Day 12: 28th December
We are on the countdown. I think we have done amazingly well not to be completely stir crazy. Last time Dave and I did ISO back in March, when we got home from Thailand, we were at home and I was working, so there were plenty of things to keep us busy.
While we seem to be busy, there is a sense of monotony building for me. I am concentrating on the end prize, with only two days to go. Today is called ‘Day 12’ from a COVID-testing perspective, as it has been 12 days since the last of our group was in the Northern Beaches.
How often do you wish holidays away – not very often for me! When I went on leave nearly 2 weeks ago, there was no way I was looking forward to any of it being over. But here we are 🙂
Yesterday started much the same as all other days, with a cup of tea in bed (thanks Dave!) a late breakfast (Weetbix – I couldn’t do any more ham) and a read of the delivered weekend paper. The remainder of the day… to tell you the truth I can barely remember, the days seem to be blending into each other. I guess this is possibly the same for others between Christmas and New Year.
Dad had downloaded a few good movies, so we spent some of the day making choices. You have no idea how hard it is to please six people with such varying tastes!
Pamela had boiled some quinoa and recommended a simple mix that they often have for breakfast. She had a self-made trail mix in zip-lock bags that she had brought on the trip which I sprinkled over thick Greek yogurt with the quinoa, adding some frozen raspberries for added sweetness and sharpness. It tasted as good as it looked!
Lunch was a bowl of potato salad (we really need to use these leftovers) and for dinner we had a Victoria favourite – Greek Lamb Gyros.
The weather was quite cool, so no pool time meant a bit of afternoon book reading and TV watching. Pamela has recently filmed an upcoming TV show with Adam Liaw, and we had been discussing how we both liked him, so a quick Google search found he had a Christmas episode of ‘Destination Flavour’. One of his guests made a middle eastern Christmas slow cooked lamb shoulder with a carrot yoghurt, so I mimicked the carrot yoghurt dip. We didn’t have any cumin but did have coriander seeds, and did have lots of carrot! I grated and sautéed the carrot in olive oil, seasoned it well including a large pinch of the ground coriander, then once the oil had turned orange, I removed it from the heat and mixed through some thick Greek yoghurt, chopped fresh coriander and parsley.
This dip was a great base for the Yiros. I chargrilled some marinated lamb strips and eggplant, shredded some lettuce and made a quick red onion pickle with vinegar and sugar. Tomatoes were sliced, the thick pita bread was warmed, feta was crumbled and a garlic dip we had bought pre-Christmas emerged from the back of the fridge. Adelaide’s Hindley Street has many well known Yiros bars, but who needs to go there!
The movie selection ended up only being enjoyed by four of us (Sometimes, Always, Never). It had made the ‘Rotten Tomatoes’ review list for best movies of 2020. Slightly weird, a little ‘arty’ but quite amusing with Bill Nighy providing his usual quirky style.
It was only just dark when the movie finished, but none-the-less we toddled off to bed. A severe lack of movement throughout the day, plus a little afternoon nap, meant sleep did not come easily. I wonder whether all my online shopping will be there by the time I get home 😉
Two more sleeps till freedom!