A 'Ripper' time in Brisbane!

So...we are down from the mountain and have journeyed to Brisbane for the weekend as on Sunday Will has his second One Straw band practice. It is the last weekend of the Queensland school holidays and so we have splashed out and booked a room in a hotel on Kangaroo Point for two nights. It is not quite slap bang in the city centre but we don't mind walking. I booked it because the room had a bath, there was free Wi-Fi and parking and breakfast was included in the price.We are having a city day together tomorrow and then I will have another day on Sunday while Will goes off to practice.It was quite misty when we arrived which is unusual for Brisbane.

'Flying Foxes, Cheeseman!'

So...last night lying in bed we heard a weird screech. It was not one of the sounds we are used to like the rustling of mice and rats ( yes, they are back!) in the kitchen, or possums racing across the roof and the rasping call of doom like the demonic hiss of the offspring of Gollum and an Orc that the cute looking Brush tailed Possum makes. The other night there was a loud and startling bang which turned out to be a possum dropping the soap it had snaffled from the shower. It must have taken it up the tree and it slipped out of its paws onto the tin roof.No, the screech was a new sound that we had not heard before.Tonight we discovered what it was.The Yellowbox tree behind the house is in bloom and during the day you are showered with its blossom as the parakeets nibble at them in the topmost branches.Now it seems the tree is getting no respite for after dark it is being visited by Flying Foxes, large fruit bats and it is they that chatter and screech in the night.Will has never seen them here before.

'When life gives you lemons....make lemon curd!'

So...I have been meaning to make some lemon curd for a while and now that I am on holiday what better time is there to get cracking?In the jungle that is our winter garden there stands the lemon tree with quite a modest crop this year of lemons as big as my fist.[gallery ids="28060,28059" type="rectangular"]I followed a recipe I found on 'Taste.com' and here it is...

Lemon Curd.

INGREDIENTS

•  2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
•  3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar (I didn't have caster sugar so used granulated instead but it worked out fine.)
•  1/3 cup (80g) chilled unsalted butter
•  Zest and juice of 2 lemons

 

METHOD

• Whisk whole eggs, yolks and sugar in a saucepan until smooth, then place pan over a low heat. Add the butter, juice and zest and whisk continuously until thickened. Strain through a sieve into a sterilised jar. Lemon curd keeps, covered, in the fridge for 2 weeks.

It was as easy as that!

As Dulcie looks on.

I made two lots of it to fill these three small jars. You can see the middle jar is made up of half from each batch. It really was simple to make and tastes delicious!.....Mind you the lemons were fresh from the tree still covered in dew and the eggs were from the Frogknot 'chooks'.

Park Life.

Neat and tidy again.

What do you think Anne?

I wonder if you can get them in a 'crow' style?