Where were you George?

I have just learnt that George Michael has just bought a $6 Million dollar home at Whale beach, on my old street of Whale Beach Road. We must have just missed him when he was house hunting, damn! I would have negotiated a little off the $6M, I'm reasonable!

...where were you George? We could have been neighbours and had coffee....

Grinch-mas Ho ho hO

I don't think I can get out of my seat I'm so full. I don't think I will ever get out of this seat again, infact. Who knew the pudding recipe was for 6-8 people until it was too late! I must learn to read the suggested number of people the quantity is for.

So this is how the day went...



Roast Pork with crispy crackling & roasted vegies in garlic, rosemary and thyme. Roasted Green apples make the best apple sauce.

The Pavlova came out fabulous for my first ever attempt ! A great crusty outer and quite tall for a nice slice.

Here you can see the height..mmmmm

Lashings of whipped cream and fresh fruit.




Then came the traditional Christmas Pudding.
 This was a 4 hour boil process in calico cloth.

It takes a long time, but boy this is so worth the wait for the ultimate taste.



Brandy Custard topping.

 Chef's for this day are: (and free loaders also pictured)



Left: Santas reindeer helper and (Right) the Little Brown Bear

Of course there is the Tree...





and the Nutcracker....if you're naughty lol



                                                                    

Peace on Earth......:)

Merry Christmas !

Merry Christmas ! xxx

Pavlova is in the oven & picking up the pork tomorrow. Picking the vegies from the garden for roasting, Christmas morning .

Home made Christmas pudding with lashings of Rum and brandy custard.

Looking forward to watching The Grinch "aka Jeff" and Polar Express.

~~~~~



Just Another Manic Monday...

You know how you feel. You wake up and think "Oh it's Monday again".

Yeah, Yeah, I'm hearing you groan.

This is how it should be EVERY Monday...

Beach Bums !



Tundra says "This is how we spend most mornings Rikki"



Rikki's first beach visit & happy with tail up and trotting. Just loving it !

Rikki in his own Ocean pool.

Tundra says " Now listen up Rikki I told you this family is a good deal !"

Our new resident Lion, laying in the grassy plains.

Already posing for camera.

Just Friends !

Tundra & Rikki now friends, posing for the camera.

I can see both their smiles !

This Is the Result of the Stork visit....

Meet Rikki...

He is a 9 yo Chow Chow that has come to the Island to retire amongst the Gum Trees.

I can't show you all of Rikki right now as he is shy about being a bit 'naked'. Hopefully he will be great mates with Tundra. Rikki has been a city boy, so hopefully he can become a country boy soon.

He is so far the silent handsome type, but I'm sure he will open up soon.

Will keep you updated

~

The Stork is Coming...

Bird Life on the Island

Whilst having a cuppa on the west wing patio , spotted a new bird in the region, of the feathered kind ! This then made me think of posting pics of the local birdlife on the Island, some which I have never seen before, basically as they don't exist in suburbia. These are just a few of the spectacular variety here.

Dollar Bird.

Flies from New Guinea to Australia each year.

This little fellow was doing his show of loop flying in front of his female friend today.

Coucal Pheasant.

A large swooping bird, with a spectacular long splayed feather tail.

This guy makes a spectacular call, usually in the evenings.

Southern Boobook Owl.

Nocturnal Owl, We have not seen, but listen to each night as it has a hypnotic call to gently fall asleep to.

Link to Southern Boobook Call:

http://natsync.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/southern-boobook-owl.mp3

Eastern Rosella.

We have a few paired couples living here. They love to shred the bottlebrush flowers, happily hanging upside down to get to the nectar.

Australian Hobby Falcon.

We have a pair nesting in a 16 metre Eucalypt Tree.

 They are very careful to not be seen too much, flying in and out of the nest early morning or in the evening. Can't wait to see the chicks fly !

Channel Billed Cuckoo

These are apparently rarely seen. We only spotted this one when the other birds were attacking it (it got away safely).

 

Australian Galah.

Aptly named for its silly antics - like behavior. We have a breeding pair in our Angophora tree.

They are nesting in the tree hollow. Seen eating grass seeds on the lawn in the afternoons here.

The Kookaburra.

One of the Kingfisher family and as Aussie as Vegemite, you've gotta love the "Kookie".

Lots of these cheeky birds here. They dive from branches, smashing their bill into the soil, bringing up a mound of soil with worm/bug enclosed.  Their call is so well known as a laugh sound. It wakes you on sunrise, and tucks you in at sunset, like clockwork.