Snow snapping cold

Can I have what he's having?

John So, Lord Mayor of Melbourne in a traditional Wurundjeri possum-skin cloak (Jiawei Shen, 2005 Archibald Prize Finalist)

In south-eastern Australia, where winters can be very cold, Aboriginal people kept warm with possum-skin cloaks. Check out this ancient craft here. After a life-time in tropical and sub-tropical climes, Miss Eagle still feels the cold in Melbourne even though this is her third winter here. So she could really, truly do with a possum skin cloak.

Forest Glade Cottage, Olinda : St Matthew's Anglican Church, Mount Dandenong

Will this be what it will be like up the road in The Dandenongs this afternoon? Last night, here at Upper Gully, it was like sleeping in a wind tunnel. Cocooned from wind with an electric blanket, a doona, a minky, a Rose and a FootFoot maybe - but oh the howling, noisy wind.

A little while ago it started to rain.

The Age carries this story. They are calling it a cold snap! What do they think we have been having for the last ten days! A fortnight ago from last Friday this was the scene as I breakfasted beside Lake Wendouree. My weekend in Ballarat was oh-so-cold. But here is the picture in The Age to-day just a short step away from my breakfast place:

Brrrrrrrrr!

The salt of the earth

Mural: Salt Harvest - Bowen

Some people like to tell us that salt is a white poison. They tell us of its effect on blood pressure. They tell us of the advantages of eliminating salt from our diet. But Miss Eagle has not parted with her salt cellar yet. It contains iodised salt, of course. Tess over at Anchors and Masts brought much to mind when she did this beautiful post on salt. You see, dear Reader, Miss Eagle grew up in Bowen at the northern end of the beautiful Whitsundays where Baz Luhrmann has been filming his latest movie, Australia, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. When Miss E left school at the ripe old age of 15, her first job was as a clerk-typist at the Bowen Salt Co., the reference for the mural above. The Bowen Salt Works is one of the first sights that tourists see when they enter Bowen. Great paddocks of sea water baking in the sun evaporating slowly into salt. In the Christian tradition, disciples are referred to by Jesus as the salt of the earth. He said that if the salt loses its taste, it very saltiness, how can it ever be restored and how shall food be salted. In a speedily changing world, Miss E wonders if a lot of saltiness has been lost, leaving us with parts of modern life which are completely vapid, tasteless.

Tabling: Ancient Prayers and Blessings

I am indebted to Following the Ancient Paths for bringing to prominence the ancient prayers of the Jewish tradition - particularly those that relate to blessings before meals and after meals. Truly beautiful.

Eating with our eyes

Over at Sylvia's place, she has mentioned in her comments about how she believes that we eat with our eyes. I am sure that most, if not all, of us would agree. However, it reminded me of a story from the long, long ago. My sister, The Director, was going out with a sophisticated and well-known man about town. But he was a plain eater. In a restaurant one night, his steak came decorated with capsicum to look like a cockscomb as well as some other culinary artistry. Man about town called the waiter back and said:

My compliments to the chef, but please get him to remove the guck.

Off went the waiter who was back rather promptly with the untouched plate:

Compliments of the chef, sir, but he wishes to say he believes we eat with our eyes.

Man about town replied:

Compliments to the chef, and tell him he's cooking for Helen Keller.

Pumpkin and Lemon Grass Scones

This post is for Teresa over at Honeycomb:

an American who loves scones and, in fact,

prefers them to what Americans call biscuits.

These are from the Boatshed in Ballarat.

They are Pumpkin & Lemongrass Scones.

The tip from The Boatshed is that when it comes to the Lemongrass

don't use too little and don't use too much.

The Boatshed at Ballarat: a beacon in bleak Ballarat

There comes a time in the life of a blogger when life has to be lived...not just blogged about. There have been a number of things that Miss Eagle has been involved in since her last appearance here. Prime among them was attending a conference in Ballarat and doing the tourist thing before and after. Miss Eagle, a relative newcomer to Victoria, had never been to Ballarat. So she went up pre-conference to do Sovereign Hill, the Eureka Centre and the Fine Art Gallery. After the conference, she did the Great Tourist Road home through The Grampians and via The Great Ocean Road.

The Boatshed, Windouree Parade, Ballarat

Interior

Formal Section

Verandah with sails

Views Lake Windouree filling after being bone dry from the drought Wildlife feed Don't know whether The Begonia Princess floated on the Lake prior to the drought.

It sure looks like she will have difficulty getting out of the mud.

And this was breakfast. Wonderful.

All in all, The Boatshed was the place to be on a bleak Ballarat winter day.

Warm surroundings and warmed by the tucker.

Well worth another visit, methinks!

A table and a couple of chairs...happiness

In a comment on this post, Val said that she thought tabling was Miss Eagle's forte. Below is something from the much beloved Michael Leunig. He seems to think tabling is rather important, too.