Wishing Every-one a Happy Chinese New Year. It is the Year of the Pig so I think that means plenty of Happiness and Abundance.
Guess what…we got our first Goosie Egg today!! Very Auspicious!! Thank-you Goosies. We are so pleased…
Tag Archives: Happy New Year!
Gong Xi Fa Cai!!
Happy New Year.
Hello and Happy New Year! It is soooo cold right now that it is really difficult to jump out of bed and feel the excitement of new projects and finishing projects. In fact, we are so cold that the first thing Gnome does is to light our home-made charcoal stove and stick it under the table next to our feet. The cat, of course, joins us at the point when it is all warm and toasty.
Foot Heater (TM):
The geese are also especially reluctant to their thing and are spending a substantial amount of time loitering outside the house making trouble and noise. I have to get out and shoo them to the pond but even me with a broom doesn’t get them going!
“Nobody on the farm wants to do anything!! And there is so much to do!!”
Yes indeed, we need to crank up a gear (or rather, switch the engine back on) and get on with it.
Munchkin:
“Can’t we go by the lunar calendar this year so that the year doesn’t have to start so early??”
(Chinese New Year starts on the 16th of February this year).
Gnome is feeling a bit more driven…we switch roles to keep each other going. This is what happens when you don’t have a boss…you have to encourage each other along the way.
Gnome:
“We can do it…Munchkin…against all odds!! We can beat the laziness out of us…”
Oh, if only he could wave the magic wand and all the work was done!!
Anyway, back to reality… first we need to fix the wonky gate. Here is our jungle tune to get us going:
Happy Chinese New Year!!
Hello and Happy Chinese New Year to y’all!! It’s the Year of the Rooster by the way, which means action, taking the chance and getting things done properly. Probably means other things too so best if you go read it up yourself…I don’t claim to be a Horoscope Munchkin. Today has been an auspicious day for us on the farm. Look!! We have 8 (Auspicious Number for Chinese) eggs to incubate. Last night we followed the duckies around, nonchalantly of course, and found their secret nest.
Yes, my evolved duckies, we know you’re hiding something from us:
Secret Duckie Nest in Bush:
We found 6 eggs last night and then 2 this morning. Lucky 8!! Try this number for Boledo today!!
Happy New Year.
A Brand New Year With Munchkin and Gnome!!
It’s a brand new year bringing change and clarity. Let us all be imaginative and creative so that we can get out of the blah and mundaneness of life. Munchkin and Gnome will strive to keep the Magic going!! Are you ready to follow us…
Into The Jungle (Our New Theme For 2016)!!
This story, all names, characters and incidents portrayed in this production are non-fictitious. Identification with actual persons, places, buildings and products is intended and should be inferred.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
To All of Our Friends, Our Enemies, Our Families, Our Readers and All of Humanity:
May we all have a year filled with wonder, success, prosperity and awe. May all our wishes and dreams come true. May we all discover freedom and brotherhood. May the Fates smile upon all of our endeavours.
Please join us in welcoming the New Year by singing along with us with a good old Scottish favourite from Rabbie Burns (take your pick according to your inclination) while we share a wee nip of Scotch together:
Here are the Words:
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my jo,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup!
and surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We twa hae run about the braes,
and pou’d the gowans fine;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
sin’ auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
sin’ auld lang syne.
CHORUS
And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere!
and gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak’ a right gude-willie waught,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS
The Traditional Burns Auld Lang Syne:
Gregorian Auld Lang Syne:
And if you prefer Trance Auld Lang Syne:
Happy New Year from The Munchkin and The Gnome!!
Mashing, Lautering and Sparging on New Year's Eve.
I’ve had to postpone brewing until today…it is amazing and unfortunate that people get sick around New Year and interfere with our best laid brewing plans…but such is life and I am always a doctor first. Better late than never and I get to call today’s brew New Year’s Eve Jackass Bitters Brown Ale!
As I mentioned previously, maize has a higher gelatinization temperature than barley; so high, in fact, that the active enzymes for starch conversion are denatured. This means that the usual temperature steps in mashing have to be altered so as to both keep the enzymes and gelatinize the maize starch.
The way to get around this then, is to start mashing in the usual way with the normal Beta-glucan and protein rests and then siphoning off the wort that is there, keep it somewhere safe and clean while more water is added to the grains. The grains and water are then boiled for five or ten minutes, cooled to mashing temperatures and the liquid that was taken off is added back in (hopefully with all the enzymes still intact); the conversion then is finished in the normal way.
If you want the detailed recipe and procedure followed check it out here: Bored-In-Belize: Brewing New Year’s Eve Brown Maize Ale.
I’ve only included a few photos (look at the full recipe for more) since they really all look the same…a big pot with stuff in it…
Here is the wort siphoned off into a gallon jar for safe keeping:
Here’s a photo of sparging all of the wort before the final boiling with Jackass Bitters.
The rest of the brewing process is straight forward and follows the usual steps.
There it is, the New Year’s Eve Brew is completed!