Spring Wildflower Season: In Search of Orchids

     I have long maintained that the Spring Wildflower season in Western Australia is  an incredible visitor experience undervalued by various tourism organizations in this state. (Click here to read previous rant and rave on the topic)  Due to the size of this state, the season is long and the flower variety changes with geographical latitude.  If one does not have a car, a formal bus tour or very sturdy legs on a more sturdy bicycle would be required as the flowers are not all nice and neatly arranged in one area.  Bit of a treasure hunt really.  And we have a working car and a free weekend. We're off.

     We've had great success finding fields of Everlastings and a bumper crop of Wreath flowers. This particular trip I wanted to see orchids in the wild.  And like many flowers (not of the Everlastings or Wreath variety) one has to get out of the car and do a bit of bushwalking to see them.  None of this whizzing past at 60 miles per hour to 'get as much possible in' stuff. But this is OK.  A little exercise won't kill anyone and I did mention that it is a bit of a treasure hunt, didn't I?

bushwalking for better viewing

delicate lovelies

'

I never could have spotted these tiny flowers from a speeding car window.

Cowslip

       A name a remember from a book read in my youth, "Cowslip, A Slave" by Betsy Haynes.  A young slave girl whose master had named her Cowslip. Such an unflattering name, she pouted. But her mother told her otherwise saying it was a beautiful flower.  And Mom was right.  Cowslips were plentiful this spring and far from the only oddly named flower around.

Cowkick

Kangaroo Paw

Running Postman

Need I say more?

I couldn't begin to tell you how some of these flowers  got their names.  But Snottygobble?
Really?  Even the posted explanation doesn't quite cover it.

Fuxxy Ground Flower

Bird in Red Wattle

OK. Some I have no idea what they are called and not sure I care but they sure were fun to spot. The bird in the very common Red Wattle was actually spotted in Kings Park which boasts its own Spring Flower extravaganza.

Cute pink pine flower and purpley durpley.  Not very scientific sound but worked for me. Non-poisonous spiders aplenty.

Spider Orchid

  

Metropolitan Gnomeville

     And what would any road trip south of Perth be without a quick visit to Gnomesville? Started organically by some larrikin, G-ville is now being cared for by the shire which finally recognized its tourism potential.  A bit of urban sprawl now as Gnomesville seems to have suburbs and squatters on neighboring private property.

Dardanup Bakery

Let's keep the fun and  wheels going. By chance I spotted this bakery hiding in a shed behind  the owner's home. [Hey, maximizing one's resources is a wise move.] The Dardanup Bakery has some seriously good bread. I rarely find a good sourdough bread, so naturally I had to bring some of their superior goods home.


 

Boyup Brook Museum.

Oh, let's pop into the Boyup Brook Museum.  Boyup Brook is best know for its annual country music festival, but it has its other charms. Like the museum. A small back room to its visitor center that features the locally donated  doll, butterfly and scarab collections.


And now we have crammed in as much as possible in one weekend.  Officially, a rather successful treasure hunt. 

 

Our Christmas Feast...Water Buffalo

      My hubby does not always walk life's usual paths.  He likes being quirky.  It's the Australian in him.  But his tradition of unusual Christmas suppers has more than a few Antipodeans scratching their heads.
      The very idea of a holiday ham or turkey on December 25th leaves him cold.  He greatly warms up to non-conventional meals and starts menu planning a few months ahead.  As this relieves me of planning and cooking (and keeps him busy enough to not bother me in planning everything else) I encourage it.  Each year I anticipate a meal I could not possible have anticipated: squab, crocodile, guinea fowl, ostrich sausage, and the like.  Notice these "meals" are all meat. In Kev's book, a vegetable is merely meat that has turned green. I make sure that a few plant based vegetables are in the house just to round out the selection on the plate.
      So what did we have as a Christmas luncheon this year?  Bubalus bubalis  or water buffalo.  Really.    Some of the water buffalo had been marinated in a garlic/tarragon/vinegar mix and some just as it came off the hoof.  Served with asparagus and potatoes.  Rather disappointing it was.  Tasted just like tough beef.  But more expensive.  Officially now checked off my life list.
       Where does one find such a delicacy?  It is only available at very specialized butcher shops where crazed carnivores hang out. O.K., but where does the butcher get his meat?  Hard to believe, but right here in Australia.  Really.
        According to the Australian Government Department of Environment and Energy website (where I go for all my party menu planning):

             Water buffalo were imported to Australia in the 19th century to supply meat to remote  northern settlements. The settlements and their buffalo were abandoned in 1949 and, despite harvesting for meat, hides and as hunters' trophies, feral buffalo spread across the northern floodplains. The Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Campaign reduced feral buffalo numbers significantly in the 1980s and 1990s but numbers are again very high right across northern Australia causing significant damage to wetlands.

Water Buffalo in the bush.

          Oh, so right here in Western Australia and Northern Territories.  I could have big game hunted my supper!  More surprises--there are city slickers here who actually know that one does not have to travel beyond our shores to find these...Bubalus beauties.  I learn something new everyday.  And anticipate next year's unanticipated holiday meal.



    And now that we've eaten, let us take a quick drive around to look at Christmas lights. And again, an Aussie touch ever present here as well.  This festive lighting  was found at the airport of all places.  Happy Holidays, one and all.

Perth Airport boab tree

Perth Airport reclining 'Roo

 

     

Silk Road Uyghur Cuisine...Now Open!

     It's rare that Kev gets super excited about a restaurant opening.  He likes restaurants. He eats in them much more often than I do.  But he doesn't get too worked up about them.  Until a new one took the place of a pancake restaurant (a location that flips owners/food about four times a year) on our local strip.

Silk Road Uyghur Cuisine

      Hello  Silk Road Uyghur Cuisine!   What?  Where?  Uyghur?  I share your confusion but Kev was in no doubt about this. The Uyghur [pronounced Wee-gur] region is the western most side of China just before you bump into Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Not easy to find on the map. Not exactly an internationally renown cuisine.  But therein lies its appeal.  We have scores of Asian restaurants on our main drag but none that evoke Old World mystery of the Silk Road. And we were there on Opening Night.

Traditional Uyghur hats

     It was obviously packed with family and friends bringing in flowers, plants, kids and Grandma to celebrate the occasion.  So few non-Asian faces that owner Askar knew who we were as soon we walked through the door. We joined the good will atmosphere as the staff--wearing shirts with the packet fold creases still quite sharp--found their way through a new busy service. We admired regional artwork and coloring of tablecloths and lights while waiting for menus.  And waited longer for our main dishes-mine came first and after a long wait Kev's came and after that his soup.  And we weren't fussed. Our role was to help the staff find their rhythm and taste the mysterious Uyghur offerings.

Uyghur Polo

     And it is clearly a mix of traders and marauders tastes on this part of the road.  Lamb prevails, rice has carrots in it, yoghurt drinks and spice enough for those who like it.  I ordered Polo, a traditional Uyghur rice with two skewers of lamb and salad.  The lamb was not too spicy (and easier to eat off the skewer especially where we were sitting) and the portions filling.  Kev ordered the Tawa Kewap, a lamb shank with bread, salad and yoghurt.   They hadn't mentioned that the lamb is fermented overnight in salt before being marinated and cooked.  This makes it a bit salty but the addition of bread, salad and yoghurt to the same dish was a first for the culinarily adventurous Kev.  Dessert was Kunafe, a Turkish cheese pastry soaked in a sugar syrup and served with ice cream. Again, a multi-regional blend that had never before tickled Kev's palate.  And let us include the traditional salty yoghurt drink--the sweet one was not available as they make their own yoghurt and had not made enough for both versions by opening night.  Happily, all of this food came at a reasonable price.

Where is Uyghur?

Here!

      Good food, happy atmosphere, affordable prices...what more could you ask?  Where's Uyghur?  Our Han Chinese waitress couldn't tell us but the wall at the entrance gives us a clue. A bit far for a meal.  Happily the Silk Road is nearby.

Booze, Ice skates and Dandelions - Random Musings #5

   Every now and again I discover something interesting or noteworthy as I go about life in Perth. Sometimes it just not worth extravagant amounts of research for its own blog post. Others might be considered an addendum to posts already written. In either case, these bits and pieces bloat my 'topics to blog about' list and I'm getting them out of the way in another Random Musings list.

   Perth is the proud home to Infusion, the national champions in synchronized ice skating soon off to Canada for the international championships. Ice skating? In Perth (or anywhere else in OZ for that matter)? It's hard to imagine such a sport (which is also known as precision skating) gaining any traction here. But there is the odd ice rink in the big cities.  I live across town from the nearest one and have never been there. Along with so much else, I gave away my leather boot/steel blade skates when I moved here.  Somehow I am so uninspired to drive a distance to rent plastic boot/aluminum blade skates to whirl around the rink. Maybe some day. In the meantime, Go Infusion!

   A few months ago, I walked past a very familiar plant and was surprised. I don't believe I have ever seen a dandelion here in Perth.  It had a straggly "Australian bush" quality about it but it was definitely a dandelion. And it was about thigh high. What? Don't people realize that they have to pull these weeds or it will take over the lawn?  Of course they don't.  They've never seen one before. But now, they see many...

   There is no such thing as a Junior High or Middle School here.  A public elementary school will go to sixth grade and high school starts at seventh grade.  Private schools (which refer to themselves as "colleges") flex a bit but there is still no distinct transitional education atmosphere for this very transitional age group.
http://epostcardsfromoz.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/school-days-school-days-dear-old-golden.html

   There is a culture of alcohol here in Australia.  And it extends way beyond the youthful --and not so youthful--binge drinking.  And it always comes as a surprise to  people from other nations.  My previous employment had me occasionally visiting law firms for hearings or depositions. Invariably, the visiting attorney from North America would be gobsmacked to see in the corner of the lounge or boardroom a silver tray well stocked with brand name bottles of booze.  Jaws literally dropped at the sight.  This wide open bar is like what you see in old movies. Certainly not in today's more cautious business atmosphere where liability or whispers of anti-social behavior from booze-soaked employees keeps every office a model of temperance.  Parties or afterwork "sundowners" are frequently held at the workplace here in Australia.  But I've only seen such extravagant tipple set-ups in law offices.  Make your legal appointments near happy hour, folks.
epostcardsfromoz.blogspot.com/2009/07/culture-of-alcohol.html

Australia Day 2015 in Victoria Park

    I've talked about Australia Day before [see  Australia Day in WA ] and wandered around to see much of this U.S. Independence Day type fun in the past.  But today the temperatures were forecasted to be 100F/37C and I just didn't fancy getting hot, sticky and irritable to watch people hang out in OZ flagwear by the river. I can see tonight's fireworks right from my balcony-- so why move a sweaty muscle? How grumpy can I get?
    Well, early mornings aren't too bad and this morning the Fremantle Doctor (cool breeze coming in off the Indian Ocean) was in.  So I went to a special 9 a.m. church service and on the way home in the little  memorial park next to the town hall was an Australia Day service in progress. New citizens were being sworn in five at time by the mayor Trevor Vaughn under the ancient giant fig tree.  The newly sworn were from all over the planet.  The dress code was quite obviously "your choice."  Some new citizens were wearing their Sunday best or designer chic.  A few showed up in  ethnic garb. And yet others adopted their new country's relaxed attitude and showed up well...relaxed. All posed for pictures with their very fancy citizenship certificate.  Big Day.
     Then we went on to the local Australian of the Year and local Australian Group of the Year. Oooh, Victoria Park is loaded with do-gooders. All sounded worthy. Certainly worthy of better flowers than the collection of weeds in cellophane they received.  Add a few politician speeches. And a few more. And a couple more for good measure. zzzzzzzzz    Done!     Now the nice little Vic Park Band played the entire Banjo Patterson catalog (this includes Waltzing Mathilda, soundtrack from Man From Snowy River, etc) and we all dashed up to the refreshment tables for wonderful finger sandwiches, mini-pastries and drinks. All seriously good stuff--Vic Park doesn't believe in scrimping on food at their parties.
     I bumped into Mayor Trevor Vaughn as I was leaving (and trying to hide the extra goodies I was sneaking home with) and he inquired about my turn under the old fig tree. "Well, as soon as I know more words of the national anthem than my Australian born husband does."   That occurred about two weeks after I arrived here.  But don't tell. 
    Well, I'm still not going out to wander in the heat and I am sure I am missing some really cool stuff happening on the river.  But I won't miss tonight's fireworks and I'm glad I didn't miss my little community's appreciation and induction ceremony. Happy Australia Day, everyone.

Vale 6RPH - Information Radio AM990

      On Monday, January 12, 2015, 6RPH ceased local operations. It was much like the death of any other media entity: quick, decisive and with no prior announcement.  Newspapers, radio stations, TV channels don't have prolonged going out of business sales the way retail stores do, they just stop the hemorrhaging  of money by shutting down right away. It works like this: everyone shows up to work as usual, the boss walks in and says "We're closing down because (insert three-word explanation here.)  The story you are writing is your last. Clean your desk out before you leave."  It's been played out rather famously in recent years including that Murdoch rag The World in London and my own elder brother's newspaper in Houston.
    6RPH, and its 17 surviving members of the RPH Australia Network, had a different mission from most radio stations. By charter, it catered to the print handicapped. Not just the vision impaired but those with a physical disability who found it difficult to handle printed matter. Many shows were dedicated to reading the daily and national newspapers, popular magazines and very subject specific printed matter. There was something for almost everyone including the commuters who would listen to the daily paper  while driving into work.  The audience was wide-ranging, it almost defied being put into a demographic pigeonhole--although officially they were categorized as female, 39+, household of four and approaching mid-middle class socioeconomically.
    My radio show, What's On Where, was heard on 6RPH on Thursdays at 6pm with an encore presentation Saturday at 5:15pm.       I miss my show.      It suited this cowboy quite well. Far from a rip-n-read,  WOW was your guide to what is happening in and around Perth that is fun and affordable. My first shows must have been dreadful until I refined the formula that worked: first segment were the Freebie things to do, second segment contained events that would cost a little bit of money but still tons of fun and the third segment was built upon a different theme each week (e.g. school holidays, Christmas, Perth International Arts Festival.) And WOW didn't just tell you where to go, we would send you there, too.  I had developed a rather robust promotion schedule that gave away tickets to the latest events to the rather obscure but worthy of attention in on-air contests. I developed solid relationships with many venues and marketing agencies who kept WOW in the know and me in the occasional media reviewer ticket.
    I MISS MY SHOW.       I have lost my voice.    It kept me connected to this area, its people and its exciting happenings every bit as much as my listeners. I managed the show well.  It hurts to lose it within a mismanaged entity. I have kept WOW social media up but it is just not the same.  I don't know when or where I or What's On Where will reappear on the airwaves but let me take this moment to thank WOW listeners and its wonderful sponsors for the last six+ years.
   Vale 6RPH.
  

Perth Royal Show - The Hidden Competitions

    Some of the most interesting moments of the Perth Royal Show happen before the show, are never seen by the public nor represented during the show. Of these are the commercial competitions for wine and bakery goods.

PRWS Judging     c.RAS

     I had the pleasure to glimpse into these spheres held three weeks before the actual Show. Very enlightening experiences these were. First there was the Perth Royal Wine Show judging taking up an entire building. Over 2100 commercial wineries across the country submitted six bottles apiece in 93 classes. Count that. Over 12,000 bottles of wine occupied  part of a large hall.  Completely mind boggling. I feared for the wine stewards-and the Chief Wine Steward most of all-getting the wines mixed up despite their careful lines of six behind a table marker. There are three separate checks and balances to make sure a sauvignon blanc is never poured in a chardonnay flight nor one winery's product confused for another's tipple.
     On the other half of the hall were just about as many  identical wine glasses all with a one ounce pour lined up on many, many tables. Five teams of tasters carrying  clipboards wander some unspoken path through the tables and occasionally stop to swirl, sniff, sip and spit out the flight presented at that space.  I looked around for the spittoons. [You don't expect them to swallow all that wine, do you?]  They took the shape of large Rubbermaid garbage cans strategically placed throughout the testing area. These folks weren't just master tasters but master spitters as well. But they do so quietly.  It is very quiet in this cavernous building.  Wine Show chairman John Snowball insists that intense concentration is required and silence aids that concentration...for the three and a half days of competition. The judging is in two parts: first the medals for each class and then the winners of the classes compete against each other for  best of show trophies.  And those trophies translate into some serious benefits for the winery that earned them.

     Homebrew and Fruit Wines.   
     What about the little guy? Mr or Ms Home Brewer who has a passion for making alcohol based beverages but not the estate or large scale production equipment?   Are these just B-grade wannabes to the commercial products? You might think so as the 150 entries are tucked away in an out-of-the-way corner.  Not so, according to Chairman Snowball. The small Mom and Pop operations have a technique and flavor flexibility that the commercial operations wouldn't dare dream about.  There are some great drops that come out of home kitchens.  The judges need to think a bit differently when judging this section.  They are not thinking of large batch consistency but of liquid alchemy. It is mostly bragging rights for these folks, but they get an advantage the commercial wineries do not.  The winners of the homebrew and fruit wine sections get their entries displayed in the Cookery Building during the Show itself.  The commercial victories disappear from general public view at about the same time as the contents of the Rubbermaid trash cans.

    
 COMMERCIAL BREAD & PASTRY

PRS Pastry Judging

     In a smaller building nearby are more busy people in white coats. Compared to the tomb atmosphere at the wine competition, the Commercial Bread & Pastry competition is practically a party. Yeah, the adjudicators are all wearing starched white vestments and carrying the ubiquitous clipboards. They are not cracking jokes nor smiling too hard. I think the sugar fairies  sprinkled a little something in the air. Or perhaps it is because no one is spitting anything out in high projectile fashion.  
    The pastry judges work in teams of two. Thinking like very fussy customers, they view each entry from every angle-far away and close up.  They then gently slice a thin piece from the whole and stare at it for awhile. Take a bite. Chomp, chomp. Toss the remaining part of the piece into a cardboard box located under the table. Check off clipboard.

PRS Bread Judging

   The bread is handled slightly differently.  The loaves are gawked at and pawed, then a slice is taken from the center and it is gawked at and pawed some more.  A bit of deep breathing goes on now as the slice meets the judicial nose. But the bread is NEVER eaten! The judges rely on the very close relationship of the olfactory sense to the sense of taste to make the determination of joy in the mouth. Not all bread is the same.  Many bakers are thinking outside the rectangle with artisanal hand-shaped breads. Gluten free breads defy their wretched reputations in innovative recipes.  Fruit loaves, braided loaves, beautiful golden loaves.   Small wonder the head judge has to call over the official tie-breaker held on retainer on numerous occasions.  And all followed by more obligatory clipboard scribbling.

PRS Cakes

    So are all 12,000 wine bottles used up in competition and, if not, what becomes of them?  The official word is that the remaining bottles are used for "educational purposes."  The cakes and breads? The government Health & Safety trolls insist that all consumable items not held in sterile  conditions be thrown away.  I had some serious thoughts about secretly dumpster diving that afternoon.

     One last thought...and complaint by the commercial exhibitors in both the wine and bakery sections.  The commercial competitions are held three weeks before the actual Perth Royal Show dates.  But there is zero presence of these competitions or its winners at the Show-not the smallest of signs or banners with a few captioned photos or names of winners. This is a shame because the only way the general public will get notice of the winners is by walking into their shops or handling the bottle that has a special sticker on it.  Some committee members blame the media for not being out en force for  judging but there is a huge disconnect between what happpens in early September and the Show at the end of the month. Who can make that leap? I think the organizers can be a bit more creative even when space is at a premium.

                                                                *   *   *   *   *   *  
Some winners:
Aravina Estates - in the Margaret River region,  had a great showing this year for its wines.
Denmark Bakery  - in the very southern part of the state, is a perennial top winner.
Patisserie La Vespa - in Fremantle, scooped up nine pastry awards this year.
Strange Grains Bakery - Perth area, its gluten-free bread made from buckwheat impressed the judges.
Organic Loafers - mostly wholesale to very lucky retailers and their customers.     

Want To Work

    She was strolling along the central business district. Not in a hurry. Not smiling. Not really in focus, actually. Just a middle-aged woman neatly dressed but looking a bit frayed at the edges. She was wearing a homemade sandwich board around her neck. It was made from a brown cardboard box and measured about 12 inches by 15 inches.  She used a ballpoint pen to write on it instead of Magic Marker, so it was rather light. But the top line was unmistakeable. It read:

    "Want to Work."

     Below that was the line "Need Advice On:" followed by a list of several items  unreadable at 15 fifteen paces. Stunned at first, it was several moments before the vision made sense. I turned back to find her and confirm what I thought. But she was nowhere to be found. No matter.  I can tell you her story anyway.

     A woman with lots of work experience, yet too young to retire, finds herself without employment one day. No problem, she says to herself, I have a good resume and the economy in Perth is better than in many places.  I'll find a job in no time. But instant employment does not appear. She goes over to the unemployment office, Centrelink, to apply for her entitlement while making a mental note never to dress like the permanent down-and-outers also in line. She's obliged to prove that she makes at least five applications a week. Piece of cake, she thinks, I won't be doing this long.  But she finds that she gets no response to her applications and little useful feedback from rejectors. Our gal is eventually referred to a government contractor for help. This is an agency charged with  giving people the assistance they need to get employment. But she is deemed to be at the lowest tier of need: literate, educated, previously employed and not disadvantaged in any real way. So all the agent (half her age) can do is offer her the same advice given to the simpletons who also walk through the doors. Frustration mounts. Why am I not getting a job? I'm not even getting many interviews! Is it my resume? Are my cover letters out of date and ineffective? What about this "selection criteria" thing? Am I pre-interviewing myself properly? Why is my network letting me down?  She gets no help, no answers and no job offers.

    A critical mass is now forming.  Her employment gap is starting to get rather long and unexplainable.  Unemployment  benefits are woefully inadequate for anyone paying rent or making mortgage payments and her savings that make up the difference are rapidly being depleted. Panic is rising and her self-esteem is dropping. She is now being obliged by Centrelink to volunteer one day a week at any nonprofit organization that will take her to keep up her puny payments. During the 1980s, there was a phrase being bandied about in this state, "You're too young at 18 and too old at 22."  Could this ghastly maxim still be true? Facing financial ruin and permanent career damage, our desperate woman parks her dignity and reaches out in the only way that seems to remain.  She made a sign.

    I wish I knew what kind of results this lady got from her sandwich sign. She wasn't asking for a job, just effective, real life assessment of her CV presentation materials.  I  wish I could tell you that her case is unusual but that would be an untruth.  I don't bother to find empathy for 25 year-olds who wish 50 year-olds would fall off the perch already and open the top jobs for them.  I wonder how, in the face of this obvious ageism, the federal government can expect people to work until they are 70 to keep the pension demand down. Is this a First World problem? Probably, but this is a First World country. And it shouldn't be a problem.

    I admire your pluck, Lady, regardless of what brought you to it.

A Walk Along The Foreshore

    I have really stepped up my exercise routine from whenever to one and a half hours, five days a week. I power walk along the Swan River southside foreshore and use some of  the community fitness equipment along the way. In the last four months I have lost not a single ounce [grrrrrrrrrr] but early every morning I am treated to some great visuals.  Get your sneakers on and walk with me:

    Wildlife : The animal kind.  There are a million white cockatoos walking around--yes, walking.  They wattle to feed before terrorizing the innocent from the sky. You have to work at not stepping on them.  I never see the cormorants feed. They usually just stand on the retaining wall with their wings open hoping to warm up in the early morning sun. Look almost like pterodactyls posing for a movie still.   Now, the pelicans can be fun to watch. They scoop their long bills into the water and take in a few gallons of water. Slowly they squeeze the water out of that big, fleshy pouch and then gulp, gulp, gulp the remaining fish. This always attracts seagulls looking for some quick chum or escaping fish for breakfast. There is the usual  game of black swans, the very signature of Perth, gracefully swimming in pairs and confident of their place in the sun. Finally, on a noteworthy day, a pod of dolphins will make their presence known. Sometimes just their fin shows and sometimes they happily breach the water. Everyone likes to see dolphins although those hardcore exercisers will only stare as they zoom past instead of slowing down to admire.

    Humans : The wildlife kind. Surprisingly many of these for so early in the morning. Most are the garden variety walkers, joggers and runners  accompanied by friends, dogs or their own thoughts. There is no shortage of Lycra-clad cyclists zooming along on the parallel bike path. The other day I saw a dad taking his daughter to school...on a tandem bicycle! On weekends you'll see the Over 30s Road Runners taking the weekly foot race that rotates between the parks in the metro area.  These folks are actually mostly over 50 and enjoy field events once a month also. Just watching them exhausts me.
    Early morning (and lunchtime and after work) are good times for personal trainers and fitness instructors to meet their clients. The year-round moderate weather in this region really encourages fitness sessions anytime, anywhere. It is becoming ever more common to see small groups of people led in exercise by a trainer who

Lunchtime fitness in the Park

sees no reason to buy or rent premises when congregating on public property is absolutely free and nicer to look at. But some municipalities are starting to have a problem with this.  There are so many private classes conducted on public lands that city officials are worried about liability. These communities are now looking to license these exercise 'businesses' with a further requirement of carrying insurance. Tough break for the folks who get paid to watch others sweat.
    And finally the vision that reminds me once again that I am in a different place.  We are all familiar with the image of corporate executives staying lean, mean, shrewd business decision making machines in their thrice weekly, early morning squash sessions with other corporate colleagues. Save the sweatbands, small rackets, and tiny spaces for there is a whole different image for those same high flyers here in OZ.     At six o'clock in the morning, the Aussie executive is out water skiing with his cronies. You can't miss them--very middle-aged men with sturdy legs and (ahem) solid stomachs clad in neoprene suits take turns skimming the top of the water behind an expensive speedboat. I suppose that if they lived on the ocean, these same captains of industry would be surfing the waves at the same hour.  Totally cracks me up.
    O.K., exercise time is over. Let's get some breakfast.

Canning Show 2013

     I do go on a bit about the Perth Royal Show (state fair equivalent here in Western Australia) but there is much to be said about the county fairs like the Canning Show. To be fair, I was never really big on county fairs back home. They seemed to be poor distant relations to the state fair rather than the local celebration that they actually are. My tune has changed a bit.  I still like huge playground atmosphere of the Big Show but my tolerance for crowds, noise and extraneous nonsense has lowered significantly.  A local show offers a manageable experience for those with very small children, crowd or mobility issues.
     The Canning Show, like other regional shows or county fairs, has a little bit of everything: rides for kids, buskers and entertainment, a  few animals, bakery and art competitions, cotton candy and worthless treasures to buy, hawkers selling wares and someone in a back room counting money.  Almost hiding is the hobbyist exhibition hall.  Various societies are happy to show off their lace-making, embroidery, model trains, little airplanes, taxidermy skills  and model police car collections.  They also dearly wish to boost their membership numbers from within the viewing public...if the public can make it up the hill to the hall.
     Of course my appearance at the Canning Show is, well, mostly about my canning efforts. Yes, I do go on a bit about that also.  This year, out of nine entries (including two photographic entries I was utterly mad to enter) I received two (2) First Place winners and two (2) Third Place winners in the Preservation division.

Judge didn't save much for me.

    The winners were Strawberry Jam which the judge used for a scone demo later (also known as "staff breakfast") I had just enough left in the jar to spread on one piece of toast when I got it back and  Red Cabbage ( I reworked a loser at the Royal Show into a big winner at Canning.)    Third place holders were the Apple Butter and Fig Jam.  The figs were raining from a neighbor's tree, so I caught a few and put them through their paces.  My first effort with that fruit and the PRS judges liked it also. 

    My cookie entries went nowhere. They tasted the gingerbread star but ignored the apricot  swirl and the fruited oatmeal.  Less far than those went were the brandied marmalade and OPAL-orange, pineapple, apricot and lemon marmalade.  Again, the judges at Canning didn't always agree with the PRS judges but that's OK.  I'm good with four winners.

    A big surprise for me  was when one of the executive committee (who helped empty  my strawberry Jam jar in the demo) asked if I would help teach a jam making class in January.  Gee whiz!  At first I thought, "There are MANY people who are much better than I am" and after more thought realized that my jam journey is more contemporary to the newbies who will be in the class than folks who have been around for a hundred years.  Presentation plans are forming in my head.

    As are plans for 2014's entries.  Mango jam is already first in the queue.

 

 

2013 Perth Royal Show

     It's that time of year.  The Perth Royal Show is on (or, the state of Western Australia's State Fair) and in full swing. A city slicker from birth, I really like attending these agricultural shows. I'm not much on the rides, games or carny hokum but I don't begrudge those who enjoy these aspects along with the endless retail opportunities.  I like the animals, the artsy craftsy stuff,  the educational displays, free food samples, free entertainment and cookery competitions.

     The Show has promised one million dollars worth of entertainment this year. Probably didn't spend it all on the police bagpipe band although I did enjoy their performance. A new entertainer this year is the Ozrocketman.  Tired of just viewing that jet pack James Bond wore in Thunderball, our guy built his own (said to be the only jet pack in Australia and at a cost of $1000 per flight) and zooms around over the audience and showgrounds on a regular schedule.  Not quite a concert but it sure does fuel fantasy in the beholders. Being introduced to Australians here at the Show is Krispy Kreme doughnuts.  I have to admit to getting excited about the familiar, even if I don't actually like the product.  And Krispy Kreme doughnuts are not my favorite, but I think to myself "why not, home has come to you!"  The huge line at the K2 trailer waiting for deep friend delights and collectable trinkets went a long way to reminding me that I really don't have to eat hip-expanding doughnuts just because they are here.

     My fans ( hi, Mom ) are doubtless wondering how I did in the cookery competitions.  I had three entries: a brandied marmalade [using citrus "liberated" from the trees outside the Supreme Court building] that my tasting board said was a sure fire winner, and two Pantry Shelf -six sample items constituting a single entry- collections of which one represented an afternoon tea (Jam, Marmalade, Fruit Spread, Orange Butter, Apple Butter and Brandied Prunes)  the other represented a light supper (Pickled Onions,  Red German Cabbage, Pickled Beets, Root Vegetable shapes, Colored Sweet Peppers [these last two mildly vinegared] and Anchovy Paste).    It was the afternoon tea Pantry Shelf that won the ribbon.  I hadn't given it much hope. Too much of the contents are simply foreign to Australian taste buds. The fruit spread I called OPAL --a very Aussie gem used in acronym for orange/pineapple/apricot/lemon, not all of which is ripe at the same time so some allowances had to be made. No one has heard of apple butter and orange butter was sure to be confused with the translucent smooth yellow spread everyone eats called lemon butter.  This is why I called my orange butter (made with OJ , rind, honey and real butter)  Beurre L'Orange.  The French judge caught on right away.  

     There was a bit of controversy amongst the group of hanging around the French judge who had made herself available for general questions about preserving and competition.  Many people (including the judge) seal their jams by turning the jar upside down for a few minutes after filling.  All of my books say this old practice is a big no-no.  Juices could compromise the seal and welcome mold by the upside down method so everything needs a hot water bath for a complete vacuum seal.  The judge insisted that hot jars, hot lids and hot contents would do the trick just fine. Why boil water for one more step? One lady said she had never heard of a hot water bath.  OK, I come from a different planet.
 
     But, I still have a red ribbon and more ideas for next year.
   

Spring Wildflowers in Western Australia

    There are some really interesting natural wonders to see and enjoy here in Western Australia: walking amongst the giant Tingle trees in the south, picnic under a giant sheep's testicles,  watch whales migrate,  play hide-and-go-seek amongst the Pinnacles, feed the dolphins at Monkey Mia,  camp at the magical Karijini National Park, get gritty in the natural resources of the Kimberley or buy lovely pearls in far north Broome.  Each is a day's drive from the next--an unfortunate reality in a state as huge as WA--making a 'tour of the sights' possible only for those with lots of free time.

Everlastings

     Overlooked in all of this is the most accessible and wild -- the spring wildflowers. Popping up all over starting in May way up north to November in the deep south, the state is carpeted with over 12,000 varieties of flora, 60% of which are exclusive to WA.  We're talking deep shag carpet here, folks. A small child could get eaten up  in a field of tall everlastings.  An orchid fan consumed by their search for the Queen of Sheba amongst all the Donkeys. And so many other flowers- their beauty unsung by poets- smile for those who get off the road and are willing to take a walk.   All rather miraculous

Queen of Sheba orchid

really.  Much of WA is more hard scrabble than hospitable to plant life.  Ever hear of the red dirt of a "sunburnt land"? Yep, that's us.  And yet, nature shines on despite adversity.

     We recently  took our first drive to see this annual miracle. A northern loop from Perth that went up to Geraldton, over to Mullewa , down through Perenjori and Dalwallinu, side step to Three Springs before dropping into Moora. The wildflower guidebooks promised much and I always enjoy staying at country pubs.  The lack of  steady winter rain reduced the intensity of the flora this year but I was not disappointed. I was happy to take what I could get.  Besides, we lucked out in that

Fringed Lily

two communities were holding flower shows that weekend. Cool beans!  They were different from my usual flower show.  Mullewa's show set up little agri-scapes to highlight the flora and fauna found in the area. OK, the birds were caged but each section was like its own little bushwalk. Funny, I've never thought Australian flowers to have much fragrance but there was a "distinctive smell of bush" (so described the show Steward) in the hall which I can only translate to 'Australian forest'. They had historical displays to augment the agri-scapes. Three Springs had vased samples of flora on tables but also had a community art exhibition.  Attendees got to vote on their favorite photograph, drawing or painting in various classes.  Some were even for sale.  I was lucky enough to find a pretty gum leaf watercolor painting for $45 that looks perfect in my livingroom.

Wreath Flower

     The true rock star of the tour was the wreath flower, which is having a bumper crop this year. Shaped like a wreath, this is a single flower from a single tap root that grows in the hard packed earth near roads. A less likely place to thrive I cannot imagine but the roads to everywhere seemed to have at least a few. Truly sensational.

     I have been hearing for years that picking native wildflowers is illegal in this state. Yet I was seeing plenty of picked native flowers.  So what is the deal? Some said picking on your own private property is OK, just not on public lands. Others said no!, only flowers you have cultivated are OK.  And the final word came from the Western Wildflower Farm in Coomberdale who said all of the above are wrong.  They have to have  licenses to grow, harvest, sell, package and ship native wildflowers regardless of where they are located. Oh, it sounds like a complicated business, especially when government is involved.

Donkey Orchids

      I do fancy another wildflower trip but to the south.  The soil and landscape is so different from the red desert of the north and so are the flowers. Orchid aficionados are quite happy to be hunting in these parts. Little known is that the area around Fitzgerald River National Park has been declared a Biodiversity reserve hotspot worthy of watching and protecting by UNESCO.  I wonder why Tourism WA doesn't push the spring wildflower season more in its publicity about the state.  The rocks at the Pinnacles will always be there but the annual spring flora is worth the trip in from anywhere.   

    

   

Broome Festival

  This is a great time of year to pick up a broom. A Broome pearl, that is.  A second business trip to this vacation oasis in the far north of Western Australia could not have been better timed.

   There is a big festival going on – the Shinju Matsuri.  It is commonly referred to as the Broome Festival.  This is a celebration of the Asian and Pearl culture in the area.  An industry once highly dangerous for its shark-infested, oxygen-depriving ‘naked dives’  has evolved into  a high-science, cultured pearl industry.   With the trials and tribulations of those early days long gone, a highly diverse population embraces its past and celebrates the gold-colored nacred beauties  that have put Broome on the map.

Broome Fest Dragon parade

   The Festival starts with a bang…literally.  Firecrackers go off and the Dragon parade starts winding its way through Chinatown.  Stephen “Baamba” Albert, an Aboriginal folk singer regales revelers with songs about ‘saltwater cowboys’ (read:  pearl divers) and food trucks keep us fed.

Baamba sings of saltwater cowboys

Staircase to the Moon

    For another week and a half, the party continues with special markets, art exhibitions, athletic events, motor stampedes, musical performances including a night of Opera Under the Stars, a popular long-table luncheon and a gala ball.  The big highlight, around which the Festival is always scheduled, is the Staircase To The Moon.  The natural phenomenon of the Staircase to the Moon occurs between March and October when the full moon rises over the exposed mudflats of Roebuck Bay at extremely low tide creating the optical illusion of a staircase reaching for the moon.  It draws big crowds, many of whom walk the low tide area with has receded from its original shoreline by almost a mile. Not too dramatic an appearance this month and a greater camera than mine is needed to capture it, but it was fun.

 

Broome courthouse markets

    Another delightful phenomenon is the appearance of dragonflies.  The court house market has some beautiful, framed silk lightboxes , mostly with dragonfly motifs.  In fact, many crafted items have the dragonfly motif on them. A popular design at the time of my wedding, I have a soft spot for the double-winged beauties.  For Broomers, dragonflies signify the end of the rainy season.  They come in like locusts , but far from pests, they  eat all the mosquitoes the rainy season also brought in.  Dragonfly appearances also indicate that the warm ocean currents will start bringing the whale migration and that comfortable weather is coming.

    Perfect for the Festival of Broome.