Who lives down the lane?

Major's Lane Restaurant is fast becoming our favourite place to dine. The restaurant walls showcase fascinating art; the work of a local artist. Each painting is filled with colour and seemingly celebrates the dining experience. The art welcomes and sets the mood so convincingly. Last night we were treated to the new winter menu. It is one that reflects the need to warm from within. I usually order the duck but last night the wagyu, beef cheek was too tempting. Hence, my selection but I rush too quickly past the warm, bread rolls and the tasting canapes of trout and horseradish cream. As I dallied with the idea of dessert I was foregoing entree. This was to my regret as the others who had chosen did so very well. I promised myself that next time I would order the prawns on a bed of gnocchi too. The atmosphere was definitely friendly and the service exemplary. I love the linen table- cloths too. Too many restaurants overlay their tables with paper and it is pleasing to note that Major's Lane Restaurant is not one of them. I'll not reveal all of the choices as I think that part of the dining event is discovering what's on the menu. My main was so tender that a knife was not necessary. Each of us was pleased with our selection. Menus reappeared for as I mentioned earlier there were new desserts to peruse. Visualise, chocolate pudding, cherries, salted peanut iceream and double cream. Tasted delicious. Delicate presentation, just right. To conclude, bite size, dark chocolates with creamy centres. Who made all of this possible? A fine team:wait staff and chefs. Thank you.

Long Weekend Just Relaxing

Yesterday was a day of culture and relaxation. We set off at 10:00 to visit the local Art Scrawl exhibition at Capercaille. The vineyard exhibition is held each year and is showcased at different venues throughout the valley. The standard and skills of the local artists is highly commendable. The theme for this year's exhibition was 'Recycling' and the variety of items was impressive. Sculptures, ceramics, canvas, oils, charcoal, fabrics, clothing, jewellery and paintings. Too may to list here. Since we were having a day devoted to culture we then headed off to Maitland's gallery. To our surprise it was not open. However, across the road at the Town Hall there was another exhibition. This was the council's annual recycling competition and entries were on display to the public. Many entries came from students from across the Maitland area and it was pleasing to see the youth responding to the theme in a wide variety of ways. Lunchtime was upon us so we headed home to enjoy the sunshine and chill under the pergola. As we sat it occurred to me that we had some unusual works of art in our own backyard so I decided to blog them. There are garden creations that the children bought for me for Christmas or as a birthday gift. Things that hang and things that sit, stand, lean or lay about. There are a number of old concrete statues a little past their prime but you know how it is how can you dump something so, so, ..... One little concrete figurine was so cracked that Stephen, my hero, glued it back together for me. Unfortunately, since that bonding experience she finds it difficult to stand on her own two feet and she tends to lean on the wall down by the pool. Another statue stands bravely outside by the circular drive. She is unprotected from all the elements and she too has a dangerous lean on her pedestal; somewhat like the tower at Pisa. I do love my 'Garden Angel' wall plaque; a gift from my friend. I believe that the plaque accurately depicts me in my garden apparel. On one of the walls under the pergola we've hung two metal sculptures while the garden beside the clothesline boasts a hatted stork with metal framed glasses. I think that it is stork. He still has the once white ribbon tied around his neck to remind me of its gifted ancestry. I shall attempt to be more alert to the culture that surrounds me when I'm in the garden weeding or mowing or pruning.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Anne and Gary are coming for dinner tonight. To begin, we'll have a watercress and potato soup with bake at home bread rolls. Soup will be served with a local Hunter Valley wine, a 2004, Terrace Vale, declared vintage, Chardonnay. We only have a little of Alain's wine left in our cellar so this will be a special tasting tonight. Main will consist of pork fillet in a marinade of ginger and plum. The side accompaniments of roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli with also grace the plates. To sip while we eat our main we will offer our guests a 2005, d'Arenberg, The Dead Arm Shiraz from McLaren Vale which is a South Australian wine. So many names for one bottle of wine! For the first time ever I've baked a citrus tart for dessert. Not sure if we will manage a 'sticky.' I have cooked each night this week. Sadly two of those nights Stephen has been ill. I am trying not to connect the two happenings but it is difficult when his pain has been so closely related to the intake of food. Coincidence ... who can tell? If he is ill again tonight I shall hang up my apron for ever. Between mains and dessert we had a fromage plate with a variety of cheeses, dried pears, strawberries, figs and dates. The evening ended with a nip of port, chocolate and coffee. A good way to spend a cold winter's night.

Ensuite Happenings

Stephen put aside his apron today to work with Christopher on the ensuite. It's exciting to see things coming out and studs going in. The walls look so much better and the room is beginning to take shape. Next, we need the plumber. Biggest decision I have to make before he comes is what type of water spout should be purchased for the bath. There is to be a ledge of tiles surrounding the bath so it is vital that a spigot of the right length is sourced. It must be said that Stephen is possibly happier in the kitchen than he is in the ensuite with all its dust, jagged sheeting and lumps of cement on the floor that refuse to leave. I'll not be sorry to have it finished as the cold weather makes trips to the shower or bathroom hazardous. I've discovered that you can't run through the cold night air as you might a shower of rain, to run between the drops and think that you've avoided the worst. The cold has a nasty way of catching you. Fingers and toes glad to return to the warmth of the carpet and then back in bed while teeth chatter until one drags the quilts to chin height or luckily drifts off to sleep. Thank you, Stephen. Thank you, Christopher.

Collections

Why do we collect what we do? I have a collection of some bottles that I keep in the kitchen. Not just any bottle. Each has its own charm. Blue bottles are probably my favourite as light or sun that shines through them shoots random bands of colour across the walls. A number of bottles have a unique shape while others are tall and slender with unusual markings or patterns decorating their outer face. Some people collect silver spoons but I once had an encounter with one such collection and spent many hours polishing each with silver cleaner so I avoid labour intensive collectibles now. People collect recipe books, magazines, buttons, pictures, shoes, hats and so forth. Come to think of it we have a rather large assemblage of hats on the rack in the pool room. Western hats, Mexican hats, cowboy hats, elegant broad brimmed hats and there is even a hat with orange, fake hair attached. That particular hat has Scottish ancestry. Hats left, given or found. My daughter has a huge collection of shoes. Each pair is housed in its original box and there is a shoe of every hue tucked within those cardboard homes. I won't grumble about that collection as we have the same shoe size and I am granted permission to borrow any depending on my attire. I wonder if any of us collectors are aware of how the urges began? The first object doesn't a collection make. Subsequent additions don't either or do they? It's really rather remarkable that people are probably not cognisant of the humble beginnings of a collection. CD, video, DVD's collections are commonplace. Are collections given, bequeathed or found? Do you have a collection?

Home Alone

I'm home alone as no one else has come home from work yet. I think that I'll cook dinner and surprise everyone. Lots of ingredients in the refrigerator but I can't decide what I feel like so I'll add a bit of this and lots of that. To begin, sweated the onion. That looked okay so I added some potatoes (still in their jacket.) Next, in went some cubed pumpkin and some carrot rounds. Looks good so far but need some protein. Added some chicken breast, roughly cut into chunks. Colour seems to be a little overwhelmed with orange. Keep adding. Found some red capsicum for the red slithered effect. Not bad but still too much orange. Button mushrooms cut into halves plonked on top. The stack is growing in size. Soy sauce and Triadic sauce. This injects some salt into the pan. Colour is developing now. Green is needed. Should I add herbs or the English spinach? Wish Stephen was here to advise me. He would know exactly what I should include. I'm thinking carefully about this now as I want to impress. There is a whole pumpkin sitting on the kitchen bench - a bargain at the local supermarket. Trouble is that I am concerned that there is already too much pumpkin in my creation. Green beans - wonder if they'll do? Could snip some flat parsley from the garden just before serving. That might do. If a picture appears in my blog then you know that dinner was a success. No picture - hmmmm. Fill in the blanks for yourself. Whoops, probably need some rice to go with it. Have bread. Back from checking the pan. Dinner may take hours. All the vegetables are still rock hard. By the way, I have included a random snap of the dining room just in case you are not impressed with my attempt at cooking dinner. Changed my mind. Made bow pasta instead of the rice.

Take a Seat ... Where would you like to sit today?

This afternoon as I went outside to watch the black clouds building yet again over the hills and I wondered if it was going top rain again all week so that we'd be stuck sitting inside. It occurred to me that we have many places to sit outside in our garden. Some seats are rustic in nature, having been made for me by Stephen, while others of aluminium or plastic are stationed to capture the view, to avoid the sun, to catch a breeze or to accommodate a large gathering. There are aluminium, seats in the little courtyard behind the pool so placed so as to be able to sit in the cool shade to escape the summer heat. Cushions top a number of the bench seats to protect one's rump from the cold, hard, wood and perhaps the odd red back spider. You can check out the neighbour's three cows if you choose this seat but be warned that they are hand fed at about three each day and they come looking and mooing well before that, each calling for their tubs of delights. I wonder if they'd be so hungry if they knew behind their names hides a gloomy future. Should we name what we eat? Dilemma for me but not our neighbours. One is called Hamburger and another Offal. Not sure about the third cow. Sorry, I digress. The bench seats allow the 'sitter' to actually sit amongst the flowers or foliage. I was trying to decide if I had a favourite seat when I realised that a favourite seating arrangement depends on one's need to sit and most importantly, the day's weather. When I took my camera to the yard to collect images of our seats I noted the different characteristics of each. If you sit on the old sleeper seat by the bay tree and you look up, you see the that nearby stands a neighbouring tree stripped of its leaves that were so beautifully coloured only a few weeks ago. If I walk back towards the pergola we have another bench (with old cushions) upon which to sit and it allows one to gaze at the distant hills. Just behind that bench is a more comfortable assortment of seats with a table upon which one can rest one's coffee. We added red geraniums to the terracotta pots here last week before the rain set in. There is an old stencilled, concrete block seat in the pool area. It's strong and sturdy and allows the bather to sit and drip dry in summer. At the other end of the pool enclosure we see another traditional black, aluminium ensemble for the water shy among us to retreat from the splash and spray of zealous bathers or the dreaded Marco Polo swimmers of yesteryear. No one seems to sit on the seats inside the pool area once the sun has set on summer. Too cold, too bleak to watch the water and guess at its chill. For those who prefer the indoors there are two, high-backed, wooden seats beside an old wine barrel in the pool room. Everyone has heard of the text, The Man For All Seasons. I think that perhaps we have the chair for all seasons. As I wait for the chair pics to upload I am thinking about all the other seats that we house. We have 6 lounges inside and plastic, chair stacks sitting idle in the cubby (AKA the wine cellar), waiting for the next family or neighbourhood function to again see the light of day. When does a person know if they have too many chairs? Enough with the rhetoric. I have made one decision; and it is that I definitely prefer chairs with arm rests.