Category Archive for ‘books and writings’ at me, my camera and my life.

Archive for the 'books and writings' Category

Food

Published

on July 27, 2008

in books and writings, food and random life

. 1 Comment

One thing I have truly loved about moving out of the family home is how much more I cook. I do the bulk of the cooking now (it means I don’t have to always wash up :D). Sure I dislike our stove with a passion, it is soooo inefficient, the oven does not know at all what even heat means, it likes burning the bottom of baked goods and it on the small side so finding biscuit trays to fit has been a mission. Still as much as I dislike the stove, I still love it as it lets me cook. The bummer is that I am not taking any photos of what I am cooking, I know I should and that I should start playing with my flashes to provide the lighting as when I have finished cooking it is dark, dark, dark outside and the ceiling lights in our flat leave little to be desired.

Whilst some nights I don’t feel like cooking after coming home from work and I end up having a sandwich or a salad for dinner, most nights the thing I want to do most after a day at work is to potter round the kitchen or sit on the kitchen bench stirring the pot with a cup of tea or glass of water beside me whilst listening to the ABC or some Jazz. One of my staples has become a lamb and lentil dhal of sorts as well as of course a good old pasta ragu.

Last night I made mushroom risotto for dinner and well both Andrea and I had seconds. It was good, so good. Looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch at work tomorrow. This morning we had blueberry pancakes for breakfast just because I didn’t feel like having cereal or toast

I have decided that one of the the things I will do when I am flat hunting next time is request a test run of the stove well at least a thorough inspection of it’s capabilities.

three up

Published

Helen

on January 15, 2008

in books and writings, family, friends, photography and random life

. 2 Comments

Last night I went to catch a 9pm session of Atonement with Thor. There were four other people in the cinema with us, when the movie finished and we walked out, the others had disappeared. weird. Sweetness was the choc tops we got. Made at the cinema, the sticker on the package cheerfully proclaimed, they were choc tops from outer space. a real ice cream cone (as in conical), real chocolate instead of that weird tasting stuff but what really topped it was the ice-cream. I had after dinner mint and it was a nice pale green in colour and full of flavour. Atonement was good, I liked it, well I liked the first 95%. The ending was such a cop out though. Now I know you can’t always have happy endings but if you want to have a sad/angry ending, how they did it was not the way.

Popcorn, that was actually hot for once.

When I was at QAG on the weekend, I picked up this little beauty in the QAG store for 40% off, because two weeks into January, who wants a 2008 diary? I do! A limited edition 2008 Moleskine diary plus a cahier.

Sunday; Pabbi, Matthew and I went to the bookfest. They brought home a wall of books each. I on the other hand brought home a couple of books that I had been looking for and a stack of Delicious and Australian Gourmet Traveller magazines, 15 for $3, bargain.

nectarines in summer.

Published

Helen

on January 11, 2008

in books and writings, food and random life

. 3 Comments

It is summer at the moment. Matthew is working at a new fruit shop. They get the best stone fruit, actually they get some of the best fruit in general, I have started to eat mangos this summer as well, as the ones they get taste just right. I love stone fruit in general but Nectarines are so good in that you don’t need to peel them first.

Eating a nectarine is such an enjoyable moment. Standing on the front verandah leaning over the railing you listen and watch suburbia around you, a dog in the next street is barking, a car drives up the street, the son next door is channelling his inner heavy metal self. You however have only one concern at that present moment and that is the ripe nectarine you hold between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand. As you raise it to your lips, your mouth automatically opens anticipating that sweet flesh. There is that split fraction of time when the nectarine is in your mouth but the skin is still unbroken and you are overwhelmed with desire to close your jaw firmly, breaking that reddish skin, eager to get to that brilliant yellow flesh that awaits you. As your teeth break the skin, your can feel the first trickle of juice hitting your taste buds and the rest of the world is truly forgotten. For the next period of time, you have only one concern and that is savouring that nectarine bite for bite till you have sucked the last piece of flesh off the stone and licked your fingers clean of that juice. Your stomach is placated for a while until a few hours later you feel the urge to have another nectarine. This time however the rain has arrived and instead of leaning over the railing, you lean over the kitchen sink instead and repeat what you did before.

I have to share something

Published

Helen

on December 31, 2007

in Music, books and writings and random life

. 3 Comments

I am 22. Well 22 point something.
For Christmas. I got a few books and a few CDs.
One of those CDs was a box set. 3 CDs of Peter Combe goodness. I have no shame admitting that. I want to know why Peter Combe is not playing at Big Day Out. The man is selling out venues across Australia. Could you imagine him at BDO? 50,000 plus people, many slightly inubriated singing along to Newspaper Mama, that would be magical. If I was booking a festival, he would be one of the first acts on my list.

This morning it is raining. What did I do after waking up? Why play Rain of course.
and the rain keeps tumbling down, listen it’s a wonderful sound. If you want to have a listen press the play button below.

The other CDs were from The Mountain Goats and Brindle that evens it out a bit.

Books.
Well one of them was instructing me on how to be an American Serviceman in Australia in 1942. I now know everything I need to know about Australia from the point of view of the Special Service Division, Services of Supply, USAF. It is 54 pages of pure gold. Put out as part of a series by the Bodleian Library, others in the series include Instructions for Instructions for British Servicemen in France and American Servicemen in Britain. Gold!

I particularly like this section.

Australia’s Democratic Traditions.
In many ways Australia is the most democratic government in the world. Certainly in the short space of 150 years, it has made many notable contributions to social legislation in which it has pioneered. it set up one of the first central banks in the world. Also the nation pioneered in social security and workmen’s compensation laws and developed a unique and workable system of industrial arbitration courts which have helped reduce strikes and disputes to a minimum. p.39

Australian Songs and Singing.
Australians, like Russians, are natural group singers. It’s one of the great differences you’ll notice between American camps and Australian - the singing. p.21

One thing I have noted is that throughout the book they continually point out that Australia is one of the greatest democracies of the world. well yeah.

At the back there is a section on Australian Slang. “Australians can give us a head start and still win”.
I will now use the listed slang to illustrate the bog standard New Years Eve party.
I might go to a shivoo (party) where the plonk (cheap wine) will abound, some people will get shikkered (drunk). It will be ding dong (swell) though. It won’t be a beano (gala affair) but I might be a bit crook (sick) in the morning.

It is a cracker of a book.

One of the other books I got is a cracker read. Titled A Teacup in a Storm: an explorer’s guide to life, it is set out like an instruction manual giving me advice on how to go about organising a grand expedition as well as how not to go about organising such an expedition. The sections include Getting There, Getting Along, Getting Started etc. The book was La Dolce Vita by Isabel Coe.

It is still raining. but now the Old 97’s are playing instead.

Benazir Bhutto

Published

Helen

on December 28, 2007

in books and writings and random life

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I was woken for the 2nd time this morning with my father telling me that Benazir had been shot. I still can’t comprehend it.
My alarm had just gone off. I walked into the hall. Pabbi walked from the lounge room and said “Benazir Bhutto has been killed”. It took a millisecond for the brain to plug in and process the information. I don’t know what I said. I got in the shower and wept. Throughout the day I have weept as I have listened to the radio. Now as I type this I am weeping. I knew from the moment she arrived back in Pakistan the odds were stacked against her life, she knew it too. I like to be optimistic about life, politics, all those big things, I was wishing so dearly that the mechanisms would click into place and that the engine that is Pakistan would start to run in tune again. Tonight looking at tomorrow I don’t know how they are going to get in tune any time soon. I would like to think that her assassination would be a wake up call to the people of Pakistan that this is not the path they want to go down. I want to stay optimistic, in this day and age can you be anything else if you want to live the following day? I just hope so dearly that Pakistan does not implode, that out of this terrible event a ray of light emerges for Pakistan.

What is a Friend?

Published

Helen

on September 22, 2006

in books and writings

. 2 Comments

I found a piece of paper today which has a piece of prose I wrote in year 12 (2002) or it might have been year 11 (2001) but I am pretty sure it was year 12.

What is a Friend?
Is it someone you can trust with your life?
Is it someone who knows you almost as well as you do?
Is it someone you likes you for who you are and not what society wants you to be?
Is it someone who would give his or her life, so you could live?
Is it someone who will be there for you at the darkest point of your life?
Is it someone who asks you to the party on Friday?
Is it someone who will pass notes to you in class, even though you really should be listening?
Is it someone who rings you just to say good luck before the big test?
Is it someone who will join you on the walk of life?
Will they join you if you choose the road less travelled?
Will they do all of the above and thousands more just because they are your friend?

Looking back at it now I find a few things interesting in it.
I have never been a party girl so I find that line interesting. I rarely passed notes in class because I was terrified that the teacher would see and it would get back to Mum (one way to ensure your child doesn’t mess up, be a teacher at the school they attend).

Looking at this, I wish I could find copies of some of my other writings from high school I remember writing a pretty kick ass short story about a teenage boy and his search for the truth about his mother who died in childbirth and his grandparents’ apparent hate for their daughter. It was all top stuff. However, after a computer blowing up and a hard drive failure I lost most of my school work.

POTN in the City

Published

Helen

on September 18, 2006

in books and writings, photography and random life

. 4 Comments

I spent the better half of yesterday tramping round Brisbane with a tripod on my back and a camera bag on my side with nine other like minded people who I met through Photography on the Net, which is a Canon-centric message board. It was such a delightful day spent chatting, sharing tips and of course taking photos that I was sad to leave after lunch when the others were heading over to the Roma St Parklands but I had books to read, notes to make and granola muesli to cook.

We had arranged to meet at 5:30am at Kangaroo Point to take photographs of the cityscape in early morning light and we were all wishing for clearish skies and sun. We were not that lucky but at least we didn’t have rain like we had been having for the last couple of days.

Once we had had our fill of the view from that area we boarded a cross-river ferry and headed to the Eagle St Pier/Riverside area to play along the boardwalk and between the buildings in the morning light.

The Jogger

Every morning she pounds the footpath,
Every morning she takes the same route.
She sees the same thing day in, day out,
Perhaps she notices the changes that appear,
Or maybe she doesn’t.

By now it was close to 8ish and we hopped on a CityCat to take us up to New Farm Park and the Powerhouse where we explored the industrial elements of the Powerhouse before sitting down for a warm beverage and hoping for the clouds to part again and give us some sun.

The Magnificent Seven walking through the park with the Rose Garden in their sights. Three of us were not in the shot.

In the Rose Garden I spent my time searching for fairies but yet again they let me down, I did find evidence of their life though in the following photos.

First we have some Fairy Tables.
Since the rains have finally started to come to Brisbane, the fairies have been praising the clouds as they bring mushrooms with the rain; growing in little clusters they are just perfect for a Fairy cocktail party.

Second is a newly opened Fairy Fabric Store. Have you ever seen a flower where a petal might be missing or a branch with a few missing leaves? This is prime evidence of Fairy life. Petals and leaves are excellent sources of high quality fairy cloth. This Rose store I believe might be a special occasion fabric store as the petals were all intact. Perhaps they are waiting for more mushrooms to pop up and then they will have a Fairy Ball.

After more chatting and photographing we hopped back on the CityCat and cruised the Brisbane River up to Bretts Wharf, pointing out good spots for photos along the way and then exploring the river bank at Bretts Wharf.

Then it was back on the CityCat to head back into the city for lunch and the Roma St Parklands. However, myself and three others started on the trip home after lunch instead of going to the parklands :(. As we walked through the city streets back to the ferry stop to take us back across the river to our cars I snapped this last one of the Brisbane buildingscape.

Hello Holiday

Published

Helen

on June 20, 2006

in Iceland, Music, TV and Movies, Uni, books and writings, creating, family, friends, photography and random life

. 8 Comments

So the Socceroos didn’t get up, we only lost by two against Brazil and Japan-Croatia tied with no goals, which means that we still look good for the next round.

I did my last exam for the semester yesterday, now I just have to wait for the results to come rolling in, even though grades are not announced until July 5, I already know that I have gotten two distinctions (6) and I think I might get another two yet and one credit (5) if I manage to pull this off, it will be my best semester at uni ever. One of those distinctions would have been a high distinction if I had not done miserably (11/20) on the mid-semester. Bring on next semester (which is my last semester of my undergraduate Bachelors degree)!

I watched three DVDs yesterday. The first was with Mum - Hope Springs, quite a nice romantic comedy and the character played by Minnie Driver was just a total piece of work. The second was with Mum and Matthew - Do You Remember?: Fifteen Years of the Bouncing Souls, which was a really great doco about The ‘Souls which made me think I really should have gone with Matthew and his friends to see them when the played the other month. The last one I watched was Speak, this was an incredible movie, I didn’t think it would be anywhere near as dark as it was but it was just incredibly moving.
Bring on five weeks of holidays and try to forget that this time last year we were busy preparing for the Palsson Grand Iceland Tour of 2005, I guess though in four years times we will all do our best to make our way back as a family for the quinquennial clan gathering.

I have plans of grandeur to fill my holidays with, which include the following.

Make this top - Simplicity 4589, view A
Make pasta
Finish the final testing of a new blog template
Attack the ever increasing pile of recipes to try and make a good number of them
Learn how to knit - Continental style (Mum was taught English style like most Australian’s but thinks it would be better for me to learn Continental style as it is so more efficient, she talks of when she was in Iceland and like most of the other women spent a lot of time knitting by hand or with their machines and how the Icelandic women were just powerhouses with their knitting, maybe I can talk her into paying for me to go to Iceland these holidays to learn how to knit?)
Get a fair stack of scrapbooking done
Make a couple of bags
Get my bike serviced so I can start riding again
Go on a couple of mini photographic expeditions
Go see Trivia at the Metro Arts
Go see Death Cab for Cutie at the Arena
The Brisbane Flickr meet up on Sunday
Get a couple of photos printed and mounted for a long overdue birthday present
Have fun
Work a heap
Organise some sort of filing system for the clippings I collect
Hit up the shops/life with Andrea
Party hard(ish) with Sam
Play copious amounts of Gamecube with Matthew
Organise something with The Girls from school
Read all the books in this monstrous stack I have - five different trips to the library and the four I need to finish beside my bed (if you click on the photo you can see it full size so you can have a “browse” of my library shelf)