Posts Tagged ‘the past’

When strange things happen, are you going round the twist?

Way back in Primary School when I was just a wee bonnie lass, on a real scorcher of a day the library would allow students into the air-conditioned AV Room, where we would sit in the dark watching episodes from the popular-at-the-time-ABC-show, Round the Twist. It was one of my favourite programs, and even now I’m tempted to purchase the DVDs. But only the first two series – before Paul Jennings left.

One particular episode that really stuck with me, possibly because I watched it over and over between lunchtimes in the library and afternoons with ABC, was “Grandad’s Gifts“; even now, the sight of lemons takes me back. There was such beauty in this episode, and for a program that was largely a comedy, it invoked a real sadness in me. I don’t know if it was the poetic justice of it all, or if it was Linda’s “The fox’s eyes.. he just came back to life.. and now he’ll never see… I’m so sorry, Fox”, but by the time the episode finished and the lights came back on, you could be sure that I’d be wiping tears from my red, swollen eyes.

Grandad’s Gifts – Round the Twist

We have a lemon tree. I don’t have a fox (yes, fox, not faux) fur though. But thanks to Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion, I do have an awesome recipe for a Gin Fizz -

Shake 45mL gin with 1 Tbsp pure icing sugar, several mint leaves and the juice of 1 lemon over several ice cubes in a shaker. Strain into a long glass and fill with soda water.

You can substitute sugar syrup for the icing sugar, but really, that’s just additional work (and more washing up!).

Mmm. A Gin Fizz would go well with Little Miss Moi’s Preserved Lemon Chicken with Parsley, Chicken and Honey, no?