Corn's in.

A beautiful afternoon today as our parched corn was harvested.

Sadly it  didn't take as long as it normally would - as the yield is so low.

Demolition underway

Yesterday afternoon our old garage was the backdrop to a game of boules.

Today this monster arrived to demolish it to make way for our new garage.

Its jaws of steel and slow gait as it moved in for the attack reminded us of a dinosaur

Current interior of garage- note dirt floor

We will be replacing this charming space with a larger garage including a kitchen to service the wood fired oven and other outdoor entertaining. Which we seem to do a lot of.

It will include a small bathroom and guest bedroom as well.

And it will have a real floor.

 It took only 45 minutes to remove the building as well as a large tree that was in danger of falling on the new pergola and garage. 

We don't like removing trees that give much needed summer shade, but we lost several large tree limbs in the recent storm and were nervous about building anything near it.

As is our usual mode we only decided a few weeks ago how to proceed.

Now I have to try and make some decisions re fittings and fixtures before I leave for Sydney.

Too many choices. Too little time.

Home again

Back from our short break to Connecticut and New York, including a three night stay in the city - 

New York City that is...

I am still reeling from the orgy of wining and dining, city street life and entertainment we experienced.

Sorting through my mind and photos for a post tomorrow.

In the meantime it's back to reality.

First job today was to pick up sticks strewn around the yard from the storm before we went away.

 And to gather these beautiful pears from under our old pear tree.

Delicious.

Start spreading the news

Tomorrow I will wake up in that city that doesn't sleep 

These vagabond shoes 
They are longing to stray 
Right through the very heart of it 
New York, New York.

The drought has broken

Three inches of rain here this afternoon after a huge storm and it soaked straight into our parched crops and yard.

Heading home I was caught right in the middle of it. 

The sky was charcoal black, lightning was illuminating the dry corn and dust was rolling around the fields ahead of the torrential rain. Very eery.

I took refuge in our local library until it passed. Not a bad place to hide for half an hour before driving home in the lull before the next storm.

Branches are down all over the yard and the hundred year old pear tree was split in half.

Home never looked so good as I headed up the driveway.

Update.

The old pear tree in the light of day

Working away

I am often asked how I manage to be able to spend time on the farm and still work in Australia.

Although I am my own "boss" and have always been self-motivated I still have clients and ongoing projects that I manage and am responsible for while I am away.
I try to choose my time away when I am in a planned downtime and mix it in with vacation time.

I have been doing this for over ten years and it has certainly become much easier with the growing trend for people to work offsite,  email being a major medium for business communication, skype and cheap international phone calls.

My outdoor farm office

Adapting to the different time zones is easy.
 I check emails and work in the morning here when Australia is asleep.
 I send my replies and do teleconferences in the evening here, when my clients and colleagues are arriving at the office.

Many times people don't even know I am overseas unless I tell them.

Recently a colleague and I were able to complete a project that had a quick turnaround by working on it  in our own times zones - giving our client 24/7 service!

It can sometimes be hard to keep motivated when looking out over our farmland and I am not in my regular full time work routine - but it beats this city grind on a daily basis.

Sydney CBD in peak hour

All over the place this weekend

A busy weekend where my farm life and city life happily merged.

 Friday night off to the city for an excellent dinner at Harvest with our friend Gwen.

On Saturday Max and Sue flew up from Memphis in their very tiny plane and spent the night with us.

Max took off for some acrobatic practise and flew over the farm to give us a show.  

My heart was in my mouth as he dipped and dove above us, then for a finale did a drop that involved the plane sounding like it had stalled and was about to crash....

I was still shaking when he came back.

Why do you do it, I asked?  

"It's fun" he said calmly with a smile. 

A relaxed dinner outside under the stars ended this special farm day.

Sunday night a taste of city life again, this time in the beautiful historic home of our friend Jeff.

As we arrived the sun was shining on the house and I couldn't resist taking this photo.

It looks like it could be the French Embassy

As I walked into the foyer I couldn't help but feel the difference between 

our modest farmhouse and this elegant townhouse.

In the late 1800s the original owner used the top floor as a ballroom for Friday night dance parties. 

The stories that could be told....

Dan Dan cooked a delicious Chinese meal for us featuring vegetables and two fresh fish - one steamed with ginger and green onions, and the other stir fried.

Lots of fine wine was served.

We ate under a magnificent chandelier in the dining room

And were watched over by this fascinating woman

A weekend that encapsulated my two diverse worlds perfectly.

No need to knead.

I enjoy making bread - I like the process, the sense of achievement and of course eating it.

My success however, is a bit patchy - it usually tastes good out of the oven - but ends up being heavy the next day.   I have not been able to consistently get a crisp crust and because I don't bake bread in my city life - due to a lack of time and lots of bakeries outside our front door - I don't get enough practice.

Today I have had a revelation!

I have just finished baking a loaf of the famous no-knead bread developed by Jim Lahey from the Sullivan Street Bakery in New York. I first tore this New York Times recipe out of the Sydney Morning Herald in January 2007 and have been meaning to try it.

I would say this is the BEST loaf of bread I have ever baked.  Ever. In five easy steps.

1. Mix flour, salt and yeast and water (no kneading necessary)

2. Let rise for 18 hours

3. Pour out, fold over and rest for 15 minutes and then shape into a ball and rest for 2 hours

4. Bake in very hot oven in heated heavy covered pot for 30 minutes ( I used my Le Crueset)

5. Take lid off and bake for 15 minutes more to brown and then cool on rack.

Look at this loaf!

 It looks and smells perfect -  a good size and shape, golden brown with an amazing aroma that is now wafting through the house and into my nostrils. 

We are waiting for it to cool with taste buds running wild. 

Thirty minutes later.

Cutting into a nice, crisp crust

Holes in bread is a good sign.  I don't get that very often.

It tastes fantastic - crunchy outside, soft inside, fresh and yeasty, with a great texture and long flavour.

You must try it!

What's in a Flag?

Patriotism and flag waving is at a high during during the Olympics and it prompted me to revisit a photo I took when were driving along the back roads here recently, crop touring, and came across this very patriotic barn.  

It was quite a powerful image.

It made me think about patriotism - and what it means in my two countries.

In Australia, I don't believe we would ever see our flag painted on the side of a farm building and it is rare that people wave a flag unless it is an international sporting event or on Australia Day.

In the US, and probably more often outside of the larger cities- there are many very visible examples of the flag as a symbol of patriotism. In front yards, on buildings and on cars.  

Not just on 4th July or Memorial Day, but all year round. 

Personally I feel my own patriotism is reflected in the quiet pride I feel in our isolated sunburnt country,  the significant achievements of many Australians internationally (not just in sport) from our small population base, the positive and inclusive evolution of multiculturalism in our country and our outward looking nature.

I think Australian patriotism is expressed in different ways and not linked primarily to our flag.

This post has raised more questions than I thought when I started it.

Does not flying a flag make Australians less patriotic than Americans?

What does the American flag really represent to Americans?

What does the Australian flag represent to Australians?

An Australian icon in our farmyard

We have a new addition to our farmhouse that further consolidates our 

American and Australian cross cultural exchange.

A Hills Hoist!

For non-Australians, this is a rotary clothesline invented in 1945 by an Australian. 

This iconic Australian symbol of suburbia is available in the US.  We bought ours on line.

Growing up in the 60s in Sydney everyone had a Hill Hoist in their backyard.

It was not just used for drying laundry.

These photos could have been my brother, sister and I  - except ours spun partway over our steeply terraced backyard - making hanging from it very exciting for us kids and guaranteed to make our mother wild...

Our new version, unlike the old sturdy steel model - is made of heavy duty plastic and comes in a range of decorator colours.

And sadly, I found out during my search that all Hills Hoists are now manufactured in China.

New Hills Hoist at the farm - notice the brown grass - it could be in Australia!

Glimpsing it outside my kitchen window, full of washing and swirling in the breeze, makes me feel nostalgic for my childhood.

  Helping Mum hang the washing out, the kookaburra that perched on it,  our backyard near the bush, the adrenalin rush as we swung over the rocks, knowing we could get into trouble if she spotted us.  

But God it was worth it. 

A bit of city life

It's been a few weeks since we have left our farm life for a taste of city life and I was really ready for it.

Don't get me wrong - I love being on the farm - but I also like to know that the buzz of a city is not too far way.

We headed into St Louis for a few reasons (not just for me to get my fix).  To look at an armoire I saw on Craigslist, to Costco to stock up, and also to check out Home Goods.

I was also looking forward to dinner in a city restaurant, where people dress up, eat later, the lights are low and the atmosphere casual and sophisticated.

1111 Mississippi meets that criteria and is one of our favourites.

We decided to try the Thursday night Wild Game Menu - Prezzo Fisso/ Prix Fixe/Fixed Price.

This was a three course menu with two glasses of Italian wine to match.

Restaurants offering this type of menu can really show off their skills and also give the customer a chance to try a wider range of tastes.

First course

Char Crust pheasant leg, with pecorino polenta, fennel-apple compote and bourbon figs.  The pheasant leg was beautifully cooked - juicy with a wonderful char flavour- and cut by the fennel and apple compote

2nd course

 Grilled pompano (a saltwater fish from Florida), was served with cherokee purple and golden tomatoes.  The tomatoes were really juicy and  flavourful, and were complemented by an arugula (rocket) and pancetta jus

Third course

The venison leg was stuffed with goat cheese and served with yukon gold mashed potatoes and mushroom veal ragout - a perfect combination.

The three "smaller" courses was plenty, the wine was good  and I really enjoyed the meal and atmosphere.  Great value for $34.99!

We headed happily home to the farm, leaving the city behind us.

The best of both worlds.

Margaritaville!

We were out looking for paint, hardware and a headstone yesterday afternoon 

in the blazing heat.

Stopped to buy groceries for dinner, changed our minds, decided to not cook and have Mexican instead. It was earlier than we usually eat - but when we walked into the restaurant we were surprised by the numbers of people and the bouyant mood.

The waitress had our order of frozen Margaritas on the table before we blinked.  Icy cold and refreshing - not as potent as the ones Mark usually makes from scratch  - which was probably a good thing.

As we looked around the restaurant we noticed that everyone was downing margaritas without restraint - we hadn't finished our first before the table across the room were onto their third! More people arrived, all ordering margaritas. Everyone was laughing and chatting. This, we thought, is obviously where the country town folk party on a Tuesday afternoon!   

Some tasty food, onto our second and suddenly we were laughing too.

It wasn't until we got our bill  that we realised the Margaritas were 99c each.  

We had hit Margarita Tuesday. 

So we had another!