Call me a dreamer…I don’t care. The truth doesn’t hurt. I’m packing my bags. Off to Dreamland I’m headed….to Dreamland, not the Gold Coast’s Dreamworld Theme Park. My Dreamland is a land filled with peace, harmony, love, happiness, kindness, respect, understanding, and goodwill. With all that going on one might think it’s over-crowded, but it’s not. Everything blends together evenly and smoothly; riding the crest of an endless wave.
When I was a little girl, and then a not so little girl, my mind was often in the clouds as I travelled off to Dreamland. It soon became a favourite place of mine to visit. Sometimes Tony Curtis came along with me. Other times I was riding pillion on a Vespa motor scooter, holding on tightly to Gregory Peck as we scooted around the streets and laneways of Rome with me pretending I was the exquisite Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday”. Three coins were thrown into the Trevi Fountain at each passing, and wishes made.
Oh! How I wanted to be prima ballerina like Victoria Page, the character played by Moira Shearer in the movie “The Red Shoes”. I adored that movie, and still do to this day. My mother was a very good dancer. She mastered the graceful arts of ballet, tap, and ballroom. Mum tried to teach me how to tap dance. She didn’t force it when it soon became obvious I wasn’t going to become a Ginger Rogers or Ann Miller reincarnate.
In my Dreamland I was a famous artist with my paintings exhibited in galleries worldwide. I was also a poet of note. A few times fame came when the then kid’s magazine, “Chucklers’ Weekly” published some of my drawings and poems. That’s as far as my renown spread.
I loved the stories my Nana told me of her younger days, about the horses that shared her life; of how she loved to ride. My imagination galloped wildly. In my dreamland I was a courageous, cowgirl like Annie Oakley or Calamity Jane. As I didn’t have a horse, let alone know how to ride one, broomsticks became my useful substitutes. They were worth their salt in wood and straw. I’m eyeing off mine at present. It’s almost time for me to fly off to the supermarket!
Circus movies I also loved. Live circuses toured annually when I was a kid. Both the movies and the real things transported me off to a wonder world; off into Dreamland. Three circuses…Wirth’s, Ashton’s, and Bullen’s visited Gympie each year. I wanted to join the circus, not as a clown, but as a flying trapeze artist, flying through the air with the greatest of ease; no safety net required. These days, circuses would eagerly accept me as a clown. No expenditure would be necessary for make-up, either. So that would be a big saving, both on their count, and mine!
To find myself within the world of the March sisters of “Little Women” became one of my favourite places to be. Depending on my mood of the day, I could be Meg, Amy, Beth or, more often than not, free-spirited, strong-willed, loyal, sensitive Jo. Disguising her kind heart and gentle soul, Jo called a spade a spade. She looked at the world, and those in it, directly in the eye.
Dreamland, a place where happiness and goodwill abound; where love is all around, turning every day into St. Valentine’s Day. A joy-filled world, one where the hills are alive with melodious music, laughter and peaceful harmony. A magical land, one where you can, to your heart’s and stomach’s content, without guilt, devour old-time favourites like Chocolate Crackles and Lemon Meringue Tarts, not caring if chocolate and meringue gets all over your face.
Reality is too often cruel and heartlessly harsh, jarring one’s senses. Hence, it doesn’t hurt to dream. To have an escape hatch is always handy.
Lemon Meringue Pie: Pre-heat oven 180C. Put 225g plain flour and 175g butter into food processor; blend until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add 45g icing sugar, 1 large, beaten egg and 1tbs water; whizz until combined to a ball. Tip pastry onto work surface; roll out to 3mm thickness. Use rolling pin to lift pastry up; transfer it to lined 23cm/9in loose-bottomed flan tin. Don’t stretch pastry as you tuck it into the corners. Cover in cling-wrap; place in fridge; chill 30mins. Remove from fridge; trim excess pastry. Press top of pastry so it stands slightly higher than top of tin. Line case with paper; fill with baking beans; bake about 15mins; remove beans and paper; return to oven for 5mins. Remove from oven; lower temp to 170C. Filling: Mix zest and juice of 6 lemons with 65g cornflour to smooth paste. In pan, bring to boil 450ml water; add lemon/cornflour mix to the hot water; stir over heat until mixture has thickened; remove from heat. In bowl mix together 250g caster sugar and 6 egg yolks; carefully whisk into lemon mixture in the pan. Stir over med-heat until thickened. Set aside for a few minutes; pour into baked pastry case. Meringue; whisk 4 egg whites until soft peaks form when whisk is removed. Add 225g caster sugar a little at a time, still whisking until meringue is stiff and glossy. Add 2tsp cornflour; whisk again. Spoon on top of filled pastry; spread meringue to completely cover lemon filling. Then create a swirl on top of meringue. Bake in oven for about 15mins until filling is completely set and meringue is lightly golden and crisp. Allow to cool completely before cutting or serve very slightly warm.
