God, it was good to have a bloke to spend time with! I work in a female dominated environment and spend most of my time off with Lee-Anne and Bethy. So having a lad about was great fun. No offense to Brandon, Beth\u2019s other half, but we don\u2019t mix much and it\u2019s always complicated by the fact that he\u2019s shagging my daughter, (more on this later.)
\nTom is a \u201cman\u2019s man\u201d too, even if he does tend to wear his heart on his sleeve. He\u2019s built like a brick shithouse, and, after leaving Aus, will be returning to work as a probationary constable in Wiltshire.<\/p>\n
So I had a fun week off with him, showing him the sights, and sharing beers in the evening.<\/p>\n
The highlight of the week for me was our trip up Mt Kosiusko, Aus\u2019s highest mountain. We did (yet another) dog walk in the morning and buggered about a bit before setting off. I\u2019d unilaterally decided we should hike\u00a0the shortest route to the top, as it\u2019s a long run to get \u00a0there and we had other things to do that day, (but mainly as an excuse as I’m old and fucked.) The run out there was in fact far longer than I remembered, I also forgot you had to pay ($27.00!) to get into the national park, can you believe that they charge<\/a>? So when we got to the chair lift station, we were well behind time.<\/p>\n \u201cChairlift station???\u201d<\/a> I hear you say.<\/p>\n Yup, the quickest way to the top of the world hereabouts has a chairlift, mainly used by skiers, but also by knackered old farts like me, which cuts out the pointless amble up the steepest bits at the start. Neat!<\/p>\n Ride the wild chairlift!<\/p><\/div>\n It’s too high, I’m scared!<\/p><\/div>\n Buying our tickets for the chairlift we were told; \u201cIt\u2019s a 4-6 hour round trip \u00a0if you’re walking to the top. You haven\u2019t left \u00a0enough time to get back here before the lifts close, but you can follow the mountain bike trails down if they\u2019ve stopped.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Bollocks.<\/p>\n At the top of the chairlift I sought clarification off the girl up there, as she looked a bit smarter than the dim bint flogging the tickets; \u201cIt\u2019s four hours from here to the top, that\u2019s if you push it. It\u2019s now 1.50pm and the chairlift stops at 4.30pm. You won\u2019t do it, sorry.\u201d<\/em> Ok, so we had 2 hrs 40mins to do a 4 hour hike, in the burning sun, and I am old and decrepit. Tom came up with the bright idea; \u201cLets go for it, we can do it!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n So we did.<\/p>\n It is a great hike, mostly on man-made paths to save the environment, and not too steep.<\/p>\n The top, one of us is nearly dead<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n We ploughed to the top, took photos. We realised that, as it was all downhill from there, we had made up enough time for me to stop and take photos every five yards, like I usually do on hikes.<\/p>\n The view from the top of Australia<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n We got back to the chairlifts in 2 \u00bc hours! I had to show the girl at the lift photos of\u00a0us at the top trig point before she’d\u00a0believe we’d done it. (Though I think she was just stalling for time to admire Tom\u2019s physique.)<\/p>\n When we got down off the lift, we headed straight\u00a0into\u00a0the nearest bar.<\/p>\n Earned it!!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n I realised after a beer that, not only had I just done my most knackering hike in yonks, (since we knocked off Snowdon<\/a> in fact,) but also I had totally forgotten to eat that day, and had done it all on a totally empty stomach. Which make me think it may be the way to go in future, and not to eat before trying to do a big stomp. Seeing as I \u2018d had a beer on an empty stomach I let Tom drive back, as not only would this be good for him, gaining experience of driving aboard, but it may save me driving license, (and\u00a0our lives.)<\/p>\n Tom also nearly saw me die a second time, of a heart attack, when we were on a hike through the pinnacle. Why? Well \u00a0Ginger only went and \u00a0found one of those fun \u201clive sticks\u201d<\/a> he\u2019s so fond of. The twat.<\/p>\n Ginger; not the brightest of dogs<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Oh god, Lee-Anne just rang me at work to let me know that, when she collected the mutts from the mother-in-laws tonight, she noticed a cheesy smell, and it wasn\u2019t the mother in law for a change. A quick hunt about found Ginger under the veranda, happily munching on a large lump of blue stilton he\u2019d somehow nicked from the fridge. He\u2019d eaten most\u00a0of it before it could be beaten off him, and it had been a fair sized hunk to start with.<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0Tomorrow could be interesting.<\/em><\/p>\n Me and Tom\u00a0\u00a0did all the usual places which Canberra is “famous” for;<\/p>\n Galleries<\/a><\/p>\n Abo art<\/p><\/div>\n Museums<\/a><\/p>\n steamy<\/p><\/div>\n Parliament<\/a><\/p>\n House of representatives<\/p><\/div>\n War memorial<\/a><\/p>\n Bomber!!<\/p><\/div>\n Telstra Tower<\/a><\/p>\n Telstyrama<\/p><\/div>\n Tidbinbilla <\/a>to see the Koalas,<\/p>\n Koala<\/p><\/div>\n \u00a0\u00a0Deep Space Centre<\/a> to see a bit of the moon<\/p>\n Mooning<\/p><\/div>\n Captain cook fountain<\/p>\n Cheap Aussie lager has this effect<\/p><\/div>\n And of course did the nature reserves<\/a> for dog walks twice a day.<\/p>\n \u00a0I did a bit of the cooking making a variation on Mr Nicol’s “Homity Pie”. It was nice, but a bit soggy, someone, no names, no pack drill, added too much blue cheese.<\/p>\n Vomity pie<\/p><\/div>\n I was concerned that Tom was a bit of a Roo scarer, no matter where we went there were none, which was odd. Luckily, when out on a dedicated roo hunting drive, we came across some at the MT Painter dam.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s Tom, run away!!<\/p><\/div>\n Tom also got to spend time with Bethy and Brandon. They hit the \u201cBig Splash water park\u201d<\/a>, and also went for a few beers around town. Though this was somewhat hampered by Brandon forgetting to take his wallet, which has his ID in it, so they had to be circumspect on where they drank.<\/p>\n On his last day with us me and Tom his \u201cFoot and Thai\u201d for a traditional Thai massage, Tom said the girl had a bit of trouble manhandling him, and stretching him was a huge effort. I\u2019m not surprised, as they are tiny and he is huge. Though he did seem to have enjoyed the experience for all that. That evening we hit our favourite restaurant <\/a>for a meal, and that rounded off a great week, (well at least I enjoyed it!)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So Bethy got the job as a dental receptionist, or so she thought. The place is a one man operation, and not only does Bethy have to man the front desk as reception totty, but also work as a dental assistant, during the extractions and fillings etc. She\u2019s enjoying this and as her main degree is in biology, she\u2019s learning lots. She\u2019s getting sufficient shifts and gets along fine with \u201cDr Bill\u201d the dentist. He said to her that he really enjoys her company as his last assistant was an arts major, and wasn\u2019t able to talk science in the way Bethy is.<\/p>\n She also starts a part time job in the admin department of the ANU<\/a> soon.<\/p>\n Fair play to the lass.<\/p>\n But after Tom left,\u00a0Bethy and Brandon’s\u00a0move out began in earnest. As this took place over Xmas it wasn\u2019t too traumatic, as there was lots going on. But it\u2019s odd. Bethy now lives in an apartment in the city centre, and visits us (normally briefly) at home.<\/p>\n Lee-Anne came up with a great house warming present for them. Rather than buy the usual ornaments or knick-knacks, and seeing as they already had all the furniture they wanted, and TVs etc, she decided we should give them all the kitchen staples they need. So we got them oils, and flours, vinegars, herbs spices, rices, pastas, and a broad range of tinned stuff. They were over the moon with it. (Seeing as Bethy is a superb cook, she’s the main chef for them, and is relishing using it all.)<\/p>\n Her and Brandon are sharing with a another couple, Henry and Viviane. We thought this funny, and so as they already had a Viviane, we nominated Brandon as \u201cRik\u201d, Henry as \u201cMike\u201d and Bethy as \u201cNeil the hippy.\u201d<\/p>\n Vivienne, Bethy, Henry and Brandon.<\/p><\/div>\n Beth and Brandon\u00a0came to ours for Xmas dinner, and were going to stay the night with us, but as Bethy doesn\u2019t drink she decided to drive them home. For more “Xmas Presents” (nudge nudge,) was our guess.<\/p>\n Lee-Anne pulled out all the stops on her Xmas cooking as per norm, and boy was it great.<\/p>\n Home baked ham Heston’s Xmas pudding<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Xmas grub!<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n What did you get for Xmas? Answers in the comments box below please.<\/p>\n I was dead lucky, as well as the usual books, I got a \u201cCornish Guilt t-shirt,<\/p>\n cornish guilt<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n and OGWT \u201cStar Kicker\u201d t-shirt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not actually me<\/p><\/div>\n I also got some \u201ctriple wood\u201d Laphrohaig,<\/a> which is a real classy drop, and is now my favourite scotch. I also got a cheese making kit, for making blue cheese!!!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I got Lee-Anne a set of new saucepans, don\u2019t titter, there\u2019s nothing sexist about that. She wanted a set of good pans, and Bethy wanted our old ones. So I got her a set of stainless steel pans, <\/a>real gourmet cooking kit. I also got her some new wine glasses, a book on Art Deco posters<\/a>, Molly Meldrum\u2019s autobiography,<\/a> and a…something which hasn\u2019t actually arrived yet….<\/em>But one day me and Bethy were out in the car, and we overtook someone with one of those \u201cbaby\/princess\/wolf\/dead duck on board<\/strong><\/em>\u201d things in the back window. \u201cI\u2019m getting your mother one of those!\u201d I exclaimed. \u201cBut mum hates those fucking things, they make her want to crash into people deliberately for having such shite taste!\u201d<\/em> Ah, but Bethy doesn\u2019t understand that you can also have them on your car in a post-modern ironic way, so I got Lee-Anne one of these;<\/p>\n And to be fair we\u2019ve had it on the car since Xmas.<\/p>\n All Beth\u2019s visits, since moving out, seem to be quickly curtailed. (This has led to tears here, I will admit. We do miss her.) For some strange reason, there\u2019s always a \u201cgot to go now!\u201d<\/em> clause, they are very obviously lapping up their freedom. But I\u2019m just waiting for their first leccy bills to come in, that\u2019ll wipe the smug grins off their chops! Our place is far too large for just the two of us, so we\u2019re looking for a two bedroom place to rent, watch out for a “change of address\u201d email from me.<\/p>\n I worked Xmas day and boxing day<\/p>\n xmas day at work<\/p><\/div>\n as well as NYE and NYD,<\/p>\n new years eve at work<\/p><\/div>\n and my birthday,<\/p>\n Fuck I’m bored<\/p><\/div>\n I think money before holidays natch!<\/p>\n NYE was our typical rave up. I got \u00a0home from work at 9.15 pm, had fish and chips, a glass of \u201cLaphrohaig triple wood\u201d or six, and was in bed by 10.30 pm, (I was working again on\u00a0New Years\u00a0day.) The lucky people in the UK who I rang over the period were all telling me about the parties they had attended, how they had drank and sang and pubbed and frolicked long into the early hours, and then put their keys in the hat<\/a> at the end of the night, and how much of a boring fucker I am these days.<\/p>\n Sod them.<\/p>\n I must say sorry at this point to young Barbara, who I woke from slumber during the festive period, on the morning of her biggest hangover since time immemorial. Soz babs!! Get Chas to answer the phone for a change.<\/p>\n For one of my birthday treats me and Lee-Anne were taken to \u201cThe Conservatory Restaurant\u201d<\/a>, by the mother in law, bless. What an odd experience it proved. I have eaten \u201cGinger Catering’s\u201d <\/a>offerings before, when they ran the restaurant at Old Parliament House,<\/a> which was probably one of the best meals I’ve had in Canberra. So I was looking forward to trying the menu here.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve ever wondered what eating in an aircraft hanger would be like, this is the place to check it out, you\u2019ll not be amazed to find it isn’t that great. The “restaurant” area is partitioned off from the main cafe\/exhibition\/school canteen by a picket fence, so there was no ambience at all. Unless you can count noise of hearing kids running about, babies crying, chairs being scraped, people discussing the exhibition etc as “ambience”. The bloody plastic chairs deserve a special mention, not only were they as uncomfortable as hell, (I will admit to having a bony bum,) but each and every one of them screeched on the floor when anyone stood up. Seeing as the chairs were the same throughout the restaurant and cafe areas, that made for a hell of a lot of screeching. Oh as the chairs and tables were the same throughout the cafe and restaurant, (how very socialist, Basil Fawlty Thomas says,) it doesn’t make the restaurant feel special in any way.<\/p>\n The servers were pleasant, there seemed to be a profusion of them, but the service itself wasn’t exactly prompt. The food was….ok….<\/em>Not as great as I would have expected, my salmon was dry, the mother in law asked for her steak to be done medium rare, it came in at the wrong side of medium. My \u201cleek and almond tartlet\u201d starter was lovely, I wish I’d now had it as a main. The portions were generous enough, in fact big enough for us to not want desert. However at fine dining prices $29 – $35 a course, I expected more finesse, and precision in the cooking. So a mixed bag. Would I go back? Not at present. If I’m forking out that expense I want to feel like I’m somewhere special, not in the fucking annex of the school canteen.<\/p>\n Here endeth this month’s restaurant review. I\u2019m available to review your local fine dining restaurant, you\u2019re paying though.<\/p>\n For my birthday I got some lovely Balvenie double wood from the kids, and a couple of bottles of \u201cOld Fart\u201d bitter<\/a>, which came with a neat little \u201cOld Fart\u201d Leatherman type tool, off the mother in law, (as well as the meal.) On the evening of the fourth, (well remembered Charlie,) Lee-Anne treated me to an evening at the cinema, we saw this;![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/kosi11_f_improf_300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/kosi10_f_improf_300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/kosi7-UKc_f_improf_400x266.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/kosi1-UKC_f_improf_400x266.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/apres-walk-pint_f_improf_187x250.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/ginge_f_improf_300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/nm3_f_improf_300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/nm4t_f_improf_300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/parl3_f_improf_300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Bomber!!\"](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/wm3t-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/telstra2_f_improf_300x199.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"tid3\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/tid3-200x300_f_improf_200x300.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Mooning\"](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/mr2-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/aussie-lager-has-nasty-side-effects_f_improf_186x279.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"Vomity](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/taff-cooks-276x300.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"It's](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/roos-at-lastt-300x200.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/staticarchive\/b4b4ff7ddd0592c7b010e17aa00399630c9bf524.jpg\")
\nRoast potatoes with Himalayan salt and rosemary
\nPrawn en escabeche, with saffron aioli<\/a>
\nSalmon brochettes, with lemon and caper sauce<\/a>
\nCouscous with zucchini mint and pistachio<\/a>
\nSweet potato and leek roulade, with Xmas stuffing.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/_d_improd_\/xmas-dinner_f_improf_300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"cornish](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/cornish-guilt-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"http:\/\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41WwB9NYZWL._SX342_.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"201100014398\"](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/201100014398-300x300.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"xmas](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/xmas-day-at-work-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"new](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/new-years-eve-at-work-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"birthday](\"http:\/\/www.fatbeetle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/birthday-at-work-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>
\n