cv-19 in western australia
Last week we were in Lockdown in parts of Western Australia due a case of community transmitted CV-19 the week before, after 9 months of being Covid free in WA. We had to wear masks and have permits to leave the Metropolitan area. This followed a week of stricter Lockdown with limited contact and movement. No other cases were diagnosed.
Luckily, all these restrictions ended on Saturday night at 12AM. Such a relief! Like so many people all over the world we found wearing masks unpleasant. They were hot and uncomfortable and it was strange not seeing someone’s face, only their eyes. I did find the fabric masks cooler and more comfortable than the disposable paper ones.
We went south to pick up my Mother for a medical appointment back here in Perth. We had to apply for and show a G2G, a Good to Go permit, at the Police Checkpoint to leave and return. She brought us a carrot she’d grown.
angels house, French Bistro, Fremantle
Salted Cod Brandade. This is a pâte or spread made of salted cod, olive oil, milk, potato and maybe lemon? Firm but easy to spread with a light, lovely flavour. My entree.
Then the CV-19 restrictions eased a little. Our son was here for the weekend so we went to Angels House in Fremantle for lunch. We liked to eat at The Pearl, in Legian, Bali, a magical blend of beautifully presented food served under the night sky by charming Balinese staff. Angels House is run by the same French chef who ran The Pearl.
We were pleased when we heard the chef at Pearl, Jeremy, was moving to Western Australia and opening Angels House, Pearl’s ‘little brother’. We ate here a few months ago and really enjoyed our lunch. We’re glad we managed to get a booking for last Saturday, too.
300gm Rib Eye with homemade croquettes. Delicious.
Pan seared ocean trout with salad. Although warned early on to leave room for dessert, I rashly also ordered the Chef’s Salad, tempted by the figs, radish and blue cheese.
Jeremy and his brother Anthony serve authentic French bistro food featuring local seasonal produce. The food is beautifully presented and the menu changes according to the seasons.
Profiteroles
The sleek interiors are complemented by tables out the front plus a garden area out the back, all in the middle of Fremantle.
Lemon Tart. No dessert for me, but I tasted both of these and they were just right!
St valentine’s day
We’re not ardent followers of Valentines Day and all the commercial rigmarole associated with the day, but I’ve traditionally made a heart shaped cake for the family. I used to borrow the cake tin from my Mother in law, then one day it became mine. This year’s cake was not fabulous! Well, the blueberry cake was good, but rushing to finish the job on a hot day meant I was not thrilled with the decoration. It tasted very nice, anyway.
We exchanged cards to celebrate the day, ate cake and felt relieved we could go out without masks.
Although the origins of St Valentine’s Day are contested, the ‘Hallmark Holiday’ began in 1913 and continues to be Hallmark’s second biggest selling card, after Christmas cards.
HOPE YOU HAD A HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY
reading
Do you watch The Yorkshire Shepherdess series, “Our Yorkshire Farm?” I found Amanda Owen, the shepherdess, her husband Colin, nine children and their way of life fascinating. I was delighted to get her first three books and have finished two and am well into the third.
Amanda Owen is a wonder mum, wife, farmer and householder. She Tweets and has an Instagram account despite being so busy and having a weak internet connection. Her other roles include maintaining a Shepherd’s Hut for paying guests and when the weather allows, preparing cream teas for the walkers wandering along the tracks through the farm. More recently they have added a house on an adjoining farm to their letting portfolio, after totally renovating it!
She writes about their life in the remote hills of Yorkshire, often isolated by snow in winter, without glamour but plenty of humour and pragmatism. The children, aged 2 to 18, all have roles to play. Owens and her husband Colin mainly farm sheep but also some cattle. They have horses and chickens and raise pigs for butchering for the family, working dogs and house dogs plus cats and a peacock.
Informative, inspiring and often droll, I am enjoying these books. Having grown up on farm with sheep, I have begun to tire of the lambing season stories, interspersed with cows and horses giving birth but found Owen’s own account of giving birth in front of the fire in the middle of the night rather beautiful. She didn’t want to disturb anyone! These books are great reads.
watching
This beautifully photographed film is an account of the discovery of the archaeological treasures that changed how we understood the Dark Ages. Sutton Hoo, the archaeological site, was dug just as World War 2 loomed on the horizon. A Suffolk landowner, Edith Pretty, engaged an archaeologist to explore the largest burial mound on her property. He discovered one of the oldest and most spectacular burial chambers ever found.
The treasures found in the burial chamber changed our understanding of the early chapters of English history. Instead being a rough and crude civilization, the burial chambers revealed the Dark Ages to actually be cultured, complex and sophisticated.
The Dig is beautifully filmed. It gently reveals the story and process of discovery and the resulting battles for the right to display the treasures. We really enjoyed this film.
The many treasures unearthed at Sutton Hoo are on display at the British Museum in London.
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