Sunny side up - all the way to the top and back !

I write this in my post walk flush - high on finishing and the fresh Megalong air. High also on the warmth you get from the camaraderie of a shared experience and eggs. There's also something of a relief that my body enjoyed - no, REALLY enjoyed the walking and climbing in a way that matched my mind's idea of a good time from stimulating conversations and corny jokes. And who would have thought I would learn to crotchet. There was no challenge too large (or outrageous) as was proven by the pink noodle-box desserts and the Easter bunny finding us.... even a new toilet ! And eggs which ever way you please...

The stars above

Gordon unknown to most of us is a bit of an expert on on the stars!

While we were sitting around the campsite a wealth of star facts were revealed.  And for fear of misquoting the great Starman of Megalong I have wikied the below information.

Speaking of Starman I feel it only fair to mention Spa-man! (and his wife Spa Woman!) while not in the spirit of the great Camp cook out - Stu and Di chose not to sleep under the Milky Way instead retiring to a well sprung luxury mattress with hot and cold running water nearby - but this sin may have been atoned, by the provision of the most spectacularly presented camp food ever!!! in the history of "Camp food" a delicate chocolatycreamyberry concoction served in prettypink noodle boxes!!!! Wow 11/10 for presentation Di!!!!

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap960526.html

"Alpha Centauri" is the name given to what appears as a single star to the naked eye and the brightest star in the southern constellation of Centaurus. With the aid of a telescope, Alpha Centauri can be resolved into a binary star system in close orbit. This is known as the Alpha Centauri AB system, often abbreviated as α Centauri AB or α Cen AB.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri

"Alpha Centauri A (α Cen A) and Alpha Centauri B (α Cen B) are the individual stars of the binary system, usually defined to identify them as the different component of the binary α Cen AB. As viewed from Earth, there is likely an additional companion located 2.2° away from the AB star system, whose distance is much greater than the observed separation between stars A and B. This companion is Proxima Centauri, Proxima, or α Cen C. If it were bright enough to be seen without a telescope, Proxima Centauri would appear to the naked eye as a star separate from α Cen AB. Alpha Centauri AB and Proxima Centauri form a visual double star, and they are assumed to be gravitationally associated with each other. Direct evidence that Proxima Centauri has an elliptical orbit typical of binary stars has yet to be determined.^[10]

Together all three components make a triple star system, referred to by double-star observers as the triple star (or multiple star), α Cen AB-C."

Camp Cook - The perfect poached egg - 80°C

Paying the price!

The secret to perfectly poached eggs is having a perfectly fresh egg as the main ingredient!
Simple huh?
A couple of weeks ago I read on one of my many blog feeds how to poach the perfect egg - and as this came up in conversation at the big breakfast at the Megalong Valley Tearooms where we debriefed following the camping trip. I thought for the record I would share the knowledge!  Oh yes and you can check out the tearooms too on the link below!

http://www.megalongtearooms.com/history.php

Poached Egg

Ingredients

1 pan of boiling water - The water in the pan must be over 3" deep to stop the egg sticking to the base
1 cup
1 egg (very fresh) room temperature
dash of vinegar if you are not confident in your egg's freshness

Assemble ingredients - into the pan of boiling water add the dash of vinegar and bring back to a simmer.Do not add salt to the water! (this negates the congealing power of the vinegar). Egg white sets at 80°C so the water need be no hotter than this or the taste and texture will be affected negatively.
 Into the cup - carefully break the egg so the yolk remains intact. Slowly lower the cup into the now simmering water being careful not to burn yourself and let a little of the  water lap into the cup then gently and slowly let the egg slip into the water and watch the white form. You can help the white stay closer to the yolk with a spoon. - At this point you may choose to turn off the heat and wait for the requisite 3 minutes for a soft yolk or you can choose to leave the heat on - the temperature needs to be less than 83°C! Use a thermometer  until you get it down pat!