Fa La La La La!

Hello there... did you survive Christmas unscathed?

The Granite Glen gang came through pretty well.

Completely sated really.

Food-wise, present-wise, loved-ones-wise.

We had a relatively low-key and quiet Christmas Day (which was kinda nice) and a rowdy Boxing Day with rellies (which I love). There is nothing better than sharing special days with special people, is there?

Even special pooches help make the day stand out...

We did try some reindeer antlers on Axel, but he was not a quiet study with lurid green fake horns atop his scone. Not this this old fella. Never mind. Tinsel was festive enough!

This is my favourite Christmas card - handmade by Dash.

I adored the meticulous work.

And the gorgeous pop-up figures.

Even the completely inappropriate weather depicted made me smile.

And here is my favourite gift - a set of pots from Mr Incredible.

He was a little horrified at giving me something so domestic.

But it was all I really wanted - besides a happy family.

And it was something I badly needed as illustrated here.

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A regular Canadian reader, Theresa from Alberta, asked last post about what Aussie eat on Christmas Day. (Besides cashews of course. They're obligatory the world over, aren't they?)

So I decided to share a little selection of the snaps from our day - illustrating what THIS Aussie family considers good holiday fare. Keep in mind that it was over 30 degrees celsius here on Friday - that's over 86 degrees farenheit if my converter is working. Toasty. Sweaty. Tummies don't really require much warming up, that's for sure.

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And while the full roasted meal is often served on December 25 Down Under, "traditional" was kind of thrown to the wind in this household this year. This was partly 'cause it was only the four of us for lunch, and partly cause my kids don't get into the whole roast thing too much, and partly because Mr I was under the weather. I see no point in slaving over a hot stove for one person. Especially when that one person is me!

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I shelved the lamb and chicken I was going to roast. And the Twice Roasted Potatoes I so love in this cookbook which lives on my kitchen bench...

(Bonus points for anyone recognising the famous Aussie in the recipe book behind Ree's).

Reconsidering the needs of my little family, I instead cut open the foam icebox containing seafood I had picked up a couple of days ago while visiting my gorgeous niece. And I let it dictate our strange little menu...


Violet won't touch seafood unless it's fish fingers. She won't even eat ham. So she got some leftover noodles and bolognaise. (She could NOT have been happier). Dash got a bacon-and-BBQ-sauce-sandwich. Which he didn't mind, but then he tasted the seared Moreton Bay Bug meat, and devoured that instead... talk about adventurous, expensive tastes! Ah, but it makes my heart sing to see him revel in food of any kind. Who'd have thought?

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For those who have never been introduced to Moreton Bay Bugs check this site. It's amazing - to me, the best of all seafoods. Anywhere. Seriously. I marinated this lot in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and salt before searing in a pan on the gas stove. And I whipped up a little creamy pesto side sauce. Which also goes well with the spinach and roasted pumpkin salad (with bacon and roasted pine nuts).
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And don't forget the oysters. Kept chilled, then topped with bacon kilpatrick sauce and grilled. Mmmmmm.

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And of course, the fruit...

(Ignore the bananas - I try to. They are there because they are the ONE fruit Violet will deign to eat - in smoothie form only. I detest them. *shudder*)

However I just adore mangoes - they say 'holidays' to me like no other fruit.

And I have a serious crush on lychees at the moment.

Soooooo juicy and refreshing....

*groan*

Oh and that most traditional of Aussie foods:

Ferrero Roches.

(Yes, I know. European. Whatever.)

So... your turn for a Christmas review.

Your menu?

Your wild and crazy antics?

(Feel free to leave relevant links)

:-)

Granite Glen Greeting...

Wishing you and yours peace and joy.

Failing that, happy noise, much laughter and full bellies.

It's already Christmas Day here.

Santa's not-so-little helper has been very busy wrapping and labelling... and she need some shut-eye! Before the overwhelming excitement of my offspring hits 10 on the Richter Scale.

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See you the other side of the chaos...

Pre-Christmas rollercoaster

This'll be quick - life is chaotic and crazy and Christmassy here

(or as my friend Jayne would say: Chris-Messy).

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The emotional rollercoaster ride of the Granite Glen express has been full on -

Jeanie finally presented us with a little angel of a baby girl on Monday.

This little sweetheart...

(I would show you another of the shots, but my hubby has vamoosed in the Prado and accidentally taken my camera for the ride).

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The as-yet-un-blog-named little darlin' has a very definite little chin, an unmissable cry and loves being held upright against Mum's chest. She and Salina are bonding beautifully -I have never seen a prouder big sister!

Gorgeous...

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Lots and lots of other stuff (some of which involves some serious downward motion on that rollercoaster I am referring to) has happened. I will save details 'til after the Festive Season I think.

(Gosh I'm a tease, aren't I?).

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But this bit of weather-related news I will share:

it rained here last night as I was driving home in the dark from Paradise.

Real rain.

Freaky rain.

Flooding rain.

Almost four inches of the wet stuff.

With some hail, the size of large marbles.

But get this....

ONLY AT OUR HOUSE.

Well, it did reach our next-door neighbours' too

and it actually put a run in the river,

but just over the small range just a few kilometres from our place...

NOTHING.

Dust.

It's very weird.

Apparently from a distance, a giant mushroom-shaped cloud sat right over our property.

Some say it looked like a twister over our place.

(Not that we really get twisters Down Under.)

There is debris everywhere here this morning.

At least we don't have to top up the pool or water the lawn.

I kind of feel for those whose rain gauges are still dry though...

We have friends trucking water to keep stock alive.

So we are keeping our joy pretty low-key.

'Wide-spread rain' appears to be an extinct kind of weather event in this part of the world...

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Anyway, got go clean up and unpack and start cooking!!

Oh, and WRAP.

*sigh*

Happy Christmas Eve, my friends...

hope your Christmas rollercoaster stays up, up, UP for ya!

Six White Boomers

I feel the need... the need for ... a spot of Festive explanation.

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I put up a new header for December with a bit of a bush Christmas twist. But I realise that for those who aren't .. well... Aussie, it may require a little more description for the line used to make sense.

"Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun..." comes from a song written by the incomparable Rolf Harris (name me one other songwriter who can also paint like a demon and was a champion backstroker?). The song is called 'Six White Boomers', and describes an Australian Christmas including reference to our very non-snow-like climate and replaces the reindeer with some warm-blooded creatures a little more able to stand the heat.

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Boomers refers to male kangaroos - and yes I had to look that up myself. We don't go round pointing out the boomers in the paddock (I tend to think of Axel's offerings as stinking boomers in the houseyard, but that's a whole nother blog post!). I do remember singing this song as a child though - at a night-time event called a "Christmas Tree" all lined up on stage with my classmates. The event was for the neighbourhood kids in a tiny little unlined timber hall in our blink-and-you'll-miss-it 'town'. I recall absolutely loving this particular item on our playlist - an early taste of the irreverence that tickles me so.

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Here are the words (and below them is the Rolf Harris version for you to sing along to!).

I do apologise to anyone remotely serious about photography and Photoshop for my bodgied-up image of some local roos and a Santa silhouette.

Hey, I tried (it was late, OK?). Heh.

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SIX WHITE BOOMERS

By Rolf Harris & John D. Brown .
(Introduction)
Early on one Christmas Day, a Joey Kanga-roo,
Was far from home and lost in a great big zoo.
Mummy, where's my mummy, they've taken her a-way,
We'll help you find your mummy son, hop on the sleigh.

Chorus:
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
Racing Santa Claus through the blazing sun.
Six white boomers, snow white boomers,
.. On his Aus-tra-lian run.

Verse:

Up beside the bag of toys, little Joey hopped ,
But they had'nt gone far when Santa stopped.
Un-harnessed all the reindeer and Joey wondered why,
Then he heard a far off booming in the sky.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Pretty soon old Santa began to feel the heat,
Took his fur-lined boots off to cool his feet.
Into one popped Joey, feeling quite OK,
While those old man kangaroos kept pulling on the sleigh.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Joey said to Santa, Santa, what about the toys,
Aren't you giving some to these girls and boys.
They've all got their presents son, we were here last night,
This trip is an extra trip, Joey's special flight.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Soon the sleigh was flashing past, right over Marble Bar,
Slow down there, cried Santa, it can't be far.
Come up on my lap son, and have a look around,
There she is, that's mummy, bounding up and down.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

Well that's the bestest Christmas treat that Joey ever had,
Curled up in mother's pouch all snug and glad.
The last they saw was Santa headed northward from the sun,
The only year the boomers worked a double run.

Chorus: Six white boomers ...

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Ready to sing now?

The following clip is slightly disturbing (there's an animated bit which freaks me out slightly) but ignore that and belt it out with me...

What's your local spin on something Christmassy?

(And is 'Christmassy' even a word?)

Mystery photo meets Favourite Things

This is a little something Santa brought Mr Incredible and I in December...

Have you ever seen one before?

Know what to do with it??

Have a guess...

all will be revealed tomorrow!!

*winks mysteriously*
BB

PS No, I am not sure what a mysterious wink is either... another mystery!

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PPS Had a little mis-post earlier... talk about hopeless blogging!! If you get RSS feeds you'll have it already. Will repost it shortly, so get your party shoes ready...

the fun starts here real soon!!!

Christmas Food: seriously good tucker

We hosted Christmas for Mr Incredible's family this year... you may recall?

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And among the many challenges for this "laid-back" housekeeper was the food.

The prospect of feeding 21 people for 3-4 days, with an additional 20 on Boxing Day, freaked the heck out of me. After having a minor mental meltdown as I tried to add up and plan for such numbers and work out how that amount of food would cram into our fridges, I did one massively smart thing: I hired a coldroom. This is basically a refrigerated room on wheels. I loved that coldroom. And not just because it was a great place to retreat to when the temps hit the 40s and the noise levels in the Granite Glen house hit ear-splitting...

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Mr Incredible's family are foodies. I always thought I loved food until I met him. And them. Really, I had no idea. These guys take the gastronomic appreciation to new heights. You can actually measure the time since I met my hubby by the kilos I have gained... antipastos, Spanish tapas, authentic Asian curries cooked from scratch, rich Indian dishes and excellent English pub food. It was courtship by dining. Seduction by tastebud. And I loved it.
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So having this family here for the Festive celebrations meant that some seriously good tucker was needed. Essential actually. So I called on each of my guests to help - Gwen brought the fruit: succulent mangoes and cherries, sweet nectarines and grapes, kiwifruit and massive watermelons.

She also did the magic plum pudding and accompanying rum cream sauce (is it any wonder my hubby forgot he hated sultanas momentarily?).

SIL P brought a city array of cheeses, crackers, dips and nibbles. And excellent biccies (cookies for you Americans!). Oh, and she did the ham too...

SIL K provided some fresh vegetables & salad items as well as some outstanding themed sweet items.

And SIL A did the incredible cheesecakes, provided five dozen fresh eggs and whipped up innumerable delicacies during her stay. I actually DID cook a little - my pesto sauce for everything was a hit.

Hey, I take my victories where I find 'em people!

This coral trout (isn't she gorgeous... even dead!)

provided a great foil for the other rich food. We baked it in the barbecue with lemon and dill. Divine.
And this is my brother-in-law R. He is a fisherman. He was therefore in charge of dividing fish and bones.

We all loved him for taking on this job.
And here is just part of the Christmas Day smorgasboard.
Smashed potatoes, steamed green beans, cauliflower and broccoli cheese (foreground), roast pork, crackling (the crunchy rind from the pork), glazed ham and baked fish (background).
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Of course, there was Boxing Day (for 41) to cater for next. We had to move to the carport for that feast... and from the coldroom (and kitchen) we produced:

Salads galore!

And seafood, baby! Prawns and Moreton Bay Bugs.

Mmmm. Moreton Bay Bugs are my all-time favourite seafood.
My mouth is watering just looking at this photo...

Every single morsel got eaten.

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Of course, while the meals are a major part of my Christmas memories, I'm not sure the same can be said for our son...

Methinks this could be one of his mental pictures of the Festive Season...

And this...

For a six-year-old all the Moreton Bay Bugs in the world are no match for a Nintendo DS.

*sigh*

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What was your Christmas highlight?

Silver stars, sterling in-laws, and our Christmas Miracle!

Well hello there!

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I have been a bit absent over the past week - apologies for those seeking regular Ree-like updates from the Bush. I have discovered that having 21 people in one's house over the Christmas period kinda distracts from any regular blogging efforts. In the most chaotic, and yet the nicest possible way!!

You may recall I was a bit like a rabbit caught in the headlights as we hurtled towards December 25 - concerned about the readiness of our home for the onslaught of my husband's family? Well, the house - this enormous rambling weatherboard home we have taken over from my parents - was kinda MADE for this degree of human habitation.
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Four bedrooms were maxed out, kids piled into the sunroom to sleep side-by-side and top-to-toe like excited little (and not-so-little) sardines. Three toilets managed to service the hordes (including the additional 20 people we hosted on Boxing Day! whew!), two bathrooms managed to keep them reasonably clean, one year-old kitchen held up to 8 cooks at once to feed the masses, and one humungous living room provided the dining and indoor entertainment facilities for one and all. We even put our old Quarters (aka The Love Shack!) into action... can't forget the pool and the tennis court (both constructed by my Dad in his younger years) for the cooling-off and wearing-out factors needed for such a gathering! I am ever grateful to those who lived here (and renovated here) before me for such an amazing spot to hostess at.

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Of course, I did try to put my own touches to the event...
'cause Lord knows, nothing is safe when I have a can of silver spray paint in my hot little hands!

Here is a delightful "horse" that 'Salina made with Dash and Violet during her visit earlier in the holidays - ain't he dashin' in silver with black spots? He got to grace the entry garden area with his dappled presence...

And speaking of dappled, here is a little gumleaf and dried 'some other leaf' arrangement at our front door... with a splash of silver to sass things up a little!

And I couldn't forget the gumnuts I started this whole silver-obsession with...
Here they are, alongside some bark gathered by Dash, and spraypainted red.

Anyone seen Snugglepot and Cuddlepie lately?

(check here if you have no idea what I am talking about!)

Anyhoo, as is traditional with my hubby's family, the kids are in charge of tablesetting Christmas Day... here is Cousin T doing a sterling job with the tools at his disposal:

The theme was kinda starry... and surprisingly silver!

See those stars near the crackers? Paddlepop sticks, spraypainted silver, and inscribed in black Nikko with someone's name - our placecards in fact. Is there anything silver paint cannot do?

(Don't answer that!)

And here is the centrepiece mentioned earlier... our major Bush Christmas ornament!

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Of course, it wasn't ALL about the decor...

It was also about the FOOD! Here is my sister-in-law P, preparing the ham with a pineapple glaze...

Sister-in-law K is supervising!

(Actually she was very busy helping... and keeping spirits up in the kitchen with that fabulous smile!)

SIL P is busily reglazing the enormous ham in the BBQ (my oven wasn't big enough!)...
and if you haven't noticed her gorgeous top by now, then I cannot help you! She brings a certain city pizazz to any gathering...

And she can glaze a ham... how does this look?

Mmmmmmmmmm...

Here are my other miracle workers in the kitchen Christmas Day...

On the left looking glamorous in green is sister-in-law A (whom I am currently trying to talk into hosting her own cooking section of this blog - the woman is an artist!) and the Incredible Gwen (hubby's Dad's wife). The latter pulled off the major miracle of our Christmas Day...

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Can you guess what it was?

It wasn't that we managed to get the food on the table on time...

Or that there were enough chairs for all...

Or that we got almost all of the family into the lunchtime photo...

Or that a group of guys looking remarkably like The Wiggles joined our festivities...

Although each of these were minor triumphs.

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No, it has to do with my darling hubby and his famous dislike of sultanas.

He's quite pathological about them.

Fruitcake has never passed his lips.

Curries with sultanas are left untouched on his plate.

I have never ever seen him eat one.

It's the darndest thing.

But on December 25, 2008, at Granite Glen, my husband ate plum pudding!

In shock, I asked what possessed him to try it.
You know what he said?

"Oh, it looked good with the custard.

And I kinda forgot."

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What was your Christmas miracle?

(Other than making it to the end of this post!)

Merry Christmas to all...

Merry Christmas Everyone!

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It is late afternoon here at Granite Glen... the rest of the party are in the pool as a storm threatens and the sun starts to sink in the west. We have had a wonderful day almost all as predicted in my last post - and more. I have cooked and eaten and talked and laughed beyond all expectation... 21 people in one house for a few days can create a lot of noise and washing up! And fun...

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Thanks to my fabulous readers and commenters who have been so sweet throughout 2008. A whole new world has opened to me through this lil' ol' blog... thanks for sharing my love of my part of the world, and my joy in being a parent and a wife.

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May 2009 bring you health, happiness and a reasonable bank balance!

Now, of you will excuse me, I have to collapse for a week or so...

Cheers

BB

Anticipation: Granite Glen Christmas gathering

It is about to be Christmas Eve Down Under.

And while I would never claim to be "all things Aussie", I reckon our brand of festive celebrations for Christmas will be echoed in some way or other in many households across this great land...

Here's is how I expect ours to go down:

We will wake Christmas day early, with children baying to be let at the gleaming be-ribonned parcels stacked around the tree - a pile which has taunted them as it has grown in into a small mountain over the past few of days. Santa sacks will be torn open and loot examined loudly as parents blearily seek coffee (having wrapped and gossiped til the wee hours).

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We will hold the youngsters off the more serious gifts (from family) until breakfast has been had - ham, poached eggs and cooked tomatoes. Adults will finally succumb to escalating nagging around 8am, and the gifts will be sought, identified, torn open, examined and added to the pile in a growing crescendo of noise and shiny paper drifts.

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Once sated by this orgy of (gift) opening, those younger than 18 will head off to various corners of the house or garden to investigate their new treasures. Adults will check on the animals that need attention. GG's current checklist includes two frisky foals...

and one little poddy calf (which is needing some human help to feed) ...

before falling into a pool or collapsing onto a squatters chair on the patio. We will rouse and regather for a coffee and the menfolk will possibly raise the energy for a drive, to check on waters in various paddocks (an excuse to show off the latest work and calves to our once-a-year visitors).

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The women will spend the next few hours happily kitchen-bound, glazing the ham, roasting the leg of pork, whipping up custard for the plum pud (already lovingly made by the allocated pud chef of the crowd) and running crowd control on the ankle-biters. Much discussion of the year's events and the antics of menfolk will accompany this activity.

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Kids will be commandeered from loot piles to set the tables - cobbled together from various un-matched dining and kitchen sets, laid with almost-matching tablecloths, decorated with spray-painted gumnuts and matching silver stars (cleverly constructed from paddlepop sticks) which will double as place settings with hand-inscribed names. We will all finally saddle up to a feast about an hour later than anticipated, thanking the Lord for the fare and hosts for the air-conditioning as the heat shimmers past the doors outside.

Fruit platters with cherries and grapes and nectarines will vie for attention with chocolate delights to finish off the smorgasboard, as chardonnays, beers, iced waters and strong coffees wash them down.

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Adults will at this point beg for a nap, but the kids will hound us until a grown-up agrees to provide the mandatory lifeguard duty, and watch them poolside.

When they are completely waterlogged (and have inhaled big wedges of pink watermelon to lift sugar levels) ...

... the tennis court will beckon.

The pool adult will pass the baton to a revived counterpart, and head for the mattress to recuperate.

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Eating, swimming, eating, drinking, feeding, napping and checking animals, oh, and maybe a little more eating.

We will all be utterly exhausted by about 8pm.

And the house will grow still and quiet and content.

And we will all look a little like this...

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What are your Christmas traditions?

Tis the season... panic or paint?

We are gearing up for Christmas here at Granite Glen... our very first Christmas hosting my husband's family since arriving back in the bush. I am excited and tired and terrified all at the same time. Not that Mr Incredible's family are really scary - just, well, incredible in their own way.

Each and every one of my sisters-in-law have hosted their enormous family gatherings (at both city and bush locations) for Christmas celebrations since we have been married. And each and every one of these girls has outdone themselves. (The photo above is from two years ago, at SIL A's house not too far from here.) They offer immaculate houses and enormous mouth-watering spreads, day after day. I'm talking laying it on bigtime.

Hostesses with the mostest's, if you get my meaning.

(I should also point out that they are all really nice too... can you believe it?)

Last year (my family's 'turn') my brother's wife put on an immaculate display of gourmet hostessing. In her immaculate house.

*sigh*

It was wonderful.

Now it's my turn.

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The first carloads of my hubby's family begin arriving tomorrow. Beginning with my father-in-law and his delightful wife, Gwen. (She has offered to help me get ready. She knows me well. I love her so!).

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And with all this about to take place, am I close to being organised? Is the house spick and span? Are the beds made? Are the goodies I had planned all baked and safely in their tupperware containers? No. Not a bit.

And "why", you ask?

Well, I have been concentrating on the decorations. (And if this doesn't tell you something about my personality, nothing does!). I have been inspired by my own mother - who (at least) one year took some spray paint to some native sprigs of gumnuts and pine cones for her festive decorations. Deciding to play on our Bush Christmas theme (read: trying to take the heat off myself in the less-than-immaculate organisation department) I tracked down some old dried native flowers and some gumnuts from a tree beside the pool. And sprayed silver till my eyebrows went frosty.

What do you think?

Will it make up for a couple of messy bathrooms?

Perhaps if I just do posters of the photos of the gumnuts?

And plaster them over the mess?

How are your Christmas preparations going?

Has the panic set in, or are you relaxed and ready?

And if so, would you like to pop over here with a mop?