1

MonkeyshineMagazine

Mini Christmas Edition

2

Enter voucher code“Green Child” to receive

10% off your order*

Go to www.sustainababy.com.au

* Excludes bulk nappy packs.Offer expires 30 June 2011

Eco babyproductshave never beenso stylish

Our eco-friendly range includes:• Nappies • Teethers • Furniture • Pacifiers • Clothing

• Bedding • Bath products • Slings • Toys

Sustainababy is an online store for parents whoare concerned about their impact on the world.

3

Monkeyshine eMagazine

Issue Number 1Publishing Editor: Candy Jubb

Contributors: Kelvin Jubb, Lisa Abejja,Candy Jubb, Ofa Fitzgibbons, Denyse

Whelan, Laura Trotta, FelicityO’Donohue, Indy Hilditch.

Cover © Karen GentryPhotos: K&C Jubb, iStockphoto, Lisa

Abejja,

For details on how to advertise inMonkeyshine please email Candy at

monkeyshinemag@bigpond.com or call 0438229948.

If you would like to send us a contribution(and we would love that) please use the same

email, for letters, comments, articles or anyother material you may think is of interest to

Monkeyshine magazine readers.

While every effort has been made to ensure theaccuracy of the information contained in

Monkeyshine eMagazine, the publishers accept noresponsibility or liability for any errors, omissions

or resultant consequences including any loss ordamage arising from reliance on information in

this publication. The views expressed are notnecessarily endorsed by the publisher

Check out our new blog at:www.monkeyshinemagazine.com.

Page 4 - Ten easy ways tokeep Christmas affordable

Page 6 - - Lisa Abejja talks

about opening an online store

Page 9 - - Felicity O’Donohueand her Karma Soap

Company

Page 10 - Gifts for the hard tobuy for guy

Page 11 - A blokes guide toshopping for her

Page 13 - Christmas at AuntyDales

Page 14 - How to have aneco friendly Christmas with alittle help from Sustainababy

Page 16 - Christmas and thechanging of the guard -

Denyse Whelan shares how herfamily celebrated Christmas

Page 17 - Keeping themonkey happy over the

holidays - Things to do fromiVenture

Page 18 - Recipe - Slowcooked Leg Ham and Apple,

with cherry relish

Page 20 - The littlestMonkeyshine Team membertells us what Christmas means

for her

I am very excited to be delivering the mini edition of Monkeyshine for Christmas 2011. Ihope you are all ready for the holiday season, but if you are anything like me you areprobably still shopping and getting plans organised. Hopefully this mini edition ofMonkeyshine will have some helpful ideas, to help your Christmas along.

Monkeyshine eMagazine hopes to become something bigger and full of great articles forall the family, and we would love to hear from our new readers, tell us what you think andwhat you would like to read in a family magazine. Email Monkeyshine atmonkeyshinemag@bigpond.com

Christmas merchandise hits the stores earlier every year, just seeing those glittering displaysis enough to make this mammas knee shake just a little. Nobody warns you about Christmasbefore you become a parent, Christmas can equal stress and lots of it! This is because allthe jolliness of the season is Mum and Dad’s responsibility, and there is a lot of work in that.Present buying, cooking, travelling, decorating, assembling swing sets in the dark on ChristmasEve, just to name a few jobs of the season. It all takes planning, but in the end it is all worththe effort, because it is the chance to build memories with our family that will last a lifetime.

Candy x

Contents

4

10 Easy ways to keep Christmas affordable

It’s easyto go overboard when you don’t have a plan!Make sure you set a budget each Christmasand stick to it. Credit card debt soars during theholiday season, so instead of greeting theNew Year in the red, start it with a clean slateand pay in cash instead of plastic.

Our family has beendoing this for years now, and it works a treat!At the beginning of November, we each pulla name out of a hat. A spend limit of around$50 is set, we each buy a gift for our SecretSanta which is then placed under the tree onChristmas Day. It is fun trying to figure out whohad who when the presents are beingopened, and also a nice challenge to getcreative within a budget. Generally speaking,we leave kids out of the draw and buy smaller,fun gifts for each of them. It’s a good idea toset a gift spend limit with friends and familyThe true meaning of Christmas certainly

5

shouldn’t be all about gift giving, howeversetting a spend limit to save friends and familyfrom going overboard keeps purchasesmodest.

It’s no secret that group buying websites aretaking off and it’s no wonder when you cansave huge amounts on services and productsfrom local businesses. Sign up now to a widerange of sites including Living Social, Groupon,Cudo, Scoopon and Our Deal. You might justfind a discount that would make a fantasticChristmas present!

Your time is priceless and so,it makes the best gift! Offering to babysit yourfriend’s children, mow your father’s lawn or sortout your mother in law’s linen cupboard arejust a few suggestions. Draw up a cutevoucher, decorate and give the gift of time thisChristmas.

Buddy up withfamily members or friends when buying largergifts and split the costs. Do make sure thateveryone is happy with the cost split and thatall contributors are acknowledged when thegift is given.

There isnothing quite like a homemade gift! Frombaked goods, jams, sauces or dressings tocraft projects like bookmarks, photo framesand collages or bath salts, candles and drawerfragrance sachets your only limited by yourimagination. Use the power of Google to findsome fantastic homemade gift ideas and easyto follow instructions.

If you’re like meand you love to send our Christmas cards eachyear, a craft project with the kids on a Sundayafternoon with some paints and card papercould see save you a bundle. And if it’swrapping paper you’re after, why not iron over

last years’ paper to smooth out the creasesand reuse. Not only cost effective but greentoo! Alternatively, some butchers paper or a rollof paper from IKEA can be painted orstamped to create a unique holiday pattern.

You nodoubt know a parent that works from home sowhy not support them by purchasing theirproduct or service. Alternatively run a Googlesearch for Work At Home Parent and you’relikely to find a directory of businesses you cansupport.

Whenever I’masked by friends and family about what to buymy children, I’ve always said an experiencetrumps a toy! But as pass to the Zoo, a ticketfor the Popeye or a voucher for the moviescan break the budget for some, so why notcreate your own special day experience anddraw up your own voucher/itinerary to give atChristmas time.

Financial goals are alwaysmore achievable given some time. So why notstart planning for next Christmas, now!Opening a high interest online savingsaccount which you deposit money into on aregular basis means that when Christmas2012 rolls around you won’t find yourselfscrambling to make ends meet! And whilst itmight be the last thing you want to think aboutwhen you’re still cleaning up after this years’festivities, you’ll only need to do it once, thenits set and forget! Work out how much you’llneed in order to cover all the expenses atChristmas time. Create a fortnightly or monthlypayment from your salary into you onlinesavings account, which will not only accrueinterest throughout the year but be ready andwaiting for you when you need it!

_______________

6

Mums making the most of it

Meet Lisa Abejja, a busy mum of five who also runs a business fromhome. Lisa took time out from her very busy schedule to chat toMonkeyshine, about her gorgeous family and business life.

I am thirty two years old and a born and bredaussie, with five beautiful boys aged from fourteen years to eighteenmonths old. I still live in the town I was born in, Rockingham WesternAustralia, and all of my children were born in the local hospital too. Iam a revert to the religion of Islam, which has fulfilled my life more thanwords can express. I am the owner of www.amberocks.com.au andthe very very new owner with my husband of a small cafe/restauranton the Rockingham foreshore. I am very busy with the day to day andI could not imagine it any other way.

My store has recently been updated with anew shop front and products, and we are working on a blog but that isslow going, especially with everything else happening around me atthe moment. At Amberocks I sell Baltic amber jewellery for mums and babies,gorgeous eco friendly wooden teething toys from Little Alouette.Mohdoh aromatherapy play dough which is known as a wonderfulsensory product, because of its combined play therapy, colour therapyand aromatherapy treatments. We also sell homeopathics for babiesand mums, and natural rubber soother for your baby. Choosing a newproduct for my store takes plenty of research. I question my customersby interacting with them on facebook, to see what they would like meto sell. Once I have an idea for a new product, I find the bestmanufacturer for it. I make sure that the brand is trusted for safety andquality, only then do I place my order.

I wanted anidentity away from wife and mum, I needed to do something creativeand fun. I wanted some validation that I was doing something morewith my life. Being a mother and wife is wonderful, but it is very routineand mundane sometimes, working from home breaks up that boredomand gives me something else to focus on.

7

The beginning wasdifficult. The first hurdle was convincing the naysayersthat I can do it. That I can handle the kids, hubby andhome as well as work for myself. Finding the income tobuy my first stock and pay for the website was difficult inthe beginning. I am a “now now” type of personality andpatience is not my biggest strength, I wanted everythingready to go but I needed to learn patience and to do it aswe could afford it. Buying small amounts of product everytwo weeks and builiding it up before we opened our storeI was able to open with a bang offering a larger range ofproducts than I would of been able to if I opened in ahurry. My advice to new or potentially new business ownerswould be to take it slow. Make sure you have a varietyof products to offer your first customers when you open.It is fiercely competitive industry being a work at homemum, and if you do not have something constantlydifferent and unique to offer then custioners will goelsewhere. By making sure you have plenty of productwhen you open you will make a wonderful firstimpression, first impressions count especially in thissocial networking hyper speed work of mouth world. Ifyou have friends with a business don’t be afraid to askthem questions. I learnt so much from them.

? I likethat if i get the urge to take my children our for the day Ican! I can simply close my computer down and leave.It’s wonderful to go with my own vision and if I succeedin my new idea then it’s wonderful, but if I fail I do notneed to answer to anyone about it. It is hard to keep ontop of everything sometimes, the important thing is not tobeat yourself up about it. Turn of the computer and dowhat you have to do. Working in a digital world meansthat your business will still run for that hour you are away,you don’t have to answer every email immediately anhour later won’t bother your customers or suppliers. Forme, dealing with the distractions from home is a longlearning process of knowing when to switch off your ears.With five children I have learnt to turn myself off to theirnoisy play and realise that if they are happy I am ok towork.

Beingable to drink copious amounts of tea and coffee, andtaking as many toilet breaks as I desire without getting introuble with a boss. I can work in my pyjamas until twoin the afternoon and no one will care.

Our Little Alouette wooden teething toysare very impressive. A gift of one them is sure to haveplenty of awwww power for the parent of its receiver.

8

9

My name is Felicity O’Donohue and I ama work at home mum to two energetic little boys.I have been a stay at home mum since the birthof my first son, and although I had thought aboutgoing back to work, that in itself proved nearimpossible. I would have been working arounda rotating roster, and keeping the boys out ofall-day child care.

I have always loved giving the 'gift ofhandmade' to family and friends over the years,and the challenge of finding something differentto make each year. The idea of making soaphas always appealed to me; I just never reallyhad the time to delve into it, until 2010. Afterreceiving so many compliments about myhandmade Christmas gifts from family andfriends, I started to consider running my ownbusiness. I did a lot of research and then a littlemore!

I was hesitant to even think about going intobusiness for myself, in case I didn’t succeed.What inspired me was receiving such greatfeedback about my products.

I wanted to create a soap that was appealingin every way it can possibly be. To the eye, thenose and to your body. The decision to makemy soaps with a goat’s milk base was easy, asI knew of the benefits of using goats’ milk soaps.I could also see a gap in the market, as I couldnot find a huge range of colourful and scentedsoaps from the one supplier.

Mums making the most of it

I want to supply my customers with the highest quality products, and usinganything other than fresh goats’ milk in my soaps is something I am not willingto compromise on.

Making soaps is all about planning as each soap needs to ‘cure’, for a minimumof four weeks before using it. This allows the PH level to balance out, and drawsout any extra moisture making the soap last longer when you do start using it.It has also been difficult for me to project sales, so I have overcome this issuewith a soap making frenzy and stocking a lot of soaps that are now ready to selland waiting to go to new homes.

Within every aspect of any business, I have had to make decisions in which defineme, as a person and a business. Like I said before, some decisions werenon-negotiable, like the fresh goats milk. Along with that I also was not willing tocontribute to landfill, with the effect excessive packaging would have. So withthat in mind I made a conscious decision to send all internet orders packagedin a recycled box, and packing to minimise our environmental impact. Somepeople may like this others may not, however I always make sure the orders arepacked well and arrive undamaged.

I love everything about my business from the design of new soaps, to the receivingof fabulous feedback. I would have to say my favourite thing would be talkingto people about the benefits of using Goats Milk soaps, and the difference theywill notice with their skin.

10

We all have (at least) one in our lives; that guy, be it your dad, brother or friend - the impossible to buy for guy.Maybe it is because everything they could want, they buy for themselves, or because they are such experts in theirinterests that there is no way that you could obtain the knowledge necessary in time to buy them the right gift.Luckily for you the expert giftologists down at the Art of Gift Giving have put together a Christmas Guide of the mostdifficult males to buy for and what to get them!

For the Chef; a BBQbranding iron AU$24.95 it hasinterchangeable letters so you canpersonalise your steaks. From

www.giftsaustralia.com.au

The Eco Switch for the Green Guy, atAU$19.95 from www.ecoswitch.com.auSay goodbye to money wasted applianceson standby.For Granddad there is the Grandpa

Interview Book at AU$21 fromwww.compendium.com.au A gift that willbe handed down through generations,

his stories and his words.

For the Guys Guy, TabletopFootball AU$67.90 Set it up on thedining room table and away you go!From www.redwrappings.com.au

For the thrill seeker, the Smartbox AdventureAU$99.95 from www.smartbox.com.au Containsover 140 different adventure experiences tochoose from.

For the science guy, the essential oilburner AU$169.95 (or fragrance diffuserapparatus) comes with lavender oil andcandle from www.collectionofcool.com.au

For the Urban Outdoor Guy, awooden moose head AU$39.95 fromwww.hartandheim.com.au

The Book Worm guy will love this GreatGatsby Spineless Classic Poster AU$99.95from www.myfavourite.com.au The entireclassic tale printed as a unique piece of art.

11

Christmas again and for the man of the house, thatmeans you have to do something that you only have to do aboutthree times a year. Gift shop.

As I explained to my sister in law when she married my brother,shopping for gifts is now her responsibility and she’ll be buying forboth sides of the family. The men folk in our family simply cannotbe relied upon to be the gift buyers.

As long as we remember the important ones, birthdays, Christmas,anniversary, valentines day and don’t forget mothers day.

You can’t rely on the kids to make something good at school,because you know that come fathers day she’ll be shopping foryou. There will be comparisons made.

I think you have guessed by now that I am not a shopper, luckilyfor me my wife is a born shopper.

Here are my tips for shopping for the woman in your life.

� While men would like something practical like a cordless drill,women will not get as excited about getting an appliance, nomatter how much she needs a toaster nothing saysindentured servant (to her) like kitchenware.

� Just because she has 15 black hand bags, and half of themare in storage, doesn’t mean she would not want another one.

� A gift certificate for a massage or facial is a great idea, andrequires no storage space. And while I can give her amassage myself, afterwards I’m sore and need the favourreturned. Defeats the purpose really.

� Don’t ask her what she wants,especially if she is one of thosewomen who says “Don’t buy meanything”. Don’t be fooled, thisis a trap. She does wantsomething, and you should knowwhat she wants, it’s likely thatshe has been dropping hints forthe last nine months. Think backto all those shops you’ve beendragged through, and try to recallwhat items she paused at andgave longing looks to. If you doas she wishes and buy nothing,she will cry, maybe not on theday but eventually.

So there you have it, the tips thathave kept me out of trouble .Give her what she wants notwhat she needs, bonus points ifyou buy the item she does needat a time when it’s not a specialoccasion. And if all else fails youcan’t go wrong with jewellery.

12

13

Uralla, it’s a small town innorthern New South WalesAustralia, and the scene ofmost of my childhood Christ-mas's. There we'd spend theholiday at the home of myAunty Dale and Uncle Jim, of-ten joined by many moreAunts and Uncles and count-less cousins.

It would start on a swelteringhot Christmas eve, piling intoDads car I can rememberholding my bottom in the air offthe seat, to save scorching iton the roasting vinyl seats.The journey seemed to take allday, but it was really only anhour. Time would move inslow motion for two days, mak-ing it feel like we had spent aweek at Aunty Dales.

On arrival you had to line upfor kisses. Uncle Jim used togive the biggest sloppiest wetkisses ever, on the lips. I usedto cringe as kids do, which I'mabsolutely sure he noticed, sowould make sure I didn't missout, funny bugger. Thirtyyears on he stills gives me thatbig wet kiss, I no longer cringe,sloppy kisses are on the list ofthings that make Uncle Jimspecial to me.

Then came the heaviest lunchyou'd had all year, a warm upfor the copious amounts offood eaten in the day to come.We probably should've fastedfor a few days beforehand in

preparation. The house wasconstantly in motion, food wasalways cooking, sport was be-ing yelled at on the Telly, agame of cricket was beingplayed on the road, while SlimDusty blared out of a stereo inthe kitchen.

I remember whiling away ahappy hour seated at the kitch-en bench with my Uncle Char-lie, shelling peas andattempting to hold an adult con-versation. Uncle Charlie wasalways smiling, even today Ican't picture him without asmile. It was probably all thehome brew beer shiningthrough, but ten year old methought he was the funniestUncle ever.

The Christmas tree wasa dinky little mouldedplastic number, I'mpretty sure you can't

buy them anywhere anymore,and probably haven't beenable to for at least twentyyears. This was the first plastictree I had ever seen, I thoughtit was awesome - like wow itwas the shape I'd alwaysthought a tree should be! Iused try and sit in the seatclosest to the tree onChristmas eve after dinner,mostly because I'd eaten somuch I couldn't move, butreally I just wanted to look atthat tree.

The sky was so clear at nightin northern NSW, you couldsee every star in the MilkyWay, my Dad and Aunty Daleconvinced us one night that ifwe sat out of the front step andwatched the night sky wewould see Rudolph's nose lightas he flew over, and when wedid we had to go to bed.

As luck would have it, asatellite drifted by with a redlight and off to bed we went.Brilliant plan, I have toremember to pull that one outwith my kids.

The years we had Christmasat Uralla are among myfondest memories, I can’tremember the gifts, just thefamily. My biggest hope forChristmas, is that my childrenend up with the same feelingsabout our family gatherings asI do.

Christmas at Aunty Dales

14

You won’t be surprised to hear that Christmas, the most celebrated event in the Christian (and Western society) calendar, inextremely environmentally unfriendly.

In a country renowned for its consumerism, retail spending in Australia typically increases by over 25% in December, comparedwith previous months. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reported in 2006 that Australia imported in excess of 34 million stuffedtoys, 11 million dolls, $10 million dollars worth of Christmas tree lighting and $58 million dollars worth of other Christmas relateditems.* That is an awful lot of stuff that may not be used once after the Boxing Day handover has cleared.

If you’re interested in reducing your environmental footprint this silly season, here are a few tips to get you started:

How to have an Eco-friendly Christmas

� Give toys that do not run on batteries.

� Give pre loved items, check your local garage sales.

� Give experiences or vouchers for helping e.g. Cookinga meal for a busy family, gardening or cleaning forelderly parents, a back rub for your partner.

� Give a living present. Plants grown from cutting fromyour garden in a decorative pot. A tomato plant ormini herb garden makes a useful and beautiful gift.

� For children consider giving them one or two qualityitems that will last, rather than plenty of cheap toys thatwill end up in landfill by next Christmas.

� Rather than wrapping your presents with paper that willbe thrown away, use material or scarves that can bere-used. Items such as bags do away with gift wrapaltogether and can be re-used easily themselves.

� If you can’t go without, go green by buying sustainablegoods such as organic cotton clothing, fair tradegoods, and locally made items.

� Send electronic (email, facebook) cards.

� Make your own from cards you received last season.

� Recycle the cards you received by dropping them intothe Planet Ark bins at your local Australia Post office.

� Purchase a native Christmas Tree that can be plantedafterwards for years of enjoyment.

� Turn off Christmas lights when the tree is not beingviewed.

� Ensure tree lights are made with light emitting diodes(LED) rather than traditional bulbs. LED’s are 90%more efficient than traditional Christmas lights and lastten times longer.

� Buy decorations that can be used each year.

� Make your own decorations from recycled or naturalmaterials. Painted pine cones and gum nuts makefantastic decorations.

� Use solar powered lights when decorating the outsideof the your home.

� Turn off the lights when not at home or when you goaway on holiday.

� Serve organically grown food, wine and beer. Theseitems have been produced without the use ofchemical pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers. They aremuch better for you and the environment.

� If dining on seafood, eat sustainable fish species. LocalAustralian whiting is a good option.

� Eat a cold meal or go vegetarian.

� Turn off all appliances at the wall socket, reducing yourstandby power consumption.

� Holiday locally.

Since happy memories are the best gift of all, perhapsditch some of the stressful traditions and expectations thisfestive season, to free up some extra time to spend withyour little ones.

After all, ‘the best of all gifts around any Christmas tree isthe presence of a happy family all wrapped up in eachother’ (Burton Hills).

15

16

Even at the age of 61 I am a Christmas kid. Ilove Christmas and have a life time of greatChristmas memories. My strongest ones arethose of having to travel from Sydney toWollongong, via umpteen relatives and friendshomes, and there were no air-conditioned cars orhomes in the 1960’s. At the journeys end we satdown for a traditional hot Christmas lunch in 100degree temperature, before getting back in thecar and driving home. My dad still recalls how wewould stop the car at Rockdale, on the PrincesHighway on our return to get a drink of lemonadeto cool us down.

Why did we stick with those traditions? Todayif you asked my Dad (aged eighty seven) and hisninety year old sister, they would say “becausethat is what our mother expected!” Ask mycousins and me and we would “because we hadto”. Even after I became a parent, the guilt ofkeeping up the tradition remained, travelling downto Wollongong, this time in an air-conditionedmodern car. And the tradition continued until mymother took up the Christmas day responsibilities.

This new tradition became a feast of granderproportions as mum had to cater a traditional hotChristmas lunch for all her children andgrandchildren. In 1985 the tradition was handedto me, mum still cooking the ham, turkey, porkwith a serving of every roast vegetable known toman, but it was now my Christmas with mytraditions and my fun.

Over the years the meal was lightened andmuch cooler and easier options added toeveryone's relief. I started my own traditions,including decorating the tree and house with thegrandchildren, giving us many treasuredmemories and photo albums.

I realise now that life is moving on, withgrandchildren becoming teenagers, and ourchildren wanting to make their own Christmas,

my traditions are no more. This year Christmasday will be a very low key affair, at everyone'swish and no one is going to guilt anyone intocelebrating like we “had to” all those years ago.My message to you is that it is ok to let go, it isok to pass on traditions. I made my own, and Iwill respect the ones my kids do with their kids.Keeping the spirit aline, but doing it in the waythat makes the most sense for now.

Christmas & the changing of the guard.By Denyse Whelan

17

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. That time of year to relaxand reflect, and to spend quality time with loved ones including friendsand family. For some of us, the Christmas holiday period can be filledwith the stress of finding things to do, particularly for those of us thathave families. How to keep the kids entertained, deciding on whatactivities to do together as a family, without breaking the budget.Surely there must be a simple solution?

Thankfully, there is a simple solution. We’re fortunate to live in awonderful country that has lots of things to do to fill up the holidays –all in our own backyard! The Christmas holiday period is the perfecttime to go on a journey of discovery – or rediscovery – of manyattractions, sightseeing tours and experiences in Australia. Thesemust-see things to do and see aren’t reserved for tourists only and youdon’t need to travel far to see them.

There are also new tools available on the market to help make visitingattractions more convenient and cost effective for families, things likeattraction passes offered by companies like iVenture Card Australia.Families can save up to 50 percent on attraction admissions usingpasses like these. The pass also gives families the freedom and flexibilityto choose from a large variety of experiences, places and attractionsthey want to visit, at the time they want to visit. With built-in smartcardtechnology, the passes give cash free entry to attractions, adding anadditional layer of convenience for your holiday.

Take the hassle out of your holidays this Christmas by visiting iconicattractions in your hometown. Here’s a taste of what you can see anddo this Christmas:

Sydney is the home of some of Australia’s most iconic attractions andthings to do – why not take the kids to the Sydney Aquarium, on atour of the Sydney Opera House, see the views of the city from theSydney Tower Eye, or give them a thrill ride on an Oz Jetboat?

Melbourne, one of Australia’s most livable cities is a thrilling and actionpacked destination, with new discoveries around every corner. Thereare many family friendly activities including making a visit to it’s famousEureka Skydeck, taking the kids on the world famous steam train PuffingBilly Railway or heading to the Werribee Open Range Zoo.

Explore the Island State of Tasmania -it is one of the country’s hiddenmarvels with a wealth of history, as well as vast untouched wildernessareas of incredible natural beauty! Families can check out theLaunceston Planetarium, take a ride on the West Coast WildernessRailway, or have a go at mini-golf at Putters Advantage Golf.

The Gold Coast, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast are the beautifuldestinations that make up the Great Sunshine Way. There are lots offamily activities to see and do – why not learn to surf at Go Ride aWave surf school? Families can head to the Suncoast Barra FishingPark or even the Cable Watersports park for some waterside fun. Thereis also Aussie World theme park for rides, rides and more rides!

Whether you’re reconnecting with your family or entertaining visitingrelatives, spend this Christmas out and about at some of Australia’smost iconic attractions.

For more information see www.iventurecard.com or LIKE us onFacebook www.facebook.com/iventurecard.travel

Keeping the monkeys happy over the holidays.

Slow cooked KR CastlemainePremium Leg Ham and Applewith Cherry Relish

19

1. Preheat oven to 150°C2. Run thumb underneath rind of ham to separate from fat.

Peel and remove rind. Using a sharp knife, score fat in adiamond pattern.

3. Press a clove into the centre of each diamond.4. Heat oil in a large, heavy-based baking pan over

medium-high heat. Add ham, scored side down andcook for 2 minutes until lightly caramelized. Removefrom heat and turn ham so that the scored side is up.

5. Pour over cider and stock. Add eschalots, garlic and thyme.Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for1½ hours, basting with cider mixture every 20 minutes.

6. In the meantime prepare the cherry jam. In a mediumsaucepan, combine cherries, cherry syrup, brownsugar, port, cinnamon stick, orange rind and juice.Simmer over a low heat, stirring occasionally for about10 minutes. Stir arrowroot with 1 tablespoon of water untilsmooth. Add to cherry sauce, stirring constantly over heatfor about 1 minute until sauce is lightly thickened. Seasonto taste with black pepper.Set sauce aside until required.

7. Remove ham from oven, remove foil and add apple andfennel to the cider liquid. Return to oven and continue tobake for ½ hour or until apple and fennel are tender andcaramelised. NB Protect ham with foil when once it isgolden brown.

8. Transfer ham to a serving platter. Garnish with cookedeschalots, fennel and apples. Sprinkle with extra thymeor micro herbs. Serve with warm Cherry and Port jam andmashed potatoes.

KR CastlemainePremium Leg Ham

8

4-5kg KR CastlemainePremium Ham Cooked on

the Bone (1/2 leg)About 20 cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil1 x 355ml bottle apple cider

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock12 eschalots, peeled

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

3 large pink lady apples,cored and cut into thick

wedges4 small trimmed fennel

bulbs, quartered1 x 700g jar morello

cherries in syrupHalf a cup of brown sugar

Half a cup of port1 cinnamon stick

Finely grated rind and juiceof 1 orange

3 teaspoons of arrowroot1 tablespoon water

Cracked black pepperExtra thyme leaves ormicroherbs to garnish

Slow cooked KR Castlemaine Premium Leg Ham and Applewith Cherry Relish

20

Monkeyshines’ youngest contributor Lucy (11)wanted to share what Christmas means to her.

21

22