It's a Wilderness and It's in My Backyard!

Over the last few months I have been to wildlife sanctuary's, zoo's, been down the Great Ocean Road and seen koalas in the wild for the first time in my life as well as echidnea's. Kangaroos ate out of my hand and wild king parrots landed on my shoulders to feed. Its all been magical really. I have had to pay to see some and travel miles and miles for others. Today however was a 10 minute drive from my brothers to the local golf course and it was wild. Literally. There was lazy kangaroo's languishing in the shade all over the course. Flocks of galas and cockatoos, lorikeets and ducks (even baby duckings waddling around the 9th hole below the bunker). We also had about a million fruit bats hanging from every branch available along one edge of the course. Some of the kangaroos looked like ground keepers observing the players with disdain. Most looked like models stretched out under jacaranda trees, pouting and postulating looking like they have just asked for diet water from a waiter and been rudely rebuffed- I have decided that kangaroos have very strange potruding anuses. I know, not something you really wanted to hear but its the truth and apart from that they are perhaps one of the most graceful and beautiful animals on this planet. My brother mark has promised me a kangaraoo vindaloo before I leave (I know I am evil aren't I).

Where Do The Children Play

Yesterday I slept badly. The weather was hot, the air still and my thoughts restless. I woke in the middle of the night uncomfortable and so aware of the stillness in the night. It was 2.30am, and I was not sure whether the window was open as the air was - well there wasn't any. I got up and approached the window and sure enough the window was wide open but no wind at all to circulate. As I stood there contemplating a cold shower, a poo, mastturbation or continued restless and uncomfortable sleep I thought of the futility of time and the time I was wasting in Australia when I could be studying in New York or something else that would be beneficial for my career. Then I remembered the fact that the two children sleeping in the nearby bedrooms would only have a few more days with their uncle before he heads off and thought this is all worth it as I will sadly miss so much of their formative years. We had DVD's to watch and Wii games to play and the pool to swim in and other activities to look forward to in the morning. I showered and had a colonic movement. Felt slightly better and tried to sleep again.

Morning broke and the kids already had a movie playing before breakfast. After breakfast they wanted more DVD's but I encouraged them to go for a swim before their eyeballs went square. We played water fights and then chase. Soon I was Patrick Duffy performing all sorts of aqua manouvers, outrunning or catching, it was great fun. When exhaustion was achieved I crawled out of the pool and got changed and no sooner had I retreated to the house, the kids opted for another film. It is difficult for them, what with school holidays lasting an age. Its too hot for them to enjoy outdoor activities for more then a few minutes. I had taken them to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo on one of the hottest days of summer so far and although their excitment can distract them for a considerable time the heat slowly sucked all the fun out of the day by the end and the kids where saying "can we go now" as I slowly dragged them to the front gates in a catatonic state myself. Good parenting skills shown that day!

I had plenty of things to do in the afternoon and felt a bit guilty to leave them behind but their Mum was taking them to the coast Sunday so they would have things to do later. Presently I was rushing off to dinner with another brother for a metre long pizza and then the football at Suncorp Stadium. The football was great and although my brother thinks by wearing non colours at the game he is a talisman of luck for the Roar (Queensland's football team), I think it might be me that's the good luck talisman, as they have been unbeaten since I arrived and the last two games I saw at the stadium they have won. 3 to 1 last night and a hatrick to Van Dijk. Speaking of football, my own team back in the UK, Arsenal won against Hull City and I was fortunate enough to have been woken by my brother at 3.30am to watch it (did that sound sarcastic - it was meant to be). I bet I wake this morning at the same time as this is habit forming even though I am exhausted. Well its cooled off tonight and there is no football, so it will only be for toilet matters or masturbation. Or Both!

Lets Whip Up A Storm!

Friday was Thai Curry night, I was collecting bits and pieces for the dinner throughout the week and in between moments of extreme heat and diving into the pool for some form of relief I slowly began to prepare dinner. I started with a Thai Carrot Salad, with carrots of course, grated and spring onion and sultanas and a chilli. This dish can be far spicier if you want and the sultana's always take the edge off it. I then added coriander and parsley and huge dollop of fish sauce and some honey. I have done it before with extra chilli in the form of tabasco sauce and some cumin powder. I also grated a small amount of lemon grass into the salad for extra flavour. Next was time for another swim - boy it was hot yesterday and today seems to be warming up in similar fashion. I am sitting here covered in a light coat of sweat from head to foot like I have just passed through a steam machine. I think a swim after this will be in order as well. I cooked the Chicken Green Curry in a slow cooker (the one Lyn used a few days before to cook the silverside. We were not too sure how it would work but thought the process would achieve similar results just over a longer cooking time. The great thing about this is you can just add all the ingredients in at once and Bob's your uncle. Leave it all to its own devices. So Thai Green Curry Paste, with coconut milk, chicken, roughly chopped onions, garlic, a good helping of coriander and parsley, roughly chopped lemon grass so you can notice it before biting into it, chillies, some dried shitake mushrooms, which I had softened in hot water 30 mins before (don't forget to use the water in your curry for the flavour is all in the water). Add snow peas at the end of the cooking process and if you can find them Chinese artichokes (little pea like vegetables that suck up the juice and explode in your mouth). I then used the left over shitake mushrooms, chopped up some bok choy and stir fried it in a frypan with oyster sauce, a little fish sauce and some thai sweet chillie sauce, together with some ginger and garlic. MMMMM yum yum. Rice in a rice cooker with some coconut milk and the whole feast was a delight for the senses. We all ate heartily and washed it down with refreshing Sol beers and lemon (we had run out of lime) and a bottle of Ned's savignon blanc. I think I am ready to eat it all over again having just described it all. There was enough left overs for a feast again today so may do just that. Off to the football tonight at Suncorp Stadium and a few days at my other brothers (Golf on Sunday). So while I sweat away in front of this computer I shall say adeiu once again and hopefully have more stories to tell you over the next few days. My golf on the Wii is far better the my golf on a real course but looking forward to the excercise. Drank way too much and eating far too much these last few weeks. Have to put myself on an excercise regime next lifting beers with my left hand for a while instead of my right I think! Speak soon dear reader.

Dazza

Let Me Entertain You!

Well the last couple of days have been a wurlwind. Went to my mates Thursday and saw Slumdog Millionaire, which was fabulous and deserves a best film nomination at the Oscars this year but may be overlooked by more Hollywood fair, as its gritty and alive and a bit too real for Oscar. This was followed by a play in my mates pool with his two adorable children, me doing the ubiquitous monster, chasing and throwing and spinning the kids around to screams of delight. We all swallowed way too much pool water, which I am now blaming for the way I felt the next morning - after drinking about 20 JD and cokes and singing my lungs out at the local kareoke. Yes it was kareoke night and we all knew how the night would play out. I arrived at the pub and helped my mate set up (so much gear for a kareoke night - I was quickly getting intimidated). There was a bloody stage for christ sakes - this was no tin pot affair - we were going for Idol re-enactments. I started to squirm in my seat. I needed alcohol and fast. The beer was taking too long to drink, even though it was low carb for my figure, so I switched to old faithful JD and diet coke. I scrolled through the song lists - Damn - No Robbie Williams, Feel. Whenever you decide to embarrass yourself with a night of kareoke you must start with a song that you feel comfortable with, so that sliding down that slippery slope into embarrassment hell seems acceptable. I procrastinated, I moaned and lamented and then I wrote down about 15 song requests like a lunatic eager for his lobotomy. I murdered the first song "Hotel California" singing in a droll tone completely off key, but strangely got applause (they mock you with their false appraise to place you into a strange sense of security). I then went onto to sing a John Cougar Mellancamp song and followed that with Robbie's "Angels" and now I was on top of the world. I was the new Idol singer, nothing could stop me, born with a new sense of freedom I sang songs I never would have dreamed off and joined in with the ever intoxicated crowd to sing along to my mate singing "Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again" - "No Way, Get Fucked, Fuck OFF". Apparantly I danced like a loon to renditions of "It's Raining Men" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" (I learnt this as I was leaving my mates house the next morning. Tail firmly between legs - reputation bruised and sullied).
So despite being cautious I was no match for the JD lubricating my ego and making me feel like a superstar. I am only pleased that I did not drop my pants on stage or writhe erotically and suggestively to stupid lyrics, which it has been known that I have succumbed previously in my time. Thank god for small favours huh!

Truthful Allusions - Self Proclaimed Mcarthyism

So I have been at writting my blog for a week now and had encouragement from friends and family far and near. I have struggled with technology but I now have jumped that hurdle, this software has an autosave and I had no idea where it was saving to but I am hip with it now. I have managed to blog with a general foodie theme in each, although this will be developed especially as I get involved full time. In the meantime I have to make do with events in my life at present (still in lazy bum mode on holiday in Australia), eeeking out interesting stories and views from the mundane. What I didn't think I would be doing this early in the juncture if at all was to censor myself from my free, open, honest and frank vision of expression. Remember my first blog - you will not be seeing the expegated version. It was gonna be warts and all. Not that anything has happened yet that god forbid I might be embarrassed about or would shock my mother into a nunery. Although, should it, could I muster the courage to say what I want. I am opening myself to the world, not individual readers and why should I be worried about how I am perceived by others. Surely the pleasure I may acheive in writing these blogs is because I can write from my heart knowing its me and I am proud of who I am.
So before I go any further I must first of all banish this Mcarthy fellow in my head. I will not be painting pictures that I think you dear reader will want to read but rather my pictures and whether or not you like what you see and read then you can be the sole judge and jury of your own conscience and decide to read on or not.
Care not I that you may decide to take this journey with me. I am already on it and freedom of expression is one of the last great bastions in this scary world full of political correctness, terrorism, religious fervour, and sadly, ready cooked meals. I have just been talking with a friend back in the UK who has now also decided to take up this blogging idiom and we both agree that we can create code for the things we may want to hide from eyes not adjusted to worlds which may shock or offend. But telling the truth through metaphor and clever disguise - is this not a lie in itself about what we are doing or saying. Too right and if the shoe fits or poetic tryptich works, use it I say! So my description of a wine or a tasty dish might indicate a woman or a mood I am in. Or a woman I am describing may only be a metaphor for a full bodied pinot noir. It may be food porn, real porn, wishful thinking or just plain poor writing. I will not let on and not apologise for any of it - with the exception of poor writing.
So Kareoke session with my mate tommorrow and Thai curry on Friday - read into that what you will. I will be sure to update you all as and when. Until then goodnight.
Dazza

Wasting Time!

Wasting Time! Yesterday was a non event. I woke up and wrote my blog and apart from the computer glich, which saw me lose a whole blog and have to write it all over again, the morning worked out pretty well. There was discussion that we would have guests over in the evening and I offered to make a Thai curry. I was left to my own devices for the rest of the morning and I answered the phone to the supposed guests of that evening to find out that they were otherwise engaged (going to watch the 20 / 20 cricket live at the Gabba - much to Lyn's jealous chagrin). So I felt kinda dissapointed that I would not be cooking, but I promised myself I would go into the shops later to shop for bits for a dinner party later in the week. Whilst at the shops I thought I would scan the sales, not that I needed anything or even should be spending my money, but for something to do and I thought I would catch a film.
Now, 'The Tale of Despereaux' was on at 11.30am and Lyn and the kids were, I assumed somewhere in the shops I was currently in. However I had an intuitive thought that perhaps she would be otherwise busy being harrassed by two bored children, whilst she tried to get them kitted out in new shoes for the upcoming new school year. Besides I had already checked out the film schedules and wanted to see 'Twilight'. What's a grown man doing wanting to go see a pubescent vampire love story for, I hear you ask. Well there was plenty of screaming teenagers in the cinema, which annoys me beyond belief (they dont know how to shut up even after the film begins - "you know Billy tried to finger me behind Macdonalds last week" - pretty crude huh! However, there was also plenty of single women in their 30's who all clocked me as I sat down (ego talking!) - probably thinking "bloody weirdo - looks like a peado to me!" - bloody charming. Well the film was rather enjoyable, I knew it was going to be full of sexual tension between teens but it actually was slightly more clever than I would have first given it credit for. Nicely acted and well filmed. So the future installments will be much anticipated (much like the Harry Potter series). After the film, I ambled amongst the shoppers and lamented my homeless condition (as I am always wanting to buy things and have nowhere to put em). I should be sticking to 20 kg's of clothes and paraphenalia and I keep buying DVD's and CD's and new clothes. My latest acquisition even though I promised myself I wouldn't (I actually walked in and out of the shop twice), was a copy of the director's cut for Tropic Thunder. I just love Robert Downey Jr's performance in that film. So much so that I felt merely renting the DVD for another viewing would only wet my apetite for watching it again and again. As for the mesmerizingly foul mouthed Tom Cruise performance - for critics that think he is talentless and I know you are out there (he's up for a Rasberry this year) "Go fuck your own face!"
I tend to watch a film I like several times with the excuse that I am presenting it to others for their enjoyment. "Brother come watch this film you will love it" - you know, that sort of thing.

Well, eventually I dragged myself away from the shops, did my food shopping and headed home to my brothers. They were home and drinking a beer on the deck. Gorgeous! Later we cracked open a bottle of Monkey Bay Chardonnay. I'm telling you I am kinda hooked. Lovely grapefruit overtones and beautifully smooth. Gonna do a whole blog on that winemaker shortly. Lyn had put a piece of Silverside beef in the slow cooker with vinegar, cloves and bay leaves and we heated up the leftover gargantuan pan of roasted veggies from the night before. Having not made a bread sauce which is traditional for silverside I opted for a wild concoction of Mark's home made chilli pickle with sour cream and dijon mustard. Woweee it worked a treat and we settled down to watch the Ozzies eeek out another victory in the 20 / 20 series, this time at the Gabba.
Another great day in paradise!
Dazza

Different but the Same!

I just wrote a long blog and thinking all was safe, pressed the button for publishing it and little did I realise that my 3 wireless broadband had died on me. This resulted in the catastrophic event that my blog was lost. Must remember to save. A lesson learned is ummmm a lesson that really hurt!!!

I shall start again and try and remember all the funny and amazingly insightful quips I had written. The pessimistic outlook I have for such sucess means I fear my memory for such witty play will be mediocre at best, so please dear reader, imagine the coruscatingly brilliant prose that you should be reading right now and feel for me. Feel for me!

Where was I .....
I met up with a good friend of mine yesterday for the first time in around 18 years and you would think that the distance of time between such meetings would have severed any connection we once had as mates. "We are different but the same" - it was agreed between the two of us. He has a lovely wife and two smashingly goregously cute children (destined for kid modelling jobs - to feed the parent's hugely expensive drug habits - jokes!). He has not travelled and managed to change his career ages ago (we met both working in banking) and I feel he has had a very interesting and creative life since - although you can tell he yearns for a shot at the creative big time, which must only be just around the corner. I shall encourage where I can, which means I will see him rise in sucess while I languish in creative limbo (always happens I tell you!). I, on the otherhand, travelled the world, whilst maintaining a career in banking to support my expensive lifestyle. When I realised how hollow and futile that dream was, I moved on. But his creative juices have been flowing for far longer than mine I feel and have cultivated themselves into far better ideas. I am rambling - what I meant to say is that we are both so different and yet still retain some of that sameness that made us good mates all that time ago. Different but same! Which surprisingly meant our meeting was not droll and infused with awkward silences and discussions on the state of the world ecomony and the weather. Our conversation was spikey and fun and full of banter about film, food, comedy and music. We had similar likes and dislikes and our conversation rolled off the tongue like rather good duet kareoke singers, entertaining patrons in a cool bar. Bad metaphor, I hear you gasp, but it leads me to the point that I have agreed to meet again this Thursday for a kareoke night - I invited myself along more like, with eagerly anticipatory excitement that only a crack cocaine addict might feel. Cut to evening, poor lighting and a load of drunken misfits and my wailing voice emitting from a speaker in the corner whilst women moan and children in their beds in nearby homes have inexplicable nightmares. Well let me embarrass myself in front of my long lost mate if I wanna.
We went off to Tambourine Mountain to attempt some male bonding (a break for Dan from his family holiday) and we had lunch in the Eagle Heights Hotel. A bar, restaurant and hotel on the top of a mountain overlooking the entire Gold Coast. It used to be owned by Mel Gibson back in the day I lived here and it sadly has seen better days. I think the staff all needed a slap to wake them from their stupified fugue states, which sadly have infected the whole establishment. But despite that I feel it is amazing how much an ordinary meal of rib eye steak, chips and salad can taste so inexplicably nicer when in good company and in a fabulous locale. We later ventured further into the heart of Tambourine Mountain to Gallery Walk, to perhaps buy a little treat for Dan's wife. So we attempted to not look like a gay couple strolling down touristville looking in souvenir shops and looking for chocolates and fudge going ooooh and aahh. We settled on a chocolate shop at the end of the street, which had a heavenly huge selection of hand made chocolates. I saw out of the corner of my eye a stand displaying a selection of chocolates from the Cocoa Farm , they announced themselves as "wine chocolate" (now we're talking) and if I can manage to ship some to my mate Neil in London I am sure they will knock his socks off. Its dark and milk chocolate teamed with juicy vine fruit infused with fragrant Australian wines. I opted for one of each of course. The Pinot Noir was first to be tasted and it had a strong robust pinot flavour. My hands trembled as I opened the shiraz - oh my wordy lordy me! I was positively drooling by the time I opened the merlot. I even tried a mango, lime and chilli one which was delicious but was not spicy enough and left me wanting more of the wine chocolate. We settled our transactions with the grace of too men in a chocolate store (feeling ten again) and "yes can we have seperate bags, we are not together!" and "noooo.... I would love the bright purple bag thanks" - sooooo not gay!
Yesterday, I promised my brothers kids that I would cook dinner and they could have their favourite meal. More fool me - that meant I cooked three dinners last night. Calamari in a light breaded crust infused with lemon thyme and chives with roast potatoes for Brent and pasta with a light creamy cheese sauce for Alex. I then attempted to impress my brother with my baked barramundi steaks in a Balmain Bug and ginger sauce (although I swapped bugs for scallops - which worked I must add) and it went down a treat. Finishing off the whole meal with a massive tray of roasted vegetables (so Lyn could have her brussel sprouts - her favourite veggie) Mark could have his potatoes and Brent could have his broccolli and Alex her carrots. Note to self - never start a conversation about favourite foods with people. We all ate way too much (including the garlic foccacia bread) and sat swollen on the coach later watching Top Gear which was hugely entertaining. I got many complimentary comments and requests for free meals at my future restaurant so I think my stomach was not the only thing swelling last night - my now big head needed something more dietary this morning so I whipped up a blueberry, rasberry, mango and bananna smoothie for everyone this morning so now I am set for the day.

I am hoping to whip up a thai meal for guests tonight so stay tuned.
Dazza