Mellow Yellow

This week has been a mellow yellow week with spring sprouting yellow every where I go.
It brought back memories of Donovan Lietch's Mellow Yellow. I was a bit of a Donovan fan back in the 60s. Think I might listen the Album again - now where is my turntable?

Donovan's 60s album cover - Mellow Yellow

As I came off the freeway I was hit with yellow flowers by the roadside.

And then as I drove to the office/warehouse the wattle trees were covered in yellow blossom.

Even the car park at work was yelling yellow at me.

And as I walked thru the front doors, I'm confronted by yellow again.

But it was Friday and we were about to embark on a weekend. What would our two days of rest offer. Sue is retired but she has recently employed as a relief teacher - it helps with our passion for travel.

Her form of relaxation is to invite friends for dinner and cook up a storm - mine is to ride my bike.

This weekend we both satisfied our passions. Sue invited friends Denise and Darren around for Pizza. They thought it would be "order in", but no, not with Sue. She loves to prepare her own from making the Pizza base to adding lots of great fillings.

Sue makes the pizza dough.

The ingredients - mushroom, pumpkin, peppers, zucchini and tomato with more to come.

Add some prosciutto, spinach, artichoke hearts covered with grated cheese.

And out of the oven ready to devour.

Sue's simple easy to prepare pizza with good company and good wine. Just a casual Saturday night.

My personal weekend was highlighted by being inducted into the Bayside Bandido, mid-life cycling gang's Lycra Legend select group. Now I need to say that this is a very select group of cyclist, we are all 60 plus.

My new Lycra Legends jersey.

http://baysidebandidos.blogspot.com/

This link to the Lycra Legend celebrations

And the close-up.

And that was our weekend - tell us about yours???

Funky Friday

My son Mitch has a new whizz bang camera. He went out to the garden and took this Pic. I like it a lot. It almost makes you look for the garlic press, doesn't it?

Ostia Antica

Looking through our photographs of Ostia Antica makes us realize that this place was one of the highlights of our time in Rome. Well, maybe not in Rome as it is near da Vinci airport where we left the car.
My friend Bob told me about it as he was there on an earlier trip in Rome. I’m glad we took his advice.
Getting back to the airport though was a drama in itself. We booked a shuttle bus to pick us up from Campo di Fiori at 7.30 am. The night before we were all packed and ready to settle for our week in Toscana. Andrew, our then 20 year old son decided he would get one last look at Rome that night. He didn’t return until 2.30 am and obviously with a skin full. This had Sue in a total state of panic.
7.30 am we are in the shuttle bus with Andrew totally asleep and smelling of all sorts of alcohol when we discover that our driver’s name is Fangio – Well, he thought so!!!!!
Imagine being driven by a crazy Italian talking on two mobile phones (not hands free) doing 100kph while actually being hands free on the steering wheel at times. Very, very scary.
Aah, back into our own car and off to Ostia Antica near the airport.

I can't even imagine that I'm walking down a 2000 year old road.

As we entered Ostia, before us was the original paved road where more than 2000 years ago the people of Rome’s harbor city walked. Ostia is a museum of early Roman life that you can imagine without the confines of roped off areas. There is no where you can’t walk. The ancient mosaic floors of the fish, meat and vegetable stalls are in full view. We walked amongst the buildings, climbed the steps of the amphitheatre and touched the statues. Try that at Pompeii.

And the mosaic floors are covered by autumn leaves.

Standing at the top of the Amphitheatre, I wonder how all this is still here for us to see.

Our son Andrew marvels at the Domus of Cupid and Psyche.

The statue of Cupid and Psyche

So many of the floors were in excellent condition despite being open to the elements.

This blog can't do justice to the experience of being there - too much to explain.
If you would like to know more - visit the following links below. You will be amazed.

http://www.ostia-antica.org/
Official Website

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZitO0Pt2TBE
Computer generated visual of Ostia Antica

What a wonderful way to spend a pleasant morning, but it was time to get back in the car and navigate the dreaded ring road of Rome to our one week stay in Monticchiello. This walled hilltop village in Toscana has a population of only 300 people. We shall leave you with a photograph of the country that greeted us.

Join us in Monticchiello, Tuscany

Father's Day Dinner and other things.

I rang my father Jack to wish him a Happy Father’s Day this Sunday. He’s had a few at 89 years of age considering he was 29 when I was born. Oops, that makes me 60.


He decided a few weeks in Queensland would loosen up his bones a little so he is visiting my sister on the Gold Coast. He did say he was missing riding his bike so when he returns later next week, he said he would plan his “come-back”. He enjoys his 5 days a week at the track.
Being there he missed our torrential rain and violent winds in Melbourne this weekend. The rains brought flood warnings in the north of the state. A bit weird seeing that we have been on water restrictions for a couple of years now.
Saturday saw a new addition to the family. Sue’s new pre-loved Peugeot 307 arrived in the driveway and our youngest son, Mitchell took over the Citroen Xantia. What a Francophile family we are!

Sue's new pre-loved Pug - with her hand me down Citroen now out in the street.

Cream leather and walnut dash, how cool.

While I write this, it’s Sunday and I’ve been invited to help out in the kitchen. Earlier, Mitch asked Sue to make vanilla slices for dessert, and I have to say that I have never had better than she makes. We all love Sue’s vanilla slices.

The beginning of Sue's vanilla slices, but more later.

I was asked what I would like for a family father’s day night dinner, “hmmmmm”, I said.
On Friday night we watched Jamie Oliver in Spain cooking these beautiful pork chops stuffed with raisins, sherry and other stuff, not quite sure exactly what else but I said, “that’s what I would like Sue”.

Jamies recipe
http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/jamie-oliver/my-moorish-pork-chops-recipe_p_1.html
Check it out!
So she went shopping and found the pork chops. Isn’t she sweet?

I helped the cutting stuff up and doing the mortar and pestle thing while Sue instructed me. Yes, I know, not very master chef but it was fun with a glass of wine in my other hand.

Raisins, fresh oregano from the garden, sherry. salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil. Leon loved this bit.

Cut pockets in the chops. Sue did this part, she didn't tust me.

Filling them with the raisin mix.

Pancetta cooked with red capsicum and onion and a little oil. Then add bay leaves, rosemary, and white beans. Water as well cook down for 20 or so minutes. Add spinach leaves before the end. Season at the end. Yummy.

The end...almost.

Oh, sooo yum! Our favorite, Sues home made vanilla slices.

Needless to say, my Father’s Day dinner was just magnifico.

How was your Father’s day?

Melbourne's Funky Trams

Passing by a shop window, I spied this old Melbourne tram. Strange that I should call it an "old" Melbourne tram when I remember going to the city to my first job on one of these. Guess what, no grafitti, no ripped seats - everyone paid their fare and the "Connies", Conductors help mothers with prams and the frail on and off the tram.
Today the Connies have gone, replaced by graffiti, ripped seats and poor behavior by a few. Oh yes, and many "free" travellers.

I found this video of  an old Melbourne tram on youtube. Very quaint as it passes by Flinder's Street railway station.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPJp2TKPtb8

For more on the history of Melbourne's trams, go to;
http://www.railpage.org.au/tram/melbhist.html
This is a small segment from the site.
Melbourne established cable trams in 1885, and the system grew to 75 km of double track and 1200 cars and trailers, the fourth largest cable system in the world. There is some difficulty in comparing the sizes of American cable systems, and it is possible that the Melbourne system was in fact the largest - it was certainly very similar in extent to the San Francisco system before the 1906 earthquake, and apparently slightly larger than the Chicago system.