A SEASIDE CHRISTMAS

Fruit salad, Grey River Christmas

Putting up decorations for Christmas at Grey River

Toasted croissants, Grey River Christmas

Breakfast BBQ for Christmas at Grey River

Christmas muffins for breakfast at Grey River
Fruit salad, Grey River Christmas

Christmas Breakfast, Grey River

Linesman fixing powerline, Grey River Christmas

Little Dog receives his present with suspicion, Grey River Christmas

Dylan's Christmas present Swainston's Fish of Australia, Grey River Christmas

Charlie and Little sitting on dad's lap, Grey River Christmas

Tom taking Wardy out spearfishing, Grey River Christmas

Fisherman and fisherdog on the beach, Grey River Christmas

Trout, Grey River Christmas

Watercolour fish, Grey River Christmas

Gracie dog decorated for christmas, Grey River Christmas

Hash browns, Grey River Christmas

Christmas Dinner, Grey River

Birthday cake, Grey River Christmas

Chess, Grey River Christmas

Stormy weather took out the power lines so Christmas  morning began with a crackling fire and smokey toasted croissants. Traditions of plastic trees, turkey and shouting matches are made to be broken: family, friends and fishing are much nicer. Chocolate birthday cake is pretty delightful as well.

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THANK YOU MY FINNED FRIEND

Fishing off the rocks at the beach, Grey River, the Otways

Dylan catching his first and only fish of the day at the beach, Grey River, the Otways

tom spearfishing at the beach, Grey River, the Otways
Tom cleaning the fish at the beach, Grey River, the Otways

Our catch at the beach, Grey River, the Otways

Shelling broad beans at the beach, Grey River, the Otways

Broad beans at the beach, Grey River, the Otways

Fishing and trying to avoid snags at the beach, Grey River, the Otways

Sitting and fishing at the beach, Grey River, the Otways

Little penguin on the beach, Grey River, the Otways

 

We started reducing the amount of meat we ate during our Permaculture course, how could we not after learning about how unsustainable it is and unnecessary? Humans have evolved as omnivores so I’m not about to tell people who love meat they shouldn’t eat it, I don’t think it is unnatural to do so, but we definitely didn’t evolve eating it everyday, perhaps once a week. It was a special thing which involved a lot of skill in tracking and hunting, the animals were not on a production line, they were revered and every part of them from skin to horn were used, nothing was wasted.

We decided to eat only wild meats, ones that would otherwise be a waste product of culling. But slowly becoming more awake to the implications of what I eat, I came to a conclusion…I should only eat what I would be willing to kill myself, with my two hands, no more little styrofoam trays!

After this decision, I realised I didn’t have much of a stomach for such things, the list of meats dwindled to birds and fish. It came to a head when our housemate wanted to hatch a dozen Bantams and kill and eat the roosters. I quietly and shamefully sobbed into my pillow that night and realised afterward I could not eat chicken anymore, so I became a pescatarian. (Of course if you are going to eat chicken my housemates approach was perfectly right, on a farm the extra roosters would to be dispatched, often without being eaten at all.) Then one night I had a nightmare that I had a fish in my hands and it was wriggling and I knew I shouldn’t just let it drown in air, but I just couldn’t deal the fatal stroke . The next time I ate fish I had this niggling guilt, I had to go fishing and see if I could do it before I could eat fish again.

That is how rod in hand (and spear for our British friend) we came to be at the beach fishing off the rocks. Surprisingly the first cast we got, was not what we at first thought was a snag, but a healthy sized fish, and … it was fine. But it did make me more aware of the idea that even eating a fish you have caught yourself is taking a life and it shouldn’t be done too lightly. I am happy to stick to just eating fish that we had caught ourselves. It seems unnecessary to eat it more than that. Meanwhile, is it me or is the average vegetarian food often more gourmet tasting than the usual meat and three veg? There are so many delicious subtle flavours!

Oh I guess I should make mention of the shelling of broad beans on the beach, it can be tedious shelling them so why not get little sun at the same time. On the way back home, catch in hand we spotted a little penguin who had obviously taken a wrong turn and needed a little rest on the rocks before heading to more familiar waters.

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FINE FEATHERS AND CLAWS

Tomato pizza at the Wye River Cafe, the Otways

Handcut chips and aioli at the Wye River Cafe, the Otways

Rosella eating seeds at Kennett River, the Otways

Housemates koala watching, Kennett River, the Otways

Male koala on the prowl at Kennett River, the Otways

Koala acrobatics at Kennett River, the Otways

Lady Koala having none of it, Kennett River, the Otways

Parrot eating seed from our housemate's hand at Grey River, the Otways

We stopped for lunch at the Wye River Cafe for some overpriced deliciousness. The food is such a treat and all with that gourmet amount of oil and salt, that is enough to make you really unhealthy, but hidden under enough fresh veg and herbs so you think you can get away with no one noticing.

Sometimes I can’t help myself and and I surrender to my primitive urges to take photos of food, why does sunlight glistening on crystals of salted chips tempt me so?

We took our housemates to spot their first koala and we barely turned the corner into Kennet River when there was one right in front of our faces. It is kind of anticlimactic when there isn’t even the slightest bit of tree scanning. They were treated to said koala, a lecherous old man koala no doubt, trying to get some action from a lady koala demurely perched on a branch. She would have none of it of course and no amount of his grunting and grasping could sway her, the claws came out and after some shrieking he slipped and skidded down down down the trunk to lick his wounds. She sat arms crossed in disgust.

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