There's a Tui warbling away in the gum tree outside our house. I'm never quite sure if he is hurling abuse at a competitor for his love or murmuring sweet nothings to her! Anyway he gets up early! The gum flowers that they love are out :
Civilisation is a veneer, easily soluble in alcohol.
http://cidermannz.blogspot.com/
11:21 am 29th July 10
Me.
Member
posts 558
2
Post edited 11:27 am – 29th July 10 by Me.
The weather must be warning up. Today I took a day off work and did what all sensible people should do when wishing to relax.
Lake Tutira, Michael, another joined it on the bank later. i have just enjoyed smoked trout for my supper. Life in retirement can be so hard, but somehow I am coping.
What do you think our UK posters will make of this sign, Michael? I took this picture today at the bottom of The Devil's Elbow.
There's a Tui warbling away in the gum tree outside our house. I'm never quite sure if he is hurling abuse at a competitor for his love or murmuring sweet nothings to her! Anyway he gets up early! The gum flowers that they love are out :
I love the photos of the plants. I've never seen a gum tree in flower before. It's lovely, what a unusual flower. The rhododendrons (or are they azaleas) look lovely too. They are one of my favourite shrubs. Yours look very healthy – you must have very good soil. Growing up in the Hampshire/Surrey borders rhododendrons are every were. People us them as hedging. In spring it's a beautiful sight and they smell lovely too. Is the last photo a hebe? Hebe's are brilliant shrubs. I have to say they are another favourite plant of mine. There are so many different ones, small large and different coloured flowers. Brilliant to fill out a garden. And easy to propagate. I did not know that hebe's were native New Zealand plants.
Spring already, you have not had a winter yet! It's not fair. We get at least 5 months of winter. It seems like you only get 2 months and the weather does not seem to be that bad. Wet but no snow or frost.
I think I us the word lovely too much. I'm going to see if I can find another word instead.
The weather must be warning up. Today I took a day off work and did what all sensible people should do when wishing to relax.
Lake Tutira, Michael, another joined it on the bank later. i have just enjoyed smoked trout for my supper. Life in retirement can be so hard, but somehow I am coping.
What do you think our UK posters will make of this sign, Michael? I took this picture today at the bottom of The Devil's Elbow.
I like trout. I usually cook it in the oven in a bain marie. I've never had smoked trout. It looks like a nice place to fish.
Beware of goats. I've never seen such a sign. Do the goats jump out in to the road? Goat meat is meant to be very nice, but I have to admit, I've never actually tried it.
Cassawary is a bird that you put in a pot with boiling water and a stone. When the stone is cooked give the bird another hour!
Civilisation is a veneer, easily soluble in alcohol.
http://cidermannz.blogspot.com/
9:33 pm 29th July 10
Me.
Member
posts 558
6
And there was Me thinking you was going to write, when cooked - throw the cassawary away and then eat the stone.
Tis Me.
10:27 pm 29th July 10
Ciderman
Member
New Zealand
posts 772
7
When I was in my last teenage years I used to hunt goat in the Karangahake valley on Coromandel . My brave mum cooked one for me. It was delicious but the whole house smelled of it for days!
Civilisation is a veneer, easily soluble in alcohol.
http://cidermannz.blogspot.com/
2:12 am 30th July 10
Me.
Member
posts 558
8
Not too long ago a professional culler gave us a hind leg from a kid, in exchange we gave him fresh eggs. I have to say that both my wife and I thought it tasted beautiful, every bit as good as fresh lamb.
Not so sure about a Billy or a Nanny, they smell most unpleasant when alive, must be ten times worse when dead but they do make ideal dog tucker.
Not sure if you travel the road to Wairoa very often, Michael, but from the roadside you can see feral goats everywhere.
Ann-marie, goats are usually very sure footed creatures but accidents with cattle, horses and goats do happen. There have been several fatalities where vehicles have collided with animals. I have only seen this happen once, near the town of Whakatane, and then, believe it or not the car was driven by a policeman. Fortunately the driver was not badly hurt, however the horse he hit was not so lucky. The owner of the horse didn't come off too well either, he received a heavy fine for letting stock wander after dark and a bill to put the policeman's car to rights.
The worst animal to hit is without doubt a pig. This is like running into a brick wall, the only thing that gives is the front of the vehicle. Very often the pig will simply walk away seemingly taking no notice of the vehicle's intrusion.
I think if you're going to eat goat it must be the kids. I knew it was good for you because it's low in fats and high in vitamins and minerals, but I didn't know it smelled strong. I don't like strong meats. I have tried venison sausage but the smell was so strong I only ate one bit. I could not eat anymore and I've never tried it again. Even the dog would not eat the sausage! I have tried kangaroo but again I found it too strong, My sister finished my kangaroo steak.
Luckily I've never hit anything in a car and I would prefer it stayed that way. A big hazard here are deer. Hit one of those and you'll know about it. I would think it would right your car off. There are some places in the UK that you are allowed to let your livestock run around. The New Forest in Hampshire is one.
9:32 am 31st July 10
Me.
Member
posts 558
10
I like deer but I love kangaroo. Both my wife and I are very willing participants in trying a new meat, I have about four kilos of ostrich in the freezer, this has been treated with a marinade for the market place in South Korea. We have also eaten several peacocks or I suppose I should say pea fowl. The area I have just moved from these birds were really getting out of hand and they need to be culled. Nice looking birds, but boy do they cause some damage, especially in a very large flock.
I was most disappointed when last year on a trip to Aussie, we booked in to a restaurant that had alligator steaks on the menu. When we got to our seats and smiled as we placed the order, we were very dejected to discover the dish had been removed for lack of support. In France I have eaten horse meat, and found this much to my liking, I could never understand why the shops in England didn't sell this product.
Finally, and probably the most PC incorrect post I have ever made: I would like to try whale meat. This was dished up in most British households during the war years to combat the lack of meat. I do fully support the ban on whaling but whilst they are still being hunted, then I would like to try some just to say I have been there and done that!!!
Tis Me.
10:04 am 31st July 10
Ciderman
Member
New Zealand
posts 772
11
I would quite like to try human but it's not allowed. I believe that “long pig” was similar to pork.
Civilisation is a veneer, easily soluble in alcohol.
http://cidermannz.blogspot.com/
10:20 am 31st July 10
Me.
Member
posts 558
12
Post edited 10:22 am – 31st July 10 by Me.
Michael, is this why a few years back an attractive young woman would often be described as 'A lovely bit of crackling'?
As a matter of interest, when you were cooking your 'long pig', exactly where would you place the apple?
Did you get a frost this morning? My word it was white in Hastings, even 'The Village' got a dusting.
Tis Me.
8:16 am 1st August 10
Ciderman
Member
New Zealand
posts 772
13
Yes it was fairly crispy this morning, Robin, but not as heavy a frost as a couple of days ago.
Civilisation is a veneer, easily soluble in alcohol.
http://cidermannz.blogspot.com/
9:32 am 2nd August 10
Me.
Member
posts 558
14
Talk about changeable; only two weeks past mid-winter's day and the temperature here today hit 21 degrees. I have no love of when it's cold like this … roll on summer.
I've been out all day in a tee shirt plus other items to cover the bare necessities. Of course it can't last, Me thinks there will be rain in the offing, but a lovely day to remind us spring isn't far away. The daffodils are blooming and there is colour showing in most gardens, makes you feel good to be alive.
The weather has been lovely over the weekend, but it's strange. Last week we had a lot of cloud, not particularly cold, just a nice temperature but no rain. On BBC1 on a Sunday we have Country File. My nan used to watch it and tell me what the weather was doing, because their weekly weather forecast was very good. Now I always try to watch it. In yesterday's programme they were talking about how much rain we have had in July and it's not good. The UK has had the driest first six months of the year since 1929.
If you have not tried bison, you must. It's a lovely meat – the best fillet steak I've ever had. At our local farm shop they stock crocodile but I didn't like the look of it.
I've mentioned before about Jeremy Clarkson from BBC's Top Gear. He did a programme called Meet the Neighbours about our European counterparts. In France he attended an illegal dinner of banned foods. He tried a dish which comprised of a sparrow in a potato. They put the birds in a box and feed them up and then drown them in Armagnac and then they eat the whole bird, bones and all.
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We get at least 5 months of winter. It seems like you only get 2 months and the weather does not seem to be that bad. Wet but no snow or frost.
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