Travelog for: SKYWALKER

More bridge photos!

The first photo was also taken on 22 November last year and shows the hole where the bridge on our road should have been... the second photo shows me admiring the NEW bridge

Now I know where the Wombles live!

The Wombles are famous! There is Great Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory, Orinoco, Madame Cholet and Wongi (to name a few).

http://www.tidybag.co.uk/people/elisabeth-beresford-biography/

Wongi is so famous he had this creek named after him!

Look at this BIG chicken wandering through the paddock!

teapot says it is an Emu...

http://www.australianfauna.com/emu.php

But I know a turkey when I see one!!!

Lamington Day!

Lamingtons are a traditional Australian cake, usually eaten when having a cup of tea or coffee, or sometimes as dessert.  They are named after Rt Hon Charles Wallace Alexander Napier Cochrane Baillie, Baron Lamington, GCMG, Governor of Queensland from 9 April 1896 to 19 December 1901.

Ingredients for the cake...

3 eggs
1/2 a cup of castor sugar
3/4 of a cup of self-raising flour
1/4 of a cup of cornflour
15g of butter
3 tablespoons of hot water

Method...

Beat the eggs until they are thick and creamy. Gradually add the  sugar and continue beating until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Fold in sifted SR flour and cornflour, then combined water and butter.

Pour the mixture into a prepared lamington tray.

Bake in a moderate (about 160-180C) oven for about 30 mins.

Let the cake stand in the tray for 5 min before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.

Ingredients for the icing...

3 cups of desiccated coconut
500g of icing sugar
1/3 of a cup of cocoa or drinking chocolate
15g of butter
1/2 a cup of milk

Method...

Sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a heatproof bowl.

Stir in the butter and milk.

Stir over a saucepan of hot water until the icing is smooth and glossy.

To make the lamingtons...

Trim the top and sides from the cake.
Cut into square-shaped even pieces.
Holding each piece on a fork, dip them into the icing.
Hold the cakes over the bowl to drain off excess icing.
Toss each cake in a bowl of the dessicated coconut.
Put the cakes onto the lamington tray to set.

These cakes freeze well and keep for several days in the refrigerator...

The first photograph shows me sitting in the sort of baking pan you will need to make lamingtons.

The second photograph shows me getting ready to EAT the lamingtons

NOTES

The "cup" used for this recipe is of 250ml capacity (2.5dl)

Castor sugar is finely ground ordinary white sugar

Icing sugar (powdered sugar, confectioner's sugar) is ordinary white sugar that is more finely ground than castor sugar.

Dessicated coconut is dried and shredded coconut meat and looks something like white sawdust.

Tuesday 27'07'2010 Bath Day

Today is Polling Day for the Australian Federal Elections!

teapot took me to Karangi Public School (a tiny school with only 80 pupils) just up the road a bit from where I live

The first photograph shows me checking out the Electoral Roll for the Federal seat of Cowper.  The lady with me is the Electoral Official for this Polling Place.  She couldn't find my name on the roll anywhere!

The second photograph shows me checking out the Polling Booth.  These are made out of cardboard... they fold flat when not in use for easy storage.  This polling place has 3 polling booths... some of the Polling Places in big cities have hundreds of them lined up in rows.  This Polling Place was allocated 500 sets of voting papers.  We got here at 13.30 and we were given the 401st set of papers.

The third photograph shows me in the Polling Booth with the two voting papers.  The small green one is for the House of Representatives and there are 5 candidates to choose from.  The big white paper folded around the back of the booth is for the Half Senate Election and there are 267 candidates!!!!!

The last photograph shows me sitting on the Ballot Boxes.  These are also made out of cardboard... they can be used again and again

I wasn't allowed to have a vote because there had been a mix-up in the records and my name wasn't on the roll

Wednesday 08'09'2010

Today teapot took me to the "Big Banana" at Coffs Harbour.

Coffs Harbour is a tourist destination on the mid north coast of New South Wales... the area is known as "The Banana Coast" 

The city of Coffs Harbour is surrounded by banana plantations.

The "Big Banana" was built in 1964 and is the first "big" thing in the whole of Australia! Aussies love "BIG" things, they are all over the country 

The first photograph shows me sitting on the camera mount in front of the "Big Banana"... look how big it is! 

The second photograph shows me inside the "Big Banana"... originally there were photographs showing how bananas grow displayed in here, but now it only has photographs of the different things you can do while visiting the site... there are water slides and an ice-skating rink etc.

The third photograph shows me sitting on the balcony rail of the cafe area behind the "Big Banana" and the last photo shows me sitting on a big banana being cuddled by a black monkey! 

Saturday 25 December 2010 - Upper Orara NSW Australia

Christmas Day 2010!

Here are some photos of me getting ready to have my Christmas Lunch!  I was really hungry and the teapot kept me waiting forever!  The first photo shows me sitting quietly at the table, surrounded by my Christmas Cards, sent by friends from all over the World!

The second picture shows the goodies!  All for me! Stand back!!!!! 

The third photo shows what's left of the main course! 

And the last photo shows me about to devour my Christmas pudding! With brandy custard! 

The last day of 2010...

I'm going to Vesna! I'm going to Vesna! 

teapot can only go to town of a Friday, and today is Friday!  We drove to Coffs Harbour so he could put me into the mail system and send me on my way to Vesna in far, far away Slovenia!

When we got to the Post Office at the Plaza, it was closed! 

We drove to the other Post Office in Coffs Harbour, at the Palm Centre, and it was closed! 

(Today and next Monday are gazetted holidays for the Post Office staff, because of the long hours they had to work leading up to the Christmas/New Year's break... they didn't bother to tell anybody this... it was written on a piece of paper on the PO door!).

Believe it or not, teapot had a brainwave!  He really did!  And because he had a brainwave, I am now on my way to Vesna! 

teapot drove us all the way to Coramba, a tiny little town on the way to Grafton... it was a loooooooong way, but it was worth it! 

Coramba Post Office is a franchise office, and the people who own a Post Office franchise can work any hours they want to! 

So, I am on my way to stay with Vesna and her Mama and Papa 

The first photograph shows me with my special travel box 

The second photograph shows me trying the box for size... and I fit nicely inside, together with some bubble wrap to keep me comfortable, and some postcards for Vesna's Mama 

SLOVENIA! HERE I COME!

Today is 04 April 2011 and we have had no word about Skywalker since he was mailed to Vesna on 31'12'2011.

On 21 February 2011 misterteapot sent Vesna's Mama an e-mail, enquiring as to if Skywalker had arrived...

On 22 February 2011 a reply was received, which says, in part...

OMG, yes!!!

He arrived last week!

I'll make a post to ToyVoyagers tonight...

But, sadly, that didn't eventuate