So I have just completed 6 days of no coffee, just cause. Turns out day 2 is when the body suffers some crazy withdrawal – I had a pounding headache for most of the day.
And of course, here is my obligatory post of coffee:
Author: reine
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Culinary springtime, and dolphins
It’s getting warm and I love the colour of heirloom carrots. They make me happy and when I’m happy I turn into a culinary genius.
WATCH THIS SPACE, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT
Also what does it mean when I dream about swimming with dolphins, I have never had a dream like that before and it weirds me out.
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Death by caffeine, Cronut Jenga
My friend visited Adelaide, and being foodies and all, plus the fact that I wanted to experience death by caffeine, lead to us going on a grand adventure of all things tasty.
Friday was super epic and involved trying to consume as many coffees as possible, so here was my list for the day, assuming one filter has more caffeine than espresso and therefore is more than “one coffee”:
Exchange Specialty Coffee: 1.5 filters
Please Say Please: 1 espresso
Coffee Branch: 1 espresso
Little Seeds Pop Up: 1 espresso
Argo on the Square: 1 piccolo
Hey Jupiter: 1 flat white
Total count in 1 day: approx 7 coffees! Woohoo!
We had an awesome moment of cronut jenga and kind of spilt sugar everywhere when our tower fell (twice!) but it was so fun, and the fallen cronut was still within the 3 second rule PLUS it ended up on my umbrella so it was still good. Very tasty, loved the texture because donut dough is too heavy, so croissant dough to make donuts is genius!
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Granite Island, The Wind, and the Beginning of Proof
I love things that are packed full of jam, pickles, and other kinds of action. So this weekend I took a trip down to Victor Harbour and Granite Island.
Everyone told me it’d be cold, but for all the 10°C – 14°C, it wasn’t all that cold. I attribute this to my Rhodes and Beckett attire and the fact that Sydney has worse winters by far.
It was wet, cold and windy but I didn’t mind at all – I was loving it! However the farmer’s markets weren’t faring as well – I saw a few tents tip over – so they had to shut down early. I didn’t get my chance to spend money here, which was a good and bad thing, since I probably won’t visit again… ever?
It also meant the horse drawn tram wasn’t in action to Granite Island, but that was okay as I discovered it wasn’t a horse-drawn carriage. I was anticipating some good old, old fashioned horse carriages, but the picture advertising it depicted a giant bus-like thing drawn by horses, so I was disappointed without actually being disappointed. Instead I got to walk along the giant bridge-thing to the small island with big rocks and penguins that didn’t show!
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The Ephemery
Welcome to my dream word, The Ephemery.
Lose yourself in time, in blurred reality;
Live and re-live your life in pursuit of enlightenment…
In no hope, the darkness consumes you;
In freedom, the chaos releases you.
All leads to end.
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Reine’s winter wonderfuls
So first time living alone, I am left utterly to my own devices for everything! And considering I don’t like the word budget, instead preferring terms like “marginal propensity to spend” and “I allocate and redirect resources,” I have done a fair few bits of experimental cooking.
Hence, my Adelaidean winter wonderfuls. Winter here has actually been nice so far – I hated Sydney winters and everyone told me Adelaide was cold, super cold. But I’ve been loving it – apart from having a fit with the sporadic rain – the chill is so pleasant!
Mushrooms, goat curd on rosemary and potato sourdough, egg
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Apothecary 1878
So I’ve been looking for a replacement for Rockpool Bar and Grill, thinking I’d never find one, but lo and behold, after strolling down a dodgy-looking part of the city on a Sunday afternoon, I ran across a little treasure-looking-like place. That’s when I found out that it was a cute little wine bar that has all Victorian decor, and does high tea on Saturdays!
So I did a little research on it, and apparently it won best wine list in South Australia (cause Rockpool wins for Australia!). Plus they don’t advertise their list online, so I had to visit. My expectations were: giant wine list, and servings by the half glass, and was secretly hoping for varietal specific Riedels.
Of course, when I got there, they do indeed have a noteworthy wine list! Plenty of quotes throughout, as well as a Provenance to read through. Except… the list was much much smaller than I expected. Maybe 20 pages? I’m sorry, but I wanted a Rockpool-thick encyclopedia! They did have a great range of 75mL “tasters”, served in baby Riedels, which made me happy. Plus they were incredibly cheap at $5 – $5.50 per serving, considering at Rockpool I’m paying $16 for 75mL for their reserve stuff.
And while they don’t serve burgers, they do have a highly respectable bar menu much like Rockpool Bar and Grill, with excellent presentation and great range.
Goat curd, pink peppercorns and honey toast
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Sestina – “Tides”
Sestina – “Tides”
Stumbling awkwardly, reacting at reality,
Fumbling in the stark darkness
where the only guide is: the chime of time
the pain of flight through life
the held breath of the gamble as we chance that dance
Through all that is eternal.
Walk slowly, gain certainty through senses in the eternal
Realms that render such resplendent reality.
Walk slowly, with poise, confidence, then gracefully dance
and dash with daring through the darkness,
Weave, weft, warp in the loom that is life
and ties into the threads of time.
Rise high and fly – it is time
For elation and euphoria of the experience in the eternal
Flight of fleeting life.
From lofty levels, look what is left in all reality,
The harshness of darkness
Entrances, one glance and the dance-
What dance?
Freeze the time
In frigid darkness
Unchanging eternal.
This is the cold reality,
Fragility of life.
What is life,
But a dance
through reality
and time:
A journey of light through eternal
Darkness.
Embrace the darkness,
Melt the soft snow, and let it breathe life.
Embrace the ebb and flow of the eternal,
Quick, slow – quick quick slow- and dance
The dance of time
Entwined with reality.
Define the darkness to your dance,
Tune your life to the tick of time
And eternal bliss becomes reality.
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Timeless Reality
aka Ristrel goes power tripping after seeing Timeless Chaos
What happens in this moment, only happens in this moment. I see it as it is, even as a plethora of possibilities lay eager to be invoked at my whim, yet I wait, and the future feels right. I am the maelstrom, and the world is the eye; I see the whirlwind of “if only,” “but,” “what if” while these mortals plod along their linear path, unburdened by the impossible that only eternity provides.
I am the beholder, and they travel in my “now.” With a thought, their past is no longer theirs, and their future is mine. All that is real, what was, what is, what will be, and what never was, are part of my consciousness as I exist in every time stream. I see, I play, I pull, and what you are is what I want you to be as I give you your memories, your dreams and aspirations, and your sorrows and fears.
You do not live as time passes; you live as I give you everything around you, piece by piece. There is no time – you are fed through the threads of reality, and I am the Reality Weaver.
