The sun was shining

It was a great day yesterday, the sun was shining and even though it was cool, it was one of those days to get a lot of things done. Usually when we come back from camping, we take the linen out and wash it and either put it back in or leave in the house until we are ready to go again but not so yesterday.

We opened the camper up and Warren did a couple of minor adjustments to it, a screw had dislodged from a hinge and he also fixed/amended an extending pole that had needed it for some time. Then we went right thru the camper, airing beds, washing cupboards and floors. Found one of the spare camping chairs had come adrift near the arm rest, Warren asked me if I could sew it on the sewing machine. I said I'd give it a go and presto! it worked, the machine went thru it like a dream and better still, cant even see when it was mended. We washed blankets that we keep in there just in case, probably haven't been used but it was a nice "drying day" as my Mum used to say.

The van even got vaccummed before being packed up again. As I hadn't been sewing for a few days, I continued on that in the afternoon and almost finished a project that I have been working on. There is two in the set and I did one about three weeks ago and the second one was in the state of half done and then sat as I had others things to do but the sewing machine part is done and have some hand sewing to completely finish, that's on today's agenda once I do the barest of housework, (and spend some computer time).

Red PawPaw

I signed up for this last month, it is a company that supplies approx $30 of food to try for only five dollars. It did take awhile to come but I think they were overwhelmed by the amount of people who signed up. We are outside of the area that they delivered to but I was able to use darling Daughter's address and picked up the box yesterday.

Such a lot of food as you can see, there was also a jar of jam and a large tin of Ovaltine, both of those had already made it to the kitchen. Hot ovaltine and a slice of toast with mango jam was just the ticket for afternoon tea. I need to try the products and then send back a survey about them, how easy it that. 

Years and years ago when I was pregnant with first child, the chemist used to supply a new Mum's bag of goodies, one of things in my goody bag was a tin of air freshener, called Glen Fresh, I had never heard of it but forty years on, I still use that (not the same tin of course) so it does work as an advertising ploy (ploy is not the word that I wanted to use because that sounds like something underhanded.

No-one is getting a box this month as they have some things to work out but next one will be delivered in August.

Bike riding at the weekend

Time to head off to the bush for a bit of bush bashing (trail bike riding). We leave at 10.30, (camp opens at 3pm!) morning tea at a place up the road called Moore, I had prepared thermos and we had cake and coffee makings, nice park there just off the road and toilets. Then on to Dalby (we call it Dalby like its spelt but Queenslanders have no clue what we are talking about, they call it Dullby). Anyway, Maccas is there and fuel so we fill tummies and tanks, car bike and a jerry can.

One more hour and we arrive at the camp site approx 3.15pm, yikes there are already about fifty units there, the last time we were there we were about the third to arrive, shaping up to be a big weekend. We head across the paddock to our usual spot, the Pee wee track is just at the back and as Declan was coming and I would be keeping an eye on him it was the ideal place to be.

Twenty minutes and we are sitting down for a cuppa in hand and spend the next couple of hours watching other rigs come in and get set up. The cold is starting to be felt and the sun is getting lower in the sky, time to cook dinner before we lose the light.

I am introduced to the Game of Thrones which we watch while snuggled up in bed, Warren was up to date but I hadnt seen any of them although I did know some of the story as he would watch them in China usually while I was working and it was almost finished so no point in me watching and trying to get up to speed on where it was up to. I had said that I would watch them one time.

People were coming and setting up most of the night it seemed and the next morning there ws a hive of activity when I got out of bed. Toilets were about a hundred metres away so a jacket thrown over my pjs (its easy to be uncomfortable so pjs are packed) and off i set. This place sets the toilets around in different places so we had the choice of three within a hundred metres just depended on which direction one walked. (the closest toilets had several families scattered around it with lots of kids and that was the first one to run out of water).

This little girl spent many hour going on the peewee track, she had all the gear on and the pink fairy wings on her back. Its a little blurred because she was going so fast.

We were able to have contained fires and it was great sitting around "chewing the fat". Saturday night a guy turned up with his portable wood fired pizza van. he would have made a killing, it was a family affair, him, his wif and two young sons. One son was taking order and the money, the other boy was chopping, Mum was preparing and dad was cooking, a very neat operation. We were lucky as ours was made, it apparently caught on another one and he said that he would make another free, cost was $10 and the two pizzas feed the four of us. Didn't taste any different but he wasn't happy but we were.

The boys on their bikes ages from 8 to 63.

While riding, they are all covered except the dirt and dust gets in so there was about a quarter of dirt on his face but he couldnt keep the smile off his dial. Next one is in four weeks time and about the same distance.

Cooking up a storm

I was reading on a forum that I belong to, about banana bread and there were recipes. This was last Sunday and I had the house to myself, as I had some frozen bananas, it seemed a good opportunity to try a new recipe and use up those bananas.

Bananas were rock solid and as I had already turned on the oven I decided to make up one of the cake mixes that I had bought at Costco the day before. Besides, I like to use the oven for a couple of things when I have it going.

Then I realised that we were going camping and I had some loose sausages and one sheet of pastry left and so it goes on.

I ended up making savoury muffins, sausages rolls, meatballs, choc cake (had to use a baking tray) and finally the banana bread was the last thing in the oven. Warren didnt really get lunch but he was happy as he had a taste of everything that I made. As we are getting reading to go camping now, I have to find where I tucked the goodies away. Costco's choc chip cake was/is good, six packets in a box and  worked out to be about two dollars or so for one and only had to add one egg so not expensive at all. It is quite rich so a small square is plenty. Warren has ordered some to take to tennis for mornos next week.

An hour with Hoges

This was an advertised TV program and as we grew up with Paul Hogan on our TV, we knew it would be a good laugh (and it was).

Shane Jacobson was the host or interviewer and a few years go they did a movie together called Charlie and Boots, a very good movie with lots of great Aussie scenery. The two took off on a trip north after the father had lost his wife and almost his will to live. The son packed him up and they set off on a massive trip.

Shane Jacobson is also a comedian (He played, directed etc etc the movie Kenny)and he grew up listening to Paul Hogan strut his stuff.

Hoges (of crocodile Dundee fame)made his mark on a show called New Faces, they invited people on to sing dance whatever they felt they could do to entertain the masses then the judges would insult them and belittle them. Paul was one of the crew who painted the Sydney harbour Bridge and they were discussing one day over smoko and wanted to show up the show for what it was, Paul was selected to try out for it.

He wrote to them and said that he was toe tapping, darts throwing singer (that wasnt quite right but something along those lines, totally ridiculous!) he was asked to come on and there was footage and he won! They liked the crap that went along with his non act.

He went on to be a stand up comedian and had several alter egos over his years and then of course he did the movies. He mentioned that much of the media slammed him for walking out on his wife and kiddies, he said that was laughable as his kids were adults when his marriage broke down. He went on to tell a story about one of his kids who turned up at his door with a duffle bag and said "congratulations, dad you have won custody of me" he was twenty six at the time.

At the end of the interview, he was taken to the Opera house to do "A night with Hoges" and he did a two hour comedy routine, he's now 74 years of age and still an Aussie Ocker. onya Hoges.

Miegunyah House and Newstead House

Today was the bus trip and thankfully everything went well. It is always a bit of a worry when one is organizing something for a group of other people that something might go wrong.

This is the house and it is in an older part of Brisbane built and owned by the Perry family it was sold in 1922 including furniture. During the war years it was owned by the Defence Department supposedly for Officers R & R but apparently they were planning secret mission and was known as Z force. The house is now owned by The Queensland Women' Historical Association and display many pieces of furniture and household goods that would have been used a hundred or more years ago.

Most of us remembered many of the things and could relate some stories about them, such as Velvet soap in a soap basket. A couple of us are from Sth Aussie and so it was Velvet soap but to the rest it was known as Sunshine soap. We floored them when we mentioned stobie poles, lots of head shaking (A stobie pole is an Electricity pole)

A good day was had by all (well I hope) the weather was beautiful, most people elected to buy their lunch and there was a small cafe a short walk from Newstead home and they were apparently brilliant with getting everyone served in very short time. 

Some of our Red Hat Group waiting for the bus to take us home.

Shopping at Costco

Costco opened down the road last month (actually in May as we are now in July), we dropped in on our way down south the day after it opened. After waiting in line for about 30 minutes to join up as a member (costs $60 a year to shop there) we decided to leave and sign up on-line.

Warren signed up on-line a couple of weeks later and one Saturday we called in on our way home to collect our cards. If we both want a card, we both have to go the first time to show that we have the same address and get our photos taken. That time we got to the lights and cars were banked up from there, still about a kilometre or more to the car park so we continued home again, thank goodness we hadnt made a special trip.

I intended to shop on Monday but as I hadn't shopped for a month and there were a few things that we needed, we went Saturday afternoon. It was slow going to get into the car parks and then we were trolling to get a park, luckily we saw someone pulling out not too far away so only had a hundred metres to walk to the entrance.

We saw the line up for new members and felt a bit smug as we had done ours on line, however we had to line up as well to get the phones done, thankfully our line was only half as long, but they were taking alternate from new members and people collecting their cards. It was interesting to watch and see what people were buying and it helps to pass the time as well.

Finally we were at the front of the line and had our phones taken, very attractive of course, in B&W on another plastic and then we could enter the hallowed doors!

It was all white good at first and we took some time to find the food, eggs were the first thing I bought, 30 for $6.59 and usually I pay around $4 for a dozen, I wanted some chicken and mince, got chicken drumsticks, they were packaged  three and then in packs of three so nine in all for $6.99, again pretty good price. Mince was premium at $6.99 and smallest amount to buy was 3 kilos, I cooked some for dinner Saturday night, made tacos and there was very little fat so a bonus.

On my list I did have toilet paper, the cheapest package was about $38 but it held 70 rolls, probably a years supply, as I had several rolls, I crossed them off my list. Toothpaste and soap were in packs of three large and eighteen bars so we are set for them for awhile.

We got out of there with a full trolley and $290 less in the bank account and both freezers are full. There were still a few things on my list that I didn't get, don't know if they didn't have them or we just didn't see them, there were thousands of people there and it was definitely only one way traffic inside the store.

Long life milk and yoghurt pouches are things that we use all the time nd I had to go and pick them up yesterday. On the way home at our little corner store, we got fresh milk but after a day it tasted "on the turn" so using it for cooking. Many many years ago Warren and I both both go sick on off milk and now we are very sensitive to milk and so we tend to use the UHT milk or cardboard milk as Warren calls it, never been sick off that, plus it doesnt need to be refrigerated until opened..