Student life

The interior of nearly all education establishments looks the same. Several still have the one-way and distancing signage that was put up in COVID-times. One wonders if 'temporary' signs are left in place for so long that they are invisible, this presents a danger that new warning signs will be equally ignored. Does that mean that obsolete signs present a risk hazard themselves? I told you I was doing workplace Health & Safety units for my course.

 

Meanwhile, the exterior and surrounds of said establishments differs greatly. I don't recall anything like this in Manchester.

I popped into town to meet Him Outdoors who was setting up a stall at the Multi-cultural Festival. As I walked past the Big Little Man sculpture, I noticed that it had acquired an Asian conical hat. Perhaps this is appropriate for the festival, while also encouraging a sun smart message.  

The Big Little Man by Dean Bowen

Earlier this month at The Ovations Awards and Celebration Dinner, I won a voucher for Saffron restaurant in a raffle. So, before we went to see another play for the Ovations judging committee, Purple Lady and I made the most of the voucher to enjoy a meal and show. The East Mediterranean restaurant serves Greek, Lebanese and Moroccan dishes with a focus on shared plates and lots of chick peas, rice, yoghurt and garlic. We had the Mezze House Banquet for two.

Selection of dips and dolmades

Kabak, Bourak and Mantar

At the weekend I walked around Weston Park, where, unbeknownst to me, there was a rowing regatta taking place. I find the sight of colourful blades laid out in neat rows on the grass very pleasing and it takes me back to growing up beside the river. 

Celebrations

Yes, I am working my way through the pile of bedside books, and no, it doesn't look like it because I keep adding more. 

Bedside books at the beginning of December

I work for The Smith Family who are celebrating their centenary next year. There is an entire year of activities planned as the organisation recognises their team members, partners, volunteers, and, of course, the families they have supported over the years. And, as we know, nothing says celebrations like cake. 

 

Of course, the other thing that says celebration is champagne. We had booked a champagne dinner with The Lovely Bonkers around the time of my birthday but it was postponed, what with one thing and another. Fortunately it was rescheduled for around the time of Mrs Lovely Bonkers' birthday, so we still had an anniversary to celebrate.

Run by the company Emperor, and delivered by Kyla Kirkpatrick (The Champagne Dame), the event was held at QT in Canberra in a room on the 14th floor, affording some great aerial views of the city. 

 

The dinner was presented as a 'flight', which is when all the wine is from the same provider. In this case it was from the house of Louis Roederer, one of the remaining independently-owned champagne houses. The champagne was matched with food and anecdotes, but it was definitely all about the bubbles.

We began with Sydney rock oysters, smoked salmon rosti and zucchini flowers, all matched with Blanc de Blancs 2014, a pure, taut, fine and bright wine. The blurb indicates that there are delicate hints of honeysuckle and jasmine, followed by iodised, sea-breeze aromas, combined with the warm, sweet notes of freshly-baked pastries. For once I agree with the tasting notes, and I definitely picked up the floral, honey zest followed by a saline character and a fresh limestone finish. 

Our next course was 'alternating' king prawns and Vanella Burrata (a fresh, Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and fresh cream). When 'alternating' is used on a menu, it means that people sitting next to each other get served different dishes. While this can lead to experimentation and sharing, it can also lead to arguments and plate envy. We are adults; guess which one we did?

The accompanying champagne was Collection 242. This is the first time that Louis Roederer (and potentially any champagne house) is phasing out their iconic Brut Premier, to lead with their new Collection Series instead. The reasoning is that, with climate change affecting the ripeness of the grapes, it is difficult to reproduce the same wine each season, so why try? The new method will be a blend of 56% base wine (the 242 is from the 2017 vintage), 34% perpetuelle reserve wines (from 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016) and 10% Roederer reserve wine (from young vines planted on chalky soil, used to make the Cristal - more of which later) aged in oak. It's called 242 because it's the 242nd blend of the house since its establishment in 1776. 

It is very fine with vivid, fresh fruit aromas and a defined minerality combined with white florals, citrus zest and a distinct chalkiness. It is Chardonnay-dominant in profile (as are all my favourites) displaying characteristics of ripe lemon, Williams pear and red apple, with a toasty backdrop and hints of peppery spice from the oak. It's delicious and (at $93 a bottle), the cheapest wine of the night.

Vanella Burrata

King Prawns

Our main course was free-range pork with apple 'alternating' with grass-fed sirloin. I preferred the pork, but then I don't get the antipodean adoration of steak. The accompanying wine for this course was the Vintage 2014 - nothing too different, but a sensational champagne with all the fruit and toasty complexity that makes this stuff so special.

Free-range pork with apple

Grass-fed sirloin

And so to the main event: the Cristal. Beloved of rappers and a symbol of decadence, this stuff is $400+ per bottle and has a sublime reputation. The story goes that it was first made for Tsar Alexander II who requested a wine at "the absolute pinnacle of quality" in 1876. Done. 

Because he was paranoid about being poisoned, he asked for the bottle to be clear (leaded crystal was originally used). Done. However, to prevent the UV light penetration from adversely affecting the wine (the reason bottles are usually dark green) it is wrapped in Lucozade-like cellophane, which, although it is meant to signify gold, rather lessens the impression. 

Tsar Alexander II also requested that the punt (the deep indent at the base of the bottle, which is there to provide the extra strength in accordance with the pressure built up through secondary fermentation) be replaced with a flat bottom to prevent bombs from being hidden it. Done. The reinforced glass necessary to withstand the pressure makes the bottle particularly heavy.

Incidentally, he could be excused this paranoia as half of the previous Tsars had been assassinated. Indeed, despite all his caution, he was himself blown up in 1881 after six previous assassination attempts. 

The champagne is delightful. It is made from the fruit of selected vines (which must be at least 25 years old) and cellar-aged for six months before dégorgement. Its palate is bold and powerful packed with stone fruit (nectarine and yellow plums), with candied orange and hazelnut. The elegant chalky notes and finely textured tannins add complexity and the finish is subtly saline. Would I pay for that again? Probably not. Did I thoroughly enjoy it at the time? You bet!

Him Outdoors with about $50-worth of Cristal

The other antipodean obsession I don't get is pavlova. I know Aussies and Kiwis like to fight over who invented it, but it's just meringue, isn't it? The Christmas pudding, however, was delicious with more than a hint of ginger in the spice mix set off perfectly with the sour cherries. 

I suppose these are festive desserts from either side of the world, but they both matched wonderfully with the Vintage Rosé 2014. The light pink colour suggests a party, which continues through the wild berry and spicy zest aromas, to the fresh pink grapefruit and blood orange flavours. The finish is smooth and full of character. 

The Cellar Master, Jean-Baptiste Lécaillon, describes it thus: "A characteristic Roederer rosé: the concentration, fruitiness, and compactness of the Cumières Pinot Noir grapes are transcended by the elegance, purity, and freshness of the finest Chardonnay grapes cultivated on the Côte des Blancs." But then, he would say that, wouldn't he?

My dessert is looking at me!

Christmas Pudding with sour cherries

For my birthday, I requested a street library. So Him Outdoors has assembled me one and painted it in Liverpool FC colours, poured a concrete foundation and mounted it on a pole. Today I got to put some books in and open it for business. The whole thing is terribly exciting, or exhausting, depending on your viewpoint.

No Drone Zone

Remember that theatre group I mentioned last week? A Slightly Isolated Dog? Well, I went back to see their next show, Jekyll & Hyde, and it was excellent too (same deal with the dodgy photos).

Jekyll & Hyde in a London fog

Evening walks are lit up with fairy lights. I'm not sure whether these are left over from the festive season or whether people just light up their houses all year round.

We're nearly at the end of the football season and there was a lot of pressure riding on Liverpool to finish in the top four so they could qualify for the Champions League next season. Added to the drama, they had to play Burnley in their penultimate game, and they had to win. The tension in our household was palpable, as you can see.

The next day, however, Melantho decided to make things interesting from a kitten perspective, by trying to climb on the range hood. She slid down it and fell off; she's fine with only greasy paws to show for her adventure. Perhaps she was making a comment on my domestic cleaning skills, or lack thereof.

I need sticks for the play I am directing, The Penelopiad, so we collected some on a morning walk. Some people have dogs to carry their sticks for them. I've got Him Outdoors. 

The Eurovision Song Contest has come around again. It is an odd thing, but Australia loves it and even participates in it although they are clearly not in Europe. (Don't ask). We enjoy the kitsch and the camp as much as anyone so we join in with the consumption of edible representatives and wearing of vaguely themed outfits.

Eurovision food

The Lithuanian outfits were all yellow, so...

For this week's stroll with the Walking Crew we visited the National Arboretum on a bright sunny and very cold morning. Canberra is beautiful away from the drones!

Reigning Kittens

My kittens mark out poses on the duvet cover, as if they're playing Twister. 

Kitten Twister

As I walk down to the local shops, I see the new mural is really taking shape and putting down roots (do you see what I did there?) - the artist, Faith Kerehona, seems to keep popping up into my consciousness. 

It feels like it wouldn't be date night without a picture of some food, so here are the cheesy meatballs with liquid cheese from To All My Friends. 

It's been kind of stormy weather around here for this past week; the dark clouds were certainly gathering on my morning run up Mt Painter. I arrived home just as the rain began to bucket down, but between the front and back door it began to lash down so hard that I decided not to get the washing off the line.

On Friday night we went around to friends' Gindelle and The Minister for a blind gin tasting. There were seventeen to taste and we took notes and decided which one(s) we liked best. It was a great night of fun, gin, food and laughter. I'm not sure why the first photo of the evening is the most blurred when the bottles weren't even moving. Perhaps it was the excitement of the anticipation.

As you can imagine, the notes got a little more rough and less coherent as the evening wore on, but I did capture my impressions of my favourite two: Sundown Gin featuring Strawberry Gum ('mint aroma - eucalyptus? - slightly sweet fruity flavour, warm smooth finish') and Audemus Pink Pepper Gin ('peppercorns; fennel; cardamom; star anise? Definitely Indian spices but also slightly creamy notes like honey or vanilla').

My runner-up gin of the evening

My favourite

And in a glass, with strawberries

I kicked off the weekend with a yomp round Red Hill Nature Reserve with the walking crew. In a change from our usual routine, we stopped half-way round for breakfast instead of waiting until the end. 

Signs at the lookout suggested that the surrounding natural temperate grassland has become one of Australia's most vulnerable ecosystems - I reckon there's plenty to choose from. Apparently these grasslands provide the habitat for several threatened species, including the Grassland Earless Dragon, the Striped Legless Lizard, the Golden Sun Moth and the Perunga Grasshopper. 

Now, I don't wish to sound judgmental, but this sounds like a dragon that can't hear, a lizard that can't run (and is possibly pissed), a moth that likes bright lights and a grasshopper that can't fly. It does sound a little like the home for the differently-abled reptiles and insects. I always thought Canberra was a little odd, but I wasn't aware that it was science fiction.

Due to tree growth, it is now quite difficult to see the lay-out of the city below from the lookout. However, another helpful sign provides the following information:

Intended to create healthy modern environments for urban dwellers, British 'Garden City' principles inspired the residential planning of Canberra from the 1920s. 

John Sulman, a leading architect and planner of the time, had a major influence in making our capital a garden city. His early suburb designs included Ainslie, Braddon and Kingston. Modest but well-designed single-storey houses were built on large allotments in generous garden settings, with wide verges and large shady street trees. Today, parts of these suburbs are heritage listed. 

Homes in early Canberra were prohibited from having front fences, so hedges became the preferred alternative. The 145km of suburban hedges were pruned courtesy of the government until 1954.

Charles Weston, Superintendent of Parks and Gardens from 1913 to 1926, oversaw the planting of two million trees and shrubs throughout Canberra. Influenced by 'Garden City' thinking, Weston created tree-lined streetscapes, which provide the striking seasonal colours we still enjoy today.

The information panels didn't mention anything about these beasties that we encountered towards the end of our walk. My Aussie friends told me that the cluster of caterpillars on a tree trunk were spitfire larvae and that when disturbed they spat out a stinging substance (the larvae; not my friends). I thought they were having a lend <cough> drop bears <cough>, but it turns out to be true! Later research (I looked it up on a computer) revealed that they actually dribble rather than spit (again, the larvae; not my friends) and the substance isn't harmful, which sounds a little less impressive, but it does seem that most Australian flora and fauna is indeed trying to kill us. Maybe the Dr Who tardis isn't so out of place after all... 

I arrived home to find that Calamity Sue had been to visit with a present for the kittens that she found in a second-hand shop. I installed it in the house and they soon had great fun climbing up and down it and hiding within.

Penelope going up...

...and coming back down

...and hiding inside

...with Melantho

Their antics wore them out so they needed a little lie down.

So did we. It may have been the bubbles...