Summer Trumps Christmas or ill-advised tales of eggnog

The light holds longer and longer each day.
Just like my first year in Seattle.
The summertime refuses to hold.
Just like my first year in Seattle.
I can only think to myself that there is an aspect of human nature to find the familiar in the foreign.
I said that I no longer wanted a mobile phone. Then Zok went out and bought me a new one. There are new features like 'H.D' for the photos...Great 'H.D.' because hey that's flattering...
I thought the eggnog was a lot of trouble, but that might be because I was making the batch for one. Also the 'peaked egg whites' sort of made me feel squirmy and I didn't add much of them in...
I booked a trip to visit a friend that I haven't seen in a very, long time.
She will be in Sydney for over a week, I am going for five days, and this will be me just hanging about on her off hours- but the break will be a serious treat for me.
Soon after I leave for the U.S. followed by our leaving together for Stockholm.
This is the vibe of Australia as Christmas Day passes, the weather gets warmer, there are a lot of roadside stands selling cheap flowers and cheaper fruit, the New Year is fast approaching, and there is a combined feeling of spring cleaning, summer vacation, and a clean slate all at the same time.

Merry Christmas Santa-san

Sushi, sake, fresh wasabi, none of these items should evoke an image of Christmas-time. My husband however is not really into Christmas being both Macedonian and raised here in the land of domestic beer drinking, santa hat wearing, BBQ-ing, summer time Christmas.
He is however, interested in cooking.

On my pro-list of reasons why I try and live here on the island is the fact that people have small farms. There are interesting items grown here, like saffron, and fresh wasabi.
I've only had fresh wasabi in Japan and Hawaii.
But as a christmas season treat, I ordered Zok a 'home indulgence' package of fresh wasabi from the local farm here on the island.

http://www.shimawasabi.com.au/

We also dug into the stores of our secret stash for a nice bottle of sake, from here-
http://www.ofuku-shuzo.jp/item.php
The label has the same photo of their property on it.

The wasabi plant is indigenous to Japan. The entire plant can be eaten.
In nature the plant grows in elevated streams. Here the plants are grown hydroponically. We have an aspiration to try and grow some by putting in a sort of rock fountain in a shady corner of the yard.
We also have 'sashimi' grade fish, that can be purchased fresh from the fish punts in town.

I really, really appreciate being able to eat fresh food, from a place I could drive up to and view if I had the mind to do so.

"...I'm gonna pop, pop, pop, Santa Claus with my water pistol..."

I thought that perhaps my description of the houses near my newly frequented wild area did not really do them justice.
I do wonder why the houses upset me so.
They could be bulldozed to the ground, and the land would rebound.
Yet somehow I feel personally affronted, or worse as Zok would say I am taking their existence personally, as some sign that I just don't fit in.

I want to climb up to the tree lookout that is pictured here, but I think I'll wait until I have Zok with me to decide if it will hold my weight...

Christmas Yule Egg Nogg

There isn't any 'egg nog' that I can find in Australia.
(What I truly miss is the Silk soy version of Egg Nog).
There is 'Brandy Custard' which I think...well I have seen it poured on fruit mince pies (which are actually quite tasty). I think the version they sell in the chain market stores is probably like any supermarket version- over processed and a bit scary. Sometimes I think I want to make egg nog. I suppose this is a symptom of my insanity brought on by the lack of Christmas here.
Of course my small corner is decorated- but between the demands of the garden, the long day light hours, and my bare feet next to the open door, I have a feeling of...well of being a crazy person who decorates for Christmas in the middle of June.
Thankfully my math ability is lacking because the egg nog recipe in my cocktail book (printed in 1935) is this:
1 dozen eggs
1 pinch baking soda
6 oz. imported rum
2 pounds of sugar
1 quart of milk
1 quart of sweet cream
2 quarts of Rye or Bourbon Whiskey
Mix yolks and whites separately then pour together and add all ingredients.
Set in refrigerator over night.
Serve with grated nutmeg.

I thought I'd be safer out of the kitchen, so I went to the Sunday market for coffee, and since I was already outside, I decided to try to find a new wild area I haven't been to yet.
I am not very good with maps, so I usually only find places when I have so much time on my hands that I am too bored not to keep looking.
I actually found the street mentioned- easily enough but then I walked for about forty minutes to find the actually area.
The houses in the area were shocking, large pieces of land, with massive houses, accented with stone columns, and stone lions and of course the ever present trampoline. Not a single house looked as if there was any thought to placement, or environment. It was depressing.
I walked the shoreline, and up to the main road with no luck. I had almost given up when I saw a pathway, the type here that is a short cut through a neighborhood, only this neighborhood didn't have any stores, to short cut too, so I assumed the wild area must be in deeper.
I wasn't disappointed when I did find the area. It was overgrown which I have come to respect because less disturbance by the council seems to equal more animals and less people. Of course snakes are harder to spot on an over grown trail, but I saw an echdina and a bandicoot after sitting still for only five minutes. Also there were about three Kookaburra and somehow I believe their cries are protective because if I was a Kingfisher food source, I'd surely hide until they flew away.

My wander was cut short by Derby- I wasn't going to go to practice due to some disappointment of the previous week, skaters flaking out on meetings, and promises to do certain responsibilities. I had sworn to myself not to put myself out for no actual reason or result.
However the two skaters I am working with to get the Ref squad going had the same idea. Our counter part from the other league shouldn't be responsible for our sessions and my fellow CCR skater just wasn't going- so it seemed that I had too. I tried calling some new committee members to see if the session was at least planned out, but no one was around, and the two I did reach also were not attending.
So I rushed back, sent a last minute email to Refs to let them know there probably wouldn't be enough skaters attending for them to be able to train (which was good as only 5 skaters showed up). There wasn't a session planned, or anyone that seemed to care about that. So I butted in and started some drills-but that is how I felt, as if I was just butting in.
I think I felt this more when I realized the small group was going out afterwards but not no one had invited me. Which actually, honestly, makes me laugh a bit.
I suppose there is a new years resolution in there somewhere...
Tonight is the last night of training before the xmas break. Perhaps I can sort out how to better place my energies.

"...living down in this rainswept town...seasalt tears swimming round as the rain comes down..."

I have been feeling a bit- off- not even Christmas was working its magic.
I have a new audio book- I save them for dark times or for wandering.
So I started my new book and decided to go and see if I could find the Platypus up in Peter Murrel reserve.
I never found the pond, I got lost, just like the last time except in a whole new area.
The area is 135 hectares. I don't know how to visualize how large that is- but I know that I am usually in there for three of four hours.
I found button grass so I think I was at button grass creek as described here:
http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=4045

I have been told that button grass does not grow in our area or I would have planted it in the front yard. I will now begin plotting...some clipping aka plant liberation.
I saw this guy- as well- http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=4830
Actually I heard him, and had to sit around for ages to spot him in all the foliage and he didn't really come into the open, but I had my binoculars.
Zok thinks I make these sightings up, but that is only because he won't stay still long enough to see any animals.
I was of course watching a bird so long that the bandicoot probably thought I had gone away.

I felt much, much better after a nice long wander.

Apparently all the windy, rainy, changeable weather is good for the garden, even if it is really, really bad for my tan.

"...overcast days never turned me on...but something about the clouds and her mix..."

The grey mornings continue to repeat.
My cold continues to hang around.
The garden continues to grow.
The laundry pile continues to remain the same size.
Slowly, I continue-
making plans
dreaming up aspiration