View allAll Photos Tagged Stringy,
Cashing in a coupon for henna, D got her feet hennaed for her upcoming trip. Last time we did Indian, this time it was Moroccan slippers. I had really stringy henna paste so it was perfect timing. She's promised me after pics.
Whilst a cyclone wandered around off the far Nth coast, seemingly unable to choose its' path, we chose to take a few days break down south visiting Australias largest island National Park. An eleven and a half hour cruise.
Hinchinbrook Island has magnificent scenery with misty high peaks that fall to lush green wetlands of snaking mangroves streams. There is a serious 4 day 32 km hike here, but we enjoyed a more leisurely five-hour return coastal walk. We accessed it from the tourist mangrove boardwalk at the end of creek seven in Missionary Bay--along the beach, then onto a path through lush rainforest with intermittent patches of stringy barks. We ended lightning our pack of sandwiches at a delightful isolated beach.
The Boxtrolls: Dare to Be Square
A primary feature in the style of character design in “The Boxtrolls” is unrealistic proportions of the human form. They are heavily distorted into strange shapes, with torsos ranging from needle-thin to heavily rounded, heights from squat to medium to lanky, and face shapes and features as unique as the character itself. A common theme in the anatomy, however, is skinny, long arms on all characters, regardless of body type, with the exception of the character Winnie.
When it comes to the anatomy of the boxtrolls, they mirror certain traits of design in the humans, but not to the same extreme degree. Three of the main boxtroll characters, Fish, Oilcan, and Shoe, play on the spectrum of tall to short, portly to skinny. This spectrum is actually mirrored in the three henchmen of the antagonist, Snatcher. Both of these trios remind me of the hitchhiking ghosts from the Haunted Mansion attraction at the Disneyland resort. It is my belief that these spooky spectres are in fact the inspiration for these two sets of characters.
An element I specifically noticed again and again in the course of the film is hair. The hair, although mostly static – as is the nature of the beast in stop motion animation – is purposefully designed to reflect individual personality. Eggs, the protagonist, has unkempt dusty hair, reflective of his life underground and not concerned with appearance. Winnie has a more pristine style with a touch of dirt and disarray, hinting at her proper upbringing clashing with her rebellious “unladylike” disposition. Snatcher, meanwhile, has almost nauseatingly greasy unhealthy locks. Beneath his red hat are stringy, dull strands that complement his ashy face. He is written to be a slimy, greasy character, and his design reflects those traits.
Just as important to the film’s design are the settings and backdrops. Set in a town, precariously and preposterously clinging to an almost Burton-looking hill (in fact, Tim Burton’s style screams through every aspect of this film, from storyline to aesthetics), the entire setting is inherently slanted. I took note of the fact that in the entirety of the film, I saw almost NO right angles. Although straight lines would seem to be the foundation of a town full of roads and buildings, almost every last line in this film is crooked or curved to some extent. The cobblestones on the road and the tiles on the roofs are individualized, never uniform. Each window pane is just slightly askew. Lampposts are crooked, walls are always leaning, and no table leg is ever even with another. Yes, in a film seemingly revolved around boxes, even the boxes themselves are never a perfect prism.
Additionally, the attention to detail in regards to texture is mind boggling. The fabrics of the characters’ clothing are so realistic. Of course, seeing as how this is stop motion, chances are the fabrics were real. But in the sculpting of textures such as unfinished wood signs and of course the cardboard boxes critical to the film’s themes, the design technique is admirable.
There was a lovely contrast between the “upper” and “lower” realms of this world. Above ground, in the world of humans (and order and rules), sunlight and artificial lighting was plentiful. Yet the artists’ choice in color and lighting made the upper world, almost paradoxically, darker than the world below. In the underground lair of the boxtrolls, in a land of freedom and fun, the design reflects the light feeling of the boxtroll society. Bare lightbulbs, with each light representing a member of the community, unite to illuminate a world without sun, but certainly not without light. This luminosity is mirrored by the eyes of the boxtrolls. Unlike humans, the costarring species in this film have eyes that glow at night. At first this is viewed in a perspective of “monster” or “animal”. But as the film progresses, you realize it refers to the light nature within these misunderstood creatures. The tunnel structure of the underground contributes to the free-flowing attitude of the design. Compared with the attempted (and failed) rigidity of the upper world, the underground is a land of curves and flow and freedom.
When the characters and settings are combined, they create a world so well-lived-in that the film really takes on a dimension of reality in its own way. Almost everything (and everyone) in this universe is designed to look aged, weathered, or dirty. Eggs is always seen with soot and dirt smudging his face. The wardrobes of most of the characters are tattered or stained. Even in scenes that suggest higher class living, such as the gala in Lord Portly Rind’s residence, the whites of the linens are dingy, and the metal fixtures of the candelabras all boast a patina. The boxes, a major focal point of the film, are all lived-in… literally. They are slightly sagging, faded, and stained with dirt and moisture. Nothing in this film looks fresh or new, and this is a major contributor to the overall context of this movie.
I opted for a seared foie gras presentation - and it was nothing short of spectacular!
"French Toast", Cashew and Parsnip Puree were absolutely perfect together with a seared liver, a touch of duck demi-glace tied every single taste note together.
I was a little surprised to see a few stringy veins in my piece of foie gras, not sure if it was an oversight or else.
Still, an excellent plate.
Please enjoy the entire Per Se (Dinner) picture set and consider Overall Impression.
Victorian Alpine Huts survey, for Parks Victoria 1994-5.
The hut was reputedly built c1917 by members of the McNamara family on GB48 which was leased by the family until recently{ MP: 70, Stephenson: 333; Boadle (1983): 39}. Cabena lists the McNamara's grazing holdings as follows: Albert Edward (Bogong High Plains `R', 1902-8, and Cobungra SA50, 1902-14); Daniel (C22 1908-20 and C29, 1908); Patrick (C21, 1918-59 and Cobungra SA51, 1902-55); Thomas (Bogong High Plains `A', 1887-1908, C6 1908-10, Cobungra SA46, 1902-14); and T J (or Tommy) (C21, 1933-46 and C22, 1920-43){ Cabena: 164}. Roy Weston described the hut in the early 1930s as having a timber floor and sides, iron roof and double bunks at one end with the chimney at the other. The door was on the side and the plan measured 15x12'. The hut was located 7 miles from Young's Hut and was at 4900'{ Stephenson (1982): 288}. Cleve Cole also recorded this hut in the 1930s as measuring 15'x12' (4.5x3.7m, see below) with double shelf bunks at one end and fireplace at the other. Tor Holth illustrated the hut extensively in his 1980 book and devoted many pages to the family history, noting that TJ and Jack (a fine horseman) were the sons of Thomas & Anne McNamara also Pat and Ned (Edward?) were the sons of Michael McNamara{ Holth: 173-}. Another son, Charles, married Matilda Abraham and their family included (another) Jack, George and Charlie{ Holth: 173-.}. Charlie worked for his cousins Jack & TJ (Thomas) in the 1950s until their death meant he worked the cattle with other helpers such as Ian Gibson, choosing the Dinner Plain and this hut as his base{ Holth: 173-; Carroll}. Charlie described the hut: `She's a rough old hut but by God we have sheltered some rough nights in her. Built in 1917. Stan Johns architect and builder. Me uncle Mick (Michael) was here, Jack and TJ McNamara. Cut the snow gum logs over here and carted them on an old horse called Trip..It was rough built. They had to split things to put in between the logs and then they got sphagnum moss to put wet between the logs and it dries out- great stuff for pokin' up huts- one of the great things for pokin' up huts is wet newspaper - when it dries it's like cement.' `The chimney used to be right here.. Was made out of chock and logs like the hut is, built up with stones. For years all they had was a bag hung up (as a door), no windows. Old Jack sat just here and there's a chock sticken' out there and where he sat with his head against it he had it worn as shiny as buggery… (for the bark roof) If you strip off a standin' tree you cut it all around the bottom and you get hold of a forky stick with a knot in him so you can put your foot on that and you lean your fork against the tree to hold you up- you don't have ladders -you put your foot on the knob and hang on to [the tree] and chop it around up so high with your axe. Then you mark it down the side of the tree, zig zag a bit, open it up. Then you have the limb of a tree shaped like a boomerang with a curve and flattened on one side and you keep putting that around the tree, or you can have a couple of them, one at the top and one at the bottom, and that keeps pushin' the bark out. Of course he'll fold up again if its a good tree- stringy bark, that's the stuff to strip -- then you want to have a good lot of bark and leaves for a fire and you put [the strip] on like a funnel and put the fire up through him until it's charred and that sort of tempers it. It'll dry out and smoke it and make it tough as hell. Then when you spread it out she won't crack. Then you put it down and put some weights on it, stones or logs, and leave it and she'll flatten out. `If you get hold of a tree when the sap's up you can knock it off. It's up in the summer time when there's plenty of rain but then it gets dry and you might be only able to strip the tree on the south side where the sun don't get it{ ibid.}.' `When the bark was dry the pieces were laid on the rafters of the roof, slightly overlapping. A strip was placed along the apex of the ridge and another strip or little pieces like tiles laid along the top like a capping. Some cattlemen tacked the bark down and others wired heavy poles together and hung them horizontally from the ridge pole so that they rested on the bark some at the top, some halfway down and some at the bottom of the roof. Still others would hook logs with a fork at the top onto the ridge pole so that they hung down vertically onto the bark. Other logs could be laid across them horizontally, secured in forks or wired. Holes were sometimes bored through the bark so that it could be held to the rafters with pegs or greenhide'{ ibid. Holth's observations}. `"Bark makes a very good warm roof", said Charlie Rundell. Most cattlemen used bark from woollybutt trees as that was readily available but, said Sid Ryder, 'It isn't good bark as it didn't last very long', about ten years." `The bark roof on the McNamaras' Dinner Plain hut was eventually replaced with iron by Charlie and his son. `My son Peter and I extended [the hut]. That iron on the roof and on this chimney come from the power house at Cobungra that was built there at the time that they were generatin' electricity for the Cassilis mine. We packed that iron out to Young's hut and put the roof on it and when the old hut fell down we packed it back into Dinner Plain and put it on there. The malthoid linin' -- we put that on in 1951 -- bloody oath it made it warmer.' `No floor until one time it rained for three or four days and it got that boggy we stripped bark off the trees at the back of the hut to put on the floor so you could walk around. [Later] we packed the boards [for the floor] across from Horsehair. The door is out of the bedroom at Young's hut.' `The second McNamara hut is located on Buckety Plain(q.v.). Charlie never used it but he knew that 'it was a little log hut with a paling roof, dirt floor. `Me brother built that and me uncle Mick and Bill Toland; I s'pose in the 1940s.' `In the 1970s the hut was enlarged and renovated by a scout group. Charlie's supply of information appeared to be limitless: "These McNamaras were great friends with the [Ned] Kellys 'cause they come from over at Wangaratta. Hinnomungie Station had all the watersheds of the Livingstone: -- that's the divide that runs down to the Big River. Ned Kelly worked on this dead-wood fence they put along there. That's the time there was a lull in them and [the police] didn't know where they were." In the early 1980s McNamara's hut was still termed a cattleman's hut, judged in fair condition, and used and maintained by cattlemen (C McNamara) and some walkers. It had nearby yards for horses{ National Parks Service, `Bogong National Park Proposed Interim Management Plan' (NPS, 1983): 47}. The main section was of logs with sheet iron additions to the west (store) and east{ Boadle (1983): 39}. There was corrugated iron on the roof held down by logs and rocks. Inside the roof is timber lined in part and with tar paper near the bunks{ ibid.}. The floor was timber slabs, set on a snow gum frame, but was in patchy condition. There was an old meat safe, cupboards and other fittings but the bunk bedding was old and the hut was described generally as in a dirty condition. The main hut measured 5.15 x 3 x 1.8m wall height, with two bunks at the west end and the fireplace at the east. The added store measured 2 x 3m{ Boadle (1983): 40A plan} The hut was set in snow gum woodland and the edge of snow grass plains. There was a small horse yard near the hut with larger yards 1K to the east which were built for brumby running by the Omeo Rodeo Club{ ibid.}. Recent lessees were Maguire and Kelly{ DCNR, 1995}.
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She has been undressed, and is lying down, to display her articulation, soundbox, manufacturer's marks and disassembled outfit.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
Both a mix of wheat meal, white flour, and bran.
On left: made with store-bought powdered yeast.
On right: made with homemade sourdough starter mixture (wet).
I thought the difference in texture and crumb, as well as color and crust, was interesting. The store-yeast one was definitely lighter, more elastic, stringier and sweeter (no sugar added). The sourdough one was denser, more crumbly, much more full-flavored, and with a more pronounced crust, and, of course, a more sour--and rich--taste.
As soon as I heard the topic for this week, I wanted to do the texture of the iris of the eye. In order to do this, you have to get *very* close to the eye. I decided to rent a macro lens in order to do this. These were all taken with a single flash at a fairly harsh angle in order to get more dramatic lighting and emphasize the texture in the iris.
In editing, I did some pretty intense sharpening and deconvolution techniques to really bring out the stringiness in the iris and therefore help the viewer imagine what it might feel like.
Digital Photo
Three young great blue herons appeared to be having a confrontation or argument. They are aroused with the feathers sticking out on their necks and on the crests on their heads. These are probably the three siblings in the last nest to fledge in the rookery at Metzger Farm Open Space in Westminster and Broomfield, Colorado. An adult heron, likely a parent, was nearby. When the adult flew to a wetland a short distance away, all three young herons followed it.
All the juvenile herons left the area a few days after this photo was taken.
This photo shows that the feathers on the lower neck of a juvenile heron are short and fluffy compared to the long stringy feathers of an adult. Also, the crest is short compared to the longer feathers that go down the back of the neck of an adult.
This photograph may be used for any purpose if attribution is given: Photograph by Michael B. Smith
To see the photos organized to tell the stories of what has been happening for the hawks, herons, turtles, snakes, and other wildlife and plants at or near Metzger Farm Open Space, go to www.flickr.com/photos/nature80020/sets/
This is a photo of ink dropped in water. I was set up outside with a white poster background and "injected" blue and yellow ink into the water using two syringes which creates a really cool billowy and stringy effect. I did some coloring and contrast work in Lightroom to really make the color pop.
Color can be emphasized over the subject by making the subject more ambiguous and/or less unique. In this case I made the subject more ambiguous by using the cool shape and texture created by the ink and water.
Digital Photography
17.4 x 12.16in @ 300dpi
arepas round, flat, corn pockets cooked on a hot grill until crispy on the outside, filled with...
shredded beef, slow cooked in a tomato salsa AUD9
The arepas were soft and fluffy with a nice corn flavour, and the shredded beef was tender and juicy, if a little stringy. The cornmeal was really quite nice!
an arepa is a round, flat cornmeal pocket, cooked on a hot grill until crispy on the outside, and filled with a range of tasty options. it is an essential ingredient of our culture, eaten by millions every day in the vibrant, vivacious and welcoming cities of Latin America. it's freshly cooked, it's healthy, it's affordable. come and try... you'll love it!
Cruzao Arepa Bar
+61 3 94177871
365 Brunswick St
Fitzroy VIC 3065
monday to thursday, 11am-3pm & 6pm-11pm
friday, 11am-3pm & 6pm-1am
saturday 11am-1am
sunday 11am-4pm
Reviews:
- Cruzao Arepa Bar: Mojitos abound and it’s gluten-free! - it pleases us - Sep 9th, 2010 by Emily
- Cruzao Arepa Bar Opens - by Jane de Graaff, Broadsheet Melbourne, 8th September 2010 There's a new arepa bar in Fitzroy serving up the Venezuelan answer to the hamburger.
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She is free standing, and is photographed from various angles.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
BOX DATE: 2003
MANUFACTURER: Mattel
DOLLS IN LINE: Tika; Kiyoni Brown; Tré; Liam; Happy D; P.BO
MISSING ITEMS: Bag, hat, radio, decal stamper, 2 pairs shoes, necklace, shirt, pants
PERSONAL FUN FACT: Everything about Liam's outfit is very unique. For one, I questioned whether or not these grey socks even belonged to him. Unlike the other Flavas dolls I purchased around the same time, this dude was not wearing any shoes. Instead, he was simply sporting a pair of socks. These look ridiculously tiny off the doll, and they are rather difficult to cram over Liam's large, rubbery feet. But after careful research, I was able to conclude they are in fact his originals. They must not have gotten lost due to their super tight fit. Anyways, when I purchased Liam at the flea market, I didn't take a close look at his baggy pants. Colleen was the one who noticed the faux boxers poking out the top of them. Okay, so to be honest when boys at my school used to wear their pants super low so their boxers showed, I found it unpleasant. But it's kind of cool to see this translated into doll sized fashion. It's clever that the two pieces are actually attached, so they elastic band on the boxers hold the pants up. Liam's red top is ginormous. It looks almost like the kinds of clothes you find on stuffed animals. Were it not such high quality, I'd probably have mistaken this as non-doll clothes if Liam had not been wearing it. Liam is super thin and stringy, so the size/shape of this top is very apparent when he wears it.
There are some things that are passed down for generations because of family tradition; then there’s Porzia’s “pizza” di nonna ($10), chef Basilio Pesce’s nostalgic tribute to his grandmother’s version of the baked bread.
(Side note from chef Pesce: “Anything that was made with dough or had flour in it she called pizza, in her limited English”)
Pesce tweaked the original recipe – using half the butter and incorporating potato and a chilled step to rest the dough – and stuffs a stringy layer of Swiss and Parmesan cheeses with salty punches of mortadella and prosciutto between two buttery moist halves of brioche dough.
The result: a rich, greaseless stuffed focaccia-like pastry that has a flaky crust, tender crumb, mouth-watering yeasty aroma, and an oozy center that’s cut by a loose, slightly acidic and bitter seasonal salad. (On this visit: a shredded mix of Brussels sprouts, Treviso (variety of radicchio) and sliced radish tossed with a pickled mustard seed vinaigrette.)
Fun fact: Porzia’s (anti-)brunch menu that launches this weekend (April 21) will feature variation of the pizza.
What is it?
Well... as can be seen, first of all, it's an egg in the so-called "over-easy" style, which was actually NOT turned over, but covered, to cook the top.
Along with slices of carrots (the orange, stringy stuff), Jasmine rice, toasted unsalted #hemp seeds (a complete protein), and habanero pepper sauce (the green stuff) by El Yucateco – which IMO is OUTSTANDING!
The hemp seeds have their shells on them, so they're crunchy, which adds texture to the dish, as well as a naturally nutty flavor.
And for those of you whom may not know, hemp seeds do NOT contain THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. And just to be certain to be confusing about it all, hemp is the term/name given to cannabis sativa when it has a THC content of LESS THAN 0.3%. Hemp is grown for its fiber content and seeds, whereas cannabis (aka "marijuana") is grown for it's medicinal and/or psychoactive properties of THC.
Another component of cannabis, CBD, is also found in hemp, as well as in marijuana, and does NOT have any psychoactive properties, but does have medicinal/therapeutic properties.
Here's where the wicket gets even stickier:
THC and CBD are thought to have synergistic or compounded properties, meaning that together, they work better than when apart. Interestingly also, science has now learned that when taken in conjunction with pain-relieving medications like hydrocodone, cannabis potentiates (helps improve) its pain-relieving abilities, and actually decreases the dosage required to be effective. Not only that, use of hydrocodone with cannabis has NOT shown to increase dependency either upon cannabis, or hydrocodone.
Now... had folks not been researching this (and that is based upon valid, scientific/medical research), we would not have known it.
And now... enjoy your breakfast!
Bon appétit!
This is a black & white version of some stringy bark gum trees, with some adjustments for Sliders Sunday, just for something different.
HSS
I were taken out o’ irons on account o’ havin’ been
a successful poacher, I s’pose, although why exactly
Captain Watkin Tench wouldn’t ‘ave a shot himself
I’ll never know – disinclined to tek off his red coat,
I’d be guessin’, an those ostriches made themselves
right scarce at th’ sight o’ that. Surgeon John White,
‘e were there, ‘is hair all sweaty, like baldin’ flax,
ready wit’ ‘is knives fer a quick dissection. But
it’s not the one I shot what I’m tellin’ ‘bout. Listen.
Them natives ‘ad ‘im trapped, in a cleft i’th’
stones, an’ came at us wi’ their gesticulations,
shoutin’ “Mah-Ray-Ong, Mah-Ray-Ong” over and
again: a little one. Well, I say little, but ‘e were
big enough ter spill yer guts wi’ one rake o’
them claws. An’ Tench expects me ter wrestle
‘im ter th’ ground, so I grabs ‘is throat wi’ one
‘and, an me other arm is reachin’ out ter
‘ook up ‘is legs, but they’re threshin’ every
which way, an’ the monster sets up a fearful
drummin’, big beak clackin’, an’ I’m scramblin’
ter keep me ‘old. An’ everyone stan’s aroun’
laughin’, except them natives: they’re in
like terriers, whippin’ th’ feet from under ‘im.
That’s when John White comes in wi’ ‘is rope
an’ trusses ‘im up proper, an’ I’m wipin’ at me
scratches, swearin’. They takes ‘im back ter
Port Jackson jes’ like that, slung up like a chicken,
an’ sure enough, that’s where they keeps ‘im:
i’th’ ‘en-coop, eatin’ scraps an’ crappin’ turds,
ostrich-sized. By Christ, that’s some good eatin’
goin’ ter waste an’ gettin’ stringy. ‘E’d taste
like young beef, so they say, though I don’t
rightly believe ‘em, an’ I’ll never be findin’ out,
neither. An’ John White an’ Watkin Tench, they
visits ‘im every day, so now ‘e’s growin’ gentle:
them as can’t tame a felon, lavishin’ all that
love on a great ugly bird. An’ ‘ere’s me, William
Connolly, out o’ Bodmin, patched up an’ back in irons.
Poem by Giles Watson, 2014. Picture: NPM, Volume 2. The Cassowary of New South Wales is now known as the Emu, Dromarius novaehollandiae, but in 1800, “Emu” was a name reserved for the South American Rhea. There was much confusion over the terminology, and the word “ostrich” was also interchangeable for a while. Dissections of the Emu were recorded by Surgeon White in his Journal of the 30th of February 1788, and by Watkin Tench, a Marine who sailed on the Charlotte with the First Fleet, in his Narrative of the Expedition to Botany Bay: “the bird which principally claims attention is, a species of ostrich, approaching nearer to the emu of South America than any other we know of. One of them was shot, at a considerable distance, with a single ball, by a convict employed for that purpose by the Governor; its weight, when complete, was seventy pounds, and its length from the end of the toe to the tip of the beak, seven feet two inches, though there was reason to believe it had not attained its full growth. On dissection many anatomical singularities were observed: the gall-bladder was remarkably large, the liver not bigger than that of a barn-door fowl, and after the strictest search no gizzard could be found; the legs, which were of a vast length, were covered with thick, strong scales, plainly indicating the animal to be formed for living amidst deserts; and the foot differed from an ostrich's by forming a triangle, instead of being cloven.” One bird was indeed captured alive and kept with the Governor’s chickens.
The fragrance is not breath taking but breath giving! Ever heard of Hall's Eucalyptus lozenges?
Eucalyptus (/ˌjuːkəˈlɪptəs/) is a genus of over seven hundred species of flowering trees, shrubs or mallees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Along with several other genera in the tribe Eucalypteae, including Corymbia, they are commonly known as eucalypts. Plants in the genus Eucalyptus have bark that is either smooth, fibrous, hard or stringy, leaves with oil glands, and sepals and petals that are fused to form a "cap" or operculum over the stamens. The fruit is a woody capsule commonly referred to as a "gumnut".
Most species of Eucalyptus are native to Australia, and every state and territory has representative species. About three-quarters of Australian forests are eucalypt forests. Wildfire is a feature of the Australian landscape and many eucalypt species are adapted to fire, and resprout after fire or have seeds which survive fire.
A few species are native to islands north of Australia and a smaller number are only found outside the continent. Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing and have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, for honey production or essential oils. In some countries, however, they have been removed because they are highly flammable.
Garland Park, Carmel CA
braised pork belly rillons, house made baked beans, onion marmalade & toast
The braised pork belly rillons was better than the Braised Pork Belly we had last time! The tender cubes of pork belly had a nice caramelised crust. Some cubes were lean and wonderfully stringy, others oozing luscious seams of fat!
I was greedy, and got an extra serve of Andrew's Choice black pudding. Very good. Full of oats soaked in blood with sweetness coming from apple puree.
While the baked beans were not as mushy as I'd like, it still help balance the richness of the pork rillons. The onion marmalade seemed to get lost in the mix.
Apparently pork rillons are slow cooked pork belly preserved in its own fat, like a cross between confit and rillettes. Huge Fearnley-Whittingstall has a Rillons of pork belly recipe too!
Incidentally, John Lethlean, food writer had a go at making black pudding, as part of his research for The Age Good Food Guide, in which he mentions Andrew's Choice Smallgoods. Andrew's Choice hams were also given the tick by Richard Cornish.
Andrew's Choice, Yarraville Retail Outlet
(03) 9687 2419
24 Anderson St
Yarraville VIC 3013
Andrew's Choice, Laverton North Head Office
(03) 8360 8688
U2/ 74 William Angliss Drv
Laverton North VIC 3026
Still love the dumpster-chic decor and buzzy atmostphere, and the food and coffee was better today!
The long queue (15 minute wait) was a bit annoying though, especially when I was hungry!
Auction Rooms Cafe
(03) 9326 7749
103-107 Errol St
North Melbourne VIC 3051
Reviews:
- Auction Rooms, North Melbourne - The Breakfast Blog Thursday, March 19, 2009
- Auction Rooms, by Matt Preston, Reviewer, Epicure, The Age July 15, 2008
A pudding with a lovely surprise in the centre of it when you cut it open. The orange peel is cooked like marmalade and its sharpness goes well with the sweetness of the chocolate.
Serves 6 to 8.
85 g / 3 oz butter
55 g / 2 oz dark chocolate
170 g / 6 oz self-raising flour
55 g / 2 oz cocoa powder
170 g / 6 oz caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
For the filling:
1 orange -- preferably a thin-skinned navel variety
85 g / 3 oz butter
85 g / 3 oz caster sugar
First, bring some water to the boil in a pan (in which you are later going to steam your pudding), and put in your whole orange to boil fast for at least 10 minutes with the lid on.
Meanwhile, grease a 1.3 litre / 2 pint pudding basin. Melt the butter with the chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Put the flour and cocoa into a mixing bowl; add the melted butter and chocolate, then the sugar, eggs and milk, and mix well. Put about two-thirds of the mixture into a basin, making a well in the middle.
By this time the orange should have been boiling for about 10 minutes, and the peel should be nice and soft. Remove it carefully from the water. Prick the orange all over with a fork or skewer and place it in the middle of the pudding mix. You can (with care, as it's still hot) cut the orange into segments, if you want to check for pips or cut off the stringy bits of orange in the middle, then put it back together again (it does make it easier for serving), although I don't usually bother.
Dice the butter and dot it round the orange with the sugar, then cover with the remaining pudding mixture. Cover the pudding with greaseproof paper, then with tin-foil, and place in the pan of boiling water (it should come halfway up the sides of the basin). Steam for 2 hours. Don't forget to check it now and then to see if the water needs topping up.
Turn the pudding out to a serving dish and serve with custard or cream.
“Have you ever wondered what makes these glamourous movie stars do the scandalous things they do? Why they revel in getting their names in the papers? The reason may be weightier than you think.” [Prologue]
Imagine a short story by Fritz Leiber with art by Lee Brown Coye, both masters of the weird and bizarre. It’s a match made in heaven. Or, should I refer to the other place? Copilot answers:
Leiber + Coye is one of those uncanny pairings where two imaginations, each already tilted toward the eldritch, amplify one another until the result feels less like a story and more like a visitation. And “The Casket Demon” is one of their finest collisions.
️ Leiber’s Story: Celebrity, Scandal, and Something Hungry Behind the Mirror
Leiber loved taking a familiar cultural surface—Hollywood glamour, tabloid scandal, the public’s appetite for fame—and then peeling it back to reveal something primal, occult, or psychologically carnivorous underneath. That prologue you quoted is classic Leiber:
“Have you ever wondered what makes these glamorous movie stars do the scandalous things they do…?”
He sets you up to expect satire, maybe a sly commentary on fame. But Leiber never stops at commentary. He suggests possession, parasitism, shadow doubles, or entities that feed on attention itself. In “The Casket Demon,” the “weightier reason” behind celebrity behavior becomes literal—an unseen force that clings to the famous, shapes their impulses, and demands spectacle as its nourishment. It’s Leiber’s favorite trick: turning metaphor into monster.
️ Coye’s Art: The Uneasy Line Between Body and Symbol
Coye’s illustration for the story is pure nightmare fuel—those stringy lines, the cadaverous face, the insectile motifs, the sense that everything is slightly decomposed or spiritually mildewed. He had a genius for drawing figures that looked half-human, half-fungus, half-symbol, and entirely wrong. His work always feels like it was found in a barn that should have been condemned decades ago.
And here, paired with Leiber’s tale of fame-haunting entities, Coye gives us a demon that looks like it crawled out of a coffin not to kill, but to whisper—to nudge, to tempt, to steer a starlet toward the next headline-grabbing disaster.
It’s not “heaven.” It’s not quite “the other place,” either. It’s that strange middle territory Leiber and Coye both loved. It’s a match made in… well, let’s say the attic of a funeral home, where the rafters creak and the dust smells faintly of old secrets.
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She is free standing, and is photographed from various angles.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
May Queen, yacht moored at the Hobart docks.
Tasmania.
May Queen
The SV May Queen is Australia’s oldest sail trading vessel and is one of only a handful of wooden vessels of her era still afloat in the world.
Built at Franklin on the banks of the Huon River in Tasmania’s south in 1867, her working life spanned a century of development, with the changing nature of her work and the cargos she carried reflecting the changes and growth of the communities she served.
Fitted with a retractable centreboard, the SV May Queen is 21 metres long, 5.3 metres wide and has a draft of 1.5 metres when fully laden with 25,000 super feet of sawn timber (50 tonnes). Her hull is of Tasmanian blue gum and stringy bark, her deck is of Tasmanian Celery top pine and her spars are of imported oregon.
SV May Queen is moored on display in Constitution Dock.
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good but too salty. even for me.
love radish leaves...BUT I choked on one! it was too long! It was stuck in my throat....I tried to swallow..O..I have huge gaps between my molars (because I had braces a few years ago)...so the stringy leaf got stuck...It was half down my thoart...and the other side was stuck between my teeth. I couldn't swallow..and I couldn't get the leaf ....I started to gag. Mike was worried...he asked what was happening. I think I said, "nothing." lol. I guess I was a lil embarrassed (not like he could have helped me if he knew)...
finally I just sucked it out...kind of like sucking out mucus..it was really hard ! because that thing was really long! It took awhile for it to finally come up...after that I continued eating and it still felt like the damn thing was still in my throat. ...guess I should cut it next time. I blame the food itself. haha.
Great rice paper rolls require a chewy skin and a good filling. The rice paper rolls at Thanh Ha ticks both boxes with a chewy just moist rice paper wrapper and a filling of shredded lean pork and pork rind with enough shredded lettuce to make it moist. The requisite sprinkle of ground toasted rice gives the pork rind a nutty toasty flavour, and the shredded shiso leaf and mint lends sophistication to a simple snack.
The Cambodian Rice Noodle Soup is also good with lean pork, heart and liver all poached whole to perfection and then sliced thinly so that each of the stringy, chrunchy and floury textures hold their own. Added to this is a scattering of rendered cubes of pork fat for some extra porky flavour. Yum! It almost makes the slice of calamari and peeled prawn extraneous.
Banh Cuon Thanh Ha Restaurant
(03) 9429 8130
Shp 1/ 172 Victoria St
Richmond VIC 3121
Reviews:
Victorian Alpine Huts survey, for Parks Victoria 1994-5.
The hut was reputedly built c1917 by members of the McNamara family on GB48 which was leased by the family until recently{ MP: 70, Stephenson: 333; Boadle (1983): 39}. Cabena lists the McNamara's grazing holdings as follows: Albert Edward (Bogong High Plains `R', 1902-8, and Cobungra SA50, 1902-14); Daniel (C22 1908-20 and C29, 1908); Patrick (C21, 1918-59 and Cobungra SA51, 1902-55); Thomas (Bogong High Plains `A', 1887-1908, C6 1908-10, Cobungra SA46, 1902-14); and T J (or Tommy) (C21, 1933-46 and C22, 1920-43){ Cabena: 164}. Roy Weston described the hut in the early 1930s as having a timber floor and sides, iron roof and double bunks at one end with the chimney at the other. The door was on the side and the plan measured 15x12'. The hut was located 7 miles from Young's Hut and was at 4900'{ Stephenson (1982): 288}. Cleve Cole also recorded this hut in the 1930s as measuring 15'x12' (4.5x3.7m, see below) with double shelf bunks at one end and fireplace at the other. Tor Holth illustrated the hut extensively in his 1980 book and devoted many pages to the family history, noting that TJ and Jack (a fine horseman) were the sons of Thomas & Anne McNamara also Pat and Ned (Edward?) were the sons of Michael McNamara{ Holth: 173-}. Another son, Charles, married Matilda Abraham and their family included (another) Jack, George and Charlie{ Holth: 173-.}. Charlie worked for his cousins Jack & TJ (Thomas) in the 1950s until their death meant he worked the cattle with other helpers such as Ian Gibson, choosing the Dinner Plain and this hut as his base{ Holth: 173-; Carroll}. Charlie described the hut: `She's a rough old hut but by God we have sheltered some rough nights in her. Built in 1917. Stan Johns architect and builder. Me uncle Mick (Michael) was here, Jack and TJ McNamara. Cut the snow gum logs over here and carted them on an old horse called Trip..It was rough built. They had to split things to put in between the logs and then they got sphagnum moss to put wet between the logs and it dries out- great stuff for pokin' up huts- one of the great things for pokin' up huts is wet newspaper - when it dries it's like cement.' `The chimney used to be right here.. Was made out of chock and logs like the hut is, built up with stones. For years all they had was a bag hung up (as a door), no windows. Old Jack sat just here and there's a chock sticken' out there and where he sat with his head against it he had it worn as shiny as buggery… (for the bark roof) If you strip off a standin' tree you cut it all around the bottom and you get hold of a forky stick with a knot in him so you can put your foot on that and you lean your fork against the tree to hold you up- you don't have ladders -you put your foot on the knob and hang on to [the tree] and chop it around up so high with your axe. Then you mark it down the side of the tree, zig zag a bit, open it up. Then you have the limb of a tree shaped like a boomerang with a curve and flattened on one side and you keep putting that around the tree, or you can have a couple of them, one at the top and one at the bottom, and that keeps pushin' the bark out. Of course he'll fold up again if its a good tree- stringy bark, that's the stuff to strip -- then you want to have a good lot of bark and leaves for a fire and you put [the strip] on like a funnel and put the fire up through him until it's charred and that sort of tempers it. It'll dry out and smoke it and make it tough as hell. Then when you spread it out she won't crack. Then you put it down and put some weights on it, stones or logs, and leave it and she'll flatten out. `If you get hold of a tree when the sap's up you can knock it off. It's up in the summer time when there's plenty of rain but then it gets dry and you might be only able to strip the tree on the south side where the sun don't get it{ ibid.}.' `When the bark was dry the pieces were laid on the rafters of the roof, slightly overlapping. A strip was placed along the apex of the ridge and another strip or little pieces like tiles laid along the top like a capping. Some cattlemen tacked the bark down and others wired heavy poles together and hung them horizontally from the ridge pole so that they rested on the bark some at the top, some halfway down and some at the bottom of the roof. Still others would hook logs with a fork at the top onto the ridge pole so that they hung down vertically onto the bark. Other logs could be laid across them horizontally, secured in forks or wired. Holes were sometimes bored through the bark so that it could be held to the rafters with pegs or greenhide'{ ibid. Holth's observations}. `"Bark makes a very good warm roof", said Charlie Rundell. Most cattlemen used bark from woollybutt trees as that was readily available but, said Sid Ryder, 'It isn't good bark as it didn't last very long', about ten years." `The bark roof on the McNamaras' Dinner Plain hut was eventually replaced with iron by Charlie and his son. `My son Peter and I extended [the hut]. That iron on the roof and on this chimney come from the power house at Cobungra that was built there at the time that they were generatin' electricity for the Cassilis mine. We packed that iron out to Young's hut and put the roof on it and when the old hut fell down we packed it back into Dinner Plain and put it on there. The malthoid linin' -- we put that on in 1951 -- bloody oath it made it warmer.' `No floor until one time it rained for three or four days and it got that boggy we stripped bark off the trees at the back of the hut to put on the floor so you could walk around. [Later] we packed the boards [for the floor] across from Horsehair. The door is out of the bedroom at Young's hut.' `The second McNamara hut is located on Buckety Plain(q.v.). Charlie never used it but he knew that 'it was a little log hut with a paling roof, dirt floor. `Me brother built that and me uncle Mick and Bill Toland; I s'pose in the 1940s.' `In the 1970s the hut was enlarged and renovated by a scout group. Charlie's supply of information appeared to be limitless: "These McNamaras were great friends with the [Ned] Kellys 'cause they come from over at Wangaratta. Hinnomungie Station had all the watersheds of the Livingstone: -- that's the divide that runs down to the Big River. Ned Kelly worked on this dead-wood fence they put along there. That's the time there was a lull in them and [the police] didn't know where they were." In the early 1980s McNamara's hut was still termed a cattleman's hut, judged in fair condition, and used and maintained by cattlemen (C McNamara) and some walkers. It had nearby yards for horses{ National Parks Service, `Bogong National Park Proposed Interim Management Plan' (NPS, 1983): 47}. The main section was of logs with sheet iron additions to the west (store) and east{ Boadle (1983): 39}. There was corrugated iron on the roof held down by logs and rocks. Inside the roof is timber lined in part and with tar paper near the bunks{ ibid.}. The floor was timber slabs, set on a snow gum frame, but was in patchy condition. There was an old meat safe, cupboards and other fittings but the bunk bedding was old and the hut was described generally as in a dirty condition. The main hut measured 5.15 x 3 x 1.8m wall height, with two bunks at the west end and the fireplace at the east. The added store measured 2 x 3m{ Boadle (1983): 40A plan} The hut was set in snow gum woodland and the edge of snow grass plains. There was a small horse yard near the hut with larger yards 1K to the east which were built for brumby running by the Omeo Rodeo Club{ ibid.}. Recent lessees were Maguire and Kelly{ DCNR, 1995}.
Le Thon
Blue fin tuna tartar, bergamot red pepper confit with quail egg ($24)
Notes: Everyone has their sense of aesthetics. To me, this dish looked like a nightmarish creation of Salvador Dali - grotesque, fantastical and somewhat garish - as if it were alive, in its own strange way.
Okay, back to the food. The tuna was very clean tasting and fresh - everything glistened with just the right amount of oil and dressing. My one criticism of this dish - as with a number of others, is that it's terribly difficult to eat. Cutting through the egg, pepper and tuna was near-impossible. You either had to deconstruct everything or try and cut through and end up with a mess. We did the later. You can see the results here.
I joked with my friend about the "fence" of chives and julienned chorizo. The chives were tough and tasteless and ended up as floss in my teeth (read: extremely stringy); the chorizo, as I mentioned in the Le Calamar commentary, was dry and jerky-like. After all the silky tuna and pepper had melted away, you left flossing and chewing on these two elements. This distracting factor negated whatever flavor the chive and chorizo might have imparted.
Read the full review of this meal on my blog.
braised pork belly rillons, house made baked beans, onion marmalade & toast
The braised pork belly rillons was better than the Braised Pork Belly we had last time! The tender cubes of pork belly had a nice caramelised crust. Some cubes were lean and wonderfully stringy, others oozing luscious seams of fat!
I was greedy, and got an extra serve of Andrew's Choice black pudding. Very good. Full of oats soaked in blood with sweetness coming from apple puree.
While the baked beans were not as mushy as I'd like, it still help balance the richness of the pork rillons. The onion marmalade seemed to get lost in the mix.
Apparently pork rillons are slow cooked pork belly preserved in its own fat, like a cross between confit and rillettes. Huge Fearnley-Whittingstall has a Rillons of pork belly recipe too!
Incidentally, John Lethlean, food writer had a go at making black pudding, as part of his research for The Age Good Food Guide, in which he mentions Andrew's Choice Smallgoods. Andrew's Choice hams were also given the tick by Richard Cornish.
Andrew's Choice, Yarraville Retail Outlet
(03) 9687 2419
24 Anderson St
Yarraville VIC 3013
Andrew's Choice, Laverton North Head Office
(03) 8360 8688
U2/ 74 William Angliss Drv
Laverton North VIC 3026
Still love the dumpster-chic decor and buzzy atmostphere, and the food and coffee was better today!
The long queue (15 minute wait) was a bit annoying though, especially when I was hungry!
Auction Rooms Cafe
(03) 9326 7749
103-107 Errol St
North Melbourne VIC 3051
Reviews:
- Auction Rooms, North Melbourne - The Breakfast Blog Thursday, March 19, 2009
- Auction Rooms, by Matt Preston, Reviewer, Epicure, The Age July 15, 2008
Eucalyptus obliqua (Messmate stringybark)
Stringy bark at Hosmers Grove, Maui, Hawaii.
December 14, 2003
Front counter - Pacific BBQ Cafe
---
Another HK-style cafe doing a brisk trade in mostly Asian student clientele, with the occasionally Causasian diner. Julia and I were wondering how the HK-style cafes like Kings Cafe, Dessert House I & II all seem to be doing well. But then we realised, all the cheap-ish Asian casual eateries were all doing quite well. In other words, the inner-city population has definitely taken on a noticible Asian slant.
The waitstaff seemed to be Mandarin speakers, but a few spoke Cantonese as well. The main language though seems to be English, no doubt to try to cater for everyone. It's just a bit strange ordering something as HK-ish as a 鲜茄炬猪扒饭 (baked pork chop in tomato sauce on rice) in anything else but Cantonese. I guess "Number 73" would have sufficed!
Also common to these HK-style cafes are it's list of dessert-drinks, from simple lychee drinks to elaborate red bean, coconut milk and a scoop of vanilla ice cream concoctions. It is obviously quite popular with the student crowd.
The roast duck and pork were both quite good, with crispy skin and tender moist flesh. Still, we regretted not getting the 叉烧 Charsiu / BBQ pork, which we later noticed was literally dripping with a syrupy glaze.
"Number 73" as it turns out was a bit of a disappointment. Sure, the pork was tender and tasted faintly of lemongrass, but the bed of fried rice lacked any signs of 锅气 wok charring. There was a nice stringy cheese on top, but a stronger cheese would have been good. The tomato sauce was ok, but was a bit too sweet for us.
As we got up to leave, the waiter served up a magnificent looking plate of spicy chicken ribs and a good-looking fried rice. Perhaps we should have stuck to the Pacific BBQ chain staples of Cantonese food, rather than the modernised HK fusion dishes.
Overall though, there's not too much not to like about the place, especially with the list of dessert-like drink options.
太平洋烧腊茶餐厅
Pacific Bbq Cafe Pty Ltd
213 Lonsdale St Melbourne 3000
(03) 9663 9288
Other Pacific BBQ restaurants:
* Pacific Seafood BBQ House
Shp8/ 240 Victoria St Richmond 3121
(03) 9427 8225
* Pacific House Restaurant
210 Toorak Rd South Yarra 3141
(03) 9826 3838
Photos:
- Shop front (Shop front - phonecam)
- Students huddled over dinner
This is a spot where some of the 29,123 some odd Canada Geese like to congregate. At the moment I took this photo there weren't any there. I liked the rows and swirls and curves of the grass seed crop that has been planted there. I used to wonder why farming was being done in a Wildlife Refuge. Well, it sort of goes like this. The nearby grass seed farmers (Oregon is one of the largest grass seed growers in the United States) do not at all appreciate the migration of the geese that come and trample their crops. Probably eat some of the tastiest grainy parts too. Anyway, farmers made a deal with the Wildlife Refuge. They are allowed to farm much of the land inside the Refuge, and in exchange they give plenty of feed over to the Refuge. They encourage the geese to land and stay on the Refuge property, but stay off of their farm land. It works out pretty well. Pigeon Butte is on the right. This whole place is not far behind where I live. This should address the "My Life As" a photographer who loves to go see what is around me in my world.
The My Story part, besides what I have said above, is that from this vantage point I have personally spotted Mallards, Pintails, Thousands of Canada Geese here for the winter, 2 Raccoons, Green Heron, Bittern, Loons, Red-Tail Hawks (one actually got hold of a duck that was dying, or else he killed it, but anyway he was dragging it about 100 feet. He kept picking little parts of it off, and then he would try again to be able to lift it to fly. It was kind of gross, but also kind of fascinating. There was a whole trail of duck feathers from where started to across the road. Also I have seen about 40 Elk, but not close to this, more off in the distance. I have seen Red-Wing Blackbirds and some unusual Yellow-Headed Blackbirds. Oh, and I've spotted Great Blue Herons, Great White Egrets, and large Crows and Turkey Vultures, and little wild rabbits, and Bald Eagles. That is all I can think of right now, but it is a pretty interesting place.
This is just a small part of the whole acreage of the Refuge.
(1010finleygrasscropltshpbottom&sattop)
Added to Snap Game group pool about 7:30 pm PST. They have requested that we tell why we thought our picture was a good transition. Her picture had lots straight and curvy things with lots of green and some browns, mostly vertical. Mine had the same stringy looking things, and general colors, but more horizontal.
"Condensing Tags So Not 75"
Nick wakes up in the dark. Again.
What time is it? He doesn’t know. Wonders... Does it matter? And... What is time, anyway?
The passage of breaths, of heartbeats, of lives? Is it nothing but counting? Does it count?
His mouth is dry. Slowly he uncurls himself, shaking with cold as his belly, his chest, his arms and legs surrender their sleep-hoarded warmth to the damp hard irregular earth. He drags himself like an ape, using his skinny arms as levers... butt barely leaving the ground as he makes his way to the far wall, some 10 feet away, where water seeps from somewhere... a flat soundless skin of it wetting what he assumes is stone, although it could be concrete, or steel, or even wood for all Nick knows.
He has lost the feeling in his fingertips. Long ago. And knows only that this wet patch he licks – sometimes for so long he falls asleep doing it – is hard and strangely textured and tastes flat against his tongue.
He laps at the seepage. It has kept him alive. For how long? He no longer has any sense of that.
Hunger. He has moved so far beyond hunger that the long stringy pains that grip him from the inside he considers little more an interesting distraction.
Beetles. He has eaten beetles. Worms. Spiders. Small things that crunch. Things whose names he would not know, even if he saw them.
He laps at the wet spot, head resting, heavy, against the wall, and thinks about the effort it will take to return to the dryer, softer end of the cell where he sleeps.
There is little else to do here. Sleep. Drink. Eat. He cannot remember having urinated. Must have; must have defecated too, at some point. He has no recollection.
He feels his body consuming itself, eating itself, drinking itself, absorbing itself from the inside – fat, protein, carbohydrate. He pictures himself as food groups. He sees the gaudy triangle of greens and browns and oranges that they used in school nutrition classes – Canada’s food groups. The guide to healthy eating. It strikes him as hysterically funny.
He thinks he may have laughed out loud. But he can’t be sure of anything.
Back in his dry corner, curled again for warmth, he practices a kind of meditation he’s developed. He thinks about the sun. He pictures it, remembers it. Remembers days lying on the beach by the lake, days when the sun’s heat pressed his back like a huge, red weight, like a burning imperative.
His mind recalls other, different imperatives. The drive to work, to earn, to succeed. How vital they once seemed. How entirely meaningless now.
He thinks about his car, his computer, his apartment... his closet full of sharp suits and funky hats and cool shoes... and even cooler weekend wear.
He thinks about his TV, his stereo, his bar... his granite counters and his stainless steel appliances. He thinks about his balcony, his telescope, his view... the women he has wooed there, and won, and discarded.
Once he thought of all these things with longing... wondering... when would he get back to them? When would he be rescued? When would he emerge from this pit, this cell, this empty, dank, rough darkened place?
But now he has given up on thoughts of being resuced. He has given up on seeing his material things again. Has given up pretty much entirely... or tried to.
But the dumb deep animal part of his brain insists on struggling for survival. And he can only meditate and sleep and dream... and hope against hope with each new sleep that it will be his last.
Our Daily Challenge, Sept. 16-22, 2021; STRING, STRINGED, STRINGY. Power cord, headphones, journal binding, and lanyard for my badge. A big mess of strings. Took the picture on Sept. 22, didn't develop film until Sept. 25... last rolls for this batch of C-41 chemistry.
Nikon F2
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AI-s
Kodak ProImage 100
Developed with CineStill Cs41 "Color Simplified"
Tuesday morning sunshine was streaming through the skylight portion of the bowed roof on the Jacobson Exhibition Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. Melting snow slid off the massive building’s edges in big chunks as a fleet of school buses began arriving from all corners of the district to deliver an elite force of middle school musicians.
They came to rehearse for last night’s All-City Middle School Music Festival. Besides the musicians a gallery of visual art was arranged for display in the building lobby. The annual fine arts event is a generous gift to DMPS from former school board member Marjorie Spevak that she just keeps on giving. You’ve probably heard the term student-athletes? Mrs. Spevak makes a regular point of honoring student-artists.
The musicians were divvied into a choir, a band and an orchestra and assigned separate practice spaces.
The band settled in at the Jacobson Center and after a rowdy arrival that was a mix of middle school hijinks and random, brassy tooting everyone got down to business under the direction of Richard Thimmesch, Director of Bands at Grandview University. Same thing next door with the singers where Stephen Sieck, Co-Director of Choirs at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, blended a strong, choral voice out of the 168 squeaky, changing ones that got off the bus sounding more like the moo-sic that’s heard in that 4H building every August. Meanwhile, Joshua Reznicow, Director of Orchestral Activities for the Linn-Mar Community School District, was working his magic with the stringy warm-up bleats coming from the Walnut Center, up near the sheep barns.
All told, nearly 400 kids from eleven schools were selected by their music teachers to participate. They’d all been practicing the program selections at their home schools since the 2nd semester began in January so they came well-prepared. But until yesterday many of them had never met one another, let alone played together. As they tumbled off the buses, most no bigger than a cello, clad in hoodies and tennis shoes and lugging their instruments and a change of clothes, the cavernous venue looked too big for them. Each school’s delegation arrived and improvised campsite in a corner where backpacks and other gear were stowed.
By the time they broke for dinner each of the three ensembles was ready. They ate and horsed around. Then they changed into their blacks-and-whites. And finally, after weeks of separate practice, school-by-school; and one long crash, mass rehearsal, they made music together – enough to fill that big barn of a recital hall and then some.
Ryan Rowley is the district’s Fine Arts Coordinator; the DMPS Music Man, you could say. And he orchestrated quite a show last night, as per tradition. There weren’t seventy-six trombones (only seven) or a parade. But there were rows and rows of virtuosos and horns of every shape and size, etc. Yes folks, we got music, lots of it, right here in River City. Thanks to Spevak. That starts with ‘S’ and that stands for SCHOOLS!
Outside on the Jacobson Center entrance plaza is a sign that proclaims BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE. It wasn’t put there with this specific event in mind. But it might as well have been.
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She is free standing, and is photographed from various angles.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
Although Halloween is over, the pumpkins that served as Jack-O-Lanterns are still very much alive. They have become a cauldron filled with gooey, oozing, fuzzy, stringy, tangled web of enzymes spores, and mold. All of which are breaking down and consuming the "delectable" flesh of the pumpkin.....every last drop.
I love long hair. My girls love their long hair as well. But it was time...you know it's time for a cut when it takes forever to brush it out and their ends are dry and stringy. For a while now I've wanted to have Mailee's hair cut short. It just seems to fit her little (big) personality.
I am in love with her new look. She is too. She's very pleased that she looks even more like a Rockstar (a new phase we're in).
I have a friend who can do anything with her hair and still look amazing. I'm confident that if I were to cut my hair I'd look like a mushroom. Round faces just can't make a short cut work. I've been there, done that and wow...never again. Are you one of those that can chop their hair off? Am I just not brave enough to take the plunge? I admit having long thick hair gets old fast when trying to dry it and oh the headaches you get when it's up in a ponytail for long periods of time!
I have hair envy for those who can do drastic things to their hair and look fabulous. However, when that envy comes in I remind myself that I don't have to wash my hair more than once a week and when curled it looks good for at least 4 days or when straightened I could go for a week with out it looking (or smelling) dirty. Perhaps we all have hair envy for different reasons?
Victorian Alpine Huts survey, for Parks Victoria 1994-5.
The hut was reputedly built c1917 by members of the McNamara family on GB48 which was leased by the family until recently{ MP: 70, Stephenson: 333; Boadle (1983): 39}. Cabena lists the McNamara's grazing holdings as follows: Albert Edward (Bogong High Plains `R', 1902-8, and Cobungra SA50, 1902-14); Daniel (C22 1908-20 and C29, 1908); Patrick (C21, 1918-59 and Cobungra SA51, 1902-55); Thomas (Bogong High Plains `A', 1887-1908, C6 1908-10, Cobungra SA46, 1902-14); and T J (or Tommy) (C21, 1933-46 and C22, 1920-43){ Cabena: 164}. Roy Weston described the hut in the early 1930s as having a timber floor and sides, iron roof and double bunks at one end with the chimney at the other. The door was on the side and the plan measured 15x12'. The hut was located 7 miles from Young's Hut and was at 4900'{ Stephenson (1982): 288}. Cleve Cole also recorded this hut in the 1930s as measuring 15'x12' (4.5x3.7m, see below) with double shelf bunks at one end and fireplace at the other. Tor Holth illustrated the hut extensively in his 1980 book and devoted many pages to the family history, noting that TJ and Jack (a fine horseman) were the sons of Thomas & Anne McNamara also Pat and Ned (Edward?) were the sons of Michael McNamara{ Holth: 173-}. Another son, Charles, married Matilda Abraham and their family included (another) Jack, George and Charlie{ Holth: 173-.}. Charlie worked for his cousins Jack & TJ (Thomas) in the 1950s until their death meant he worked the cattle with other helpers such as Ian Gibson, choosing the Dinner Plain and this hut as his base{ Holth: 173-; Carroll}. Charlie described the hut: `She's a rough old hut but by God we have sheltered some rough nights in her. Built in 1917. Stan Johns architect and builder. Me uncle Mick (Michael) was here, Jack and TJ McNamara. Cut the snow gum logs over here and carted them on an old horse called Trip..It was rough built. They had to split things to put in between the logs and then they got sphagnum moss to put wet between the logs and it dries out- great stuff for pokin' up huts- one of the great things for pokin' up huts is wet newspaper - when it dries it's like cement.' `The chimney used to be right here.. Was made out of chock and logs like the hut is, built up with stones. For years all they had was a bag hung up (as a door), no windows. Old Jack sat just here and there's a chock sticken' out there and where he sat with his head against it he had it worn as shiny as buggery… (for the bark roof) If you strip off a standin' tree you cut it all around the bottom and you get hold of a forky stick with a knot in him so you can put your foot on that and you lean your fork against the tree to hold you up- you don't have ladders -you put your foot on the knob and hang on to [the tree] and chop it around up so high with your axe. Then you mark it down the side of the tree, zig zag a bit, open it up. Then you have the limb of a tree shaped like a boomerang with a curve and flattened on one side and you keep putting that around the tree, or you can have a couple of them, one at the top and one at the bottom, and that keeps pushin' the bark out. Of course he'll fold up again if its a good tree- stringy bark, that's the stuff to strip -- then you want to have a good lot of bark and leaves for a fire and you put [the strip] on like a funnel and put the fire up through him until it's charred and that sort of tempers it. It'll dry out and smoke it and make it tough as hell. Then when you spread it out she won't crack. Then you put it down and put some weights on it, stones or logs, and leave it and she'll flatten out. `If you get hold of a tree when the sap's up you can knock it off. It's up in the summer time when there's plenty of rain but then it gets dry and you might be only able to strip the tree on the south side where the sun don't get it{ ibid.}.' `When the bark was dry the pieces were laid on the rafters of the roof, slightly overlapping. A strip was placed along the apex of the ridge and another strip or little pieces like tiles laid along the top like a capping. Some cattlemen tacked the bark down and others wired heavy poles together and hung them horizontally from the ridge pole so that they rested on the bark some at the top, some halfway down and some at the bottom of the roof. Still others would hook logs with a fork at the top onto the ridge pole so that they hung down vertically onto the bark. Other logs could be laid across them horizontally, secured in forks or wired. Holes were sometimes bored through the bark so that it could be held to the rafters with pegs or greenhide'{ ibid. Holth's observations}. `"Bark makes a very good warm roof", said Charlie Rundell. Most cattlemen used bark from woollybutt trees as that was readily available but, said Sid Ryder, 'It isn't good bark as it didn't last very long', about ten years." `The bark roof on the McNamaras' Dinner Plain hut was eventually replaced with iron by Charlie and his son. `My son Peter and I extended [the hut]. That iron on the roof and on this chimney come from the power house at Cobungra that was built there at the time that they were generatin' electricity for the Cassilis mine. We packed that iron out to Young's hut and put the roof on it and when the old hut fell down we packed it back into Dinner Plain and put it on there. The malthoid linin' -- we put that on in 1951 -- bloody oath it made it warmer.' `No floor until one time it rained for three or four days and it got that boggy we stripped bark off the trees at the back of the hut to put on the floor so you could walk around. [Later] we packed the boards [for the floor] across from Horsehair. The door is out of the bedroom at Young's hut.' `The second McNamara hut is located on Buckety Plain(q.v.). Charlie never used it but he knew that 'it was a little log hut with a paling roof, dirt floor. `Me brother built that and me uncle Mick and Bill Toland; I s'pose in the 1940s.' `In the 1970s the hut was enlarged and renovated by a scout group. Charlie's supply of information appeared to be limitless: "These McNamaras were great friends with the [Ned] Kellys 'cause they come from over at Wangaratta. Hinnomungie Station had all the watersheds of the Livingstone: -- that's the divide that runs down to the Big River. Ned Kelly worked on this dead-wood fence they put along there. That's the time there was a lull in them and [the police] didn't know where they were." In the early 1980s McNamara's hut was still termed a cattleman's hut, judged in fair condition, and used and maintained by cattlemen (C McNamara) and some walkers. It had nearby yards for horses{ National Parks Service, `Bogong National Park Proposed Interim Management Plan' (NPS, 1983): 47}. The main section was of logs with sheet iron additions to the west (store) and east{ Boadle (1983): 39}. There was corrugated iron on the roof held down by logs and rocks. Inside the roof is timber lined in part and with tar paper near the bunks{ ibid.}. The floor was timber slabs, set on a snow gum frame, but was in patchy condition. There was an old meat safe, cupboards and other fittings but the bunk bedding was old and the hut was described generally as in a dirty condition. The main hut measured 5.15 x 3 x 1.8m wall height, with two bunks at the west end and the fireplace at the east. The added store measured 2 x 3m{ Boadle (1983): 40A plan} The hut was set in snow gum woodland and the edge of snow grass plains. There was a small horse yard near the hut with larger yards 1K to the east which were built for brumby running by the Omeo Rodeo Club{ ibid.}. Recent lessees were Maguire and Kelly{ DCNR, 1995}.
This was how my dinner prepared by the noodle chef below turned out. The noodle lived up to its hype, the beef tender although a bit on the stringy side, and the soup just the right thickness and dash of spice. The resto is called the Shanghai Hand-Pulled Noodles along Retiro Street (now N.S. Amoranto) in Banawe, Quezon City (November 2010).
My Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll has been completely deboxed. She has been undressed, and is lying down, to display her articulation, soundbox, manufacturer's marks and disassembled outfit.
She is an accurate representation of one of the main characters of the newly released Disney animated feature Wreck-it Ralph. She is the ''Glitch'' of the Sugar Rush video arcade game, one of bunch of young girls competing to win a race in confectionery go karts. She speaks several phrases from the movie when her mid-section is pressed, in the voice of Sarah Silverman. The sound is loud and clear.
She is full poseable, with moveable head, arms and legs. Her head can swivel around 360 degrees, but cannot tilt up or down. She has fully articulated shoulder, elbow and wrist joints, so her short arms are surprisingly poseable. She only has four fingers in of her rather large hands. She has no knee or ankle joints, and no toes on her flat stumpy feet. She is fairly stable free standing, but her loose hip joints and very heavy head make her topple over with just a light nudge. She cannot sit down on her own without support from behind, because her legs don’t quite bend 90 degrees, and her head is very heavy and unbalanced towards the back.
She has a very large head for an 11’’ doll, which matches her movie character. She has very large bright brown eyes, glancing to her right. She has thick black eyebrows, and short thin eyelashes over each eye. She has a small button nose that is colored the same bright pink color as her lips. Her mouth has thin lips forming a toothy smile. She has protruding big round ears.
Her long straight jet black hair is in a pony tail that has been bunched up at the top of her head, and tied with a red licorice ribbon. There are two candy covered hairpins in either side of her head. There are two long bangs on the right side of her head, and two short pig tails over her ears. There is a lot of hair product used to keep her bangs and pony tail bun in place. Otherwise, her hair is soft and smooth.
Her outfit is entirely removable. She has a blue-green hooded sweater that is covered in glitter, and has two non-functioning pink drawstrings in the front. She has a short pleated dark brown skirt, over blue-green and white striped stretch pants. Finally she has black flat-heeled shoes, with a swirling pink stringy pattern on their soles.
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll
Character From Wreck-It Ralph
US Disney Store
$24.50 US
Personal photos of the newly released Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking 11'' Doll. She is one of the main characters of the new Disney animated movie Wreck-It Ralph, which went into wide release in the US on November 2, 2012. I purchased this doll today (November 8) for 25% off, using the Friends and Family coupon.
Product information from the US Disney Store website:
Vanellope Von Schweetz Talking Doll - Wreck-It Ralph - 11''
$24.50
Item No. 6070040900172P
Sweet talker
''I've got a date with destiny,'' boasts the chatty Vanellope. As one of the characters from the Sugar Rush game in Wreck-It Ralph, 'the Glitch' has plenty to say for herself as your little one will discover with this talking doll.
Magic in the details...
•Press button on front to hear lots of different Vanellope phrases!
•Fabric clothing with embroidered detailing and glitter accents
•Textured hair
•Fully poseable
•Inspired by Wreck-It Ralph
The bare necessities
•Ages 3+
•Requires 3 x AG3 button-cell batteries, included
•Plastic, polyester
•12'' H
•Imported
Safety
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.
One of Chef Ramsay's original classics, I found this glamorous tower a little – dare I say it? – pedestrian. The lamb, prepared to a loving medium rare, lacked a richness in flavour, tasting almost bland. That was the disappointing part, where the flavours didn't live up to the pretty plating. Despite these limitations, the root vegetables were very well cooked. I enjoyed the coin like medallions of confit lamb shoulder which were concentrated with flavour, but their texture was a little tough (making me question how these muscle fibres could be stringy after being confit in fat?). Salvaging that latter fact, I did appreciate the thin sear at the top of the mini-medallions and the bit of crust it created. The sauce was decent, having a smooth texture that coated each mouthful of meat, while the dollops of white cream of celery added a unctuous but faintly starchy component to the dish.
The northwest end of the Cypress Grove Trail in Point Lobos State Reserve culminates in a prominent feature called Pinnacle Rock. From the trail a Monterey cypress perfectly frames the view to the rock. The Monterey cypress forms a community with a green alga (Trentepohlia aurea) that has a rust-orange color. The color is due to the presence of carotenes, which are also found in carrots. It is considered to be a green alga because it can produce its nutrients using photosynthesis, since it contains chlorophyll. The tree is not harmed by the alga, which uses the bark and branches of the tree for a substrate. Another member of the community is also visible in this image. The gray and stringy lace lichen hangs from trees where the climate is cool and humid, and where there is some sun. Lichen is a combination of a fungus and a green alga. The fungus provides the framework, and the alga provides the food. Both the fungus and the alga benefit from this association. All of these live in harmony with each other.
As of January 1, 2016 the lace lichen has officially become the state lichen of California, joining the ranks of the grizzly bear (state animal), the redwood (state tree), and the golden poppy (state flower). California is the only state that has a state lichen.
The Cypress Grove Trail in Point Lobos State Reserve winds through one of only two naturally growing stands of Monterey cypress trees growing on Earth! Point Lobos State Reserve was originally acquired to protect these gnarled trees. The other grove is across Carmel Bay at Cypress Point.
Victorian Alpine Huts survey, for Parks Victoria 1994-5.
The hut was reputedly built c1917 by members of the McNamara family on GB48 which was leased by the family until recently{ MP: 70, Stephenson: 333; Boadle (1983): 39}. Cabena lists the McNamara's grazing holdings as follows: Albert Edward (Bogong High Plains `R', 1902-8, and Cobungra SA50, 1902-14); Daniel (C22 1908-20 and C29, 1908); Patrick (C21, 1918-59 and Cobungra SA51, 1902-55); Thomas (Bogong High Plains `A', 1887-1908, C6 1908-10, Cobungra SA46, 1902-14); and T J (or Tommy) (C21, 1933-46 and C22, 1920-43){ Cabena: 164}. Roy Weston described the hut in the early 1930s as having a timber floor and sides, iron roof and double bunks at one end with the chimney at the other. The door was on the side and the plan measured 15x12'. The hut was located 7 miles from Young's Hut and was at 4900'{ Stephenson (1982): 288}. Cleve Cole also recorded this hut in the 1930s as measuring 15'x12' (4.5x3.7m, see below) with double shelf bunks at one end and fireplace at the other. Tor Holth illustrated the hut extensively in his 1980 book and devoted many pages to the family history, noting that TJ and Jack (a fine horseman) were the sons of Thomas & Anne McNamara also Pat and Ned (Edward?) were the sons of Michael McNamara{ Holth: 173-}. Another son, Charles, married Matilda Abraham and their family included (another) Jack, George and Charlie{ Holth: 173-.}. Charlie worked for his cousins Jack & TJ (Thomas) in the 1950s until their death meant he worked the cattle with other helpers such as Ian Gibson, choosing the Dinner Plain and this hut as his base{ Holth: 173-; Carroll}. Charlie described the hut: `She's a rough old hut but by God we have sheltered some rough nights in her. Built in 1917. Stan Johns architect and builder. Me uncle Mick (Michael) was here, Jack and TJ McNamara. Cut the snow gum logs over here and carted them on an old horse called Trip..It was rough built. They had to split things to put in between the logs and then they got sphagnum moss to put wet between the logs and it dries out- great stuff for pokin' up huts- one of the great things for pokin' up huts is wet newspaper - when it dries it's like cement.' `The chimney used to be right here.. Was made out of chock and logs like the hut is, built up with stones. For years all they had was a bag hung up (as a door), no windows. Old Jack sat just here and there's a chock sticken' out there and where he sat with his head against it he had it worn as shiny as buggery… (for the bark roof) If you strip off a standin' tree you cut it all around the bottom and you get hold of a forky stick with a knot in him so you can put your foot on that and you lean your fork against the tree to hold you up- you don't have ladders -you put your foot on the knob and hang on to [the tree] and chop it around up so high with your axe. Then you mark it down the side of the tree, zig zag a bit, open it up. Then you have the limb of a tree shaped like a boomerang with a curve and flattened on one side and you keep putting that around the tree, or you can have a couple of them, one at the top and one at the bottom, and that keeps pushin' the bark out. Of course he'll fold up again if its a good tree- stringy bark, that's the stuff to strip -- then you want to have a good lot of bark and leaves for a fire and you put [the strip] on like a funnel and put the fire up through him until it's charred and that sort of tempers it. It'll dry out and smoke it and make it tough as hell. Then when you spread it out she won't crack. Then you put it down and put some weights on it, stones or logs, and leave it and she'll flatten out. `If you get hold of a tree when the sap's up you can knock it off. It's up in the summer time when there's plenty of rain but then it gets dry and you might be only able to strip the tree on the south side where the sun don't get it{ ibid.}.' `When the bark was dry the pieces were laid on the rafters of the roof, slightly overlapping. A strip was placed along the apex of the ridge and another strip or little pieces like tiles laid along the top like a capping. Some cattlemen tacked the bark down and others wired heavy poles together and hung them horizontally from the ridge pole so that they rested on the bark some at the top, some halfway down and some at the bottom of the roof. Still others would hook logs with a fork at the top onto the ridge pole so that they hung down vertically onto the bark. Other logs could be laid across them horizontally, secured in forks or wired. Holes were sometimes bored through the bark so that it could be held to the rafters with pegs or greenhide'{ ibid. Holth's observations}. `"Bark makes a very good warm roof", said Charlie Rundell. Most cattlemen used bark from woollybutt trees as that was readily available but, said Sid Ryder, 'It isn't good bark as it didn't last very long', about ten years." `The bark roof on the McNamaras' Dinner Plain hut was eventually replaced with iron by Charlie and his son. `My son Peter and I extended [the hut]. That iron on the roof and on this chimney come from the power house at Cobungra that was built there at the time that they were generatin' electricity for the Cassilis mine. We packed that iron out to Young's hut and put the roof on it and when the old hut fell down we packed it back into Dinner Plain and put it on there. The malthoid linin' -- we put that on in 1951 -- bloody oath it made it warmer.' `No floor until one time it rained for three or four days and it got that boggy we stripped bark off the trees at the back of the hut to put on the floor so you could walk around. [Later] we packed the boards [for the floor] across from Horsehair. The door is out of the bedroom at Young's hut.' `The second McNamara hut is located on Buckety Plain(q.v.). Charlie never used it but he knew that 'it was a little log hut with a paling roof, dirt floor. `Me brother built that and me uncle Mick and Bill Toland; I s'pose in the 1940s.' `In the 1970s the hut was enlarged and renovated by a scout group. Charlie's supply of information appeared to be limitless: "These McNamaras were great friends with the [Ned] Kellys 'cause they come from over at Wangaratta. Hinnomungie Station had all the watersheds of the Livingstone: -- that's the divide that runs down to the Big River. Ned Kelly worked on this dead-wood fence they put along there. That's the time there was a lull in them and [the police] didn't know where they were." In the early 1980s McNamara's hut was still termed a cattleman's hut, judged in fair condition, and used and maintained by cattlemen (C McNamara) and some walkers. It had nearby yards for horses{ National Parks Service, `Bogong National Park Proposed Interim Management Plan' (NPS, 1983): 47}. The main section was of logs with sheet iron additions to the west (store) and east{ Boadle (1983): 39}. There was corrugated iron on the roof held down by logs and rocks. Inside the roof is timber lined in part and with tar paper near the bunks{ ibid.}. The floor was timber slabs, set on a snow gum frame, but was in patchy condition. There was an old meat safe, cupboards and other fittings but the bunk bedding was old and the hut was described generally as in a dirty condition. The main hut measured 5.15 x 3 x 1.8m wall height, with two bunks at the west end and the fireplace at the east. The added store measured 2 x 3m{ Boadle (1983): 40A plan} The hut was set in snow gum woodland and the edge of snow grass plains. There was a small horse yard near the hut with larger yards 1K to the east which were built for brumby running by the Omeo Rodeo Club{ ibid.}. Recent lessees were Maguire and Kelly{ DCNR, 1995}.