A DAY IN GOAL

Last Sunday was a glorious autumn day, so we headed to the Boggo Road Goal markets to wander around the stalls and buy breakfast.  It was reasonably quite when we arrived, no long queues at the food stalls.  We decided to try an Egg Japanese Pizza for breakfast, or Okonomi which is a very light savoury pancake, topped with bean sprouts, flipped onto the cooked egg, turned over and sauce, mayonnaise and seaweed flakes are sprinkled on top.  We shared but we could have had one each, they were so nice.

Our Japanese Pizza 

                                        

As tours are conducted inside the goal, we purchased our tickets and had enough time to to have a coffee and enjoy the entertainment and watch all the happenings of  market day.




1kg of HUGE PRAWNS,  THE ACTIVITY ,  ENTERTAINMENT

HM Prison for Women, now called Boggo Road  No 2 Division was opened in 1903, and is the only building left today.  it was purpose-built for women, and the design and construction was claimed at the time to be 'state of the art'.  In 1887 a Parliamentary inquiry recommended the "separate system", which meant separate cells for each prisoner.     

WHY ME IN THE CELL?

 By 1921 the women's prison was moved as the male prison (Division 1 ) population became overcrowded.  No 2 Division was extended and included numerous industries and workshops for the inmates.  In the mid 1970s No 2 Division became a maximum security prison, and during the 1980s was the centre of prisoner unrest, which included riots, hunger strikes and roof-top protests, as well as a few escapes.  2nd Division was closed in 1989 but the building has been preserved, while 1st Division closed in 1992 and finally demolished in 1996.

Pictures from the Inside

Although the tour was possibly 1/2 hour too long it was very interesting to hear the stories of the goal's beginning and demise and to learn a little more history of Brisbane.

                                      

                                                          2nd Division Building





PEACE & SERENITY - UNTIL

I am usually up by 6.00am every morning, when it is very quite in the house. 

Outside the magpies are busy warbling, butcher birds calling each other, the lorikeets squabbling in the flowering gum tree, an occasional distant laugh from a kookaburra and the screeching white cockatoos alerting the man around the corner they are on the way for their seed. 

Yes it is very quite, peaceful and relaxing with time to enjoy a cup of coffee. 

UNTIL, the peace and quite is now shattered with other morning noises, as from down in the depths of the bedroom he is awakening.  Morning has broken in my house, no more restful sounds just belching, burping, yawning and those other noises from the opposite end of ones body.  What a wonderful surprise to hear the familiar call "I'm awake", for I would never had known. 

Yes morning has broken and a now my day has really started.

   



MONSTER PINATA

  

I have never been a great cake maker let alone making children's birthday cakes, as I think its easier to buy one all cooked and decorated.  The favourite the last few years has been Freddo Frog ice-cream cake.  Yum oh.  A few months ago I found a pull out in a magazine on birthday cakes and one cake really caught my eye.  Monster Pinata.  My grandson was going to be 6 at the end of March.   As the receipe seemed easy enough and didn't have alot of ingredients, I thought that I might make this, emphasis of course on the might, not alot on yes I will or can.  Anyway went ahead and bought the basic ingredients just in case I had the urge.
 

31 March has arrived, and guess who is 6 today?  That's ok the family are away at the Coast for the Easter break, until a phone call from my unorganised daughter re birthday cakes.

So there wouldn't be a disappointed 6 year old, I got busy, the packet cake got beaten and cooked just nicely, the butter cream icing was to be pale green- hey presto I am doing really well at this, no hiccups so far.

The white chocolate melts did just that, melted nice and smooth.  My husband was in charge of making the monster's head, painting the inside of an enamel basin with 3 layers off chocolate and in between each layer had to go into the freezer for 10 minutes.  Everything was on track so time to make the eye, eyebrow and mouth with marispan which had to be coloured.  Thank goodness food colouring cleans up ok, as I had red, green and blue fingers.  Now I know why they suggested using disposable gloves. 
After leaving the head for about 1 hour at room temp, I held my breath while I turned up the bowl and was surprised how easy it came out.  Just a few imperfections, birthday boy won't notice that. Next step was to decorate the head with the eye, eyebrow, mouth, antennas and a lolly strap thing for the mouth, and then gently stick the glittery 6 candle on.  The butter icing is now on the cake, and as Jackson's birthday was on Easter Sunday, I filled the top of the cake with little easter eggs, then carefully placed the monster head on top to cover.  Well look at that, not magnificent but pretty damn good, although the head was square not dome shape as in the picture.  I didn't realise until I saw the photos.
     

 We headed over to daughter's home and fortunately we only need to go Around a few Corners.  What is more important to a 6 year old on his birthday?  The large box that Nana has or the cake that Poppa is proudly holding.  

Present unwrapped,  happy birthday sung, a wish was made now blow out the candle, and then surprise surprise has he cracked the monster's head and saw all the easter eggs.
                                           

 

   

The Monster Pinata Cake 

The most excited people were the adults, Poppa explaining how he made everything, my daughter surprised that it actually turned out (no faith in her mother), an impressed son-in-law, older brother and sister and her partner.  Cake tasted and chocolate eggs eaten but time now  to play with his new, rather noisy (oh good) remote control robot which also turns into a car.    

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKSON