BBQ, Beer, Barkers & Blues

… and anything else that interests me

Hope You Had a Good One … Mate!

Thursday January 26 2012 – Happy Australia Day :-D

So, did you get up to the traditional Aussie stuff – wear some thongs, drape an Australian flag out the window or on the car, wear some green and gold, watch the cricket, have your own game on the road out the front, fire up the barbie (as in BBQ and not the doll), kill off a few stubbies of VB, eat a baby lamb or one of our national animals, get excited because you have a day off and start to feel ill for the Friday sickie so you can have an extra long weekend, go to the beach or the park, go to some local celebration or even better a citizenship ceremony, or just kick back and do naff all wondering why you have a day off?

Well, I tried to cram in as much as I could – pity there was only a sprinkling of Australiana involved. Started on the Wednesday night when we went to the Espy in St Kilda (gets a tick) to see one of our friends in a local band (another tick) – Faith and Gasoline (check them out on youtube), this was after some very nice Asian at Chinta Blues and Asahi beer (no ticks there). A few after show beers at the Prince of Wales (another tick), drank Carlton draught (tick) in a pint (no tick) and finished with a Jack Daniels and dry (if it was with coke could almost have scored a tick as at the distillery they told us Australia is the third largest consumer of Jack Daniels).

Did the right thing and caught a cab home. Very friendly driver- has been driving cabs for about five years and settled here as a refugee from Ethiopea many years ago. Spent three years in a refugee camp before coming to Australia – some of his family went to USA, others Norway, but he loves Australia and finds it so safe and friendly (ticks all round).

Australia day very tired, walked the dogs, went back to bed, crumpets for breakfast (not really a tick) with the vegemite still in the cupboard (bad, bad) but I did have honey (okay, not as Aussie as vegemite but at least it’s traditional and you know what is in it). Lunch we headed to Pollywoodside (tick) but didn’t go on board (close to a tick) and ate at the Boatbuilders (tick) with a burger and fish and chips (two ticks there) but had a Pepsi (doesn’t count as a tick). Followed up by a look around DFO (they would love to give it a tick but I don’t think DFO earns a tick).

Home and went to the park with the dogs (tick) and a throw of the American football (no ticks there) but we did listen to the cricket in the car (tick – needs more Kerry O’Keefe and less Geoff Lawson). Still on the sport theme flicked on the Foxtel for a bit of ESPN USA sport (no ticks – can’t help it if I’m not really that enthused by tennis) and sat down to some very nice risotto (no ticks) and a catch-up on Deadwood (if Gus Mercurio was still alive he’d fit in well like he did in Cash & Co and Tandarra – look those up young-uns, these were about Australian Deadwoods so would have earnt a tick but because Deadwood is American there are no ticks).

And that was about it, excited to be Australian and knowing that I have the Friday off without taking a sickie – ready to put to use my new rotary hammer from Bunnings (tick).

Are We There Yet? The Ratings – Natchez

I shouldn’t have started this but because I have, then I must finish – soon.

Anyways, we left Clarksdale (a day too early as there was a festival starting that afternoon but just no time), headed down Highway 61 for a coffee stop at Vicksburg then onto Natchez via the Natchez Park Traceway (I’ve put the turn-off on the map as a marker because we headed away from our route then back again).

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I Haven’t Forgotten the Ratings – Clarksdale

Without tallying the results, it would be obvious we really enjoyed Clarksdale, which is summed up nicely in the previous posts – too lazy to link so search Clarksdale and find them for yourself (there are several to choose from).

It had pretty much everything we were after – surprising accommodation, good food, good music, interesting things to see – but one thing we weren’t after and that put a literal damper on our two night stay – real crappy weather.

On the map I have put markers for Tupelo (the birthplace of Elvis is worthy of a marker) and two markers for where we stayed in Clarksdale.

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Got a Favourite Hobby?

hob-by – noun, plural -bies

1. an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation

alternative -

one of those things that Jim decides to pursue every couple of years just so he can learn something new and drive Caroline nuts.

 

It’s true – not sure about the driving Caroline nuts bit … okay, maybe a little nuts – but every couple of years my palms get itchy, the right side of my brain feels restless and it is time to take up something new. There is usually some kind of inspiration beforehand and I think – gee, it would be good to be able to do that.

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Time for a Story

It’s been a little while since I’ve posted some of my writing, so because a lot of you are off enjoying the holidays and maybe got something crappy for Christmas and want something better (or you got something really good but wished you had something crappy) or you’re bored and are sick of holiday TV, shopping malls and cricket or maybe you received something like an iPad (lucky bastard) and want to check out some reading or maybe you actually have been hanging out waiting for some stories – then this is the bumper post for you.

That’s right – bumper post. Not only do you get another instalment of Code Nine the unpublished crime novel about rookie cop Peter Wallace and the underworld battles between bent cops, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and the mysterious Italians; but you also get another of my short stories – Lost in Suburbia a very true-like story of domestic violence and despair in hot suburbia (you are supposed to feel the sweat in this story); and for a change of pace, one of my picture books written for a three to six year old – I Lost my Pants in the Middle of France (I loved writing this and if one of my gifted nieces reads it you are free to put the story to pictures, like your mother did for one of my other kid’s stories).

So, read on and enjoy.

CHAPTER TEN of the unpublished crime novel Code Nine – in this chapter police meet bikies

LOST IN SUBURBIA a short story about far too many people who are lost in suburbia - She tried to shrink into the couch. She wanted to be one of those things that always got lost under the cushions. But all she could manage was to be one of those things that got lost in suburbia. 

I LOST MY PANTS IN THE MIDDLE OF FRANCE - I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it.

Happy holidays :-)

 

Back on Track with the Ratings – Florence

Florence – Italy would be nice, but no, we were in Florence Alabama. Why? Why not. Florence is part of a cluster of towns along the Tennessee River in Alabama known as the Quad Cities – Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia and Sheffield. The area is known for its music – particularly Muscle Shoals where many of the hits from the 60s were recorded and by people such as Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynrd have recorded there. Hence, to fit with the theme of our travels (music, BBQ and good times) we decided it would be a nice place to stop between Nashville and Clarksdale. (The other marker on the map is Lynchburg where the Jack Daniels distillery is; we went there after Nashville and en route to Florence).

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Merry Christmas

And yes, happy holidays to all you others. I hope you have all had a great day of eating and being with family and friends. Our day started walking the dogs – weather wasn’t great in Melbourne (in fact it has been sticky hot and pouring rain and golf ball hail stones) so there were no kids out with their new toys but we did pass one house where there were still the remnants of some carrots, oats and drink that Santa and the reindeers couldn’t finish – cute.

And well done to those who were creeping around in the dark last night erecting swings and other such goodies that Santa can never deliver in a flat-pack. Talking about flat-packs my new Lord of the Rings name is Mij Klappar Nalle (only because Mij Hotdog doesn’t count) – see my earlier post if you don’t understand.

The big green egg got a workout with a pork shoulder preceded by prawns and oysters – and let’s not forget the beer and wine. And the trifle and christmas pudding. Christmas is always a great day no matter the weather so I hope you enjoyed your day and all the best to you and your family.

And this is how we feel at the end of the day: 

Big Boy BBQ

Now, I bet you thought I had finished up with the slow-cooked American BBQ reviews – well, there can never be enough pork stories. I’d heard of an American style BBQ place starting up in Melbourne and one Sunday afternoon we thought we should venture over there rather than joining the queues at the Ikea checkout.

Big Boy BBQ is on one of the many strips along Glenhuntly Road in Caulfield South and the day we arrived it wasn’t busy so parking across the road was easy – but we were there early and there not long after opening. A few groups started to nestle into the booths and there were a few gazing at the take-out getting quite confused with the difference between an Australian hamburger and an Aussie pulled-pork sandwich.

Before

We went for the Carolina pulled-pork sandwich (for Caroline of course) and I went for the half-rack with a side of potato salad and onion strings. And let’s not forget the bottomless cup of soda.

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Back to the Ratings – Nashville

Nashville was a must do this trip and we weren’t disappointed. We were there only a few days but could quite easily have stayed a few more. We never used the car because there was enough by foot but this city deserves another check-in.

On the short drive from Memphis we decided to turn this into a long drive by taking a detour to the Shiloh National Military Park, which was covered in an earlier post. Again, the side-stop was worth it. We enjoyed this part of our trip – even the shuffling from one country station to the next on the radio (although Caroline had reached the stage of switching off Toby Keith).

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It’s Not as Simple as Black and White

I have two bitsa dogs – an old black one: Dixie, and a young whipper snapper white one: Dusty. Both I rescued when they were about five months old – Dixie from the RSPCA and Dusty an impulse buy from the Lost Dog’s Home last Christmas. I don’t know their history but I am sure Dusty was raised on a diet of sugar and red cordial.

But Dusty is a loving little dog and enjoys a snuggle in-between chewing up anything that fits in her mouth (although she has kind of grown out of that now – we hope as we have a new couch on order). And she loves the off-leash park but best of all she loves to go for a swim, then a roll in the dirt until she is completely camouflaged. I think she just wants to be like Dixie. See for yourself :-D