MAKING MARMALADE in the MICROWAVE
Using the abundance of citrus fruit to make chunky, delicious, quick marmalade. Try it!
Winter means citrus fruit and citrus fruit means marmalade. The specific microwave instructions are here.
Gathered a collection of citrus fruit and cut into chunks before processing until the skins were finely chopped. Added some finely diced preserved ginger.
Saved all the pips and some skins, rich in pectin, into this little muslin bag which was cooked with the fruit pulp. The marmalade set beautifully and the skins from the pectin bag were deliciously glazed and crystallized. They would be perfect chopped into cooking or used as cake decorations.
Grapefruit, lemon and kumquat marmalade with a tiny bit of ginger. The tulips are in a vase behind the bonsai, not growing out of it!
MAKING SHORTBREAD
Visiting my brother and S-I-L in Beverley, a country town two hours from Perth, taking the shortbread and marmalade I’d made. A lovely day in the country.
MENDING A MOHAIR BLANKET
This loosely woven mohair blanket is quite old and was showing signs of constant use, particularly evident from the number of pulled threads. It’s very warm and light. Greatly inspired by The Repair Shop, a BBCtv program running on local television, I spread the blanket out on the table and spent most of a day weaving the threads back, under, over, under, over using a blunt darning needle. Occasionally there was a tear or very thin, worn thread so I mended it with matched cotton thread. It looks new again!
READING
This fabulous book written by Marcus Binney features interiors designed by antipodean Anouska Hempel, who arrived in London in 1962. Her interiors are Oriental in style, which I really like, too. We brought back furniture and decorative pieces when we came back to Australia after we’d lived in China and I enjoy seeing how she incorporates pieces into her settings.
We’ve visited two hotels she decorated in London and one in Amsterdam. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her own house, Cole Park and gardens and other interiors she has done, including their apartment in Mayfair, in this book. She has just decorated the Six Senses Duxton Hotel in Singapore, too, so that’s on my travel list now.
An inspiring book. I bought mine from Book Depository.
The last of the roses before they’re pruned and some camellias.
Dawn from the back door. A cold and crisp start turned into a wonderful, sunny day. Again.
Wonderful! Today is Book Lovers Day. Put down your screens and settle somewhere comfortable and enjoy a long read.