09

the aviary, this is Thursday night here in Oz, and Brian is of a mind to release them on Saturday. I may have to stand ready with a cold water hose, just in case the Backyard Mafia decide to bump off the newcomers.

We were also given two silky bantam roosters. They are very attractive, and look so soft. I put them in one of the disused rabbit hutches, and a resident rooster was giving them the bald eyeball (staring), so when I finally let them out, it was into the clutches of this twice-the-size bully. Yes, I realise it is normal behaviour for them to sort out the pecking order, but I have been wanting silkys for some time, now, and I don't need some overbearing, oversexed rooster with delusions of grandeur and paranoia deciding he doesn't want competition. So the old rooster was chased around the Feathers Pen by me, and was spending a lot of time working out when he could attack and when he should run.

Eventually, he took the hint. I think it was when I threw part of a steel gate at him. Of course I didn't hit him, but I'm sure the dogs would have been very happy with the carcass. I rescued one rooster who had been badly mauled in the peafowl enclosure, and then and there decided to chop him as a waste of space. We have too many roosters! And the dogs might as well get free food as my paying for it at the supermarket. It took a bit of doing, but the axehead worked beautifully. One has to disconnect the feelings at moments like these.

I think our cat, dumped on us last time she was pregnant, is pregnant again. De-sexing is vital, but I can't afford it, so as I already have one guaranteed home for a kitten, she may well end up going there if the pregnancy is a false alarm.

Spring is well and truly here. We have had a couple of balmy days, when it starts out at ten degrees, virtually as soon as the sun is up. Yummo! Of course, that is ten degrees in Centigrade. Over at the fence, I saw today it had reached 25 degrees! That's Adelaide weather!

I bought over seven kilos of bananas today, and I'm hoping that I'll find a use for all of them! Preferably before they rot and go to the animals. Was charged only a dollar a kilo. Given that they are in peak season at the moment, but can still be twice that price per kilo, I am happy.

A quick tip for those of you who have wood-burning stoves: if you bung in a few handfuls (don't forget, I'm talking woman's size handfuls!) of common salt as you are finishing for the night, it will help to keep your chimney clean. It will be even more helpful if you burn a bit of hardwood last thing, too.

My morning routine is to pull out rubber gloves and newspaper, spread the newspaper in front of the stove to catch any stray soot and larger pieces, and also to have it ready as starter, matches close by, get my baby bottle brush (good quality, otherwise the handle twists around and you end up handleless, not a happy situation, more about that later, hopefully) and give the chimney a good poke around to dislodge any potentially hazardous material that might cause a chimney fire later. We are blessed in that we have cement sheeting I can push to one side (that gets swept too, as soot drops on to it), and access the top of the stove chimney, giving the inside a good dusting down (as the old Hong Kong English translation has it - to "tootle with vigour"), replacing the cement sheet, and moving down to the base of the chimney, where there is an access door about 1/3 the size of a computer screen, remove that and have another good brush around. I put the door back, open up the access on the stove top, and clean inside the stove, top and bottom. It is too easy to ignore the top, we have a tendency to only fix what we see.

Have you ever noticed how you don't always look up (or down)? When I walked my Mother's dashie, Pierre (no, we didn't name him, the Kennel owner did!), it was amazing how many people nearly tripped over him every walk. It's the same with my house cleaning, I have noticed. I really have to look at the place with a visitor's eyes. It helps if it's my Mother-in-Law, who is such a sweetie, and does not have an immaculate home, but certainly is tidier than me!

I've diverged from the topic again, haven't I?

So, moving from the stove top, I open the fire box door, and sweep inside and dislodge more soot from the space between the oven and the stove top. This is important because sometimes it seems like all of the soot has been dislodged and swept through via the stove top.

I clean the front of the fire box with a bit of wadded newspaper, and then a brief dusting just inside the door and its frame with newspaper, so that when I set up the fuel for the fire, I don't get soot over my wrist.

Still with gloves on, I search through the base of the fire box for any nails or other impedimenta, and then finally riddle the firebox. Finally, I set up the fuel for the fire.

Naturally, I ALWAYS MAKE SURE THE FIRE IS LONG DEAD BEFORE STARTING CLEANING. I don't have a liking for rubber burnt on to skin.

Now, as to the hinted-at bottle brush story: I had already purchased a cheap-and-nasty baby bottle brush and found that it had come adrift when I had to twist around against the walls of the chimney. I was not impressed. So I did a really stupid thing (in Australia, we pronounce this as "stew-pid", but I can hear an American accent here - "stoo-pid", which makes it, somehow, sound even more idiotic. Try our variation, maybe if you do "stew-pid" things, it will feel like you've really made a hash of it!). I bought another one of the same brand. But at least this time I kept the packaging and the receipt. You see, as you probably know, trying to remember specificaly, what you have at home can be quite a challenge. I'd be blessed if I remember what colour my kitchen walls are (alright, I have an excuse, if we have a soot storm when the wind blows back down the chimney, it can be a remarkable spotty pattern over aged yellowish-white, which memories still bring a smile, not a rictus, to my face), let alone a particular type of brush, and there is no way known I'd bring the jolly thing into town, only political disasters travel well.

When I came home, I tried out the handle. Sure enough, it twisted its plastic coating off the wire stem. So I took it back. The attitude of the checkout girl was "Well, what did you expect for $1:50?" This is a direct quote. I am what could be called a consumer advocate. At least, for me, I am. I looked straight at her and said, "Even for $1:50, I expect it to work, otherwise why would I bother to buy it?" She was nonplussed, as I obviously would not back down. I am not going to pay for faulty workmanship. I was told I would have to wait for the Manager. Now, I have a policy that I get to know the various Managers and Owners in shops and businesses. Under happy circumstances, so that we can reach understanding down the track, if need be. This was one of those time.

Aaron always looks like he should still be in Primary School. He is a lovely fellow, though, so I drew him aside, told him the whole conversation and politely suggested that the young lady learn a bit about consumer relations, it might lead to keeping customers. He wisely kept quiet about that bit (he knows I have had thirty plus years dealing with customers), and stated that his Company did not make the bottle brush, it was some other firm in Australia. I smiled sweetly and said, "Oh, good, a local call." He gave up and gave me my $1:50 back. I went to the local supermarket and paid over twice that for a good bottle brush, which works just fine. He would've given me my money back anyway, it's store policy, but sometimes it pays to arc up, so that the next poor sod that comes along gets an even deal. Respect for the people that keep your wages going is not an option.

You may be wondering why I refer to the bottle brush as a baby bottle brush. In Australia, we have a short-lived but much loved species of large bush commonly called a "bottle brush". Please see the pictures I have sent to Nita. You'll see why they are given such a moniker. We actually have one in the front jungle, traditional red-coloured flowers. To just say "bottle brush" gives a misleading impression that perhaps I am using a rather delicate flower to scrub my chimney. Pedantic, I know, but it comes in a package with the brain.

I made a wonderful Minestrone Soup that is, as one of our TV gardening experts, Peter Cundall, says, "dead easy". It's actually one that I always use, taken from the back of an Italian Style Soup Mix packet of mixed peas and beans from a wonderful firm called Ward McKenzie. It's an Australin company, but the package loosely states it contains peas, beans and lentils.

The recipe is cheap and hearty. Italian soup mix really ought to be left to soak overnight, and then drained and re-washed, otherwise you will probably get a very embarrassing case of flatulence. And that's being polite about it. I err on the side of safety, without going into personal details of exactly what a husband with a sense of humour can do, and wash a few times before the overnight soaking. Soaking for that long a time can also decrease your cooking time. The quick method, according to McKenzie's, is three cups water to one cup of soup mix, boil and simmer for approx. 1 1/2 hours, skimming if necessary. Traditional Method is to soak soup mix for approx. 6-8 hours (overnight if convenient) before cooking. Drain, place in fresh water, bring to the boil and simmer for approx. 1 hour.

McKenzie's are wonderful in terms of quality control, and I never find bits of gravel or other nasties these days in their mix.

Minestrone (a National Heart Foundation recipe)

The Ingredients

375g Italian Style Soup Mix

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

240g tomato paste

Ground black pepper to taste (I don't usually bother)

4 tbs rice

4 cups water

1 medium ham hock (optional - but it really does something for the flavour, and I buy them cheaply at the deli section of the supermarket when they go out on sale near their use by date. Don't forget you can freeze hocks - at which point you sing (altogether now!) - "Freeze a jolly good fellow..." Sorry about that.)

2 stalks of celery, chopped

4 tbs parsley, chopped

1/4 cup polyunsaturated oil

2 cups cabbage, chopped (I used cauliflower last night, remember the huge amount I was given last week? Any brassica would probably do)

1 cup shell noodles (or substitute)

grated parmesan for serving (optional)

The Method

Cook Soup Mix, together with the ham hock, according to either of the methods listed above. Remove ham hock and chop meat into small pieces, then return to the Soup Mix. Heat oil in a pan and saute onion, celery, garlic, parsley and carrots for 5-10 min. Add the tomato paste, cabbage, pepper and salt if desired. Add this mixture together with a further 4 cups of water (totalling 10 cups) to the cooked Soup Mix. Add the shell noodles and rice and simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serves 6-8 Preparation time: 20 minutes (I use a food processor when I'm in a hurry, which cuts this time incredibly) Total cooking time: 1 3/4 - 2 1/4 hours.

Oh, I have an apology to make, not that the innocently accused will care. It was not the dogs that caught and munched my feathers. It was a fox. Hopefully we have fox-proofed the feathers pen, and there will not be a repeat. I felt dreadful last week, I had left the gate open, and there were three chooks up in one of the paddocks, including what I thought was my favourite rooster, Trilliant, who has a brilliant trill to the last part of his crow. Mind you, my husband's sons, Aaron and Nathan, particularly Aaron, living in the caravan close to the feather pen, are not that impressed with any rooster crow. Especially in the wee small hours of the night. Anyway, Trilliant is fine and living with the peafowl. As are his wives.

I have been really blessed. Last night I managed to pick up free hardwood for burning, in just the right size for the fire box of the wood stove, from the inside of the yard at the truss roofing place. Normally I find that the cage left outside is all but empty by the time I saunter past on my way home. Now I go to the source - with permission, of course. There it was, nicely stacked in another cage. What a joy! Even Brian was impressed, not bad, considering how tired he was last night after the nth day of a swing shift.

We have decided to go down to Melbourne during the up coming school holidays and visit the Royal Agricultural Show. Brian says there will be Highland Cattle there. It's big. The Show that is. I'm praying that we will have plenty of spending money so that Alice can go on a few showground rides and bring back a sample bag or five. I'd love to indulge in Yum Cha at my favourite Chinese restaurant down there, too. They do a wonderful Chickens Feet in a lightly spiced sauce. Oh, yummo!

Our washing machine finally died an inglorious death, so I have borrowed Nathan's twin tub, which is doing a marvellous job. It's such a delight to actually have a washing machine that works!