Friday, February 3, 2012

Good on Ya, Mate!

Fresh, sweet Strawberries
My grin for the day...Elsie has had another career change. She is no longer going to be a fairy. She is over that. (Tinker Bell) She now wants to be a secret agent. (Cars 2) We'll see how long this lasts.
Tuckered after a long day. Her new book from the library,
a history of Barbie.
Dreamy Pavlova
We have been studying Australia during January. It was the easiest country that we have taken up this year. No ancient history. Even the Aboriginal info is rather sketchy. The Australian timeline is about as long as the United States timeline, but not quite as colorful. Anyway, it was a fun country to dig into. We had our last hurrah last night, eating an ethnic dinner with some friends. I made a beef meat pie. Looking up recipes on the internet, there were as many big pies, as individual ones. I decided to save myself some work, and just made one big pie. It was delicious! It had a puff pastry crust, filled with beef and gravy. It looked pretty nice too. I made mashed potatoes and corn to go with it. Not traditional, but  good filler. Dessert was a gorgeous pavlova. Pavlova is a meringue named after a ballet dancer that visited and greatly impressed the Australians. I made a white meringue with walnuts. Then I made a chocolate mousse as a filling. It was rich and amazing. I topped this with fresh strawberries, and then drizzled it all with melted chocolate. Wow! I still have half of it in the fridge. I may have to crack it out soon...short shelf life and all.=)
Here are a version of the lyrics to the unofficial Australian national anthem. There are several versions. It is rather a depressing song, about a criminal whose ghost haunts a billabong (a small lake) after his execution.


Waltzing Matilda
Meat Pie
Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."







"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?"
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
"Where's that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag?",
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
"You'll never take me alive", said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda"

You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,

"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."






A daily scene at our house, half hour of Brian Marcus
reading to Ethan and Elsie

From one Yank to another, "Ave agoodweekend, Mate!"