Humble Rhubarb

As I suffer badly from hayfever, nowadays, I am not a keen gardener, but one thing I love having in my backyard is the rhubarb plant.

I just love rhubarb ... serve it to me in any shape or form:):):)

Lately, because of my craze for Chia Puddings, I have been harvesting the rhubarb and making a compote out of it to dress up and add zest into my puddings. 

Chia Pudding with Rhubarb compote

Rhubarb is so easy to grow.  My friend GG gave me a cutting, I stuck it into the soil and forgot all about it.  Magical how nature take its course and before you know it, I have a healthy yummy bush of rhubarb.

Last harvest b4 30/9/14 holidays

Before the chia puddings came along, I used to cook up my rhubarb with apple, or with mixed fruits for my crumbles which is still a hot family favourite!

Since I am on this new "diet" because of my liver, I guess Chia puddings is the healthier option for me.


Another one of many Chia creations with Rhubarb

Rhubarb on its own is just "blah", so when I make it into a compote, I tend to add apple (optional) and a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon to bring the best out of it!!!

Cooking down Rhubarb

A dollop of this home made compote concoction is so yummilicious with classic EOSS yogurt.



Bald Rhubard plant -  b4 I left on hols 30/9/14

WoW - after 70 days return

I will be flying off tomorrow (30/9) to Kuala Lumpur, so I have fed my rhubarb Osmocote and hope by the time I return in 70 days time, it will be flourishing for my first official 2015 summer harvest!



lst harvest 2015

                             



          

Chia Puddings

One of my lst puddings on da road!

I have been taking Chia seeds over a year plus now, but when I first started on them, I only mixed the seeds into my black tea with lemon ginger honey.  I found it easier to consume it in liquid form than having them stuck in its raw form in between my teeth when I sprinkle them on my salads.

I first encountered this yummilicious Chia pudding during the RV outback roadtrip when we stopped in Noosaville at the Farmers Market.  At $8.00 for a small tub, I thought it was a bit on the rich side, but on the other hand, it was packed with wholesome goodness and it looked so pretty, so I had to buy one... and what can I say, ever since then I have been hooked on it and have been making my own concoctions.

Mixed berries I cooked up into a compote and stirred into plain yogurt

This super food has been getting a big buzz lately especially for the health conscious.  The tiny seeds look like frogs XXX and when absorbed in liquid, they turn gelatinous and swell to at least 10 times their original size.

They come in black or white and I tend to buy both and shake them up into one!!!  Colour I believe is only cosmetic.  Whilst they cost a bit more than other seeds on the market, it does not take many to create an interesting effect.  Just let your imagination run wild and creative flair go into over drive!!!

It is claimed that Chia seeds are high in Omega-3 fatty acids and contain Alpha-Linoleic Acid (ALA) and Linoleic Acid (LA).  They also contain protein, fibre and some antioxidants.  Chia seeds do not need to be ground up like flaxseeds in order for the body to absorb their nutrients. 

So lately, I have been playing around with different measurements and with different ingredients.  For the Chia base, I like to soak the seeds with coconut milk with a dash of honey and on some sweet days, instead of honey, I grind in some sea salt instead!!  Salt??? Yuckks ... but there is no right or wrong, just go with the flow and create what you feel like for the day.  Change the glassware, have it "man style" on a plate with no frills.  Whatever tickles your fancy!!


"Man Style - No Frills

I have also been trialling them with almond milk and different combinations including Ribena, but must admit the coconut milk is still my hero!!!There are lots of ways to play with these little gem seeds, and after propping your initial ones, you will get a neck for them and soon find out what goes well with different flavours, fruit and nuts.  Besides, it all boils down to individual taste and preferences.  I love bananas with all kinds of combinations and for me the banana rocks my pudding!!!

Rainbow Chia in da garden

I layer the chia seed pudding with yogurt, coulis/compote and use fruits to decorate the glassware to make it look pretty.  As the Chia seeds are tasteless, it is good to infuse them into your favourite flavours and experiment.  No matter how healthy, as we tend to eat with our eyes, I guess presentation does count!!!

Here are some of my many creations ....

Topped with crushed macadamia nuts

Blood Orange & Rhubarb - I soaked the Chia seeds in the blood orange juice!

My all time favourite has got to be Rhubarb with Blood Orange but the others are all very delicious too. Mixing and matching ingredients makes it so exciting - sometimes I don't know what to expect but when all the layers all jell together correctly as one and explodes in my mouth, what can I say but Chia Seed Puddings are WOW!!!

     











BACK FROM 90 DAYS IN THE OZ OUTBACK

One of many fires I built from scratch!!

I am home!!! ... safe and sound and thought before I take off again on my next adventure on 30/9, I should at least quickly write up a bit of this and a bit of that to give you a snippet into my outback trip in the RV/Motorhome with Michael (MB).

First of all, MB is the best travel buddy anyone could possibly ask for to be on an outback roadtrip.  Ironic how two total strangers can "hit it off" and not kill one another in a confined space for 90 days together!!!  I guess you could say we were both "compatible" and or compliment each other in our own ways and being "free and easy going" bodytypes, so it even made it even more easier!!

Dramatic bandage for a broken finger!!!

Route:  Melbourne down the GOR to SA - Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy, and up to NT covering Alice Springs, Kings Canon, Uluru, Olgas and the RV broke down after 13 days on the road and had to be transported to Adelaide :(:( 

We flew from Alice Springs to Adelaide but after the RV was fixed, we had another minor accident with MB's finger which also set us back a few days in Adelaide.
I don't know where to start, but MB has been very accommodating and took me to kick up some red dust in the NT and I will always be thankful for this leg of our journey together.  Don't get me wrong, everything has been excellent but because when we started off we did not have a "black and white" itinerary, and I knew NT was definitely not in the picture!!!  We just winged it and over the days I must have been "drip feeding" MB that I would like to go and conquer The Rock, and my subtle hints or bomb sized ones soon found us heading that way!!! MB did most of the driving but I was lucky enough he let me have my lst go behind the wheels on the 16/7 which was another new experience for me.

One of many routes on our trip

Behind da wheels!!

When we were over the mini sagas, and was ready to rock and roll again, we decided we will take on a different route, as driving back to continue where we broke down was just too many kilometres backwards so we headed towards Broken Hill, Lightning Ridge etc and crossed the border to Queensland and cut out across to Rockhampton and came down the East Coast of NSW.  We covered many towns along the way and I must have easily taken close to 5,000 pixs, but unfortunately will not be able to share all of them.





~~~~~~~~~~~One of many destination sypnosis~~~~~~~~~~~

Windows of da West!

St GeGeorge..Thallon..Dirranbandi..Hebel..Bollon..Mungindi..Nindigully...been there n done it!!!!...from majestic landscapes, historic pubs, picturesque rivers and I have been wandering along the Quilberry Creek amongst beautiful gumtrees where kangaroos bounce freely n birdlife is plentiful catching yabbies..making bread n scones on open fire etc etc

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





We saw a variety of wildlife from a large herd of camels to a few hundred emus, dingos, birds of prey, a fence of stringed up dead foxes, kangaroos - lots of roadkill along the way, but MB would not even think of letting us have any for supper!!! 

Wild camels in the Oz outback!

On this note, might I add that I did hack off a slice of roo meat for yabby bait but even then, MB convinced me it was rotten and smelly and I had to throw it out.  Instead, we used LUX Soap to bait the yabbies and it worked a treat:):)  Yabbies are scrumptious when boiled up fresh and eaten when still warm... yum yum!!

Fox fence - da first pix I took at the start of our journey

Playing "house" in the RV is very different as water, power, gas and electric are "limited", but we soon learnt how to compromise our needs and found ways to carry on living like "normal" on the road.


Playing house with one of my besties SF

Personally, I do not like caravan parks and MB has been easy with the idea of free camping, so we have stayed in some amazing locations that puts 5 star hotels to shame!!!  Parked at the waters edge with million dollar views, it was just wonderful to sleep to the sound of waves crashing into shore like as if it was crashing into our van, wake up to the orchestra of birds, and even torrential rain pelting down on us was music to my ears!  Lying in bed in the RV and star gazing is priceless!!!








A glimpse of the inside

In the evenings, we managed to entertain ourselves and hardly watched telly.  Coming down the East Coast we were playing a card game called "Frustration".  It is a no brainer, and definitely a time killer!!!  Last leg of the trip, we had a couple of guests on board with us for 3 nights and they soon got "hooked" to this game too.  MB has been thrashed badly, but he still came out a winner in his own right as he does not chuck a fit like bad losers!!!



So much to tell, but shall end here.  To those that seek a true adventure, do not hesitate to do what I did - just do it and let it happen ... you will have a time of your life!!! Go for the ride!!!  I just wish it was more than 90 days for me as it all came to an end too soon.  I had a blast and thank you MB for this amazing outback experience!!!

Otherwise, like they say.... what happens on the road, stays on the road!!! 


That's the AYRES ROCK behind me!!!

Frustration - time killing card game





Home for the 90 Days on da road tripping all over OZ




Outback cooking in the bush



Fire that cooked my lst ever damper

The longest spot we stayed throughout the trip






KM and SF - our guests along the way

Roadtrip Adventure into the OZ Outback

Some may think I am out of my mind, but I say ... I like to "live dangerously" or call me adventurous!?! Whatever, I applied online through Gumtree to hitch a ride with "an unknown"... obviously a MAN as in a stranger of a man!!!!!

The Ad- I applied on line!!!

If I could change a tyre and have some basic mechanic knowledge then things would be different, but I am not capable of doing this, so if I run into trouble in the red centre or even outside of my front driveway... I need a MAN to do the job and all the nitty gritties like start a camp fire, pitch a tent, etc etc.

Up to this point of my life, I might have covered 6 continents and travelled the world far and wide, but don't laugh, I have never been camping ever!!! yesssssss this is my very first time!!!

Well, I guess u can say I don't do things by half ... I am going on this "camping road trip" for the next 3 months departing 17/6 and will be home on 10/9 --- God willing/forgiving in time to tie up a few loose ends and a quick clean of the house before I take off again on the 30/9 with my snorkel buddy, Peter from Singen, Germany to frolic with whalesharks etc in the Phillipines and then land up in Mabul/Sipadan.

Sorry, I got side tracked, but back to how this roadtrip came about --- I  was going to do a road trip with KM but since she is unable to do it with me, I jumped onto Gumtree and looked for "travel mates" into the outback. 

lst application to one named Dave sounded the most promising and would have given me the REAL outback experience I reckon, but when I called for a meeting prior to the trip, he pulled the plug on me.  Then there was Lionel and yessss we were planning and we were all set and going to travel together but when I asked for a copy of his driving license, he said he is going to forget everything and wished me luck!!! Pooffffffffies


My "precautions" prior to tripping!!!

Michael - my travel companion

Now, I am even more determined than ever to make a trip eventuate and I kept looking at Gumtree each nite before bed, and found my 3rd (lucky last!) ride with Michael from Hobart.  He seems "normal" in pix and we have Skyped a few times now since he said he would take me  and we will be travelling in his motorhome.  I know its the "lux" way on the highway, but it never hurts to have a small degree of creature comforts especially for 3 months. 


Something tells me it won't be soooooo exciting and I might not be going to kick up some red dust, but what the heck, I am still going to ride with Michael ... of course, my mind is racing at 10000 miles an hour now, what if this, what if that, and I guess if I don't go, I won't know, right?  I can abort mission somewhere along the line and find my own way home.  You know, Michael did mention something along these lines that if it came to this or I have had enough of him, he would pay half my ticket fare for me to come back to Melbourne.  Now, is that nice or not or sweet????

Well, what I really wanted to get across to everyone is that not everyone is going to be a rapist, murderer or a loonie but just in case, I never know, so I am going to plaster his face and his vehicle on this blog, so that if anything unforeseen should happen to me/us, someone in cyber world can look for me/us. 

Otherwise, I guess all I need to do is sit back, relax, enjoy the ride and take my adventurous spirit with me.

Blog as much as I can before I go on this long ride, otherwise when I get home, I am sure I will have heaps to tell ... stay tuned!!!!

The King and I

On a wet cold winter's nite...what could possibly be better than having dinner with my favourite couple and then we are off to the Princess Theatre to watch this Rodgers and Hammerstein's production.

I last watched it in London about 14 years ago when one of my friend's son was part of the London cast as one of the many children of "The King".  It is a light hearted musical and quite entertaining but still my all time fav is "The Phanthom of the Opera".

Also not on a professional level...but the Melbourne Boys' High School also had this performance and we went to see it years ago...from memory - for high school students it was also an enjoyable evening had by one and all.

Oh dear, looks like I started this and has been sitting in "draft" for the past few months as I was away on a RV roadtrip to the Outback and am happy to say I am home safe and sound now.... so shall continue where I left off!!!!

Where was I??? Let's cut to the chase as it has been months ago now and the musical is over .... but it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening and if you have not seen it, I highly recommend it .... when it comes round again in Melbourne!!!