by Krista | Jan 4, 2012 | Compatriot Wednesday
Yesterday dawned clear as a bell and hotter than blazes as Bear and I hopped in the ute and headed off into the wilds of of Queensland bush country just outside our home turf of the Darling Downs.
We headed to a sprawling sheep station run by Alan, a grazier we’d met a week or so ago at the Warwick Pig and Calf Sale . In addition to sheep, he also has a large herd of goats and we paid a visit to see if there were any good females and babies we could add to our goat family.
We knew we were getting close when the thick bush changed into rolling hills dotted with sheep and goats happily grazing or snoozing in the shade of the gum trees.
As we pulled into the yard near the house, I could hardly believe my eyes: a log house?! In Australia?!! I’m used to seeing such dwellings in the pine forests of Northern Canada, but it was the last thing I expected to see on an Australian sheep station.
Alan’s daughter welcomed us and took us across the flagstone entry and into the cool, shady interior. Walking barefoot over the smooth wood floors and into the expansive kitchen with huge wood stove made me want to move right in. And when I swiveled around in my seat and saw the wide, wrap-around porch? Well, I was smitten. 🙂
Alan arrived a few minutes later, taking a break from sheep-shearing to show us around.
I loved the water tower encased in clapboards and bordered by huge flowering bushes.
AND I loved the white-painted windows that pushed open to catch the breeze.
All too soon we had to leave my new dream house and head out to the pens to choose our newest goat family members.
Alan and Bear picked out six goats – four sturdy mamas and two sprightly babies. I learned what to check for when choosing a good goat, and what are minor issues easily solved. I learned what medicine to use and how to apply it and am now the nurse for any basic maladies our goats may get. It feels good to learn these things and not be intimidated anymore. 🙂
We got our girls and younguns loaded, then stood around awhile shooting the breeze before we shook hands and headed home.
No trip to a sheep station is complete without a stop at a real Australian roadhouse for a cuppa. We stopped at the Gore Roadhouse and indulged in iced coffees, iced chocolates, and chips with gravy. Mmm, everything tasted so good eaten on the shady porch out of the blistering afternoon sunshine.
After the last bit of ice cream was slurped up we hollered our thanks through the screen door and headed home with our goats.
It was a good day.
What is your favorite treat after a long day of outdoor labor?
by Krista | Dec 21, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
As promised, here is a Christmasy post from my dear friend and fellow food, travel, and life-lover, Breanne from The Vintage Box.
***************************
It was borne from an evening of brainstorming. We were farm sitting way out in rural Alberta; very cheap rent but far from any friends or family. Christmas was coming and our loneliness brought to life the idea of hosting a holiday party. But it had to be a little different than just exchanging gifts and enjoying Christmas baking.
And then we landed on it.
We would host a Book Party.
And so it was, that in the winter-land of Eastern Alberta, the first Book Party proper was held. It featured a full on coffee bar where guests could choose anything from eggnog lattes to peppermint hot chocolate, from straight up espresso to everything else in between. The table was laden with sweet and savory contributions like fruit studded Christmas bread and homemade elk sausage.
We sat around the crackling wood stove, sipping from hot mugs and enjoying deep conversation centered around the books that had been brought and exchanged.
The next year found us living in Montreal, Quebec. We got together with a few friends and the second Book Party was held, this time featuring homemade doughnuts. Everyone gathered in the kitchen, eating the hot glazed doughnuts made from a family recipe. We heaped our plates with vegetables, baguette spread with goat cheese and olive tapenade, filled our mugs with hot apple cider and retreated to the living room. Curled up on the soft couch and chairs, we discussed books, music, culture, and food. Originally all from Alberta, the Book Party again met our need for companionship in a home away from home. Everyone left with a new book to read and invigorated by the conversations.
This year, we were gathered in our very own hobbit hole, as I affectionately refer to our basement suite, back in Alberta’s capital city, Edmonton.
Every available surface was twinkling and glowing with the mystical atmosphere of candles and rich cider filled the air with a decidedly Christmas aroma. There was a definite British flair present with a Christmas cake brimming with raisins and almonds, yummy balls (a concoction of Caramilk chocolate, malt biscuits, and condensed milk), shortbread and apple pastries. We filled our glasses with homemade eggnog and munched on sweet potato rounds topped with goat cheese and cranberry compote. And to add a whimsey touch, I made little penguins out of cream cheese, olives and carrots. They were an absolute hit, and not only provided table decoration, but something unique to nosh on.
Each guest brought a book and piled it on the coffee table. Then we went around in a circle, and introduced the book to the group. Next was a fun exchange of the books. Each one would pick a book from the table or could even ‘steal’ it from one of the other guests. Books flew around the room until finally everyone had settled on a new book to take home, and had accumulated a long list of books that they now wanted to read!
The candles were burned low by the time the last guest left, the luminaries on the walk long since burned out, and we left the kitchen clean up for the morning, tired and very happy with the success of our evening, and looking forward to the anticipation of what next year would bring.
******************************
Click here to read more from Breanne, including her most recent post: “Deep Breaths and Apple Butter”
What is the best Christmas party you’ve ever been to?
by Krista | Dec 7, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
September mornings in the old town part of Vogogna, Italy are wonderfully dark and quiet.
The darkness is not from lack of sunlight, but from the inevitable shade created when tall, stone buildings rub shoulders with each other, towering over the narrow cobbled streets that keep them from knocking heads with the buildings across the way.
It’s a lovely kind of darkness, soft and gentle. The thick stone walls of the aged homes muffle any sounds from within, and the streets are still save for the occasional workmen whistling as he passes.
I loved those mornings spent in a wonderful old house where I was staying with some amazing women writers – Margo, Katy, Kate, and Kathy. I loved waking up before everyone else, wrapping a pashmina snuggly around my shoulders and walking barefoot down steep stone steps worn smooth from generations of barefoot wanderers like me.
One morning a few of us decided to gather outside in the newly discovered courtyard out back for breakfast and brainstorming.
The courtyard had been hiding behind a lace covered doorway in the kitchen, and there were gasps of delight when we creaked open the door and found it there just waiting to be occupied by the chatter of women and the smell of a hot breakfast.
I’m at my best first thing in the morning, so I took on breakfast duty and was soon bustling about brewing coffee, cracking eggs, and sauteing spinach with sun-dried tomatoes over the big gas stove.
Minutes later all was ready and we took our seats on cheery red striped cushions and tucked in. Mmm, it felt so good to wrap chilled fingers around steaming mugs of coffee, and the piping hot fried eggs on savory spinach nests warmed our insides and fortified our brains.
It was a leisurely meal with frequent stops to exclaim at this cheery pot of flowers or that wonderfully weathered window shutter. We waved at our Italian neighbors who were amused by our cluster of foreign ladies chatting happily over breakfast in a back alley.
It is nearly impossible not to get inspired in such a delightful hideaway, and as soon as breakfast was over we pushed our plates aside and hauled out notepads, pens, and other accoutrements. We talked and listened, learning much from each other’s areas of expertise. The little courtyard was filled with the sounds of scratching pens and flipping pages as we filled line after line with ideas for stories, books, and articles. We cheered each other on as we wrestled through fears and doubts, and hurrahed when solutions were reached and decisions made.
As writers, so much of our work is done in solitude, quiet hours spent gathering and organizing information and sifting through words to find just the right ones for each job. As much as we love it, such a life can be isolating and lonely, and it was immeasurably comforting to spend the morning together commiserating, challenging, and inspiring each other.
All too soon it was over. Pens capped, notebooks closed, computers turned off.
We stretched and sighed, laughed and stood up to clear the table.
After all the brain work it was time for a walk.
What do you do to inspire yourself in your work?
by Krista | Dec 3, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
Hi luvs! Is your weekend off to a good start?
Mine’s been a bit rough, but things are getting better today. 🙂 Turns out my issues with mold and Ecoli I had in Washington weren’t fully resolved and have resurrected with a vengeance. Docs have me on four meds now and hopefully I will start feeling better soon.
In the meantime I’m counting up some good things in my life: like my friend Ann bringing her Christmas turkey over for a visit. 🙂 And this little green frog who watched me contentedly while I swept the porch. And two baby goslings toddling about the goose pen.
If you have to be sick, rural Queensland has got to be one of the most beautiful places to do it in. 🙂
Bear took me for a drive the other day and pulled into The Mill Outlook for a cuppa. Just getting out of the car presented a feast for the eyes.
I love the flowering bushes and trees they have here. Such wonderful blossoms in vivid purple, fuschia and red.
We thought it was just a pretty spot for a coffee shop, but it turns out The Mill Outlook is much more than that. Next door to the Settler’s Cafe is a rural center and hobby farm filled with all sorts of farmyard critters waiting to be adopted and taken to a new home.
I love the fluffy white chickens who look like they’re wearing Russian fur hats on their heads, and the adorable nearly featherless fellow who trotted around as if he looked like a million dollars.
We couldn’t pass up a few additions to the farmyard so we got a couple of ducklings and a male and female Belgian.
Then it was time to get out of the hot sun and sit down with a cold drink. My favorite Aussie cold drink is an iced coffee – lusciously creamy and decadent, not too sweet but with plenty of strong coffee flavor. Mmm. I know it’s not the most ideal thing to have when you’re sick, but sometimes you just need a little treat to make life special.
It was such a nice surprise to discover this place. A truly lovely spot along the highway to pull in for a break, sit in the shade and enjoy the view, the chickens, and the occasional baby goat who may wander up for a scratch.
After I got home, I stared at a huge bowl full of ripe, juicy plums – a gift from my friend Ann – and wondered what on earth to do with them. Then I remembered a German dish I had tried years before, a cold fruit soup, and decided that was the ticket.
I wanted it to be a little Christmasy so I added spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, and a little creamy so I stirred in some plain Greek yogurt. The result was deeelectable! Creamy, spicy, and fruity, and I can’t begin to describe how good the house smelled while it was cooking.
I’ve been sipping this concoction all week, figuring the yogurt was the perfect thing to combat the antibiotics I’m taking. 🙂 Now THIS is what I call good sick food. 🙂
What’s your favorite thing to eat when you’re sick?
Chilled Spiced Plum Soup
Ingredients:
6 cups halved VERY ripe plums
water to cover
1/2 tsp each of nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom
2 Tbsp honey or real maple syrup
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Directions:
- Place plums in soup pot and cover with water.
- Add spices and honey and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 20-30 minutes or until plums have broken down.
- Remove from heat and let cool 30 minutes.
- Puree entire contents and pour into serving bowl.
- Stir in yogurt and chill until ready to serve.
by Krista | Nov 22, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
Good morning, luvs!
It’s a blissfully cloudy day and I’m so grateful for the coolness after the piping hot weather we’ve had the last few weeks. 🙂
I thought I’d take you on a little tour of some of my beloved critters here on the farm in Australia. 🙂
We have a LOT of chooks (chickens) right now and will soon have heaps more since we have darling chicks arriving every day. 🙂 These are some of our Light Sussex scratching around in the straw for bits of grain leftover from the goats feeding.
Here are our newest additions highly curious about my camera but none too impressed with having their picture taken.
This is our resident duck gang that waddles around en masse quacking animatedly. They make me laugh.
I love this sweet new goat nibbling happily among the Australorps and Light Sussex.
Here is one of two horses: Swannee Bay Jane and Gunnago Miss Baby Bars. 🙂 Aren’t those the most outrageous and fabulous names?
These are my favorite members of the farm family, maybe because I got to celebrate their birth and name them. The mama on the left is L’Abri, and the twins cuddling on the grass are Felix and Sophie. They are the friendliest little goats, always running up for pats on the head and scratches around their horns.
Do you have any animals where you live?
by Krista | Nov 9, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
Cozy pashminas, sparkly rings, or perhaps a glossy postcard or two?
This month at Across the Cafe Table with the Travel Belles, we’re discussing What’s your favorite shopping find from your travels?
I confess I’m not a big collector when it comes to travel souvenirs. I do have a small, beloved assortment of treasures from various places, but mostly I like to commemorate my adventures with photographs and something I can wear or use.
I love the pashminas I found in Eastern Europe and still swoon at the wondrously gaudy rings I found in Greece and Germany, but my all time favorite shopping find is my dear, battered and much loved red Italian coffee pot.
I’ve been a huge fan of rich, strong Italian coffee since my very first cup. I finally learned how to make it while staying at this Italian country house outside Bologna with my dear friend Maddalena and her family.
I was the early riser of the gang, so Maddalena taught me how to make my own perfect cup of Italian coffee. I would wake while it was still dark, wrap a pashmina around my shoulders and shuffle out to the kitchen. Easing the door closed so my clattering wouldn’t wake anyone, I’d fire up the gas stove and collect everything I needed. Following the steps below, I was soon sitting at the kitchen table with my cold hands wrapped around a steaming cup of Italian coffee.
How to make real Italian coffee:
- Fill the bottom of the pot with cool, fresh water, halfway up the little bolt you see on the inside.
- Place metal filter inside bottom of pot.
- Spoon in real Italian coffee grounds. (In Australia you can buy it here. In America you can buy it here.)
- Fill the filter with coffee and make it level.
- Screw on top of coffee pot.
- Set directly on stove-top burner. (I don’t have a real stove, so I use a hot plate and it works just dandy.)
- Coffee pot will make a racket while it is percolating, and you’ll know it’s done when the noise stops.
- Remove pot from burner, pour directly into cups and serve.
My friend Maddalena only adds a bit of hot water to her coffee to make it perfect, but she said most of her friends and family add milk to weaken the hearty brew.
My perfect cup is hot coffee, a healthy dose of fresh whole milk and the merest hint of raw sugar.
My little red Italian coffee pot makes me smile every morning, and brings back wonderful memories of sunny mornings in Italy talking for hours with dear friends.
What is YOUR favorite travel shopping find?
Click here for more travel shopping inspiration.
