Australia fare

Well Australia Day has come and gone and I have not posted a single recipe that might be of any use to anyone anywhere on this topic. That's because I'm not really doing much creative cooking at the moment.

However, I will regale you with a happy memory of Australia Day - it was easily 10 years ago, when my sister had moved to the central coast. She found a beautiful beach called Catherine Hill Bay, and my friend Jeannette and I decided to head up there for Australia Day.

There aren't too many beaches in Sydney where a person can take their dog and allow them to run free. At Catherine Hill Bay you could happily do this at the far end of the beach. To get there you had to drive through a grave yard, park under some trees and traipse over some sandy hills to reach the beach. Jeannette and I had bought grass mats for the occassion. The idea was to lay down the grass mats and place our towels over the top to make a much more comfy position for ourselves to enjoy the beach.

With towels neatly arranged we head into the water for a dip - which was perfect I might add, and magical, as is often the way at Catherine Hill Bay. Chest deep in water, Jeannette and I looked back at the beach to where my dog, Derek, was staring out at us. It was almost as if he was waiting for us to make eye contact so we could witness his crime. He turned around and began digging at our towels and grass mats - much as if he was digging for China! Sand was flying everywhere, and we began shouting "Get off! Get off!". Derek, of course, ignored us and kept digging until he'd made a nest. He circled around two or three times, then plopped himself down to wait for us.

Jeannette accused Derek of being a filthy wretch at the time. But looking back, it was hilarious! After we'd straightened everything out, we sat down and were thrilled to see the F1-11s flying past the beach on their way to Sydney. Back then they came every year to participate in the Sydney celebrations - they'd do a loop of the entire city, and it was thrilled to see them screeching past. I'm not sure if they do it any more. I certainly didn't hear them yesterday.

If you're an Aussie, I hope you enjoyed our national day yesterday! Lets see if I can do better with recipes for Valentine's Day!

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