Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Jase's 40th birthday party

Here at Glen Helen, we try to make our own fun - usually this is done with copious poker games at Mark's place till the wee hours of the morning... but for Jase's 40th we decided it would be more fun to disban the usual card night and instead have a house party.  Stacey conjured a brilliant idea one day several weeks ago.  She approached me, saying, "You know how Jase is... y'know... kinda 'retro'... and you know how he always wears those ridiculous plastic glasses when he attends the fuel bowser.... how about we have a 'RIDICULOUS' party?"  The idea took off, and every staff member did their best, with limited reosurces of course, to create their very best "ridiculous" costume.
Enjoy the photos!!!

At 5.30pm, we all look like normal citizens, yes??



At 7.30pm....
"Hoi, Oim Glen...."  "and Oim Helen.... you can coull us.... Glen an' Helen...." 



Say hello to Phil, the magic 8 ball.  Just ask him a question, give him a good shake, spin him around, and draw the answer from the special pocket in his back...  Also, here is Jim, who is celebrating his 35th birthday in a couple of days, and is therefore co-birthday-boy, and Adam, who didn't shave for 2 weeks so he could sport a dashing 70s-porn-style mustache for the party.


Gladiator and Rambo make an appearance (Gladiator is sporting a helmet made from a soccer ball which was cut to size and covered with foil and cardboard, and Rambo's face is coloured with chalk! And by the way, Gladiator's undies contain his stubby cooler; so girls, don't get toooo excited!!)


Ben is wearing his wife Lynne's bikini top and the rest of his enesmble was assembled from a $2 shop in Alice Springs.  Mark is wearing a lovely pink ensemble which was purchased at the Salvos.




In the background, Steph and Jim, and at the bar, Adam, Phil, Lukas (wearing handmade jewellery crafted from hundreds of carefully saved and sorted bottle caps), Stacey (hiding, in the cowboy hat), Ben, and Lynne (playing "Bill the Flowerpot Man")


Slim sings Happy Birthday to Jase and Jim during his set (many tourists have taken lots of photos of us all by now)....


... and the lads shake their groovy stuff on the 'dance floor'


As the party continues......

At the homestead.........








... and then, to Mark's place.....

Yep, this is party central....

And inside.....


Colin and Shelagh arrive home after a few days travel and join in the frivolities.

Slim dons his lovely costume of the evening.... a mop head and lamp.....




 A boisterous game of musical chairs necessitates a bikie helmt, according to Mark...


If you're gonna be ridiculous, then I'm sure a BOOBY CAKE is the perfect birthday cake for these lads...



What a night!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Hike up Mt Sonder

Well, halfway anyway.... (we ran out of sunlight!)
















Sunday, May 20, 2012

Food glorious food!

Here is an example of some of the food that I have helped Mark the Chef create over the last few weeks... and I've learned that having 10 seconds to photograph food is nowhere near enough!!

Pork Belly with Vietnamese spices, served with rice, greens and chilli jam



Scotch Fillet steak 

Freshly baked bread served with extra-virgin olive oil, homeground dukka, and three dips: beetroot, eggplant and capsicum


Chicken served wtih pesto-couscous and vegetables


Vegetable stack; rocket, capsicum, field mushrooms, zucchini and sweet potato, with cherry tomatoes and whole garlic cloves.

Frenched lamb cutlets with polenta baked with blue cheese, with red wine jus.


Wild-caught barramundi served on a potato fondant, with capers and tarragon

Kangaroo fillets served with sweet potato mash and a beetroot wasabi relish, with plum sauce and sweet potato crisps