Mar 31 - Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

  This is GoGo's favourite time of year of course.  She gets to get out of her cage and run around delivering Easter eggs to girls and boys under her jurisdiction.  See that's how it works, each bunny looks after the kids in their own areas, just like Santa and his helpers.  Of course, GoGo is the real Easter Bunny.

  I have been promising Mr Smart for quite some time that I will attempt to make Eggs Benedict for him at home.  We often go out for him and knowing how to make it at home ourselves would save a lot of money and time.

See!? Perfect!

  Mum agreed to oversee so first I set about making the Hollandaise sauce.  Boiling water on a simmer with a glass bowl over it, melting butter, separating eggs and juicing lemons then whisking, whisking and more whisking!  I'm glad Mr Smart helped with the whisking and pouring, I'm not sure I'd be able to tackle the preparation solo but in the end, we had a lovely thick smooth deep yellow Hollandaise sauce.
  Next it was on to poaching.  Mum explained the process and timing, I pre-boiled the water in the kettle and then poached two eggs at a time while frying the bacon.  When the bacon was crispy, the eggs were ready!
  I can't believe it took me this long to attempt it, it was so simple in the end.  Mr Smart was a very happy camper and at end of service Cafe Jess had four satisfied customers.
  Today was the last day of March so since we hadn't done one yet this month, Mr Smart and I were resolution bound to do a bushwalk today.  Mum and Dad decided to join us, and Bertie, Tricky and my nephew also decided to come along for some fun and exercise.  We all met just above the car parks at Ferntree Gully National Park and decided that today we would tackle the Living Bush Nature Walk.
  The walk starts over a little unobtrusive bridge, hidden slightly behind a playground.  It was drizzly today so the track was a little slippery but lush and green, filled with birds and bugs and all manner of life.  We saw fantails and finches, sulfur-crested cockatoos and kookaburra among others.

  The most interesting creature we happened upon during the walk though, was a land yabbie (or more technically Land Crayfish).  They like moist areas so you do tend to see them mainly in Victoria and Tasmania in the rainforest areas.  If you are walking along a track and see a hole about the size of a five-cent coin surrounded by little mounds of mud, that's probably a land yabbie burrow.  It's rare to see one completely out of their burrow though.  It was a real treat!  This one was about an inch long, head to tail.  They are not a very big crayfish I'll grant you, but at market price at least they'd be cheap!

  My nephew stormed through the walk, leading most of the way despite the calls of, "Slow down or you'll slip!" eventually proving correct.  We made sure he got to be first back across the bridge and of course he raced straight onto the playground to continue burning off energy!  The rest of us took up resting 'supervisory' positions while Mum and Bertie walked down to the cafe to fetch coffees and hot chocolates.

  After enjoying a rest and sharing a drink or snack together we headed back to our respective bases for the rest of the day.  Not long after we got back to my place, Mr Smart headed back to his place and I was left to finish my blogs, eat a yummy dinner with Mum and Dad and try to relax.

  Today's food and exercise were:

• Breakfast was two perfectly poached eggs with Hollandaise sauce and three rashers of short cut bacon followed by a 17g Cadbury Dairy Milk hollow egg and a small bunch of green seedless grapes.
• Exercise was the Living Bush Nature Walk at Ferntree Gully National Park.  It was a 2.83km walk completed in just under an hour according to Runtastic.
• After walk snack was a dried peach half, a dried pear half and about six assorted nuts.
• Afternoon snack was a Cadbury Creme Egg and six Cadbury Dairy Milk mini solid eggs.
• Dinner was approximately 230g raw weight Coles Argentinean-style beef steak with sweet potato fries and a green salad with olives and an olive oil and balsamic glaze dressing.
• Dessert was six more Cadbury Dairy Milk mini solid eggs and a hot Milo.

  So a busyish day once more, but at least both the meals I ate were home made today.  It's a step in the right direction.  I can't believe tomorrow is my last day with all my family around me, that's quite a sad thought really.  It can be frustrating having so many people in the house when I'm so used to living alone and doing my own thing but at the same time, I love these people so I never want to say goodbye.
  Jess