You’ve probably heard a lot of people tell stories about their “Lucille Ball Moment.” It makes me rather sad to say that my moments are more like Ethel Mertz. Not that an Ethel moment is a bad thing to have, it’s just not as glamorous as a Lucy Ricardo moment.
Ethel and I have a lot in common. We’re not tall, we’re not thin and we don’t have red hair but what we do have is a fierce loyalty to our friends. One big difference of course is that Ethel is a character in a tv show from long ago and I’m still hanging around in the real world.
My friend Ros, the photographer who took the photos of my chocolate cheesecake, sent me a message through Facebook the other day and asked if John and I wanted to meet at a park for brunch on Easter Monday. For those not living in Australia, the Easter weekend goes from Thursday night til Tuesday morning. 4 glorious sun-filled days.
I said we’d love to and we decided to bring the dogs along and we’d take them to the beach for a run and after a teensy bit of back and forth, Ros was going to let me know. The weekend progressed, parties, wine, food, fun, great weather and a little bit of work done too and by Sunday night I hadn’t heard from Ros. So I did what any normal person would do. I worked til 3am.
At 8am John hops on the bed and said, “I’m hungry, want to go out for breakfast?” Up like a shot I said, “Ros! We’re supposed to meet Ros for brunch!” You know that foggy sense that you get when someone wakes you up right in the good part of your dream? That’s what I did and I was running around the bedroom sort of awake, mumbling about Ros.
“So see if she’s left a message on Facebook.”
Good, I had a plan and I was slowly beginning to wake up. My hair was standing on end and I must have looked a fright but I went to my computer still in my nightgown and yes, there was a message. First one was where to go and second one was, “no, we can’t go there, so call me.”
Uhhh, no phone number. I knew I had it in my mobile phone but where was my phone? I’m horrible at a mobile phone. I rarely know where it is and there should be a law against people like me.
“Jooohhhhnnn!!”
“What?”
“Have you seen my phone?”
“No.”
“That question was supposed to be answered with, ‘no, but I’ll help you look.’ ”
“yeah, okay.”
I looked everywhere. Well, it couldn’t have been everywhere because I couldn’t find it. I was beginning to stress because here lovely Ros was waiting to hear from me and it was inching toward 9am and I still hadn’t found the phone with her number.
Then I thought, “I wonder if I left it in the bag I took to the nose to tail class at Freestyle Escape?” Nah, that was 2 weeks ago, surely not.
Surely was. I hadn’t touched the phone for 2 weeks and definitely no battery.
John did the manly hooking it up to the charger and it was so dead nothing happened for a while. (ever notice that men think you need help putting the phone on the charger just because you had no clue where it was?)
I did some pacing and some toe tapping and then I could get on the phone. Was her number there? No. Major Ethel moment. I went to her website at Eagleye Images and was there a phone number? No. I’m now into full Ethel mode and John said, “Facebook?”
I’d already sent her a message but I wondered if her phone number was on her profile. It was. We met at La Balsa Park about 5 minutes from our house and we brought Charlie the wonder dog and she brought Rusty the most beautiful and beautifully tempered dog in the world. He’d been bathed and brushed and he was gorgeous. As you can see, while Charlie had been bathed, he needed a brush and a clip but I was going to wait until it was time to get the sand out of his fur. Charlie is a swimmer.
In less than 10 minutes I’d cleaned the bbq for Ros. Again, if you’re not from Australia, you might not understand the public bbq. It’s an electric plate with a hole in the center so you can clean it and a button to push to turn it on and it’s free. They have them in parks all over the country. No charcoal needed. La Balsa Park at Point Cartwright must have 5 of them at least and there’s always a water tap and a garbage bin nearby. It’s a very civilized way to spend Easter Monday. (or any other day)
While I was doing that, John and Ros unloaded all the goodies and Ros began cooking. She’d seen a recipe in her local newspaper by a friend of ours, Lizzie Moult from StrayedTable.com for corn fritters. I’ll be honest and admit that I’d never had a corn fritter in my life.
She cooked bacon too. Okay, she did nothing but fry the bacon but the fritters definitely made up for the lack of bacon creativity. To jazz the fritters up for Easter she put in a bit of cumin and served them over a bed of rocket and baby spinach. I brought some homemade tomato relish I’d gotten at the local farmer’s market and John grated some parmesan. We’d also stopped at the market and got some fruit.
After doing the heavy lifting, advising and cheese grating, John decided it WAS a holiday and began reading the paper. As you can tell, Charlie and Rusty were a bit unsure of each other. Charlie is afraid of dogs bigger than he is due to a bit of an altercation when we first moved here. The two got on just fine with nary a woof between them. Rusty stayed right where he was in that photo. Charlie wrapped his lead around the legs of the table, sat under the table and made sure we knew he was so abused because he couldn’t run around. Laws, Charlie, laws.
That was before he found out he was going to get bacon!
The corn fritters were delicious. After we finished eating, cleaning up and packing away, we took the boys down the path to the beach where they splashed in the surf and got all sandy. It’s what dogs do up here. The sidewalk/footpath in the photo below goes all the way to the end of those trees. That’s the river’s mouth to the Pacific and to the right of that is the off-leash dog beach.
I don’t have Lizzie’s fritter recipe but hopefully she’ll see this and pass it along. Lizzie heard the call and gave us the link to her recipe. Here’s her version so click the image below to go over to her site and get the recipe. You won’t be sorry!
Love your Easter brunch moments down under. Such different weather than here in the US. We have cold temperatures lingering. Sounds like a fantastic super long weekend. Happy belated Easter!
Thanks! I do remember Easter in Maine 🙂 It’s nothing like that here but we do live in the Orlando, Florida-ish part of Australia. It will never get “cold” here but there are times of the year we have to wear shoes.
Looks like all turned out great! The dogs are so cute, I’m such a dog lover, if you look at my page titled PETS you’ll see :). Corn fritters are big here in the South but are little balls of deep fried sweetness, I love them, the only problem is I always burn my tongue because eat them too soon out of the fryer.
oh wow.. I never had those when I lived in the South either 🙂 Covered in corn meal?
Those pictures are tugging at my heartstrings. We still have snow here in the UK.
Won’t be long til you’re lying on the grass then, Monica! We will have to put on shoes. 🙂
I’ve had way too many moments like you describe! Glad everything worked out well. Sounds like a lovely time. I think all holidays should be four day weekends – how utterly civilized. And free (electric!) BBQs in the parks? Again, how civilized! Fun post – thanks so much.
If I were a better phone person none of that would have happened 🙂
Cute dogs and what a relaxing Easter brunch! Love the public BBQ, very cool idea!
I couldn’t believe it the first time I saw them. Some places like national parks that are really really busy will have a deposit of a dollar coin to make people hurry up for those waiting but it would rarely cost more than a couple of coins unless you were cooking for a huge crowd.
Haha at least everything worked out in the end no? 🙂
Love your photos and glad you had a relaxing Easter barbecue in the end 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
It was an absolutely lovely day and I didn’t feel one bit guilty that I wasn’t working.
Four day holiday for me too. Sadly I didn’t have as much fun. Stayed in read and lazed about. Now if someone was making me yummy corn fritters that certainly would have been an excuse to get out:-)
Oh Wizzy, you live in a gorgeous place that’s perfect for lazing about! 🙂 Come to Australia and I’ll cook these fritters at that park just for you. 🙂
Such a lovely brunch Maureen – I’m smitten with the idea of that public barbecue too. The world would be a better place if there were more of these available for us… though I get the impression they’d all get vandalised if they had them over here sadly 🙁
That’s so sad because here nobody even leaves them dirty.
Sounds to me like you had a wonderful day at the park, despite it’s rather shaky start. (I’ve a friend who is always sending me an email asking that I call his home so that he can find his phone.) Here, situated on Lake Michigan, there are sections of the parkland reserved for dogs. These doggie beaches are fully enclosed and give the pooches a chance to romp without leashes, a rarity for city dogs. Even so, a 4 day holiday, ending with a barbecue and trip to the beach, sounds incredibly nice to me. 🙂
Your friend and I have a lot in common. 🙂 Australians don’t need fences. If people can’t control their dogs they keep them at home. Unlike the US you won’t find everything covered in fences, guardrails or signs to put everyone in a layer of cotton balls. I found it really odd at first. “Why can we go to the top of this outlook and there aren’t any fences??” I got the :eyeroll: and “if you have a brain you won’t go near the edge, we expect you to use common sense or… die.”
LOL
the thing is, it works
That sounds like a story straight of my book, hahaha!!! In US, there are public BBQs in LA and around, but not any place else.
Electric bbqs that are free? Sounds almost civilized, Minnie. 🙂
What a lovely way to spend your long weekend, Maureen. I know I couldn’t last a minute without knowing where my brain extension (um, phone) is. I’d be really lost, you’re lucky you don’t need yours as much.
I don’t need mine at all. My phone is smart but obviously I’m not. I just don’t need it. All my family is in the states and all my friends know I’m hopeless. 🙂 I even had a friend today offer to do some EFT tapping for my phone reluctance. LOL I might take her up on it.
Hehe I loved this tale because I can totally relate! I tend to lose my phone or have butter fingers at the most inopportune times! Glad that you had a delicious meal in the end 🙂
I think I could imagine you not worrying about the phone but worrying about leaving your friend stranded. 🙂 We’d both be nutcases.
bahaha! bloody mobile phones!
on the other hand.. OMFG corn fritters!! I think i’m going to have corn fritters and bacon for dinner this week. The seed has been planted in my brain!!! x
You need to find an outdoor bbq and eat on a rug (picnic blanket for the yanks) on the lawn, okay? 🙂
What a fun Easter Monday spent in a beautiful setting. I’ve never had corn fritters either but I’d love to try your friend’s recipe. Looks great!
I asked Lizzie if she’d share her recipe 🙂
Those grilled corn fritters look so delicious!
They were lovely. and to think I’d never eaten them before!
Lol Maureen, I think we all have those moments !
Your brunch looks so delicious, I love corn fritters, they are my absolute favourite… what a lovely morning with the puppies 🙂
Check out my “easy recipes” first post… I am learning 🙂
The dogs had a wonderful time and it only takes one outing for Charlie to assume that every time the front door opens we’re going on a picnic. John went out to get the mail today and Charlie RAN to get his ball. just in case.
Sounds like a fun day despite the start 🙂 Wish I was a dog in your house, such a good life!
Chris, Charlie has a charmed life. He has to sister cats who ADORE him and whom he treats with total disdain. He doesn’t chase them, rather he assumes they don’t exist. They’re not human. 🙂
What a wonderful way to make memories. Sorry about your panic overt the phone though. giggle. xo
I wasn’t stressed about the phone, I was stressed about letting a friend down. It’s pretty obvious I don’t think much about my phone. 🙂
I am very familiar with these kind of moments 🙂
What a gorgeous time at the park…the corn fritters look delicious…nothing like fresh fruits.
Enjoy your week Maureen!
For me, no breakfast is perfect without a fruit plate.
Ooh, corn fritters on the BBQ! What a great and laid back idea for brunch 🙂
Absolutely. It’s the Aussie way, isn’t it? 🙂
What a lovely way to spend a holiday! I sure like your grills at the park…we get charcoal ones. The corn fritters looks great too!
Nazneen
PS: How come you can go two weeks without your phone?? I can’t go one minute without a child texting me for something.
I know, I know. My kids know I work 18 hours a day so they know how to find me. 🙂 When I was in the states it was always a bbq pit where you brought your own charcoal. NO fussing with that here. Just push the button and start cooking in minutes.
I think that corn fritters here are hush puppies. I think I like yours better, but what is the red stuff on top? Looks like jellied cranberry sauce.
Definitely not hush puppies. Those are made with corn meal. These are eggs, milk, flour, corn and spices. 🙂
I think. LOL yes, I’m sure.
The link for the fritters is http://www.strayedtable.com/2013/03/14/fresh-corn-fritters-recipe/
Maureen, you have a friend who reads my recipes – that is so cool. I love to know that they actually get read and made, it makes my day.
Looks like a great BBQ, I have not done one for such a long time.
We should do this, Lizzie, it was so much fun! Rani is coming up next Monday and we’re going to La Balsa for a bbq. We’d love to have you join us. Charlie will be there. 🙂 But I’ll see you Saturday anyway. I added your gorgeous photo and linked it to your recipe. 🙂
So everything turned out fantastic! Those corn fritters look great and I love that Australian Barbeque!!
It was a wonderful holiday day. 🙂
I’m glad you managed to sort out the brunch! It looks like it was worth the organising stress 🙂 I’m also glad you had a good long weekend – 4 days really are blissful.
yes, 4 days at Easter is a lovely thing to have. Holidays and vacations here make so much sense. My step-son has an American love interest and they work for the same company. She’s still in the states and gets one week of holidays after her first year and he gets 4 weeks but they earn the same salary. To come to Australia to work she has to accept that she won’t get Australian benefits.
Maureen: I do understand very well that you had not been checking your cell phone messages for 2 weeks. I do the same – often!!! 🙂
What a lovely, sunny day in the park with great company and terrific food…My kind of day!!!
I love you!! I’m so glad I’m not alone 🙂 We’ll go to phone purgatory together then.
those are the largest corn fritters I have ever seen and I am loving them! Amazing and delicious! Glad all turned out okay with the brunch. What a beautiful day to have one outside
I think some people are confusing these with hush puppies and nothing could be farther from the fact. These were corn patties 🙂
Well, to see them, one knows right away that they are different. But to hear the words, “corn fritters” … what the heck do I know? I’m not from the South. Shut my mouth! 🙂
ah lived a long tahm b’low the Mason-Dixon line. Them hush puppies y’all talkin bout go with frahd catfish.
What a lovely outdoor brunch! You final plating of all the food and fruit looks beautiful.
We didn’t go out of our way for fancy plating… it was a bbq 🙂
Those corn fritters look absolutely delicious. I love the outdoor Easter brunch on Monday – your photos are so fun and that are is beautiful!
Happy Easter friend.
Aww thanks Nicole. I always look up to your and your work so seeing this from you makes my day.
Look at those relaxed puppies! Im constantly loosing my keys so I feel your pain! What a lovely Easter lunch 🙂
The dogs were just happy to be out with mummy 🙂
Public bbq and four days to celebrate?! We all need that 😀
Love this story and the puppy pics xxxx
You should picnic with us one day, Kylie!
Hello Maureen,
It’s been awhile since my last stop here. Glad I did because one it makes me feel like I’m in good company haha. I do have a lot of “moments” like those haha.
Your day at the park with friends reminds me of those times we had in San Diego before we moved to St Louis. Oh I miss those lovely days at the park and your food… ahh I never had corn fritters before and I’m so intrigued!
Malou
Whew – I’m exhausted from just reading about your stress-filled start to the day.
The corn fritters and bacon look very restorative, though! 😉 I love corn fritters – they are an easy, nourishing meal that we have regularly. Try them with some smoked salmon and sour cream – delicious!
Smoked salmon and sour cream sounds really good. It was my first corn fritter ever so I don’t have a lot to compare to. 🙂
Love the photos of the food and the dogs 🙂 Sounds like a fun brunch even after the mishap before.
It was a gorgeous day weatherwise and the food was terrific. Any food you don’t have to cook yourself always tastes better 🙂
Never thought you could have such a fancy brunch at a public BBQ place. 😉 (I live in Australia just for the record.) I’ve never had corn fritters either, but it sure looks delicious!
Now you’ve got an excuse to head to the park this weekend, Sue! 🙂
Your picnic/brunch looks more like a restaurant meal! You got everything: from hot meal to fruits and veggies! Perfection!
it was a fun time and the food was really good 🙂