... in the still of the night ...

06.46 am Sunday 02 January 2011 AEDST

hmmm. the mock mai tai jug (and large Woolworth's plastic tumbler) is still where i left it on christmas eve; the cottage has become an infernal hole of stuff (where is that two litres of milk I bought on Christmas Eve and where is the bunch of basil I bought at Harris Farm Bathurst on New Year's Eve; couldn't find the milk when I looked (did I imagine or overcount? ...... or is it lurking somewhere like an unexploded milk device)). Looked for basil in a rush yesterday – back door of Volvo self locked, a much hated safety feature; friends yesterday pointed out that there is a safety rule difference with Swedish cars and how the back/front seats fold (ie vs German, which seem to carry more IKEA Billy shelves, which I need a lot of for cottage rooms).

Complete post Christmas collapse; slight revival (with stomach cramps, yesterday) for NY Day lunch party: ham & potato gratin a la Julia Child, grated carrot salad, young asparagus with raspberry vinegar and hazelnut oil, mixed cherry tomatoes with bocancini and chives and mint and olive oil, little Woolworths heat-at-home rolls (burnt in oven by me), Margaret Fulton's Vanilla Bavarois garnished with red currant crown, raspberries in several colours and black berries and whatever karakaberries are around base (in charlotte mold, served in deep roundish Pilly dish, raspberry (McCains Frozen, best type at moment) coulis flavoured with a bit of icing sugar and lime juice (fresh), Charleston Woodside Cows Milk Cheese with Bathurst cherries (me) and Harris Farm Victorian cherries (guests), Rosalie's cheese biscuits (christmas present), Margaret Fulton's curried nuts (burnt by me) - it was that sort of day then with Bill's Beans Sassafras blend coffee and hot milk where required a 3 tier Pilly tray of on top: marzipan fruit from Country Fruit maybe with fruit flavours (subtle, could just taste), Josephan's chocolates on two, Crabtree and Evelyn Shortbread on one (Rosalie & Bruce, very timely and useful Christmas present. Two loads of washing up; didn't like Wild Oats Pino Grigio (Mudgee Merlot Rose missing in action), hottest day since we have been here (28.8 C); cooled down about 7; two Andrews inspected roof and tanks; water flowing, house tank's 3/4 full (we are big users).

Original menu had pea (frozen) soup from Jane Grigson topped with little cloud of whipped cream and chives, (frozen) salmon with mayonnaise, asparagus and small (not new, locally at this point) and same pudding. Mammoth quantity of ham in fridge forced change.

Apart from milk and basil, my camera is lost somewhere (? back of Volvo) so no pics of xmas trees and meadow-in-lawn. On list are cottage, volvo inside, east (front) lawn, bedroom.

28 Dec roses have all gone due to heat.

mornings lovely with sun filtering through vines and sun projecting vine shadows onto walls birds singing most of day, need to get work done by about 10 am when heat begins, hot then until about 5 pm, when temperature falls, evenings/overnights coolish.

possums drop onto roof above my bed and scratch across roof (? two ? get up from big pine tree behind my bed off south verandah). fortunately not in ceiling, or there would be real trouble. my mother hadn't heard possums before but heard them last night. maybe they only run across roof at my end of house. believe responsible for tearing into garbage bags left outside back door or garage at night but they haven't actually got into one and I try and see nothing is left outside for them as I don't fancy clearing up mess.

Trip to UK and maybe week in Paris using Qantas fluffies 28 September 2011 to 16 November 2011; about three weeks longer than I would have liked but only dates I could get post daffodil season for trip. we haven't been since April/May 2006 (I was in Tokyo in August 2006). we probably can't afford to do this – even country cottage prices still high for us; London and Paris amazing although may have found modern, basic location in South Ken with roughly Australian hotel/motel prices. Trouble finding walk in showers for my mother in London/Paris. Some of cutier chicer little hotels may be ruled out, but hard to tell from websites.

Terrible internet connections, last night may be due to distant thunder storm (it wasn't here, must have been in valleys to west) mean looking very slow at times; also days in and out of cottages vary ie Friday afternoon to Friday morning in north of England and Scotland but Saturday afternoon to Saturday morning elsewhere; sites seem very stern about this, will have to leave a day early at least at one location; dream of highland cottage dashed, will have to make do with Lanarkshire and maybe day in Edinburgh (17 miles away) and explore country south of Edinburgh on other days. Good rates at some country house hotels in October. Have spent maybe 40 hours on internet so far getting this to a rough draft, checking travelling times via Google and emailing hotels in England and Paris apartments; one hotel response, very prompt with good rate but because of holiday period nothing about Paris.

Merry New Year!

on rereading there seem to be several closing paranthesises missing, so hear are a few spare for past, present and future posts: ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))