more music

Attended another orchestral performance in town, this time by the Zelman Memorial Symphony Orchestra. The program was titled "Drama, Energy and Colour" and definitely lived up to it. Featuring Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, it was simply superb. I'm always amazed at the musical signatures of great composers such as these three, even without having learned about their compositions, it's so easy to distinguish between them. Some things just sound "so Tchaikovsky", or Beethoven, that you can't help but think of all the rest of their works. I left feeling energized, happy, and somewhat dazed. Went out for a coffee with a nice guy I met at the concert, then took a circuitous route home to enjoy all the fall colors that are appearing around town and in the gardens. Also did my fair share of stomping through crisp leaves in my official "fancy" shoes (having one of everything makes life so much simpler!), and recreated a classic picture from years ago. Don't know if it was the fact that I had my hair off my face and those favorite earrings on again, but it just seemed like the thing to do. And made me extremely excited for warm summer days at Saranac Lake. So many conflicting feelings over the current seasons here in Australia and back in the states!

Some of the very best fall colors are right at Hightor!

Even the bark on some of the trees feels festive

New version, with some fantastic refracted light...

...and the old one, a perfect summer day

                                                         

Here's the program if you'd like a listen. Classical music makes every day a little better in my humble opinion.

her

Saw this movie today at our little local theater. My date for the occasion picked it out, and I'm very happy he did so. Not only was the film visually sublime (love the warm light and not too futuristic wardrobes and set dressing), but the story was absolutely engaging and insightful. I won't say more, only to encourage you to see it yourself. And my favorite part? The score. Here's a little sample, piano magic.


                      

away we go

Well hello! My apologies for the absence of posts this week, I've just not been up to sitting down and editing pictures, writing something up, and putting it all up here. I love documenting my adventures and everyday life here, and sharing it all with you, but sometimes it just feels like an extra job and I need a little break. But now I'm back, and with fun things to share!
First up: meet Gael and Danny.

They of Camp Daylesford (or Kilmaley as I've come to learn is its name) and remarkably warm, generous hearts. I did some more house-sitting for them a while ago, and enjoyed many more days in the garden with the hens and Toulouse.

When they arrived back in town, Gael showered me with gifts, including the wonderful dress I'm wearing here, and mentioned that she and Danny were heading into Melbourne that night for a Pete Seeger tribute concert in which Danny was performing. I commented that I loved Pete Seeger, and then before I knew it, I was packing a bag and being whisked off to the city for the concert. Gael, Danny, their welcoming friends Kris and Uli and I all enjoyed a beautiful dinner on the river, then walked to Federation Square for the concert.

Fed Square is a great big communal space of theaters, shops, restaurants, and an open-air plaza. I just love it. The theater we found ourselves in was a gorgeous building of glass walls that let in the glow of the sunset and afforded us views of the trees beyond. Just stunning. The concert was tremendous, a gathering of talented musicians and devoted fans there to celebrate one man's deliberate, meaningful life and sing along to some of his greatest songs. The love and joy was palpable, it was truly overwhelming. After the concert we headed back to Kris' beautiful Victorian home, and tucked in for the night.

The next day we all had breakfast at a delicious cafe, then Danny was off to take care of some business while Gael and I headed to the Melbourne museum. Wow. The first thing we explored was the rainforest gallery. A veritable slice of heaven. Towering trees, lush ferns, a stream feeding a waterfall, trilling birds, and all kinds of displays of fish, amphibians and reptiles. All indoors. I was taken from the instant we stepped in. We meandered our way through, stopping to admire the plants and animals, and even getting a show from a bowerbird collecting things for its nest and dancing around. Next was an exhibit about Aboriginal stories, arts, artifacts, legends and modern-day connections. The displays were a bit stale, but the material was interesting and the art really beautiful. I'm definitely a museum junkie, and this was a perfect way to spend the morning. After that it was off to Brunetti, a fantastic cafe, a quick look around a few bookshops, then back home to Daylesford. A quick, fun, lovely trip. And a lesson in saying yes to every opportunity. Get out of your routine, make new friends, see new places, shake it up! Taking that to heart.

zanahorias en escabeche

Or, pickled carrots. Mexican style. We had a ton of carrots in the fridge, plenty of chilies, and the kids love burritos and tacos like you wouldn't believe. Constantly watching them eat a somewhat compromised version of Mexican food makes me want the real little things like this all that much more to go along. So now we'll have spicy pickled carrots in addition to Cholula (muchos gracias padre!) to put on top of our burritos and such. Thinking a real Mexican feast might be coming up (maybe for Benito Juárez's birthday?), I'm craving an excuse to make a huge pot of frijoles refritos!
And the recipe I use for these follows because, well, you need it in your life to be frankly honest!

Gather your ingredients. A bunch of carrots, some chili peppers, vinegar and sugar.

Peel, then slice the carrots into thin coins. Slice the chilies, too.

If you have OCD tendencies like yours truly, pile them together and determine whether or not you like the ratio of carrot to chili. I added one more chili at this point.

Put a pot on the stove. Admire the view. 

Put some white vinegar and sugar in your pot. You want slightly less liquid than you have vegetables. I had about 4.5 cups of carrots, so used approximately 3 cups of vinegar and a half cup of sugar. 

Bring the vinegar and sugar to a gentle simmer, making sure the sugar fully dissolves. Turn off the heat, but leave the pot on the hot burner. Toss in your vegetables and give them a good stir. 

When the mixture is cool, decant into an airtight container. Make sure the vegetables are fully submerged/covered by the brine. This ensures that they remain fresh for a long time. 

Pick up on your cat's subtle hint that he needs some food. Go feed him, you're done anyway! All that's left to do is put your jar of freshly pickled carrots in the fridge and try to wait a decent amount of time before helping yourself to them.

As a side note, I took a trip down dance floor lane while making these, listening to what Allison and I call "prom music". Basically soul and funk classics and 80s guilty pleasures.  Give it a listen!


                                                


Update: Just went to the kitchen to try one (that was the intention at least), and they were good. Really good. Addictive. So, guess I'm just telling you that I fully endorse my own recipe, which should be inherent, but oh well! 

gold

Today the sun was warm and the wind was cold. Summer is already slipping away, and I couldn't be happier. Don't get me wrong, I love the hot, sunny days where the only option that seems reasonable is throwing on a bikini and diving into the lake. But with this sudden cold snap, I'm feeling refreshed, happy, and full of energy and inspiration. Went for a long run this morning, and then was distracted in my work outside by how purely content I was. And the bodily memory that says this type of day should be spent wandering around La Mesa's Oktoberfest. That's a "problem" I wish on every one of you. And now my mind is racing with things to do, sew, cook, draw, write, you name it! So in celebration, here's a playlist of songs that capture the season for me. Nothing particularly themed or anything, but I do notice that this weather has me craving a very specific type of melody and mood. Happy listening!
                                             

                                            


This weather also has me remembering a trip my dad and I took to see the fall leaves years ago in Ohio and West Virginia. Driving down two lane, back country highways, finding random towns to sleep in, never having a plan besides knowing when we needed to be back at the airport. Always say yes to quick trips! Here's a handful of pictures from those few days, and contrary to the evidence they provide, I can promise you that my dad really was there. Acting as faithful driver and photographer, while I was the DJ. Thanks dad.

Scraping ice off the car, always a good start to your day

A sweet little town we settled in one night in Ohio

And a fascinating ancient Native American burial mound there

A random stop on the road

The Glade Creek grist mill in West Virginia

The New River Gorge bridge. Beautiful

Charleston's capitol building. The whole place was deserted when we arrived, it was pretty eerie

The most gorgeous autumn tree

dance dance dance

A quick little throwback to one of Timothy and Elisa's first days here, when they took it upon themselves to give us a quick dance lesson on the veranda. Timothy has a wonderful collection of loud, fun music, and a few songs just happen to have corresponding dances. This was one of them. And let me tell you, it was great. Music blaring, Timothy and Elisa leading us in some silly moves, it was pure, manic joyful energy. Here's to many more repeats!