Gourmet Dinner

 We had an exciting culinary evening last night. Adam and Kate had the whole family home.  Patrick was going to open the 2004 Penfolds Grange he received for his 21st and to complement it, James was going to cook the enormous Tomahawk Steak that Tom and Ruby had given him for Christmas.  Needless to say, there was a level of eager anticipation.

Of course the wine was magnificent but Alfie kept an eye on the main event that was much more to his taste.

James was faced with the task of cooking a huge steak (close to 10 cm thick in places) without destroying it.  He had done his homework.  It was defrosted and very slowly cooked before searing to produce a beautifully tender meat.  I suspect there will be some leftovers for a day or two to come.

Music in the Hills

 Lisa invited us to see Karice Eden sing last Sunday.  I was not previously aware that the "Sooki Lounge" existed, but it is a small live music venue in the middle of Belgrave, perfect for smaller more intimate concerts and presentations.  Mark was delivering the Prado to Queensland so Marcia deputised for him.  There are some great eateries in Belgrave so we had lunch at the "Earthly Pleasures Cafe" before the show.

A young local singer was the warm up act before the main event.

Karice Eden quickly demonstrated why she is popular around the country with her range of songs and music and her strong, rich voice.

The Prado Departs

 The Prado has been a part of the Garnett Family for a long time now.  It hauled the caravan and went around Australia and carried lots of kids as a commuter.  Mark spent some time bringing it back to almost pristine condition so that it could be sold.  His friend Jason has decided it would suit his needs so it is now heading for Queensland.

Garden Developments

 Birds love the fountain in the front garden.  As a result the water becomes nutrient dense as they wash.  Brett suggested some floating "Water Lettuce" to soak up the nutrients so the experiment has started.

Current conditions seem to suit the Gymea Lilly in the front garden as it has decided to produce a flower spike.  It keeps going up but there is no sign of a flower as yet.

Basketball Begins

 Lachlan and Cooper had their first games following the Christmas break yesterday.  Lachlan had a loss and Cooper had a win.

That's a Wrap

 To finalise the Blog each year I get it printed as a book.  This becomes the journal of our activity for the year.  Apparently the US publisher I previously used has gone belly up so this year we used a publisher in Holland.  The service was very efficient and the book arrived early.

Normal Services Resume For Alfie

 Now that Adam, Kate and family are back from Europe, Alfie is happy again.  In celebration, he killed a fox in the back yard to present to them.

The Lost Has Been Found

 My mother's cousins, Hilda and Hazel Reid were the daughters of the Dr Reid who founded the Sale Hospital.  We had his microscope but could not locate it, however it has now been found and the Sale Historical Museum is very interested.  So when the opportunity arises, we will pass it on to them so it can be viewed in its historical context.

Australia Day 26

 John B was coming down from Canberra so the early plan for the long weekend had been to visit the Lake House.  With the area still suffering the effects of the Ruffy/Longford bushfires and more extreme heat forecast, we all stayed home.

We had a beautiful meal with games to follow.  Neither Claire nor I proved to be particularly proficient at the card game or the music time line game. 

Cathy's Birthday

We had our (late) celebration for Cathy's birthday last night at a very interesting, local, Korean Barbeque Restaurant in Mitcham.  Beautiful salads and sauces were provided along with a range of meats.  All the meat was amazingly tender and all cooked for you at your table.

The menu was almost incomprehensible but a banquet order solved this problem.  The meal was sensational.