Wine of the Week:
Pol Roger Reserve Brut Champagne - I have veered from the red theme for no other reason as this is my favourite Champagne and I have had it twice in the space of four days; once during a work function and second to celebrate Little Ballerinas being named a finalist in the Sutherland Shire Business Awards.
I have to blame/credit my mate Matthew for Trish and mine's love of Pol Roger. We went to Singapore for a holiday a few years ago and Matt arranged for us to attend a Pol Roger lunch at a restaurant in Holland Village. We tasted about five vintages of Pol Roger and have not looked back.
From the moment that the cork bursts from the bottle, seeing the streams of small continuous bubbles floating up the glass and having that first sip which is smooth, the fruity nose and a taste that is addictive. If we had the means, it would be our drink of choice but it is brought out for special occasions...or if it is on special, which it was yesterday at Dan Murphys for $74 (normally around $98)
I have decided that party politics has a lot to answer for. Irrespective of what party you may support, it seems to me that towing the party line seems to stifle intelligent, compassionate and thoughtful debate.
This may have been a universal truth that everyone knows and I have just been oblivious or worst case naive about the situation. Just seems that once a politican has left the womb of the party machine or has taken a seat towards the back of the party bus; they are willing to share more of their true opinions, make a stand and perhaps (and just maybe) give an insight as to why they sought political office in the first place.
The recent example of this is the former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally. In the last couple of weeks, the former Premier (hair extensions and all) has made a number of public appearances on shows such as 'The Nation' and 'Q&A'. During these appearances, she has won many admirers from both side of the political fence; with her intelligent, compassionate and common sense debate particularly when it comes to the asylum seeker debate.
In addition to that, Kristina Keneally has also started to be an active Twitter user and is using it to answer questions and connect with the public and all of it with (at times) a self-deprecating sense of humour.
Same thing happened when former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. In the years after he left the nation's top job, he won many new supporters with his work with Care International and other charitable organisations and his willingness to put up an alternative and personal point of view when it came to our involvement in Iraq and our policies on asylum seekers (for the record, Fraser led his Government to develop a policy of increasing Australia's acceptance of refugees on humanitarian grounds). Free from the shackles of party room politics, Fraser demonstrated a compassion and a statesmanship that enhanced rather than detracted from his status as a former leader of our nation...which isn't always the case with our former leaders.
Where I am going with this I am not sure but maybe it is just a warning sign to us that we need to look at our leaders deeper and finding out what they truly believe. And we should definitely start questioning the two major parties more about what they stand for; rather having them try to hug the middle of the road not risking to lose the popular vote.
If we did, maybe we wouldn't have the Parliament we have at the moment...
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
The emptiness that is...September
Wine of the Week:
Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot 2008 - I have always liked wines coming from Vasse Felix Vasse Felix wines comes from the Margaret River in WA; one of Australia's major wine districts. This one was a Cabernet Merlot and has a fruity taste, is full bodied and is slightly dry; which is the Cabernet coming to the fore. Would suggest you give this one a decanting and some time as breathing allows it to get better and better. Have something to eat with it - perhaps a strong blue cheese...followed up by a steak. Just make sure you have enough to last for both!
Last year I wrote about the joys that September can bring when the St George-Illawarra won the NRL Premiership http://ramblingsoverared.blogspot.com/2010/10/we-are-champions-my-friends.html It was a time of great anticipation, drama, excitement and ultimately the elation of victory. This year is a different story.
In case you didn't know, the Dragons were eliminated from the finals series on Saturday after a golden point victory by Brisbane. After a year of season of riding the highs and the most recent lows, getting into the finals and being so close to progressing to the next stage; the result on Saturday has left me with a sort of empty feeling.
Don't get me wrong, the team played the game of their life. It was nailbiting stuff and they left nothing out of the tank. However, like many fans have found once their teams have been eliminated out of the finals the question that is asked is "What happens next?".
You are left in a sort of limbo really. You want to follow the remainder of the final series but you ask yourself who should you follow? Do you put your weight behind the team that kicked you out? Or do you take the moral high ground and put on your hat of impartiality and hope that the game is the winner?
Or do you just walk away, pretend you didn't make eye contact and come back after your own off season break; fresh and ready to do it all over again the following season?
These are the questions that I am wrestling with at the moment dear friends. However, one thing is for certain. Being involved in the business end of the season is far far better than sitting around, watching the TV and wishing your team was there.
Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot 2008 - I have always liked wines coming from Vasse Felix Vasse Felix wines comes from the Margaret River in WA; one of Australia's major wine districts. This one was a Cabernet Merlot and has a fruity taste, is full bodied and is slightly dry; which is the Cabernet coming to the fore. Would suggest you give this one a decanting and some time as breathing allows it to get better and better. Have something to eat with it - perhaps a strong blue cheese...followed up by a steak. Just make sure you have enough to last for both!
Last year I wrote about the joys that September can bring when the St George-Illawarra won the NRL Premiership http://ramblingsoverared.blogspot.com/2010/10/we-are-champions-my-friends.html It was a time of great anticipation, drama, excitement and ultimately the elation of victory. This year is a different story.
In case you didn't know, the Dragons were eliminated from the finals series on Saturday after a golden point victory by Brisbane. After a year of season of riding the highs and the most recent lows, getting into the finals and being so close to progressing to the next stage; the result on Saturday has left me with a sort of empty feeling.
Don't get me wrong, the team played the game of their life. It was nailbiting stuff and they left nothing out of the tank. However, like many fans have found once their teams have been eliminated out of the finals the question that is asked is "What happens next?".
You are left in a sort of limbo really. You want to follow the remainder of the final series but you ask yourself who should you follow? Do you put your weight behind the team that kicked you out? Or do you take the moral high ground and put on your hat of impartiality and hope that the game is the winner?
Or do you just walk away, pretend you didn't make eye contact and come back after your own off season break; fresh and ready to do it all over again the following season?
These are the questions that I am wrestling with at the moment dear friends. However, one thing is for certain. Being involved in the business end of the season is far far better than sitting around, watching the TV and wishing your team was there.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
A day that changed the world
Wine of the Week:
2010 La Syrah - this was the second wine that I picked up as part of my visit to The Oak Barrel. This wine is part of the Harem Series by Jamsheed Wines and turned out to be an excellent everyday drinking wine. It has a rich and dark appearance with a slight peppery nose with some chocolate on the taste. The good thing was that as it had more time to breathe, it started to get a bit more smoother with every taste. It would be perfect with pizza but also perhaps a pasta with a ragu sauce.
Apart from the footy finals occupying TV and press coverage this weekend, the other event that grabbed attention is of course the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11th, 2001. For a minute, I did contemplate writing about something else tonight but it is an event that does require some comment. Reason being is that it is something that changed all of our lives for ever.
History shows that there is one, maybe two events that shape a generation for better or for worse. A world war, the blast of a nuclear weapon, a natural disaster. What happened that day is one of those events.
While the attacks happened on mainland America, the impact was felt right across the world. At the time when we were glued to our televisions, pc's and newspapers trying to understand the gravity of what happened and coming to terms with the massive loss of innocent lives, we knew that this was something that would change the world but we didn't know quite how.
To me, what has resulted is that we now live in a world that is more fearful, more suspicious of one another and more security conscious than ever before.
We also learnt that anything is possible; both good and horrific. That is what happens when innocence is lost.
As you may know, we went to NYC earlier this year and it was truly the city that never sleeps. It was vibrant, alive and above all welcoming. It was also a testimony to the resilience of the city and it's people; that while 9/11 was something that can never be forgotten, the city's spirit can be restored.
I can not imagine what it was like to be there at the time but after reading some of the coverage over the last few days, this link to the New York Times gives a good insight. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/sept-11-reckoning/comments-that-day.html
Definitely better than I could ever do...
2010 La Syrah - this was the second wine that I picked up as part of my visit to The Oak Barrel. This wine is part of the Harem Series by Jamsheed Wines and turned out to be an excellent everyday drinking wine. It has a rich and dark appearance with a slight peppery nose with some chocolate on the taste. The good thing was that as it had more time to breathe, it started to get a bit more smoother with every taste. It would be perfect with pizza but also perhaps a pasta with a ragu sauce.
Apart from the footy finals occupying TV and press coverage this weekend, the other event that grabbed attention is of course the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11th, 2001. For a minute, I did contemplate writing about something else tonight but it is an event that does require some comment. Reason being is that it is something that changed all of our lives for ever.
History shows that there is one, maybe two events that shape a generation for better or for worse. A world war, the blast of a nuclear weapon, a natural disaster. What happened that day is one of those events.
While the attacks happened on mainland America, the impact was felt right across the world. At the time when we were glued to our televisions, pc's and newspapers trying to understand the gravity of what happened and coming to terms with the massive loss of innocent lives, we knew that this was something that would change the world but we didn't know quite how.
To me, what has resulted is that we now live in a world that is more fearful, more suspicious of one another and more security conscious than ever before.
We also learnt that anything is possible; both good and horrific. That is what happens when innocence is lost.
As you may know, we went to NYC earlier this year and it was truly the city that never sleeps. It was vibrant, alive and above all welcoming. It was also a testimony to the resilience of the city and it's people; that while 9/11 was something that can never be forgotten, the city's spirit can be restored.
I can not imagine what it was like to be there at the time but after reading some of the coverage over the last few days, this link to the New York Times gives a good insight. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/us/sept-11-reckoning/comments-that-day.html
Definitely better than I could ever do...
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A wine and some memories...
Wine of the Week:
2009 Pirathon by Kalleske - so a couple of weeks ago I went to my favourite bottle shop in the city, The Oak Barrel with the view to try something new, something different and something worth writing about. Had a chat to one of the team there who suggested a couple of wines. The Pirathon was one of these wines.
It is a Shiraz made by Kalleske Wines from the Barossa Valley. It had a fruity and chocolately taste which mixed well with peppery nose that you would expect from a Shiraz; only not as strong as you would get from a Hunter Valley Shiraz...which isn't a bad thing. At less than $25, the recommendation was that it was a special with pizza; a recommendation that I can definitely pass on but try it with a pizza shop pizza. www.pirathon.com
Some of you may know that in May this year, my Aunt Valerie (who was known by all as Aunty Bobby) passed away. While it was a sad time for us as a family it also marked the end of her suffering as she had dementia and she had reached the final stages of the disease a lot quicker then anyone had expected.
When she died, I didn't make any specific comment or do a specific post. I guess it was because it was all too raw, too recent and in a way it still is. However, last Wednesday (August 31st) was Aunty Bobby's birthday so it was a day to stop and remember and of course wish her happy birthday. She would have been 74.
So, I would like to take this time to perhaps share with you some of what I shared at the time of her service. I do this not in a melancholic way but to share with you what my Aunty was like and someone who meant a lot to her friends and family.
"Aunty Bobby loved to cook. Not only did Aunty Bobby love to cook but we ALL loved the fact that she loved to cook. That’s because she was very good at it.Friends and family alike enjoyed Aunty Bobby’s cooking. Friends that Lynne and I brought over to Bridge Street were often forced to eat themselves to a standstill as they were asked the question “surely, you haven’t had enough to eat?” Ask anyone who went to Lynne or my twenty first birthday parties and they will always mention the food!
It wasn’t just at home either. For most of the time in Australia, Val worked as a cook at Belgrave Nursing Home and there she won many fans with her cooking. At the annual fete, she would have her corner stall where she would sell her curry rolls all day long; based on the minced curry that would keep family and friends alike happy – apart for me anyway, I always found her curry too hot!
There were her lamingtons; lamingtons that the famous Australian actress Queenie Ashton claimed were the best she ever tasted. The fact that Queenie lived until she was 96 tells me that she tasted a lot of lamingtons! And her potato salad for which she had a standing order from her friend Annette every Christmas.
Aunty Bobby also had the largest collection of Mills & Boon books that one had ever seen...She spent a lot of time reading and many a time Lynne or I would stumble into the house in the early hours of the morning to find the light on underneath her door as she was reading into the night…which invariably was followed the morning after by her telling us how much noise we were making while coming into the house.
Aunty Bobby liked having an opinion and wasn’t shy of sharing it. A classic example of this would be when she picked me up from playing cricket on Saturdays and would ask me how many runs I scored. Invariably, it wouldn’t be much and rather than her replying with a “better luck next time” or “there is always next game”, it was more along the lines of “well…that’s not much is it?”
You always knew what Aunty Bobby thought and she always honest with her opinions. It is a quality that many of her friends admired of her; friends that stayed with her for life and her with them. While it may have annoyed you sometimes, particularly growing up and thinking that you know it all, it showed strength of her character –a strength illustrated by her and her sisters raising two children, Lynne and I and buying a house by themselves in the mid seventies; that after moving to a new country in the middle of their lives.
The one thing that didn’t diminish because of her illness was the love she shared with all of her nieces and nephews. She was always there to help out where she could, always there to provide her advice (wanted or unwanted) and was always there to push and challenge us; which always meant we ended up doing our best. This extended not only to the cousins in Australia but also those back in South Africa. And as we all started to find our own partners and build our own lives and families, she shared that love with them as well."
Happy birthday Aunty Bobby...miss you greatly.
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