Matthew McConaughey in My Local Park

I went for a walk the other day, and there was a security guard sitting at the entrance into the Park. I could see many tents and vans and so forth and so asked what was happening. "I can't comment" was the brief reply.
Apparently it was a film production, another source told me before I returned home.

Only today did I find out.....

Brisbane had its last day masquerading as the Caribbean as Hollywood stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey finished filming for their upcoming movie.
Fool's Gold, in which the A-listers play married treasure hunters, has been filming since Monday at the historic Queensland University of Technology campus.
Hudson and son Ryder have been sighted enjoying the nightlife around the city this week, while McConaughey has kept a low profile.
A spokeswoman for Warner Brothers said the crew would pack up filming before moving to the Gold Coast to film the last scenes.
But the coast's famous beaches will not be used, with most filming to be done at studios at Warner Brothers Movie World.
The entire movie has been shot in Queensland, giving the state's industry a huge boost.
Filming began earlier this month in north Queensland, which also became the Caribbean for the movie.
The film is due to be released in 2008.

what is Vegemite?

The famous Aussie spread! The great Australian icon has been around for more than 80 years. Made in Australia, by Australians and for Australians.
One of the world's richest known sources of Vitamin B. 24 million jars are sold each year in supermarkets alone.
"It's an Australian icon," says expat author Kathy Lette. "Right up there with Phar Lap and Thorpedo and Kylie and Kidman."

30 years ago my first ever cardiologist told me to give it up immediately...it has a high salt content. So I did but the next 2 Generations love it!

Australia Day 2007

Vegemite gelato on the way


Jan 25, 2007

It's a multicultural twist on an Aussie favourite that's sure to get the tastebuds tingling

this Australia Day.

Those celebrating the national day in Brisbane on Friday will have the chance to cool down

after a couple of snags and beers with

a Vegemite gelato.

Italian-trained Gherardo Deflorian and his partner Lei Hua,

of Brisbane's Gelateria Cremona,

concocted the unique ice cream flavour for lovers of the Australian icon.

"I thought we'd do something different for Australia Day (January 26)

and so I was thinking about maybe lamington,

but Vegemite has to be more controversial," Mr Deflorian told AAP on thursday.

"When I came to Australia there's so many more ingredients than there were in Italy

so I like to keep my job a bit more fun, a bit more interesting so I try new things.

"Everything can be transformed into a gelato."

Mr Deflorian had to get his customers to help him taste-test his newest creation

because he doesn't like Vegemite himself.

"They all say it's quite a weird taste but some people do like Vegemite

and they say it's quite good," he said.

"It reminds them of when they were little and they had Vegemite on toast with butter."

The Vegemite gelato is not the first time Mr Deflorian has experimented

with unusual ice cream flavours.

Last year he made a Guinness gelato for St Patrick's Day

and a pear and blue-vein cheese gelato for a local food festival.

And he plans to make a rose-flavoured gelato for St Valentine's Day next month - bellissimo!

2007 Oscar Nomination

"Dreamgirls," the film version of the 1981 Broadway show, received a leading eight nominations, but was shut out of two of the biggest categories -- best picture and best director. The film did receive nominations for two of its performers, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, both in supporting categories.
"Babel," Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's ensemble cross-cultural tale of families in crisis, had seven nominations, though just two for its performers, both in the supporting actress category. Neither of its major stars, Brad Pitt or Cate Blanchett, earned a nomination for the film -- but Blanchett did get a nod for her work in "Notes on a Scandal."

And "The Departed," Martin Scorsese's tale of the mob and the cops in Boston, was nominated for best picture and best director, but only Mark Wahlberg earned an acting nomination, for supporting actor.

The year's sleeper hit, "Little Miss Sunshine," earned nominations for best picture, best supporting actor (Alan Arkin), best supporting actress (Abigail Breslin) and best original screenplay.

One dark horse that came out shining bright was Clint Eastwood's Japanese-language "Letters From Iwo Jima," which was nominated for best picture, best director and best screenplay. The director nomination pits Scorsese against Eastwood for the second time in three years; Eastwood prevailed in 2004, when his "Million Dollar Baby" went up against Scorsese's "The Aviator."

And though "United 93" only earned one major nomination, it was a big one: a nod for its director, Paul Greengrass.

The nominees for best picture are "The Departed," "Babel," "Letters From Iwo Jima," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Queen."

The nominees for best actor are Forest Whitaker ("The Last King of Scotland"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("Blood Diamond"), Ryan Gosling ("Half Nelson"), Peter O'Toole ("Venus") and Will Smith ("The Pursuit of Happyness").

The nominees for best actress are Helen Mirren ("The Queen"), Judi Dench ("Notes on a Scandal"), Penelope Cruz ("Volver"), Meryl Streep ("The Devil Wears Prada") and Kate Winslet ("Little Children"). Streep's nomination is her 14th; she's won two Oscars.

The nominees for best supporting actor are Murphy ("Dreamgirls"), Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine"), Jackie Earle Haley ("Little Children"), Djimon Hounsou ("Blood Diamond") and Wahlberg ("The Departed").

The nominees for best supporting actress are Hudson ("Dreamgirls"), Adriana Barraza ("Babel"), Blanchett ("Notes on a Scandal"), Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine") and Rinko Kikuchi ("Babel").

The nominees for best director are Scorsese ("The Departed"), Eastwood ("Letters From Iwo Jima"), Stephen Frears ("The Queen"), Greengrass ("United 93") and Gonzalez Inarritu ("Babel").

Al Fresco Dinning

HRH, her King Consort and family arrived for a meal at The Farm.

The Princess was severly sunburnt...which was a worry for the adults, but not apparently to her.

We partook of satay chicken fillets, thai meatballs, orange chicken, sausages, potato salad and the speciality of the house eclectic Green Salad.

This was followed - a little later - by the most perfect Mud Cake!
with cream and ice cream.

Candlelight, a summer breeze and delightful company.

HRH pronounced the Farmhouse to be most pleasant and the garden delightful.

The smallest guest kissed HRH's hand as a fairwell gesture.
Enchanting!

Who will be nominated?

The Doomsday Clock

For more information CLICK HERE (BBC)

My Little Purple Book

I have been givng a great deal of thought to the beautiful little purple blank book I received at Christmastime.
Wondering what I could use it for.
What might qualify to be written or placed in it?

I have it sitting here on my desk. . .

I realised that I have a white pen which I bought with a very nice blue one (my fav colours) and suddenly thought that a list in white on the purple would look very nice...

ahhh but a list of what?

Books I am reading this year....so that's what I am going to do...and movies I see.

They will be in the back, then I decided I would make a list like Oprahs Favourite things... and so I have flipped through some old magazines and found a couple of small images and texts I liked the look of and cut them out. I will glue them in.

Now it just happens yesterday I bought some mini glue sticks and they will be handy - and just now I thought maybe I could get a little purse thing (cloth with zipper) and put the book and pens and glue and some little scissors in ther; thus I have it at hand to work on when I have a moment here or there rather like knitting or things never idle hands make and do.

I thought also lists of fav food and fav songs and so forth so that the book 'reveals' me in 2007.

The book came with a purple and white gingham ribbon tied around it.

I have cut little peices off this and attached them as page markers for Books Movies Favourite Things. Photo coming soon

oooo I'm back in Blue

I'd rather be blue
thinking of you
I'd rather be blue over you
Than be happy with somebody else
I'm crazy about'cha,
without'cha
For you I'm strong.
I can't do without'cha
Howcha magoucha?

Fanny Brice aka Barbra Streisand

Just a Reminder

When the night has been too lonely

and the road has been to long,

and you think that love is only

for the lucky and the strong,

just remember in the winter

far beneath the bitter snows

lies the seed that with the sun's love

in the spring becomes the rose.

with thanks to Bette Midler

Now is the winter of our discontent....

Winter in America is cold

And I just keep growing older.....

The Farm

As Keepy the Mouse would say

'all is ready'....well, he might have

Oops! wrong kind of mouse...

The Departure

HRH, the Kind and family are scheduled to depart Melbourne shortly.

The will be leaving behind smoke, heat and other dreadful weather.

I said , leaving behind.

Trust me! HRH replied.

For reasons unknown there is a large vacant space

between here and the next post.

No, sorry it is not available for advertising

or

parking of a very small car!

Farm Preparations Underway

With the impending arrival of HRH from Saltbush Castle with her King, 2 Princess' and general entourage vast and diligent preparations are under way.

The local villages have been put on notice to cleanup their act, lock up the usual suspects, sweep the paths and detour the sheep.

A fatted calf and pig are being fed herbed grains before they make the ultimate sacrifice.
Not understanding what that was to be, there were many volunteers.

Bonfires are stacked and linens aired.

Fresh rushes will be strewn about in abundance.

As I write hens and assorted foul are being chased from the The Royal Barge which will then be deloused.

Summer in Brisbane

Summer: December - FebruaryAverage temperature 20-28°C (68-82°F). Best time for beaches and water activities.Remember to Slip, Slop, Slap. January to March are usually the months of highest rainfall - usually fantastic hot days followed by occasional tropical storms. Humidity can sometimes be high (ha! read nearly always ) but is often tempered by the cool sea breezes. The cool rainforests and mountain creeks are a wonderful retreat from the hot summer days.

Moreton Bay Fig Trees

check out this Moreton Bay Fig CLICK HERE on page 6

scroll through the other great images ....

One Day Cricket Match Quiz

Are the numbers on the caps of the Aussie players an indication of One Day seniority?

Also what year die they begin wearing the numbers?

Post your answer, with documented evidence or internet link in the coments!

No Prizes just glory!

Art Gift Xchange

I received this serendipitous abundance for Christmas.!

It has all kinds of wonderful treasures and creative goodies.

Thanks to the Purple Perpetrator

A Tree near home

This really is one tree. This is a small example.

Dinner Out

I am having dinner with The Quilter and the Carpenter. TNG #1 & 2 are playing around me.

We played Memories but I failed, and so now we are to viewing the new equipment for the
first day of school.

New School for #1 TNG

First school shoes for first year of school. The sox were just for practice.

Travelling Journal

I have received a couple of wonderful serendipitous
creations from this project...I was the chosen TJ er for December,
I love the thoughts skills and coming home to them made them even
more wonderful.

And the most fantstic Artpal Exhange Goodie Box.

Images soon

Blogging Images - the new way

With a recent upgrade of my phone
I am now able to send images direct
from my phone to this Blog.

The first image is the one of Gillespie....(see below)
during the 20/20 Cricket match against England
...which we won.

Melbourne Airport

My pre flight lunch: a ham, cheese and tomato focarcia and intersting tropical drink.

I watched luggage being removed from a recently landed plane as I ate.

Yoga teacher

Removes nasty spiders.

Home Again

I have returned north to my home.

I am 3/4 unpacked.

I have a lot to do tomorrow including figuring out how to Blog Images from my phone.

This promises to be an exciting development in my Blogging.

Watching the cricket

We win again! Gilchrist was wired up and able to commentate during the game.

Also Ponting, the captain.

Saltbush Castle Comes Online

Welcome to HRH at Saltbush Castle (see link in Index).

Knowing her Majestic self as I do this ought to be an interesting Blog to watch!

Went to the Movies today

Cute, funny, delightful, entertaining and inspiring

A good Word from 2006

im·plied
–adjective
involved, indicated, or suggested without being directly or explicitly stated; tacitly understood

The End and The Beginning

goal (gōl) n.
The purpose toward which an endeavor is directed; an objective

res·o·lu·tion (rěz'ə-lōō'shən) n.
A resolving to do something.
A course of action determined or decided on.

I don't make resolutions I make Goals. For me, while the Goal may be a noun it is also a Verb.

Resolution is a noun only to me. It has no action implied. The action may be setermined but there is nothing stated about movement towards it.

No wonder so many get broken.

New Year Down Under

New Year Celebrations around Australia

Melbourne Celebrates

(I am in Melbourne at the moment but a long way south of this celebration)

Sunrise at Bondi Beach

Sydney Ushers in 2007!

My Home Town Brisbane - Southbank fireworks