Antarctic Vortex

We have had media overload these past days as the south-east of Australia geared up for a cold snap. Well the hype, I think, was a bit over the top - although some parts of our state of New South Wales did wake to a whisper-white morning this morning.

Mr HP and I, our Daughter and Grand Daughter had already arranged to pick up Youngest Son at the end of a short hiking trip he was undertaking in the Jamison Valley so we took the opportunity to drive up a bit further up the range to Mount Victoria to see if we could catch some snow.

Well, we did see it snowing, but where we were, the snow did not settle.  

So I don't have snow photos to show you. 

Even so, I have to admit that the cold has been getting me down a bit this winter.  Today's temperature didn't get above 11 'C in Springwood and the previous week didn't perform much better.  

Katoomba (where snow is more likely), it is at present less than 1 'C with a windchill factor of -5.5 'C.

So instead of a snow photo here is a shot of tonight's desert...the cold made me do it...I just needed some comfort food and I can tell you...you can't go past this Baked Rice Pudding by Donna Hay.  You can find the recipe here:  Recipe.

And there's enough leftovers for tomorrow...after all, we might need it, because the media assures us the worse of the Arctic Vortex is yet to come!

Hoping the weather isn't too extreme in your part of the world. 

If...

If I could choose any car, any car at all...this is my number one car of choice...

Spotted at the Lady Luck Festival 2015.  Katoomba Street Katoomba.

I'm Thankful for This

After a spell of awful temperatures of up to 41 'C, I am thankful for the reprieve we had today when our day's low plummeted to 

16 'C.

I happened to spend the afternoon in Katoomba, which is at a much higher altitude than my village in the lower mountains and while there took the opportunity to visit Echo Point.

I didn't at all mind that the mist drifted in, a mist so heavy that I got wet.

The tourists around me were whispering: "Magic, magic, magic."

And it was.

The Three Sisters

According to Aboriginal legend, The Three Sisters at Katoomba is a rock formation that represents three sisters who fell in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe.

'Meehni', 'Wimlah' and 'Gunnedoo' lived in the Jamison Valley as part of the Katoomba tribe. By law, they were forbidden to marry the brothers of the Nepean tribe.  The brothers challenged the law and a tribal battle ensued.  

Now the sisters were in danger so a Katoomba witch-doctor - wanting to protect them - turned them into stone.

His intention, once the battle was over, was to reverse the spell.  Except he did not foresee his death during as a result of the battle and the three sisters remain, generations later, as rock formations overlooking the valley.

This is only one of the legends to explain the attraction that is the Three Sisters at Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains.

I live about a thirty minute drive from Katoomba.  If you have been following my blog you will know that I travel to Katoomba every three months or so to visit the Food Co-op to purchase a lot of my groceries in bulk.

The drive up the mountain, over the past couple of years, has been a bit of an ordeal due to the constant road works taking place.

I liken the road works to a nomad, moving up, then down, then up the mountain.

Very rarely do the road works move to one side and then the other because the Great Western Highway travels in an east-west direction due to the geography of the Great Dividing Range.

So, I time my travel up the mountain. Much of the trip must now be travelled at a speed of forty kilometres per hour. Most of the rest of the trip is travelled at sixty kilometres per hour, and a very small portion is travelled at eighty kilometres per hour.  Do you get the picture?

This morning I took up an offer to have morning tea with some lovely women whom I had not actually met before except via a Facebook group exclusive to the Blue Mountains.

The weather has been so nippy I found it difficult to commit so waited to see what the weather would be like.

Blue skies greeted me this morning.  The sun glowed and the air was crisp.

Even though it was very cold the sun was defiantly shining.

So off I travelled to a little Blue Mountain village called Lawson for a hot cuppa and a chat.

Determined to make the most of the trip I decided that afterwards I'd continue up the mountain to top up my pantry with supplies from the Co-op.

I was overwhelmed by the beautiful day and on the spur of the moment decided that a visit to Echo Point was in order.

Nature did not disappoint.

Just to give you a scale of this attraction here are some photographs of the lookout at Echo Point.

While I was there I decided to pop into the souvenir shop and I found these...

My apologies...but I have to say...you have to be an Australian or a New Zealander to see the point of the last two photographs.
Possum Merino sock made in New Zealand.  All  you New Zealanders reading this...my commiserations. 

And a cute little trend starting here.

Day 333/366

I've been building up to a visit to the Blue Mountains Food Co-operative.  

The pantry has been becoming more bare by each day.

Today, I took the plunge.

Well, it wasn't so much a plunge as a very well thought-out and planned outing.  It has to be.

First there's the list.  Which has been been in the 'planning' stage for many months ( and entails writing down run-outs as they occur).

Then there's the organizing of the many containers which have to be clean, weighed  and labelled for content and weight.

Said containers are packed into carry bags -  along with a pencil and a marker which will be used at the co-op to write product codes onto the containers.  The co-op provides pencils and markers but it's more convenient to have my own.

I also pack empty egg cartons and clean glass jars for recycling and reuse at the co-op.

The drive up the hill is about  forty minutes, depending on weather and the always present road works. 

This morning's drive was made in fog and drizzle.

At the co-op I can buy most things in bulk:

A large variety of dried fruits, rices, sugars, flours, pastas, oils, pulses, herbs, teas, spices, coffees,hair care and cleaning products and so, so, much more.

I was going to photograph some of these products in the co-op's wonderfully and efficiently re-organized storage and shelving systems, new since my last visit ...but - when I found these pretty roses arranged on the outdoor setting; provided for people to sit, chat, read or snack, I photographed them instead.