The Week Before Christmas

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giftboxes with shortbread and chocolate ginger

Lots of lunch catchups this month so I’ve made giftboxes with shortbread and chocolate dipped ginger as little Christmas presents. I added the gorgeous 3D birds because they are so pretty.

These gorgeous birds are from here. I printed off these Blue Bird of Happiness images and glued them to brown paper to make the finished bird a bit stronger. They are small and fiddly and took ages to cut out. I used a craft knife where possible and small scissors for the other bits. They look great but I don’t know if I’d do it again. It’s too busy this time of the year!

I have been using this tatty template for years. It began as a download from a long forgotten source but over the years I have modified it to suit my needs. There are many similar templates available online. I glue the printed side of the template onto the gift wrap I am using to make the gift boxes as the fold lines are still apparent. This way the inside of the finished box doesn’t really show the printed lines. I fold the lines using an old school ruler, and that works well, but a boning tool would be good too.

Completed boxes and the little cellophane bags of shortbread and chocolate dipped ginger.

The finished boxes ready to give to friends this week.

I dipped pieces of crystallized ginger into melted 90% cocoa chocolate using a skewer. Left them to set in the fridge, peeled them off the baking/parchment paper and sealed them in little cellophane bags. Tried not to eat too many. Very, very delicious. These I added to bigger bags of shortbread I’d also made that morning. Both went into the gift boxes.

Then I began on cellophane wrapped bowls of shortbread, rum balls and chocolate ginger for our very special neighbours. These pretty little bowls are fine to take up and down the street but the lighter boxes are easier to carry to lunches.

Gifts for neighbours.

two book reviews

One of the good things about being away was time to read without the distraction of jobs that need doing at home. So I have read two books, both thought provoking.

The first is journalist Frank Langfitt’s ‘The Shanghai Free Taxi, Journeys with the Hustlers and Rebels of the New China”. He writes about his time in China in Shanghai 2011-2016. We also lived in China during the time of his earlier posting in the late 1990s. He lived in Beijing, we lived in Guangzhou.

To talk to locals and really understand their beliefs about modern China, Langfitt offers free taxi rides, not just within the city but also carrying people to weddings and other celebrations in far away provinces. He assumed everyone talks to taxi drivers and his premise seems to work. He is fluent in Mandarin and also has an interpreter with him.

Conversations cover wide ranging views of modern China, the difficulties created by leaving family behind in their villages and finding work in fast moving cities. Many people not only leave their parents and extended family for 12 months at a time, only returning, if they can, for Chinese New Year, but they also leave their only child in the care of family.

This is a thought provoking book. The author compares Chinese beliefs and political systems of America and China and relates this to various conversations in his taxi.

The goals of modern China result in frequent change. Wide sweeping, interesting and sometimes hard to believe how people in China still live and the rules they must follow but always very readable.

The second book is JD Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy, A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis’, an autobiography about growing up poor in Kentucky. I think of an elegy as a sung lament. This account is certainly a lament, but also a call to action.

A member of a sprawling, under educated family group, Vance writes eloquently about his multi partnered/married Mother and her battle with addiction, his grandmother and her belief in him and the ever present violence and poverty. These are the problems facing all under educated children in all first world countries, not just America.

Poor nutrition, unstable homes, school systems with few expectations of student achievement and casual violence is self perpetuating. Vance, who regularly lives with his Grandmother, hasn’t done well at high school and signs up for the Marines. The discipline and expectations of the Marines shows Vance possibilities away from Middletown and the future there.

Through hard work and observing how other people live plus support from the Marines, Ohio State University then Yale, Vance becomes a lawyer. Completing the course requirements was not easy as his Grandmother, his chief support, dies during this time and his Mother succumbs to drug addiction again and becomes homeless.

A testament to human strength and determination, this book has been made into a film of the same name showing on Netflix. The film cannot convey the shocking deprivation Vance describes in his book which should be a set text for every politician and educator.

the summer garden

This hippeastrum flowers for months at a time.

Lots of flowers on the passion fruit vines, so lots of fruit to follow, I hope!

Glorious hydrangeas.

As this very strange year draws to a close, I keep hearing people saying they’re having a low key Christmas. Big family gatherings and all out partying sit uncomfortably with the events of CV-19 and this year. We too have planned a small and fairly quiet Christmas. My Mother and our son are staying with us. I’ve cooked a ham and roasted a turkey breast and we have a cassatta in the freezer and a Christmas pudding, too, but mostly we will eat simply and be grateful for the company of family and for good health.

Merry Christmas

and Best Wishes for a

Happy New Year!

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Fine Bone China, Spring Flowers, Grazing Platters and a Book Review

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fine bone china

This is my ever growing collection of fine bone china mugs. I generally drink double espressos, so about 150ml of coffee, and I really like drinking from these mugs! They are illustrated with rollicking and frolicking mice and are a pleasure to use.

I first discovered Anita Jerman’s whimsical designs years ago when my son gave me a card featuring her Two Bad Mice design. He was attracted to it initially as the mice are very similar to ones I’ve been drawing for years. Loved the card and my first Two Bad Mice 300ml mug followed. These fine bone china mugs are hand decorated in Staffordshire, England and portray the mice involved in everyday activities, such as eating cake (Sugar Mice), painting (Art Club), shopping (Retail Therapy) , frolicking with the butterflies and flowers (Urban Jungle) and enjoying each other’s company (For You)

The thin lip makes these mugs lovely to drink from. They are illustrated on the outside and the inside and there’s always a little message at the bottom, to entertain you when you’ve drained the last drop!

spring flowers

This has been a bumper year for all the spring flowers in Western Australia. The roses have been blooming like mad! Some of these are from my Mother’s garden and some are from our garden. The flowers at the back are alstromerias which grow year after year and would happily inhabit the entire garden. They need to be kept firmly in their assigned bed!

grazing platters and a bed bowl

I can’t remember what we called platters of finger food before they became grazing platters. Surrounded by bowls of other finger friendly foods, the platters are an easy way to entertain. I made these as it was my husband’s turn to host his book club this week and the focus is on the books, so easy to handle food is essential. Nothing hot or fussy, just tasty, easily picked up, finger food.

I place various cold meats and cheeses, a soft, a firm and a blue veined, on the platter, then add quince paste ( plus fig and walnut paste this time), strawberries, two types of meat and a variety of crackers. I put a tub of hommus or dip in the centre of each platter, too. Other bowls held cherries, blueberries, cherry tomatoes, cashews, olives and more crackers. Add side plates and napkins and the food is done.

This morning I finished reading Ian Rankin’s latest book, A Song For The Dark Times in bed, before I got up. The minute I put it down my husband picked it up and didn’t move for a long time. I made him tea and took him a bed bowl, a little relative of the grazing platter, involving cashews, strawberries, cherries and blueberries with some crackers. He’s not a big fan of cheese, which is good, as I’m happy to eat the leftovers from the previous nights feasting. Bowls are easier than flat plates for eating in bed.

reading

This book is about planning and building affordable energy efficient and water wise housing. Many of the tips are relevant to existing houses and also a good reminder about doing easy things to use less water and energy.

Josh Byrne is a presenter on Gardening Australia, a weekly gardening program on television. He is globally recognised for his research into efficient use of water and energy. His ideas about using main stream builders and materials to create efficient housing make his recommendations affordable. The process he describes for choosing where to build and how to build is easily understood and often thought provoking.

Byrne shares ideas about monitoring the ‘effectiveness ‘ of your existing house and also how to maximise these aspects in new builds. Each of the eight chapters encourages consideration of each step in building, renovating or just refining current aspects of your house to make it more efficient.

An interesting book, full of information. As usual, I borrowed it from the library. A quick search of your local libraries online catalogue will reveal many books about making the most of your local environment and living more efficiently.

Some saints

December 4th is Saint Barbara’s Day. Venerated as an Auxiliary Saint or Holy Helper, she is the patron saint of artillerymen and miners. In more recent years her authenticity was considered questionable and she was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969.

December 6th is Saint Nicholas Day. Saint Nicholas, a Greek priest was a Bishop in the early Catholic Church. He gave up all his belongings to follow Christ. He gave freely to needy people, but especially to children. He was well known for throwing gold coins into the windows of poor homes. St Nicholas became part of European culture.

In the 1800s, in America, Saint Nicholas began to evolve into Santa Claus, but gold coins, both real and chocolate ones still feature for many children at Christmas, a remnant of Saint Nicholas’s kindness and charity.

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Working, Decorating and Cooking and Eating

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I have been working for the past three weeks. I worked as an invigilator or supervisor for final year secondary school exams. This year has been very different for all schools and especially disrupted for final years students.

We have been very lucky and safe in Western Australia. Until recently, the hard border isolating WA from the other states of Australia meant our only CV-19 cases were people returning from overseas. These cases were managed with well organised quarantine arrangements. A range of assessments will be considered for university entrance to reflect this disruption.

Starting on Wednesday I am back to my usual occupations including Pilates, Mahjong and Yoga. Working is stimulating and satisfying but returning to my usual day to day activities is relaxing . Well, Pilates isn’t relaxing, but I’m sure it is good for me!

advent calendar

When our son was little we had a lovely fabric Advent Calendar with numbered pockets. These had tiny boxes of Lego, gold coins, chocolate treats and other toys tucked into them for him to discover as we counted down to the Big Day. We have no need of an Advent Calendar now, but I couldn’t resist this wooden house with it’s tiny drawers. The inside of the drawers is painted red, which I really like. Slowly filling them with grown up treats such as chocolates, messages about fun things to do each day including special walks for Louis, the dog and some lottery tickets. Christmas is different when there are no small children visiting.

framing botanical prints

The prints framed.

The rather gorgeous print from KMart and the newly framed botanical print.

My Mother gave me these two prints, a tulip and a hippiastrum (amaryllis). I paint botanical water colours and have done so for years. I was going to frame these in Ikea frames but the dimensions just weren’t right for the size of the prints. Walking through KMart I saw a gorgeous floral wall print but what really attracted me was the dimensions of the frame. It was perfect for my botanical prints! Bought two. Then I pondered for ages about mounting boards. Eventually I decided to try doing that myself, too, and bought some heavy (300gsm) Arches Water Colour paper. It is thick with a slight texture.

The dimensions of the frame with this art print were just what I wanted to frame the botanical print.

Positioned the print and then measured the area to cut out. Ruled the lines, used a trimmer to remove the centre piece then used UHU glue to adhere the print to the mount along the top.

Removed the original staples along the sides and base, but re-used those along the top. I didn’t remove the top ones but simply tilted the backing board, inserted the newly mounted print and pushed the backing board back into position within the frame. I had no way of re-stapling, so I used tape instead to secure the backing board.

Repeated for the second print, which was a bit faster to do as I knew what I was doing this time!

afternoon tea and DINNER

These chocolate strawberries are a new favourite. Strawberries are plentiful now and although melting the chocolate takes a while the actual dipping process is fast and easy. When all the strawberries have been dipped I put the tray in the fridge for a few hours before serving. They are proving to be very popular and pretty, too. Search for an online tutorial.

An early afternoon tea so I served light, easy finger food. This was almost “finger” dessert! Apart from chocolate dipped strawberries, there’s Christmas cake, ginger biscuits, some bought Italian biscuits and Turkish Delight, crystallized ginger and chocolates. Quick, easy, delicious.

Tray bake dinner with sautéd cabbage. The butternut pumpkin “chips” were partially oven roasted, then the broccoli was added and finally, for the last 20 minutes, the salmon fillets. Drizzled with a marinade of 2 dessert spoons of mirin, soy and maple syrup with a generous squeeze of lime juice. I turned the fillets after 10 minutes to crisp up the skin.

The chopped up cabbage is pan fried in butter and when the edges start to brown or caramelise, I add a generous splash of Apple Cider Vinegar and let it all cook until the liquid has evaporated. Good grating of black pepper finishes it off. We really like cabbage cooked this way.

Using the same pan I cooked the cabbage in I roast some sesame seeds to sprinkle on the salmon to serve.

This will make two dinners for us as I will cook more vegetables to add to the leftover heated salmon and pumpkin chips. The remnant marinade keeps the salmon moist when reheating.

November 18th was World Princess Day. I have no idea how a princess celebrates her special day, but it did remind me the next series of The Crown has started. So have many articles disputing the accuracy of the events portrayed. It seems this series is loosely based on historical events, many occurring within living memory and open to interpretation depending on your political and social affiliations. This is a drama production, not a documentary.

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Sewing a Fish, Mending, Recycling, Celebrating and Growing

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SEWING a FISH

Our son has this gorgeous ceramic sardine shown above. Inspired by blogs written by Ann Wood (here) and Kate (here), who have both been making stitched fish, I gathered the materials to make a Christmas ornamental fish, too, based on this ceramic sardine.

I cut a pattern from paper, following Anne Woods template, but later I modified the fatness of the body to better reflect the shape of the ceramic sardine.

Sewed the fish pieces together, eventually. Went upstairs to my sewing machine and discovered it wouldn’t work. Baffling as I’d used it last weekend without any problem. Fiddled about but made no progress so went looking online. Thank you to all those wonderful sewers online who have written about solving problems with sewing machines. So helpful! I finally solved the problem and sewed the fish, leaving the tail open to stuff it.

Stuffed the fish with polyester wadding, poking it in with the scissor blade, then hand sewed the end of the tail. It could have been machine sewn, too, but this was just as easy.

Started pinning on pieces of ribbon, leaving enough on the middle one to create a hanger. Hand sewed the ribbons on when I was happy with their placement. Added a bead to make a hanging loop on the longer, middle ribbon then worked on the face. Tossed up between button eyes, as on the two blogs I refer to above, or sequins, which seem shiny and more fish like. Although I had lots of buttons to choose from I thought they all looked too big. The only sequins I could find looked strange, too, so I ended up stitching the eyes in place.

My mother harvested anything reusable off worn out clothes, including hundreds of buttons. I now have those jars of buttons. Looking through them was quite nostalgic as I recognised some from my childhood clothes.

The finished fish, ready to hang.

PERSIAN CARPET REPAIR

Running up and down the stairs, trying to get the sewing machine working meant I saw this chewed Persian carpet again and again. It’s not new damage; it’s the result of Louis teething one day when we were both at work six years ago. I’d done a temporary repair a few years ago but actually sat and fixed it properly today. Lots of stitching and trimming and eventually the edge is secure but a little misshapen. Louis lay next to me watching carefully. Such a help.

The finished repair. I used embroidery thread and some wool to secure the frayed edge.

MINIATURE PICTURE and EASEL

Last term our painting tutor gave us each a tiny canvas and easel to create our own miniature. She has a collection of traditional miniatures and some she has done herself. I painted a bird in a bird cage hanging from a branch. It was all right but not great. Time to repurpose the little canvas and easel.

Went looking for something to cover the painting and add interest to the little collection sitting under masses of pink roses.

Printed off a pretty peony image and glued it to the canvas leaving lots of paper to fold around the edges. I used Mod Podge to glue and seal the image. Smoothed the front and left it to dry, then folded and glued the edges. I cut the surplus paper from each corner to create a sharper edge, then glued them down, too.

Much prettier. Don’t know how long it will last before I want to change it again but for now the pretty pink peonies work well with the masses of pink Pierre de Ronsard roses I’m picking from the garden.

JACARANDA DRIVE

This time of the year the jacaranda trees are in full bloom. Heavy wind and rain has resulted in less dense flowers but I still really enjoyed driving around the older river suburbs to enjoy looking at the trees. My mother, who went to school in this area, remembers planting the jacarandas on Arbor Day. They are very beautiful.

CELEBRATING

Celebrated my birthday last week. Birthdays seem to come around rather too quickly these days. Way too many candles for my lime tart, but loved these number sparklers. Reminded me of Guy Fawkes night, which was such fun when we were children but was banned in Western Australia in 1967 to prevent personal injury and bushfires.

Our son came down from Kalgoorlie for the weekend and we celebrated my birthday by going to yum cha, one of our favourite family foods. We hadn’t been to the yum cha restaurant since early this year due to CV-19 concerns. We wont be going again for a while, either, as our hard borders came down last Friday night, allowing Australians from most other states to return or visit. Unfortunately the first plane load of visitors came from South Australia where there had been an unexpected CV-19 hotspot. We now wait to see if this means we now have active cases in Western Australia.

GROWING and PICKING

Cut the cos lettuce, washed the leaves and picked them over to remove any discoloured ones, then patted them really dry on a tea towel.

Planted a punnet of cos lettuce about two months ago and have begun eating them. Today I made a Caesar salad, without bacon as I didn’t have any left. Some recipes use anchovy paste in the dressing, I use finely chopped anchovies in mine. This is a classic salad using cos lettuce and tasted very good. A simple family lunch with cold roasted chicken, baby romano tomatoes, potato salad and the Caesar salad.

Friday November 13th was World Kindness Day. Well, that was easy enough to celebrate, wasn’t it?

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Should We Eat Quinoa plus Chocolate Strawberries, Christmas Cakes and Remembrance Day

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THOUGHTFUL EATING

Disrupted food distribution this year has highlighted the amount of food Australia exports and imports. We have benefited from local asparagus, prawns, cherries and crayfish being readily available at good prices. A lot of our seafood, harvested from clean waters, is sent to Asia. But what is more disturbing is the amount of imported food we have and the impact of that on the countries producing these foods.

Earlier this week I was reading Nat Locke’s Opinion column in The Sunday Times Magazine (8/11) and was reminded of some of these imported food facts. Quinoa, that beloved superfood, has been eaten by the indigenous people of Peru, Chile and Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador for thousands of years. The Western passion for this seed has driven up the price to the point where the locals can no longer afford to buy it. It is cheaper to buy junk food. Land used exclusively to produce quinoa has eliminated diversity and totally changed the diet of these people.

Keen on coconut milk for your curry, as a plant milk alternative or protein ball snack? Well, much of it comes from Thailand where monkeys are captured in the wild and forced to pick thousands of coconuts a day. Training a monkey to pick coconuts is a brutal process, too. Milks from Brazil, Colombia and Hawaii are usually harvested by tractor mounted hydraulic elevators or humans on ladders. Check the label then look online for more information.

There’s a problem with almond milk, too. Eighty percent of the world’s almonds come from drought-ridden California and require enormous amounts of water to grow. On top of that, we should consider the carbon footprint involved in getting them to Australia. Look for almond products from Australia. We now are the second largest almond grower in the world.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRIES

I’ve been working all this week and felt pretty time poor but also wanted to make a little treat for a dear neighbour to celebrate her birthday. Strawberries are plentiful here and I had some 80% cocoa dark chocolate in the cupboard so decided to try making Chocolate Dipped Strawberries. I’ve never done this before but found easy directions online.

While I waited for 150gm of broken up chocolate to melt over boiling water I gently washed and dried a punnet of strawberries. I made sure the boiling water didn’t touch the bowl with the chocolate. Stirred regularly. When the chocolate was melted, I simply dipped the strawberry, using the stem as a handle, into the hot chocolate and rotated to cover it evenly.

I allowed a brief drying time then set the strawberry on a sheet of baking/parchment paper on a baking tray. Some sat well on their tops, some leaned against each other and some fell over, but they all set well.

I left them in the fridge to firm up until that evening. I made a little “bowl” using the saved lid from a cardboard cylinder. I lined it with paper towel, arranged the dipped strawberries then tied it in cellophane. Added a rose to the ribbon and took it next door!

Leftover chocolate and another punnet of strawberries became my husband’s dessert that evening. I reheated the chocolate in the microwave, firstly for 30 seconds and then for 20 and it was perfect.

Quick, delicious and pretty. And fairly healthy, too.

CHRISTMAS CAKES

The fruit for these cakes was put to macerate in brandy mid October so it was time to make this year’s Christmas Cakes. Fruitcakes seem to divide the masses; some people love them, some people don’t like them at all, but most of us really, really like them! Soaking the fruit and then making and storing the cakes to mature is very much part of my family’s traditional Christmas planning, a tradition which may die with our son who doesn’t like fruitcake at all.

I use a double layer of thick brown paper and then baking/parchment paper to line the cake tins. This ensures slow, even cooking of the dense cake mixture. The almonds are blanched, ready to decorate the top of the cake along with some glacé cherries. In the past I’d roll out and carefully apply a layer of marzipan over apricot jam topped off with a thick layer of white icing. So much fiddling, so much sugar. My mother always decorated with almonds as we had an almond tree in the garden, and now I make a pattern of almonds and cherries pressed into place before the cakes go in the oven, too.

All held in place using one of my favourite tools, pegs! They are removed after the first spoonful of mixture holds the paper lining in place.

Mixing, enjoying the scent of brandied fruit, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, almond essence and vanilla essence. We both made a wish, then into a slow oven for about three hours.

Left the cakes in the tins in the oven until the oven was cool and then put under a tea towel on the bench to completely cool overnight. Slow cooling prevents cracks on the top.

In tins and into the cupboard to mature. A little drizzle of brandy every few days adds to their richness.

REMEMBRANCE DAY in AUSTRALIA

On the 11th of November Australians commemorate Remembrance Day. This day has been observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of WW1. At 11 AM on 11th November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent after four years of continuous warfare.

Since 1920 Australians pause at 11 AM for one minutes silence to remember those who have died in all conflicts and peace operations around the world.

In Perth the official Remembrance Day service is held at the War Memorial in Kings Park, high on the escarpment above the City. Buglers at each main intersection in the CBD sound out The Last Post in synchronization with the Kings Park bugler just before the Minutes Silence. When I was a small child all the traffic halted and men stood to attention with their hats off and in classrooms the children all stood by their desks. World War I touched Australia in a way that our other wars haven’t. Nearly all our fit men aged 18 to 40 went, so almost everyone’s grandfather and father was an ex serviceman. Red poppies have been a symbol of commemoration since 1920. Poppies were the first plants to bloom on Flanders Field in Northern France and Belgium.

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How to Marble Paper with Shaving Cream and What Is Countrycore?

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SHAVING CREAM MARBLED PAPER

For many years I have written a daily journal. I buy the red and black A5 sized notebooks you can easily find at news agencies. Recently these books have been available in other colours on the spine and corners, so easy to match with your chosen gift wrap covers. This is a convenient size to take traveling. I write with a fine 0.4 felt tipped pen as this doesn’t seep through the paper, discolouring the reverse page. I cover the front and back with gift wrap or some similar paper, leaving the spine uncovered.

Journals with traditional red spines and ones with pink spines. I’ve also seen these diaries with lime green and bright blue spines now available.

I glue a calendar in the back and also glue lining papers in the front and back covers. Up until now I have marbled the papers using non-toxic Japanese inks. (http://: https://www.makecookgrow.com/2017/08/how-to-marble-wi…water-based-inks/) Today I decided to try a technique I have used to decorate hard boiled eggs at Easter time, but not paper.

Japanese ink marbling

SHAVING CREAM MARBLED PAPER

Gather:

1. a can of shaving cream

2. several colours of food dye

3. paper to print on. I recycled A4 photocopy paper

4. a container bigger than the sheet of paper to be printed

5. protective plastic for your work surface

6. an old credit card, or similar rigid material to scrape the shaving cream off the paper.

7. rubber gloves. This way of printing is messy!

Shake the shaving cream vigorously then squirt it into the container until the base is covered. Spread to make a smooth surface, then drizzle with food dye. Mix the colours to create swirled patterns. I used a chopstick for this.

Smoothed the dye with gloved hands, drizzled food dye, swirled with a chopstick.

I flattened the cream a bit, then after squirting on the dye, placed the paper on top. Smoothed over the paper to ensure all of it was in contact with the dye.

When you’re happy with the colour distribution, smooth your paper over the surface, peel off and then scrape the surplus cream off the paper. Place flat to dry. Add other colours to the cream or just reuse the existing dye to print more papers. I don’t have an old credit card to scrape off the residual foam so used some stiff cardboard. It got very messy and needed replacing half way through the process.

This is a cheap and easy way to print faux marbled papers. The colours are generally stronger on recycled photocopy paper than when I print with water based Japanese inks. Other papers grip the colour differently.These are strong, vibrantly coloured patterns and I’ve decided I prefer the more traditional colours I achieve with Japanese inks.

I would do this activity outside if I was working with children as it is messy. I’d also recommend they wear art shirts or aprons. I used recycled A4 printer paper and bought food dye and shaving foam. I estimate my cost for this project to be less than AU$10. The Japanese inks I like to use cost about AU$50 but last a long time.

COUNTRYCORE

So what is Countrycore? Apparently, it is the biggest lifestyle trend during quarantine and it just passed me by! Countrycore is all about living like your Grandma did, supported by modern technology. It’s about living in an imaginary cottage in the country where you grow your own food and flowers, have animals, surrounded by peace and calm and nature. You bake and cook from scratch and practice many crafts to decorate your environment, relax and reuse materials. All this involves wearing floral, tiered dresses ( think Laura Ashley from the 1970s ) to go searching for mushrooms complete with wicker basket and hair ribbon.

So it’s like I lived as a child, growing up on a farm, surrounded by nature, chintz, wholesome food, animals, a make and mend attitude, but no floral frocks. I can only think of one frock photo and that featured a tulle petticoat. I generally wore hand-me-downs from my brothers, so there’s photos of me in jeans and checked shirts although Mum was keen on plaiting my hair, another Countrycore passion.. No mention on Instagram of over three hours a day spent on the school bus either! Nor milking the cow every third morning.

Social media is hopping with Countrycore lifestyle images and I can see the appeal of a slower life eating fresh food surrounded by nature. Apparently there’s over 700 000 posts on Instagram on the subject. I think many people have re-assessed how they live and what is really important to them during this year. And there are so many enticing photos on Instagram!

November 7th is NUMBAT DAY. Above is a photograph of a numbat (Myrmecobius faciatus) as you may not have seen one before. Numbats are a small marsupial common in the south west regions of Western Australia although they used to be found in the east coast, too. They are threatened with extinction, with only about 1000 left in the wild.

We celebrate Numbat Day to draw attention to the need to conserve the species. Introduced predators such as foxes but particularly feral cats are threatening their survival. Unneutered cats left to wander and breed are threatening many small bush animals. The day focuses on responsible pet ownership and reminds us to never remove hollow logs, the natural home of numbats, from the bush.

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Bees, Christmas Cake, Books and Spring Flowers

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BEES

During the week I was asked why I put out water for the bees. Nearly half of everything we eat relies on bees for pollination. Unfortunately bees and butterflies are under threat worldwide. There’s several very easy things you can do, even if you only have a balcony or window sill, to provide water for bees. Here’s a short list of easy bee friendly ideas.

Shallow containers of water with stepping stones or twigs create landing pads and can be put anywhere for bees to drink and cool off.
Look at your use of any of the “cides” in your garden. These are insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. They kill insects randomly.

3. Create a bee hotel, a collection of hollow bamboo and other short sticks housed in a box or buy a smart “Bee Hotel” designed for this purpose.

4. Bees benefit from visiting a range of plants with different nectar and pollen, so aim for diversity if you have a garden.

I have added a bee hotel to the garden, selecting a shady, protected position under a blueberry bush. No point in looking for the berries, because I ate them all while I was setting up the bee hotel. The new bee hotel sits above the previous, fast evaporating bee bath.

I’ll plant the seeds included with the bee hotel in a few days.

CHRISTMAS CAKES

During the week someone told me that it’s less than two months until Christmas. That was a surprise, but this has been the fastest year ever. The first job, soaking the fruit in brandy for the Christmas cakes, is now done, but sorting the boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations, a job planned for this year, is not done. Maybe next year.

READING

I’ve read two books this week . One is my book club book which we will discuss on Friday and the other is by local award winning author, Craig Silvey. When we were down south I wandered into a bookshop where Silvey was promoting his latest book, “Honeybee” and I was introduced to him. I worked with his father years ago and knew immediately who he was and enjoyed hearing news about his family. It wasn’t until we came back to Perth that I started his book and couldn’t put it down!

Sam Watson, aka Honeybee, is the narrator and protagonist in this account of how a teenager comes to be standing on an overpass, about to jump. As his story unfolds we understand his despair and confusion. Sam is transgender in a society which neither understands or sympathizes.

Sam’s recognition of and need to be seen as transgender is portrayed with great compassion by Silvey. These are richly described characters. Sam , who feels ” wrong or damaged”, eventually overcomes the difficulties and traumas of his early life. With support and encouragement he discovers acceptance and a future where he feels he belongs.

( I describe Sam as “he” as the sometimes preferred term, “they”, feels awkward and is not used in this story)

Crossing To Safety

Our book club book this month is Wallace Stegner’s “Crossing to Safety”. It is the story of two couples and how their friendship and marriages evolve over 35 years. It is the last book written by Wallace before he died and I wondered if it was based partly on his own life in academia.

Beautifully written, although sometimes challenging unless you are widely read in the classics, we watch as the characters develop as circumstances change, and also how they essentially stay the same throughout the story.

Stegner describes nature beautifully and his sharp observations of human nature make this a special story. I am looking forward to our book club discussion on Friday, waiting to hear how others have reacted to this complex story.

SPRING GARDEN

The spring garden; not mine, my Mother’s! I have been staying with her and wandering around her garden is lovely. The garden is full of colour and bees.

and finally, some of my roses ( Pierre de Ronsard, Abraham Darby and Father’s Love) and my bonsai.

If your read any American posts you’ll know tomorrow is Halloween. You’ll also know that at this time of the year, in American, there’s thousands of recipes for sweet pumpkin pies, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin cookies, cakes and other sweet treats. This puzzles the rest of the world who consider pumpkin a savoury food, to be roasted or boiled and served as a soup or with the main course as a vegetable. We mix pureed butternut pumpkin to make pumpkin scones, otherwise it is not a sweet food.

So, if you celebrate this ancient Celtic tradition, enjoy and eat whatever you fancy!

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Repurposing, Growing, Eating and Recycling

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REPURPOSING

Last week this terracotta pot held a collection of succulents. Then I planted the succulents elsewhere, emptied the pot, scrubbed it and left it to dry. My plan was to turn it into a bee bath. The water in the existing bee bath seems to evaporate very quickly. I had to put it up on a ledge as Louis, our dog, considered it his outdoor water bowl.

When the terracotta pot was dry I rubbed it down then wiped it with a damp cloth and placed it on some newspaper before spraying it with blue paint. This is the paint I used on the metal chairs hanging on the wall behind. During the next three days I painted the outside and inside twice to get good coverage. I had also coated the inside with a terracotta sealant to retard water seepage.

The next job was sealing the drainage hole in the base. I used a silicone sealant which I’ve used successfully on similar jobs in the past. Fingers crossed it is long lasting. I am assuming the silicone sealer wont effect the water quality in any way.

Finally, the pot is painted and water tight, so I filled it and then put a small, solar powered fountain in it. I’m hoping the base of the floating fountain will be a safe bee landing spot as the water slightly overlaps the base.

So far the only visitor I have seen is a honey eater, but the fountain has been there less than 24 hours, so time will tell.

GROWING

Gorgeous when the hippiastra bloom each year. I have two different red ones and some dwarf white ones. Big, bold and pretty.

This hippiastrum was given to me by a family friend many years ago. I was able to harvest some seeds and grow seedlings to give to his daughter recently.

Abraham Darby sprawling roses with alstromerias growing under. Reliable cut flowers.

The only way we get tomatoes is to protect them in exclusion bags! This delicious voluntary tomato bush is very big and spreads over several metres growing along the top of a bed of agapanthus. The tomatoes taste sweet and remind me of old fashioned, thin skinned tomatoes, easy to cut and tasting of sunshine!

I am assuming the next lot would have tasted wonderful, too, but wont be finding out as this was what remained of the exclusion bag when we returned from down south. I will surrounded the heritage tomatoes growing in pots with wire netting, but the bush producing these tomatoes sprawls several metres along the top of other plants. Netting is not really possible. Our back garden is really quite small but obviously jumping with wildlife. Annoying.

Spent two nights at Mum’s on the way home from Bunker Bay and couldn’t resist these roses. Her spring garden is a riot of colour. Next weekend would have been the Brunswick Show, the local Agricultural Society show but it is cancelled due to CV-19. She enters flowers in many sections and always wins prizes. Last year she was awarded a certificate celebrating the 50 years she has entered things in the show. Her flowers would have done well this year, too.

BLUE AND WHITE CHINA FISH

First saw these fish at a garden centre where I’d met a friend for lunch. Intended to buy some on the way out but forgot. Thought that was a good excuse to arrange lunch there with her again. Then I walked into a homewares shop in Dunsborough when we were down south and there they were, dear little blue and white fish. I really like blue and white china and now I have three blue and white china fish floating in the fountain.

COOKING

Making and eating Fish Curry. I’m not really keen on curries with coconut milk and creams, so the cooked onions and warmed spices are mixed with tomatoes. Added a dollop of yoghurt. Don’t eat a lot of rice, either, so cooked some mashed potatoes because you need something to soak up the wonderful, rich curry juice! Finished with a good squeeze of lime.

Now days I try to cook recipes to make two meals for two people. Sometimes I put one in the freezer for busy days but more often we eat it within two days. Might change the cooked vegetables for salad but we don’t mind the same thing two nights in a row.

RECYCLING

Western Australia has introduced a new system for recycling glass and plastics, with many local collection sites for dropping off these containers. This is a great idea. Each plastic or glass container returned attracts a 10 cents refund which you can direct to charity at the collection site or take as cash. The biggest problem for us was storing the containers until we had enough to go to the drop off point.

Image Containers for Change

Problem solved. I had this faux greenhouse, a plastic crate I drilled air holes in to grow mushrooms, on a shelf in the garage. Now we store the clean containers in the crate until we take them for recycling. The plastics are reused in plastic and the glass, similarly, is reused in glass.

Our newspapers are delivered rolled in a sheet of single use plastic. I’ve asked people how the sheet can be reused, I’ve looked online, but still these sheets go straight in the bin. I appreciate a dry newspaper, but not the plastic! Any suggestions?

October 22nd is COLOUR DAY. Think about how colours effect our mood, productivity and behaviour. Interestingly, blue poles have been used in Scotland to minimize violence and also in Japan to dissuade suicides. Both projects have been successful.

Some colour themed idioms that come to mind:

out of the blue, feeling blue, once in a blue moon*, green with envy, caught red handed, green thumb, black thumb, black sheep, a grey area, tickled pink, white lie and probably many more!

*A blue moon is an extra full moon in a given period, such as a second full moon in a month, which occurs this month.

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Going Down South to Bunker Bay

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For many West Australians, holidays means “going down south,” to swim, visit vineyards, eat local foods, go for beach or forest walks, meet friends and eat icecream. We like to flock down south, referring to the area south of Bunbury. This region abounds in beaches, vineyards, forests and interesting, small towns. There’s galleries and boutiques, restaurants and cafes, whales and wild flowers and beautiful coastal walks, plus unique animals. Lots of good fishing spots, plus, at the moment, sharks!

We have spent this week at a resort at Bunker Bay, a beautiful bay, quite close to more amazing beaches, wineries, galleries, restaurants and a lighthouse. The weather has be perfect, the resort lovely and the beaches are beautiful. I bought a new rashie, a long sleeved swimming top, to protect me from the sun after having basal cell carcenomas burnt off and cut out lately, only to find a seal colony on the peninsula is attracting sharks close to shore. There’s been several sightings of 3 – 5 metre sharks along the coast, so beach walks and pool swims, unfortunately. So no beach swimming.

After we’d checked into the resort we set off for the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse. Built in 1903, it was manned by a shift of three men until 1987, when it was automated. The three lighthouse keepers’ houses are now an entrance point to the precinct, an interpretive centre and a cafe.

There’s a viewing platform in front of the lighthouse. This is where you can see the migrating whales between September and December. We did, too, which was very exciting. We peered out into the ocean, sometimes locating white, disturbed areas and after about twenty minutes, saw a whale break the surface and then one appear out of the water! All happened too fast to take a photo.

There’s lots of information about several lovely walks around the coast of Cape Naturaliste National Park, some taking sixty minutes, some taking hours. Take water, a hat and beware of snakes on warm days.

Looking back across the bay to the resort.

We had coffee and cake on the trip down and stopped in Dunsborough for lunch so settled to a “bed picnic” for dinner. We often do this when we’re traveling and have had a big lunch. Some of these treats were part of a ‘welcome’ platter with additional tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries, goats’ cheese and more cold meats and crackers. This spread fed us for two nights!

Red and pink bottlebrush. Up close they were covered in bees. Endemic to Australia, bottlebrush are now widely cultivated throughout the world

White grevillea, also full of bees. Native to Australia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Sulawesi and some other Indonesian Islands.

The next day we went to the Vasse Felix vineyard in Cowaramup to visit the Holmes à Court Gallery. The exhibition was titled “Tracing the Swan” . The black swan is endemic to Western Australia and features in this exhibition, which aims to show how historically WA was presented as an ideal destination, although history reveals the harsh realities of this era were very different. The river going from Guildford, though Perth and on to the ocean at Fremantle is called the Swan River.

An etching from 1800 of the iconic black swan.

The swan was a significant creature in Indigenous folklore. Represented here by Deborah Bonar 2012.

An interesting exhibition focusing on aspects of our history not often described in terms of wildlife, in this case, the black swan.

Met this chap in the tasting room on the way out.

Gunyulgup Gallery and Little Fish Restaurant where we enjoyed a very good lunch. Simple ingredients, beautifully cooked and presented.

Fresh fillet of local fish, a rack of lamb and a trio of local icecream.

Walked along the beach later in the afternoon hoping for a pretty sunset, but it was too cloudy.

Another beautiful day and we set to do some jobs in Dunsborough. Met Craig Silvey in the local bookshop. He is the multiple award winning author of “Rhubarb”, 2004, “The World According to Warren”, 2007, “Jasper Jones” 2009, made into a film 2015 and his latest, “Honeybee”, just published.

Set off for another art gallery then a silver smith’s studio. Saw so many lovely things but we’re at a stage where we want less, not more! Besides, we have no wall room for more art, and I thought the silver smith’s work was very beautiful but I don’t wear the precious pieces I already have, so no more for me! Then we heading to a brewery where we’d booked for lunch.

The trimmed lavender hedge looks very pretty. Each block has a big cauldron like pot in the middle on a limestone plinth with contrasting red geraniums.

Hardy plantings needing little upkeep except regular trimming. Very big koi in the ponds under the walkway to the entrance.

More highly fragrant lavender swaying in the afternoon breeze plus contrasting foliage and clusters of seed pods hanging from the tree.

Two views of Gracetown, mainly a holiday house destination. The town is about 21 kilometres northwest of Margaret River, set on the Indian Ocean. Gracetown offers world class surfing breaks close to the town.

Gracetown was named after local heroine, Grace Bussel who, in 1876, rode into the surf in a terrible storm to rescue the crew of the SS Georgette which was sinking off the coast.

Two views of Meelup Beach. Protected in the bay with miles of white sand. So pretty.

Lush, cool forest in the Meelup Regional Park. Wish you could hear the birdsong, too.

Today we are on our way back to Perth. This has been a wonderful holiday, with beautiful weather, lots of lovely things to see and do and some great food. The resort was been very good, too, and we hope to return soon.

Did you know today is World Food Day? No, neither did I, but I’m willing to celebrate by eating whatever is necessary!

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How I Grew and Cooked King Oyster Mushrooms and Three Book Reviews

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KING OYSTER MUSHROOMS

I really like mushrooms. I’ve bought button mushroom kits in the past and been disappointed by the harvest. Earlier this year I tasted several different mushrooms at a market and knew I wanted to try growing the King Oyster Mushrooms.

These mushrooms are quite fragile so I needed to eat them quickly! It was no effort. These are all oyster mushrooms.

There are many ways to use these mushrooms but I simply cooked each in frothy butter and sprinkled some Himalayan salt and parsley over them. I was focused on choosing the type of mushroom I wanted to grow.

When I decided I wanted to grow the King Oyster Mushrooms I rang a local supplier of mushrooms and mushroom kits and was pleased they were able to deliver that afternoon. I had prepared a faux greenhouse by drilling multiple holes in the sides of a plastic storage crate. The only other things I needed were a few blocks to elevate the grow block kit and a water spray bottle.

The kit arrived as a grow block in a plastic bag. It consists of 100% West Australian hardwood sawdust, soy bean hulls and wheat bran, so is suited to local growing conditions. This was put in the fridge overnight to initiate growth. The next day I cut a small slit in the bag to open it and I began misting the block three times a day.

Pins, little mushrooms, appeared within days. It was on a bench in the laundry. The grow blocks are inoculated with the King Oyster spores.

The mushrooms look strange but taste wonderful. In fact, photos text to friends didn’t result in encouraging comments, but really quite rude ones. No, they are not fledgling aliens.

I began harvesting the bigger mushrooms on the 17th day. I cut them off with a knife, wiped them, sliced them, then cooked them.

These are simply cooked in a frypan with butter. I ate them on toast. I really enjoyed the firm feel of the cooked mushroom.

Eventually I harvested just over a kilo of mushrooms. I was expecting more but the little ones, the pins, started going dry. They were no longer thick and failed to develop.

Thinking the grow block was exhausted, I put it in a big pot out in the garden which I was preparing for a rose, then it rained and three days later I had about six more mushrooms! Lovely.

Will I buy another grow block? Probably not. I’ll buy the King Oyster Mushrooms from the grocers four or five at a time for about the same overall cost as buying and nurturing a kit.

READING

Petal, Adriana Picker

Cover of Petal, a world of flowers through an artist's eye by Adriana Picker

This comprehensive compendium by Australian Adriana Picker, “Petal” features flowers from every corner of the world. There are over two hundred flower illustrations from twenty seven plant families. These digitally prepared illustrations are accompanied by Nina Rousseau’s text on facts and folklore for each plant family.

A fabulous resource, with eye poppingly bright illustrations, I read this book from cover to cover. So did my Mother! Even if you’re not very interested in gardening, the accurate and beautiful digital drawings will probably hold your attention.

Spring has arrived in Australia and gardens are full of pretty, scented flowers. A quick flick through decorator magazines indicates floral fabrics, tiles and artwork are very popular. A walk through the local shopping centre confirms the passion for florals as shop windows burst with colourful, flower printed dresses.

A Gentleman In Moscow

Also reading “A Gentleman In Moscow”, a novel by Amor Towles, who is described ” as a master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction”. I’ve worked my way through a few of the current novels about pre and post revolutionary Russia, including the raw, brutal and exhausting “Tzarina” by Ellen Alpsten and wasn’t keen on reading another one.

I am glad I did, as “A Gentleman In Moscow” is a very gentle book, telling the story of Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov. He is under house arrest at the Hotel Metropol in Moscow for the rest of his life. Stripped of his title and wealth by the Bolsheviks, the Count thoughtfully lives his life with grace and dignity. He is an optimistic character in awful times.

Many reviewers say this book changed their lives, that it is beautiful, whimsical, fantastic. I also enjoyed it and would recommend it for a slow read in a quiet corner.

I really enjoyed the two books I’ve already mentioned, but I loved Jane Harper’s new book, “The Survivors”. It’s another cleverly crafted thriller from the author of “Force of Nature”, “The Dry” and “The Lost Man”, all great reads, too. I read this book over two very busy days, struggling to be sensible and put it down and do other things I should have been doing. It is a ripping yarn.

Redolent with Harper’s usual red herrings, this is the story of Kieran Elliott, who returns to the coastal Tasmanian small town where he grew up. Guilt, suspicion and another murder stir up all sorts of memories and accusations. A great thriller.

WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY 5th October

It is school holidays in Australia, so celebrations will be held on 30th October after school resumes.

In a year when many parents have become acutely aware of the tasks teachers undertake every school day, the theme for this year is especially apt: A Bright Future. Teachers, with the support of parents and carers, ensured educational programs continued across the world despite major challenges.

According to UNESCO “The day provides an occasion to celebrate the teaching profession worldwide, take stock of achievements, who are at the heart of efforts to attain the global education target of leaving no one behind.”

Do you remember the bumper sticker “If you can read this, thank a teacher”?

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