June 2022 – MakeCookGrow.com

How Was Your Week? Mine Was Busy!

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We arrived back from a week down south via my Mother’s place. She keeps sorting through the accumulated ‘treasures’ of the last century or so of our family life and sends me back with things she thinks I want, will enjoy or at least will look after for the next generation. My heart is not in it! I’d like an uncluttered house but that’s obviously a longer term goal.

Our son arrived here from Kalgoorlie that evening and it was wonderful to see him. He has worked extraordinary hours since October as it has been impossible to get workers, despite offering great wages. So he stayed for three days to really have a break. We did all the usual family things we like to do; eating yum cha, eating curries, sitting and talking. It was lovely.

Some of our favourite yum cha: Siu Mai, Prawn and Coriander dumplings, Prawn and Chive dumplings.

Baked Salted Egg bun.

After he’d set off for Kalgoorlie we settled back to our usual interests and occupations. I went to my Drawing in Nature class. Sadly the course ended this week. I have learnt so much and met lovely people and hope I can catch up with some of them in the future. I will be watching for other classes being presented by the tutor, Jane, too.

Leaf drawing, using Aquarelles. LIke coloured pencils, adding water spreads the colour. The small leaf, top left, is the real leaf!

It’s the middle of winter and I have been reading a lot. I have finished We’ll Always Have Paris. by Emma Beddington. This is the biographical account of a bored teenager who discovers French Elle in the school library and decides what she wants to be; she wants to be French! So begins an exciting, frustrating and very funny attempt to live in France like the French. She meets a Frenchman during her gap year and later they both live in London and have two sons. She doesn’t feel settled there, they move to Paris, then back to London, then to Brussels, then she leaves him and goes to Paris when he has the children. Eventually they reunite in Brussels. Apparently she now lives back in the UK. As much as I enjoyed Beddington’s accounts of living in each place I think her capriciousness would be better tolerated by younger readers.

We'll Always Have Paris by Emma Beddington

Also read the latest Marion Keyes book, Again, Rachel, a sequel to a previous book of hers, Rachel’s Holiday, which I haven’t read but will order from the library. Keyes is a warm and witty Irish author with a huge following. I’m always pleased when there’s a new book because they are so entertaining. Again, Rachel is classic Keyes with all the usual twists and turns and dramas and it was a really clever, satisfying read.

Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes-Book

cooking

Winter foods need to be warm, filling and full of flavour, so I often make Beef Bourguignon, a French beef stew. I make it in the slow cooker because I think it enriches the flavours. The smell of this cooking throughout the day is very enticing. Apart from beef, it’s got carrots and potatoes in it, so I just need to steam some green vegetables and dinner is ready to serve. I also make enough for a few meals.

Traditionally this recipe would also include button mushrooms, but I am the only member of my family who eat mushrooms! My preferred recipe is here https://www.makecookgrow.com/2020/06

covering journals

I set about covering four new journals. I start with red and black A5 notebooks. Leaving the red bound spines, I glue paper on the front and back covers then fold them in and glue them down. I measure, trim and glue marbled papers into the front inside cover and the back inside cover and finally, I add a calendar. I add an elastisized loop with three stitched slots for feltpens and sometimes, my reading glasses. I usually marble ten papers at a time as each journal requires two A4 pieces. Information on covering the notebooks to create a personalised journal (here) and how to marble recycled paper (here) and the elastisized holder (here).

The frido kahlo cushion

Saw this Frido Kahlo cushion online, really liked it, looked at it again the next day and decided to order it! Visited the Frida Kahlo exhibition in 2018 at The V&A Museum and loved the vibrant works of this Mexican artist (06/07/1907 – 13/07/1954) She was famous for her colourful artworks, feminist beliefs and her monobrow. It was impractical the carry any of the artworks or other products back from the UK so I was pleased when I found these products for sale online from an Australian seller. Now the cushion lives upstairs on the red leather couch. Not sure where the door stopper, ordered at the same time, will go but I know I will find a place.

in the garden

Twelve tulip bulbs have germinated, the spearmint scented lavenders are covered in flowers and I am making so much weed tea because i have so many weeds. I’ve pruned the rest of the hydrangeas and planted a few ‘sticks’ to give to my mother. She lost hers in a heat wave in February.

The last of the roses.

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Going Down South

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Going down south is a popular break for people living in the Perth metropolitan area. Down south refers to the area south of Bunbury along the south west coast of Western Australia. This very beautiful region offers thick bush land, amazing coastal views from clean, yellow sandy beaches and striking granite cliffs, coves and reefs. There’s a huge wine and brewing industry, fabulous fresh artisanal food, so many talented artists and crafts people, authors and photographers and surfing breaks famous around the world. It’s a lovely area to visit for an active break, a relaxing time or anything in between.

Map Department of Regional Development

We booked into a resort, Bunker Bay, which we visit at least once a year. It nestles in secluded bush land on the Indian Ocean past Dunsborough heading towards Cape Naturaliste. There is a scenic drive to Busselton and Dunsborough one way and Yallingup, Cowaramup and Margaret River another way. We like to come down here and visit old favourites and always find something new to enjoy.

Set off from Perth Monday morning and headed down the coast. Stopped in Busselton for lunch. Once a sleepy retirement settlement plus beach shacks and camping areas Busselton has become a thriving arts centre and there’s the amazing jetty, too, the longest wooden jetty in the world; nearly 1.8 kilometers /1.1 miles long with so many activities to enjoy. These include a train trip along the jetty, a sea bed underwater walk and viewing windows under the water. Busselton has grown and now stretches almost to Dunsborough. Also many beautiful old buildings in the centre of town.

Ben Ing, previously Head Chef, Noma, Copenhagen,now at his own cafe, Alberta’s in Busselton.

Really good coffee, really good treats.

Home to about 86 restaurants and cafes, Busselton is also the home of Alberta’s, run by two former employees at Noma Copenhagen, considered the best restaurant in the world with 3 Michelin stars. Kirsty Marchant (head gardener Noma) and Ben Ing (head chef Noma) opened their cafe Alberta’s, the name a nod to Ing’s Canadian heritage, at the beginning of June. For now they are open in the morning, Thursday to Sunday, serving ‘morning’ foods, listed on a black board. Broths, baked goods, small bites and coffee. Nearly everything is sourced from local suppliers.

Our bed picnics don’t usually take place on the bed but you get the idea.

Once we were unpacked and settled I headed for the beach. It was a short walk along the boardwalk over the lake and through lush greenery.

We’re fans of long lunches at wineries, local cafes and restaurants and then settling to “bed” picnics for dinner, which aren’t eaten in bed! We collect punnets of seasonal berries, cherry tomatoes, some local apples, goats cheese, some crackers, sometimes cold meats and soups. Spread out on the coffee table this is our usual dinner when we are traveling.

We’re on either side of the bush in the middle of the photo.

We can hear the waves crashing. Peaceful and picturesque.

The next morning was relaxing and slow, reading, making some phone calls, watching the birds. Then we set off for lunch with some friends. We hadn’t seen them for ages. So much to talk about!

Lunch became afternoon tea and suddenly it was getting dark. Tuesday was the shortest day of the year and darkness fell early. Such a lovely, relaxing day.

We had visitors every day. They just wandered in and waited for snacks. My husband was happy to oblige! Sometimes we had five water hens lined up waiting for a treat. They attract our attention by tapping on the wooden slats on the deck.

On Wednesday we set off to have lunch at one of the very few local cafes/restaurants opening for lunch. More venues advertise they will be open from Thursday to Sunday, but we will be gone by then. The staff shortages in Western Australia mean no-one should be unemployed! Currently there are 1.4 full time jobs available for every unemployed person in W.A.

Left, scallops and right, fennel. Delicious.

This bistro only offered small share plates on their menu. We began with Scallops, duck xo, smoked avocado and allium ($36) and another plate of Confit fennel, yolk emulsion, edamame, goats cheese ($16). These were well balanced, interesting dishes accompanied by sparkling water and pinot noir. Things went down hill from there! The second two dishes were Beef short rib, maple mop, parker house roll, pickles ($40) and a bowl of shoestring fries, duck fat, herb salt ($16.)

The beef short rib was covered in a lump of fat, the sweet, soft bread roll a gluggy mystery ( I noticed other tables left theirs, too) and the gherkin was just sad and floppy. I added vinegar and salt to the shoestring fries and they were still pretty plain. The duck had truly flown: we couldn’t taste any duck fat at all!

I enjoyed the post lunch coffee and the wander around the adjoining art gallery. The bistro was an attractive area with views to a lovely green outlook, the food was disappointing.

Had intended to have the icecream for dessert but felt it was wiser to go elsewhere. The local well known, wonderful icecream shop, Simmos was our next stop. They were very, very busy and we both thought our icecreams were just right!

On Thursday we set off quite early to spend some time with my Mother on the way home.

As usual, we had a great break down south and we’re already planning the next one!

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Happy Living, A Drawing Class, Painting and Cooking

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happy living

According to the World Happiness Report 2022, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the fifth year in a row. Other northern European countries follow with Denmark ranking second, followed by Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. New Zealand comes in at number ten and Australia is number 12 on the list. Then Canada was 14th on the list, UK came in at number 17 and USA came in at 19.

Finland’s Flag Pexels

WHR considers lifestyle and peoples’ sense of well being to rate various countries. The report noted that volunteering, helping others and making donations had all increased in many parts of the world during the past two years. This increase in social benevolence due to COVID 19 has benefits for the givers, receivers and observers. Also evident was that countries with a higher trust in public institutions and more equality recorded much lower rates of death.

The six factors considered were gross domestic product per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom of choice, generosity of population and perceptions of internal and external corruption.

Information is collected from a number 0f sources for this survey. If you are interested this is the site https://worldhappiness.report

drawing in nature

I enrolled in a four week “Drawing in Nature” course with a well known local artist, Jane, because I know I get a lot done when I focus for two hours. She introduced our theme for the session, ( last week it was feathers, this week was shells) and showed us examples of her work. Next we chose a feather/shell to examine and then draw. Jane talked about the different depth of line using 2B, 4B and HB pencils. We experimented, working on drawn circles, going from dark to light, exploring blending, pointillism, feathering and cross hatching.

Guinea Fowl feathers

Jane also introduced us to blending stumps used to blend our pencil marks. I had never used one before and I really like the way they allowed us to smudge and blend.

(A blending stump or paper stump is a stick of tightly rolled soft paper with two pointed ends. It can be used to blend, smear or smudge graphite, charcoal or similar mediums. Also known as a smudging stick or a tortillon. There’s online instructions for making your own! )

Inspired by Annie Herron’s art projects in the book, Around The Kitchen Table, Good things to cook, create and do-the whole year through, a mother and daughter project, I did some quick small paintings. Herron uses seasonal prompts to suggest quick works and talks about capturing simple scenes.

Around the Kitchen Table

Her daughter, Sophie Hansen, adds seasonal recipes and ideas for family fun, making this an interesting and motivating read. I chose one of Hansen’s slice recipes, Triple Ginger Crunch to make and take to my drawing class this week.

If you’re a fan of ginger, you’ll find this slice delicious!

Triple Ginger Crunch with glace ginger chunks.

decorating trends: GRANDMA COASTAL

Companies producing everything from paint, wall paper, furniture, lampshades depend on you purchasing new pieces regularly to support their businesses. I’m tragically a huge fan of decorator and garden magazines. I don’t follow decorating trends although they are an intriguing window into fashion and how easily we are influenced. I occasionally add or take something away, but not often. I am endlessly curious about people, how they build or renovate their homes, select colours, styles and finishes and how they allocate their budgets. I’m interested in how frequently they change their living environment and what provokes change. I’m a fully blown sticky beak!

Image PEXELS

As we all become more concerned about landfill and our use of limited resources so decorating trends change. When the mid century style replaced the white minimalist fashion we saw the focus move to re-using existing pieces. The latest decorating trend is partly based on recycling or upcycling everything from furniture to curtains and decorator items. Let’s look at Coastal Grandma and what it means.

Image Unsplash

Google has reported an increase of 334% searches last week into Coastal Grandma style. The style features nothing obvious like shells and faux life bouys on the wall, but neutral colours, loose linen covers and other natural, sustainable fabrics. White, cream, beige, grey and caramel along with cosy lighting, cushions and always, fresh flowers. The house should look lived in, comfortable and a bit worn and faded. Recover, restore, reuse. The aim is timeless, pared back but still luxurious.

Image PEXELS

Interestingly, the style is discussed widely in clothing sites, too. The same neutral colours reign. Button down collars, trousers, straw hats and straw market baskets plus knotted jumpers around the shoulders are all mentioned. Styles are classic in cut and design and feature natural fabrics. Again, faded, lived in colours and styles with a preference for vintage and recycled items. Sustainability is a constant theme.

international mens health week

The theme this year of International Mens’ Health Week, 13 -19th June, is Building Healthy Environments for Men and Boys. It’s about focusing on creating physically, mentally and emotionally healthy males. Lots of information online.

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Goodbye Plastics, Cold Weather and Reading

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Decluttering

I boldly revealed the terrible jumble in the drawer under the hotplate in our kitchen two weeks ago. Now I’m pleased to be able to show the decluttered and sorted drawer! The new silicone utensils have arrived and the plastic ones have gone.

Duplicated utensils are boxed up to donate and everything I’ve kept serves a purpose. Of course, the newly sorted slots are more efficient and attractive. We did seem to accumulate so much stuff over the years!

Sorted and easy to find what I need.

This is the best bread knife we have ever used. We’ve tried several types over the years and they’ve all needed replacing fairly frequently. Then our son introduced us to this knife, intended for cutting watermelons. It is the best bread knife ever!

I’ve sorted several more cupboards, too, and what is immediately obvious is my passion for red! So much red, from Dutch ovens, to storage containers, sieves and utensils. It has been a long love affair; many of these items have been in my various kitchens for nearly forty years. So, yes, I like a bit of red. Interestingly, although I dabbled with red lipstick and nail polish for a few months last year, I don’t wear much red. I only have one red cardigan and one red top. Everything else hanging in the robe is black, navy, olive green, a few mustard coloured things and some white. And leopard print but that’s a neutral, too, isn’t it?

Decluttering continues to feature on the TO DO list. I have an open wicker box on a chair pushed under the table (cleverly hidden so I don’t have to see it) which was in constant use when I was working. There’s pencil cases with felt pens, coloured pens, coloured pencils, stickers plus scissors and glue. I used to sit at the table preparing school work and marking, so these things were in constant use, but not for the past four years. Is it that long? Time to tackle the no longer used work stuff. No idea what I’ll do with all those stickers!

cold weather

Autumn days are so lovely! Clear blue skies and temperatures in the 20°C ( 68°F ) during the day and chilly at night. Such a contrast to our very hot, long summers. Autumn feels like a time for reflection, being still and noticing things all around. Time for planning the spring garden, for fixing the reticulation and sorting out the verge garden, currently planted with ivy. It needs a lot of water in summer, so time to go.

Autumn has turned to winter with some showers but we’re still experiencing warm sunny days and crisp cold nights. Each season changes what we eat and what we wear. We put a big rug over our laps in the evenings unless it is very cold, then we turn on heating. We shop at a green grocer who only stocks seasonal produce so everything is fresh and sourced locally. I still walk my 13 000+ steps, sometimes in a puffer jacket, often with a thick scarf when we take the dog to the dog park. What’s flowering in the garden changes (only camellias at the moment) and I’ve planted flowers for spring.

Australians don’t really celebrate autumn/fall or the other seasonal changes the way some countries do, with wreaths featuring yellow, orange and brown leaves, a different set of cushion covers and other decorating touches. I’ve seen blogs featuring seasonal artwork, which is very attractive but I don’t want to store seasonal decoration. Christmas and Easter decor items take up a lot of room already!

Image Upslash

Colder weather dictates warmer food. In our house this always means roasted vegetables and lots of soup.

Thick luscious cauliflower soup from our dear neighbour, chives from the garden.

reading

Recovering from post election media exhaustion but still not watching much television. I read a lot, fiction, non fiction, decorator and garden magazines and some blogs, too. This year I planned to make my life more balanced, to have time to enjoy completing the Code Cracker in the paper in one sitting, to enjoy the company of friends over long lunches, to just slow down and consider the things around me. That didn’t happen!

Needing to help other people sort out life changes, poor health and ongoing therapies, the opened border between WA and the other states and the resulting Covid surge, all hindered my carefully considered plans. One thing I have achieved, by default, is more time to read!

Really enjoyed Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, a gripping story about a wedding on a remote Irish Island. Several guests have a motive for killing the groom but of course, we don’t find out who did it until the very end! Great story. It’s being made into a film, too.

The other book I couldn’t put down is Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club. Set in an aged care home which was once convent, this rollicking yarn is told from the point of view of the main characters. Funny, clever and whip smart, this is a great first book. The author says it’s his first, and so far, best novel!

I’ve just read that this is being adapted for a film, too. Also found he has published another book, too, so checking to see if it is available at the library.

did you know

Australia has over 60 separate wine regions? Western Australia has nine distinct regions, mostly in the south of the state. The history of wine making in W.A. dates back to 1840 when the Sandalford Winery was established in the Swan Valley.

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Sunscreen, Winter Food and Flowers

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sunscreen

Several family members have had melanomas removed over the years. My Mother has had multiple surgeries to remove melanomas despite regular checkups and wearing a hat outdoors most of her adult years. The damage was done when she was a child. Last year she had several melanomas removed from her right hand and her face and associated grafts. Sadly she lost an eye to melanoma later in the year and then needed more surgery on her face in January. Other family members, including myself, have had melanomas removed. I have a checkup every year.

ocean waves crashing on shore during daytime

Unsplash Image

I still use sunscreen during winter. For years the day cream I preferred included a reasonable SPF but since I changed brands to an evidence based product, I’ve had to find a really good sunscreen. Not just for my face, either, but for my hands, too. I know I should wear gloves in the garden but I just go out the back for a wander and thirty minutes later I’ve pulled weeds and started another bucket of weed tea, picked some roses and snipped some herbs for dinner. My hands had been in the sun all that time.

Vitamin D is essential to our well being and one source is UVB rays from the sun. Other sources of Vit D are eggs, beef, fatty fish and liver. We need to be in sunlight all year round for our well being but does sunscreen prevent us from benefiting from UVB rays? Dr Ginni, in her newsletter Evidence Skincare (here) refers to an article in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment which breaks down common myths about sunscreen.

Pixabay Image

The first myth is that sunscreen prevents us absorbing beneficial rays from the sun. Actually, people who use sunscreen have higher levels of Vit D. The second myth is any suncreen will do, but not all sunscreens are equal. If you have sensitive skin look for less irritating products with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. The third myth is that you have to start young to get the benefit. Actually, it’s never too late. The study showed that starting to use SPF5 at 40 can reduce the damage from the sun by 40%.

Australia and New Zealand have the highest rate of melanomas in the World. It is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer. It can be prevented by using sunscreen, dressing appropriately and wearing good sunglasses. Sunscreens in Australia are approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and are rigorously tested. Look for TGA approval, mostly a number, on the tube or bottle before buying sunscreen.

flowers

I walk almost every day of the year with my 89 year old neighbour. I only accrue about 1500 steps during this amble up and down the block but we have wide ranging chats and lots of laughs and even a few rants. She regularly visits her dear friend who is disappearing into dementia and sometimes she tells me funny stories about these visits and sometimes not so funny stories and more often, nowdays, stories of frustration and sadness.

Yesterday as we wandered between showers of rain, she told me how her husband used to bring her gifts after work on Fridays. He worked in the city and would usually bring her flowers but sometimes other sweet gifts. He’s been gone over 30 years but she still misses him.

Flowers for my dear neighbour.

I’m given flowers irregularly but I like surprises. I grow flowers to ensure we nearly always have fresh, cut flowers in the house, but a random bunch, not because it’s Valentine’s Day or our wedding anniversary, feels luxurious and such a treat. I got a bunch for my neighbour, too, after I heard how much she enjoyed flowers from her late husband.

Flowers for our house. There’s nothing left in the garden except the occasional rose.

eating

There’s a change in the weather and this is reflected in what we are eating. Salads have given way to roasted vegetables and citrus features in many meals. A trip to the German butcher meant venison sausages, venison prosciutto and Thueringer bratwurst. It’s not easy to get venison in WA but we enjoy some variety. All delicious.

And I make soup, lots of vegetable soups with chicken or vegetable stock. Do you plan meals, batch cook or sort of muddle along like I do, making sure everything is used? Most lingering vegetables become frittatas and egg based pies, which can be eaten hot or cold, or soup. (Many recipes online for frittatas)

did you know?

Eighty percent of Australian animals are unique to Australia?

koala bear on brown tree

Koala bear. Image Unsplash

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