I spent most of today at work. It continues to be busy. I did manage to visit another bakery and enjoyed some of my favourite pastries.
I like the passion fruit fudge vanilla slice. The custard is creamy and sweet. The fudge is tart with a terrific mouthfeel. It offsets the sweet custard nicely. The pastry was a little chewy. I’d prefer it to be crispy with a hint of caramel, as some other bakeries achieve. While it’s not my all-time favourite vanilla slice, it’s becoming a go-to on a Saturday morning.
For breakfast, I “inhaled” a potato pie. I like a good potato pie, and this one hits the spot nicely.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a pork-and-fennel sausage roll from Uraidla. I tried one from today’s bakery of choice. It wasn’t bad, but not as nice as the one from Uraidla.
For dinner, I made a simple tuna asparagus bake.
I mixed a couple of tins of tuna and a tin of asparagus. I folded in some coarsely-grated vintage cheddar.
I prepared some cream, eggs, and salt in a jug and beat them thoroughly.
After turning on my oven, I mixed in the eggs and cream with the cheesy tuna asparagus. I topped it with a little mashed potato and added a chunk of mozzarella cheese.
I placed the glass pie dish into a baking tray with water to create a bain-marie.
I cooked the dish for 40 minutes at 140 °C and then finished it for 10 minutes at 200 °C.
Work remains very busy, so much so that I had to turn down a dinner invitation with someone to have a pie floater. Interestingly, this morning I looked through Facebook memories and saw that exactly one year ago, I went out and had a pie floater.
That inspired me to visit a bakery and buy a pie, specifically a chunky pepper steak pie. To make it easier, I also bought a tin of pea and ham soup and some tomato sauce, since I already had frozen peas at home.
Preparing the soup was simple: microwave radiation for two minutes, stir, then more microwave radiation for another minute to reach the right temperature. To assemble, invert the pie so that it’s bottom up, add some peas, then a little sauce.
The pie floater was delicious.
At the bakery, I also bought a Cheese Kransky sausage roll and a vanilla slice.
The vanilla slice was okay, perhaps a six out of ten.
The sausage roll was also decent, but I think next time I’ll go for a traditional sausage roll—the pork and fennel one I had last week was fantastic.
Moves towards statehood began with a public meeting in 1851 to consider Queensland’s separation from the Colony of New South Wales. As the push for separation gained momentum, Queen Victoria was approached to consider establishing a separate colony based at Moreton Bay. The Queen gave her approval and signed the Letters Patent on 6 June 1859. On the same day, an Order-in-Council granted Queensland its own Constitution. Queensland became a self-governing colony with its own Governor, a nominated Legislative Council and an elected Legislative Assembly.
While Queensland Day is not a gazetted holiday in Queensland, many states and territories are observing the King’s birthday on Monday this weekend. Notably, Queensland and Western Australia do not have a gazetted public holiday on Monday. It’s been flat-out at work, with multiple incidents happening at once. I’m grateful not to be on call this weekend. That said, there have been messages to handle today.
How I observed Queensland Day
To celebrate Queensland Day, I went for a drive. I’ve recently got new tyres and new brake pads, so I wanted to go for a drive in the hills. I like windy roads and going up and down steep hills. It was wet and foggy, so visibility was poor. There were also cyclists on the road, who posed a mobile obstacle on quite narrow roads with a reasonable amount of oncoming traffic. It all made for a really enjoyable drive. On the way there, I listened to 1980s Australian hits, and on the way back, I listened to my favourite band, Celtic Worship.
My destination was a bakery that workmates had said had good coffee and excellent sausage rolls. I enjoyed a mug of coffee and a delicious cinnamon scroll. On the way out, I bought a pork-and-fennel sausage roll and brought it home. I had it for lunch. It was a very, very good sausage roll.
For dinner tonight, I had a pork knuckle with some sauerkraut and peas. The pork knuckle had been slowly cooked and then refrigerated. I finished it in an air fryer tonight.
It’s been a while since I posted here. My work has been quite busy, and the last week has been very intense.
What have I been doing?
Apart from work, I’ve been keeping myself busy with reading and watching some TV.
William Shatner
I was thinking a few weeks ago about William Shatner[i] and how old he must be.
I’ve seen much of his television work, including Star Trek and T.J. Hooker. A program that I’ve never really watched was Boston Legal. I found it on a streaming service and started watching. I’d like to finish watching all of the seasons before Shatner dies.
I think the characters William Shatner played in all three TV series were memorable. I will be sad when he dies.
Ron Swanson
Someone at work suggested I have a personality similar to the character Ron Swanson from the show “Parks and Recreation.”
My friend’s description:
Ron Swanson is someone with a highly individualistic personality, valuing self-reliance, privacy, and independence. He’s likely to be seen as someone with a strong internal locus of control, who avoids emotional expression, and prefers structured, predictable environments. He’s got a deep aversion to bureaucracy and superficiality, which might reflect some rigid personality traits but also a deep commitment to his core values. That mix of stoicism, libertarian philosophy, and a certain guardedness would be key aspects of his psychological profile.
[i]William Shatner: A Brief Acting History for Context
Early Life and Training
William Shatner was born on 22 March 1931 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Shatner was raised in a Jewish family, with a father who worked as a clothing manufacturer and a mother who taught elocution. Shatner studied at McGill University, graduating in 1952 with a Bachelor of Commerce, while simultaneously performing in student theatre and radio. After graduating, Shatner trained extensively as a classical stage actor, including work with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario.
Early Screen Career
Shatner began working in Canadian television and theatre in the early 1950s before transitioning to American television. Shatner’s first major film role was in The Brothers Karamazov (1958), opposite Yul Brynner. Throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s, Shatner appeared in numerous anthology television series, including The Twilight Zone and The Defenders.
Star Trek and Captain James T. Kirk
Shatner achieved international recognition portraying Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series, which aired from 1966 to 1969. The role of Kirk established Shatner as one of the most recognisable figures in science fiction television. Shatner appeared in all three seasons of Star Trek: The Original Series and later reprised the role in Star Trek: The Animated Series and seven feature films between 1979 and 1994. The character of Kirk is often remembered for leadership, moral certainty and a distinctive performance style that became central to the franchise’s identity.
Below is a clear reference table of the starring cast of Star Trek: The Original Series, using Australian English spelling and date formats.
Actor
Character
Starfleet Rank (TOS)
Actor – Date & Place of Birth
Actor – Date & Place of Death
William Shatner
James T. Kirk
Captain
22 March 1931, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
—
Leonard Nimoy
Spock
Commander
26 March 1931, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
27 February 2015, Los Angeles, California, USA
DeForest Kelley
Leonard “Bones” McCoy
Lieutenant Commander
20 January 1920, Toccoa, Georgia, USA
11 June 1999, Los Angeles, California, USA
James Doohan
Montgomery “Scotty” Scott
Lieutenant Commander
3 March 1920, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
20 July 2005, Redmond, Washington, USA
Nichelle Nichols
Nyota Uhura
Lieutenant
28 December 1932, Robbins, Illinois, USA
30 July 2022, Silver City, New Mexico, USA
George Takei
Hikaru Sulu
Lieutenant
20 April 1937, Los Angeles, California, USA
—
Walter Koenig
Pavel Chekov
Ensign
14 September 1936, Chicago, Illinois, USA
—
Post–Star Trek Television Work
Following Star Trek, Shatner continued working steadily in television and film, though the role of Kirk initially led to industry typecasting. Shatner’s career experienced a resurgence in the early 1980s when they starred as Sergeant T. J. Hooker in the police drama T. J. Hooker.
T. J. Hooker
T. J. Hooker aired from 1982 to 1986 and starred Shatner as a veteran police sergeant mentoring younger officers. The series ran for five seasons and helped reposition Shatner as a contemporary television lead rather than solely a science‑fiction icon. The physical, action‑oriented role contrasted sharply with Captain Kirk and broadened Shatner’s television persona.
Boston Legal and Later Career
From 2004 to 2008, Shatner starred as eccentric lawyer Denny Crane in Boston Legal. The character of Denny Crane became one of Shatner’s most critically acclaimed performances. Shatner won two Primetime Emmy Awards for portraying Denny Crane across The Practice and Boston Legal. Boston Legal is often cited as a late‑career renaissance that demonstrated Shatner’s comedic timing and dramatic depth.
I think the most memorable Anzac Day I have experienced was in 1998 in Alice Springs. Like today, it was a Saturday. I was in Alice Springs for the Australian Society for Microbiology Tri-State meeting. The Tri-State meeting brings together microbiologists from the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and South Australia. At the time, I was the president of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Society for Microbiology.
On that Saturday, before dawn, we walked up Anzac Hill in Alice Springs. A Royal Australian Navy chaplain conducted the service. I didn’t realise before attending that he was a Roman Catholic chaplain. Many in attendance were Australian Defence Force personnel, including many Royal Australian Navy personnel. The closest seaport to Alice Springs is Port Augusta. The closest naval port to Alice Springs is HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin. Both are about 1,290 km as the crow flies from Alice Springs. Port Augusta is south, and HMAS Coonawarra is north. Those sailors were a long way from water.
After the service, I walked back to town and enjoyed bacon and eggs for breakfast.
Each state and territory of Australia has its own rules about gazetted public holidays. Where I am, the public holiday is observed on Saturday, so there is no public holiday on Monday. I know there are other places where the public holiday will be observed next Monday. I’m assuming the services and marches will be held on Saturday, but the Monday public holiday will be a day off for many people in that community.
I look forward to working in the office on Monday, knowing it will be relatively quiet because many of my interstate colleagues will not be at work.
Spam Musubi.
Earlier in the week, a memory from 2015 surfaced on Facebook. At the time, I was on holiday in Hawaii. I had purchased my first Spam Musubi, which was delicious. One of the great things about watching Hawaii Five-0 is how often Spam Musubi comes up.
Influenza immunisation
I’m travelling next month. It is timely to update my influenza immunisation. I had the injection yesterday afternoon. It was a little unusual. The person administering the injection was quite nervous. The injection hurt more than normal. When the person removed the needle, the puncture started to bleed profusely. I was asked whether I was on any anticoagulants. When I responded, “No, I assumed you pranged a vessel.” I had clearly offended the person. I did not explain that I was a medical practitioner. I just waited for the blood to stop flowing and left as soon as I could.
Pain and bruising at the injection site 18 hours after the injection are also significant.
Pizza
For the first time in more than 20 years, I had a pizza delivered. It was delicious, and I ate the whole thing in one sitting. I ordered it from a local pizza shop and used Uber Eats to deliver it.
I don’t know if I’d do it again. I’m not even sure why I did it last night.
When I woke up this morning, I felt bloated. I also passed a lot of flatus. That’s been a bit unusual for me over the last couple of years. A diet heavy in meat-based protein and fat tends not to cause much flatulence.
The last Hot Cross Bun
Second morning tea
Anzac biscuits
I picked up a few Anzac biscuits from a local bakery. It came in a six-pack. I had one with coffee this morning, and it was chewy rather than hard, stiff, or crunchy. I usually like them hard, stiff, and crunchy, but chewy is all right. They were tough enough to crumble with a heavy object and also gave a good coffee dunking experience.
Recipe
To make my Anzac biscuit dessert, I crumbled an Anzac biscuit with a heavy object while it was in a plastic bag. I whipped some locally sourced, pure, pouring cream (no thickeners) and folded in the crumbled Anzac biscuit. I served it with some locally manufactured vanilla ice cream made with full-cream milk and no other additives.
Carbohydrate overload
The last 24 hours have been a carbohydrate overload.
