Ms Fifikins

MIML™ and I are spending a week in Canberra. Whilst the main point for the trip was for MIML™ to submit his new passport forms at the High Commission (something that took a whole 15 minutes!), it has also been a chance for us to get away together and do things one can’t do in Cairns.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love Cairns. I love the rainforrest, I actually like the climate, but I also miss things. Yes there are material things like Krispy Kreme donuts, T2, Nandos, Oporto and Borders, but there are also other differences. We are having a week of Winter. It was a shock driving from the airport seeing trees with no leaves on them and it is wonderful in the mornings and evenings breathing ’smoke’ (condensation or CO2 or something!). Spending an evening in front of an open fireplace may have to wait as we are yet to find anywhere that has one, but still, we can dream!

One of the main things though is the culture of the place. We have visited the National Gallery, Parliament House and the National Museum and plan on going to the War Memorial before heading home and the vastness of the culture is amazing. The National Gallery was almost cultural overload seeing famous artworks and lesser known works from around the world.

Last night though was the big clincher. We dined at Ardeche, a French restaurant here in town. Interestingly MIML™ and I had exactly the same starter and main- escargot for the starter and white rabbit for the main. It was at the first mouthful of the main when the looks on our faces must have told a story of delight and amazement. This was not something one tastes in Cairns!

MIML™ writes things down in order to try and make sense of the experience and  the meal prompted this from him:

Rabbit

restaurant Ardeche,
gastronomic velvet oasis
in winter desert.

17/07/08

I call it poetry, but that is something we differ about! He is teh smartz!

Had a gorgeous date Friday night with the MIML™ (man in my life.) We had dinner at Verdi’s. Possibly the nicest pizza I have had in long time. Of course the company was superb too. Now we went for pizza, but couldn’t pass up dessert. Yes, we may have the emotional intelligence of a pair of teenagers, but when the specials board is written up with “Brandy Snaps filled with cream and masterated strawberries” curiosity got the better of us. I couldn’t bring myself to ask the waiter what the chef had done to masterate the strawberries, but the MIML™ has a brilliant poker face and was able to make quips that brought tears to my eyes and made the couple at the table near us giggle too.

We joked to each other that if they came out as phallic things with cream oozing out… thinking that they would actually be baskets. But no. This is what I was greeted with:

Yes, the jokes kept coming. And yes, I know it is macerated! But hey. We have dirty minds!

Edit: Oh and they tasted damn fine too!