour's tree.
Just a quick photo.

On the way back....
oh, how pretty the
garden looks with the raindrops glistening.
Another quick snap.

Now that reminds me of this photo G took
some two years' ago

The rain seems to have stopped for the moment,
so I'll go get the tripod and take a comparo
photo of the same spot... just to show how the
garden has grown.

Oh dear, the whole purpose of the trip outside was to get some lemons .... [blush]

... and I  did tell my poor fellow I'd get him a warm
wheatbag as well, so into the microwave with the bag

a quick wash of the hands
[my germ phobias kick right in when there's
sickness in the house]

A nice hot lemon drink with
honey from our own bees.
A bit of Vicks in some hot water for soothing vapours,
and a dab of eucalyptus oil just under his nose.
That should help things improve!

Now for the chookies.... they're not all that thrilled with me coming down with their evening snacks.  They take their food,  but keep looking for him.... they enjoy their suppertime ritual with MD and I'm not doing things right - apparently ;-)

where is he??

.......................................................

Over the fence

Years ago, after seeing their menfolk off to work, the kiddies off to school and tidying up the household, housewives would meet over their back fences to exchange news.

I thought I'd set up my equivalent of a blog back fence in my sidebar. 


It's about sharing some great posts that I've seen in other blogs. There are millions tucked away in bloggers' archives and I really enjoy finding them. 
If you've already seen them - that's cool, if not, then I'm glad I mentioned them.

They’re in no particular order and will be ever-changing. 

Awards and Tags

Awards:
Am real new to the subject of blog awards and tags. I've procrastinated long enough,  so onwards and into it. 

My first knowledge of them was from Lavi on her blogspot Pawprints, ears and a tennis ball. 

She was given a "Kickass Commentor Award" which  was well deserved. Her blogs are a delight to visit and I admire her inventiveness.

She left an open invitation for her friends, followers and bystanders to feel free to take it with no obligations. In so doing, she listed each of her followers, of which I was included, along with some kind comments for each of us, as well as links to each of our blogs. It's for that reason, I include her award in this post.  Thanks Lavi :D)

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Buttons of Buttons Thoughts was given the "Stylish Blogger Award", which is most apt.  Buttons writes with a style truly her own and creates inspiration in many others (myself included) on a daily basis. 

Along with others, this award was sent my way with a generous  mention of my blog. 

Attached to this award is a requirement to spill the beans on 7 things you may not know about me, and then to pass it on to other bloggers, so here goes:

1. I hold the firm belief that women do not snore. 

2. I am a pillow dribbler (euwwww... too much information?  just playing the game ;-) )

3. After seeing a recent programme on cruelty in abbattoirs, I reached my tipping point and am  now, for all intents and purposes, a 6 day vegetarian  (more on that in a future post).

4. I use terrible swear words (in my thoughts), sometimes, when things go wrong.

5. I'm incapable of having biscuits in the house for more than a day. If they're there, I eat them.

6. I am frugal only to a point. I threw out a pair of sneakers yesterday,  that were barely a year old, because they were covered in dog 'business'... couldn't stomach the thought of cleaning them.

7. When it's my turn to make the bed, I give my side a head start with the doona!


oh, and, because I can,  I'd like to add an 8th.  I feel really awkward with these kind of things, especially the part where I have to single out other bloggers for Awards.  I love having each and every one of my blogfriends.  Please keep an eye on my sidebar though, as I proudly display ALL the blogs I love to visit and with whom I exchange comments. 

So, to keep the banner moving, I'm now passing the award on to :

Vicki (and Alan) of Eucalypt Habitat for their love, and outstanding photographs, of everything Australian.
Susan of My Texas Gardens for all the different little gardening hints Susan weaves throughout her joyful posts.
Cathy of Cathy@ Home for her love of family and gardening and the warm way she presents these.
Desiree of Driftwood Ramblings  for her descriptive and heartwarming narration throughout her inspiring posts.

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Debbie of It's All About Purple was given "The Versatile Blogger Award" ... versatility is Debbie's middle name. One of her recent exploits have included hanging out in a balloon way up there and she was afraid of heights! Cool!

Anyway, Debbie has passed the award on to 4 others one of which was to my blog with some very kind comments.

Ok, between the above 7 things and the below answers to questions - that's about all I can think of to reveal about myself, so I shall pass on this Award to 5 very versatile and entertaining bloggers:

To BumbleVee of The "Bearister" Bookcase  for her many and varied talents in the way she brings her bears and dolls to life, and in the generous way she shares those skills with everyone.
To Deb of Ramblings of a Square Peg in a Round Hole  for her vitality and all the different ways she brings her views of life to her blog.
To Diane of Adventure Before Dementia for her wide ranging posts on absolutely everything!
To Hazel of Hazel Dene for her sense of the ridiculous - sidesplitting humour,  blended with a love of our land.
To Joan Elizabeth of Sweet Wayfaring who has given hours of total enjoyment with her travels throughout Australia, documented with all sorts of  beautiful photographs.

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Tagging:


Mary of My Life as a Writer has tagged me and, like her I'll join in the spirit of the thing;  play along with the game and answer 6 pre-selected answers.

If you could be any historical or current character who would you be?

Dame Nellie Melba.

Name an interesting fact about yourself.

I love to eat Clinkers at the same time as Spearmint Leaves 

If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

Forced removal of babies from unmarried mothers (I can't begin to imagine how it would feel to lose your child)

Which character traits annoy you?

Meanness, spite, lack of empathy, cruelty and speaking with a mouth full of food.

Name one thing that you would change in yourself? 

Nothing !  I am what I am. I'm happy in my own skin - warts and all. Those who love me wouldn't ask me to change, just as I wouldn't ask it of them. 

What do you consider your biggest achievement?

Our kids.

So now I have to tag some others:


Ali of Mud Pie for her wit and wisdom.
Robyn of Weight for Age Handicap for the tenacity she shows in her quest to better her health and plus the good sense tips she shares.
Ms Lottie of The Slightly Mad Quilt Lady for her fun on the farm and beautiful quilting.
Kat of Temperate Tendril for her sense of humour and love of gardening.

Winter Wednesday - Saving the Bronzewing Pigeon

Am joining in Hazel Dene's series about the Joys of Winter.  Once you've read my post, pop over to her place - it's fun :D) 

My joy of winter came about the other day.

It was too chilly to be outside, so I took photos through a window, and our resident  Bronzewing Pigeon was posing beautifully....

[As always, click images to enlarge]

... then, I saw this scenario unfold (one of the neighbourhood cats)

I quickly snapped the photo, then banged on the window, but the pigeon was frozen with fright.

Fortunately, MD made even more noise and pigeon flew off to safety.

If not for the chilly winter weather, we wouldn't have noticed.

On the road to Ensay - part two.

Continuing with our drive up The Great Alpine Road....

Another curiously named historic site:

This 1000 Pound Bend is so named after either the cost of repairs and insurance when two coaches collided, or the cost of constructing the road through hand-hewn rock at this troublesome spot.

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I'll return to some more curious historic sites further down the page. In the meantime, I'd like to briefly chat about  Wombats.  We saw evidence of a lot of them when we stopped by the Tambo River (in part one), and the surrounding area.

Here's a photo of the Common Wombat, the species who lives in this part of the country. I've also inserted a  link to the Australian Museum for those who wish to know more about this short, stout and solid marsupial, who's also earned the nickname "the Bulldozer of the bush"!

The Common Wombat
(Photo borrowed from Lone Pine  Koala Sanctuary)

[Warning.... some may choose not to look at the next photo]

We found lots of evidence of wombats.
Their scats are cube shaped  (so that they stay in the same
spot and don't roll away), thereby, marking the wombats' 
territory. 
This lot was smack bang in the middle 
of a bridge over the Tambo River!


I included this photo because those of us who follow
Laura of ForestWalkArt blogspot, know she'd be
interested ;-) 

When wombats want to go somewhere, they just go... nothing stands in their way except, perhaps,  solid rock.  

Farmers' fences are undermined, pushed out of shape, treated with complete disregard, much to their annoyance.  It not only wrecks their fences, but it leaves openings for predators, and other unwanted fauna,  to access their paddocks and stock.

Many methods have been used to try and deter wombats from ploughing straight through fences. One is incredibly inhumane and cruel and I'd hate to think it's still being used these days.  

On the other side of the road, and a bit further north,  from where we stopped by the Tambo, we saw another type of  wombat-proof fencing.  

This sort of wombat-proof  electrified fencing went on for 
kms - in both directions!
I did read that it only takes a few days for the wombats to learn 
to avoid it, so then it works on a visual warning basis,
rather than a physically preventative one.

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Back to the curiously named historical sites:

Left of Top Photo (Battle Point): was named after a fight between two bullock drivers or road foremen.

Top right (Haunted Stream): was named after its connection with the murder of Ballarat Harry. (Couldn't find out anything further about that story... think I'll leave well enough alone anyway!)

Bottom right (Dead Horse Flat): after a horse which was dragged along for some distance, dead, after being tied by a halter, while still alive, to the rear of its owner's wagon.

Bottom Photo (Devil's Backbone): after the tortuous nature of the country. 

We continued north, passing through open country with mountains on either side of the river valley, to Ensay, which is a small town now, but once celebrated for its wool production. 

It is at the base of the Nunniong High Plains sitting alongside the Tambo and Little Rivers.  The aboriginal name for Ensay is Numblaminjie, meaning "black fish".

Ensay Town Centre
Not my photo [source]

Hungry. Thirsty. The Cafe is open. I couldn't wait to check it out.

Pies, sauce and coffee - yum.

Refreshed, and homeward bound. 

We spied this wooden charmer giving everyone a big smile as they passed.

No clue as to her story.
She just is!

Next time we'll venture further up The Great Alpine Road and see what we can see.  

Hope you enjoyed the drive with us!

On the road to Ensay - part one

This time The Great Alpine Road called our names and off we went. It's a 308 km route in Victoria that extends from Bairnsdale, in the heart of Gippsland to Wangaratta in the north-east.  

We're doing a short section from the Bruthen, in the South, up to Ensay - a nice hour's run  We're essentially following the route of early european travellers.

We passed through beautiful Eucalypt forests

Catching a glimpse of the Tambo River down below

While I was taking a picture, MD was 'eyeing' off some timber
that'd fallen off a load, or something.... I sensed he was going to try and
retrieve it from that sheer drop.  Oh, I'm a spoilsport ... ;-)

We've stopped to play down by the Tambo River.
Can't resist a water shot

So peaceful.
The Great Alpine Road  is very close, the line of it can be seen in the
background.

Further up the river, all is calm 

Riverstones always catch my eye!

Time to walk back to the car to continue our drive

Still wet from the early morning rain 

En route are a number of curiously named historic sites. I've done a bit of research but information is a bit sketchy - would appreciate it if anyone can provide any further details, as I've made a few assumptions intermingled with what I could find out.

The whole area in the Tambo Valley was mined for gold back around the 1920s and beyond.
Guess most of the mullock (mine waste) ended up in this creek.

Couldn't find why this creek was so named.
However, Bullock teams were used extensively for haulage purposes.
May have been a favourite watering hole.

Here's a photo I found on the internet titled "Bullocky Jack
and his old red team".
It was taken in NSW, but the setting and purpose
 would've been similar
in Victoria - to clear land and haul huge logs

It was real nice to see the regeneration after the disastrous fires which began on 1st December 2006 until 7th February 2007. An area of 1,116,408 ha  was burnt across Gippsland and the North East of Victoria. Small towns were protected during the fire campaign, among them were Tambo Crossing and Ensay.

The bush is coming back.

More in the next post .....