The Asylum Seeker Welcome Pack

On Sunday, I picked up a copy of the church community newsletter (this in itself is a New Thing).  In part of my effort to avoid overheating, I read it cover to cover on the sofa.  I found an article/advertisement about welcome packs for asylum seekers and thought it was something I could do quite easily.  The group (Multicultural Development Association) recommended putting together a toiletries pack, including items like soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, combs, toilet paper, dishwashing detergent, washing powder, tissues, shaving cream and razor.  I'd actually found some of these items (as well as some similar items, like body lotions) in my recent clean up of various parts of my house, and it was quite easy to start putting together some of the other items.  The ad also has suggestions of other items you could include, like a Go-card, Coles card, t-shirts etc.  I haven't got all suggested items yet, or many optional extras, but I'm on my way.  Next step is to contact the lady mentioned. 

Today's photos:

Yes, today there are two - I just couldn't choose.  Both my tomato plants have little tomatoes growing, and with the sunlight, yesterday's rain, and windy conditions, I like the result of both photographs.

The top is a Black Russian, the bottom one is a mystery - some sort of cherry tomato, anyway.

Ssshhh... Please

This morning, I was on duty to serve at church.  As it turns out, I was also on duty to do the prayers - I only found out this fact because the person in front of me had a list of everyone who had a job.  Reading it, I started thinking ... why would you have a list of these things... that just seems so... why is my name there... wait, that's my name - for prayers?!  Thankfully, there are ways to do these almost on the fly.  Anyway, after communion - in the only time a server has to themselves (and even then, still keeping an eye out for if we're needed) - the person in front of me came back for a conversation. 

Now, talking in the sanctuary is a no-no.  It's distracting and just not on.  At servers' meetings, we've been reminded of this fact more than once.  However, not everyone in the sanctuary is a server, and obviously this person hasn't received the message.  In this post-communion conversation, I was as brief as possible.  I know this is not the first time this has happened, and the 'no non-essential talk' request has not made it through to this person.  I'm not good at talking, so this evening I drafted an email.  Not sent yet - I want it to be as polite as it can be, and it might need a couple of revisions before I'm happy with it. 

This whole step is new for me.  Previously, I would say and do nothing.  I might gripe about it internally, or to one or two people close to me, but nothing more.  More recently, I've started telling someone about these things - someone who has the authority and the tact to deal with it better than me.  Actually saying something myself to the person involved - this is really new.  The next level is to say something - in person, with words and all.  But for now, baby steps and emails.

Yesterday's photo:

Sometimes the sunlight looks different.  Yesterday it was looking different on the older tomato plant.

Today's photo:

Water drops and kale.  I'm loving kale.

The Glasses and the Hotspot

Over the last couple of years (in which I haven't had an eye checkup) I've noticed my eyesight deteriorating somewhat.  I'm not at the running-into-walls stage yet (except for this one time...) but I knew I needed a stronger prescription.  Last week, I had my first checkup in about 5 years.  Although the optometrist assured me that the deterioration was perfectly normal for that length of time, I still felt a bit low.  However, I decided to consider glasses as an extra accessory.  I've had a couple of pairs of glasses before now, which I wear to watch tv (especially the Simpsons) and read music when I'm tired or the light is poor or the print quality is not great.  The new pair came in at the end of last week, and I've slowly started wearing them more often.

On Sunday, I wore them to church.  For the first time.  Combined with the new haircut, a few people didn't actually recognise me.  I did enjoy being able to see people who weren't in the first 10 rows - it can be awkward meeting people who I've only just noticed but have been coming for months, and sometimes I get a shock thinking someone I wouldn't expect to see is there when it turns out to be someone totally different.  And it's really nice to be able to see again.  Unfortunately whenever I think that, I also think of a totally terrible joke.

The other news is I'm using my Personal Hotspot for internet right now.  About a year ago, a student came into her lesson very excited.  She was one of 3 sisters I taught in a row, so the mum would sit in the car with them while they had their lessons one after another.  One night, they'd discovered the Personal Hotspot in the iPhone - so you can use your phone's 3G to provide WiFi for other devices.  They showed me where to find it too (this girl dragged me to the car so we could find it) and tonight is the first I've actually made use of it.  Handy.

Orange Syrup Cake, Anna-Style

Step 1.  Preparation is important.  First, make a chocolate buttermilk cake.  Lament the fact that buttermilk comes in 600mL cartons - but then find out how you can make a more normal amount of buttermilk.  Still, most of a carton remains.  Check out recipes to help use up the remainder.  Worry that there is not much space in the freezer, and ask your brother if he has room in his freezer (he does).  If necessary, have a cold that hangs around so you are off work but too sleepy to do anything, and eating oranges nearly daily to aid vitamins and feeling healthier.

Step 2.  A week later, you should feel energetic enough (in the 3 hours of energy you seem to have on selected afternoons) to attempt this cake.  One that is from a book you've had for several years...11 years, in fact...almost to the day...  Over the course of the week one of your friends will do a blog post about lemon syrup cake which should further inspire you.  On the day, realise you are down to only 1 orange.  Thankfully 1/2 an orange is hiding in the fridge from Wednesday's lunch, and there are still a couple of lemons around.  Make a cup of tea.

Step 3.  Gather ingredients.  Turn on computer, start playing Italian Cafe on iTunes, and dance when inspired.  Arrange ingredients from left to right in recipe order:
125g butter
1/2 cup (110g) sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 (260g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (125mL) buttermilk
1 tablespoon finely grated orange rind
1/4 cup (60mL) orange juice
...and realise you have gone through way more eggs than normal this week!  Well, this is the official list of ingredients.  The 1 1/2 oranges (at the right, obviously) are joined by 2 lemons.  And you should also think while arranging these ingredients (unmeasured, un-grated, un-juiced) that your friend is so much neater in her food pictures.  Measuring everything and then taking a photo - beautiful!  Maybe in the future.

Step 4.  Turn on oven.  Aim for 'moderate' but don't actually check (to be true 'Anna-style' this will be about 150C, you discover later).  Fish out the loaf pan (14x21cm) from the baking tin cupboard.  Spray with oil, line with baking paper, then enjoy the slightly slippery cork tiles.  Recognise that sliding around is not a good idea at this time.  Measure out the butter in your favourite mixing bowl, soften it a tiny bit in the microwave, and add the sugar.  Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add an egg, beat until just combined; add the other egg, beat until just combined.  Note how cleanly the eggs slip out of the eggshells and wonder if this has anything to do with egg freshness.

Step 5.  Measure out the flour over a sieve over a bowl.  Only, when you get to the 2nd (or is it the 3rd?) quarter cup after the full cup, stop and think - is this the 2nd or 3rd quarter?  Hmmm...  You're pretty sure it's only the 2nd quarter, so hoping you're correct, continue.  Sift flour (although, writing this, see that you misread that instruction) into bowl.  Choosing not to wear an apron today, notice at this point that your black top is collecting stray flour bits and could probably do with a wash soon.  Measure out the buttermilk, slightly reminiscent of yoghurt by this stage.  Add half the flour to the butter mix and stir with a wooden spoon.  Pour in half the buttermilk, mix.  Grate orange for the rind - the whole orange yields pretty much the tablespoon you're needing.  While you're grating, the sunlight coming through the window is making a pretty picture with the beaters and the batter, so take a few photos.  Add the rind to the mix.  So fragrant!  And yesterday you read that the fruit is named for the Sanskrit word 'narangan' which means fragrant - well named.  Juice the oranges - about 3/4 of an orange provides the 1/4 cup of juice required.  Pour it into the mix, and mix.  Add the rest of the flour (mix) and buttermilk (mix).

Step 6.  Check oven temperature and discover it's only at 150.  Increase temperature to 180.  Spread batter into prepared pan.  You have to push it a bit to spread it to the edges, and wonder if maybe you used too much flour after all.  Keep juicing the orange and lemons until you have a cup of juice; start putting a few ingredients away until oven is properly preheated, then put the tin in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes.  Take your cup of tea, mixing bowl, beaters, wooden spoon, butter knife and phone to sofa; drink tea, licking remains from implements and playing solitaire.

Step 7.  About 45 minutes into cooking time, make orange syrup: 1 cup juice into a small saucepan, 1/2 cup sugar, stir on low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Which doesn't take long at all.  Increase heat to high and bring to the boil - the sound is like an aeroplane taking off, a little bit, or like a swarm of insects.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, without stirring, 'for about 10 minutes or until syrup thickens slightly'.  [Ugh.  I'm not a fan of such vague instructions.  How much is slightly?]  After removing cake from the oven and a further 10 minutes, increase the heat to medium.  After another 5 minutes - unattended - you notice the saucepan is about to overflow with bubbling juice, and decide enough is enough, this is surely 'thickened slightly' enough.  Move the cake to a wire rack (out of the tin) over an oven tray, stick the skewer into the cake several times (even though the recipe doesn't state that you should), and pour the syrup over the cake, taking a photo or 3 while pouring.

Step 8.  Go and get dinner.  When you return, your brother and DVD Sam have beaten you back.  "Your house smells amazing" they say.  After dinner, cut 3 slices (about 2cm each) and take a few photos, including a really blurry one after a really funny comment (not food related).  Wonder how one of the plates ended up with syrup underneath it.  Appreciate the compliments of the blokes.  Watch some more of the Olympics, then slice the rest of the loaf (there are 5 more slices), wrap them each in Glad wrap, keeping them in the same order, and transfer to the freezer.  Feel rather virtuous for freezing them straight away and not saving any for coffee time in the next few days.  Think about what you can use that's in the freezer so there's more space.  Watch more of the Olympics.

Today's photo:

Another beautiful Brisbane winter day.  Another gig, this time at the Presbyterian church on St Paul's Tce in Spring Hill.  A bit of a wait to get into the church.  The play of sunlight and stonework and blue sky and clouds.

...Or Not

I confess, I didn't really change today.  In fact, I feel I regressed.  And I can see that it's because my life is a bit murky and undefined at present, a whole lot of unknown and not-black-and-white-ness. 

A brief overview of today:  slept in (by a lot - thankfully it's still holidays, kinda).  Breakfast I felt very odd, and it seemed to take forever to make.  As much as I've trained my parents, they still have some different ideas about where things belong, and making breakfast for more than me requires different timings.  Yes, this throws me.  Finished (maybe) a painting, had coffee, did the vacuuming, had lunch, went to the gym, bought more paint.  Taught my Friday afternoon students, discovered my fingerboard is starting to come off yet again.  Had a quick dinner and went to church, as it was a eucharist in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ordination of women priests. 

The only potential changes would have been the painting, and going to the gym straight after lunch.  It's fairly quiet then (good) but there was what looked like a school group arriving (potentially not so good).  And the 20th anniversary was a first, obviously.

Purple and green banners were hanging down the pillars, and there were green lights in the transepts, purple lights at the crossing.

People had been asked to wear green and purple for the event, and for the recent Synod, as these were the campaign colours.  I'd heard a rumour a while back that the ordained women would wear purple shoes - what a great idea!  I only spotted one pair, on our deacon Ann.  I wish I'd had the opportunity to take the photo when she was still robed.

Today's photo:

As I was leaving, walking down Ann St through a very light misty rain, it looked like the Suncorp tower was glowing.  Admittedly, it's a bit hard to tell here...  But this is also the first mildly-successful night shot I've taken on the iPhone.  I do like a rainy city night scene.

Mint Sauce and Dinner Guests

Tonight I had several people from church over for dinner.  Three had been for dinner here before, but three had not - in fact it was the first social thing with those three, I think.  After finding out the dietary requirements for one guest (lactose intolerant, not a fan of seafood, allergic to prawns, Nando's mild sauce is too spicy) I decided to do a roast.  Thank goodness there were no vegetarians!

I worked out this afternoon that the last (and first) time I used my roasting tray was 4 years ago.  Needless to say, I'm not a big roaster.  I think I could get into the habit a bit more though.  It's so simple, so comforting, relatively healthy, so aromatic.  Being not in the habit, though, meant I was a tad nervous looking for a bit of meat to stick in the oven for a few hours and still be big enough to feed 7 people.  Lamb was the best option available.  It looks like I'll be having lamb for a little while - I remember seeing a recipe for rogan josh using leftover roast lamb so that might be Sunday...

Jamie Oliver promised to hold my hand through the whole process, which was lovely - except he didn't warn me about bursts of steam (which looks like smoke) escaping from the oven every now and then.  Maybe I need to have the seals checked, but this caused a few panicked temperature changes.  Eventually, the lamb was cooked and the roast vegetables roasted.  The gravy stayed quite runny - we were at the stage where everything else was good to go so I didn't hang about with too much cornflour.  Being a lamb roast, though, mint sauce was suggested.  I have a healthy mint plant at the courtyard door - how easy can it get?  Now that I think of it though, I don't recall actually eating any... I hope it tasted ok.  I'll have some leftovers, no doubt.  (Speaking of leftovers, a couple provided dessert... drool... just polished off the leftovers while writing this.  So I can wash up sooner, of course.  Raspberry and white chocolate croissant pudding.  Just in case you're wondering.  Recipe is on its way...).  Meanwhile, mint sauce is really unattractive and un-photogenic.  My apologies.

Dinner was wonderful.  For starters, it prompted me to do something with my holiday.  Well, for a day at least.  I'm still in the post-goal-achievement lull and feeling a bit down, so having people over was a great incentive to clean.  And these are great people, just having them around is good for the soul - great company, interesting conversation (I wish I could have videoed the evening - it felt rude to put quotes into my phone all night), and the sort of people around whom I can be Me.  I discovered we are all coffee drinkers - not that this is a surprise, but this was the first confirmation of fact.  My coffee machine has not had so much work before!  Yes, that is a Pride and Prejudice mug.  Given to me by a niece and nephew for Christmas, last week I posted a photo to Facebook of it, with coffee of course, in front of the tv with the menu screen for the BBC 6-episode series.  So many people liked it, and one of them got to use it tonight.  We're thinking of having a Pride and Prejudice evening...

Today's photo:

Separating the bulbs of garlic for roasting, I noticed the pinkness in the skin looks like veins.  After a bit of peeling, they look so delicate and fragile.

To Dip or To Sip

I know when I was confirmed, I was taught to sip from the cup.  I even remember my grandmother telling me what her mother told her: "Only let the wine barely touch your lips.  No gulping!" (This was followed by an anecdote that I will keep in the family).  For as many years as I can remember, though, I have been an intinctor.  That is, instead of eating the bread and then sipping the wine, I dip the bread in the wine.

Today, though, I knew I had to change.

The archbishop - who also happens to be the Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, and (given that I attend the cathedral) partakes regularly in the same eucharist - issued an Ad Clerum recently regarding the practice of intinction.  For various reasons, both theological and hygienic, we are being asked to eradicate this practice.  I began this for hygienic reasons - you know when you have a cold and don't want to spread all those lovely germs around?  Hmm.  However, I have heard a number of stories of fingertips making it into the wine (shudder).  A number more reasons, and I had started thinking I should start to consider sipping instead.

I am on the cathedral council, and we were asked as a council to be good examples in this regard.  So I knew, today, I had to revert to sipping.  This was another example (like right-footed running) that I needed to rehearse first - just a little run-through in private - and throughout the service I had to remind myself to sip.  Eat the bread, then sip.  I remembered - woohoo! - and coordination was not a problem - another woohoo!  I had forgotten, though, how much wine you get in a sip as opposed to a bit of wafer dipped in wine.  Whoa.  But next time I will be prepared.  It will probably be quite a few more Sundays before I can stop reminding myself though.