On the Indian-Pacific to Sydney

We travelled from Peterborough in South Australia to Sydney on the Indian Pacific train:



It was quite long enough.

Änis Chräbelis - Swiss Aniseed Cookies

I know I shouldn't eat cookies, trying to control my weight but, hey, it was Christmas and I missed a few cookies, especially aniseed ones, so I googled a recipe and found one on a Swiss cooking site, so I set about making some of those delicious cookies and in all modesty I can say they were a success, especially with Diane, Carol and David.

After I made the dough and let it stand overnight as per instructions, I made rolls about 15mm in diameter.

Being Swiss, I used a rouler to cut pieces 70mm long

Again as per instructions I cut slots in the rolls

Shaped them into the right shapes

And placed them into the oven for baking.

I would love to show you the final product, but we ate them, sorry. But they were delicious.

THE DIGITAL STORY OF NATIVITY - ( or Christmas 2.0 )

Merry Christmas Blogger friends with a little fun!


On the opening screen click WATCH ON YOU TUBE 

And a HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL

Our Baby Surprise

Sonya, Bernie and Fox are back in OK Magazine. After another succesful 'Beauty and the Geek Australia Series,  OK Magazine foundout that Sonya is pregnant with their second child.

Click twice (not double-click) to read text

Depth of Field

Tomorrow morning we meet again with the U3A Camera Club. We're discussing the subject of Depth of Field especially when taking shots of flowers. I tried some, not with flowers, but with a frog.

No Photoshop at all.

Pichi Richi Railway "The Afghan Express"

In Port Augusta S.A. recently, we jumped onto the Afghan Express to Quorn and back. It's a historic Steam Train trip, most enjoyable. I made a little video of the trip:



I love steam trains. This coming Sunday we are taking another steam train ride from Brisbane Roma Street station to an unknown destination but end up back at Roma Street.

Swiss Cookies "Brätzelis"

We visited our friends Ben and Lyn on the Gold Coast today. Ben showed me a present he received from his sister in Switzerland. It's a 'Brätzelieisen', an electric heat press used by the Swiss to make these delicious little cookies, ususally around Christmas, but hey, we decided to try it out, so while Diane and Lyn were busy on the computer, Ben and I went to work in the kitchen.

First we mixed all the ingredients in a bowl:-

 Then we split the work. I rolled the dough into little balls and Ben placed them onto the hot forms in the machine, four at a time.

Then we reversed roles and I took a turn baking the cookies.

After a few minutes, they turn golden brown. The smell in the kitchen was very pleasant. Some of the Brätzelis we left to cool on a rolling pin which gives them a nice curve.

We were very proud of our first attempt to make some of these delicious cookies.

I don't think they'll last until Christmas