Sunday Lunch

The Sunday Lunchers came to my place yesterday, for an Epiphany lunch. It was also my first lunch party of 2025.

It was hot!

I didn't take any photos, although I wish I had remembered to take a picture of our entree. I made small Yorkshire puddings (I had intended to make slightly bigger ones but the oil wasn't hot enough when I poured the batter into my larger tray and I had to default to Plan B, which was the smaller ones). When they were cooked I cut a lid off the top, then I spread some pate over the bottom, topped with buttered leeks, then thinly sliced, rare beef fillet. I put a little red wine reduction (thank you, Maggie Beer) over the top and then put the lid back on. They were very cute and very tasty.

We had turkey slices in a garlic and cheese sauce with roast potatoes and green vegetables for our main, and a deconstructed pavlova for dessert - berries and mango in the trifle bowl, topped with whipped cream,  small meringue circles and chocolate sauce.

It was all very delicious and the company was excellent.

A good afternoon and a good start to the year.

A cold change blew in overnight. From a top yesterday of around 36/37d, today's top is forecast to be 19 in Mount Helen. It is very dark this morning and we have some welcome, heavy rain.

I wish I had thought to bring the clothes horse inside yesterday evening. I am not much inclined to go out and bring it inside right now!

I am heading down to Melbourne later today. It's forecast to be around 24d there. I might take a light jumper anyway

Sliding into 2025

I have had a slow and gentle start to the year. An improvement on last year - I didn't wake up with covid, or any other ailment.

Lindsey, Emily and I went shopping on Thursday. We went to Kmart , the pharmacy and a few shops in Stocklands. I collected some cushion inserts from Spotlight and some soda stream bottles from Big W. Emily bought some baby clothes. We went to Bunnings, where I had bought a gate and a couple of gate posts a few days before. I needed something to stick the gate posts down with.

I can home with liquid nails, which I don't think is going to be robust enough. I really need some cement, although I don't need 20 kg of cement mix and the bloke in Bunnings assures me that you can't buy pre-mixed stuff. I was fairly sure that you could. And indeed you can. But when I looked online, you have to get it from the UK for an extra $60 postage, or from Japan for nearly $100 extra in postage.  I knew I had seen tubs of pre-mixed cement/concrete. I just hadn't realised it was probably in B&Q and not in Bunnings!

I believe you can buy 500g tins of cement mix in Bunnings. I'll have a look the next time I am there.

I am making slow but reasonably steady progress in the front and back yards, mostly the front. It is quite hot today but I am going to have a bash, later this afternoon, at tidying up the front porch. It could do with a bit of attention. I am planning to move a lot of the stuff that is waiting to have things done with it into the Junk Room, formerly known as the Garage. There's a bloke coming later in January to have a look at the garage door - if he can fix it,  I'll sort out the garage so I can get the car in. I can feel a skip coming my way!

I haven't finished putting down the red mulch. I ran out of bags and of weed mat (I don't remember when I started that little project, but it was a long time ago!) I bought more of both and carried on, but I think I may need at least one more bag of red mulch. And the veg beds need a little light weeding. However, the veg seems to be thriving, although the silver beet could do with replacing. They're beginning to go to seed.

Front porch at night:

Lindsey and I went out to Elaine on New Year's Day. The Farmgate shop has opened its annual pick-your-own sunflower paddock. I did not venture out into the paddock. Fortunately, they have been out and picked some sunflowers on our behalf.  I grabbed these from a bucket out the front:

I do like sunflowers.

Emily, Andre and the children are back in Vancouver. Freyja and Simon, on the other hand, are in Barcelona for the night. They were in Paris yesterday and are moving on to Seville tomorrow and thence to Lisbon for a few nights, where Tabitha will join them. I would quite like to go to Lisbon. I've never been to Portugal. but perhaps not this week. I have quite a busy schedule coming up. I don't think I have time for a jaunt to Lisbon!