Dealing with Rubbish and Household Chores

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dealing with rubbish

Most suburbs in the area where I live, Perth, have several rubbish bins to enable green waste to be turned into mulch, available freely to residents of the suburb. Recyclable papers, plastics and other things go in a second bin and there is a smaller, third bin for food waste or non recyclable materials. We are encouraged to avoid food wastage and to compost what can’t be used. The access to three ways to limit landfill makes it very easy to sort out the rubbish.

Image Tom Fisk Pexels

So what is the problem with landfill? The problems range from odour, smoke, noise and water supply contamination. The three most worrying issues are toxins, leachate and greenhouse gases. Landfill emits harmful gases such as methane and carbon dioxide, polluting soil and water sources. Landfill also requires a lot of space. It is a popular way to deal with rubbish because it is cost effective and generally in outer regions of cities and towns.

Many materials dumped in landfill are a problem as they don’t breakdown for a very long time. Plastic is a particular problem. The environmental and technical problems with plastic waste include the formation and spread of microplastics, with well research health risks. Microplastics, by their very size, are quickly spread in the air and by leachate.

Image Sarah Chai Pexels

Plastic use is recognised in developed countries as a major problem. Plastic is everywhere, from cosmetics, cleaning materials, personal and pharmaceutical products, plus the fragmentation and degeneration of paint, waste water, fake grass and all plastic containers. A visit to a hospital reveals a shocking reliance on single use plastic. Recycling is not the answer as it creates major polluting problems itself, the answer is to find other less harmful materials to replace plastic.

Household chores

Christmas decorations have been put away. Apparently they should be taken down and stored by Twelfth Night, the 12th night after Boxing Day. Since I store most of the Christmas decorations in a very high cupboard, I took advantage of a very tall son to put them away. He was staying here until the 2nd of January so Christmas was packed up and stored by then.

The Christmas tidying up always reveals something I forgot to set during the festivities and this time was no different. I found a box of Cranberry, Pistachio and Cherry Nougat in the pantry. I was tidying up so thought it best to eat it immediately. It was delicious! Also tackled the fridge so some pretty odd meals have been served.

Another post Christmas treat was this Christmas Pudding, a gift from a neighbour who is a great cook. Although initially reluctant to ignite, it eventually got the idea and we enjoyed it very much.

My cousin caught up with us a few days after Christmas with a wonderful gift. She in the process of down sizing so gifted me these very beautiful Spode ginger jars. I really like blue and white china but these belonged to my beloved aunt, so a very special gift.

From very beautiful to very practical. Our son bought and cut a sheet of thick rubber to cover the tray of his new ute. There was a rectangle left over. I knew straight away I’d make a protective sheet to cover the carpet in the hatchback of my car. Using the existing piece of carpet as a template I cut the leftover rubber to fit, vacuumed the existing carpet and put it back in place with the rubber on top. Pretty pleased with the rubber cover!

Meanwhile, many other jobs getting done around the house. It is very hot here and paint and floors dry quickly as do skirting boards which have all been wiped with a damp cloth. Still a list of things I want done in the next few weeks.

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New Year Plans

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New Year Health and resolutions

On New Year’s Day, Michael Mosley aired a Happiness Special in the UK, based on the ‘Happy Mind, Happy Life’ book by Dr Rangan Chatterjee. His five tips for a happy life are

Writing a ‘deathbed’ diary, imaging yourself reviewing your life. He suggest defining three principles that resonate and work towards living your life to reflect those beliefs.

Image Karolina Grabowski Pexels

Talking to people you don’t know, perhaps standing in a line. Chatterjee believes even short interactions with others will boost your mood.
Reduce your relationship with your phone. Apparently constant checking, answering calls and following social media can make you anxious and disrupt sleep.

Image Andrea Piacquadio Pexels

Simplify your life so you make less decisions, such as reducing your wardrobe so you have less choice, eat simply so there’s less stuff around you and ignoring social media as much as possible.
The final suggestion is to use setbacks and social challenges as immediate and cheap therapy! So if someone is rude to you, stop and decide why they might have said that to you. It’s probably something going on in their life and has nothing to do with you. Your happiness, according to Chitterjee, is the result of your own thoughts and beliefs. Be happy, be at peace!

Reading the weekend paper I found advice on choosing a word for the year, a word to guide your plans and measure your progress. I tried that last year but my goal didn’t take into account the increasing attention required for my 92 year old Mother to live independently in her own home. Her requirements can be urgent, demanding and unpredictable. So, no word for me but I know it works for some people. Search online for more information if it appeals to you.

There’s other advice about all the new trends for self care, including these from the UK Country Living site. Their list suggests these activities will feature in the pursuit of happiness and well being.

1. Supporting your natural energy with rituals and ingredients to balance your well being, such as good sleep hygiene, consistent blood sugar levels and a range of supplements.

2. Taking a regular digital detox and disconnecting from constant connectivity. This is linked with spending more time in nature, focusing on what is around you and ignoring digital contact.

3. Stay well hydrated, apparently a problem for 90% of people who responded to a survey in the UK. The suggestion is that water will have electrolytes added for post exercise recovery and collagen additives for improved skin elasticity.

Image Ketut Subiyanto Pexels

4. Consumers will expect to be better informed about sustainability, not just regarding packaging but also the products they buy.

5. Poor sleep quality is ringing alarm bells and apart from the common recommendations, travellers are seeking quiet and peaceful destinations to promote better sleep. Sleep tourism is becoming a thing in the UK.

Image Pixabay

6. Soothing sound baths which involve getting comfortable and letting the sounds wash over you, resulting in inner peace and harmony. I find the sounds of the singing bowls at the beginning and end of yoga sessions very easy to tune into and drift.

7. Sauna rituals are becoming very popular. A sauna can result in relaxed muscles, improved blood flow and can promote cardio-respiratory fitness.

I hope you find ways to relax and feel at peace in 2024. If you feel like increasing your physical activity, one suggestion is you try to remember what you enjoyed doing as child. Since my playground favourites were skipping, hula hoop ( I still have my cane hula hoop in the attic) and juggling I’m still thinking about this hint!

Image Yan Krukau Pexels

Still pondering things to make 2024 your best year ever? Although this list from the womanandhome site has lots of suggestions already listed above, a few ideas resonated with me. In reality, I’m not big on New Year resolutions but I am curious about well being and actively seek information on being healthy and active.

So, best wishes for a Happy and Healthy 2024!

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Post Christmas Occupations

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post christmas

The longest ever Christmas celebrations end today. Family parties, here and at my Mother’s, Christmas lunch with wonderful friends, a Boxing Day party with our lovely neighbours and some visiting in between. Enormous amounts of food prepared and eaten, thoughtful gifts and treats shared and slowly things are returning to normal. The fridge wouldn’t agree, but we’re working on it!

Our son had ordered a large ham and a turkey roast from his butcher then found he had to go away for a fortnight, only flying back late Christmas night. I’d cooked a smaller ham and turkey breast already, plus all the usual trays of star biscuits and shortbread to share and then the ham and chicken breast rolls he’d brought. So food, food, every where food, or so it seems.

The second ham, almost ready to go into the oven.

Christmas also brought each of us a haul of books, our favourite sort of present. My Christmas stocking included two luxe magazine as well (goodie). So, eating mostly out of the fridge and reading in between socialising and gardening. It has been dreadfully hot and the now rather large tomatoes need regular watering and staking.

When I planted the tomatoes in these troughs I thought I’d be able to protect them from the river rats by putting the cover over the frame but the tomatoes are way too big now.

marbling

Even as a child I really liked the marbled pages lining the front and back pages of books. They’re called endpapers. I especially liked the marbled lining papers in the family atlas despite the evidence of silverfish activity. Years ago I did some marbling using enameled paints but the paint was slow to dry, messy and awkward to clean up afterwards.

A newly covered journal with a marbled back end paper.

Then I discovered Japanese inks. The Japanese traditionally used calligraphy inks for marbling, but modern inks are easy to obtain and use. The Japanese embrace the concept of things not being perfect or unpredictable outcomes and developed techniques of floating the ink, or ‘suminagashi’ which involves dropping the inks on water. The inks naturally disperse but can also be manipulated by blowing on the water’s surface.

Recently I was reading about a professional marbler in the UK, Nat Maks. (natmaks.com Her works on her site are beautiful!) She marbles on sheets of paper 3m in length. These sheets are used as wall hangings and wall art. She has designed and had a 3m x 1.5m bath built to print these large sheets. Inspired by her beautiful papers, I assembled Japanese inks, gloves and paper.

I have always marbled on recycled A4 paper but this time I decided to print on some lithograph paper I found when I tidied the laundry cupboards. Bought when I was designing this house and doing lots of plans and drawings for the draughtsman, the large, once flat sheets had been rolled, then at some later date, squashed on a shelf in the laundry. I cut the paper to the size needed to line the front and back pages of my journals, then ironed the rectangles as the paper wasn’t flat. I experimented inking the rough and smooth sides of the paper and settled on printing the smooth side. I really like the soft, gentle colours created.

Don’t normally iron paper before I print but I cut these rectangles from large sheets of lithograph paper which had been squashed in a cupboard.

While I was ironing I gathered all the grosgrain ribbons I use year after year on our gifts. I really like large, generous bows. I bought a 50 metre spool of this ribbon years ago and recycled ever since it.

While the sheets were drying I covered some new journals. I have bought these black books with a red spine for more than 20 years but they are getting harder to find. I write every day. Sometimes I draw, too, or glue in photos or tickets or other ephemera from our travels. I list daily and long term TO DO lists and enjoy ticking jobs off as they are done. After I’d covered the journals I glued the marbled papers as front and back covers. Added a calendar. That’s my journals sorted for about a year!

I trim then smooth the photocopied images front and back, fold them in, glue then down then cover the end pages with a sheet of marbled paper.

VERY BEST WISHES FOR A

HAPPY and HEALTHY

NEW YEAR!

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Christmas Countdown and Prawn Stock

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christmas countdown

The cakes are cooked, the cards are sent, most of the gift shopping and wrapping is done but despite my determination to be super organised this year, I still have a TO DO list. We’ll be having two Christmas Dinners, the first when our son arrives late Christmas Day and the second when we go and spend a day with my Mother. Tidied up the fridge and freezer to accommodate the Christmas food and drinks.

The whole TO DO list thing is a bit controversial. Some people feel writing down their tasks to be done is really efficient. They tick off the jobs as they are completed and focus on the next one. Other people say they don’t remember to look at the lists, struggle to make lists to cover everything that needs to be done or the length of the lists makes them anxious. I lived by lists when I was working, running the house, walking the dog, establishing the garden, doing the shopping and cooking and trying to maintain friendships. Then life relaxed a bit and so did the list. Lots of things slipped by so I went back to making lists, especially for shopping. Works for me.

In the middle of the Christmas preparations and fuss, I discovered one of the downsides of having very good eyesight again. I noticed most of the door frames have chips in them! I pondered on this for a while and finally realised, looking at the height of the chips, most of them are probably from mopping and vacuuming.

It’s a very hot day and I knew I’d need to do two coats to restore the frames. I started by sanding them back, then wiping the dust off and working out which paint ( I have lots of tins of white paint) matched the best. The best match turned out to be a spray paint, so I used a piece of cardboard to protect the walls and got spraying. Two coats did a good job. Then I washed and wiped all the doors. I noticed a chip in the plaster near the front door but that will be a job for after Christmas!

A sheet of cardboard to protect the walls, a can of spray paint and some sand paper, too, and the job was done. Really pleased with the outcome.

prawn risotto

We get wonderful prawns from along the coast of Western Australia. Many people associate prawns with summer eating and particularly at Christmas time. I had a pile of them to peel to make a stock for a Prawn Risotto. My traditional way of peeling prawns seemed to be taking so long! I usually cut the body from the head, slit down the underside and peel off the shells with the legs, then a small cut along the back to remove the digestive tract. This method was taking so long!

Wondered how restaurants dealt with shelling prawns. They’d need a faster system than mine. So I looked up Gordon Ramsay’s method but it almost what I was already doing and after looking at a few more entries, finally accepted I’d be shelling prawns for quite a while, get on with it. Then all the shells went into a pot to make stock with water, tomato paste, sweated onions and garlic. ( Someone told me later that many restaurants buy prawns which have already been mechanically peeled.)

Asked my husband to help but that wasn’t a success. He doesn’t really eat prawns or crabs. When we talked about it he said he never ate them as a child. I grew up at the head of an estuary and ate a lot of crabs as a child and still eat then whenever possible. Some years ago, when I returned from Milan with a broken wrist, we were at a crab party and he was preparing crabs and handing them to me. I’d eaten quite a few and suddenly realised he wasn’t eating any. ( Lucky me)

Made the prawn risotto. Forgot to photograph it. I’m not a big fan of rice (which was awkward living in China for a few years and visiting frequently for many years) but the packet of Arborio Risotto Rice was in a gift pack and I don’t like wasting food.

Back to Christmas preparations, about to check Spotify for some old fashioned carols to add a bit singing and dancing to the kitchen routine as there’s many jobs on the TO DO list!

WISHING YOU A MERRY

CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY

NEW YEAR!

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Cherries and Other Christmas Things

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TECHNOLOGY and ME

I have no idea what kept going wrong with last week’s blog, nor why it published itself (obviously not, but I’m accepting no responsibility). I eventually just gave up! Pondered giving up entirely, but decided to try once more. Fingers crossed this week’s blog is a success.

CHERRIES

The countdown to Christmas no longer features Advent Calendars in our house, although I’ve seen some very lush adult calendars online. Instead, it starts with cherries. As soon as I know cherries are available, I want some! Just before my first eye surgery I bought an art and craft materials Advent Calendar and every so often open a window and enjoy using the paint, clay, pencils and pens and other little treats. So not a countdown to Christmas calendar, more a move towards being able to do the things I used to do before my eyesight deteriorated.

This bowl of cherries didn’t last long!

The fountain in the portico is decorated.

So is the front door. Since added more baubles to jazz the laurel up a bit!

This dear little Christmas cake, a gift, arrived in a clear bauble and was delicious!

RUMBALLS

For years I’ve used the same recipe to make rumballs. They can be made a week before Christmas and are very popular. Our son was here on the weekend and wanted me to wait until he was back before I made this year’s rumballs ‘ because you don’t add enough rum.’ Well, some of the consumers of our rumballs then have drive home, so I think I’ll be sticking to the usual amount of rum in this year’s mix!

Every year at Christmas time I cook multiple trays of shortbread biscuits and give them as gifts. No fancy homemade boxes this year but I have decorated each gift with a heart and added a bauble, too.

Shortbread biscuits in cellophane bags with air dried hearts and baubles decorated using paper napkins/serviettes. (here)

TOMATOES

These tomatoes all germinated from two tiny cherry tomatoes from my Mother’s plant. I squeezed the seeds from the tomatoes onto a paper towel, spread them out and let them dry. Cut the towel into six squares and planted each square in a small pot. I planted them about six weeks ago. About 50 plants germinated.

I planted them out at different times to have a good supply of tomatoes throughout summer.

I have given away about fifteen plants as we’ll have enough for the two of us and these are delicious little tomatoes.

This lot are in a raised bed, sharing with the chive forest.

The last lot to be planted out. I’ll transfer them to bigger pots in a week or so.

MENDING

These light woven baskets with a drawstring lining are ideal for so many jobs. I have several.

When the handle stitching came undone I repaired it using linen thread and a big blunt needle.

I share all this with you because it is SO exciting to be able to thread the needle myself! I have also threaded and used the sewing machine. So exciting, so satisfying. Up there with being able to drive again and read easily.

SQUEEZING LEMONS

My husband, the preferred citrus squeezer in this household, saw Jamie Oliver using one of these citrus squeezers on a cooking program and wanted one. Two days later we saw one in an Italian food shop and we bought it.

He is very pleased with it.

BEFORE, the old way.

NOW, the new way!

I hope all your plans for the holiday season are going well.

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It’s December!

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And just like that, it’s the first of December and I’m not really ready!

Luckily, I began soaking the fruit for the two Christmas cakes we make each year ages ago, so when the opportunity arose to mix and cook the cakes, I was ready. Ably assisted by my husband, both cakes were in the oven and the kitchen was cleaned within two hours. Smells very good.

Every so often I’m tempted by a Christmas Cake recipe described as ‘fabulous’,’ quick’, ‘ready in no time’ and we’re always disappointed. The recipe I use came from my Aunt via my Mother and the photocopy is stained and showing signs of being folded year after year. It is still the best cake! The list of ingredients is long and converted from Imperial to metric measurements. I assemble everything on the kitchen bench before I begin, streamlining the actual mixing time. Who doesn’t enjoy the distinct aromas of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, a splash of almond essence and vanilla? And the mixed dried fruit has been soaking in port for about two months and smells pretty good, too.

So, I line the tins with brown paper, then parchment paper, holding the layers in place with pegs! It works. I remove them before the cake tins are really full. Once the cakes are cooked, which takes about four hours, they’re left to cool in the tins in the oven. Some days later, my husband begins dosing them with the port drained from the mixed fruit and kept in a jar. Using a skewer, he pokes the cakes then drizzles them with the port. These are rich and beautifully moist cakes by the time we start eating them!

Ready for the oven. I simply decorate the top of the cakes with cherries and almonds. I am the only one who likes the traditional layer of marzipan and icing, so I don’t bother anymore.

CRAFT

My other Christmas occupation has always been craft. Inspired by a lovely gift from a friend, I have made air dried hearts. My dear friend gave us the blue and white porcelain heart when our adored dog Louis left us suddenly on the 9th of March.

I rolled the air dry clay on a bread board and used a cookie cutter to cut the heart shapes. Previously, I’d made holes in ornaments I intend to hang using a straw. No plastic straws in this house anymore! Resorted to the sharp end of a temperature probe. Not perfect.

Left the hearts to dry for a few days, turning them regularly. I think I should have made them thicker as these needed flattening as they curled a little on the edges.

The process is similar to covering the baubles. ( here) Using the same 3 ply patterned paper napkins/serviettes, I separated the layers. I glued the blue and white patterned paper onto the now dry hearts. I used a UHU glue stick. ( I use a lot of this glue on all sorts of projects, so I look for the multiple packs on sale before school goes back. Buying three at a time can be very economical!)

Needed small, very sharp scissors to trim the paper in line with the edges. Then I realised it was far easier to trim the overhanging paper, leaving enough to glue onto the sides. Quicker, easier. Then I poked the hole through the paper napkin layer and added a ribbon to hang the hearts or tie them to gifts. I’ll be making more of these!

This flurry of activity has been prompted not only by Christmas approaching but also because I had my second eye surgery last week. I had very poor eyesight, now I am really pleased by my restored vision. It is life changing. I will start driving again this week, I can read easily without holding the text right up to my eye, watching the television is amazing and I can see faces.

The first surgery was perfect, the second not so easy. By the time I was discharged from hospital my eye was really uncomfortable. Eventually needed pain relief, at which point we discovered we had an almost empty packet of Panadol. Had no impact at all. Another search revealed some codeine. Slight reduction of pain but the codeine did let me sleep for a few hours. It was an extremely long, painful night. Saw the surgeon early the next morning and he told me the cornea had been injured. Anaesthetic eye drops helped but I was also sent off to get better pain relief. We’ll be prepared in future for treating any sort of pain with a supply of effective pain relief.

Eight days later, my right eye is still extremely bloodshot, with occasional pain, but remarkable vision, too. I wander around, looking at the house, at the garden, just taking everything in. Really photophobic, so only going outside without sunglasses in the evening, but it’s early days. I feel very lucky.

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Jacarandas, Tomatoes and Some Other things

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JACARANDAS

Years ago when I began teaching at a new school, the Principal was showing me around. Near the decking outside my new classroom was a magnificent jacaranda tree. The tree was totally covered in flowers as was the deck under it. I admired the tree, saying it was beautiful. I was told most crisply that I wouldn’t feel that way if I had to clean up under it!

I still really like jacaranda trees. There are many around here, but to really enjoy them en masse we go for a drive to Applecross, Ardross and Attadale over the other side of the river. So many mature jacarandas in full bloom. Some of them are very old as my Mother went to school in this area and she remembers planting some of them on Arbor Day as a small child. She is now 92. So pretty.

The jacaranda is not native to Australia but comes from South America.

tomatoes

Nothing tastes as good as freshly picked, home grown tomatoes. I’ve had great crops over the years, but more recently I’ve had to share the bounty with the river rats. In an attempt to enjoy our fair share I have all sorts of cages and protective frames to keep the tomatoes safe.

My Mother’s tiny tomatoes taste wonderful. She kept me some which I brought back and squashed onto a piece of paper towel, spreading the seeds. Left them to dry out until it was time to plant. Cut the sheet of paper towel into six pieces and buried a square in each pot, covered them with potting mix and watered regularly.

Seedlings germinated in five of the six pots. What happened in the sixth pot? I have no idea! When the seedlings developed four leaves I transplanted them, mostly two in a pot, leaving a week between re-potting each lot of seedlings. I put two in each pot following the advice of a local gardening broadcaster who suggests pulling out the less vigorous seedling later. I can never do this, so end up with so many plants.

Soon I will plant some of the seedlings in their final beds, covered in protective cages, and share the others around. While I’m eagerly awaiting my own crop of tomatoes, I have bought some to try dehydrating them to mimic sun dried tomatoes. Using my son’s dehydrator, I sliced a couple of kilos of washed tomatoes and arranged them on the shelves of the dehydrator, turned it on to the recommended temperature and left it alone for nearly seven hours. I did turn the slices over half way through the process.

At that stage they felt dry so I put them in two jars with a clove of garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Left them to settle for two days then tried them. Very, very good! The tomatoes taste wonderful after soaking in the oil with just the lightest hint of garlic. The tomatoes really shrank during the drying process and only filled two jars. Five days later they are nearly all gone. If I have a glut of tomatoes I will do this again as they tasted very good!

Two jars from all those tomatoes, but the taste is worth it.

My lunch the other day; Italian bread, melted sheeps’ pecorino, sun (dehydrator) dried tomatoes, basil and black pepper. Wonderful.

other things

On the topic of tomatoes, I was asked if I peeled the cucumber before I sliced it to add to the tomatoes and bread in Panzanella Salad. No, after I’ve washed the cucumber I simply run a fork the full length from one end to the other, scoring the skin. Then I halve the cucumber longways before slicing it and adding to the salad. I seem to be making this salad on repeat, but we have been buying lots of bread and I don’t like wasting food. I have a large jar of breadcrumbs already and it’s a bit hot for bread and butter pudding, but just right for Panzanella Salad.

I have just completed a long overdue tidy of the two lower shelves of one half of the laundry cupboard. Many of the things stored on these two shelves were put there the day we moved in and not touched since. Our house took longer that expected to finish, we were under pressure to leave our rental, I had just begun working at a new school and had a student who’d had a full time assistant previously but funding cuts meant no help, all compounded by the Administration being temporarily accommodated in the area outside my classroom while their original area was extended. Constant noise! So I unpacked the necessities and forgot about other things.

Amongst all the ‘treasures’ I found was this wooden base.

It was the base of a wind up Christmas decoration. Overly wound up by a visiting child, it had stopped working and I couldn’t repair it. ( Now I would probably look on YouTube) The top part was thrown out, the base kept. I’d found a candle on the same shelf. It sat nicely on the existing screw in the base. I glued a piece of ribbon at the base of the candle, then glued the faux mistletoe and berry decoration I made a few weeks ago over the ribbon join.

Our first Christmas decoration is now on display.

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Phalaenopsis Orchids, Panzanella and Other Things

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A POT OF ORCHIDS

Cut back and tidied the roses after the most amazing flush of pink and red Pierre de Ronsards, red Father’s Love and yellow Holtemans Gold. Even the Glamis Castle, which I was going to dig out after it was decimated by chili thrip, has bounced back and had beautiful white flowers. No fresh flowers in the house presently, except alstromerias and a few pink Asiatic Lilies.

Decided on phalaenopsis ( moth) orchids to have on the table for the next few weeks. I bought a straight sided glass salad bowl from the op shop/ thrift shop plus three little brass drawer pulls from the hardware shop. Picked up orchid potting mix plus three white phalaenopsis orchids while I was there.

Glued the three drawer pulls on the base of the upended bowl using a clear multipurpose cement and left them to dry. Next day I planted the three orchids including most of their existing soil. Then I filled the rest of the bowl with orchid potting mix. The bowl sits on the table getting diffused light. The plants have settled well and each has had a new bud. When it gets hotter I will mound sphagnum moss on top of the existing soil to keep it moist.

PANZaNELLA

This traditional Tuscan salad is a way to use any leftover bread. Two days after a visit to a new Italian grocer, we had leftover bread and lots of it! I’ve made Panzanella before, using Jamie Oliver’s far more complex recipe, but as a fan of Nagi’s Recipe Tin Eats, (here) I decided to try her recipe. Both are good.

This is a traditional tomato and bread salad, requiring humble bread and seasonal tomatoes. This style of food, called ‘cucina povera’ or food for the poor, relies on beautiful tomatoes and rich olive oil for flavour, topped off with basil. Gather some stale bread, very ripe tomatoes, a cucumber, a handful of basil and, for the dressing, extra virgin olive oil, red or white wine vinegar ( I used red), Dijon mustard and crushed garlic and you’re ready to go! Use a French brand Dijon mustard for the flavour.

Nagi oven roasts her bread. I toasted slices of our leftover bread in the toaster then tore them into bite size pieces. Traditionally the bread is not toasted but, like Nagi, I find the soggy, lumpy bits of unroasted bread a bit unattractive. She drizzles olive oil on her bread before roasting it.

Quick, delicious and a great way to use up leftover bread this salad relies on very ripe tomatoes for flavour and moistness. Eat it when all the dressing is soaked up!

We really liked this salad, so I made it again. I oven roasted some leftover Italian bread, lightly drizzled with olive oil. I also added very thinly sliced red onion as I saw this in other recipes for this salad. Will do that again.

After a few hours, the bread has absorbed the tomato juices and the dressing and is really wonderful. Quick to make, full of fresh tomatoes, cucumber and basil and the best dressing.

So it’s no surprise I made another bowl of Panzanella two days later. This time I pulled apart an Italian loaf and roasted it in the oven, as directed in the recipe. The pieces of roasted bread were bigger than the toasted bread I’d used previously and absorbed more flavour. I’ll roast the bread next time, too, because there will be a next time!

Our new favorite salad, this time with oven roasted bread. Delicious.

OTHER THINGS

Our son came down from Kalgoorlie to spent the weekend here. It was my birthday. He gave me a lovely surprise! A new food processor which mixes, grates, slices and other clever things. I had to use it straight away, so made pastry. Very fast and mixes well. I really like the small rolling pin, too, and use it all the time. I commandeered it when my son stopped playing with Play Dough, so about 33 years ago. So versatile!

The pastry became the base for a quiche. I had lots of zucchini so I fried that with some bacon, then grated a variety of leftover cheeses ( Edam, Stilton and chilled Camembert, which grated well) added some eggs and a little Greek yoghurt and, viola, dinner. Served with some small boiled potatoes and some Panzanella salad. Dinner for two nights.

No recipe because it was just a mix of available ingredients. Only the pastry was made from a recipe!

OLIVE OIL CAKE

I did follow a recipe for the Olive Oil Lemon cake, from Jaclyn Crupi’s book, ‘Nonna Knows Best’. There’s definitely a Mediterranean influence to how we eat in Western Australia. We have access the best quality seasonal fruit and vegetables, plus very good wines and very good olive oil. We enjoy them all.

The cake also featured lemons. So many things I cook for about eight months of the year feature lemons and limes.

DID YOU KNOW?

There’s only 38 days until Christmas!

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Reading and Pottering

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Reading

Being restricted to large print books meant I explored a whole new area of the library in the past six months. I was surprised at the number of romances published in large print but also found some thrillers before almost totally gravitating to the non-fiction section. Found some great biographies. The latest was William Miller’s Gloucester Crescent : Me, My Dad and Other Grownups.

His mother was a doctor as was his father who was also known for being a famous satirist, opera director, documentary producer and writer. They lived in Gloucester Crescent (where the author and his family now live ) surrounded by other very relaxed, radical, left wing, anti-establishment, affluent, well known actors, producers, authors and philosophers.

William relates his story from age 11 to age 54 and it is quite amazing. His neighbours, including Alan Bennett*, have featured in their own books from this time and I have previously read several of them. Child rearing was pretty relaxed ( Miller says laissez faire) and the children drifted from one house to another. William doesn’t do well at school but years later ends up in a business partnership with Nigella Lawson, producing her television programs and merchandise. They had been childhood friends due many affairs, divorces, marriages and other arrangements resulting in shared holiday houses and some other pretty bizarre situations.

A record of a different time, it is fascinating to read about the over lapping lives of so many creative people such as Allan Bennett, John Cleese, Oliver Sacks, A.J. Ayers, the philosopher, Shirley Conran, VS Pritchett and a plethora of other famous people. I couldn’t put this book down but the minute I finished it my husband began reading it and is now recommending it to his friends.

* Allan Bennett Lady In The Van

* Nina Stibbes Love, Nina

pottering

I like painting and little craft projects requiring paper and glue. I have a serious collection of papers, card, paints, glues for all occasions and scissors, trimmers and lots of other useful things. I have been really restricted in what I can do because my eyesight was so poor. I haven’t painted for some months. I used to paint almost daily.

As the date for my eye surgery approached, I kept planning all the Christmas crafts I’d like to do as soon as I could see. Bought myself an Advent calendar from an office supply shop. Each of the 24 windows has an ‘arty’ surprise. I know it meant for Christmas but I really wanted some little activities I could do quickly and might not normally do.

The first treat, day 1, was a fine tipped gold pen. Now I can read the calendar I had a lovely time writing notes and reminders. Very pretty. My next surprise was oven cured clay. I used to make Christmas ornaments with the children at school using this product. There were two tiny blocks of clay, one red, one green, so, of course I made mistletoe. So easy, so sweet.

The next treat was a tube a green acrylic paint and straight away I thought of gum leaves. I don’t open a box every day because I have so many other things I want to do, now that I can, but it is a lot of fun. Anyway, as soon as I unscrewed the cap I knew gum leaves and that green wouldn’t work! The next box I opened two days later had a little canvas, so I used the green to paint a Christmas wreath and put it on a small easel.

I’ve cooked more spanikopita, too, not just because we really enjoyed the last lot but I’m trying to avoid food waste. I’ve bought phyllo pastry before, used it for one thing and put it back in the freezer. When I’ve suddenly thought I should use it the sheets had cracked on the folds and gone dry. Not good. I also buy the pastry you store in the fridge, now, not the freezer.

Still making this German version of potato salad. The cooked potatoes are doused in vinegar and turned regularly until it is all absorbed, then a dressing of vinegar, Dijon mustard and chopped fresh herbs is stirred through then it goes into the fridge until the next day. I use whatever herbs are in abundance in the garden.

At the moment I’ve got lots of chives. Until we lived in China for a few years chives didn’t really feature in our house, now I use them all the time. Same with ginger. I liked gingerbread, a little bit of ginger in some savoury dishes, but I didn’t use it very often. Now fresh ginger, preserved stem ginger, glace ginger and powdered ginger feature regularly. Same with chilies.

My Mother grows tiny, sweet cherry tomatoes from the seeds she collects at the end of the previous season. They explode in your mouth and taste like summer. I squashed two cherry tomatoes from her plant onto a paper towel and left them to dry. Later I prepared six little pots to bury the soaked, then cut up, paper towel and left them to see what happens. I like to get tomatoes going in small pots then plant them in a bed or a bigger pot. Then it’s me versus the water rats to see who will get the fruit. I have a big, chicken wire cage to protect the tomatoes. Very unattractive but does the job.

I really like my new gardening apron but didn’t have anywhere to hang it in the laundry. I wanted it near the back door. Our laundry is really small so I solved the problem by putting a hook inside a cupboard door just near the door going out into the garden. Perfect!

Out of the way but easy to grab on the way out the door. Perfect.

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Surgery, Spanakopita and Spring

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eye surgery

A week ago I had surgery on my left eye. I have keratoconis which means my corneas are not a lovely rounded shape, but ‘conical’ with a lumpy surface. Keratoconus is when the cornea gradually thins and bulges, resulting in distorted vision. First diagnosed when I was about 19 I have been able to maintain reasonable eyesight by first wearing hard contact lenses for over 20 years, then soft lenses for about 25 years and then scleral lenses for 18 months. Scleral lenses are hard, large lenses which rest on the sclera, the white part of the eye.

Eventually my failing eyesight stopped me driving, painting and a whole lot of other things you never think about until you can’t see well enough to do them. I waited three and a half months for an appointment with an ophthalmalgic surgeon who could improve my eyesight.

And he did! Even when I awoke from surgery with a plastic shield taped over my eye I knew my eyesight was greatly improved. It was so exciting! The next day he told me my eyesight would continue to improve for about a week. It has and I can see better than I can remember. This changes everything. Now I am crossing the days off until I have surgery on the other eye.

Gathered up a few of the pairs of spectacles I’ve used over the past three years, hoping they’d help me read. I might not need any of them in a few months when I have surgery on my other eye but I’ll keep them just in case!

spanakopita

A classic Greek recipe, Spanakopita used to be my ‘go to’ for work lunches and visiting vegetarians. I never followed a recipe very carefully but always liked it hot or cold. Then I found a good supply of goats feta at about the same time Nagi of recipetineats.com (here) published her recipe for Spanakopita. I use her cookbook Recipe Tin Eats Dinner by Nagi Maehashi for inspiration when I don’t know what we’re having for dinner.

So I made a small dish (I’ll double the recipe next time) following her instructions. I’ve never added spring onions before nor lemon zest and juice, either, but will next time, too, as it added depth to the flavour. Nagi is a bit sniffy about using frozen spinach but that was what I had in the freezer and it tastes lovely. She suggests adding some grated cheese between the top layers of filo pastry, but I only had sheeps’ pecorino, which is very strong, so I omitted that step. Adding Greek yoghurt to the mix was new to me, too, but this is a very good pie so I’ll do it again.

I melted the weight of butter listed in the recipe for buttering the pastry but ended up with some left over. It didn’t matter as I knew we were having asparagus with dinner. I poured the melted butter into a glass dish, added the juice and zest of the leftover lemon from making the spanakopita and microwaved it to make a sauce for the asparagus. Delicious!

THe spring garden

The roses have been decimated by chili thrip for the past two years. So far this year the bushes are strong and healthy and blooming beautifully. We have had no humidity, so the thrip may hatch and reappear if it is hot and sticky, but in the meanwhile we are picking masses and masses of beautiful, scented roses.

These ceramic spheres were discoloured and the paint was chipping off. I previously wrote about scrubbing and sanding them ready to repaint and here’s the photo of the finished spheres, back in the garden. I forgot to add the photo of the finished spheres lurking under the hydrangeas!

Scrubbed then sanded to smooth chipped edges. This small sander is so useful for a multitude of jobs.

Now dry and ready to repaint.

Back in the garden.

other things

Needed a new bottle of Worcestershire Sauce during the week. It now comes in a plastic bottle. More plastic rubbish!

I’m a fan of magazines, especially those about architecture, interior design, gardens and food. Can’t believe how expensive they have become so subscriptions might have to be birthday and Christmas presents. Also deciding if I need quite so many. I think I do, especially now I can read then easily, again, rather than holding the page right up to my ‘better’ eye.

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