It's just a little wet out there

Claudia walking up the drain along side our driveway- I can only imagine Nigella is wondering about the sanity of her sister. A very full dam and a very green block. Nigella likes to inspect things. This is the water pooling above the drain in our drive.

Myrtle trim around the windows.

More myrtle trim...

Just one more - these little windows are my favourites- like framed pictures.

Not big news to most people in Australia this year. Flooding rains.

I love a sunburnt country,

A land of sweeping plains,

Of ragged mountain ranges,

Of droughts and flooding rains.

Dorothy Mackellar

It was hideously wet last night in Hobart. We braved it for a quick dinner for Rob's actual birthday. Sushi at Orizuru in town. They made his night by serving it up on the wooden boat. We feasted on oysters, grilled eel, kingfish, tuna, salmon and a myriad of sushi. Washed down with a large Sapporo. Rob was quite happy with his birthday present, I ordered 10 more fruit trees from Woodbridge Fruit Trees, including 5 cider apples, 4 quinces and a plum. To go with this, I'd found an apple picking bag in an antique shop, he loved it and insisted on putting it on in the restaurant (much to his 15 year old daughter's embarrassment!)

As the rain continued to fall last night, I couldn't help but feel nervous about the driveway at the block. It runs over a creek (with a large pipe underneath) but that quantity of rain in 24 hours is always a worry. Especially with the neighbours dam that sits above our driveway. We woke to hear that the main road that leads to the block was closed due to "deep water". That's not what I wanted to hear.

So Rob headed down there today with the dogs. More to relieve me of my constant worrying than anything else. I'm happy to report that whilst extremely wet, the driveway and hut has survived. I feel a little selfish talking about it with all that has happened around the country this summer- but it certainly brings home just how nerve-racking it can be.

The dam is overflowing, the drains are flowing quickly. Claudia enjoyed a quick dip in her personal pool with the two geese that have adopted us. Rob was slightly surprised to find the builders there as the weather was so foul. But they have been working on the myrtle trim around the windows and doors- INSIDE. It looks great!

It may be a bit quiet here for the next few days- we're preparing for a big birthday party (40 people) at the block on Saturday. With a little surprise for the guests.

Timber progress

Just a quick update- the front of the hut is finished, and the back almost too. Just need to do the ends and the hut is done!

The long goodbye to the blue hut

So the builders have been busy- and the timber cladding is slowly going up. I think of it as a reverse strip tease!

I only had the little point and click camera, and conditions were not the best, but I think you can get the idea.

Rob has been busy painting every single one of those boards with a preservative to stop the boards going silver, or black with mould. It really is very smelly, after a day helping him move the boards around we both ended up with head aches. Not nice. But he's nearly finished. Will post more as the blue continues to disappear.

A crazy busy week

Thank goodness for an extra hour of sleep (end of daylight savings) last night, after this week I needed it. Last weekend Rob was on a field trip with his university students, so I had a weekend to look after the dogs. My sister had flown in from Sydney for a few days before heading back home to the UK. So there were a few family dinners (I seemed to spend the entire weekend peeling potatoes). I did bake an experimental cake. I had bought a bag of limes that were just going to sit and grow mould if I didn't do something with them. So I made lime curd. I baked a couple of coconut cakes and sandwiched them together with the curd. Next I made a Nigella italian meringue frosting, a little exciting but manageable (egg whites, sugar, golden syrup over a double boiler), thank goodness for electric whisks! Verdict was pretty favourable. It certainly looked the part. Rob came home Sunday night and we rushed to have a look at the hut (not much had happened during the week) Rob spent a few lonely days coating the boards in a preservative but the builders weren't really there. I'm afraid I am quite an organised traveller, I always write a list, and tick off things as I put them in my bag. Normally I am laughed at for this behaviour. I even put out the clothes to wear the next morning. I had picked the horrible 6am flight to Melbourne, which means being at the airport at 5.30am. So I set the alarm, booked a taxi and fell asleep. The next morning I woke to my work mobile phone ringing. Gosh I thought that's wierd. The phone call was the taxi company, wondering if I still wanted the taxi waiting at the front gate?! After a few exclamations of oh my gosh, I quickly put my contact lenses in, dressed, threw the last few things in my suitcase and was in the taxi in 5 minutes. I swear I wasn't awake til I got to Melbourne. I collected my suitcase and tried to make myself presentable in the airport bathroom. But wasn't really looking forward to a whole day at the conference without having had a shower! Luckily on arrival at my hotel my room was ready (I had even been upgraded to a spa room) so I felt far more human once I'd showered. The conference didn't start til quite late so I visited a favourite shop. Cake deco (in a little arcade opposite Flinders St station) they have so much stuff in there. Cupcake cases, icing colours, biscuit cutters, books. It's quite overwhelming. But I got a few things I needed for making "hut" biscuits, and couldn't resist a tea pot cookie cutter. A quick coffee stop at Degraves and then I hopped on a tram to head up to Carlton for the conference. The conference food was as normal quite ordinary. A few of us decided to head out to dinner together. I should've heard the warning bells when they both admitted to eating baked beans in their hotel rooms the night before (rather than dining out). We wandered around china town (although one of the group was keen on Thai), even sat down in the Hairy canary, but ended up in a little Thai place. It could have been worse and the company was excellent but it wasn't a good use of an evening meal in Melbourne! I was quite tired though so didn't mind heading back to my room by 8pm. Next morning, I was up and wandering up Bourke St to Spring St for breakfast at the European, I'd read online they serve the best eggs benedict. It was a cute little place, a long narrow room with dark panelled walls. The eggs were certainly very good and the two coffees woke me up. Off to the conference. The lunch breaks were very long, (and the food was certainly not worth lingering over overcooked chicken drumsticks or an unidentifiable white fish), so I headed for a walk along Lygon street, eating a gelato as I window shopped. At the end of the day I squeezed in a little shopping before deciding to try my luck at Movida. One of our favourite places (although I ususally book weeks in advance). Being 8pm I thought I'd give it a go. Sadly the main restaurant was busy, but they directed to me to their little sister, Movida next door, and I was seated at the bar in a few minutes. Perfect for the lone diner. After ordering a glass of El coto (Spanish red of course) I tried to narrow down what I'd like to try from the menu. I settled on a white anchovy on tomato, some Queso cheese, a potato bomba, flathead wrapped in jamon and mussels, and I hate to confess confit pork belly. That's right I put the body on the line to try as many different plates as I could! I waddled out into the warm Melbourne evening, satisfied and headed back to the hotel. I made the most of last remaing meal in Melbourne and headed to Earl Canteen for breakfast. Ok but I think I'd like to head back at lunch for the famous pork belly sandwich! Rob and the builders have been busy at the hut, the timber overlay flooring has been stuck down in the living room, Rob has coated most of the boards and, finally the blue is starting to disappear, slowly replaced by vertical celery top boards. It looks just how we imagined. All going well we should have a timberclad hut by the end of this week. It was nice to have a weekend together again, we spent time at the block (coating more boards) and drinking tea in the living room yesterday. Then today we've been to the market for vegetables, bread and treats and a chat with Jo and Michelle from C & C cupcake factory. Couldn't resist some hot cross buns as well from Jackman & McRoss. Rob has some quince jelly bubbling on the stove top.Time for tea I think. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Letter box love

No I'm not in love with the letter box- but I'd much rather receive something like this in the mail than a bill!

I couldn't resist this cute apron from here.

I'm saving it for a special catering occasion coming up soon.