Making

Why My Dog Has A Bank Account and Other Matters

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the dog’s bank account

When our previous, wonderful dog became older, his health began to deteriorate. That meant frequent visits to the vet. And we all know that means lots of bills. When we got Louis, our lovely Groodle, we investigated many pet insurance companies. We compared the cost of our vet bills with the insurance costs, especially as a pet gets older and did our sums.

It made more sense to open a term deposit account specifically to cover any health care costs for the dog than to buy an insurance policy. At the time the interest rate was pretty good, then it was pretty bad and now it is improving again. The point is, at nine years of age, Louis has savings in a term deposit to cover probable costs for healthcare.

why i drink coffee at home

I love coffee, but I drink it black so I really taste it. Many coffee shops, cafes and restaurants make acceptable coffee if you add milk and maybe sugar, but black coffee leaves nowhere to hide. I rarely buy coffee when I’m out because it can vary from just drinkable to stewed, brewed, weak and when did they last clean that machine? I know how I dispose of stuff, but have no idea how commercial providers recycle their packaging and grounds. So, I drink coffee at home and drink herbal tea when I’m out, so long as it is made in a pot and not from a bag (many brands have plastic in them)

sorting christmas wrap and ribbons

It seems the thing now to reuse wrap and ribbons from Christmas time. Good. Just make sure you get wrapping paper with no plastic in it. Try scrunching the edge of the paper; if it says scrunched, it’s paper, if it springs back it has plastic in it. Don’t buy plastic or foil wrapping ! Similarly with ribbon; avoid all ribbons except fabric, woven ribbon which can be sprayed with water, ironed and reused, and reused probably for ever. Years ago I bought a roll of grosgrain ribbon on line and I’m still using the same roll, probably because I collect the ribbons when the gifts are all opened and iron them, ready for next year.

eating

Christmas week

So many families have traditions about the food they eat on special occasions. So, birthday cakes, matzoh ball soup, ham and turkey, pumpkin pie, hot cross buns and plum pudding and many other recipes feature for some families at different times . Christmas time as a child and now, means bowls of sweets around the house. It’s a Christmas thing and we enjoy it! Then a week after Christmas we’re back to most of our coloured food being fruit and vegetables, not confectionery.

crafts

A magazine I was reading had a list of pre-Christmas markets being held locally and those tantalizing words ‘ handcrafted textiles, original artwoks, fine art prints and ceramics’ really caught my attention. The very words suggest beautifully designed and produced pieces, each individual and special. I love looking around craft and art markets, but it’s the usual dilemma which stops me buying, those harsh words in my head, ‘but do you need it?’ Mostly, no, I don’t, but sometimes I buy because I really want it and usually those things remain while other things are sorted and deemed unnecessary.

Image Pexels

I like handmade arts and crafts, the individuality, the uniqueness and the fact each piece is hand designed and hand made. These pieces employ materials available in the local area which adds to their individuality and appeal. I enjoy looking at old artifacts in museums and books showing everyday utensils made by hand and used by several generations. At the moment I’m thinking about printing and am about to do a lino printing course. I actually have the lino and the necessary tools, but a class adds the input and ideas of others but most importantly, access to a printing press!

Image Pexels

Post pandemic articles often refer to the explosion of interest in hobbies. Confined at home but with access to tutorials and kits online, it was easy to explore or rekindle a craft. Kits to try every craft imaginable are easy to access. The internet is awash with painting and drawing tutorials. Lots of inspiration, too, encouraging people to make items that can be used in their own homes. The interest in making items for your own decor was so great after the television series ‘Escape to the Chateau’ hit our screens, that Angel, one of the couple restoring the chateau, created a line of her designs for sale and she and her husband Dick have a spinoff program about recycling furniture and making your own decorations. Her workroom looks very enticing!

Wishing you a HAPPY NEW YEAR, full of good health, good people and good fun!

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Cleaning The Silver and Other Jobs

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cleaning the silver

Christmas preparations are much the same each year in this house. Apart from cooking and decorating I like the silver to be polished! I know, who cares? Well, I do! So I filled the sink with sheets of aluminum foil, a good shake of baking soda and hot water then dipped the tarnished pieces, leaving each piece for a minute then taking it out. Rinsed, then polished. Some of these pieces were so tarnished we had to clean and polish them with silver cleaner.

This was a good opportunity to wash all the bits and pieces I keep in the silver bowl. Time to refine the contents! The pebbles I’ve collected all over the world went back in and also my collection of miniature birdcages remained. Other bits and pieces went out! Also cleaned and sorted a long neglected cupboard. Little steps and so much more to do to declutter.

The discarded decorative pieces and lots of other things were all dropped off at the Salvation Army depot in town. Still more ‘treasures’ need to go but I find the process quite hard. Been loaned a very motivating book but I lose momentum rather easily.

dosing the cake

I made two Christmas cakes a few weeks ago. Three days ago my husband used a skewer to poke holes in the top of each cake. Next he poured the remaining port from macerating the fruit onto both cakes. Smelt wonderful. Moist, delicious and very popular.

I make the cakes using an old, photocopied, stained recipe from my Aunt, via my Mother. The ingredient list is very long although once everything is gathered and measured the process is actually quite quick. Every now and then I tear a recipe for Quick and Easy Christmas Cake, or No Fuss Christmas Cake or something similar from the paper and without fail, they have been mere shadows of the cake made from this treasured family recipe. Lesson learnt. Now I just plan a day for cake making as it takes at least four hours to cook! And weeks to macerate the fruits in port.

adding a pocket to a shirt

Had this light summer shirt for a while but I’ve only worn it once. The sleeves are very full and flappy so it felt too big. The other problem was it doesn’t have a pocket, so I’m always having to carry my phone or keys when I go out for a walk. Solution became obvious when I looked at it this morning.

I cut the sleeves to elbow length and folded and pinned a hem on the remaining, trimmed sleeves.

Trimmed one of the cut off sleeves to create a pocket. I left the existing cuff on the piece then turned and pinned the raw edges before pinning the now ironed pocket to the shirt.

Left the existing cuff from the sleeve as an edge on the pocket. The fabric is lawn and is quite thin so the cuff creates extra strength for the pocket.

I put the shirt on and pinned the pocket exactly where it was easy to access. Also ensured my phone fitted comfortably.

Ironed the pinned edges, then sewed them on place. Checked the sleeve length was right. Ironed the shirt, been wearing it all day. Considered making two pockets but I don’t really need two and I have a long TO DO list, anyway.

making biscuits

This time of the year is party time and many invitations ask you to ‘bring a plate’. This is an Australian tradition and involves taking a plate of food to share. I have a few invitations this week where I need to take a plate. This can be tricky when there’s no fridges available as the gatherings are outdoors. My solution is shortbread biscuits!

They don’t need refrigeration, cutting up or extra sauces or topping. You don’t need napkins and you don’t need to wash your hands afterwards. Easy!

saving seeds

The heat of summer has begun so it’s time to reduce the number of pots needing hand watering. I’ve also saved the ranunculus corms and red poppy seeds for next year. I intended saving the tulip bulbs, too, but only found their skins. The wild life had enjoyed a feast of tulip bulbs!

I store the collected seeds in brown paper bags pegged up high in the cool garage until it is time to plant again next year.

wrapping gifts

Printed this paper using brown packing paper, acrylic paint and a stamp. I smoothed out the paper and ironed it before printing on it. If you want to try this but want perfectly smooth paper, lightly spray it with a mist of water, then iron.

I hope all your holiday plans involve wonderful food and fun get togethers, plus lots of sleep!

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It Has To Be Red, Giftwrap and Teriyaki Beef Bowls

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in the red

Hugely popular in all things Christmas themed, the colour red is also a major decorator favourite for next year. From primary reds in childrens’ rooms, to AGAs and other stoves but especially fabrics and paints, every shade of red features strongly. Summer has just begun in Australia but temperatures in Perth have already reached the 30°Cs so red painted walls are unlikely to catch on here!

Red is historically associated with wealth and status. It didn’t begin with Louboutin’s red soled shoes! In fact, in the 17th century, aristocratic courtiers to Louis XIV featured flashes of red dye on the soles of their shoes. The concept of a red carpet event isn’t new, either, but goes back to Ancient Greece. Archeologists working at Pompeii found red walls were so common they’ve named the colour Pompeian red. Red signifies energy and warmth.

Louboutin claims he decided to paint the soles of his shoes red after a fairly plain pair were delivered and his assistant, who was painting her nails at the time, offered to paint the soles of the shoes bright red, using her nail polish. Louboutin went on to sell nail polish and lipstick based on the colour he used on the soles of his shoes.

Although Western Australia is no place for red painted walls, I really, really like furniture painted in Chinese red. This can range from orangey-red through to dark vermilion. The red I particularly like features throughout Asia. No longer made from ground cinnabar, for many Asian countries, red symbolizes good fortune, luck, vitality, celebration and prosperity. Splashes of vivid red are thought to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. We bought some old pieces finished in Chinese red and had some pieces made.

These two carved, ornate panels are originally from a door at the entrance to a hutong, a family housing complex. I was always on the lookout for more, but no luck!

I had these three wedding boxes restored by inmates at a juvenile detention centre. The boys were taught to restore old pieces of furniture using semi traditional methods so they would have a skill when they were released. The boxes now store memorabilia from our years in China.

I collected quite a lot of blue and white china, too, to add to what I already had.

The altar table used to be in the entrance to our apartment. The lower shelf was convenient for storing shoes as visitors removed their shoes when they arrived.

We bought the rice box after we returned to Australia.

Our bedhead and bedside tables are finished in traditionally made Chinese red using pigments, shellac and lacquer. I took the pieces to an artisan to be painted and he said he was too busy and wrote down his recipe! I eventually sourced the materials and mixed the paint myself.

wrapping paper

Continuing in a red vein, I’ve printed some Christmas wrapping paper. This brown paper began as packing around something bought online and delivered in a big box. I unscrunched the brown paper and smoothed it out and then ironed it. Some months ago I tidied the armoire I keep my art supplies in and couldn’t find the paisley Indian wood block I intended to use to print on the paper. Looked and looked, unsuccessfully, so settled on this slightly star shaped block. I knew where it was when the cupboard was a jumbled mess!

Gathered the paper, a dish for the paint, red acrylic paint and some paper towel. Smoothed the brown paper out on the table and dipped the block in the paint in the dish, tapped it on the paper towel and then printed.

I was pretty relaxed about the placement of the design as the paper will be folded around gifts so irregularities wont really show. It was a hot day and the paint dried quickly.

dinner

I keep writing about Nagi Maehashi’s new cookbook, DINNER because I really like the recipes. As I’ve said before, the ingredients are usually in the pantry, the process is easy to understand and the resulting dinner is very good. Nothing too fiddly but great flavours. All the recipes are on her online site and the book has a Q Code you can scan and watch her make the dish.

I decided on Teriyaki Beef Bowls because I had 500gm of beef mince and all the other ingredients, too. We loved it! I added beans and peas to the rice, not at all authentic, but I’m always looking for ways to add more F&V to our diet. This recipe made dinner for us for two nights.

The recipe called for 145ml of soy sauce. It was very salty. I will be shopping for salt reduced soy sauce which I’ve seen in the supermarket. Light soy sauce, common in Cantonese cooking is thinner than dark soy sauce, common in Northern Chinese cooking but both have very similar sodium/salt levels.

did you know?

Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano? It is also the only continent covered by a single country.

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Making, Cooking and Growing

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Isn’t spring wonderful after a long, cold and wet winter? Every season has features I look forward to but spring brings an explosion of colours and scents into gardens everywhere. Shrugging off coats and jumpers and boots feels so liberating yet I remember feeling excited when the change of season led me to wearing those boots!

Apart from clothing the other element that changes with the season is food. What is available, particularly fruit and vegetables, dictates what we eat as the temperature changes. Salads and other meals served cold appear often prompted by what’s available at the green grocer. Usually we go there with a few staples on the list but then allow the freshest, most attractive fruits and vegetables to dictate what we eat for the next week.

We go to green grocer which has been run by a family of Italian descent for jas long as I remember so we can buy sheep and goats milk cheeses and yoghurts, a selection of cold meats and some other items. I love their olives.

We couldn’t resist the first of the locally grown mangoes! Armed with a damp cloth we slurped our way through three. Pretty colour, great taste, a bit sticky.

TOMATO and CUCUMBER SALAD WITH MUSTARD and CRESS DRESSING

This week I was looking for a Lebanese cucumber to make a salad. I also bought tomatoes, but they’re always on the list! When we got home I washed, dried and diced the cucumber, tomatoes and three slices of red onion then mixed the vegetables with two heaped dessert spoons of bought mustard and dill dressing. I didn’t add any salt as it draws the juices out of the vegetables and makes the dressing watery. Into the fridge to chill for dinner. Served with a small sprinkling of salt and some grated pepper it was delicious!

BLOOD ORANGE SORBET

Blood oranges were also on display so I immediately knew I was going to makes sorbet. I put the icecream maker insert from the Kitchen Aid in the freezer overnight to chill. The next day I made the sugar syrup and put that into the freezer, too, until it was very cold. Washed seven blood oranges which resulted in two cups of juice, just the amount required to make the sorbet. Put the juice and sugar syrup into the chilled icecream maker and set it to stir for 12 minutes. Then we had blood orange sorbet!

BLOOD ORANGE CHOCOLATES

Meanwhile, I had sliced some of the peel from the blood oranges into thin strips after I’d scraped out the remaining pulp. I microwaved some 70% cocoa dark chocolate in a cup after I’d broken it into small pieces, checking every 15 seconds. When it was glossy and melted I tilted the cup and dipped the strips of peel, one at a time, into the molten chocolate. Then I left each strip to set on a sheet of baking paper. Of course, we had to taste one! There’s no point making something fiddly if it’s not great, is there? Very hard to stop at one each, but they needed to dry. I’ll be making theses citrus strips dipped in chocolate again!

The blood orange and chocolate strips look a bit gruesome but tasted WONDERFUL!

cooking

OVEN ROASTED MEATBALLS

Not everything I cooked this week was served cold. I made OVEN ROASTED MEATBALLS following a recipe from recipestineats.com. We like meatballs but I don’t like the splatter on the stovetop from frying them. Obviously I was attracted to a recipe where the meatballs are suspended over the tomato sauce made from tinned tomatoes, Italian herbs, onion, garlic and. Then it all went into the oven for about 25 minutes.

This recipe made two very generous sized meals for two people. Dinner one night was served with the Tomato and Cucumber salad in Mustard and Cress Dressing, a new favourite. The next time the meatballs appeared I served them with just picked and steamed snow peas and potato mash.

As usual, also made three loaves of rye sourdough. It takes three days to get the dough to the cooking stage but three loaves last a couple of weeks. While I’m feeding the starter I measure out the flour I’ll need later and set it aside.

Keep the flour in a plastic crate. I make three loaves at a time as it is a bit of a faff preparing the starter/sponge, then waiting for the dough to double in size , ready to cook.

growing

Using my newly sharpened hedge clippers I have reshaped a big rosemary bush. The way the blades cut through the woody bits and the soft regrowth without much effort is very satisfying. This particular rosemary bush was grown from a piece of my Mother’s bush and is very aromatic and strongly flavoured. She also propagated a bush for our son who felt the one he’d bought from the nursery wasn’t strongly flavoured nor really aromatic.

So as I almost effortlessly snipped off pieces of rosemary I collected the soft, new growth cuttings, stripped off the lower leaves and trimmed the growth off the top a little. Into water then on the end of the table which gets morning sun and soon little thread like roots will form and I’ll pot them up to share.

Beautiful spring weather, I hope you are enjoying the weather where ever you live!

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Living the Simple Life, Rubic Cubes, Packing and Dog Toys

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living the simple life

A week down south during the Margaret River Region Open Studios was great for seeing a huge range of artworks, but also interesting in other ways. Mostly, the artisans work from studios within or attached to their houses. So as well as hearing about their philosophies, motivations and work habits, you learn, in many cases, what makes their lives fulfilling and satisfying.

Image Upsplash

The artists we visited live in suburbia, on hilltops with nothing between the beach below and Antarctica, on small bush blocks and on working farms. Heavy winter rain means the southwest is lush and green with masses of arum lilies and many wild flowers beginning to bloom. This is a very beautiful area. ( The arum lilies are considered a weed and used to be sprayed every year but apparently not this year!)

The people I spoke to often referred to seeking simpler lives. My immediate image of the idealised simpler life is living on enough land to support chickens, a horse, a cow for milking and a large area for growing vegetables. This is not necessarily what everyone was seeking. Being without the constraints of traditional work hours, living in ‘off the grid’ houses, as often the usual services are not available, and reusing existing housing styled to suit their needs were common discussions. assorted-color paintbrush lot

Image Unsplash

Tending to vegetables and animals would eat into their working time, there’s amazing wild flowers in the bush, so why grow your own flowers, working digitally at times that suit their other interests provides sufficient income and there’s still small rural schools or school buses for their children if they’ve chosen to live out of town. These were people who had chosen to live simple lives by their own standards.

Many of the artists are tech savvy and you just swipe your card on a tiny machine to pay and a receipt pops up on your phone. Many of these people have taken what they really want to build simple, harmonious lives for themselves. They have created time to follow their artistic passions. Sometimes that’s creating amazing food, beautiful pieces of art, glorious gardens but only after they’ve had a surf !

This area is extremely diverse. There’s traditional farming, vineyards, breweries and distilleries, every imaginable type of accommodation, plus deer farming, olive oil production, patisseries and lavender products. There’s all sorts of little shops selling lovely things, views that stop you in your tracks and some of the most amazing houses. Plus lots of people living simple lives and achieving their artistic goals.

rubics cubes

Do you like this Rubics Cube birthday invitation?. The 3D puzzle cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Emö Rubic. He intended it to teach his students about three dimensional squares. Clever invitation, clever puzzle.

traveling

In a previous covid free time we liked to travel. My husband’s work meant he was frequently overseas, so our son and I would travel to spent time with him during every school break. I must have sewn and embroidered this drawstring bag for stowing slippers very early on as I soon adopted far less grand ways of packing. Not so pretty but very efficient.

Laughed photographing these slippers as we are currently sleeping under a zebra print rug and I have a leopard print dressing gown.

These boubouche, bought in Paris nearly 20 years ago have been worn and worn but despite looking a bit misshapen, still fit well.

I actually ended up with quite a few pairs of slippers. It was often customary to remove our outdoor shoes and wear socks or slippers indoors. I wore slippers until about four years ago when I left work and wanted footwear to suit every situation, indoors or outdoors, including long walks. I began wearing Skechers most days and my collection of slippers live unworn on a shelf. Not in a pretty drawstring bag!

We spent last week in Margaret River and I briefly contemplated the embroidered drawstring slipper bag, just like I considered a tailored, wool coat. The slipper bag stayed home as did the wool coat. The puffer jacket which came with us is light, warm and doesn’t need dry cleaning. Unfortunately it makes me feel like the Michelin man, a warm Michelin man but a very well padded one, too.

The zebra

When we’re not using the zebra print rug, Louis, our groodle likes to claim it as his own. He likes to spent hours asleep partially under it, only rousing himself if anyone comes to the door or he can smell things cooking. Any food aromas require instant investigation.

Seeing a very cute zebra toy in the pet section I bought it for Louis. He tolerated it being on the rug with him but them ignored it. He is very fond of soft toys and his reaction was a bit puzzling. Zebra has been totally ignored since he and Louis were introduced. I think it’s because zebra doesn’t squeak! I watched him chew zebra’s body, legs and head and getting no reaction, ignored him.

Body doesn’t squeak, legs don’t squeak, lost interest.

Did you watch the royal funeral?

A magnificent display of pomp and ceremony and an appropriate farewell to a remarkable person..

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How To Reuse Hotel Soaps and Refreshing The Outdoor Areas

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recycling hotel soaps

When we were away recently I had to move my husband’s toilet bag and was surprised at its weight. Took it out to the table, tipped out the contents and started sorting through the jumble. The toilet bag was a gift from me 39 years ago and it seems it’s only been added to, nothing has ever been discarded. He working life involved frequent traveling and he’d collected things from all over the world.

Sorted the sewing kits, the razors, shoe shine kits, the combs and folded hairbrushes, the nail kits, the ear plugs and the bars of soap. Most things went into the bin, but as I was scooping up the twenty plus bars of soap I suddenly wondered if I could reuse them.

Using tiny bars of soap isn’t easy nor appealing, although the bars seemed to get bigger as the years went by. So after I’d amused myself identifying the country of origin from the packaging I put them into a bag and brought them home.

Searching online revealed lots of ways to use scraps of soap to make more soap. Put it off for a while as it seem a bit of a faff and soap is pretty cheap to buy. But I also put off throwing the soaps in the bin as it seemed very wasteful as we had so many! Eventually unwrapped them and settled into reusing or rebatching them.

Apparently, the soap needs to be grated, boiled, pressed into a mold. When I’d grated one tiny bar of soap and one fingernail I knew there had to be a quicker/better way. Chopped the bars roughly with a long blade, sharp knife then put them in the food processor. Most of the bars were powdery and ready to mix after being cut, so I sifted them and only processed the larger pieces.

Cooking the grated soap and water.

I could have added a sprinkle of dried lavender to the soap or some scented oil or colours, but the soap mix was really aromatic without any additions. Added water to the powder and left it for an hour or so, then cooked it on a low heat until it formed a ball. Pressed it into a silicone cake mold. Left it to harden over three days. Cut into bars.

Would I do this again? No. The resulting bars of soap are very highly scented, which we don’t like and it was a lot of work to save a few dollars. We haven’t traveled much during the past two years but I have noticed most accommodation now offer shower gel. (All those little plastic tubes!) I usually take our own soap, anyway. My husband dislikes gels and insists on soap.

By the way, the Hilton Hotel Group and it’s associated hotel chains collect all the used soaps from their rooms and send them to be sanitized and turned into bars of soap for the homeless and third world countries. Sensible.

preparing for spring

Really enjoyed wet, cold winter days, for a while, but the bulbs have germinated and I’m looking forward to spring. Still enjoying boots, jumpers and warm scarves but I’m preparing for more time outdoors.

So I’ve renovated some little chairs hanging on a wall which were showing signs of rust. I also resurfaced a terracotta pot which has a solar fountain floating in the middle. The idea of the pot was to provide water for the bees with a landing pad so they could be safe and rest for a while. Only ever seen a few bees at the water but see little birds perched there frequently.

Treated the rust on the chairs with rust retardant. The next day I set up a ‘spray box’ aka a big cardboard carton. I sprayed the back of the chairs, left them to dry, repeated over two days, spraying a different side each time. I used a spray designed to retard rust, too, but it isn’t perfect. Which is why they needed re-doing!

The next project was the terracotta bowl. I scraped off the existing paint then sanded the inner surface before applying two coats of terracotta sealer. The outer surface was still in good condition so I only sanded a few spots. When the sealer was dry, I spray painted the pot twice. Left it in the sun for a few days as the paint smell was very strong.

Ready to go but it is too overcast for the solar fountain to work!

super moon

Image Roger Purdy, Pixabay

Did you see the Super moon, the largest and brightest moon on the 13th of July?

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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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Housekeeping, Exercise Week and Other Things

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housekeeping

Why am I admitting to the jumble in this utensil drawer under the hotplate? The drawer is actually longer than shown in the photo but a glimpse is enough, I’m sure. At first I only planned to remove all the plastic utensils but that led me to pieces I never use, such as a butter curler, to pieces that were duplicated and a few favourites that need replacing. I have ordered silicone tipped tongs and some silicone utensils and they’re on their way, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying the easy access I now have to everything.

Researching plastics and reading how they harm the environment led me to articles about plastics, such as utensils, leaching harmful chemicals into food when they are heated, contaminating the food. So, egg flips, plastic tipped tongs and some slotted spoons are out and so are a number of replicated utensils. Interestingly, during this purge I realised nearly all of our wooden spoons came from my grandmother and are still used frequently.

Drawer sorting turned out to be extremely cathartic. I have since sorted three more large drawers. We had a drawer full of airline kit bags. Totally useless! I have kept some of the bags. For years when we lived overseas we flew with an airline with pretty drawstring tartan kit bags. They’re perfect for storing all sorts of things and I kept the rest of them. Harvested all the socks, lip balms, hand creams, eye masks, perfumes, toothbrush/paste sets, some combs and hairbrushes and have put them in a box, along with some of the bigger toilet /wash bag sized bags to go to the Salvos. I hope they can use them.

In another drawer I found this box with my original Fitbit, a gift in 2013 . I don’t think my husband had any idea about the role Fitbit would play in our lives! Initially I did 10 000 steps a day as this was the recommended number, then went to 11 00 and so on up to about 15 00 but now aim for around 13 000 steps every day, done in all sorts of situations, but mostly around the house and walking outside, but also walking miles in airports, shopping centres and hotel rooms. I think I’m a bit obsessive! (Hear! Hear! – the Husband.)

My current devise is even more enticing as it allows me to check my heart rate, calories burnt ( I don’t think this is very reliable or I’d be stick thin ) and when I’m ‘in the zone’ for fat burning and cardio. I try to resist checking my sleep score as I’m a poor sleeper and keep reading that poor sleep is linked to dementia. I like to reach specific heart beat goals every week and always check my weekly feedback from Fitbit!

Really enjoyed a wander around the garden gathering some herbs to make a Tussie Mussie Posey for friends. A Tussie Mussie is a bunch of flowers or herbs, popular in Victorian times, intended to protect the wearer from noxious odours. This bunch smells wonderful. I think my dear neighbours will use this in their cooking!

exercise right week 23 -29 may

The focus of EXERCISE RIGHT WEEK is the idea that exercise should not be seen as punishment but should be fun. The benefits promoted by exercise are listed as move your mood, heal your heart, brace your body, boost your brain, gather your group and spoil yourself!

Apart from walking, I enjoy Pilates and yoga but have been unable to do either activity for a month so I sought the advise of a Sports Physiologist. After an assessment to determine my existing abilities she designed a safe and effective exercise program for me. Exercise Scientists and Sport Scientists can also create programs to meet your own goals.

The next term of yoga starts the first week of July and I am already enrolled. I have missed it enormously, not just the wonderful workout but our teacher and the lovely people in our group. I have been doing tai chi online for a month. When we lived in China I used to watch the elderly people in the flats across the road doing tai chi on the roof top. Their movements were choreographed and elegant, unlike mine. The local park was popular with groups doing tai chi in the morning and ballroom dancing in the late afternoon.

More information about EXERCISE RIGHT WEEK here

world bee day

yellow flower with bee during daytime

Image Unsplash

Did you miss World Bee Day 20th of May? If you’d like to encourage more bees onto your balcony or into your garden, plant lavender, foxgloves, sunflowers, poppies or cornflowers.

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An Interesting Day in Pinjarra

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Pinjarra, a country town on the banks of the Murray River, is 82km (51 miles) from Perth. It is one of the earliest settlements in Western Australia. The name Pinjarra is thought to be a corruption of the Aboriginal word beenjarrup, meaning place of the swamp.

Early settlers met with resistance from the local Aboriginal people. In 1834 this resulted in the Battle of Pinjarra, one of Australia’s worst recorded massacres.

In 1974 Alcoa established a major alumina refinery in the area greatly increasing the population of Pinjarra and nearby Mandurah on the coast.

We’d often pass through the town heading south but hadn’t stopped to explore for many years. It was an easy drive from Perth to Pinjarra on the Forrest Highway.

the evandale complex

Arrived at the well sign posted Evandale Complex, a group of buildings once belonging to the McLarty family. We parked and headed off to the first building. The garden above faces the main road into the town and is in front of the old school master’s house and the school. The school master’s house is now the home of the Murray Districts Historical Society.

The garden at the front of the School Master’s house is mainly planted with roses, including this stunner. Unfortunately, there’s no labels or site maps identifying the names of the roses. A site map for the entire complex would have been so useful! The lady in the shop thought they had one, but couldn’t find it.

Beautiful, well established roses and no signs of chili thrip!

Classic country school, designed by George Temple Poole (1856 -1934). He was responsible for designing many public buildings in Western Australia including Post Offices, Courthouses, Police Stations, Hospitals, the original Art Gallery in Perth, the original Museum, the Swan Brewery (now offices, apartments and a restaurant.) There are schools just like this one all over the state.

There’s more information about Temple Poole’s public buildings on this blog about Beverley, another old settlement in Western Australia. https://www.makecookgrow.com/2019/08/visiting-beverley-western-australia/

This spacious and fully restored four room school building is now the home of a group of patchworkers. Many of their beautiful works are for sale. There’s also interesting photos on the wall showing groups of former school children.

Autumn began eight weeks ago in the southern hemisphere, but this was the first real sign for me! Bulbs germinating in a garden bed near the carpark. Lovely.

The Art Gallery featuring works by local artists. This building, Liveringa, was built in the 1860s and is one of two homesteads on the property.

I did as directed: I drank coffee! Did I do stupid things? Not saying.

The museum is absolutely full of fascinating relics from another era when so many things were made at home. This is an Aladdin’s cave of treasures. Much of the machinery on display is still in working order. Most of the collection originated in the local district. We were accompanied throughout the workshop by a guide. She was so well informed and interesting.

Onto the shop featuring arts and crafts made by locals. Lots of treasures.

The shop and on the right, the end of the meeting room adjoining a big pottery area. So many areas for craft men and women to work, store their materials and display their products. So many interesting crafts people working at this site.

The original homestead built in 1888 and featuring wide verandas to protect the rooms from the harsh sunlight. It is now set up as tearooms. The rest of the building seemed to be storage and more meeting rooms. There are more tables at the back of the house, too.

This is the tearooms. It is where we had lunch, sitting outdoors overlooking a beautifully maintained garden leading up to the main road. There was a light breeze and it was pretty and peaceful.

I enjoyed a very good traditional quiche with not traditional chili dipping sauce.

My husband settled for a pot of tea and a scone with jam and cream which he really enjoyed. There is a limited menu with salad rolls and sandwiches, pies, cakes, hot chips and the wonderful quiche.

Then we set off to look around the town. I enjoyed visiting the new shopping centre. My husband sat in the car and read the paper.

Other buildings of interest include the old post office, on the main street, another Poole designed building. There’s several cafes offering lunch and snacks, some of the usual fast food places and some interesting shops along the main street.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps.

Eighty percent of Australians live on the coast of Australia.

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Reusing Scented Candle Holders and Other Occupations

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Cleaning and reusing candle holders

An empty candle holder with a replacement pillar candle in it.

Do you burn candles for their scent? So many of them are packaged in the most attractive holders and I don’t want to throw them out! Some are glass and some are porcelain. They are quite easy to clean and reuse. My favourite scented candle is packaged in a tin. I’m still thinking of ways to use the pretty tins. The labels will peel off and the lids seal snugly.

Still deciding what I can do with these tins. Any ideas?

When the candle has burnt to the base of the holder you can light the remaining wick to melt as much wax as possible. Pour the liquid wax into something where it can set then be thrown in the bin. Don’t pour liquid wax down the drain! Then place the candle holder in the freezer. The wax shrinks a little and about five hours later you can use a knife blade to pop out the residual wax. There’s probably a metal disk in the base which can be eased out with the knife, too. Leave the holder to warm up before you wash it in hot, soapy water.

Then I reused this pretty holder to hold cotton pads. I’ve actually been reusing it for years in different ways.

Boil a kettle, squirt some detergent into the holder then add the boiling hot water. Leave for five minutes, swish it around then pour out the water and wipe with a paper towel. All the residual wax should be gone, but you might have to repeat the process. If I’m using the holder for food stuffs I put it through the dishwasher.

Stationery holders for pencils and paper clips.

Now the fun bit, reusing the candle holder! Some have lids and some don’t, so that dictates what they can be used for, but they’re pretty versatile.

Once a candle holder now a salt container.

Some ideas for recycling candle holder include using them as vases for small bouquets, holders for pencils and other stationery such as paper clips, cotton face wipe holders, pretty pots for serving treats like wrapped nougat and other food things. I keep salt in one. I’ve reused them by putting short pillar candles inside them, too. Some people make their own candles to put into used candle holders.

Now a pretty bowl for treats and sometimes a vase, too.

Sweet vases for single blooms.

These two have well sealed lids and will end up in the pantry with food in them. To get rid of any lingering scent after you cleaned out and washed the container leave it and the lid out in the sun in a safe place. Should be scent free in a few days.

ITALIAN NOUGAT

In case my paintings suggest we only eat healthy, fresh food I’ve included this photo of what we were eating one afternoon when it really, really hot. We were experiencing an historic heatwave. It was too hot to do anything at all active. Very delicious sweet, Italian nougat coated in dark, bitter chocolate whilst watching TV.

watching the parisian agency

So glad there’s a second series of Le Parisian Agency. (L’Agence) This series on Netflix follows the super successful but down to earth Kretz family and their real estate agency. The mother, father and three of their four sons all work together. The fourth son finishes high school during the second series and assumes one day he will join the agency, too. The family deals in the multi million euro market and the properties they sell are so interesting. Old, new and everything in between, originally in Paris but now throughout the country, too. We get a good look around properties few would ever get to visit. Fascinating, especially seeing how much of the original architecture from the Haussmann buildings has been retained.

Pixabay

Chateaus and palaces, once unpopular except with foreigners, are now becoming more sought after by the French. Foreigners buy deserted chateaus in need of restoration, the French like them already restored.

annual macaron day 20th march

Unsplash Heather Barnes

Unfortunately, this delicious day passed me by but I am willing to celebrate later than the actual day. Macaron Day began in Paris in 2005. Parisian macaron makers initiated the day to raise money for charities.

There’s some excellent recipes and demonstrations for making macarons on Youtube, but, for me, it’s far safer to buy a few from the patisserie rather than bake a tray of about 20 exquisite little treats. Way too tempting.

and finally, the last food painting

This is the last food painting! Moved onto other things now. Well, actually I’m back painting botanicals again.

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