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Folklore of Australia. There’s some really weird stuff in there…

The Sunday Sun-Herald is out and here I am in my second newspaper appearance of the week. This one is much better. The picture’s nice (though I admit it was a totally fake laugh moment) and the article is actually informative and accurate. I think we may actually get some more sign-ups out of this!

Later: Holy crap! I just checked the e-mail and there are, like, ten people wanting to sign up!

Happy 30th birthday to my best friend…

Friday night was the first part of the celebration, with friends gathering at Una’s for copious amounts of beer and deep-fried camembert. After spending most of Saturday in recovery mode, we went out last night for the dignified portion of the festivities with dinner at Oscillate Wildly. I’d been eager to get a table there ever since Augustus Gloop’s favorable review, so I made the booking nearly a month in advance. (It was one of the last available though, so call early if you plan to go!) We were not disappointed. Snookums started with the “charcuterie” (cold cut platter) with chorizo, prosciutto, duck paté, and duck terrine. I had the “boudin blanc,” which was a skinless “sausage” made from minced prawn and snapper mousse, served with white bean cassoulet. Both entrees were excellent in completely different ways; the boudin blanc was soft, mild, and subtle, but I nevertheless kept stealing bites of the terrine with its hint of fennel and pepper. We’d brought red wine so we went with red meat for the mains: fillet of beef for Rodd, and a “chartreuse” of lamb for me. The beef was a great piece of meat cooked perfectly, and my lamb (cooked for eight hours, shredded, and packed into a terrine lined with eggplant) was moist and savoury. For dessert, Snookums had the cheese board while I couldn’t resist the chocolate creme brulee with salty caramel popcorn. Overall I’d say Oscillate Wildly definitely lives up to the hype. Nothing was too inventive or “cheffy”; this was simply good food cooked well for shockingly little money (only $50/head for three courses). It’s probably the best feed we’ve ever had in Newtown.

Here’s a tip: When you’re requesting a photo opportunity with a busy celebrity you’ve never met before, it’s probably best not to address them by the nickname you use for them in your head. Nevertheless, I spotted the shaved head coming our way and blurted out, “Hey, Spence! D’ya mind taking a picture with the ladies of the Inner City branch of the New South Wales Knitting Guild?” Thankfully, he was happy to oblige. So here’s Fiona, Adam, Christiane, and me (along with some non-members we were sitting with). Adam is holding my knitting, and as you can see below my casein needles kinda weirded him out. Then there’s a picture of Christiane giving a knitting lesson to Tony Eastley, respected journalist and heartthrob. Many an older lady at the Knit-In was green-eyed with jealousy at Christiane’s position. Lastly is a group photo of the Guild girls, including Vicki (and her friend whose name I can’t remember). Special thanks to Amy for taking these awesome shots, along with many more…

Babies are great marketing. Now I just need to get one for my sister’s sprog that says “Read my Aunty’s blog.”

Cool! My Dad and his cool Harley motorcycle were featured in the local paper. It’s been a banner media week for the Howards!

Man, sometimes I really miss living in London. 🙂

As Snookums put it: “Ack. I’m confused. Are Microsoft evil or not? I can’t decide!!!“

An Australian MeFite asks: Is recycled water really fit for human consumption?