Victoria – Page 4 – ALMOST ITALIAN

The School by the Sea

If I ran my own school, it would be at the beach, with set times for internet access, and most lessons held in the open air. I am often concerned about the amount of time young people, and I mean the very little folk who are dear to my heart, spend in front of iPads, iPods, Androids, mini DVD players and other devices, or ‘vices’ of the technological kind. I’m not being a hypocrite here: I’m also quite fond of the internet and this post on my blog is testimony to that attachment. But as an educator, I am concerned about the current trend towards technocentric learning. At the School by the Sea, learning takes place in real time, is activity based, and includes social interaction across a range of ages, exploration of spatial relationships, play, trial and error, and the mastery of new skills. Writing letters in the sand, counting the shells placed on a castle wall, looking at maps to explore new secret beaches. Sharing. Taking risks.

Noah went diving for a baby Banjo shark. All the kids get a pat. Claudia loks a bit horrified but not as scared as the poor beast. after the lesson is over, it is released back into the sea. — Noah went snorkeling for a baby Banjo shark. All the kids get a pat. Claudia looks horrified but not as scared as the poor beast. After the lesson is over, it is released back into the sea.

Time spent at the beach each weekend provides one of the best environments for children to learn new skills and discover new interests, and in some cases, for their fathers to take time out to play with their children. There are lessons in geography and mapping, nature and the environment, history and language. Physical dexterity, along with give and take, occurs naturally as the children experience more freedom to run amok together in a safe space. They climb trees and stay up late to feed possums, copy the call of the kookaburra or the wattle bird, play soccer on the sand at sunset, wait for the tide to go out to explore sand bars, dress up or get dirty.

The screens have finally been put away. Each child looks forward to their weekend visit, to meet up with their newly made beach friends. They are perennially hungry and no longer fussy eaters. I am one happy matriarch.

Oliver finds an old penny in the sand dunes — Oliver found a 1955 penny in the sand dunes at Sorrento. Lessons follow about pennies, sixpences, shillings, decimal currency.

Daisy learns to ride her bike without training wheels.

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Noah releases his Banjo Shark, a hand caught fish found in at sea.

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In My Camping Kitchen, April 2015

I’m back in my camp kitchen for the last time this season. After Easter, it’s time to pack up the van and tuck things away for another year. My camp kitchen is always on the go, along with my daughter’s neighbouring van kitchen, feeding a fluctuating family of four generations. There is always a big pot of vegetable soup or a minestrone, simple casseroles for the kids who are always hungry, rice cookers and woks and jaffles for breakfast. This Easter weekend, there are hot cross buns, a Lentil shepherds pie for good Friday, and stashed chocolate eggs for Sunday.

Breakfast jaffles of fried egg, cheddar cheese, tomato and onion. — Breakfast jaffles of fried egg, cheddar cheese, tomato and onion and home made tomato chutney.

I love old Chinese enamel ware, most of which was produced during the Cultural Revolution, that difficult period in Chinese history. This set of bowls with lids is so handy in my camping kitchen. Just for you, Nancy!

Last week we celebrated Mischa’s 18th birthday and these left over frozen pizza came to the beach to be reheated in the camp oven. Perfect for a cool day.

On Good Friday, hot cross buns in the fresh air, slathered in butter, is a tradition worth keeping. Have you noticed that the big supermarkets begin churning these out on Boxing Day? I refuse to buy any before Good Friday. As well as explainng the significance of these buns to the children, we also sing this rather odd nursery rhyme,

Hot cross buns, hot cross buns,

One a penny, two a penny

Hot cross buns.

If you have no daughters,

give them to your sons,

One a penny, two a penny

Hot cross buns.

I found this little pinch pot at one of the weekend markets in Mornington Peninsula. It now lives in the camper trailer kitchen.

This little corner of the van is used for drawing, writing and dining. This year we went with the cocky cushion theme: there are matching cups somewhere in my camping kitchen.

Mr T has collected some styling props for my camping kitchen. The bees are drunk on Banksia flower mead, and so far, four children have been stung. Despite that, they still refuse to wear shoes.

Banksia Flower and Pipi shell. Taking live shellfish from the bay is prohibited.

Cooking for a big mob can be demanding at times. Mr T and I like to sneak off to a winery on occasion and sample the wares from someone else’s kitchen.

The kitchen area at T'Gallant Winery — The kitchen area at T’Gallant Winery

Happy birthday Celia. May the next decade be even more wonderful than all the others. This post forms part of Celia’s monthly event, In My Kitchen, at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

Dreaming of the Prom

The Prom, that’s what the locals call Wilson’s Promontory. Located on the South East tip of Victoria, the southern most point of Australia’s mainland, Wilson’s Prom is a place of exceptional beauty. Many visit for the wonderful walks outdoors in the national park or for annual camping holidays with family and friends.

Others travel to Wilson’s Prom in times of quiet reflection and dreaming. Its beauty pervades our being. It is beyond words.

For Ian and Rosalie- lovers of the Prom.

Fresh Autumnal Days by the Sea.

The March equinox occurred in Melbourne at 8.45 am this morning, just as I crawled out of the dark canvas cave of my camper trailer. Magpies and Wattle birds sing, celebrating the gentle day ahead.

In harmony with the date, the temperature will reach 21 degrees celsius, ( 69.8 F) – too cool to swim, yet perfect weather to walk along wild beaches. Autumn in Victoria, Australia, is my favourite season. The days are fresh but warm, the nights a little chilly. Birds sing and hunt, plants enjoy the overnight moisture and flower anew.

Kookaburras have become rather friendly this Autumn.

The wild back beach of Gunnamatta forms part of the Mornington Peninsula National Park. It is hard to believe that this wilderness is only 75 minutes drive from Melbourne. We are the only visitors.

In response to two prompts this week, Spring at Where’s My Backpack and Fresh at Daily Post, WordPress.

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_photo_challenge/fresh-2/”>Fresh</a>

Garden Diary, March 2015

I know, dear readers and my good friend Helen, that I have mentioned my tomato glut in many other posts but I must mention two particular tomato varieties that featured in my vegetable garden this year. Firstly, the miniature yellow pear, which quickly became a triffid and bore fruit throughout December (unusual in Melbourne) and continues to do so. I attempted to weigh the crop but soon tired of this chore- many have been left on the vine as I couldn’t keep up with them.

The next tomato I promised to report on was the black-skinned tomato that my son grew from seeds purchased on eBay. They did eventually turn red and are in no way related to the more desirable Krim or Black Russian but go by the name ‘Indigo Rose’. They are blue tomatoes engineered at the Oregon State University. They are prolific, long keepers and medium-sized but sadly, they lack true tomato flavour so I won’t be growing these next year.

My favourite tomato, Rouge de Marmande cropped poorly this year and the Roma has called it quits already and it is only March! The season has been odd- one very hot spell in December, followed be a cool summer. Even the basil is slow.

The cool summer has meant an abundant supply of strawberries : they have produced continually for months and early self seeding of radicchio, rainbow chard and cavolo nero. You win some, you lose some with each season.

self sown cavolo nero ( Tuscan kale- black kale )

This year Alberto tied up the leeks and spring onions onto stakes. Their seed is now ready. They make great architectural statements in the veggie patch.

I have recycled lots of household junk. This basic clothes airer is used to support cucumber vines. The legs bury nicely into the soil.

I saved my disintegrating pool lounge chairs and turned them into shade houses to protect lettuce seed and young seedlings from drying out. I sow directly into the ground.

Frame of pool lounge covered in shade cloth.

And here’s the pillow end of the old pool chair, ready to provide some instant shade wherever it’s needed. No land fill, no tipping fees- just re-purposed junk.

To do list:

remove shade cloth from the hooped frames now that the weather has turned mild.
make more compost
sow autumn vegetable seedlings, lettuce, carrots, spring onions, brocolli.
transplant self-sown seedlings as keeping them in the same bed will deplete them of goodness. Crop rotation makes sense.
remove bird nets from raspberry beds and cut back some of the canes.
pick all the grapes.

A good visitor to my veggie patch is this little ladybird beetle.

The veggie patch has also benefited greatly from the manure provided by our cows and hens. Here is young Dougie Dexter begging me for another cow lolly ( acorn). I would like to sell him and his cousin Oh Danny Boy but I don’t want them to end up on a BBQ!

Not only does this post from a monthly record of food gardening activities, it also features in the Garden Share Collective, kindly coordinated by Lizzie. Follow the link to see other amazing gardens throughout Australia, New Zealand and United Kingdom.

50 Shades of Bay. The Environment of Port Phillip Bay, Victoria.

Every summer my extended family spends time camping at Port Phillip Bay, simply known as ‘The Bay’. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 square kilometres (480,000 acres) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 miles), providing a wonderful summer playground for many Melbournians.

We love the bay and its ever shifting moods, skies and tides. Storms are exciting; sunsets are to be witnessed and documented. The bay provides space for private reflection when melancholia descends. On hot airless nights when it’s too difficult to sleep, the shoreline affords a cooler sandy space to while away the hours. Daytime brings children and families to play and dig sand castles on the emerging tidal sand bars, older children learning how to snorkel or body surf in safe, lagoon like warm water. On gusty days, wind surfers and kite surfers arrive in vast numbers.

Over the years, environmental concerns have been raised about the delicate nature of our beautiful bay. The EPA monitors water quality, land care groups work to protect the creeks and natural flora and fauna along the shore, old invasive practices, such as groyne installation, have thankfully gone out of mode. Bay lovers are more aware than in days gone by, about the importance of sea grasses and protection of native flora. Fish species are monitored and catch limits imposed. The bay has a healthy stock of pinkies, snapper, flathead, and whiting. Removal of shellfish such as pippies, is an offence.

One environmental pest we would like to see removed is the Jet Ski. Our national icon, Leunig, poet and cartoonist, puts it this way:

– Michael Leunig –

Ode To A Jet-Ski Person was written by Michael Leunig and comes from Poems 1972-2002, published by Viking

Thanks Ailsa, from Where’s My Backpack for another engaging Saturday morning travel theme, Environment.

Travel Theme. Energy

February is the best summer month to visit the beaches in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne. The weather brings two diametrically opposed moods, depending on how enervating or energising the heat is. One evening, as the sun set over the bay, a group of young women danced to their own tune, leaping into the air with an abundance of energy.

Zuppa Estiva di Cozze. Summery Mussel Soup.

As the season reaches its peak, the tomato glut becomes a mixed blessing. I have grown tired of the early yellow varieties, enjoying this months flush of Rouge de Marmande and Roma. With a little home grown chilli, a bunch of basil, some garlic and a bag of black local mussels, a soup is born and la vita è bella, as we lunch in the garden on a still, hot day.

Black Mussels are a sustainable and cheap seafood in Victoria, retailing for around $6.00 a kilo, and are grown in the cool clean waters of Port Arlington and Mount Martha in Victoria. They are sweet and briny, unlike their large, green lipped New Zealand cousins which tend to be fibrous and tough. Tasmanian black mussels are lovely too.

I found this summer soup in The River Cafe Book by Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers, but have made some adaptations along the way.

Zuppa Estiva di Cozze – Summer Mussel Soup.

2 kilo of mussels, cleaned
100 ml olive oil
3 garlic cloves, 1 chopped, 2 sliced finely.
1 large bunch basil, stalks removed
1 small chilli, seeded and finely chopped
1.5 kilo ripe tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped, all juices and seeds retained
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy based saucepan, add the garlic slivers, and cook gently until golden. Add half the basil leaves and the chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring over a fierce heat, until the tomatoes break up and reduce a little. This should take around 15 minutes.
In another large, heavy saucepan, fry the chopped garlic in the remaining olive oil until golden, then add the mussels and a few basil leaves and the remaining, reserved tomato juice. Cover, and cook on a high heat, shaking as you go, until they are open. Remove them as soon as they open and leave to cool. Remove most of the mussels from their shells, retaining a few for serving.
Reduce the mussel/tomato stock for five minutes, then strain it through muslin into a bowl. Add some or all ( to taste) into the tomato sauce. Reheat the sauce and reduce a little.
Add all the mussels to the sauce, add the rest of the basil and season well.

Serve in big bowls accompanied by a simple Bruschetta.

An unexpected surprise! The stock in step 3 is not retained in the original River Cafe recipe. It is just too good to waste. From now on, when opening mussels for any dish, I intend to use this combination of tomato juice and garlic, instead of wine, and retain a batch of stock in the freezer for another dish.

Urban Myth.

Don’t discard those unopened mussels. The advice to “throw away mussels that refuse to open”, began in the 1970s when there were concerns over some European mussels being dredged from polluted mussel beds. This advice has been repeated without question by chefs and in many ‘how to cook fish’ cook books since then. See the following:

Travel Theme: Minimalist

The term black swan was a Latin expression, “a good person is as rare as a black swan” (“rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno”). It was a common expression in 16th century London as a statement that describes impossibility, deriving from the old world presumption that ‘all swans must be white’, because all historical records of swans reported that they had white feathers. Thus, the black swan is often cited in philosophical discussions of the improbable. Aristotle’s Prior Analytics most likely is the original reference that makes use of example syllogisms involving the predicates “white”, “black”, and “swan.” More specifically Aristotle uses the white swan as an example of necessary relations and the black swan as improbable. This example may be used to demonstrate either deductive or inductive reasoning; however, neither form of reasoning is infallible since in inductive reasoning premises of an argument may support a conclusion, but does not ensure it, and, similarly, in deductive reasoning an argument is dependent on the truth of its premises. That is, a false premise may lead to a false result and inconclusive premises also will yield an inconclusive conclusion. The limits of the argument behind “all swans are white” is exposed—it merely is based on the limits of experience (e.g., that every swan one has seen, heard, or read about is white). Hume’s attack against induction and causation is based primarily on the limits of everyday experience and so too, the limitations of scientific knowledge.*

Had these philosophers lived in Australia, this discussion may have been quite different, or at least, different examples may have been used to illustrate the point. Black swans are common place and can be found in briny shallow water and lakes around Australia

A good person is as common as a black swan!

Thanks Ailsa, I’m hoping to embrace a bit of minimalism now that the Festive Season is over.

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Swan_(2007_book)

Travel Theme: Freedom

I am envious of surfers. The ultimate freedom is to spend a day on the sea, waiting for the perfect wave, to ride that wave to the shore, then to spend the rest of the day with a perfect companion, a dog. Bliss.

I'm going surfing: you wait here — I’m going surfing: you wait here.

surfer boy on west coast of Victoria — Surfer boy , Bells Beach, Victoria

See Where’s My Backpack for more pictorial thoughts on freedom.

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