Asparagus!

Doug Weller said:

On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 06:49:21 -0600, in rec.food.cooking, Melba's

Jammin said:

I almost never buy meat that's not offered at a sale price.

I'm the same way, and I always have more in my freezer than I need.

That's kind of my problem, I have too much meat in the freezer and have
to avoid buying more on sale.

Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Default User said:

That's kind of my problem, I have too much meat in the freezer and have
to avoid buying more on sale.

I should have checked the freezer before shopping today. At the beginning
of February I went to the store why I get most of my meat and bought enough
for 4 weeks, brought it home and but it in the freezer. Since then I have
been picking up fresh fish on Fridays (because that is when I shop not
religious reasons) and something special for Sunday dinner. Since I had
not stocked up on meat since then I figured it was time I went there and
did it again. My wife usually gets something out of the freezer for
dinner. They had a sale on chicken legs and on pork chops. I got a nice
chunk of boneless leg of lamb and enough met for 22 meals total. When I got
home I took most of it immediately to the freezer, opened it up and found
enough meat for a week and a half still there from the last big meat
shopping.

Phred said:

Care to reveal your recipe and method, please? No detail is too
trivial to mention when it comes to a liver neophyte like me! TIA

Consider Heston Blumenthal's take on it:
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,849676,00.html>.

Victor

Gregory Morrow said:

I'm single but I like to cook a lot from scratch, I'll rarely buy anything
that is *not* on sale...in fact the only time I normally buy a "hard" copy
of the local newspaper is on Wednesdays so's I can peruse the food ads. To
me it's kinda fun and it's also an exercise in discipline...I am not
especially restrained money - wise but I like to challenge myself by being
"creative" this way.

I rarely have to buy a paper to see the food ads anymore. Most of them
are online now, and in most places, the new ones go up on Wednesday,
same as the papers. Only a very few stores have ads that run on a
different schedule.

Check it out: input the name of your favorite stores into a search
engine, and chances are you can find their site on the web, and also
the weekly ads within that site.

Christine

On Fri 17 Mar 2006 04:01:13p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Christine
Dabney?

Quoted message said:

Gregory Morrow said:

I'm single but I like to cook a lot from scratch, I'll rarely buy
anything that is *not* on sale...in fact the only time I normally buy a
"hard" copy of the local newspaper is on Wednesdays so's I can peruse
the food ads. To me it's kinda fun and it's also an exercise in
discipline...I am not especially restrained money - wise but I like to
challenge myself by being "creative" this way.

I rarely have to buy a paper to see the food ads anymore. Most of them
are online now, and in most places, the new ones go up on Wednesday,
same as the papers. Only a very few stores have ads that run on a
different schedule.

Check it out: input the name of your favorite stores into a search
engine, and chances are you can find their site on the web, and also
the weekly ads within that site.

Christine

We have a weekly mail circular that includes all the adds for all the
supermarket chains in the area. No need for the paper and very handy to
read. They are the same as each of the chains have online.

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

"Peter Aitken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Sarah" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Phred" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, "limey" <[email hidden]>
wrote:
>
>#1.29 a pound yesterday at the Safeway. It will be on the menu tonight
>along with liver and onions and mashed potatoes. Fruit for dessert.

G'day Dora,

I have to say that Qld Rail's liver and bacon was one of my favorite
breakfasts; but I've never managed to make it to anything like the
same standard. :-(

So I'm interested in alternatives such as your liver and onions.

Care to reveal your recipe and method, please? No detail is too
trivial to mention when it comes to a liver neophyte like me! TIA

>Made Wayne's cream of asparagus soup, to have for lunch tomorrow.
>Tastes
>delicious. Thanks, Wayne!

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email hidden]

Same here, all details for cooking liver and onions gratefully received,
as Husband LOVES the stuff, but my only attempt at cooking it was a
disaster, that I couldn't even bring myself to taste it. (Husband ate it
all, but I think he was just grateful I'd tried!)
He wanted Ox liver, my Mum warned me against this and said I needed lambs
liver, but I didn't listen, even the liver served at school was better
than my attempt.
Sarah

Here's how I do it.

You want 1/2 inch thick slices of liver. Rinse and trim off anything you
don't want to eat such as blood vessels. Be sure the membrane around the
outside is removed (it is often not present having been removed during
processing). If it remains it will cause the liver to pucker when cooked.
Sprinkle with S&P and dredge in flour. Set on a rack. Do not do this too
far in advance - maybe 15 min.

Cook your bacon in a cast iron skillet. About 2 slices per person is about
right. Set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.

Decide how much onion you want per person. I like about 1/2c. Since it
reduces during cooking, slice twice as much onion, thinly. I use regular
yellow cooking onions. Cook in the bacon fat over medium heat for 10-15
minutes until limp and just starting to brown. Remove and keep warm.

Heat the pan until it is just smoking. Add the liver and cook for about 1
minute on each side. You want a little pink left in the center. Place the
liver on plates and top with the bacon and onions.

--
Peter Aitken
Visit my recipe and kitchen myths page at www.pgacon.com/cooking.htm

I definitely over cooked mine! I may buy some today, and surprise him with
edible liver!
Sarah

In article <EWDSf.24$vy.4@trnddc01>, "limey" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Phred" wrote

limey said:

Quoted message said:

#1.29 a pound yesterday at the Safeway. It will be on the menu tonight
along with liver and onions and mashed potatoes. Fruit for dessert.

G'day Dora,

I have to say that Qld Rail's liver and bacon was one of my favorite
breakfasts; but I've never managed to make it to anything like the
same standard. :-(

So I'm interested in alternatives such as your liver and onions.

Care to reveal your recipe and method, please? No detail is too
trivial to mention when it comes to a liver neophyte like me! TIA

G'day, mate!

If you look at Peter Aiken's recipe in this thread, it's just about
identical to the way I make liver and onions. The method was taught me
years ago by my proficient husband, since I had been turning out a long
string of shoe leather liver. ;-) I haven't had another failure, more kudos
to him.

Thanks for the response, Dora. I saw Peter's recipe. It looks good.
Even I may be able to follow it! 🙂 ... Thanks Peter.

I also checked out the link posted by Victor.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,849676,00.html>
Some useful comments on liver. I was especially interested in the
emphasis on using veal calf liver for best results, which confirms
advice I got some time ago from a colleague. ... Thanks Vic.

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email hidden]

Two or three times a year I invite around 15 friends over for liver and
onions. I make about 8lb of liver, lots of bacon, and about 5lb yellow
onions. I serve with boiled red potatos and boiled carrots.

If I can get it I use veal liver. If it is not available I use beef
liver. If I use beef liver I soak it for a few hours or overnight in
milk. I use a flour coating that has a bit of cornmeal and red hot
pepper in the flour along with the salt a pepper. while I am working on
the liver I boil up red potatos.

Fry up the bacon and onions and remove them to a bowl then use the
bacon grease to saute the liver. As I cook the liver I transfer it to
my big lazagna pan. When all the liver is cooked I top it with the
bacon and onions and then I put about a cup of the potato water into
the pan and seal it up with foil. I keep it in the oven on very low
until the guests arrive. There is usually enough for people to take
some home for the next days lunch. Really great liver and onions
depends on the quality of the liver and the bacon.

This method works for me every time. Pam

"Gregory Morrow"
<[email hidden]> hitched up
their panties and posted
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Is your Safeway the infamous "Soviet" Safeway on 17th St. East of
Dupont Circle by any chance? Ye gawdz that place is awful -- *and*
expensive!

Ye Gawds... Anything on Dupont is expensive 😉 A suite at The Ritz Carlton
will bankrupt you.

Have you been to the Fireside?

<Jool shopping hilarity snipped for space>

Michael

--
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she
served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been
found."

--Calvin Trillin

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Fri 17 Mar 2006 07:02:03a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it biig?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Thu 16 Mar 2006 06:17:09p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it sarah
bennett?

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> On Thu 16 Mar 2006 05:20:20p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
>> wff_ng_7?
>>
>>
>>>"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Depending on the store, I have been buying asparagus at 97¢ or 99¢
>>>>per pound for several weeks now and I don't consider where I live
>>>>to be an especially low cost area. Although it used to be somewhat
>>>>cheaper to live here than it is now. However, the asparagus is
>>>>grown in Mexico and I live in Arizona, which I'm sure accounts for
>>>>the low cost. Some of the nicest, bright green, thin asparagus
>>>>I've seen in a long time.
>>>
>>>I know I've seen asparagus from Mexico around here too this time of
>>>year, maybe that's where my latest batches came from. In summer, it
>>>can come from closer areas. Some of the nicest asparagus I've seen
>>>in recent years came from New Jersey, of all places. I guess there
>>>was a reason New Jersey was called the "Garden State".
>>>
>>>The "normal" price for asparagus at my local Safeway supermarket is
>>>$3.99 a pound. I believe that is what I saw it at today. I won't buy
>>>it at that price (or anywhere near it). That price is not
>>>necessarily indicative of the price for the region as a whole. I
>>>live in downtown Washington, DC. I believe Safeway sets prices store
>>>by store. But during sales, prices are uniform region wide. The
>>>sales flyers always say "save up to [censored]" because the normal price
>>>varies by store.
>>
>>
>> $3.99 is also the "normal" price around here, too. The prices at
>> Safeway here do not seem to vary from store to store. Typically,
>> not all chains are running good specials on asparagus at the same
>> time. When I've seen it at one or two chains ~$1.00/lb at one chain
>> (including Safeway), it may still be at $1.99-$3.99 at other chains.
>> It certainly pays to read the ads before shopping.
>
> am I the only one who shops according to whats on sale?
>

No, that's why I buy a ton of asparagus when it's 97-99c/lb. Likewise,
I look for good prices on other vegetables and fruits, as well as
meats.

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o ____________________

BIOYA

Wayne, do you freeze, and if so, what is your method for getting a
good result....thanks....Sharon

No, Sharon, I gorge! <vbg> I really don't like frozen asparagus, and I
detest the canned stuff. That leaves me with enjoying eating as much as I
can possibly manage when it's available fresh and cheap.

I have frozen cooked puree made with a small quantity of chicken broth,
which I later use for cream of asparagus soup. That has been successful.

- Thanks Wayne, I'll try that puree trick too. I didn't get any asparagus this week. One store that had decent quality was 2.99 and the one that has it for 1.99, didn't have it in a water tray and it was all wilted...yuck......Sharon

"Phred" wrote >

limey said:

Quoted message said:

If you look at Peter Aiken's recipe in this thread, it's just about
identical to the way I make liver and onions. The method was taught me
years ago by my proficient husband, since I had been turning out a long
string of shoe leather liver. ;-) I haven't had another failure, more
kudos
to him.

Thanks for the response, Dora. I saw Peter's recipe. It looks good.
Even I may be able to follow it! 🙂 ... Thanks Peter.

I also checked out the link posted by Victor.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,849676,00.html>
Some useful comments on liver. I was especially interested in the
emphasis on using veal calf liver for best results, which confirms
advice I got some time ago from a colleague. ... Thanks Vic.

Cheers, Phred.

About the only difference between Peter's recipe and mine is that after I
have removed the cooked onions and fried the liver, I turn the onions back
into the pan, put the liver on top and simmer for just a few minutes. The
trick is to not have the onions too caramelized when you put them back in
the pan or they'll cook up too much.

I've had good luck with beef liver. As I mentioned, the only calves' liver
available to me is too thin and therefore unmanageable. I like the liver
about 1/2" thick.

You could use lamb's liver too, Phred.

Dora

On Sat 18 Mar 2006 08:32:49a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it biig?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

On Fri 17 Mar 2006 07:02:03a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it biig?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> On Thu 16 Mar 2006 06:17:09p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
> sarah bennett?
>
> > Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> >> On Thu 16 Mar 2006 05:20:20p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it
> >> wff_ng_7?
> >>
> >>
> >>>"Wayne Boatwright" <wayneboatwright_at_gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>>Depending on the store, I have been buying asparagus at 97¢ or
> >>>>99¢ per pound for several weeks now and I don't consider where I
> >>>>live to be an especially low cost area. Although it used to be
> >>>>somewhat cheaper to live here than it is now. However, the
> >>>>asparagus is grown in Mexico and I live in Arizona, which I'm
> >>>>sure accounts for the low cost. Some of the nicest, bright
> >>>>green, thin asparagus I've seen in a long time.
> >>>
> >>>I know I've seen asparagus from Mexico around here too this time
> >>>of year, maybe that's where my latest batches came from. In
> >>>summer, it can come from closer areas. Some of the nicest
> >>>asparagus I've seen in recent years came from New Jersey, of all
> >>>places. I guess there was a reason New Jersey was called the
> >>>"Garden State".
> >>>
> >>>The "normal" price for asparagus at my local Safeway supermarket
> >>>is $3.99 a pound. I believe that is what I saw it at today. I
> >>>won't buy it at that price (or anywhere near it). That price is
> >>>not necessarily indicative of the price for the region as a
> >>>whole. I live in downtown Washington, DC. I believe Safeway sets
> >>>prices store by store. But during sales, prices are uniform
> >>>region wide. The sales flyers always say "save up to [censored]" because
> >>>the normal price varies by store.
> >>
> >>
> >> $3.99 is also the "normal" price around here, too. The prices at
> >> Safeway here do not seem to vary from store to store. Typically,
> >> not all chains are running good specials on asparagus at the same
> >> time. When I've seen it at one or two chains ~$1.00/lb at one
> >> chain (including Safeway), it may still be at $1.99-$3.99 at
> >> other chains. It certainly pays to read the ads before shopping.
> >
> > am I the only one who shops according to whats on sale?
> >
>
> No, that's why I buy a ton of asparagus when it's 97-99c/lb.
> Likewise, I look for good prices on other vegetables and fruits, as
> well as meats.
>
> --
> Wayne Boatwright o¿o ____________________
>
> BIOYA

Wayne, do you freeze, and if so, what is your method for getting a
good result....thanks....Sharon

No, Sharon, I gorge! <vbg> I really don't like frozen asparagus, and I
detest the canned stuff. That leaves me with enjoying eating as much
as I can possibly manage when it's available fresh and cheap.

I have frozen cooked puree made with a small quantity of chicken broth,
which I later use for cream of asparagus soup. That has been
successful.

- Thanks Wayne, I'll try that puree trick too. I didn't get any
asparagus this week. One store that had decent quality was 2.99 and
the one that has it for 1.99, didn't have it in a water tray and it was
all wilted...yuck......Sharon

I hope you see some decent quality at a good price soon!

--
Wayne Boatwright o¿o
____________________

BIOYA

Thanks for the extra detail, Dora. Though I'm beginning to wondewr
when (if!) I'll get a chance to try it. Very severe tropical cyclone
Larry (Cat. 4 approaching 5) is due to cross the coast very near here
tomorrow morning (est. 0700 to 0900). If it keeps on the current
track we'll be on the edge of the very destructive winds; but if it
drifts a teeny bit further north in the next 8 hours we'll be in the
core of the bloody thing with gusts to 280 km/h. Not nice. :-(

In article <_yWSf.9900$bu.7228@trnddc04>, "limey" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

"Phred" wrote >

limey said:

Quoted message said:

If you look at Peter Aiken's recipe in this thread, it's just about
identical to the way I make liver and onions. The method was taught me
years ago by my proficient husband, since I had been turning out a long
string of shoe leather liver. ;-) I haven't had another failure, more
kudos
to him.

Thanks for the response, Dora. I saw Peter's recipe. It looks good.
Even I may be able to follow it! 🙂 ... Thanks Peter.

I also checked out the link posted by Victor.
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,849676,00.html>
Some useful comments on liver. I was especially interested in the
emphasis on using veal calf liver for best results, which confirms
advice I got some time ago from a colleague. ... Thanks Vic.

About the only difference between Peter's recipe and mine is that after I
have removed the cooked onions and fried the liver, I turn the onions back
into the pan, put the liver on top and simmer for just a few minutes. The
trick is to not have the onions too caramelized when you put them back in
the pan or they'll cook up too much.

I've had good luck with beef liver. As I mentioned, the only calves' liver
available to me is too thin and therefore unmanageable. I like the liver
about 1/2" thick.

You could use lamb's liver too, Phred.

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email hidden]

"Phred" wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the extra detail, Dora. Though I'm beginning to wondewr
when (if!) I'll get a chance to try it. Very severe tropical cyclone
Larry (Cat. 4 approaching 5) is due to cross the coast very near here
tomorrow morning (est. 0700 to 0900). If it keeps on the current
track we'll be on the edge of the very destructive winds; but if it
drifts a teeny bit further north in the next 8 hours we'll be in the
core of the bloody thing with gusts to 280 km/h. Not nice. :-(

Phred

My God. Stay safe. The disaster of Hurricane Katrina is still vivid and
ongoing here - but no gusts of 280 km/h. Let us all know that you have
come through it safely.

Dora

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

In article said:

#1.29 a pound yesterday at the Safeway. It will be on the menu tonight
along with liver and onions and mashed potatoes. Fruit for dessert.

G'day Dora,

I have to say that Qld Rail's liver and bacon was one of my favorite
breakfasts; but I've never managed to make it to anything like the
same standard. :-(

So I'm interested in alternatives such as your liver and onions.

Care to reveal your recipe and method, please? No detail is too
trivial to mention when it comes to a liver neophyte like me! TIA

Quoted message said:

Made Wayne's cream of asparagus soup, to have for lunch tomorrow. Tastes
delicious. Thanks, Wayne!

Cheers, Phred.

I'm not Dora, and other people have posted good ways of doing sliced liver and
onions so I won't get into that.

But I've a few other things I do with liver. For instance, cut the slices of
liver into 3/4" squares, saute briefly in a deep pan, then add a thinly sliced
medium onion, 1/2 green and 1/2 red capsicum (medium diced), a bit of celery, a
can of tomatoes (or frozen ones or fresh ones, whatever), tsp of salt, Tbsp of
paprika, pinch of pepper, 1/4-1/2 cup of red wine, put the lid on and simmer on
very low heat for about 10 minutes. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes. (You
have to size the capsicum so it's cooked to *your* liking at the end, I tend to
go for 'fairly small'😉.

A few days ago I invented a new way (new for me, anyway); started off with the
liver & extra onions the same way with the addition of 1/3 cup of finely diced
bacon, ... then chucked in a handful of finely sliced black olives, a cup of
madeira, 1/2 tsp of tabasco sauce and sprinkled about 100g of chevre (~ mild
goat feta) over the top before putting the lid on. My wife thought a lot of it.

Sincerely hope 'Larry' left you with a roof over your kitchen ... -Peter

--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com

In article said:

"Phred" wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the extra detail, Dora. Though I'm beginning to wonder
when (if!) I'll get a chance to try it. Very severe tropical cyclone
Larry (Cat. 4 approaching 5) is due to cross the coast very near here
tomorrow morning (est. 0700 to 0900). If it keeps on the current
track we'll be on the edge of the very destructive winds; but if it
drifts a teeny bit further north in the next 8 hours we'll be in the
core of the bloody thing with gusts to 280 km/h. Not nice. :-(

My God. Stay safe. The disaster of Hurricane Katrina is still vivid and
ongoing here - but no gusts of 280 km/h. Let us all know that you have
come through it safely.

G'day Dora,

Thanks for your concern (and Peter too). I wasn't really expecting to
be here tonight, but as it turned out "Larry" stuck to its predicted
track and scored a direct hit on Innisfail -- which is now virtually
destroyed, but government at all levels is rushing in assistance -- so
we were on the edge. Had about an hour or hour and a half of very
strong gusty winds here in mid morning, but I don't think any peaked
at much over 110 km/h, whereas Innisfail copped some >300 km/h.

The system crossed the coast as a Cat5 and it was still a Cat2 some 13
hours later after travelling 400 km over land! Last I saw, the
destructive core was about half way across the base of Cape York
Peninsula (between Georgetown and Croydon -- but you'll need a good
map 🙂. There'll be an update of warnings in a couple of hours time.

Most damage here was limited to fallen trees and shop awnings etc. I
didn't notice any structural damage to buildings locally. Of course,
many local tree crops were badly affected, especially things like
pawpaws (papaya) and bananas. My backyard mangoes were unscathed
(mango trees are *tough* 🙂 but a fine crop of feral passionfruit bit
the ground still hard green. :-(

Power remains off to a large part of far north Queensland due to
either damage to a main 132 KVA feeder, or deliberately turned off for
safety because of the number of fallen lines around the region.
(Don't know which option to believe, both seem reasonable.)

Folk have been phoning in to the regional ABC Radio (which is in
"talkback mode" this evening) describing experiences. Those who
haven't lost much other than convenience (e.g. no power) seem to be
bearing up well and having gas barbecues in the back yard and
"camping out" there. (The main problem being lack of cold beer. 🙂

Our main concern now is TC Wati which seems to be coming in on a very
similar track across the Coral Sea. However, some met experts have it
turning away to the SE before reaching Oz. (So Kiwis may have to look
out for the welfare of those walking lamb roasts.)

Cheers, Phred.

--
[email hidden]

[email hidden] (Phred) hitched up their panties and posted
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Our main concern now is TC Wati which seems to be coming in on a very
similar track across the Coral Sea. However, some met experts have it
turning away to the SE before reaching Oz. (So Kiwis may have to look
out for the welfare of those walking lamb roasts.)

Cheers, Phred.

Gawd Phred, I'm so glad you and your family are safe. Here in Missouri, in
the U.S., we don't get much worse than tornadoes but that is scary enough.
I'm going to have to check the weather reports. I have friends that live
in the Sydney area.

Michael <- very glad 3 big trees were taken down... by professionals and
not by weather.
--
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she
served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been
found."

--Calvin Trillin

"Michael \"Dog3\" Lonergan" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Gawd Phred, I'm so glad you and your family are safe. Here in
Missouri, in the U.S., we don't get much worse than tornadoes but that
is scary enough. I'm going to have to check the weather reports. I
have friends that live in the Sydney area.

Michael - the cyclone went through the north Queensland - towards the top
of Australia - a long way from Sydney, so no need to worry about your
friends. The weather around here has been cool ( a lot cooler than it has
been) and grey.

http://www.smh.com.au/

--
Rhonda Anderson
Cranebrook, NSW, Australia

"Phred" wrote in message

limey said:

Quoted message said:

"Phred" wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the extra detail, Dora. Though I'm beginning to wonder
when (if!) I'll get a chance to try it. Very severe tropical cyclone
Larry (Cat. 4 approaching 5) is due to cross the coast very near here
tomorrow morning (est. 0700 to 0900). If it keeps on the current
track we'll be on the edge of the very destructive winds; but if it
drifts a teeny bit further north in the next 8 hours we'll be in the
core of the bloody thing with gusts to 280 km/h. Not nice. :-(

My God. Stay safe. The disaster of Hurricane Katrina is still vivid and
ongoing here - but no gusts of 280 km/h. Let us all know that you have
come through it safely.

G'day Dora,

Thanks for your concern (and Peter too). I wasn't really expecting to
be here tonight, but as it turned out "Larry" stuck to its predicted
track and scored a direct hit on Innisfail -- which is now virtually
destroyed, but government at all levels is rushing in assistance -- so
we were on the edge. Had about an hour or hour and a half of very
strong gusty winds here in mid morning, but I don't think any peaked
at much over 110 km/h, whereas Innisfail copped some >300 km/h.

The system crossed the coast as a Cat5 and it was still a Cat2 some 13
hours later after travelling 400 km over land! Last I saw, the
destructive core was about half way across the base of Cape York
Peninsula (between Georgetown and Croydon -- but you'll need a good
map 🙂. There'll be an update of warnings in a couple of hours time.

Most damage here was limited to fallen trees and shop awnings etc. I
didn't notice any structural damage to buildings locally. Of course,
many local tree crops were badly affected, especially things like
pawpaws (papaya) and bananas. My backyard mangoes were unscathed
(mango trees are *tough* 🙂 but a fine crop of feral passionfruit bit
the ground still hard green. :-(

Power remains off to a large part of far north Queensland due to
either damage to a main 132 KVA feeder, or deliberately turned off for
safety because of the number of fallen lines around the region.
(Don't know which option to believe, both seem reasonable.)

Folk have been phoning in to the regional ABC Radio (which is in
"talkback mode" this evening) describing experiences. Those who
haven't lost much other than convenience (e.g. no power) seem to be
bearing up well and having gas barbecues in the back yard and
"camping out" there. (The main problem being lack of cold beer. 🙂

Our main concern now is TC Wati which seems to be coming in on a very
similar track across the Coral Sea. However, some met experts have it
turning away to the SE before reaching Oz. (So Kiwis may have to look
out for the welfare of those walking lamb roasts.)

Cheers, Phred.

The pictures were on the news here this morning. Devastating. They also
said another was on the way - now I'll cross my fingers for some of our NZ
friends on here. Thank goodness you are safe but I'm sorry about your
damage. You must have electricity (hence your post) which is good news.
Thanks for posting and putting my mind to rest.

Dora

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Our main concern now is TC Wati which seems to be coming in on a very
similar track across the Coral Sea. However, some met experts have it
turning away to the SE before reaching Oz. (So Kiwis may have to look
out for the welfare of those walking lamb roasts.)

I'm not worried [at this stage]; March is normally way too late in the year for
s.th. like that to get down here. If/when we get them at all, it's in January
when it's nice and stinking hot. It would need to meet freak conditions ...

-P.

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