Boy, I know I say this all the time, but seriously…. where has the year gone and how… HOW can it be June already???? I have been so slack with my blog posts of late… I am not sure if I just haven’t been feeling the blogging love or if I have just been way too busy to even think about it. I feel like there are ten thousand things running through my mind and I can’t possibly even think about blogging.
The desk where I blog has also been one big mess for about the past 5 months but guess what – I cleaned it up yesterday and look what happens… here I am blogging. Turns out when you get rid of all of the clutter you really can think a lot more clearly.
Now to those of you wondering why you have seen me in the kitchen of late – yes…. I am the cook again. Quite enjoying it this time around actually. Clancy is at school full time now so it is very peaceful over there. Sometimes it all gets a bit much but for the most part it is going well. It is all well and good if I am here for weeks and months on end without going anywhere but this little extrovert would probably blow a gasket if I didn’t get off the station on a regular basis. But I suppose those trips away are also when things fall apart a tiny little bit… because after that I seem to be chasing my tail and get a little overwhelmed.
Now, to those of you who were asking last night how I get my potatoes to look like that, here is your answer. It is possibly from the light on the bain marie but they were lovely and golden in real life too. Super easy. I put all the veg in a big stainless steel bowl (looks a lot like a hub cap) then pour a fair bit of olive oil over them and use my hands to toss them around. Don’t be a tight ass with the oil, go hard. I cook then put them on a big tray that I have covered in foil (saves scrubbing) and also glad bake. I then pour the veg onto the tray and sprinkle with paprika (DD used to always put Paprika on her veg so I do too – gives them a lovely golden colour). I cook them for a fair while, and turn them after about 1.5 hours. Probably depends on your oven. Hope that helps.
So at least I caught you up on one of my trips – to the Clarke Creek ICPA Luncheon. But what else have we been up to? Well apart from feeding everyone we had our annual week in Mt Isa for Home Tutor Seminar. Harry went to Adels Grove for his year 5 camp which meant it was just Clancy left at home with us. Clancy really did miss his little friend and lego partner in crime.
And of course we also just had Camooweal Campdraft. It was this time 16 years ago that I met Mr Chardy – at Camooweal Campdraft. How romantic. My very first campdraft (also thought it would be my last as I only came up here for one year back in 2001….). I tell you what, things were so much easier this year. The boys are finally all at a great age (not to mention the fact that we are down one – Tom at boarding school – he was very sad to be missing out but will be home soon) …. Clancy just ran with the pack and I hardly saw them all day each day. I have waited 12 years for this day my friends. I have done 12 years of little kids or babies at this draft and I am so glad to be out of the baby/toddler fog. I look back now and wonder how the hell I did it or actually – why I did it.
Anyway, I have to stop overthinking this whole blogging thing and remember that DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT and SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING and just keep typing. As I sit here tapping away I am sipping my cappuccino out of my new coffee mug that the wonderful ladies from the Clarke Creek ICPA gave me, along with heaps of other gorgeous treats. I am absolutely loving myself sick with this mug…
If you would like to drive people crazy too you can get yourself one from Typo. Don’t you just love it?!!!
So I guess I might stop here. Best get back to the kitchen and cook up a storm. It is a pretty easy dinner tonight – meat pies. Home made of course but using a Sunbeam Pie Maker. It is unreal and pumps out 4 pies in 7 minutes. Too easy!
Now please tell me… is anyone actually still out there reading Miss Chardy? I am sorry I have been missing for so long. I think I need a new plan, perhaps I will try to blog twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Or lets just play it by ear, fly by the seat of our pants.
What have you been up to?
Do you feel like Christmas is approaching way to fast and that the year has gotten out of control?
Oh my gosh yes I’m still here reading when you blog, I love hearing about your day to day running of your life way out there. Would also like to hear how Tom likes boarding school and what they do in down time each day. Keep on blogging xxx
Ok Sandra, when he comes home for holidays I will see if I can interview him and ask if I can do a blog post about him. How does that sound. Thanks for reading x
I love reading your blogs!!! I can’t imagine how you have time to blog with everything else you have going on!! You do awesome!!!
Oh thanks Dimitie, just need to get back into it because it makes me happy and keeps me sane. So glad you enjoy reading.
We are still here!!
This time of year is always out of control I think – though goodness knows why anyone wants to have social events in winter – I just want to hibernate!!
29 weeks till Christmas so a Facebook post told me this morn…..
Oh for god sakes… you are kidding me, 29 weeks, for the love of god, we may as well just set the tree up now and be done with it. Thanks for reading.
I am still here too but like you my life has been very full and there hasn’t been much time for anything!
Just so bloody busy isn’t it. Craaaaaaaaazy!!!!
I am still reading, Miss. Chardy. Loved reading about the Weal draft, even though not my favourite sport!
Wish you were there, I need more non-campdrafters to hang out with!
hi Miss Chardy, I am still here too. This year has just flown by. I love the sound of your meat pies. Do you have a recipe or is it one you keep close to your heart?.Over the years I have been a farmer’s wife and a caterer and love cooking and recipes , so it’s good to hear what you manage in the outback without all the conveniences we have in the city. Do you have a vegetable garden? I imagine your life is so busy it would be hard to find the time to grow your own vegies.
Hello there, lovely to hear from you Dee. Now as for the meat pies… well I had never really made them before and Mrs Savvy B told me she just gets some mince, throws in some gravy powder and some water and you are done, so that was good enough for me. That is seriously all I do. Although the other night I did add some onion and also some bbq sauce. But truly it is just gravy powder and water. So easy (unless you are doing 20 of the little buggers, turns out 20 isn’t so easy, ha ha ha). As for managing without the conveniences of the city, that is so funny that you mention that because I don’t ever really feel like we are missing anything, we are very lucky. No, I don’t have a veg garden but really do need one – I am not great at keeping things alive though but did manage to keep 3 kids alive so there is hope.
I’m still here! Love reading your blog and catching up on all the outback things. Enjoy dinner tonight – I’ve got one of those pie makers in the pantry somewhere. Must dig it out – it will almost be like joining you for dinner x
Oh Kirst, I got on your blog yesterday because I am like 1.5 months behind! Slowly catching up. So lovely to hear from you. xxx
No pressure to blog on particular days… I enjoy reading all your stories. Don’t feel that you HAVE TO write anything at all. We like keeping up with what has been going on in your world.
Thanks so much Jocelyn, I beat myself up way to much so that is lovely to hear. x
Toastie for me tonight , I’m at work , I’m a nurse in an Emergency Dept. my feet are killing me, first day back after a trip to Fiji. ( I know, I can’t complain! )
I usually only have two to cook for, I don’t know how you do it!
I must try your crumbed steak, I’ve never heard of it before.
Good to hear from you again !
Oh Michele, I have so much admiration for nurses… I think you are such special people and have very fond memories of my time in hospital when I broke my neck and it was all thanks to the wonderful nurses I had down at RPA in Sydney. So I “don’t know how you do it”!!! I freak out when Clancy cuts his finger so I am definitely not a great nurse when it comes to injuries on the station. Now as for crumbed steak – may have to do a post about that then, it is so yummy, one of the crews favourite. I use “round” beef and bash it with one of those big metal mallets… anyway, I had best to a post about it. Basically it is beef schnitzel.
I’m here! Your blog is one of my favorites and I also follow on Insta and Facebook as I can’t get enough! 😂 Love all of the posts about station life. Thanks for the advise on the potatoes.
Hi Chelsea, thanks so much for saying hello, so glad you enjoy my blog and thanks for reading. Good luck with the potatoes. 🙂
We are all still here Dan, and like you feelling a sense of wonder at how the year is flying. But we say that every year don’t we?! It’s a bit scary actually. As long as we can answer the question ‘where has the year gone’ with ‘living my life with purpose and intention’ I think we are all okay. xxx
Oh thank goodness Jo. Jo I am sure the years go by faster and faster with every year that passes… it is just crazy. I think I have lived the first half of this year with purpose and intention, I hope have anyway. x
Still here Chards and not going anywhere. Love being taken ‘up north’ with your posts, whenever they come! Will Edwina Robertson’s ‘Wander of the West’ cross your path?
Hi there Liz, I have sent her a message and did get an application to fill in but didn’t actually get around to filling it in but would love her to visit. Have sent her a message telling her that and no obligation to take photos. I think what she is doing is amazing.
Still here. Still reading. Sometimes takes me a few days to catch up. I have my grandparents in their caravan visiting at the moment so cooking for a couple more. Your cooking posts inspire me 😊
Hello there Nicole. Enjoy your grandparent. So glad my cooking post inspire you. Mission accomplished. 🙂
Yes Miss Chardy you certainly are a “fly by your seat kind of girl” hahahah love you xo
Miss you! Please come and visit!!!