October 2020 - INSPIRING MAX

If we were having coffee I would ask you if you were going to watch either football grand final this week. In Australia, we have two main codes of football. The AFL ( Australian Football League ) and The NRL (Rugby League). Personally, I follow both codes, but neither of my teams made the grand final this year. Last night Richmond Tigers 81 beat Geelong Cats 50. This game was held in Queensland for the first time because of COVID. Tonight the Rugby League grand final is being played in Sydney, its usual venue. In this game I am supporting Penrith Panthers, a local team against the Melbourne Storm. May the best team win!

If we were having coffee I would ask you if you saw the kite surfers at the beach over the last few weeks. The flat surf has been perfect for them. I was mesmerized watching them jump the waves moving in and out.

If we were having coffee I would tell you how happy I was with the gluten- free short crust pastry I made last weekend. I have never made it before. Actually I’m not a confident pastry maker. My last attempt at regular pastry was probably 10 years ago. But necessity is the mother of invention so I am on a mission.

The GF pastry was much softer than regular pastry, which meant it was harder to handle. Initially, this caused me some concern. However, I quickly realized if I cut it to the appropriate size I could hand mold the pastry into the pie maker. Fortunately, this rustic method resulted perfectly shaped pies with an amazing taste. Interestingly, the GF variety also had less fat coming out in the pie maker. Therefore to simplify my life once I have used up my shop bought regular pastry I will used GF for everyone. Simpler and cheaper. All I need now is a GF puff pastry recipe.

If we were having coffee I would tell you my getting organized strategy is working. I have been working on my blog more, although not as much as I would like. I also now write a weekly meal plan. This keeps me accountable and makes life easier by ensuring we have the food needed in the house. I am also walking to work again 2 days a week which I enjoy.

If we were having coffee I would tell you about the purple sweet potatoes my husband harvested a few weeks ago. I roasted them and have enjoyed them with varies meals. It is the first time we have grown sweet potatoes and we were surprised at how many came from one plant. Some could definitely enter a weird shaped vegetable competition.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I was surprised at how much I enjoyed being able to touch my mother for the first time since March recently. She is in residential aged are and to keep everyone safe we have been restricted to window visits. However, recently due to low COVID numbers we are now allowed limited access with permission. Hugging is out, but due to her physical condition she requires help to stand. It was by giving her support in this way, I realised how much I had missed her physical touch. I’m a hugger from way back. So I will be very happy when hugging is on the can do list again.

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world. Let me know in the comments.

Last weekend was the 2020 Bathurst 1000. This years race was special because it was the final race for Holden’s factory team. The reason for the change is because the factory closed earlier in the year and the Holden brand has been retired. Thought Holden’s history at Bathurst it was well known that “when Holden cars won on the Sunday, Holden sold cars on the Monday.” To help keep up tradition Holden won their last Bathurst 1000.

Holden’s most successful racing car driver was Peter Brock. To this day his record of 9 wins at Mount Panorama Racing Circuit, Bathurst still stands. For this reason he was known as the King of The Mountain. Since his death in 2006, the winner of the Bathurst 1000 (The Great Race) has been awarded the Peter Bock Trophy.

In celebration of this great Australian race car legend, Bob Kollns created Peter Brock World at Bob’s Shed, Quirindi. Peter Brock was a crowd favourite and nothing was to much trouble for his fans. Kollns states that he had met Brocky on a few occasions and has many signed pieces of memorabilia in his displays.

Above are replicas of some of the cars Brocky raced over the years. I loved learning the stories behind the legend especially from his early career.

Peter Brock died doing what he loved. He was driving in a car rally in Western Australia. A national tragedy, when the country was still mourning the loss of Steve Irwin, (The Crocodile Hunter) 4 days earlier.

I think the following classic cartoon says it all.