Bathurst weekend.

Tonight I'm catching the Bathurst Bullet train after work to visit Grandma for the weekend. No reason, just a visit. I'm taking Jillian, I plan on going to Big W, and seeing if the Saturday morning markets are any good, and I'm taking my camera so that I have something to blog. To which Elsie replied

"YAYAYAYA! I’m so glad you’re taking your camera! I was going to ask, but didn’t want to pressure you :P"

I feel so loved! It's nice to have friends who like seeing my photos!

How the French man kneads bread.

I had a go at this last night. It's not as easy as it looks in the video but I did get the lightest and fluffiest bread I've ever made. Home-made bread tends to be heavy. Also, I cut up a plastic lid to make a scraper like his and it made it way easier.

I used scales like he did and did 1 pound of flour, 2 teaspoons each of yeast and salt, 1 teaspoon of bread improver (optional) and 3/4 pound of water. The ratio of flour to water is important, 1:0.7. My batch was half the size of his so it was not as easy to slap and pull. I didn't do it 100 times like him, just maybe 50. But revolutionary! It's upside-down kneading! It gets so much more air in it!

What wondrous love.

I really like this version of What Wondrous Love is This. For the original, Blue Highway do a good version with harmonies. I enjoy singing that one. But this is a nice twist, turns it into a prodigal son story.

http://wilderadkins.bandcamp.com/track/what-wondrous-love-2



This is the more traditional version, and it has mandolin AND a capella AND a round. Love it.


 
What wondrous love is this, oh my soul, oh my soul, 
what wondrous love is this, oh my soul. 
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss 
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul, 
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

In Tenderness.

 http://marshill.bandcamp.com/track/in-tenderness

 In tenderness he sought me
Weary and sick with sin
And on his shoulders brought me
Back to his fold again

While angels in his presence sang
Until the courts of heaven rang

Oh, the love that sought me!
Oh, the blood that bought me!
Oh, the grace that brought me to the fold of God
Grace that brought me to the fold of God

He died for me while I was sinning
Needy and poor and blind
He whispered to assure me,
“I've found thee, thou art mine”

I'd never heard a sweeter voice
It made my aching heart rejoice

Upon his grace I’ll daily ponder
And sing anew his praise
With all adoring wonder
His blessings I retrace

It seems as if eternal days
Are far too short to sing his praise!

Adapted from lyrics: William Spencer Walton (1850-1906)

http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/1068

New shirt, new robot wires.

I bought a shirt from Sportscraft this week, on sale. When I was obsessing about buying a grey spotted shirt a few months ago I went instore to try on a standard shirt and see how the sizes run, so I could then order online. I just picked a random shirt I didn't particularly like and it wasn't my style. But then it looked really good on. But I left it and got the sensible grey one. Then I went back on the stopping shopping challenge anyway. So it was off the cards even though I kept liking it. Kept looking on the website and then they ran out of my size, and I heaved a sigh of regret and closed that chapter of my life. Then they had another sale, it was cheaper, and they had 2 in my size! So, I bought it. When you are given a second chance like that, it's a sign. I justify it by saying that I CHOSE it while I was allowed to shop, but waited until the price was right, saving money, and thus I am not breaking the no-shopping-challenge. I am so clever.

I went to the ortho today and got my second set of robot wires on and some grinding done on the bottom teeth to put some gaps in between. Bit of a headache. But I think it's a good sign that I'm on the second set of robot wires. There are only two sets! I can't have that much longer to go. I go back in October.

Canberra: Turner and Portraits in a day.

I don't know what I am standing in front of. I think it's Questacon. Looks like a pink squid on the corner of the roof.

I went to Canberra on Saturday with some friends and we went to the Turner exhibition. I picked up a pride and prejudice board book in the NGA bookshop for $11 (teaches babies to count using P&P). After lunch we went to the portrait gallery which was great. So interesting. Laid out chronologically. All the portraits have a little biography with them so you find a name you recognise like barrington, cos there are mountains named after him, and then you find out that he was a pickpocket who joined the circus, got caught several times but usually talked his way out of it until finally he was transported to NSW where he got good behaviour and became a policeman and got promoted up the ranks like a respectable person. But he died quite young and apparently lunatic. The bookshop in the portrait gallery is brilliant. It's got lots of books on design, architecture, food, and also much cool stationery. But it's very expensive so I didn't buy anything. Because I should write on the stationery I own first, and read my books.

Day walk: Mt Kembla.

A delightful day was had by all.

8 of us traveled down to Mt Kembla, parked at the top of the escarpment and walked to the top of Kembla for lunch, which was a cardioriffic 1.5km. Lovely views over the Illawarra. Perfect opportunity for my miniaturiser effect.

A mouse joined us. I took this photo down between my knees while he sat in front of me.

We walked back down, then did a 5km circuit around the mountain. We did a little side-trip to an abandoned coal mine from the late 1800s.

And we looked at Windy Gully cemetery where some miners are buried. 96 men and boys were killed in 1902 in an explosion, so that was actually the worst disaster in Australia, until the Victorian bushfires. There were a few deadly mines around the area.

We stopped at Austinmere on the way home to replace some calories.

I have it!

I have a walking group. 2 walks with the same group makes a walking group. 6 months apart is fine. It's a group and we walk!

And we bushdanced.

 That was the highlight of my weekend. I did every dance. So much to love about dancing. Music, exercise, silliness, holding hands and twirling. It's very social too, because you swap partners and reassemble in different sized groups all the time, it's like a big get-to-know-you game, "form groups of 3!" then the next dance "form groups of 9!" You've gotta go dressed for comfort, esp in the footwear department. It is NOT the time for cowboy boots, it's the time for cushioned joggers. Nail polish is good though. Because of all the clapping and stuff, your hands are often at eye level. It doesn't improve the dancing, but you know, as far as nail polish opportunities go dancing is good value. FYI, if you are considering getting bales of hay for decoration, the clean-up effort kind of outweighs the decorative value. It was cool to do once, but I think there will be hay in the corners of the church forever.



Photos courtesy of the Outback Bushband. Excellent music and great calling/teaching.

This dance is crazy. The boys lock shoulders and the girls hang on and everyone circles until the girls feet swing off the ground. Extreme bushdancing.

In other news, I'm probably going to have a piano student. I'm rather looking forward to getting to know a little girl, cos I don't have any kid friends at the moment. And a little pocket money too. I think it will be nice. Just as well I didn't throw out my piano teaching stickers in the big declutter! In fact it's just as well I found them in the big declutter, too.