Coonawarry Winery Tour 2010

Our third annual Coonawarra Winery Tour 2010 began at 9am on Saturday and a little earlier for those travelling from Mt. G. Some started with a very early tipple, others waiting a polite interval before imbibing.
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Brand's Laira was our first port of call ...
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(Cheryl & Mel)
... some of the ladies decided to try the fruit on the vines - quite sweet but there were pips and I found that the skin wasn't easy to swallow.
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The local wineries accomodate bus tours and made us feel very welcome...
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We were a noisy bunch!
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Next onto Leconfield where the tasting was held in the actual winery where the fruit is fermented etc. Nice atmosphere.
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Here, our friend Ric is perusing the wine selection list and Angus discusses what to sip next with John.
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Angus, Kirby and our friends Dina & Ric.
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It is quite common for the vineyards to plant roses at the end of each row of vines. Apparently, the roses succumb to any pests and diseases earlier than the vines, then the growers then act accordingly to exterminate or irradicate the problem (so I was once told).
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We had beautiful blue skies and warm sunshine for most of the day.
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Time for lunch so we hit the Prince of Wales Hotel. Above - Scotch Fillet Steak & salad...
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Schnitzel Parmigiana...
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... and I had slow cooked lamb shanks. Unfortunately, a little over-done for me. Nice flavour though.
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We relaxed after lunch, enjoying the warm afternoon. Ric & Angus got picked on all day for their 'pink' shirts. Angus' was a fine red and white stripe which took on a pink tone - we decided to call it 'man salmon pink' and Ric's 'watermelon'. Those other guys just don't have any class!
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Then it was back on the bus and we headed for Di Giorgio family wines... Kirby was keen to try the Frank (Sauvignon Blanc).
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Yep, it was pretty good!
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They were very generous with their tastings...
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The weather turned quite humid in the mid afternoon, the skies coming over all thundery.
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They had olive oils infused with different flavours for tasting - basil, lemon & orange.
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I love buying produce at wineries - some zucchini relish, a spicy sauce to accompany cold meats and these yummy Kalamata olives. I've had some of these before...
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Kirby sampled some of the fruit...
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A lone bloom at the end of the vines.
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Quiet and peaceful grounds.
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We did visit another wine centre which had several brands of wine but somehow I forgot to take any pics there. We hopped back on the bus and by this stage things were getting pretty loud!
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We held the Annual Pole Dancing competition, Angus was the first contestant to show off his skills! Lol!
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Would you believe, this is our funeral director (undertaker)! Mark and his wife, Kerryn co-host this event with a Ken & Gayner from Mt. G. I think he should be a belly dancer instead, considering the moves he can make with his belly!
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Anyway, we had a ball (again) and I think everyone put their hand up to go again next year. I proposed that we have a 'Loud Shirt'Challenge to see who can wear the best, most colourful, funny, gross shirt.
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Cheers - Joolz

Time flies...

Gee, time flies when you're having fun! Can't believe it's been so long between posts. I have been keeping tabs on everyone's blogs but just haven't had the time or much news to blog.

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We've been enjoying some milder weather with temps ranging from low 20'sC to 30C. A much bearable heat. Food wise, we have been having lots of salads like the one above, from my lettuce pot - the tomatoes and cucumbers are unfortunately, bought ones.
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Hard to believe that it is the end of Week 6 at school, 4 more weeks until Term 1 finishes and Easter will be upon us. Monday seems to turn into Friday real quick around here.
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Brianna is making her Debut in July - for people in the US, I think you have a cotillion. Her school hosts a Debutante Ball each year and she wanted to do it so....dress hunting we went. She had seen a dress on the web so we hunted it down in Adelaide at a bridal store and she got to try it on last weekend. We loved it on her but then she found another one which we all liked as much. They only had a size 12 for her to try so they pinned her into it. Now I have ordered the two dresses from the manufacturer's warehouse in a size 4 and 6 for a viewing and fitting. She'll try them on next weekend when we go down for the Clipsal V8 Supercars and make a final decision. We shopped for shoes today and found a perfect pair straight up. First pair she tried on. You probably won't even see them on the night but they are really cute, strappy and sparkly.
~ For funsies, Brianna tried on my wedding dress a few months ago. What a crack up!
She decided that she didn't want to wear it for her debut....I thought it looked rather nice. Lol!
What I can't believe is that my waist was that skinny back in 1986!
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Moving right along - these corellas invade our skys at this time of year. They sit in our gum trees, make a terrible squarking noise and strip the foliage off the trees. They love to arrive at our house at about 5.30am! They really are vermin.
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I took these photos the other day. There must have been bugs or something on the bitumen driveway because they all congregated on it and chomped away at whatever was there.
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The Topsy Turvy Tomato planter is still hanging in there. It's looking a bit browned off - it is hard keeping the water up to it! Plenty of tomatoes on it but they are no where near starting to ripen.
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A closer view of the tomatoes.
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Here's a good job for me in the next week or two. The carpet roses are nearly spent and there are thousands of dead heads to prune.
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The old and the new...
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... and finally, my lettuce pot is going great guns! I get a good handful of leaves each day. Don't know how long that will last but they are really good.
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We are off on a wine bus tour tomorrow to Coonawarra. Should be a real fun day so I'll take some pics to share.
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We are waiting for rain - Australia's weather is going crazy at the moment. St.George in Queensland is bracing for a huge flood and Melbourne had torrential rain and huge hail storms today (severe enough to call a halt to the Flemington horse races - the course looked like a snow storm had blown through!). So weird for this early in the year.
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I hope you are enjoying a restful weekend, I've really enjoyed surfing around the last week or so. So many of you are busy canning, preserving and bottling produce that will taste so much better than store bought goods. Yum, yum, yum!
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Do you lo0k through other bloggers' blog lists - I find it a great source of new and interesting blogs. There is nothing more pleasing than to go into a blog on someone elses list only to find that you are on someone elses blog list. Very cool!
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Anyhoo, this has been a mammoth post so I'll say goodnight - I'm off to watch Iron Chef (Japan) then Rockwiz and then I'm taping I Am Sam (to watch later).
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Cheers - Joolz

My hero...

I clicked on Tatersmama's blog this morning and what I read made me cry (and I don't think that was her intention because it was mostly about a frittata! - read the comments too). A child in crisis, placed into emergency care. So dirty and unkempt that the bath water had to be changed 4 times. My God, we live in Australia, not a third world country! I was just so sad for that poor kid, knowing that she had to live like that. She is safe for the moment and we can thank Tatersmama for that - my hero for today! Thank you, Katie!
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You will find as you look back
upon your life that the moments
when you have really lived,
are the moments where
you have done things
in the spirit of love...

-Henry Drummond

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Joolz

Cupcakes and Mulberry Jam...

Mmmmm... cupcakes for school lunches this week... lucky if they'll last past Tuesday!
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I picked an icecream container full of mulberries a few weeks ago but hadn't got back to the tree where I sneaked them from. My brother-in-law came into work the other day with a ziplock bag full of mulberries, ripe and ready to eat (they ended up in a delicious little tart). I mentioned how I needed to get some more so I could make jam. He obliged by bringing back another 2 litre container full.
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This is my incredibly expensive jam funnel! Actually, it's a re-purposed 2 litre milk container which I cut down. It is ideal for pouring jam into jars.
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The fruits of my labour - 14 jars of jam and a further 3 jars of jam juice (no fruit). That will be nice swirled through icecream or drizzled on bread and butter.
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Lunch was a very nice plate of barbecued fish (Flake fillets or gummy shark) which was given to us by our friend Graeme who loves to fish.
Greek Lamb Kebabs a la Angus for dinner.
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Cheers - Joolz

"I'm high maintenance...

I got to thinking about all the products I use each day, just to get ready for work.
First I shower and use shampoo, conditioner and body wash...
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... then moisturiser, liquid foundation and powder foundation...
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... eye shadow, mascara, blusher, lipstick...
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... then choose a fragrance for the day.
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... then before bed, I cleanse, moisturise, clean my glasses for the next day and brush my teeth (and I clean them in the morning too!).
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" I'm high maintenance - but I think you've gotta be! " - Kath Day-Knight from Kath & Kim
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Joolz

Burgers for dinner...

Ainsley Harritot has been a favourite of ours since his first TV series. He's fun, cheeky and a bit of a show off but he certainly knows his way around a barbecue grill.
I had only used this recipe for meatballs before. They make a great appetiser before a barbecue. Make the meatballs beforehand then simply re-heat in the microwave and serve with sweet chilli sauce. I decided to make the burgers for dinner last night.
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(Joolz pic of picture in Ainsley's book - how good do the burgers look?)
MONZARELLI'S MEDITERRANEAN BURGERS

500 gms good quality sausage meat (I added 200 gms beef mince also)
8 sundried tomatoes, very finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Combine - all the ingredients above (I use a disposable latex glove for this job - then it doesn't get under your fingernails and you don't have to remove your rings).
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Shape - (using damp hands) the mince into about 6 even sized burgers, making them large, round and flat.
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Cook - either on a barbecue grill until browned nicely on both sides or in a non-stick fry pan - no extra oil is necessary as quite a bit comes out in the cooking.
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(Joolz pic)
Plate up - I bought damper rolls, toasted them in the oven, spread the roll with sweet chilli sauce (or tomato sauce or dijon mustard), then placed the burger (I actually split the burger through to form 2 thinner burgers) on, topped with lettuce mix, tomato, beetroot, more burger then a slice of cheddar cheese. Wack the lid on and enjoy this very tasty burger. So much better than a bought one!
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Joolz