That wretched koel

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Generally speaking, the koel species doesn't know when enough is enough. People are wandering the streets of Sydney's inner east, half demented due to lack of sleep because of koels.

They are shrieking on every street corner, in the leafy back gardens of terraces... they are Out There in Numbers to be Reckoned With.

Earplug and sleeping pill sales are on the rise. And according to the tealeaves, it isn't going to end anytime soon.

Acquiring art

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I always get excited when I buy a piece of art. I haven't done it very often and it's usually been spur of the moment.

Such a thing happened on Friday night when I bought a sculpture - a small one. A wonderful one. It's full of resonances and humour for me. I can't wait to get it home in a couple of weeks.

A cat's map of the bed

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Now Max and I are sharing the bed again, I'm reminded of something.

Click on the pic to see the detail. Hilare.

Back in Darlo

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Having returned to Darlinghurst late last night, I went to pick up the King from Cat Camp this morning. Apparently he bit one of the vet nurses earlier today when she put her hand in his cage.
Max has been home for three hours now and after a lengthy monologue moaning about the conditions at Cat Camp and everything that has happened in the past week, he's adjusting to life in the castle again.
I took him outside in my arms before and he wanted desperately to leap when he spotted the cat next door, Bill, taking advantage of our garden. But until the King is a little more adjusted to being home, I'll keep him inside.
Hopefully he can go out for a short wander later. He'll be as good as gold tomorrow.

On the tiles

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The Sea Baths don't have a line at the bottom of the pool at all. It's tiled! When I was doing my laps a couple of hours ago, I realised the line I talked about yesterday was a figment of a swimmer's imagination.

The line at the bottom of the pool

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There's a line at the bottom of the pool and I just keep following it. Seems you can't go wrong that way. Everything is straight ahead (well, there is a turn at the end, true).
Loved it in the steam room at the Sea Baths yesterday when an old lady in a bikini came in and declared: "It's hot."
Yup.

Going swimmingly

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Surprisingly, it's raining in Melbourne. And I'm spending lots of time in the water anyway - at the City Baths and St Kilda Sea Baths.

That's it. No insights. No gags. Just a weather/swim report.

Charlie catching raindrops on his tongue

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Charlie is a big boy now - at least twice as old as he is here. I searched this pic out recently when I needed some weather photos for a project.

And it's such a lovely shot, taken in the City of Sydney, when rain used to fall and kids needed raincoats. Ha!

Off to Melbourne tomorrow (even less rain) to do some catching up. Max is going to Cat Camp. He doesn't like it much, but he's safe there - and loved. Safety first!

Lovers of Brussel Sprouts, take note

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It's a wintry kind of thing and the Brussel Sprouts are probably on their way off the shelves for the season, but Brussel Sprout Soup is delish. More delish than you'd think and not just something for BS lovers.

You can see it being made and eaten on YouTube. Voila:

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=bmN17oQKwxg

Here's what you need and how to go about it:

600 g brussel sprouts, stalks trimmed

2 onions, chopped

60 g butter

1 potato, cubed

600ml chicken stock (I use a good quality stock cube like Massel brand)

salt, pepper, good shot of lemon juice

Garnish: 100g minced smoked ham or bacon hock - if you can get it

100g gruyere cheese, grated in long strands

brussel sprout leaves

Reserve a few whole leaves as garnish, then coarsely chop sprouts. In a large saucepan, heat butter and saute onion until softened (not coloured). Add sprouts, toss to bring out colour, then add potato and chosen liquid. Salt and pepper, bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes, or until soft and mashable. Puree with a wand or blender, and return to pot. Check seasoning, adding a shot of lemon juice, then add minced ham. Blanch remaining leaves 45 seconds in boiling watter, remove with a slotted spoon.

Add gruyere, which lifts in melted strands like pizza cheese as soup is eaten.

This is my adapted version of Diane Holigue's recipe, which appeared in her last column for The Australian Magazine in June 1997. The page glued in my 'Recipes' book is very spattered. It's been much made and oft eaten.

ps Don't forget about nitrogen for Malawi - ask sydhappyguy about it.

Hot in the city

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The Koel shrieks on,

The city is hot.

If I could, I'd sleep a lot.

[ps. Am I living with a vampire?]