The temptation will be to test every neenish tart we can find at good old fashioned country bakeries, but I'll probably go a cream bun occasionally as well.
mr curly
A man after my own heart mr curly. I reckon the quality of a neenish tart is best judged by the pastry. So many of them are as hard as concrete. After that the sweetness of the icing. It needs just enough icing sugar and no more otherwise it is too sickly.
The other things I search for in country bakeries are rock cakes and cream horns. The rock cakes need to be moist and buttery, while the cream horns must be filled with fresh cream not pastry cream.
You can tell my grandmother was a cook in a demonstration kitchen for AGL can't you!
After a lovely day yesterday walking near Mudgee, and 2 nights in a lovely rustic B&B on the edge of town, we head to Cobar today. Weather is cool and getting cooler, windier and wetter.
We need to pick up our neenish quota, I think. I shunned a brown and pink one yesterday - the One True Neenish is brown and white.
mr curly
Enjoy a trail of neenish tarts - never say nein to a neenish. Mudgee and its surrounds are lovely country. We can understand your comments about the cold, but it's a clean and fresh cold unlike Sydney's.
I just checked the latest polling results for our electorate. The Liberal candidate is now on just under 55%, 2-party preferred - my memory is that the previous lowest Liberal vote at a general election since the seat was established over 70 years ago was round 65%. The vote did not go to Labor though - an independent having her first run at the seat has 45%. We in fact voted for her: Labor had no chance of winning, but this independent had run a very good campaign with lots of supporters canvassing for her at shopping centres and so forth.
Absolutely freezing in Launceston today. I really must invest in a puffer jacket. We are very pleased with Bridget's reelection. She is good value and is liked by most sides of politics.
Settling in for our second night in Broken Hill. Lovely day hanging out with Middle at Silverton. He’s doing really well at the half way point of his placement (for final year of social work degree).
It’s crisp out here!
mr curly
We were last in BH on New Year's Eve 2012, as part of our safari conveying eldest and his pregnant wife to their new RAAF posting in Katherine. Temperature in the low 40's C at sunset and our caravan park accommodation was a converted shipping container. As I type it is 3degC here in the Valley, so crisp all over the state.
Not quite as crisp as that here, but felt it with the strong westerly yesterday afternoon. D Towers is just below a bit of a ridge, on the western side. Then 300m or so to the western escarpment of the plateau. When there's a gale like this, there are views SW to the ranges beyond Picton.
Despite the more wintry (for the subtropics) weather, we notice new juvenile magpies with their brown plumage, and noisy miners flying with nesting material in their beaks.
Our navel oranges are falling off the tree in such quantities we are finding friends to give them away to.
I am so envious Latchkey Kid. Oranges here were $5.99 a kilo, then disappeared off the supermarket shelves altogether.
When the 14 oranges I had included in my fortnightly order failed to turn up, and I'd seen none at the other supermarket, I sent an SOS to my son, who found Valencias from Egypt at Pak'n'Save. Very thick skinned, and tough to chew, but juicy and sweet, and while NZ Valencias regularly have 0-4 seeds, the third one I tried had six. Anyway my breakfast was saved. The previous order had brought the expected US Navels, and several of them had SEEDS! In NAVELS!
Alas, son brought me only 7 oranges, and now there are none to be seen. No orange for breakfast is an unprecedented disappointment. I'm going to make do with mandarins — he's picked out the biggest he can find.
GG, I hope you are snug and warm. The weather sounds a bit nasty up there. Here it's just cold and damp.
Still no oranges but there are meaty beef bones which meant my soup was closer to a stew and very filling. Time to make some more tomorrow.
I also need to have a chat with one of my neighbours who is involved with the local church where they run a collection point for food for people in need. When we had the street Easter egg hunt and produce exchange he told me about it, and I thought I'd get involved as there are plenty of people struggling out there. I knew grocery prices had skyrocketed, but I didn't realise that they were among the 5 most expensive in the first world. (I think Switzerland, the UK and one of the Scandinavian were some of the others). Some canny people have even imported groceries from Australia and saved on NZ prices. Having only 2 major supermarkets chains doesn't help either.
Huia — snug and warm in here, but just before lunch there was the biggest clap of thunder. — like 100 tons landing right on my house with a deafening crash, shaking the house and making me jump on my seat. Then another, that turned the lights out for a few moments only but I had to go afterwards and find the handbooks and re-programme the clocks on the stove and microwave. And a brief heave shower , after which I looked out and there was the familiar blackbird busily pecking away on the lawn.
Here in our inland city, in an early winter, we've had minima down to -4C and a dusting of snow on the hills behind the city with a strong wind coming straight off that snow. Brrr! Further into the mountains, the ski resorts all opened a week ahead of schedule.
Very cold in Hobart where I am spending the long weekend with amiable spouse for our mutual 70th birthdays. Snow on kunyanyi ( Mount Wellington for them as not in the know). A good excuse for staying indoors with a good stew and plenty of good red wine.
I've decided today is soup making time again, bacon hock as it's the only one I have the main ingredient for and it's a bit chilly with the wind coming off snow on Banks Peninsula, so I'm not venturing out in it.
I remember a Canadian Shipmate saying something along the lines of there being no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing, and my internal response being that I was glad my ancestors came to NZ, not Canada.
Then thinking that at least in Canada the houses are probably built to the conditions otherwise they would freeze to death, whereas here it means turning on the heater and wrapping up warmly. Despite the additional winter fuel allowance paid to those over 65, I'm a bit wary of splurging on heating so early in the season.
While it's cool here in the morning, from 12 to 2 it's pleasant enough to BBQ at the top of our garden. The pumpkin, capsicum, and potatoes are on, tomato, onion, eggs and bread are ready and waiting.
I've decided today is soup making time again, bacon hock as it's the only one I have the main ingredient for and it's a bit chilly with the wind coming off snow on Banks Peninsula, so I'm not venturing out in it.
We had not realised that it would snow there, so close to the ocean.
It doesn't snow there frequently Gee D, but for a couple of years I did voluntary work in Lyttelton, which the port for Christchurch and I was surprised how often there was a dusting of snow on the hills across the harbour.
In the time I've lived in my house which is close to sea level and about a km from the sea we have had a couple of days when the Police advised people not to drive unless it was necessary and schools were closed due to snow.
I love watching snow fall, but I don't like the results.
I can understand that - inside a comfortable and warm house, cup of tea at an easy reach and looking out at the snow falling in is one thing. Having to go out into it to get to work, medical treatment or shop is another.
I can understand that - inside a comfortable and warm house, cup of tea at an easy reach and looking out at the snow falling in is one thing. Having to go out into it to get to work, medical treatment or shop is another.
The latter is one of life's little joys to me. The last few winters have been mild and robbed me of that pleasure.
I can understand that - inside a comfortable and warm house, cup of tea at an easy reach and looking out at the snow falling in is one thing. Having to go out into it to get to work, medical treatment or shop is another.
The latter is one of life's little joys to me. The last few winters have been mild and robbed me of that pleasure.
I'd put good money on a bet that there are few who share your feelings.
I can understand that - inside a comfortable and warm house, cup of tea at an easy reach and looking out at the snow falling in is one thing. Having to go out into it to get to work, medical treatment or shop is another.
The latter is one of life's little joys to me. The last few winters have been mild and robbed me of that pleasure.
I'd put good money on a bet that there are few who share your feelings.
I know a few. But I don't decide what I like and don't like based on other people's preferences. For me the crunch of snow underfoot, the blurring of everything under a white blanket, the quiet it seems to cause - they're magical and one of the few escapes from mundanity I really enjoy. The last few mild winters have been very depressing for me.
My house, built for us 52 years ago specially to catch the winter sun, now gets none at all in the living room due mainly to the trees along the neighbours' driveway. We've been good friends all along (and I taught her and her husband in the third form) but it's only in the last 5-6 years that I've gradually lost the last of the sun, and because I'm here alone and no longer drive I'm here and noticing it. But she was adamant: they'd be putting the house on the market and the trees made an attractive entrance. Well, it's been bought by a delightful young couple (two neighbours on my other side both have adult children and I have grandchildren so we'll enjoy having some youngsters here!)). I took them the usual baking and a printout of the street phone/email list, and when they brought the cake tin back I took them into the garden to show them the short cut to the next street that all our neighbours are invited to use, and they were horrified to see how little sun I had. So I guess by next winter between us we'll have dealt with the trees. My clothes lines are useless too! And last year I had a tree of mine felled that was taking another neighbour's winter sun.
It doesn't snow there frequently Gee D, but for a couple of years I did voluntary work in Lyttelton, which the port for Christchurch and I was surprised how often there was a dusting of snow on the hills across the harbour.
In the time I've lived in my house which is close to sea level and about a km from the sea we have had a couple of days when the Police advised people not to drive unless it was necessary and schools were closed due to snow.
I love watching snow fall, but I don't like the results.
Back in 1979 I stayed in ChCh for a week and one morning woke up to snow right through the city, it was magic and of course very cold!
While I totally agree with Karl about the quiet beauty of freshly fallen snow, after 16 years in Canada I can tell you that it rather loses its allure once it's been lying for four or five months, and you're running out of places to put it after (yet again) having to dig yourself out of your house!
There were oranges in the supermarket again, YaY. The prices are high, but some of the service clubs like lions and Rotary are organizing shipments from up north to the Sallies, City Mission and other such groups to distribute.
A beef broth if bubbling in the slow cooker, which I will be happy to have over coming days as temperatures are forecast to range between -3C and 9C. For some reason I seem to be feeling the cold more than in other years. 9probably old age).
The NZ Metservice website often has an advertisement for Cairns showing the daily temperature which is aimed at boosting tourism. I think it was 26C yesterday, which made me happy not to be there.
I was relieved though when it reached 18c here so I could get the washing dry.
My daughter who lives in the Far North of North Island told me the other day that she'd had to wear a coat for the first time in the 7 plus years she's been there (she was in Auckland before that so fortunately has a coat)
They do call it, somewhat inaccurately "The winterless North," but it's warmer than here were the lowest temperatures for the rest of the week range between 1c and -1c. I have been making soup and tomorrow I'm visiting a friend to make him soup because he has done various jobs around the house for me.
More snow is forecast in the high country and on the alpine passes.
The NZ Metservice website often has an advertisement for Cairns showing the daily temperature which is aimed at boosting tourism. I think it was 26C yesterday, which made me happy not to be there.
We were there on 22 June and the weather felt great. The next few days were on the Atherton tablelands, and slightly cooler.
On Sunday-Monday we took the Spirit of Queensland down to Brisbane - 24 1/2 hours. I started the holiday with a cold, and still have it. It seems to be a two week long cold that I and others have had.
I was relieved though when it reached 18c here so I could get the washing dry.
One of the wonderful things when going out to see Zappa and kuruman in Wankydilla all those years ago was being able to hang out washing, have a cup of tea, and then go back out to bring it in.
We are OK. There was some heavy rain on Thursday to Saturday. Not flooding rain, but I am sure it made a lot of locals edgy.
The floods are more down your way, to the south and northwest of you if I have your location correct.
I brought LKKspouse back from hospital yesterday after knee replacement surgery (described by the surgeon as resurfacing). She is facing six weeks of recovery and I am taking only short periods away from home at the moment. There are various medications, shower chair, circulating ice water treatment, and leg clamp with angle limiting joint to manage.
On my walk home from buying today's newspaper I passed the Disaster Recovery Centre just before it was opening for the day. I thought I would call by to see how they were going, and before I reached the door one of the staff called out a greeting. The centre manager said that 47 people came in the last day it was open. She was a bit disappointed that I was not able to stay and recommence my chaplaincy service. I will keep that in mind to see if that is possible later.
That's good news then. The flooding is along the Nepean/Hawkesbury where it has always flooded, and it's hard to understand how planning permission was given for the developments there over the last 40 years. Much the same for those along the Woronora.
You're right - we're about 200m asl, and very safe. The whole of the Sydney basin could flood and we'd be above it. The spring which is the ultimate source of the Lane Cove River is about a half km in a straight line from us, and that's unlikely to be a problem for anyone (in fact, the stream from that source ran through the rear of Lothlorien's brother's house and he never mentioned any trouble from it). Mr Curly is a bit lower down, but only a bit.
Our prayers and best wishes for LKKspouse in her recuperation.
Very wet here but the water isn't flowing across the backyard like it did with the rain event earlier this year. No apparent problems at this stage.
Mrs Curly's dad was in hospital this morning for an op to check out a mass in his bladder. There was some concern, but as he hadn't been able to have a pre-op MRI (due to pacemaker) they could only know it was actually a big stone not a tumor when they got in there. Relief all round. He's 87, with it, a bit frail and has deteriorating eyesight. Still rattling around in the double story family home.
Here in the Valley, creeks and rivers are very high. The main road to Maitland is cut and the remote valleys to the south and west of Cessnock are all isolated either by water over the road or washaways. Further up the valley, the highway to Dubbo is cut in several places by flooding. There has been a further surge in rain and wind after a brief respite earlier in the afternoon.
Here in the Valley, creeks and rivers are very high. The main road to Maitland is cut and the remote valleys to the south and west of Cessnock are all isolated either by water over the road or washaways. Further up the valley, the highway to Dubbo is cut in several places by flooding. There has been a further surge in rain and wind after a brief respite earlier in the afternoon.
How are you getting on today? And you and your wife also LKK?
We are much the same as yesterday. The rain has been coming in heavy squalls, which gives our drains a chance to carry the water away. Even though we are near the top of a rise, we've had water through the garage twice in the past with overland flow under continuous heavy rain. Parts of the neighbouring towns were isolated when a couple of notorious creeks rose quickly. In surrounding areas, the floods are major events. People in Wollombi say it will be the second-highest recorded. The Anglican church there still has the stains on the internal walls from the record flood over a hundred years ago. In Maitland the floodgates have been closed across the Main North railway for only the second time since they were installed a couple of decades ago.
We are much the same as yesterday. The rain has been coming in heavy squalls, which gives our drains a chance to carry the water away. Even though we are near the top of a rise, we've had water through the garage twice in the past with overland flow under continuous heavy rain. Parts of the neighbouring towns were isolated when a couple of notorious creeks rose quickly. In surrounding areas, the floods are major events. People in Wollombi say it will be the second-highest recorded. The Anglican church there still has the stains on the internal walls from the record flood over a hundred years ago. In Maitland the floodgates have been closed across the Main North railway for only the second time since they were installed a couple of decades ago.
Good to hear you are OK. Friends in Cessnock back onto a creek and have had some damage to their but not to house, thankfully. We were to have high tea (a wedding present) at Kirkton Park on Thursday but have rebooked for Monday, hopefully things will be better. I think the last time the floodgates across the railway were closed was in 2007.
@Gee D , it's a week after the operation and her rehabilitation is moving from coping with operation recovery pain to pain causing exercises. I have been going out only for essentials, but, weather permitting, I can take a couple of ours out for tennis later this afternoon.
We've been watching a lot of TV and films. It's Naidoc week, and as well as the new Mystery Road series, there is an excellent four part series True Colours which introduces people without "skin" to aboriginal lore.
A hard time for you both. Your point about pain causing exercises is a good one. Very unpleasant at the time but leading to a better long-term solution. Prayers continuing for a short recuperation and a successful result overall.
Comments
A man after my own heart mr curly. I reckon the quality of a neenish tart is best judged by the pastry. So many of them are as hard as concrete. After that the sweetness of the icing. It needs just enough icing sugar and no more otherwise it is too sickly.
The other things I search for in country bakeries are rock cakes and cream horns. The rock cakes need to be moist and buttery, while the cream horns must be filled with fresh cream not pastry cream.
You can tell my grandmother was a cook in a demonstration kitchen for AGL can't you!
We need to pick up our neenish quota, I think. I shunned a brown and pink one yesterday - the One True Neenish is brown and white.
mr curly
It’s crisp out here!
mr curly
Our navel oranges are falling off the tree in such quantities we are finding friends to give them away to.
Still no oranges
I also need to have a chat with one of my neighbours who is involved with the local church where they run a collection point for food for people in need. When we had the street Easter egg hunt and produce exchange he told me about it, and I thought I'd get involved as there are plenty of people struggling out there. I knew grocery prices had skyrocketed, but I didn't realise that they were among the 5 most expensive in the first world. (I think Switzerland, the UK and one of the Scandinavian were some of the others). Some canny people have even imported groceries from Australia and saved on NZ prices. Having only 2 major supermarkets chains doesn't help either.
I remember a Canadian Shipmate saying something along the lines of there being no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing, and my internal response being that I was glad my ancestors came to NZ, not Canada.
Then thinking that at least in Canada the houses are probably built to the conditions otherwise they would freeze to death, whereas here it means turning on the heater and wrapping up warmly. Despite the additional winter fuel allowance paid to those over 65, I'm a bit wary of splurging on heating so early in the season.
We had not realised that it would snow there, so close to the ocean.
In the time I've lived in my house which is close to sea level and about a km from the sea we have had a couple of days when the Police advised people not to drive unless it was necessary and schools were closed due to snow.
I love watching snow fall, but I don't like the results.
The latter is one of life's little joys to me. The last few winters have been mild and robbed me of that pleasure.
I'd put good money on a bet that there are few who share your feelings.
I know a few. But I don't decide what I like and don't like based on other people's preferences. For me the crunch of snow underfoot, the blurring of everything under a white blanket, the quiet it seems to cause - they're magical and one of the few escapes from mundanity I really enjoy. The last few mild winters have been very depressing for me.
My physiology doesn't respond well to heat.
Back in 1979 I stayed in ChCh for a week and one morning woke up to snow right through the city, it was magic and of course very cold!
A beef broth if bubbling in the slow cooker, which I will be happy to have over coming days as temperatures are forecast to range between -3C and 9C. For some reason I seem to be feeling the cold more than in other years. 9probably old age).
Here in the Deep North friends are exclaiming at visiting kiwi family using the pool when it is clearly too cold (26 degrees C) to swim 😀
They're probably trying to cool down.
The NZ Metservice website often has an advertisement for Cairns showing the daily temperature which is aimed at boosting tourism. I think it was 26C yesterday, which made me happy not to be there.
I was relieved though when it reached 18c here so I could get the washing dry.
More snow is forecast in the high country and on the alpine passes.
On Sunday-Monday we took the Spirit of Queensland down to Brisbane - 24 1/2 hours. I started the holiday with a cold, and still have it. It seems to be a two week long cold that I and others have had.
One of the wonderful things when going out to see Zappa and kuruman in Wankydilla all those years ago was being able to hang out washing, have a cup of tea, and then go back out to bring it in.
The floods are more down your way, to the south and northwest of you if I have your location correct.
I brought LKKspouse back from hospital yesterday after knee replacement surgery (described by the surgeon as resurfacing). She is facing six weeks of recovery and I am taking only short periods away from home at the moment. There are various medications, shower chair, circulating ice water treatment, and leg clamp with angle limiting joint to manage.
On my walk home from buying today's newspaper I passed the Disaster Recovery Centre just before it was opening for the day. I thought I would call by to see how they were going, and before I reached the door one of the staff called out a greeting. The centre manager said that 47 people came in the last day it was open. She was a bit disappointed that I was not able to stay and recommence my chaplaincy service. I will keep that in mind to see if that is possible later.
You're right - we're about 200m asl, and very safe. The whole of the Sydney basin could flood and we'd be above it. The spring which is the ultimate source of the Lane Cove River is about a half km in a straight line from us, and that's unlikely to be a problem for anyone (in fact, the stream from that source ran through the rear of Lothlorien's brother's house and he never mentioned any trouble from it). Mr Curly is a bit lower down, but only a bit.
Our prayers and best wishes for LKKspouse in her recuperation.
Mrs Curly's dad was in hospital this morning for an op to check out a mass in his bladder. There was some concern, but as he hadn't been able to have a pre-op MRI (due to pacemaker) they could only know it was actually a big stone not a tumor when they got in there. Relief all round. He's 87, with it, a bit frail and has deteriorating eyesight. Still rattling around in the double story family home.
mr curly
How are you getting on today? And you and your wife also LKK?
Good to hear you are OK. Friends in Cessnock back onto a creek and have had some damage to their but not to house, thankfully. We were to have high tea (a wedding present) at Kirkton Park on Thursday but have rebooked for Monday, hopefully things will be better. I think the last time the floodgates across the railway were closed was in 2007.
We've been watching a lot of TV and films. It's Naidoc week, and as well as the new Mystery Road series, there is an excellent four part series True Colours which introduces people without "skin" to aboriginal lore.