Ross.....and painting ...la peinture

Hi all,

Ross has received messages of condolence from various people.

Unfortunately as he is busy painting a room, he hasn't had time to respond to anyone...in fact he's barely had time to read his emails.

He has asked me to convey his appreciation and he hopes to write something about his mum, Jean over the next couple of weeks or so.

Chers amis, Ross a reçu les condoléances de nombreuses personnes.  Il est en train de peindre notre chambre, et n'a pas eu le temps de répondre...en fait il n'a guère eu le temps de lire ces mails.

Il m'a demandé de vous exprimer son appréciation et il espère écrire un article sur sa mère (blog) dans les quelques semaines qui viennent.

Jean Benbow

Chers amis,

Pour ceux qui connaissent Ross, je vous écris pour annoncer le décès de sa mère Jean, le 22 avril, 2014. 

Hi everyone,

For those of you who know Ross, I am writing to inform you of his mother's passing Tuesday 22nd April, 2014.

The funeral service took place at the funeral parlour at Portland, attended by nearly forty people.

Ross took the service which was secular as Jean was not religious and did not believe in the "after life". With Ross were his brother, Des and his sister, Rhonda along with other family members.

People were invited to say something....but country people are, according to Rhonda, quite reticent on such occasions.....one cousin however, did say a few words.

Ross read a tribute from our friend Liz and Alan read a tribute on my behalf. Kathryn spoke about Jean and in particular about her love of gardening. 

Hopefully Ross will write a few words about his mum shortly.

In the meantime this is my tribute to Jean:

(Just so you understand my last line, Jean and Fred used to fossick for gem stones...which they loved).

Good old Jeannie what can I say about her?

Jean was practical!!

It's probably fair to say that she was not as romantic as the Hollywood stars of the 40's....she had practical matters to attend to. Despite these practicalities, she was a warm lady and a most loquacious person.....(a bit like a certain aunty of mine).....when Jean was well, she could talk for hours.  When I met Jean in the late 90's she was quite sociable....this did wane in recent times...

Jean had some ways about her which were very foreign TO ME in terms of how a woman should behave.....drowning ferrel cats, and clubbing a snake on the head...

I grew up in the city...all the women around me were dainty and refined.....or at least they thought they were....

I have heard stories about Jean looking out the kitchen window and seeing the imminent arrival of visitors on the horizon. I am told that scones would be made and thrown in the oven before the guests had even rung the doorbell !!!

Jean loved her garden; when living in Dennington, Warrnambool, her last home prior to moving into the nursing home, she developed quite a large garden ...I believe she loved irises most of all.

This was one area in which Jean preferred to abandon the practicalities of vegetable growing in favour of flowers--simply to look at and for their scent. She wasn't rapt in green vegetables anyway....she hated broccoli !!!!!!!! and cooked her beans for at least 40 minutes....till they were grey.

Good old Jean....she was a good stick, a country girl, straightforward, ...no fuss, no bullshit.....
If she liked you, she liked you; if she didn't, she didn't. Nothing convoluted or surreptitious about our Jean....an admirable trait which is present, I feel, in the whole Benbow clan.

I hope you're at peace Jean and having a good time wherever you are.
May you find some lovely gem stones.

All my love

David



Sent from my iPad

Jean Isabella Benbow

Jean Isabella Benbow (née Finck)

25/09/1927-22/04/2014

Photo of Jean and grandson Eddie mid 2013

Lunch!!!

Hi all,

What a busy couple of weeks!!!

Firstly last Saturday, we went out with friends for lunch at Oscar's in Warburton. The food was delicious and the flavours were a little middle eastern...quite aromatic and interesting.

Qu'est-ce qu'on est occupé ces dernier temps...

La semaine dernière nous avons très bien mangé dans un bon restaurant à Warburton.

Il faut en profiter un peu, car ça devient de plus en difficile de manger "dehors".

I can't help feeling that my eating-out days are really numbered, so it was nice to have such an enjoyable experience. It's also dear to eat out...can't do it too often. 

I had lovely slow cooked pork for entrée (not what the bloody Americans call entrée...dills that they are!!!) followed by an absolutely beautiful vego dish with egg plant, houmous, a capsicum panna cotta and some gorgeous deep fried capers which were amazing. In the past I would never have ordered vego for a main....not that I'm against vegetables....just a natural carnivore, but unless the meat is falling apart it's very difficult now.

En entrée j'ai pris le porc qui était juteux, et croustillant en même temps. Délicieux mais un tout petit plus de temps aurait rendu la peau plus croustillante...car elle était un peu caoutchouteuse. 

J'ai choisi végétarien comme plat principal, pour éviter des viandes insuffisament tendres.....c'était excellent...très savoureux et très imaginatif comme plat.

Ross had an amazing curried pea soup with rabbit,  followed by tenderloin beef which he loved. Maybe we'll send you some pictures.  Unfortunately, I don't seem to be able to cut and paste the recipes. 

Ross a pris la soupe en entrée une soupe de petit pois parfumé au curry et au lapin. Il s'en est extasié!!!!

Please see:

Voir ci-dessous:

http://www.oscarsontheyarra.com.au/pdfs/menu_alacarte.pdf

On Sunday we went to some friends for a "musical" afternoon which was lovely and Rachel made a clafoutis aux cerises which was delicious.

Dimanche passé nous avons passé un très agréable après-midi chez des amis et Rachel a fait un clafoutis aux cerises qui était très bon.

During the past week or two, I've been busy emailing people about curtain rails and curtains (shower) for our main bathroom....what a drag! We should have fitted curtains when it was being built....now I have to do everything by email and there are dozens of them....I'm quite exhausted from it....it's not fun having to do EVERYTHING by email. And a rail fixed to the ceiling with a curve in it ain't cheap!!!  I won't go into it.

Ça fait quelques semaines qui j'envoie et que je reçois un tas de mails à la recherche d'un rail et d'un fabriquant de rideaux pour notre salle de bains principale. Chose que j'aurais dû faire au moment des rénovations. Tous ces emails...c'est épuisant....mais je n'ai pas le choix. Et la rail...ça coûte la peau des fesses!!!

Jean, Ross's mum is slipping. I believe she's stopped eating and Rhonda (Ross's sister) rang a couple of days ago to say that she's had a stroke....so her days are numbered. We may go to see Jean on Tuesday after a series of appointments at Calvary care for my "stuff". Jean's in Portland....it's like going to the moon!!!!

Jean, la mère a Ross a eu une attaque l'autre jour. elle refuse de manger et elle n'en a sûrement pas pour longtemps.  On va lui rendre visite mardi prochain après une journée "médicale" relative à ma condition.  Il faut se rendre à Portland....c'est pas la porte à côté.

In between all these events more problems with out hot plate (intermittent functioning) which I really don't need.

En plus de ça on a encore des problèmes avec nos plaques à induction qui marchent de manière intermittente.

Have to choose a paint colour for the new bedroom (old workshop), as Ross will paint it when he gets a minute.

Faut choisir une couleur pour les murs de notre "nouvelle" chambre à coucher que Ross va peindre entre toutes les autres besognes.....

Moving on.....Ross organised a very lovely surprise for me on Good Friday.

En avant.....Ross a organisé une très belle surprise pour moi vendredi saint.

As it turns out the winner of Master Chef 2013, Emma Dean (for some reason Emma always includes her last name when referring to herself.....perhaps trying to stave off the onset of Alzheimer's disease).

is a very good friend of Anna's (Ross's daughter) and was bridesmaid at their wedding. 

Il arrive que la championne de master chef 2013, Emma Dean (qui s'appelle toujours ainsi citant son nom de famille...sûrement pour retarder l'arrivée de la maladie d'alzheimer) est très proche d'Anna. Emma faisait partie des filles d'honneur au mariage de Peter et Anna.

Ross organised for Emma to come and cook a sumptuous meal in our kitchen and she brought with her, not only her lovely English partner Dan, who is such a nice fellow, but also runner up Lynton (master chef), a delightful carnivore from the N.T.  Lynton helped Emma all day, (except when he was boozing) and seemed happy with the kitchen. He was mesmerised with my scales and photographed them. They are old fashioned scales...weights on one side and a dish on the other NOTHING TO BREAK DOWN......very necessary in this day and age....so remember everyone, just because it's old doesn't mean that it ain't good! 

Ross a arrangé pour qu'elle vienne faire à manger pour moi et sa famille. Elle a ammené Lynton son adversaire dans les finales de Master Chef pour lui donner un coup de main. Lynton carnivore dévoué des territoires du Nord n'a pas cessé de travailler toute la journée (sauf quand il buvait). Il était ébloui par ma balance ancienne.....qui ne tombe jamais en panne. Un récipient d'un côté et des poids de l'autre...impecc!!! Tout ça pour dire qu'une chose peut être vieille et bonne.

Emma a fait des créations de son livre de cuisine.

Emma made recipes from her cook book. 

Hors d'oeuvre:

Gougères au fromage bleu

Veloûté de céléri-rave, garni de truffe noire et cerfeuil

Celeriac soup finished with black truffle and chervil

Quelques patates et du pain à l'ail comme "goûter"....création "Dan"

Some potatoes and garlic bread for afternoon tea...created by Dan.

Beef cheek braised with cardamom and vanilla bean.

Joue de boeuf parfumée à la vanille et au cardamom

Gateau mousse aux framboises.

The gougères were delicious...first lot a bit undercooked perhaps but unctuous...

Next lot held their shape but drier....better appearance, but both lovely.

Les gougères étaient très bonnes, les premières étant moins cuites mais très onctueuses et les suivantes plus sèches mais tout aussi bonnes.

Soup was outstanding...very simple clean flavours....quite a "fresh" soup.

Le véloûté était excellent. Simple, rafraîchissant délicieux.

Beef cheek was very nice....vanilla...a new flavour for me with beef...very nice but slightly foreign.

Hilarious to see that they had anticipated serving the beef cheek at about 3.30.....anyway it was ready at 7.30....I did tell Emma.....no way that'll be cooked....forget it....come and have some wine.

Le boeuf à la vanille...une nouvelle expérience pour moi...bonne....mais un peu extra-terrestre.

J'avais dit à Emma que les joues ne seraient pas prêtes pour 15 h 30.... On les a bouffées à 19h 30.

And booze we did. Ross had 1/2 glass all day...Kathryn...none--she's very Christian.....(but didn't Jesus drink wine?) so there were 10 adults remaining and we drank 12 bottles!!! Bloody piss pots!!

On a bien bu !!! bande d'ivrognes que nous sommes...  Ross n'a bu qu'un demi verre toute la journée et Kathryn...rien.....(la bonne chrètienne, mais n'est-ce pas que Jésus aimait picoler??)

It was a really lovely day and very strange to have others in my kitchen....

A nice strangeness, but most unusual....Oh well a bit of fame never hurt....celebrities in the house.

On a passé une très belle journée....quelque peu bizarre d'avoir dans gens dans ma cuisine mais bizarre pour les meilleures raisons. Et des gens célèbres...ça ne fait pas de mal vous savez!!!!

Before I say adieu, I need to tell you a story.

Avant de vous quitter il faut que je vous raconte:

Last year Anna and Peter were visiting with Dan, Emma's man. Emma was in master chef "lock down" as the finals approached. She rang while Dan was here, (during her 20 minute per week timeslot which Master Chef grants to contestants) exhausted...what am I going to feed them?? was the BIG question on her mind (for the grand final). Dan asked, "any ideas?"

I said, "nothing dainty, nothing Japanese, they're all fat pigs (the judges)...feed them fat, caramel and crunch...."

"...feed 'em hazelnuts, honey and thyme..."

And so Emma did....we were away in the U.K. at the time of the finals, but I believe she made a chicken dish with a hazelnut, honey and thyme granola....

AND SHE WON!!!!!

Sure Emma did the cooking but I did offer the idea, so I sort of won Master Chef 2013.....this story is true...not a concoction.

Call it a covert form of fame....now made overt....

See you next time everyone. I've had it!

 

L'an passé lors d'une visite de Peter, Anna, Eddie et Dan, le partenaire d'Emma, Dan a reçu un coup de fil de sa chérie. Il était permis aux concurrents de téléphoner une fois par semaine, mais la conversation ne pouvait pas dépasser les 20 minutes. Epuisée, à bout de force et arrivée aux finales elle demande..."qu'est-ce que je vais cuisiner...que faire pour gagner?"

Dan nous pose la question...

Je réponds....rien de fin, rien de japonais....ce sont tous de gros porcs (les juges). 

Donne-leur de la graisse, du caramel et du croquant.....

Des noisettes, miel et thym.....c'est ce qu'il leur faut...

Selon Dan cette Idée l'a ranimée et elle a fait un plat de poulet avec un croquant se servant de ces ingrédients....

ET ELLE A GAGNÉ!!!!

C'est sûr que c'est pas moi qui ai cuisiné ce jour-là mais tout de même l'idée est venue de moi...donc, on pourrait dire en quelque sorte que j'ai plus ou moins gagné master chef 2013. C'est pas des blagues tout ça. Sans déconner....

Ma renommée jadis couverte est désormais ouverte!!

A la prochaine mes amis.

Back again

Hi everyone,

Some time has passed since our last posting.

A bit's been happening.

Poor Ross had to have his second hernia operation--the first was was keyhole surgery but the 2nd needed to be standard open surgery. There was a reaction with the webbing and he ended up with a lot of pain and bruising, nothing like his initial operation which went by almost unnoticed. He also had blue balls for a while...not very picturesque.

Pauvre Ross s'est fait opérer d'une hernie récemment, la 2ème opération de ce type. La première s'était bien passée mais la deuxième était beaucoup plus douleureuse, et l'a laissé avec des bleus de partout. En plus il avait des couilles violettes...pas très jolie comme image.

A couple of weeks later I went to hospital to have a PEG fitted while my respiratory function is still adequate. This will allow for liquid feeding if feeding becomes too difficult. I'm slowly getting used to the thing protruding from my stomach, but I can't say I'm thrilled about its presence. For the moment I can still eat enough, but food must be wet and soft as a rule. Chops and steaks are out and even sausages can be a bit dry. I can still manage roasted nuts, but I don't know for how long. We are using the PEG for hydration at present...helps keep my plumbing (both ends) in good order.

Quelques semaines plus tard, je me suis rendu à l'hôpital où ils m'ont mis un tube gastrique au cas où je ne pourrais pas manger assez oralement à l'avenir.  Je me fais à la présence du tube, mais je n'en suis pas ravi. Pour l'instant je m'alimente suffisament mais en général la nourriture doit être bien liquide et très tendre. Les noix passent encore, mais pour combiens de temps?  Les steacks et les cotelettes sont finis...même les saucisses peuvent être seches. Pour l'instant cette sonde sert à l'hydratation et ça facilite le transit intestinal. Ça fait pisser aussi!

I'm certainly getting much more tried now and my speech has slipped enormously. I no longer speak on the phone.

Je suis de plus en plus fatigué maintenant et mon parler a beaucoup chuté. Je ne réponds plus au téléphone.

Pour changer de sujet....on mange des betteraves, des haricots verts et des pois mange-tout de notre jardin. A notre grande surprise nos tomates mûrissent et sont très bonnes. Elle ne vont sûrement pas toutes mûrir mais il faut se contenter de ce qu'on a. On a récolté des noisettes...et je suis au comble de joie. Il n'y en a pas beaucoup mais c'est mieux qu'un coup de pieds au cul.

We're eating beetroots, beans, snow peas et tomatoes from our garden. The tomatoes won't all ripen, but still...it's lovely to have some. We harvested some hazelnuts...wonderful.  Not a huge quantity but better than a kick in the arse!

Our grandchildren are growing up. Both Eddie and Audrey celebrated their first birthdays recently.

They're noisy little buggers. Audrey was up here recently and after being given omelette by Mum. She stuffed one handful in her face and threw three on the floor. I asked, "is that normal???" Yes I was told.

Thank God we're not English....no bloody carpets, just floorboards..at least that's something.

Les petits enfants grandissent et ont célébré leur premier anniversaire récemment. Qu'est-ce qu'ils sont bruyants!!

La petite Audrey était ici voilà quelques semaines. Maman lui a donné de l'omelette. Elle en mange une bouchée et jette trois fois plus par terre. Heureusement qu'on n'est pas anglais....pas de moquette chez nous!!!

I had my lovely cousins and my brother visit here from Israel and England respectively. They came out for Jason my nephew's wedding.

Had the wedding last Sunday...lovely weather. Hundreds of people and lots of prayers...(how unusual)

Limor, the bride looked beautiful and Jason scrubbed up well. The Chuppah (Jewish wedding ceremony) took place in the Rippon Lea gardens, and the reception was in Kensington....a long way from Caulfield!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is most surprising that the Jewish cars didn't get lost!!  I must say that on this occasion the kosher food was good, as good as kosher food can be, given that you can't have milk products with meat and that there is no bacon. Chocolate pudding for dessert....how do you do that without milk???  Perhaps best not to ask...

Mes cousins d'israël et mon frère sont venus pour le mariage de mon neveu Jason à sa belle Limor.

La Chuppah (cérémonie réligieuse) a eu lieu sur les pelouses de Rippon Lea et il a fait tres beau.

Le grand spectacle a continué au soir à Kensington, bien loin de Caulfield (le quartier juif). C'est presque étonnants que les voitures juives ne se soient pas égarées.... La bouffe malgré l'absence de produits laitiers et de cochon était quand-même assez bonne. Mais il y avait une crème patissière au chocolat comme dessert...comment faire ça sans lait....par quoi peut-on remplacer le lait dans une crème cuite?  J'aimerais bien le savoir...

At present we have Kel our floor layer installing a new floor in what used to be my workshop. We had chipboard down, which has been removed and is being replaced by Tassie oak.  Kel is a great guy...he sanded and polished our living room floor some years ago. He is a strict vegetarian...probably unusual for a tradie and great to chat with. Nice to see that there are some normal Americans around. He's from California and he doesn't even have a gun...what's wrong with him?  Perhaps he should consult a psychiatrist??

A présent ce qui fut mon atelier (en fait une chambre à coucher) est en train d'être rénové. Kel, le parqueteur est en train de mettre un nouveau plancher car on avait de l'aggloméré avant. Kel est très gentil...c'est lui qui s'est occupé de toute la finition de notre living voilà quelques années. C'est un végétarien....pas commun chez les ouvriers. C'est bien d'avoir un Americain chez nous sans revolver!!!

En fait...je me fais du soucis...qu'est-ce qu'il a? Peut-être devrait-il consulter un psychiatre??