Tips for Catching Cleaning and Cooking Squid

There is nothing better than relaxing in the sun on a jetty with a fishing line in the water. Personally I love it except when you look into the water and cannot see anything swimming about.  Let's face it there is so much water and many times not a lot of fish.

Over the years we have learnt a few tips and tricks to insure that we get a fresh feed of squid or something to add to our freezer for emergency food when camping out when you are a long way to the nearest shopping center.

Some people do not like the look of squid although most of us love to eat squid rings or calamari. Catching squid is just the beginning of an enjoyable adventure.

Creative Wall and Window Decor Ideas for your Home

Fake or Faux Windows open up a Room

Have you ever thought of jazzing up a room that is a bit drab by adding a different feature on a bare wall?  A fake or faux window will not only appear larger it can make it brighter at the same time.

Could you imagine knitting in a chair facing a window with a seaside scene?  Wouldn't that brighten up your day?

Now this one below does not look exactly like a window although with a bit of work through a photo program, you could make it look like one. This is a peaceful view beside a river just to relax you while you work on your computer.

How do you think this one looks? Fancy waking up in the morning to a sunrise scene coming through your fake window.   You can dress up fake window panes with a set of drapes fitted across the top, which would make it just like a real window.


You can buy faux window decors from Amazon, in a variety of styles with backgrounds and scenes from all over the world.  If this has created your inquisitive nature then find out what it would look like and see how it would enhance any room in your home.

Travel the Oodnatta Outback Track in South Australia

Have you ever thought of being adventurous and really looking at Australia's Outback.  If so then this is the trip to do. Today we have modern vehicles so it is not hard to do this trip.  Although could you imagine having to do this with a horse and cart?

Do not be scared off by the variety of locals you will come across on your trip.  Personally I think I would prefer riding a horse than a camel.  Although when you think about it, water is still short out there even today and these camels can travel for miles after having a drink.

 This is looking across the Algebuckina Bridge on the Ghan Railway.   The Great Northern Railway Opened in Port Augusta in 1878. In the 1940's the Ghan railway carried thousands of troops back and forth.  Train traffic increased from 3 trains a week to 56 trains.

 

 

You will see many old relics and ruins like the remains of this part of the Old Ghan Railway.

Edmund Gerald Kruse (known as Tom) carried all the mail, stores, medical supplies and fuel from Marree in North to South Australia along the Birds-ville track in Queensland. He survived these trips through floods and  breakdowns.  These trips would take him up to two weeks depending on weather and breakdowns.

So if you think this road is bad today then give a thought to Tom Kruse delivering the mail back then.

We did this trip in a Destiny pop top Caravan in 2008 and loved it.  We recently did from Coober Pedy to William Creek to Oodnadatta and out to Marla.  We did it driving a Nissan and towing the Jayco Caravan in the picture below.  So you do not have to do it tough these days.  Although you need to drive with caution and conditions of the road.  Beware of rain as you could be stranded for up to weeks at a time in rainy seasons.

There are so many wonderful places to see in Australia. Why not check out my other site on travelling

HERE

Why not experience this wonderful trip yourself? Or to learn more

Can you sell your old photos - Store Photos for Records in History

 The above Photo shows the old Tricycles

Can you sell your old photos?
Yes,  Although it would depend on the subject in the Photos- These may be worth protecting:

War Photos showing regiments, or historical backgrounds
Old farming photos with the various farming equipment
Photos of old historical landmarks no longer there.
Celebrity photos
Sporting champions and memorabilia - signed would be worth even more 
Memorable events

Selling your Old Picture Post Cards
You would need to know how old these are. Quite often they have postage stamps on the back, these may have a date stamped on them, which will prevent wrong guesses.

Old Post card with Travel information
Old Historical buildings
War Post cards

 The above photo shows old baby clothing and Old Style Chair

Store photos for Records in history

If you have ever looked into searching for your family history, then you will understand how important it is to look after and keep your family photos in pristine condition.

Records of photos
We have all gone to a variety of places and looked at numerous historical photos.  If those historians had not kept all those memorable articles, records in good condition then you would have nothing to look back on.

If you do not want your old photos then you may be able to donate them to your council, library or other places, rather than see them destroyed.

Places where you see old photos 
If no one looked after all those old photos there would be nothing left for us to know how hard life was way back hundreds of years ago.


Family History Records -Genealogy sites
Museums - Keep records of animals, insects, and human activity
Hospitals - medical records of staff and medical equipment  
Town councils- Keep photos of the changes of towns over the years
Libraries - Have a variety of books full of historical information

I hope this article will encourage you to look after your photos, because your children may treasure them even though they do not show interest in them know.  Give them time- they may realize how precious they really are as they themselves age.

Keep them in Photo Albums or saved on external hard drives and thumb drives.  Electronics change so storing on DVD's is not a good option

5 ways to Cook Kangaroo

Have you ever thought of eating Kangaroo?  If you have turned your nose up at this then it is time to re-think.  Kangaroo is well known to be a healthy choice of meat.  There is no harmful fats in Kangaroo meat.

And to make it even better here are 5 ways you can cook Kangaroo.

1.  Stews. You can make a stew by cutting the meat the same way as you would for normal stews and add your favorite seasoning and vegetables of your choice.
2. Roasted Kangaroo legs. These taste terrific. Although the best way to cook a leg so it tastes just like lamb is in a glad bag.  This will prevent the meat from drying out.
3. Mince Patties. These can also be cooked the same way as normal mince, and add a variety of seasonings of your choice.
4. Kangaroo meat shepherds pie.  Yes you can do this the same as you would the normal mince or steak pies.
5. Kangaroo tail soup.  Again make it the same way as other soups.

Camping - in a tent or on a vehicle

Have you ever thought of going camping in the bush and not sure whether to buy a tent or one of the off the ground tent options.  Yes tents have improved so much but they are still on the ground and personally I am scared stiff of snakes crawling into the tent.

Camp bed tent

That is why I looked for another option. A different style of tent that is up off the ground, either a rooftop one, one that fits into the back of your utility and various other options.

The one in this picture is virtually like a cot or stretcher. It would keep you off the damp ground although I do not believe it would stop a snake from slithering into the bed while you are sitting around enjoying the campfire without noticing the obvious risk of danger.

For some other options read more

How to Remove the Teflon on your Stainless Steel Fry Pan

If like us you thought you had bought a real good stainless steel fry pan, then within six months or so it started to blister and then the non stick started to disappear.  It is frustrating.

Yes when that happens you have to ask yourself, what am I going to do with it now.  Most people are so annoyed that they throw it out.   What a waste. But wait, all is lost. There is no need to destroy a good heavy based stainless steel  fry pan.

Do I have your attention?

With a bit of effort you can still have and use your stainless steel fry pan.  No it will no longer be a non stick pan, although stainless steel is great to cook stir fries, steak and many other types of foods.  I would not suggest you try to cook pancakes in it though unless you have a synthetic insert.

This is a cuisine 11 in skillet that I have had for 6 months and have learned better how to look after it as you can see in the picture. It will last you longer if you do not cook chops or anything with sharp bones.