Baa Moo Oink again

You can skip the introduction and jump to the recipe if you don’t care for my rambling palaver.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

I’ve spent more than a week in my new home. Almost all of the boxes have been unpacked. It will take me weeks or possibly months to go through all of the cupboards and drawers to arrange things the way I want.

I want to start this new life in Adelaide with a different outlook. I want to be more decisive about what I keep and discard. I have a “what if” and a “just in case” mindset. I must think through everything and carefully ask, “Do I really need that?”

I have finished my leave from work. I’ve had a total of four weeks of leave this calendar year. That is a record for me. I don’t like taking leave. I like to be busy at work. I confess the time off has been good.  

On Thursday, I had a National Broadband Network (NBN) technician arrive to install a NBN Network Termination Device. I now have high-speed broadband internet. This will make working from home possible.

On Friday, a plumber installed some pipes to a new laundry tub so that my washing machine hoses can be hidden from view. As a housewarming gift, Kathleen organised refitting the laundry with a new tub and tiles. It’s a magnificent looking laundry.

The plumber also reseated the taps in the bathroom to keep the taps from dripping.

The last job the plumber had was installing a new gas cooker in the kitchen. Last night, Kathleen came over and we enjoyed lamb chops which was the first thing I cooked on the gas cooker.

I’ve been eating well during the week.

What have I been watching?

The Bloody Hundredth

After watching Masters of the Air on Apple TV, I watched a documentary The Bloody Hundredth which featured some of the people featured in the Apple Original Miniseries.

If you watch Masters of the Air I strongly recommend The Bloody Hundredth.

Free-to-air TV

Believe it or not, I’ve not had access to FTA TV for at least five years. I now have a new TV and an antenna which works.

I’m grateful that I can watch the rugby league coverage in Adelaide in high definition. It will be great to see the Dolphins NRL team play the next time.

Mad Max

Last night, Kathleen came over for dinner, and after eating our lamb chops, we sat on the new coach, reclined, and watched one of my favourite movies. Kathleen had never seen Mad Max before.

The movie was released while I was in high school, and because of the Restricted rating, I wasn’t allowed to see it. I’ve since watched it many times on VHS, DVD, and streaming platforms. Last night was the first time I’d seen it on a reasonable-sized TV in the comfort of my lounge room whilst reclining on a comfortable couch and sharing a favourite movie with Kathleen.

What have I been listening to?

Change your diet, change your mind.

I’ve completed Georgia Ede’s book. I enjoyed how she explained psychiatry in the context of neurology. (Ede, 2024)

The book emphasises how what we eat affects our mental health and wellbeing. This book connects naturally with other books I’ve been reading about human nutrition and metabolic health.

I found the author’s concept of “quiet” eating fascinating. The idea is to avoid foods known to cause problems while remaining in a particular eating paradigm, such as “paleo,” “keto,” or “carnivore.”

I recommend this book to anyone interested in low carbohydrate eating and how protein and fat can improve mental health.

Recipe

Baa Moo Oink bone-in scotch fillet steak.

Equipment

  • Precision cooker
  • Water bath
  • Barbecue

Ingredients

  • Bone-in scotch fillet steak
  • Prawns (raw with shell and alimentary canal intact)

Instructions

  1. Season the steak with cooking salt.
  2. Vacuum seal the steak with some thyme and rosemary. I have a rosemary bush in my front yard.
  3. Cook the steak at 57 °C for 3 hours in a water bath.
  4. Remove the steak from the bag and dry the surface of the meat with absorbent paper.
  5. Sear the steak on a barbecue grill.
  6. Cook the prawns on the barbecue.
  7. Carve the steak and plate up.
  8. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  9. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, the steak and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  10. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  11. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  12. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  13. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. I used a fork.

Thoughts on the meal

Kathleen came over for dinner, so the meal was fabulous.

Final thoughts

  • Do you enjoy watching free-to-air TV? What are your favourite programs/shows?
  • Have you watched Mad Max? Did you enjoy it?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

References

Ede, G. (2024). Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Food-First Plan to Optimize Your Mental Health. Hodder & Stoughton.

Goodbye, Number 69

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week.

Guess what? I’ve moved to Adelaide. I wanted to live closer to Kathleen. I now live a few minutes from her place.

I’m still working the same (main) job and will be doing the same work. I’m also likely to work as an Honorary Visiting Medical Officer like I did in Canberra.

I’ll soon have a gas cooker installed, so I can cook with gas. I also have a Weber Q+ barbecue that uses gas for fuel.

Weber Q+

Once I connect to the NBN, I can watch the new TV, too. This will occur later this week. The previous tenants didn’t connect to the NBN, so I require a formal installation service. That said, my new place has an aerial for TV reception, so my new TV is delivering some entertainment. Unfortunately, I can’t watch the footy live in Adelaide on free-to-air TV. Once the NBN is connected, my streaming services will see me as a happy dolphin.

Adelaide is the fourth city I’ve lived in, and it’s the first time I’ve lived in a bicameral jurisdiction.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

The foot and knee are continuing to heal. While I can walk without a cane, some stiffness and pain remain in the knee, ankle, and toes.

The move

The removalists arrived, lifted my things from the flat (number 69), and then packed the things I had in long-term storage. They arrived in Adelaide about 48 hours later.

Kathleen did the amazing thing of driving from Canberra to Adelaide with me. We shared the driving. Kathleen has a lot of experience driving between both cities.

The drive from Canberra to Adelaide was great. Kathleen is a terrific driving partner. To break up the drive, we stayed overnight in Narrandera.

The roads were pretty good. On the first day, the ambient temperature got as high as 38 °C, while the second day was much cooler at 25 °C. My car is over 15 years old and seems to manage the drive well.

What have I been eating?

Equipment

  • Weber Q+

Ingredients

  • Scotch fillet steak.

Instructions

  1. Dry brine the steaks overnight.
  2. Heat the barbecue and then clean the grates with a wire brush.
  3. Cook the steaks on the barbecue and flip the steaks every 30 seconds until the meat is nicely caramelised.
  4. Rest the meat for 5 to 7 minutes (minimum).
  5. Slice the meat.
  6. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the steak will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the steak and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  7. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, steak and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  8. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  9. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this steak won’t be suitable.
  10. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  11. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Thoughts on the meal

This was my first time using the Weber Q+ (which I’d bought second-hand). I was happy with the outcome. I will need to use it more often to get a good feel for it.

It was great cooking a meal and sharing it with Kathleen in my own place.

Final thoughts

  • Do you like moving?
  • Do you like having a driving partner to share the load?
  • Do you like cooking on a barbecue?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Preparing for another break

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. Mine was busy. Work was mostly back-to-back meetings, and I’ve been cleaning at home a lot.

I’m taking leave from work for the next two weeks. I may not post next weekend. I’ve got a lot happening, so stay tuned if you’re interested.

I’ll be spending time with Kathleen, so it’s going to be wonderful.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

Apart from some paraesthesia and stiffness, the foot and ankle are okay. I’ve been doing some walking, and I feel that my foot, ankle, and knee will improve as I continue to walk.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll be on my feet a lot, so I’m hoping all goes well with the foot (as well as the knee).

What have I been watching?

Masters of the Air

Masters of the Air is an Apple Original show about the crews flying the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress platform in World War II. The miniseries is based on the 2007 book by Donald L. Miller and follows the actions of the 100th Bomb Group, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber unit in the Eighth Air Force in eastern England during World War II.  

What have I been listening to?

Change your diet, change your mind.

I’ve started to get into this book by Georgia Ede. I like how she explains psychiatry in the context of neurology. The author can explain the anatomy and physiology of the brain and then speculate on its relationship with psychiatric disease. (Ede, 2024)

The book emphasises how what we eat affects our mental health and wellbeing. This book connects naturally with other books I’ve been reading about human nutrition and metabolic health.

The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, narrated by Ralph Cosham

“The Screwtape Letters” by C.S. Lewis is a satirical novel written as letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his nephew Wormwood, a junior tempter. Their goal is to lead a recent Christian convert, the “Patient,” away from faith and toward damnation.

Through Screwtape’s advice, Lewis explores how demons exploit human weaknesses like pride, vanity, and anger. The “letters” offer a perspective on faith and the subtle ways temptations can lead us astray. (Lewis, 2009)

Recipe — or not

In preparation for two weeks away, I’m eating out my refrigerator, so I don’t have a recipe to share today.

My meals have been the routine meals I mentioned last week, namely, eggs, butter, minced beef, and steak.

Photographs

Final thoughts

  • Do you eat everything in your refrigerator when you prepare to go away?
  • Do you have a fascination for the tools used for war?
  • Have you read “The Screwtape Letters”? What did you think?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

References

Ede, G. (2024). Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Food-First Plan to Optimize Your Mental Health. Hodder & Stoughton.

Lewis, C. S. (2009). Screwtape letters. Turtleback Books.

Beef mince

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve had a good week.

My week has been busy with work. I loved spending time with Kathleen in Adelaide and on Kangaroo Island. I did need to return to work.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

I went to an outpatient appointment on Friday. The orthopædic trainee has told me I can wear sturdy shoes on my feet and ambulate more.

I asked when I could walk around without shoes, and he said the maximum tendon repair strength should be achieved after about three months. This means in about three to four weeks.

I’ve now been discharged from outpatient care and can book appointments to see a physiotherapist.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

While I was in Adelaide visiting Kathleen, I watched Star Trek on her TV. Kathleen’s TV is newer than mine (I bought mine in 2007), and the picture quality is fantastic.

I’ll watch Star Trek on a new TV in a few weeks. Hint Hint 😉

What have I been listening to?

Monroe Doctrine Volume VIII

I previously wrote that Volume VII was meant to end the book. The authors claim that Volume VIII is the last in the series. I am about one-third of the way through this volume.

The US and coalition partners are confident in defeating China in World War III. The main concern is the post-war recovery and how to avoid a civil war erupting in a defeated China. India, which remained neutral in the conflict, is emerging as a post-war saviour for China, and the Indian leadership seems to be seeking to gain a significant economic and diplomatic advantage from this opportunity.

Of course, the Chinese artificial intelligence apparatus, viz., “Jade Dragon”, could turn the tables and tweak Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics”. The result could be the rise of robots over humans, to end the book.

If you’re not familiar with Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics”, they are:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must obey orders given by humans except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
  3. A robot must protect its existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

All it would take is a change to the third law.

I highly recommend this book series if you enjoy science fiction and technical fiction incorporating warfighting.

Recipe?

I don’t have much for a recipe this week. I have more of a revelation.

Over the last week, after returning to Canberra after visiting Kathleen in Adelaide, my meals have been simple and consistent.

I’ve been eating eggs every morning and beef mince (AUD$11/kilogram) for lunch and many dinners. This would be about USD$7.80/pound in the US. If there are any readers from the US, please tell me if this is expensive or not. I think US residents would find USD$7.80 per pound of ground beef expensive.

I’ve noticed that I’m not craving variety or anything different. During the day, my thinking about food has become less, and I’ve been able to focus more on work tasks.

I know that in the past when I was eating carbohydrate-rich foods, I’d savour and crave the flavours, especially if there were complex flavour combinations. The sugar hooked me to derive pleasure from the sweetness, and the lack of satiety from carbohydrate-rich foods meant I thought I wanted more. I was always feeling hungry and unsatisfied.

I have more capacity to think about other things now.

Don’t get me wrong, I still get hungry, but from Monday to Friday, I don’t think about cooking anything more than eggs, beef mince, lamb chops, or thinly sliced steaks. I cooked some beef ribs in the pressure cooker last weekend, and I’ve been supplementing the mince with some rib meat, too. I know that beef short ribs are not cheap, but the meat goes a long way.

I’ll also still eat different food items occasionally, especially on weekends or when invited to a meal. There will also be variety when circumstances dictate that I can’t cook and prepare my meals. There will also be instances when I see something in the supermarket’s meat section or butcher shop and think, yep, I want that tonight.

I don’t know what this means for Yummy Lummy (the blog). It’s hard to justify a weekly update when I don’t have much to write about regarding recipes.

I don’t want to give up blogging. I like writing and the connection I have with some regular readers.

Photographs

Thoughts on the meals

I’ve already shared what I’m thinking. Perhaps I’ll stop wanting to photograph food and write about it. Somehow, I don’t think so.

Final thoughts

  • Do you ever feel like you need to change what you write about?
  • Do you spend much of your day thinking about meals?
  • When you’re not feeling hungry, can you focus on tasks better?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Kangaroo Island

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. I’m now back in Canberra after spending nine nights in South Australia visiting Kathleen. Last week, it was Kathleen’s birthday. It was her daughter’s birthday this week and we went out for dinner. We also visited Kangaroo Island and spent three nights there.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

The good news is that being away in South Australia did me good and my foot and knee while weak and limited feel good.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

One of the amazing things about Kathleen is that she understands my enjoyment of Star Trek. There were times when we watched some Star Trek together and times when I watched while Kathleen was doing something else.

Restaurant reviews

The Meat and Wine Co

We went with Kathleen’s daughter out to dinner at the Meat and Wine Co. in Adelaide’s central business district.

It is a restaurant which features a lot of beef. The restaurant also does two different types of dry-aged steak. One is done the traditional way, and the other is butter dry-aged.

I went with a bone-in scotch fillet steak, which was traditionally dry-aged. It was a very nice piece of steak.

Kathleen decided to have chicken breast for dinner.

Penneshaw Pub

We arrived on Kangaroo Island on Tuesday and on arrival enjoyed lunch at the Penneshaw Pub.

We shared six oysters. Kathleen enjoyed some rare tuna and I had some lovely lamb cutlets.

For dinner, we called around a few places and couldn’t get a table so we returned to the pub for our evening meal.

Kathleen had crispy skin salmon while I had a T-bone steak. We shared another six oysters too.

I decided to make my meal a reef and beef.

The house we stayed in had a fully equipped kitchen with both a wood stove and oven plus a gas stove and oven.

This meant I could scramble eggs in butter each morning for breakfast.

Kangaroo Island Fresh Seafoods

We spent the morning in Kingscote and decided to try some fish at Kangaroo Island Fresh Seafoods. This place it collocated with a servo (that’s Australian slang for petrol station). We both asked for flathead fillets. Mainly, because we knew that flathead being a cartilaginous fish like a shark or a ray wouldn’t have bones.

The flat head was okay. I had mine grilled while Kathleen’s was crumbed. Unfortunately, the fryer the restaurant uses for battered fish wasn’t working.

Drakes steaks

For dinner we bought some scotch fillet steaks from Drakes. Drakes is a local independent supermarket in South Australia. The steaks looked great in the packaging and cooked nicely that evening. We also bought some blue cheese and goat cheese and enjoyed it with the steak.

The Oyster Farm Shop

On Thursday lunch was a seafood platter (also known as the Aquaplatter) from the oyster farm shop in American River.

The term aquaplatter niggled my brain because aqua normally refers to fresh water while marine normally refers to sea water.

The platter had oysters, prawns from Port Lincoln, King George whiting, smoked salmon wings, pippis in butter and garlic, plus some condiments.

The platter was okay to good. It was the first time Kathleen and I have eaten pippis. I’m not convinced I’d have them again.

We were told the oyster season finished that Thursday, so we were pleased to enjoy the last of the oysters.

Reflections Mecure Kangaroo Island Lodge

There was a Mecure Hotel near where we were staying and we decided to have dinner that the hotel’s restaurant on Thursday night.

This was partly because at dusk, kangaroos were likely to be out and about. On the Tuesday night we’d seen a large roo hop across the road in front of us as we were driving to Penneshaw.

Kathleen is an experienced and expert driver in regional and remote areas. Experience and expertise also mean, don’t put yourself at increased risk if you can avoid it.

Kathleen enjoyed the Lamb Rogan Josh, while I thought the rump steak was okay.

Fat Beagle Coffee Shop

On Friday morning, Kathleen enjoyed brunch at the Fat Beagle Coffee Shop. She enjoyed the breakfast hot dog which featured sriracha sauce and jalapeño peppers. Kathleen also had the vanilla slice which she said was possibly the best she’s ever had.

One of the best things about Kathleen is her love for a vanilla slice which equals my love for them too.

Kathleen’s Kitchen

On Friday, we took the ferry home to Cape Jervis and drove back to Adelaide. Kathleen had purchased tickets for a show at the Adelaide Fringe. Prior to the show, we needed to eat, so Kathleen put some beef short rib fingers into her pressure cooker, and we enjoyed a plate of beef rib meat, cheese, cream cheese, pâté, and avocado, plus some butter.

The show that Kathleen took me to was very funny.

Final thoughts

  • It was a fabulous holiday. The best ever.
  • I even slept better than I have in years. I was able to get between five and six hours most nights while I was away.
  • Holidaying with Kathleen is awesome.
  • If you don’t have someone Kathleen, it’s still worth visiting Adelaide and Kangaroo Island.
  • While the food was mostly good, I think Kangaroo Island is less food destination and more for the flora, fauna, and environment.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.