Long overdue. Click to read.



This a recap of the past fortnight.

Liverpool FC fans are legitimately insane.


Giant blocks of chocolate.


Some steampunk looking pendants.








Pancakes



Sam's 18th. Their garage is truly a spectacular sight.


Loser.

Losers.


Kelly's 18th. I ordered a Madame Violetta because 'Plymouth Sloe Gin' stuck with me after chatting with Vivien... who was chatting to ex-bartender Ed.

Ice cream afterwards.


A molten bin.

Walking to Central from some USyd event.

RISOTTO

It was after dinner last night when I found a pack of arborio rice I had neglected. I was tempted to make risotto last night (common sense? what is it?) but Mum was like 'aw hael naw' and I decided to munch on some nuts.

Fast forward to this morning. I was in bed, it was 11 and the only thing that got me out of bed was the thought of risotto.

Ingredients:
- 10g butter
- 200g pumpkin (I used Jap), 3mm slices
- 8 medium sized mushrooms, 3mm slices
- handful of basil leaves
- 1½ cups arborio rice
- some chopped spinach, however much you want
- 2L vegetable stock (around this much, adjust accordingly)
- 1tbs olive oil

Method:
1 — Heat a little oil (I use rice bran oil), just enough to cover the pan and lay down your slices of pumpkin in a single layer. You may not be able to fit all of it in one go. Fry until golden brown on both sides. Put aside the pumpkin. Melt a little butter and oil (to stop the butter from burning).





2 — When the butter starts bubbling, add in the basil leaves. Add the sliced mushrooms when basil is fragrant. Cook unti it looks a little something like the photo below.

(I added wholeseed mustard)

3 - In a pot heat the olive oil and add in rice. When the rice looks glassy add your first ladle of stock. Stir until the rice has absorbed the liquid and repeat.


4 - When you've used about 3/4 of your stock add all of your spinach and half of your pumpkin and mushrooms. I quite fancy the idea of the pumpkin breaking down and becoming part of the rice.

5 - When risotto is done, stir through the remainder of the pumpkin and mushroom. Spoon the risotto into bowls.


Serves 4+

MELB PT2

Day 4
Under the presumption that the NGV Ian Potter Centre and ACMI would take the entire day we headed down the road to Federation Square. We then realised that the Ian Potter Centre was tiny and that the ACMI admission fee was too high for us cheapos. The exhibition, The Naked Face at the NGV was fantastic though. It was just our luck when we stumbled out we found the stop for the free tourist shuttle. We boarded it and went to the Docklands (it was advertised online as a new shopping district. It sucked). Disappointed by the poor shopping experience we set our hopes on Luna Park to cheer us up. Unbeknownst to us, tram stops aren't chronological so we got off too early. When we arrived we found that Luna Park was closed. Despite going to cheer ourselves up, St Kilda's Luna Park is more terrifying than jovial. Not willing to waste our tickets we continued walking down the street and found so many bakeries. I die. We settled with a churros dinner. smh @ us.


Jane pissed off as usual.


Jane obviously has problems because she thinks a pink Nissan Micra is following her.


















Little Bastard Choo Choo - Sparklehorse

Day 5
Jenny and Jane needed a shopping fix (I quote 'once I start shopping, I can't stop. I get this from my mother. Where ever she goes she has to bring half the city back with her'). We went to Chapel St in South Yarra - it's like Newtown but less alternative. As we had already spent money on our tickets we went to the actual NGV, NGV International just down the road. Obviously it was too far for us. We got there pretty late and I didn't finish seeing everything in the gallery. Jane and Jenny didn't share my love for the chairs. UGH THE CHAIRS! I don't have many photos from the day.



Kit, how I love you.


Jenny and Sergio.






Jenny and Sergio again.


An Interlude - The Decemberists
Day 6
This was our last full day in Melbourne so we went shopping, obviously. Dangerfield was playing amazing music and I found out that the guy who served me on my first day in Melbourne really was called Joss. Lunch was at Grill'd. Their burgers are so big I had difficulty opening my mouth wide enough to eat but I managed. Nothing gets in the way of me and my food, NOT EVEN MY TINY MOUTH. The guy who served us had a very peculiar accent and a deep voice. After shopping we got back to the motel but I was still itching to go back to the NGV. I left, Jane and Jenny did their own thing. I got back and found no one there so I went down and got a coffee, using my fake name Anne of course.



Mag Nation. I bought Lula from here.


OF COURSE Jane and Jenny read some football magazine when there's tonnes of other more interesting things to look at.


That post office which got converted into a shopping centre.




cutest cons ever.


Delish. I love peach flavoured anything.




Jane finally got her red velvet cupcake.


We had some sparkling wine to celebrate. Jenny has no tolerance to alcohol as we discovered.


La Noyee - Yann Tiersen
Day 7
I had my first Maccas breakfast on this morning. I think that deserved its place as first sentence. We checked out of the motel and had nothing to do for 4 hours. Jane and Jenny were boring so I went on a walk by myself. Great fun. I walked along the river from Federation Square, crossed a bunch of bridges, made it to Southbank and walked back to the square along one side of Flinders St Station. When I got back to the square J and J were still sitting there. I phoned Anton to catch up on football (haha, not really). Ah, I love Dagger for elbowing Torres. There were some cute underage boys sitting in front of us on the steps.




Morning.






This was my lunch I ate before boarding.

Or - Sonic Youth