My Other Goals for August

As always, I have set myself some non stitching goals for the month as well.  Not nasty To Do type goals, but fun ones.  Pop over here to read what they were.

Let's see how I went...

1.    READ A BOOK.

When we travelled up to Chooky's we called in at Gilgandra and there was a little section of a shop selling ex-library books for the princely sum of six for a dollar.  Of course we found six we thought we could read.  We do love finding luck dip books at book exchanges at caravan parks, street libraries and op shops.  This one was a nice easy read, set in Ireland.  I have looked up the author and she has written quite a few.  They refer to her writing genre as "cosy mystery". I like that description.  It was quite Midsomer Murders style - no blood and guts.  I'll have to keep an eye out for some more of hers.

2.    TRY A NEW RECIPE - NOT JUST BAKING

Yes, we tried several and yes, some were baking.

Firstly, in the Coles catalogue, there was a recipe for a microwave Lime and Coconut pudding.  We made it.  It overflowed the pots I made it in, as they weren't terribly tall, but they tasted great. We had another go in different bowls and they worked well, but aren't terribly photogenic.

In the same catalogue there was a recipe for slow cooked sticky beef, which was also tasty, but not exactly photogenic either.

I also made lasagne for the first time.  Can you believe I have never made it. Other family members make it and bring it to events, so I've never had the need.  During the crazy COVID food shortages in the supermarket, Coles received a full pallet load of instant lasagne sheets.  They didn't sell all that well and ended up on clearance at 50 cents a pack, so I bought a packet.  Later I saw them trying to be sold at 10 cents a pack.  Anyway, my first go at lasagne was fine.  I'll have to make it at least one more time to use the rest of the lasagne sheets.

Last month I saw that Fiona from Bubz Hugz had made date and nut loaf in the cylindrical tins.  I thought that I'd make some too, as I also have some tins, but have never actually used them.  The only problem was that I couldn't find the tins.  They were obviously still packed from our move.........nearly six years ago.  Oops!

Well, Mick had a bit of a scout around and located them.

They are old ones I have acquired somewhere along the line and didn't want to stay tightly closed, so some butcher's twine was pressed into service.

The recipe comes from this lift out from a 1994 magazine.  The same one where I found the gingernut biscuits recipe.  There are several recipes that I have made over the years here, so I should try them again.

We had a success.  They didn't last very long.

We also baked several other repeats.  It is becoming our new normal to bake a couple of times a week.

3.    GO FOR WALKS

Yes, but not too many.  The weather was against us sometimes and other times we were just slack.  

One Sunday, when the weather was beautiful, we went for a walk down to the river.  There was a good flow.

You could see where the water level had been much higher.

It was so warm that we kept going into town and visited the ice cream parlour.  How nice was that.  Lots of people had the same idea, so we were all queued, keeping a good distance apart.  When we walk to the river it is about a 10km round trip.

Other times we walked up the country road behind us.  One property has loads of trees in its front paddock.  Several are coming into bloom, so something to look forward to each time.  There are also lots of little birds living there.  We noticed some red rump parrots nesting in the hollow of a gum tree too, so will keep an eye out for activity on our future walks.

It's hard to believe we are just on the outskirts of town, when you see this view.

The reflections on the full dam are beautiful when the weather is calm. So good to see full dams.

This is a picture of our river last week after the weekend of snow east of us.  As you can see, it had even been higher than when we took this photo.

This is what it normally looks like.  The tree on the left of this photo is the one in the water.  It has been wonderful to see so much water.  Fortunately, there has been no flooding, just a nice strong flow.  Our water storage dam, which was down to below 30% full is nearly full.  It went from 50% to 81% in a week!!

4.  HAVE A WEEKEND AWAY IN THE CARAVAN.

We didn't expect this one to come off, but thanks to an invitation to a surprise birthday lunch for Chooky we had our weekend away. You can read all about it here.

5.    HAVE A FRIDAY FUN DAY.

Yes, we had two.....but they were actually on a Thursday. They weren't big adventures, just getting out and doing things in our local area.

Firstly, we visited the Archibald Prize exhibition at the local art gallery.  The touring exhibition visits Bathurst every few years, but this is the first time we have actually managed to go and have a look.  There were also two other exhibitions.  One was portait photograpy by locals to reflect thier experience of COVID-19.  So many different interpretations.  There was also the Young Archies for local children.

Our second fun day was a drive out to Ben Chifley Dam last Thursday to see if it was full yet.  

We drove through the village of The Lagoon, and after several years, there was actually water in the lagoon.  There used to be a pair of black swans live there and I wondered if they had returned.  We were so surprised and happy to see them.  We really didn't expect to.  

It was so nice to see so much water in the dam.

We walked out to the  spillway.

It's not quite overflowing yet.  Hopefully soon.

We then drove to the other side of the dam which was also looking much better than at the beginning of the year.  It is officially at 83.8% full, but there will be an update in the next day or so.

6.    GO FOR A MOTORCYCLE RIDE.

I was really doubting if this would happen.  Every date that the club had a planned ride turned out to be terrible weather.  We have had some lovely weather, but happened to be doing other things.

Anyway, on Sunday, as the weather was nice, we hopped on Olga the Old Girl and rode out to visit our next door neighbours from when we used to live out of town.  It was nice to see them and notice the subtle changes in the area since we moved, nearly six years ago.  I can't believe how quickly that time has gone.

On our way home we decided to go and see if Ben Chifley Dam was full as yet.

No, it wasn't full, but boy, was there a constant flow of cars going to have a look.

I loved the stonework in the old unused road into the dam.

All the local creeks are still flowing well.  So good to see.

So, there you have it.  All goals met.  We are so enjoying having the time and opportunity to do all these things now that Mick has retired.

Time now to plan for September.

How Did My Other June Goals Go?

Having met all my stitching goals for the month of June, which you can see here, here and here, how did my other goals go?

Happily, not too shabby.

1. READ A BOOK

Yes, I actually read two.  Here and here.

2. TRY A NEW RECIPE

Yes. Once again we tried two.  Here is one.

The second one was also out of the Bathurst on a Plate recipe book.

Ginger Snaps.  They are so decadent and sweet.  Mick has already requested we make them again.

We also made a couple of other slices that I forgot to photograph.  We are both enjoying this baking caper, making old favourites as well as trying new recipes.

3. GO FOR WALKS

Yes.  Not lots of walk, but long walks.

We seem to keep returning to the river.  It is approximately 10kms by the time we get home.  The old Denison bridge crossing the Macquarie River is a feature.

We returned by a different walkway last time and the Raglan Creek was looking a picture.  I grew up just down the road from this creek.  Back then, us kids didn't even know it had a name and just called it "The Drain".  We used to see tiny fish swimming in it.  I didn't see any the other day, but the water was nice and clear.  The recent rains have made such a difference to the landscape.

4. GO FOR A MOTORCYCLE RIDE.

Yes.  Yesterday.

The Panorama Club had their Sunday ride yesterday and our destination was the pub at Mandurama.  The weather wasn't too bad for this time of year, but we were very well rugged up.  That worked well, as we didn't freeze our bits off.  We took Sophia the Moto Guzzi this time.  She keeps up better than the sidecars.

I've never been in this pub, so was looking forward to seeing what it was like.  You can imagine out disappointment when we arrived to find it had been booked out by another group.

They suggested we could probably get a meal at the Carcoar pub, so off we went.  Carcoar is located just west of Blayney and describes itself as "The Village that time forgot".  It is has been classified as a historic village, with beautiful buildings. 

Our main concern was whether or not the pub would be doing meals.  When we arrived in the village we were surprised to see so many cars.  You were battling to find a parking spot.  We wondered what was on, but it seemed to be just people getting out and about.

The pub was doing meals, but was absolutely packed out.  Fortunately there was a new little coffee shop that was doing coffee and pies.  That suited us just fine.  The pies were really tasty.

Many of our group of bikes didn't worry about getting anything to eat and just headed home.

We had a quick little walk around and have decided we need to return mid week when things are a little quieter and have a better wander around.   

It is one of those places that sometimes has lots to see, and at other times lots seem to have shut down.  At the moment it is going well.  

We normally visit on Australia Day when they have a big street fair.  It will be nice to have a wander when it is quieter.

5. HAVE A WEEKEND AWAY IN THE CARAVAN

Yes.  We are so happy that we finally go to use our van.

You can read about our weekend to Lake Cargelligo here.  It was the perfect destination for our return to travelling.

So, all in all, a very successful month.

February - The Month of the Motorcycle

We are trying to get out on the motorcycles a bit more this year and we seemed to achieve this in February.

Firstly, not a ride, but we went along and had a look at the Bathurst Motorcycle Show, which is run by a group from Sydney.

There were all sorts of bikes.

Lots of Harleys.

At the other end of the spectrum, these two ratty posty bikes.  The blue one created a lot of interest with it's spanner side stand and other bits and bobs.

Some of the paintwork was spectacular.

This old AJS is owned by one of our mates and won three awards.  It is a beautiful bike.

A band kept the crowd entertained.

We had wondered how the show would go, as the weather was showery and Sydney was getting lots of rain.  Considering those conditions, there was still a good roll out of bikes and lots of lookers, ranging from patch wearing bikies to Mum and Dad and the kids.  It was a rather social morning.

It was also a good excuse to go and indulge in coffee and cake afterwards.

Our next motorcycling event was the Orange Classic Motorcycle Rally.  It's been quite a few years since we have had the opportunity to enter this rally.

We took Olga the old girl (BMW sidecar).  We cheated and took her to the start on the trailer, as she hasn't been used for quite some time.  We only rode for the one day.

There were over 100 bikes entered and the weather was perfect for being out and about.  Let's go for a little wander.

This Matchless won best bike overall and is owned by the same mate who owns the AJS that won prizes at the Bathurst Bike Show.  He really does beautiful restorations.

The ride took us through lovely countryside around Orange.

A lot of that area has missed out on the recent rain and still looks very dry.  Other parts we rode through had received incredibly heavy rain, washing out fences and damaging the roads.  Crazy weather.

The three sidecars rode along together for a while, which was nice.

The things you see along the way.

Morning tea was held at the Cudal School and lunch at Gooloogong School.  Both groups did a fantastic job and there was no excuse to go home hungry.

Towards the end of the run, Olga's clutch started to slip going up a hill.  Fortunately, Mick was able to fix the problem, but it is something that will need looking at.  Other than that, she purred like a kitten.  It really is a lovely way to travel.

Finally, last weekend we joined the Panorama Club for a ride over to Rylstone for lunch at the Globe Hotel.  They always put on a good meal.  Roast lamb seemed to be the meal of choice on the day.

We took Sophia the Moto Guzzi for this run.

After lunch, we had a little wander along the street, but as it was looking rather like rain, we didn't dally for too long before heading back home. There were lots of shops open, some of which looked to be new.  We may have to pop over on another day to have a better look. Fortunately, we arrived home without the need to pull out the wet weather gear.

So, all in  all, we did quite well to get out and about.  You forget how good it is to go for a ride and the motorcycling community are always good company.

We have to do it more often.