Re-run Rutherglen: Part 2 - Parker Pies

It’s unthinkable.  It’s in equal measures true and devastating… What could possibly make me this distraught?  The other night I opened the freezer and made a horrifying discovery.  M and I are down to our last Parker Pie.  Yes, that’s right there’s not even enough to share.

(An even number of pies was originally purchased, however, whilst M was out gallivanting I was chowing down on a pie… Which has resulted in my current state of pielessness *gasp*).

The humble meat pie, quintessential Aussie cuisine, easily and frequently executed poorly, but mouth-watering, glorious and divine when done well.  What distinguishes the good from the bad?  For me: a thick, rich meaty filling encased in a pastry that is buttery and flaky.  But I am no professional. I’ll leave that to the judges of the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition.  

In my search for the perfect meat pie I have learned a few things.  For one you will not find the perfect meat pie down the frozen food aisle of your local supermarket. Why? Food Standards Australia and New Zealand only require a ‘meat’ pie to contain a minimum of 25 per cent ‘meat flesh’!  In fact, after reading this Choice report you might choose to avoid supermarket pies altogether. I wouldn’t blame you.

I have unearthed some true gems in my quest… Ok, only one.  But this journey of discovery is only beginning.  This initial discovery has inspired me to explore, taste and gorge all in the hopes of finding that singularly irresistible meat pie.

This leads me to Main Street, Rutherglen. Diagonal from Tapsell’s second hand bookshop, across from the IGA, between the Bank on Main and The Victoria Hotel you’ll find Parker Pies, a place where the humble pie is elevated to magnificent heights.

Hello, Hello Bic Runga

It’s an extremely chilly Sunday evening in May.  We’re on our way to the Street Theatre, whose home is the ever-changing streetscape of Childers Street, Civic.   Bic Runga is on her Hello, Hello tour and Canberra is her final stop. 

Looking in to the theatre’s foyer from the brisk evening outside, it looks lovely, welcoming and homely. With a glass of warming red wine in hand, we wait for the concert to start.  The foyer fills up with jacketed, gloved, mittened, scarved , beanie-d people, some are turned away from the ticket booth as the concert has sold out.

The new Scholar in town

To celebrate my first communion as a kid my parents took me to yum cha at the New Shanghai restaurant in Dickson.  I vividly remember the craziness, the hustle and bustle.  The restaurant was abuzz with conversation, clattering plates, the clink of porcelain against porcelain as another Chinese tea was poured, the swoosh of fabric as another table cloth was swept away making room for the next lot of customers.  I remember the white silk dress I wore, with the gauzy overlay with bright orange and brown flowers embroidered on the front.

It was overwhelming.  And ever since I have had a love affair with yum cha.  There's something special about the perfectly portioned mouthful sized delicacies, served in their bamboo steamers and rolled around the restaurant in those tinny little trollies.

Those of you who know me and my family well have most likely been dragged to a yum cha lunch or two...

If you've been to yum cha this will be a familiar sight!

Celebrating 100 songs and 100 stories

This week a very talented friend of mine (who lives over at the little yellow house in the U) opened an exhibition.   For her exhibition, 100 Songs and 100 stories, she’s taken songs that mean something to someone, and the stories associated with that song, and turned them into art.

They’re beautiful, meaningful moments, captured lovingly.  Some are sad, others funny, they’re about love, loss and sometimes tragedy – just like the very songs that are the background to these human stories.  Just like the songs and stories are varied, so is the art, tenderly created using mixed media.

I even am lucky enough to have a song represented (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps, by Doris Day) and so can now admit to being someone's muse!  Here's a sneaky shot taken on my iPhone (which does no justice to the picture of prettiness that it truly is):

For those of you in Canberra, I encourage you to visit the exhibition, which is being held at the M16 Artspace until 27 May 2012.  Others, who aren't lucky enough to be in Canberra to visit the exhibition, can listen to the songs, read the stories and admire the art on her blog here.

Lava-ing my lava rock

I am a lucky girl.  But ssshhh don’t tell anyone I admitted it.   

You see, when we were in Malang, Indonesia we stayed in this beautiful hotel, the Tugu Malang Hotel.  It was part museum, part resort.   In the Lonely Planet guide for Indonesia it is actually listed as one of the sights in Malang.  A truly beautiful hotel, each of the rooms is decked out in antiques that are from the owner’s collection.  It’s rich, elegant and decadent.  Opulent is a fitting adjective in this instance.  It groans beneath the weight of its treasures, about to burst at the seams.

At the main road entrance to the restaurant is a lovely little store.  Glass cabinets flank an antique cash register; little gems of prettiness nestle on red velvet, twinkling invitingly at you.  And then, as I ran my finger over the keys of the cash register, they caught my eye.  Jet black, bold, symmetrical, unique.  I longed for them.  But we were on holidays, surviving on a budget and I realised – sometimes you don’t get what you want.

 The antique cash register

One of my favourite things: Autumn

Autumn in Canberra.  For me, there’s no better time of year.  Many of you will probably disagree, already mourning the departure of summer barbecues, the end of daylight savings and sad that the warm weather seems only a fading memory.  Not me.

The days are becoming cooler, the trees are changing colour (bold red, burnt orange, golden yellow – like a beautiful oil painting) and I know that the weeks and months that stretch ahead will be filled with fluffy blankets, woollen socks, movie nights, Sunday morning sleep-ins, hot chocolates, comfort food and rich red wine.  

Yes, it’s time for the annual hibernation to begin, you can feel the pace slowing down, you wake to crisp and frosty mornings, your breath visible from your lips.  It’s time for jackets and scarves, boots and gloves.  What is not to love?  In this spirit I share with you a few of my favourite things about autumn:

Bags of pears, apples and pomegranates...

 Endless hot cups of tea and movies...

Slippers and cuddles with Bailey...