Cath's Collection

Bollywood Evening

ABOVE: MEETING THE PEOPLE FROM ONE MUD-HUT VILLAGE

I just recently donned my Indian outfit, complete with really dangly earrings, and sashayed into a fund raiser at my old school workplace.  The purpose of the evening was to raise funds for the purchase of a mini bus, for the Presentation Sisters in India, near Chennai. So, I need to go back and explain how the evening turned into such a success, because a seventeen year old girl was moved by the plight of young Indian children, unable to access any education.  

In September 2011, Sarah was one of ten girls who went on our first school Indian Immersion tour to India. By immersion we meant a meaningful encounter with specific people in India, forging a close connection to schools run in the Presentation tradition.  We came from a privileged school and a society where access to education is a given.  In India, we discovered in the rural areas, that schools are few and far between.  We visited the nuns, about an hour from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nardu, who had managed to build a simple home, one room of which was the Nano Nagle Pre-School.  So far so good for those children within walking distance, not so good for the outlying mud-hut rural villages.  When we asked the nuns what would make a difference, their simple dream was a small bus so they could drive to the other villages and bring the children in.

So Sarah, in her own words, a ‘real material girl’, decided she had to do something to get the bus. Back home she asked the School Principal if she could organise a fund raiser.  The Principal suggested she involve her father, a doctor, and then both her Dad and the Principal stepped back and let Sarah do the work, having agreed that she could use the school function area, free of charge.  Never underestimate the energy and commitment of young people in pursuit of a worthwhile goal they strongly believe in.

Due to Sarah’s letters of appeal around the school and the wider community she convinced the Australian Medical Association, [AMA] to donate the money for the bus from their charitable fund.  10 bus seats were raffled on the night for naming rights and went for $560 each.  All of the raffle items were expensive and donated, the food was donated and cooked by an Indian family at our school, another group donated all of the Naan bread, all of the beer was donated, the girls going on the Indian tour, later this year, donated their time as waitresses on the night and so the only outgoing expense was the wine and the cost of the entertainment, i.e. three Bollywood dancers.

WE WERE INVITED INSIDE THE SPOTLESSLY CLEAN, MUD-HUT HOME

So Sarah, now in her first year of Uni, has made a difference and kept faith with the Presentation Sisters in India and their unwavering desire to educate as many disadvantaged children as possible. For Sarah, our school motto of “Actions Not Words” meant that she understood that she needed to be the catalyst for action.  I was really happy to be there on Friday night and contribute, in my small way, to the financial success of the evening, but more importantly, the extra money raised on the night, will keep the bus on the road and in good repair for a few years into the future.

Needed Boots to Get Down and Dirty.

My garden is in desperate need of some TLC.  The gardener, who mows and tidies, has been sick and not here for a month.  The weeds, which I try and keep under control, have gone berserk because I took my eye off regular maintenance. Yet suddenly yesterday, I was surprised by various things blooming, despite the general air of neglect around them.

The native camellias are in flower, with their short seasonal burst, and whilst they are transitory, one would think they are rewarding careful pruning and maintenance, by their abundance.  Instead they have made me resolve to get better organised and become a better keeper of the gardening flame for which I am now responsible.

The trouble is I don’t know the names of most of the things planted here by Peter, who was an expert in native trees and shrubs.  So I continue to be pleasantly surprised by just about everything as it struggles into bloom.  One name I do know, the miniature Lilly Pillies, despite a severe pruning, because they are in the path of the machine about to wreck the swimming pool, are flowering away and I almost missed their display due to the diminished size of the bush. Such delicate flowers and berries are produced despite my neglect and they look lovely.

 Lastly, the lime tree is rarely without limes, despite the fact that the tree is being attacked by borers, who will eventually kill it off. In fact it is this tree that has made me decide to get serious about the garden.  However, I need to buy a pair of working boots because my sand shoes, in which I presently garden, are also used at the gym and I need to get seriously dirty if I am going to resurrect this garden.  So I am off to get something to enable me to tramp around the garden and heavy enough to stand on unwelcome wriggling things I might come across.  Not worms: I do know that worms are good for gardens and that is a start at least!

Tiny Teddies: Hundreds & Thousands and Strawberry Milk.

Restoring the house to order again after my visitors has been an easy job.  Picture books and simple puzzles are back in the cupboards.  The scooters are stored in the garage and the toddler car seats went back into the box they were recently purchased in.  More fun for me has been packing away the Lego. Why? Because it packs away better if some of it is made up and I don’t have hundreds of Lego pieces to store back into their colour coded storage boxes. [My idea from when my kids were little and we seemed to be swimming in the stuff.]

Given that it is nicer to have the Robin Hood Castle and the Pirate Gaol, along with the Motor Bike Repair Shop and the Helicopter ready for action, as soon as they come back in 2013, I have been visiting my inner child and constructing Lego.  Also, many of the Lego people seemed to be in halves, so putting legs, torsos, heads and headgear back together also happened.  Following a Lego diagram of the more complicated structures was, I told myself, keeping the brain active.  There are still many half completed Lego structures stored with these completed ones; my nephews have yet to see all the spaceship Lego my grown up boys have in the large box.  No sense in bringing everything out, if you are then spoilt for choice.

Little food reminders of their visit are also in the pantry and fridge. Some of these include: Tiny Teddies: Hundreds and Thousands version, powdered strawberry milk, little yoghurts and cheese packets, small packets of chips and of course left over Easter egg chocolate.  Most of the food might be welcome by my neighbour who has grandchildren, because I will not eat most of it.  Still, having said that, I have just enjoyed a Tiny Teddies packet with my coffee and they are just the right size in quantity. Marvellous how the hundreds and thousands went right through the biscuits, recently a source of wonder for my three year old nephew.

Any Excuse for a Party.

Recently my brother-in-law and his wife came to visit while my sister and her little ones were here from London.  The occasion was a simple afternoon tea of cheese and biscuits, and scones with jam and cream. It was a farewell visit since Elizabeth and the boys were coming to the end of their holiday. The organisation had just involved purchased food because Elizabeth and I were fairly tired, having kept occupied a five year old and a three old for several weeks, and we were running out of puff.

However, my littlest nephew, on seeing the food, announced it was like a party and wanted to know where the party hats were.  Endorsing his imaginative idea was a simple matter of turning pretty paper serviettes into party hats and finding a few left over party poppers in the dresser drawer.  So great fun was had by the boys, much to the amusement of the adults, who readily entered into the spirit of the occasion.  

How lucky we are as adults when we enter into the world of childhood.  It does not require expensive things.  Usually it just means we facilitate the initial suggestion, as best we can, with whatever is at hand.  Simple really, but so much fun.

Looking for Lentils

When one chooses to eat mostly vegetarian and fish meals, looking for the protein in a meal can be quite a challenge. So, I was looking today for a salad combination of beetroot and lentils for an evening meal with a difference. Because the weather is so hot at the moment and fresh beetroot is in all the shops, the search was really about salad combinations to avoid using the oven for too long.

Thanks to the Australian Delicious magazine, the first of its kind, and then later Master Chef on television, it would seem that we are in the midst of a cooking renaissance. Given we live in an online world, there are so many places to find a recipe. The big supermarkets have gone online and they have recipe suggestions, with famous chefs showing everyone how easy it is to cook. The food magazines are linked on ‘taste.com.au’, whilst the ‘Australian Gourmet Traveller’ magazine has its own website. Then of course there are the food blogs out there waiting to be discovered and turned into ‘Favourites’ or ‘Bookmarks’ depending on your search engine.

So it should come as no surprise that I spent at least an hour finding the desired recipe and saving various things into my online recipe books on the sites. What a clever marketing idea; of course I will return to these sites, I have personally chosen things that might interest me.  So here is the recipe I will be trying this week.

Lentil, beetroot and orange salad.

Photography Jeremy Simons. Recipe from ‘Super Food Ideas’- October 2010,                   on ‘Taste.com.au.’

Ingredients [serves 4]

2 large oranges

2 x 400g cans lentils, drained, rinsed

120g baby rocket

100g reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled

450 g can baby beetroot, drained, quartered. [I am cooking fresh ones]

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

METHOD: Segment oranges over a bowl. Squeeze juice from membranes into bowl. Reserve juice. Combine lentils, orange segments, rocket and feta in a large bowl. Transfer to a plate.   Arrange beetroot on lentil mixture. Whisk vinegar and reserved juice together, season dressing. Drizzle over salad.

SHED REJUVENATION

My shed is overstuffed with boxes and handed down furniture from deceased  family members.  It has been in this state now since 2009 and it is such a big job, that just starting was rather daunting. Throw into the mix garden machinery and handyman  tools and that is the reason for my delay in getting going. However, since my daughter is moving out, and her grandmother’s dining room furniture was last seen at the bottom of everything, today, being Sunday, was the day the shed and I became reacquainted.

It turns out that only 9 packing cases were full, the rest have been stored empty.  Silly idea, I now realise. So once the full ones were relocated to the garage, and my friendly neighbour saw what I was doing, he came and helped me fairly quickly decide that some stuff is only dump worthy. This is now outside, covered by a tarpaulin, until we have a full load for the ute. The shed and I still have a fair way to go until it is really clean, but at least there has been a start.

The good news is the dining furniture has survived intact, and when the chairs are steam cleaned and the table polished it will look fine. The bonus news is that we discovered a fairly new washing machine under the pile as well, belonging to one of my son’s when he relocated to somewhere else. The great news is the fun I had rediscovering some little crockery treasures of my Mum’s while unpacking boxes. Nothing important, but just very Mum.  Expect to see afternoon tea served on dainty china trays if you are in the neighbourhood and decide to pop in.

LOOKING INTO THE SHED FROM THE DOOR WAY

LOOKING FROM INSIDE THE SHED TO THE OUTSIDE

Romance Alive and Well.

Last night I was totally uninspired by what was on offer on the TV. I began to watch a drama on the ABC called ‘Accused’, and it was just too gritty and present day to inspire me. So searching through the DVD drawer I came across a little present I bought for myself, Xmas 2010, the remastered BBC series of ‘Pride and Prejudice’. It is in a boxed collection with three other Jane Austin movie adaptions. That was what I needed, a bit of old fashioned sexual tension. A series ridden with class distinction and snobbery and featuring handsome cads, dashing heroes, feisty females and sycophantic clergy men.

So, comfortably settled on the couch nestled back amongst cushions, I happily lost myself in the first three episodes of the series. When I went to bed, Elizabeth Bennett had just refused Mr Darcy’s offer of marriage. What better time than Sunday afternoon to finish off the series, which I did. It was a very positive way to while away some time and it made me happy. Yes, the wet shirt scene, with Mr Darcy coming out of the lake, was just as good as ever. However, this time around, I found myself admiring the skill of the actors. Mr Collins justs makes you cringe to watch him and Mrs Bennett is an absolute delight with her voice and mannerisms. So, I think that occasionally, a little light relief is good for one’s temperament. Watching it was calming and relaxing and I did not have to move off the couch for more pressing concerns. They can wait for another day.

Xmas Desserts

Today I decided that I must make the frozen Xmas desserts which we will need when we return from Xmas in the country. We are hosting family members and our next-door neighbours to a combined celebration. Since we fly back to Brisbane on the morning of the party, some pre-planning is required. There is nothing like a cool desert on a hot Brisbane night.

I tried out a new layered one which required me to make a simple ice-cream, no churning required - bonus! Then to that I needed to add, separately, pureed rock melon and pureed raspberries. The whole thing was finished off with the plain ice cream-layer again and cake. However, due to special dietary requirements, my cake is a gluten free butter cake. I hope it looks as pretty as the recipe picture, when turned out onto the plate. I will just add a few fresh raspberries and it should work a treat.

The second one is a family favourite, frozen cassate cake, and it resembles the picture up above. It is so simple, since it starts by having 2 litres of commercially produced ice-cream and then adding chocolate to half of it. The bottom layer is whipped cream and brandy soaked glace fruit. The crumbed biscuits on the top, again are gluten free, so everyone can have dessert choices and not be restricted. 

Of course, I got to sample as I went and to run my finger around all of the bowls I have used today. I am not too sure about the rock melon layer, it seems a little bland, but everything else tasted great. So, baring a major electricity fail while we are away, I am relieved to have ticked this chore off my to-do-list and look forward to presenting these special treats.

Deck the Halls: Fa la la la la, la la la la!

This year, we felt like making the effort to enter into the buzz around Xmas and accordingly, I decided to decorate the frame of the large picture in the lounge room. I never quite know what will eventuate when I begin, because I have so much to choose from, collected over many years of family life.   It is always fun bringing out the boxes and looking through everything.  

I still like looking at all the decorations on offer in the shops, but better still, in the past I have stocked up on a few nice things in the Boxing Day sales when things are half price.  I used to eye off the expensive ones, at Myer and David Jones pre-Christmas, and then buy just a few in the sales. So opening the boxes each year has an element of surprise, when I see the new sale items ready to be used.  I have stopped building my collection and it is now time to cull.  Well, that is unless there is something really too nice to miss!

The picture frame ended up being about angels when I started at the bottom and put two ditzy feather and silver angels there.  So I just kept adding things until I was happy with the result.  A few years ago, when my daughter was in Year 10, she completed a Home Economics Xmas assignment.  I found a Vogue pattern for ornaments using paper and ribbons and so, given that Vogue pattern instructions are not easy, we made a practice one.  I simplified the instructions for her and she made the second one at school. That is the one that usually sits on top of our tree.  She then made several more as gifts, one being for my mother, who also loved Xmas decorations.

This year we have used Hannah’s tree inside, rather than the potted one outside, because it used to get placed where Charlie sleeps.  I must say, putting up a fake tree is a darn site easier than wrestling with spiders and prickly Pinus Radiata needles.  In the past, as the tree grew, it eventually turned into a magnificent Xmas tree and Peter would have to chop it off and it would regrow again.  So, we always had several candidates, in various stages of regrowth, to be the one chosen each year.  

Hannah’ decorations are only two years old and themed around purple and silver, which is nice for a complete change, from the family decorations of the past.  A nice touch is that Nana’s Xmas angel, made so many years ago by Hannah, is now sitting in pride of place at the top.  I will also find a place for mum’s little cross stich embroideries and wall hangings, so the family traditions continue and I think, that is as it should be at Christmas.  

Bye Bye Birkdale

Today, I was the last O’Grady sibling to add their signature to the sale contract for my parents home at Birkdale. Having to travel across town to do this, I decided I was close enough to Birkdale to make a final trip to pick up the pot plant from the front door, which I had organised some months earlier. I fully expected it to be in a sorry state, but in fact it was blooming and healthy. The real estate people had obviously been watering it.

Mum’s garden was also abundant and flowering.  Yes, in need of attention, but just effectively blooming, oblivious to the fact that the real gardener in the family had passed on some time ago. As I went inside for one last look, they were definitely there in their recliner rockers. Dad was in his beenie, his constant companion since Alzheimers progressed and robbed him of vigour and the ability to stay warm. He was always pleased by visitors, even if our names had long faded from his memory.

Mum was stitching yet another cross stich Xmas embroidery. She loved Xmas and sent away to Europe for the traditional cross stich Xmas series magazines, so happily, we have many reminders of her skill. I have kept all of her Xmas cross stich magazines and patterns, even though others were given away. Last year, I was too sad to be bothered with Xmas decorations, but this year, I think it is time to go nuts again with the Xmas trees and the cross stitch in celebration of family lives well lived. 

What was missing in the empty house was the vase of garden flowers.  All year there was something cut from the garden on the kitchen table. My sister and I endeavoured to maintain this practice when Mum went into care and funnily enough it was me, with the Spathiphyllum or peace lilles, growing neglected in pots by the pool, we came to rely upon because they lasted so long once they were cut. I am not a gardener and Mum once commented that, as a child, I had always said my future garden would be grass and trees, hence my luck in marrying a Forester and basically having trees and shrubs. Or in Mum’s words, telling it as it was, ‘You fell on your feet there, you do nothing in your garden!’

So, I decided that for this last time, I was going to raid Mum’s garden and below are the flowers on my table.  As I was leaving, I bent down to touch a favourite ornament of Mum’s, which I assumed was cemented onto the path, but it wasn’t, so I have that too. While I was raiding, I also took the large ‘Welcome’ mat which said so much about the family hospitality in the Birkdale home. So the little possum and the mat are at my front door, along with the hibiscus pot plant, as a happy reminder of Mum and Dad’s place.  I feel much better about the sale of the house now.