Category: Melbourne

Gone Fishin’

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A couple of weekends ago, we organised for a group of us to go on a fishing charter with Hubs’ Uncle Wayne. Uncle Wayne and Aunty Alida have been running this business for years (decades??) and we have been meaning to go on a charter with Wayne since we got here. So we FINALLY got around to setting a date aside. My friend Beth was visiting for the weekend, so I tentatively invited her along. I say tentatively, as the last time Beth and I went on a fishing charter, we spent most of the 4 hours hanging over the side of the boat, providing burley for the rest of the fishermen/women. But we weren’t perturbed by our last experience (I’m not sure how!), even after receiving a call from Wayne in the morning saying it was a bit rough out on the water that day. We thought “let’s just do it!!” and so we rendezvoused with the group at 12:45pm and set off.

It was such a beautiful day – bright blue sunshine! – but it was quite windy, so Wayne headed for more sheltered waters, and we cast our lines and waited. We didn’t have to wait long before we got some bites, and Beth caught the fist fish of the day – a pink snapper, or “pinkie” as they call them. Though, she wasn’t so impressed with getting up close and personal!

It wasn’t big enough to keep, so off it went, back in the drink. She did however catch the only “keeper” for the day a bit later on – a nice little flathead that we all had a little taste of for dinner that night. I had had lots of bites and my line felt quite heavy, but it wasn’t putting up a fight. I thought I might have myself either a log-fish or a crab. I was wrong!

Yes, that’s right folks. I caught myself a star fish. A first for me!! Hee hee. Quite a few of us were catching fish, but none of them were big enough to keep 🙁

Hubs and his catch

Wifey, convinced she’d caught the same fish as Hubs

Luke and Grae, catching… ummm….. not much at all! 🙂

Uncle Wayne cooking up a storm for us on the BBQ
Beer + Friends + Fishing = Awesomeness!

Melbourne really turned on some great weather for us, and thanks to travel sickness tablets, ginger tablets and ginger beer, Bethie and I didn’t provide any burley for the trip. Hooray! We’re so glad we managed this before moving out to Wang. Something else to cross off our “to do” list!

So excited!!!

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My Mum and Aunty Heather are down for a visit, arriving last night! We had a nice little chat over wine and G&Ts and they headed back to their hotel, just down the road from College, around 10pm. We’re going for High Tea at The Windsor this afternoon, and we’re off to see Jersey Boys on Sunday evening. I can’t wait! It’s going to be a fun fun fun weekend!!!

Sticky money

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I just came across a couple of students from another college, supergluing a $1 coin on to the footpath outside of their college. I remember doing that in high school, just outside the tuckshop near where we sat.

Some gags never grow old!

Winery tour – Day 2

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After a very restful night, a sleep in, bacon and eggs for brekky, and a read of the newspaper about the storm that had hit Melbourne the day before, we set off for Day 2. (I had actually received a couple of texts from friends late in the afternoon asking “are you okay??” and I was like “we’re just on a wine tour dude. We’re fine!” It wasn’t til we got to Sorrento that we heard about the storm and all the damage it did!!) Our first point of call was The Cups Estate, and what an absolute gem that was! We left the camera in the car so I don’t have any photos, but their fortified pinot was incredible. We HAD to buy a bottle (or 2!)

Next we headed towards Arthurs Seat, stopping at The Morning Sun Vinyard. This place was a bit ho-hum. The service wasn’t great and the most popular wines (the had a Pinot and Guwerzt) weren’t on tasting. So we left with a photo instead!

And then it was off to Vidoni Estate which had some rather nice wines. I think we picked a couple up there as well. Nathan was still looking for a good pinot, and it turns out the first one we’d tried at Hickinbotham had been the best by far! So we decided we had to swing by on the way home. But that was later on…

We then started to get a bit hungry so we were on the look out for some foooood. We stopped in at Myrtaceae (again, cos it was there) and they had some special wine tasting glasses:

They only put in wine to fill the neck of the glass, and tell you to give it a smell, and you can’t smell much at all. Then, you roll the glass…..

… give it another whiff, and the smells explode in your nostrils! Clearly, the same outcome can be achieved by just swishing the wine around the glass yourself, but the novelty was fun. And the wines were quite lovely! Still hungry though…

We checked our map and found a place that was recommended by another friend of ours, who used to be a winemaker in the Yarra Valley, so we made our way there. It was REALLY packed and when we asked for a seat in the restaurant, I had a look at the prices of the meals and just couldn’t do it. Meals were between $30-$40 each and wines were about $12 a glass. Nate had a look and said the only thing he’d be keen on was the duck, and the waitress had told us they’d run out of duck. I’m sure the food would have been amazing, but we just could NOT justify that sort of spending, so we made some excuse and excused ourselves, and just tried the wines instead. Which were lovely! (I can’t quite recall, but I think it was Dromana Estate.)

We were getting REALLY hungry at this stage, so we decided to pop in to a bakery and grabbed some pies. There was a duck pie on the menu so Nate settled on that, I grabbed a beef and burgundy and Hubs ordered a steak pie. Mine was really quite delicious and Hubs was raving about his. Nathan was a little disappointed though. As we were almost all finished, I had a bite of Hubs’ and told him that he got Nate’s pie as there was no WAY that was steak. Hee hee. Poor Nate didn’t get his duck after all.

We went to a couple more after this and ended at Darling Park Winery which was really sweet. It was getting late and we had to get back to Hickinbotham for the pinot so we started off home. We arrived around 6:30pm and realised how bad the previous night’s storm actually was. There was debris EVERYwhere. I’m kinda glad we weren’t around, but also a little disappointed we missed the action! Thankfull though, our roof didn’t leak, which it often does.

We headed out to watch Hurt Locker (it was the night of the Academy Awards and we had no idea of it’s success. We thought it was totally awesome) and then headed to Papa Gino’s (of course) for dinner and the Hickinbotham Pinot.

The verdict? One of the BEST wines I’ve ever had in my life. Seriously amazing. It actually didn’t taste much like a Pinot to me, but the flavours and smells hit me in the face like a Samboy Chip. I just couldn’t get enough (although I only had 1 glass) and really wish we’d bought a bottle! Oh well.

It capped off a great weekend of wine-tasting and shennanigans! Next stop? Wangaratta Wine and Jazz festival! Wanna come?

Another winery tour

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Our friend Nate came down a few weeks ago (okay, over a month ago!) and we hired a car and set off for the Mornington Peninsula wineries! We had arranged to stay with Hubs’ Dad down at Sorrento Saturday night, and we’d been recommended quite a few wineries to visit! The first one we came across was Hickinbotham of Dromana. Silly name, good wine. I was designate driver (as usual!) so I didn’t really try the wines here.

Nate really liked the Pinot Noir, but he knew he was in Pinot territory, so he didn’t want to buy the first one he tried, so we moved on, empty handed. We then popped in to Dromana Valley Wines cos, you know, it was there, and we were there, but the wines weren’t so great, BUT we bought an $8 bottle of Pinot. We’ll see how that goes (haven’t tried it yet!)

The next winery was recommended to us – Ten Minutes by Tractor. We should have known what sort of place this would be (fancy-pants) going by the person who recommended it to us (fancy-pants). We had to pay for tastings ($5 per person, taken off the total if you make a purchase) which I’m not a huge fan of, but having said that, they really did provide a great service – were very informative and helpful. Again, I just had a little sip of Hubs’ tastings. These wines were gooooood.

Look how professional they are with their tastings!
We didn’t buy anything from here, but I think Nate may have. The wines were very nice but also quite pricey, so we just enjoyed the tasting. 
Now I THINK the next place we stumbled upon was Mantons Creek Vineyard, and it was definitely one of our favourites! The place itself was absolutely gorgeous!
The service was personal and helpful and the wine? Oh my gosh. The Tempranillo was incredible. We were enjoying the tasting so much, and the gentleman who was serving us just mentioned off-hand that their duck, pear and rocket pizza goes very well with that wine. We were hungry, we loved the place so we thought “why not?” And he was right. Oh so very right.
I LOVE when they match the food with the wine and this partnership was a success. We sat ourselves down on the veranda and watched a storm roll in. So I mentioned the Tempranillo. Now let me tell you about the Gewurztraminer. I can’t recall if I’d ever had that wine before, but Nate was super excited when he saw it on the tasting list. He’s been looking for a good Gewurzt for a long time. And he found it here. It is such a beautiful, smooth white wine – I was in love. We bought a couple of those and Nathan got himself a half-case and will no doubt be ordering more! We were sad to leave this winery, but ecstatic that we’d accidentally found it in the first place!
From here, it went downhill for a little bit. We headed to Red Hill Estate and they weren’t tasting they’re own wines that day – they had a “hurry hurry hurry all stock must go prices SLASHED for this weekend only!!” day. It had started raining by this stage, and as we were given our own little plastic shot glasses to help ourselves, and a list of 50 different wines, we knew we were in dodgy territory.
The faces the boys were pulling were hilarious! They certainly didn’t hold back! There were people everywhere, and we felt like we were in a cattle shed – noisy, a bit smelly, and chaotic! We didn’t stay long. It was now pouring with rain and our next stop was the Red Hill Brewery which my brother had told us to check out. Unfortunately by this stage, every man and his dog had tried to find somewhere to take cover, so we couldn’t even do a tasting. We could, however, buy a pot, so Hubs chose a stout which was really tasty!
And Nate got all fancy with the camera!

After this, we came across Montalto Vineyard and that was actually quite nice. They had basil-infused olive oil which was SO delicious (and which I’m SO going to try and make!) and the wines were lovely too.
The last winery for the day was Tucks, and we certainly ended with a goodie! I think I bought a Shiraz Rose from here that I’m looking forward to cracking open for a special occasion. Here we are at Tucks:
We met some people here who were, you guessed it, down from Brisbane for the weekend! Crazy right? AND they lived in the AUCHENFLOWER/TOOWONG area! Of course we played “who do you know” and came up with some common acquaintances. Small small world.
After this, we headed down to Sorrento for a night of roast lamb, excellent wine, great company, and a good night sleep. Ready for the next day’s adventures! To be continued….

S Flat smells like my childhood

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Whenever I walk into S Flat here at College, I’m teleported back to when I was 5-years-old. I think it’s the combination of smells from cleaning products. It’s so comforting and lovely actually. It reminds me of honey sandwiches and nap time in the middle of the day. And sandpits. Ooooh and the Nativity play.

All good things. In fact, I think I need to pay S Flat a visit right now! You know, just because…

The final 3

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So since I blogged about choosing my own adventure, some new options have been introduced! And I’ve narrowed it down to these 3. I’m going to make my decision very very soon… Maybe…

Abseilling Forward Run – this sounds CRAZY fun and a little terrifying!!
Day Spa Pampering – a little more indulgent and I am in great need of a massage
Pasta making equipment – now this is a gift that will keep on giving!

Now I REALLY don’t know which one to choose, but it will definitely be one of these 3 as they are all so very appealing. Are these any more enticing than the last ones??

A numbers game – Melbourne

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6 – the number of times I’ve gotten caught in the rain without an umbrella
4 – the number of times I’ve been asked by tram inspectors for my ticket
0 – the number of times I’ve been busted without a ticket (cos I’m a good little girl)
3 – the number of $15 hair cuts I’ve had at Pivot Point hairdressing school
3 – the number of $15 hair cuts I’ve LOVED
3 – the number of pairs of Mary Janes I’ve bought down here
2 – the number of times I’ve almost been hit by a tram (I felt it was “almost” but I’m sure it wasn’t that close)
7 – the number of parmas I’ve had (not all at once)
12 – (at least) the number of marinara pizzas Hubs and I have consumed at Papa Gino’s
6 – the number of times we’ve vowed we’ll try somewhere new to eat, and ended up at Papa Gino’s
10+ – the number of places I’ve been to that I’ll never be able to find again, in the maze of alleyways that is the Melbourne CBD
20+ – the number of times I’ve complained about the weather since moving here
15 – the number of grapes I’ve eaten while writing this post 🙂

And it’s back to the grind…

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We’re back into the swing of things after a great little break down at Sorrento over Easter. We spent our days swimming in the bay (well, I read my book on the beach – the rest of them were crazy enough to go swimming), catching up with family and friends, going for short walks (too lazy to do long walks) and Hubs worked on a contraption to assist him with taking panorama photos. I’ll let him tell you about that some time.

All in all, a very relaxing time, though I don’t feel as invigorated as I did when we returned last year. It’s been a while since I’ve been this busy, and although I LIKE being busy (especially with social engagements), I’m not used to it anymore, so it’s taking me a while to get back into my groove.

I hope everyone else had a super Easter and I’ll be filling you in on lots of interesting things very soon. As soon as they happen to me…

Pierogi Party!

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My Nanny has been making pierogi for a LONG time. Ever since I can remember, pierogi has been part of  our family. We wouldn’t have it every weekend at Nanny’s, but certainly often enough for it to be a favourite. And I’ve only ever assisted Nanny with making it.

Until a couple of weekends ago.

A few girls at college, including Aleks from Poland, were keen for a pierogi party and they made it happen! I was SO excited, but very nervous. What if it was a disaster? What if I couldn’t cook pierogi? The pressure was intense!

We got together on the Saturday morning and with some tunes in the background, we got straight to work. We first mixed up the pasta dough and did a bit of kneading. Because we are non-discriminatory pierogi-makers, and there was a vegan amongst us, we made a few different types; the traditional pork, traditional spinach and feta, spinach and feta with rye dough, and spinach with rye dough (vegan).

 Wifey making the dough

Getting ready for kneading (with the tongue poked out in concentration)
And then there’s the rolling!
The rye dough was coming along very nicely as well! It was much more difficult to roll but Aleks did a super job!
Then cutting out the circles:
And the fun part! Filling the little friggers! I made up a traditional pork filling, but in hindsight I should have used more flavouring (salt, pepper, garlic, onion). I’ll do that next time.
This part is actually quite tricky. You want to put in enough meat to not have an “empty pierogi” once it’s cooked, but not so much that you can’t seal it, and susequently have the filling fall out during cooking. Easy does it…
Success! They look like Nanny’s! 
(Okay, so this wasn’t my first attempt – I think it was about number 6, but that’s not too bad!!)
We had quite a production line happening!
And the rye pierogi were looking fantastic also!
Next up, you boil them for about 10 minutes to cook the meat and pasta.
In the mean time, we were heating the butter in the pan ready for the final stage – frying! (Obviously we didn’t use butter for the vegan variety – oil worked well too). 
This is my “oh-my-goodness-they-look-like-Nanny’s-pierogi” look!
It seemed to be a success! And now for the taste test!
 Winners all round! They were SO GOOD. As I mentioned, the pork filling needed a bit more flavour, but the spinach and feta ones were just delish!
This was such a great day for me. I felt so good afterwards, knowing that this is something I can continue with my own family. It might take another 40 years, but maybe one day my pierogi will be as good as Nanny’s. Thanks Aleks, Alyssa and Chelsea (who didn’t make it into the photos cos she was too busy taking them!) for organising this. It really meant a lot to me and I had a GREAT time. 
Mmmmmmm…… pierogi……