What Is Your New Normal?

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Some internal border restrictions within Western Australia were eased last week, creating four regions replacing the previous seven. This weekend almost all borders will be relaxed within WA except the state border. The closed state border between Western Australia and the rest of Australia will still be in place. Cafes and restaurants have mainly re-opened with limits on the number of customers and the time they can stay. Some libraries and swimming pools have re-opened and some gyms. Many people have gone back to work in their offices. Social distancing is still prescriptive but we can move more around our own part of the state.

We live in Perth, the smallest but most densely populated region. My mother also lives in this region, towards Bunbury, also on the coast.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

So how will things be when all restrictions are lifted? Dr Tim Sharp *, founder of the Happiness Institute believes less time commuting and more time at home has resulted in many people re-assessing their lives. Slowing down and more family contact means a clearer idea about what is important. Lots families are living calmer lives without the daily commute, the frantic school drop off and masses of after-school obligations. They enjoying more time together. Many parents have developed a greater appreciation for the job done by teachers after a few weeks of home schooling. People are discovering they not only save time but money, too, not commuting, buying lunch and coffee and being tempted by shops.

Australians work an average of 4.6 hour of unpaid overtime every week.¹ They have 146 million days of annual leave unused at the end of 2019.² Enforced downtime might be the perfect opportunity to assess how you and your family live, to decide what is really important and to consider changes.

Many families, strained by the pressures of work and home life have probably realised that spending more time with their families has brought their household routines into focus. Good relationships with family and friends result in good health, happiness and life satisfaction. Are you happy with how you live?

Life after CV-19 will be different. Many people I know want to continue working from home most of the time, some want to reduce their work hours and several are reconsidering their children’s after school activities. I remember the frantic rush of after school activities when we were both working but the responsibility for arranging and transporting to and from these activities was entirely mine.

We are both retired now and went into self isolation early. I have watched with interest as families go bike riding together, go for long walks with their dogs, just like we do, and also enjoy verge and driveway gatherings with neighbours. A neighbour talks about the new routines she and her family are developing and I can see how that makes them feel connected as a family. I think some good will come out of this terrible pandemic. What do you think?

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF U.N. PEACEKEEPERS 29/05/2020

The focus of the International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers this year is Women in Peacekeeping: A Key To Peace, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Security Council resolution on Women, Peace and Security.

This is an opportunity to recognise and pay tribute to the uniformed and civilian women who make an invaluable contribution to the ongoing work of the United Nations.

* Dr Tim Sharp https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=dr+tim+sharp%2C+the+happiness+institute The Happiness Institute De Tim Sharp writes about being happy, making choices and living the life that really resonates with you.

(¹) https://www.tai.org.au/content/go-home-time-day-2019-australian-employers-pocketing-81-billion-worth-unpaid-overtime-report

(²) http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/8221-annual-leave-holidays-december-2019-201912092209

Images and graphic content courtesy Dept Premier and Cabinet, WA and Pixabay

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Do You Have An Iso Job List?

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Reading some blogs I am impressed by the long list of TO DO jobs people are planning from re-arranging all the cupboards to washing the windows to mini-renovations. Yesterday I read a blog listing 64 jobs the blogger was working through. I wish all list makers well and admire their ambitions. My own list is far more modest, leaving plenty of time for reading, walking, painting and pottering.

My Iso Jobs this week were mostly outdoors. After a few days of storms last week, this week we have beautiful crisp mornings and warm, blue sky days. Really chilly by 5pm!

Displaying Model Chairs

The design of chairs has always interested me. In my early 20’s I made a set of four chairs and became really interested in the construction and decisions involved in designing, manufacturing and using chairs. It is rare to find a home without some chairs.

Chairs can be made from wood, steel, iron, plastic, even glass and ceramics or a combination of these materials plus fabrics.

I am intrigued by the artisan who designed and carefully made this little wire chair. So much careful planning and work. I love it!

I am particularly intrigued by model chairs. You can download models, you can get your own designs made and you can mix and match materials and styles.

This collection of model chairs is on a shelf in the kitchen. Some are from China and some from Singapore. I have some other model chairs on display or stored for now.

I have five metal chairs displayed outdoors. They were just sitting on a ledge and not really visible. They were rusted on the joins so I bought a combined rust treating and rust retarding spray paint and painted them.

I decided where to hung these little chairs and set to work. To display the re-painted chairs I hammered rawl plugs into holes drilled in the wall then screws after I’d painted the visible end to blend with the chair frames. Then I hung the chairs on the wall.

HINT Using spray paint still means you can get some paint on your fingers. This will wipe off easily with a high alcohol hand gel. Rub it on, leave it a minute, wipe off with a tissue. Paint all gone!

Washing Cashmere

This cashmere single bed sized rug has been in constant use for over 20 years. I bought it in Hong Kong when we were living in China. We’d take the fast ferry from Panyu Lianhuashan to HK and the air conditioning was always freezing. I bought this cashmere rug to spread across the three of us. Then I discovered it was perfect for long flights, cold nights and as a shawl to read in bed. Now I throw it over our bed every night. Cashmere is extremely comfortable.

It is always in use. In the past I have had it dry cleaned regularly. That is not possible now, so I decided to washed it myself. Read some online hints and then washed and dried it. This is what I did:

Placed the rug in a clean bucket in the trough and soaked it in tepid water.
When it was totally wet I dissolved some mild soap flakes (Lux) into the water and swished it around.
Left it to soak for 20 minutes. then squeezed out as much water as I could without being too aggressive.
Rinsed it in the bucket with clean tepid water, gently agitating. (a bit like kneading bread) Repeated four times until the water was quite clear.
Put it into the washing machine on a slow, gentle spin, then draped it across a drying frame outside in the sunlight There was a light breeze and it dried in two hours. Now fresh and clean.

Some sites recommend using your washing machine but I preferred hand washing.

Gardening

A few weeks ago I planted date expired coriander seeds in little pots. If they germinated I planned to use them as micro greens, little power houses of nutrients and flavour. They did germinate and we have eaten them and they were delicious.

If you want to use leftover seeds, have limited space or just want great flavour sprinkled on your food, try micro greens.

Why: super boost of flavour and nutrition.

How: use little pots or recycled plastic punnets with lids from the supermarket. Keep the planted seeds really moist by shutting the lid until your plants touch it then open the lid and begin harvesting, using scissors. Sprinkle on everything or mix into salads. Enjoy!

Sadly huge grey and brown grasshoppers have attacked the camellia leaves. The bush looks very tatty but is still blooming.

Following the success planting the cut-off end of celery and a little plant with tiny celery stalks growing, I decided to plant the ends I saved off the bok choy when I cooked it. Two days later, little leaves are growing.

Other Things

The regional borders in Western Australia have changed from seven to four. Excitingly this means we can visit my mother next week. She’s in her late 80s and fit and well but I decided to have the CV-19 test before visiting her. All clear! Just as exciting, our son who lives within another region was able to come down for a few days for work purposes and we had a lovely weekend.

Although things are relaxing here, we are still being very careful. I think Australians will live differently even when a vaccine is available. Crowded office spaces, bars, beaches, public transport, gyms and restaurants might be less attractive. Being better prepared in our homes might be more important. Preparing your own food regularly and even growing some of it might become more common. I think lots of us will still be watching Netflix but that might be because so much of our free-to-air TV is dire.

Photo WA State Museum

Did you know May 18th was INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS DAY?

A museum, according to ICOM ( International Council of Museums) is a permanent, not-for-profit institution which is open to the public. Museums acquire, research, communicate and exhibit the tangible and intangible heritage of its environment.

Museums are fascinating resources. Unfortunately, in Australia we can’t access them currently due to CV-19 restrictions. Western Australia’s new State Museum will open in November 2020. It is three times the size of the previous building. The unique collection will be displayed across eight galleries, showcasing our plants, animals, people and places.

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How To Make Baguettes, Microwave Marmalade, Painting and Using Up Food

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No Waste Cooking

I began to focus on food waste when I read that 25% of the food we buy is thrown away. Usually any leftover vegetables become soup or go into a fritatta. We are having soup regularly because I use chicken carcasses to make stock and we seem to have a chicken every week. The stock becomes the basis for immunity boosting soup. The vegetables are whatever is available and sometimes I add pasta or lentils. I always add ginger and turmeric, sometimes garlic, all good for supporting immunity.

Cauliflower Puree

An assessment of the fridge and pantry revealed some things I needed to use to continue my “no wasted food” plan. I decided to steam the cauliflower to make some vegetable stock for a change. Usually our immunity boosting soup has a chicken stock base but I hadn’t thawed any today. It’s wet and windy, so definitely a soup day.

I’d normally make cauliflower cheese, a favourite of mine, but it seemed a bit heavy, so I made pureed cauliflower instead. It is quick and so easy and tastes great.

INGREDIENTS

2 cps steamed cauliflower
1/2 cp grated hard cheese. I used Parmigiano Reggiano as it was in my collection of things to use now.
1/3 cp of pepitas/pumpkin seeds. Optional but I like a little crunch. Pinenuts are good, too, but I wanted to use the pumpkin seeds as the packet was already open.
3 cloves of garlic. I used some from a jar
40ml of olive oil to make your puree creamy
salt and grated black pepper to taste

METHOD

Puree the cauliflower using a stick blender or whatever you have available. Slightly break up the pumpkin seeds with the blender, add the garlic and grated cheese then the cauliflower, blend until mixed. Then drizzle the oil into the mixture and amalgamate. It should look smooth but not runny. Serve with grated black pepper. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Making Baguettes

This recipe takes more than 24 hours from beginning to end but the resulting loaves taste almost like traditional baguettes. Most of the time is actually taken letting the dough rise for 12 hours in a warm place and then 12 hours in the fridge.

Rolling out the dough after fermentation.

Divided the risen dough into three loaves and left to rise again.

This is a great recipe and although it takes longer than usual I am used to bread taking two days from start to finish as I have been making sourdough regularly for a few years. My loaves are more dense and smaller than a classic baguette but the flavour was certainly worth the time and effort. Find the recipe and instructions at

https://www.bakingsteel.com/blog/24-hr-baguettehttp:

Also baked a loaf of rye sourdough, a dense well flavoured bread.

Microwave Marmalade

Regular readers know how much I enjoy the citrus season. Lemons and limes add zing and zest to so many things we like to eat and my husband really likes marmalade. So, as soon as I had oranges, limes and lemons I made a few jars of marmalade for him. I am also eyeing off the kumquats, so they will be next!

The fruit I’d chosen weighted just over a kilo. There’s oranges, lemons and limes. I added just under 2 cups of sugar. Usually marmalade has an equal weight of fruit and sugar but I like tart marmalade so use less sugar.

I put some of the skins and the pips in this little muslin bag and then put it in the bowl while the marmalade was cooking. This usually infuses enough natural pectin for the marmalade to set but this time I had to add 10gm of powdered pectin. Later I realised I was just impatient. It has set to a very firm consistency and wouldn’t have needed the added pectin..

Thinly chopped some peel from the oranges, lemons and limes and added the peel to the cut up fruit. Also mixed some cut up peel which had been sitting in a jar of brandy since Christmas time.

Thick, slightly tart marmalade.

www.makecookgrow.com/2018/08/how-to-make-grapefruit-marmalade-in-the-microwave/

Painting

The art supply shop is open again so I set off for some new green paints. Some of my existing collection are so old I had to replace them. So lovely to wander around the art shop. Bought three new shades of green then did two paintings. The first is the lily when the flowers are still buds, the second is when they opened. These are fragrance free Asiatic lilies. Really enjoyed using my three new shades of green.

Reading

Hamnet by Maggie Farrell is set in the 16th and century. Laden with the emotions experienced by all people throughout time, love, loss, desire, greed and grief, it is a gripping story. Supposedly based on the tragic tale of William Shakespeare’s son, Hamlet, it is also the story of a woman and her life with her three children.

The story is based on these facts. A couple lived in Stratford in the 1580s with their three children, Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. Hamnet, a twin, died when he was eleven. About four years later his father, a playwright, wrote a play called “Hamlet”.

Detailed descriptions and terrible grief contribute to a sense of gloom throughout and yet, it is strangely uplifting. Described by Marion Keyes as “O’Farrell’s best book yet” it was long listed for the Women’s Prize. A very good read.

Tuesday 12th May was INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY.

International Nurses’ Day is celebrated around the world on the 12th of May, the birth date of Florence Nightingale, to acknowledge and thank nurses worldwide for the contributions they make to society. This is the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingales birth date and significant for all nurses.

This year, along with all frontline service providers, we are in awe of their hard work, compassion and bravery in the face of C-V 19. We appreciate their ongoing care. People in many countries are expressing their gratitude by clapping outside their houses one night a week. Thankyou to all nurses!

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How Are You Keeping Busy?

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I know so many of you are juggling working from home, supervising homeschooling, trying to share technology and keeping fit and well and the house reasonably neat and organized. It is hard.

Keeping fit is probably difficult for so many of us as access to our usual routines or classes has been cancelled. Thank goodness for YouTube! I regularly do a yoga class online and have begun some resistance training, too, adding to some exercises I do at home anyway. And I walk a lot everyday. I hope you are finding some ways to remain fit and strong during this difficult period.

The Dog Park

Luckily we have been able continue going to the dog park. Not only does Louis get a good run but the park is large and we can all spread out. It is right next to the river and it’s restful and lovely just being there. We see people we know and can have conversations maintaining social distancing. But most of all, Louis gets to really run. He also needs to monitor all the trees around the perimeter of the park. He checks all the peemails and sends immediate replies!

Louis has had his end of summer grooming session and is ready for winter.

Sometimes it is just good to run and run.

This old peppermint tree has a Moreton Bay fig growing from one of it’s hollows.

Taking Louis to the dog park is a great opportunity for us to walk, too.

Growing Celery From Kitchen Scraps

I’ve seen instructions for growing vegetables from kitchen scraps in childrens’ gardening books and online, but only thought to try it recently. We actually find it hard to use a whole bunch of celery before I think it is too old. When I was washing and trimming the celery last week I kept the base, thinking I’d try it. It would be quite handy to have a crisp stalk or two regularly.

Put the cut off base in water and place it somewhere sunny outside. I put fresh water every second day. Day 5 and there appears to be some growth in the centre. When some roots appear I will plant it in a pot.

By day 8 it’s growing well. Time will tell.

If you are interested in knowing more about growing vegetables from scraps, you might like to watch this brief video on YouTube “Growing Vegetables From Kitchen Scraps” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uROpaU5mknw There are many informative videos on this topic so scroll through until you find one that suits you.

Garden News

The chilies are going wild so I think I’ll make some chili jam.

Our neighbour has had her magnolia and pomegranate trees heavily pruned. Our courtyard is awash with sunlight again in the afternoon. The roses and lime tree are particularly thriving. The light comes into our sitting room too which will be lovely during winter. I suspect some of the foliage will grow back before the piercing summer light returns.

Also re-potted a lucky bamboo which was not thriving. It used to be in my classroom and obviously missed the constant attention of little hands and enthusiastic over watering. It is no longer healthy. At the same time I added some fertiliser and fresh potting mix to this bonsai. It has thrived on our dining room table for about seven years with little attention, so today it got the works!

The bamboo is sending out a new leaf,so that’s promising!

If you enjoy looking at gardens the National Garden Scheme (UK) has gorgeous virtual garden visits. https://ngs.org.uk/virtual-garden-visits/

Ratatouille

Yesterday was so hot and sunny the back of my neck got burnt while I was gardening, despite a big hat. Today it is raining and cold. So suddenly the salad vegetables didn’t look so attractive. Time to turn them into a pot of hot, delicious, filling ratatouille. The weather really dictates what we eat and I find myself watching the citrus ripen or the melons appearing at the grocer and I start looking forward to changing what we eat.

This recipe could accompany any protein for four people. I served it with some flash fried prawns. We have well priced prawns (what you call shrimps in the USA) as export markets for local seafood have shrunk enormously. We have also eaten it as a light lunch with a thick piece of toasted bread.

RATATOUIILE

INGREDIENTS

1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 large zucchini/courgettes, sliced
6 tomatoes sliced ( I used Roma, any sort will do
1 x 400gm tin of tomatoes. I used diced because that’s what I had, but if you use tinned whole tomatoes, mashed them up with the back of a spoon while they’re cooking
1 tbspn Balsamic vinegar plus salt and pepper

METHOD

Peel and chop the onions and slice the zucchinis Heat 2 tbspns olive oil or butter is a heavy based pan and gently fry the zucchini. After about 5 minutes remove the zucchini and transfer to a bowl.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook about 10 minutes until the onion is looking clear and slightly browned.

Put everything back in the pan, plus the tomatoes and the tin of tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar and let it simmer for 25 to 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with torn basil leaves and enjoy!

It is autumn (fall) in the Southern Hemisphere so this will be the last of the rockmelons (cantaloupe). The bananas and tomatoes are grown in our tropical north and are available all year round. The other things are all winter fruit and veggies.

This weekend many countries will celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday. Usually this is an opportunity to spend time with your mother and acknowledge the warmth and gratitude you feel. This year will be very different for me. Internal border restrictions mean I can’t visit my Mother and our son can’t visit us, either. We will Skype and have exchanged cards and gifts via mail, but it is very different this year. I hope you are able to celebrate this very special day in a safe way.

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Cooking, Cleaning, Making and Other Occupations

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A Quickish Fish Dinner

Been baking luscious cakes and biscuits and need something easy to make and digest for dinner? This fish dinner is quick and easy to prepare. Then simply put everything in the oven and let it cook. I’ve added pan fried zucchini because it was just picked and looked so fresh and green.

Place 180gm white fish fillets per person in an oiled baking dish and squeeze two lemons or limes over. I was preparing dinner for two people.

To get the maximum juice from your citrus, microwave them for 30 seconds, let them cool slightly then cut and squeeze. Lots of juice. And your hands will smell so good, especially after handling the fish.

Then, for two people, prepare three carrots and two potatoes, cut to equal sizes and place into an oiled roasting dish. Drizzle some more olive oil, then add sea salt. Microwave for 5 minutes. Meanwhile prepare ten Brussel’s sprouts and place in an oiled dish, too. Drizzle with more olive oil.

Heat the oven to 200C. Sprinkle finely chopped rosemary over the microwaved carrots and potatoes and put them in the oven. Twenty minutes later add the Brussel’s sprouts and five minutes after that, add the fish, putting it on the lower shelf. Fifteen minutes more and it’s all done!

While everything was roasting, I flash fried a sliced zucchini. It was so fresh and crisp I just sliced it and fried it and served the slices with everything else. I thought the zucchini was delicious…..my husband was not so thrilled.

Cleaning A Baking Tray

So many hints online at the moment about the magic cleaning powers of dishwasher tablets. Our baking tray was pretty grim so I decided to try and clean it with one of the tablets.

So, wearing rubber gloves I rubbed the moistened partially unwrapped tablet on the wet baking tray as instructed online and then I rubbed some more and finally scrubbed it. Total failure.

Not much difference at this point.

Then I tried cloudy ammonia, equal fail. Finally tried a cream cleanser. Scrubbed and scrubbed. Not very impressive.

So, if a dishwasher tablet is supposed to be so good, what if I put it in the dishwasher? No change at all. This tray is such a useful size I don’t want to discard it, but it is pretty awful. Any hints, please?

Renovating Worn Coasters

These once mismatched coasters live on a side table in our family room. We have sets of coasters but these two don’t belong to any of them. They are in constant use. My mother likes to sit in the chair next to the table they are on and uses one of them for her coffee cup. The other one has always sat under a vase. They were worn and the surface on one was no longer smooth. Time for a renovation.

Sanded the surface of both coasters until they were smooth.

Glued the images on the old coasters after I’d traced around them and cut carefully. I used a standard glue stick. Smoothed the images using my fingers to work from the centre out. I sourced both pictures from Dream Factory, a wonderfully inspirational site. https://bydreamsfactory.com

Trimmed around the edges with a sharp craft knife.

The white of the photocopy paper looked too stark, so I made a bowl of tea and dipped both coasters, image side down, to stain them.

Prefer the darker, older look after the tea bath!

Originally I dabbed little touches of gold around the edges but I didn’t like how that looked when they were in place, so I used a black Sharpie to create a new border. Then I coated both coasters in Gel Medium (Mod Podge) and let them dry. Really happy with how they look now and have already used them.

Other Occupations

Also made rye sourdough. The weather is a little cooler, in fact we have had some rain, so it was a drier dough than usual. Tastes very good.

red petaled flowers

Commemorated the ANZAC day Dawn Service on our driveway at 6AM. After a Missing Man formation ( one plane missing) of Tiger Moths flew over, we heard the bugler play the Last Post. This was followed by a minutes silence and then we heard the Reveille. After this we joined some neighbours on their driveway for coffee. Observed social distancing. A very memorable and moving morning, so different from the service we usually attend.

Poppies are a significant symbol on ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day (11th November) as the Flanders poppy was amongst the first plants to spring up on the devastated battlefields in northern France and Belgium . It is thought that the churning of the soil by the soldiers and their horses encouraged amazing fields of the poppies, never seen before.

We had a new car delivered yesterday. It was very strange learning the special features of the car and observing social distancing! I’ve had my previous car since 2007 so things have changed. Alot. I might have to read the instruction book!

Reading Min Kym’s autobiographical book, GONE. A Korean child prodigy, her life is turned upside down when her 1696 Stradivarious violin is stolen. Only just begun but it has very impressive reviews.

I’ve had an email from the (closed) library saying I could nominate five books or DVDs or indicate a particular genre of books I’d like and they will deliver them. Wonderful idea!

Did you know The World Wide Web (www) was first launched into the public domain by scientist Tim Berners-Lee on 30th April, 1989? Hard to remember life without the instant access provided by the World Wide Web.

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5 Covid-19 Occupations and Interests

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1. Slow Cooker Bread

Are you baking bread? There was such a shortage of flour and yeast until recently I wondered if everyone was making their own bread.

When I saw this Slow Cooker Bread recipe from Jack Monroe I knew I’d be trying it! Pragmatic and practical, Jack’s recipes are always good. The ultimate frugal cook, Jack utilises every day, affordable pantry staples to create tasty, nutritious and interesting food. Great recipes and some droll comments at http://www.cookingonabootstrap.com

Using only 260gm of flour ( I used strong bread making flour, but Jack makes it clear any flour or combination of flours would do), yeast, water, salt and a little oil on your hands to knead the dough, this is a simple and great tasting bread.

Delicious!

2. Autumn in the Garden

Big Red geranium and red violas. Still some colour in the garden.

Brushing against this spearmint scented lavender releases the loveliest smell.

The umbrella stand petunias continue to thrive.

Arum lilies under planted with violets. The lilies are lush, green and they bloom for months. We can see them from our bedroom window. These lilies are considered a weed in Western Australia but I really like the elegant, white bloom with its egg yolk yellow stamen and the large, green leaves. They are planted in a separate bed and cannot escape. Originally found in marshy areas of South Africa, these plants have adapted too well to Australian conditions.

3. Walking

Out walking before Easter and saw this bird’s nest on the ground. No sign of birds. Used it in an Easter decoration now just enjoying it for the clever construction. Can you see the layers of soft leaves lining the bottom of the nest?

I walk alone, then with a neighbour and later, with my husband and the dog. One of the many pleasure of walking is looking into the neighbourhood gardens, watching the birds in all the trees and watching the sky change. These days there are so many people in isolation at home and I often chat to them in their gardens or when they are also walking. Our other walk is taking the dog to the dog park where he has a wonderful time and we walk too with views of trees, the river and boats. It’s lovely.

4. Reading and Watching

More sitting time than usual in this household! I’ve read my haul of magazines including Country Style, UK Country Living and Australian Country, so a bit of a theme there, all topped off by The English Home. And some essential nutrition.

Also read Caroline Baum’s ” Only, A Singular Memoir”, an Australian journalist’s account of a rather unusual childhood in London. Her adult relationship with her parents reflects her need for independence and her need for approval. Hard path to follow! Interesting book.

<i>Only: A Singular Memoir</i> by Caroline Baum.

Currently reading Ian McEwan’s “Amsterdam” and enjoying it. Other books of his I’ve read are “Atonement” made into a film with Keira Knightley,”On Chisel Beach” and “The Children Act” also turned into a film with Emma Thompson. Great book, great film. Also reading favourite gardening books, gathering ideas and shortcuts.

Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (9780099272779) - PaperBack - Crime Mystery & Thriller

Watching “Escape To The Country” on YouTube. These are more recent episodes rather than the older ones on free to air TV. Part tourism, part real estate curiosity, always interesting and in my case, part envy, this program is “before going to bed” relaxation after the murder, trial and retribution series we have been watching.

Decided not to watch every news program or online account of the spread and destruction of C-V 19 as it is exhausting and we are doing everything possible to stay well and safe. Initially grateful when the country closed down, I now think we need to be more moderate and build up some immunity as a vaccine is a long way off being available. Should the vulnerable be careful and the rest get on with it? Seems to have worked well in Sweden. I wonder if more people die of the flu each year in Australia than will die of C-V 19? Should we all be tested to determine asymptomatic carriers and existing immunity then make a decision? This is a rapidly evolving situation, requiring some long term strategies.

5. ANZAC DAY

On April 25th Australians and New Zealanders commemorate ANZAC Day. We remember those who have participated in all armed conflicts and peace keeping missions since WW1.

Traditionally, there were dawn services and later in the morning, parades, often followed by community breakfasts. This year everything will be different. We are being encouraged to stand at the top of our driveways at 6AM with a candle, a torch or a phone light and with our neighbours, observe one minute of silence, broken by random buglers playing the Last Post.

Snipped long but not too stiff rosemary pieces from the bush. Bent and tied the base circle with green gardening wire, then wove extra pieces in the make a stronger wreath.

I have made a rosemary wreath to hang on the fence. Rosemary is the plant of remembrance. If I make this again I will make a smaller wreath based on a deformed wire clothes hanger. I cannot go to the floral supplier for a round base for the wreath but it still looks fine. I cut pieces of rosemary which are still whippy, not too long and hard and using green garden wire, joined them at regular intervals to make a circle. Added two poppies, symbols of the red poppies growing on Flanders Field and a red bow.

I have also made boxes of ANZAC biscuits to give to our close neighbours. The recipe is derived from the recipe used to make long lasting and nutritious biscuits to send to the troops in the Middle East and France, a months sea voyage from Australia, beginning during WW1. ( Lots of recipes online if you’d like to try these delicious biscuits )

Trays of cooked and waiting to be cooked ANZAC biscuits.

Printed labels, cut and glued to tags, punched holes, filled the boxes and added labels and rosemary. Off to distribute them soon.

ANZAC the acronym for AUSTRALIAN and NEW ZEALAND ARMY CORPS

Searching through the pantry for biscuit making ingredients I came across this forgotten Christmas Pudding. Only seemed right to heat it and eat it. Glad we did, it was very good.

EARTH DAY

Earth Day was first celebrated fifty years ago. The focus is on reducing your environmental impact. For me, this particularly means using less plastic!

The reduction in pollution since the onset of CV-19 is sobering. I think the message is use less, buy once and buy the best and always consider the place of origin of everything you buy.

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Here and Now

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Long time readers of the blog will remember I used to participate in a monthly link-up with the fabulous knitter and wool shop owner who writes ‘Say! Little Hen’ (https://www.saylittlehen.com/.) She’s no longer linking to other blogs but posted this week using the original headings and I’ve decided to use them for this blog, too.

Loving

Self imposed isolation has changed the busyness of our lives. I really enjoy so many things I do outside the house but now those activities are not possible, I am savouring the time I have to do other things. I have begun an online course on FutureLearn from the Institut Français de la Mode to learn about clothing sustainability. There are courses from many disciplines, this one covers aspects of fashion and history plus consumer behaviour.

Like many people in the neighbourhood we walk the dog at least twice a day. We read, especially online news, go on virtual tours of gardens, galleries and a zoo, I paint and cook and we were able to get a generous pile of books from the library before it closed. Looked at lots of online magazines. I love house and garden magazines but find the online format frustrating so I’ve given up on them!

Judging by the overflowing charity bins around here, everyone else has also taken the opportunity to sort their kitchen cupboards and their wardrobes, too. Very satisfying but now the bags are piling up in the garage.

This break from our usual routines gives us all time to appreciate our homes, to plan improvements in organisation, decoration, the very essence of homeliness that resonates with each of us can be refined at this time. Use all your precious things, sit out in the fresh air, sort and tidy, be surrounded by what is good for you and your family. Have time off social media and cook something special, ring someone you miss, dig in your garden or walk in a park or on the beach, if you can.

So, lots to enjoy about this unusual time. Hope it doesn’t last much longer, though!

Eating

As usual, I’ve made bread and immunity boosting soup. I usually make chicken stock soups whenever we have a chicken which seems to be once a week but now I add lots of turmeric, ginger and often garlic to the mix.

Today I made Shakshuka for lunch. This spicy, delicious dish is probably more commonly eaten at breakfast but we enjoyed it for lunch. There are many recipes online if you’d like to try it. Apparently Shakshuka means “all mixed up” in Hebrew. Interestingly, almost every European nationality claims this as a traditional food in their cuisine. Tastes good, anyway.

I cooked up onions and garlic then added fresh and tinned tomatoes and spinach from the garden and let it simmer. Added paprika and pinch of salt. When the spinach was wilted I made four holes in the sauce and broke an egg into each and left everything simmering until the yolks set. Grind of black pepper and it’s done. Serve with toast, pitta bread, Turkish bread, anything that comes to hand. Sprinkle parsley on top.

Drinking

I’d like to say I’m drinking some exotic flower based tea, but I’m not. I drink about 3lt of water everyday plus several double espressos. I make sure I stop drinking coffee way before bedtime after reading that it stays in your system for hours after you’ve drunk it!

clear glass of water selective focus photo

Feeling

Like everyone else, I feel worried about Covid-19, the economy and the long term impact of all of this on Australia and the rest of the world. I hope the longer term outcome for Australia is that we develop our own manufacturing base, so we aren’t so dependent on imports. I think we should have a trucking industry to service the farming, freight and resources sectors. Since Holden ceased manufacturing in Australia we have a ready made, skilled workforce available. We should manufacture our own medications, make all our own toilet paper. The list could go on and on. We should all look to see where things are made before we buy them and encourage a strong manufacturing base in Australia.

Making

I am renovating the back garden but the soil is still too hot to start planting. I’ve weeded, added Bentonite clay for water retention, then an organic fertilizer. Topped it all off with pea straw and watered it down making the area ready for planting. This bed is surrounded by a brick rendered fence and brick paving so it’s very hot for seven or eight months of the year.

We have had the hottest April day for years this Easter. I haven’t planted the tulips, yet, but hope it cools down soon. Then we can start re-planting areas cleared at the beginning of the garden renovation.

Thinking

black framed eyeglasses

Will schools re-open in Australia soon? Will some businesses be able to open? I’d like the regional border controls to relax soon as I haven’t been able to visit family. Also thinking of the friends and family members who have celebrated their birthdays in isolation .

Also thinking about obsolescence. We built this house 13 years ago. In recent years we’ve had to replace the oven and found the only model with the functions we wanted that fitted in the space was stainless steel. Looked funny in an all white kitchen. Now I’m used to it and don’t notice. Then the range hood stopped working. Almost impossible to replace it with the right size and we’d just renewed the cupboard doors so didn’t want a carpenter having to change things to fit. Getting the existing unit repaired cost more than a new one. Very annoying. Then last week the Bosch dishwasher, only eight years old, stopped working. The repairman arrived after the Easter break in his gloves and mask and quoted for the repair. It was almost the cost of a new dishwasher. So we decided to get a new one with an extended warranty. Delivered and installed the next day and the old one taken away. It is also stainless steel as that was all we could do without going into electrical shops. I suppose I’ll get used to it, too. I wonder about the lifespan of electrical goods. I also wonder about the cost to repair things. We are a small family with light usage of our white goods. Is having to replace things that are not very old common?

Dreaming

It is autumn and I am looking forward to planting the garden for next spring. Dreaming of fresh produce and glorious flowers.

Abraham Darby (pink) Pierre de Ronsard and Father’s Love Glamis Castle (white)

April 17th is National Haiku Poetry Day. This genre of poetry is usually three sentences long. The first and last sentences should have five syllables and the middle sentence should have seven syllables, if written in Japanese. Written English words are longer and can have 10 to 14 syllables. Haiku poems do not need to rhyme. So, if you’ve run out of things to do in isolation, try writing a Haiku poem!

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What Are You Reading, Watching and Doing?

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Apologies

I have been experiencing technical difficulties publishing the blog and it took a while to realise there was a problem and to rectify it. Well, I couldn’t rectify it but thanks to the techo-maestro in Kalgoorlie, our son, all is well again. I am sorry if this caused you any frustration and thank you for persisting.

It would be lovely to know what you are reading, watching and the jobs you are doing, so please comment. We’ve done home maintenance, gardening, read books and online watched “Unorthodox” and “Traitor” on Netflix. Both beautifully filmed and thought provoking. Also watched some very funny old Rowan Atkinson performances and the Mr Bean series. Our favourite serial now is “La Forêt”, “The Forest”, in French with subtitles. If you loved “Broadchurch” you’ll love this thriller, too.

Coco Chanel Photographs

Just before we pulled up the drawbridge and lowered the portcullis we really enjoyed this exhibition of Coco Chanel photographs taken over a period of three weeks in July 1962 by Douglas Kirkland. Now 85, Kirkland is famous for photographing famous people. He was sent to Paris to interview Coco Chanel after Jacqueline Kennedy appeared wearing Chanel suits in the White house.

Kirkland was 27, Chanel was 79. They developed a wonderful relationship, the respect and mutual admiration apparent in these photographs. Chanel was not known for being easy to work with, but these two gifted people obviously enjoyed working together and this exhibition displayed the resulting photographs from his book.

The very stylish Coco Chanel learnt to sew in an orphanage, before a short career in cabaret performance and training as a milliner. As a designer she modernised women’s clothing, using simple shapes, low heels and focusing on comfort and style. She championed trousers for women, swimsuits and bobbed hair. No more corsets and feathers.

Chanel also popularised “junk” jewellery and wore lots of it, layered with real gems. She is probably best known for the first couture perfume, Chanel No.5 which is the most popular perfume ever made.

These photographs reveal a different side of Coco Chanel. She is beautifully captured by Douglas Kirkland, surrounded by her designs and models. Fabulous exhibition.

And Also Sculptures By The Sea

Already being careful and mindful of social distancing, we wandered around this annual exhibition of sculptures, arranged on the beach and grasslands above the beach at Cottesloe.

My apologies to the creators of these interesting works, but crowding, including masses of school groups, prevented me from safely reading or photographing the titles of theses sculptures or their creators. Looking forward to next years’ exhibition being back to normal.

A New Sphere For The Renovated Garden

I like spheres as decoration in the garden. This is a buoy, washed up years ago on the coast near our farm. I had already painted it pink about ten years ago, but wanted something more vibrant for this area under the clothesline.

Buoys are designed to float on water or just below, to mark a location. Traditionally made from iron they are now made of polyethylene.

The existing base was pale pink. It was bleached yellow when it was found. I drizzled it, a la Jackson Pollock, with four colours, using recycled chopsticks and paint sample pots. I placed it in a pot on an old tablecloth, my painting protective sheet and covered it all over by painting an area, letting it dry and then rotating it.

The colours remind me of my parents’ old atlas, which I poured over as a child. I’d love to sit on their bed, looking at the map of the world and then particular countries, many which I have now visited.

It adds a bit of colour to this reduced collection.

Random Jobs

Across the bottom of our steep drive there is a stormwater drain covered by a grate. It was full of compacted leaf litter. This meant rain coming down the drive was not running into the drain and going off to the soak well but actually going into the garage at the bottom of the drive. Not anymore! The grating was removed, the leaf litter dug out, the drain washed and the grating put back in place. Now we need rain to soak our sandy soil and start the seasonal growth cycle again.

My husband likes white bread so I decided to try making this French Loaf after reading about it on a blog. It was so easy to mix in the Kitchenaid and I could have done the second knead in the machine, too, but I wanted to feel the elasticity of the mix so I’d know when it was ready. This recipe made two lovely loaves of bread.

Always have chicken stock, now called bone broth, so made more immunity boosting chicken, vegetable, ginger and turmeric soup. This one has a lot of chicken in it, too, as I’d bought a big one and after three meals still had some meat, so added it to the soup.

Following the success of white bread made in the Kichenaid I mixed my normal 100% rye bread mix in it, too. I added some plain white flour to increase the gluten and expected it to rise more. It was a bigger loaf than my usual rye sourdough. Still quite dense but tastes very good, so I’ll continue using this method.

Always trying to avoid waste, so used leftover bread (bought, not bread I’d made!) for Bread and Butter pudding. Very nice.

Apples lost their crunch? Don’t throw them away! Use a core remover to de-core the apples, cut them in half then put them cut side down on the cutting board and lightly cut them closely but not all the way through. Place them cut flesh side down in a lightly oiled baking dish. Microwave 60gm brown sugar or caster sugar, 60gm butter and 1 tspn cinnamon for 25 seconds, mix, pour over the apples. Bake in a 200 degree C oven for about 30 minutes. Serve with icecream, yoghurt or just as they are and enjoy.

Pruned the hydrangeas and planted cuttings to propagate and then bulk up the existing bed. These are semi-sun tolerant hydrangeas and they also bloom for an extended period.

Set up my paints on the table and really enjoyed painting these flowers. Top one finished, lower one a work in progress.

Alternate Entertainments

As our lives change completely and movement outside the house becomes difficult each of us misses different aspects of our previous lives. For some it is eating out or visiting their favourite cafe, for others it is going to work, theatres, cinemas and beaches. Some people are missing shopping. I miss being able to visit my mother and seeing friends. I continue to paint at home and have found a yoga session on YouTube which leaves me feeling stretched and well. I am so impressed by the many online entertainments people have posted or watched! I hope you are comfortable and well in isolation.

Enjoy Easter whatever you have planned. It will be very different for many people this year. HAPPY EASTER!

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10 Distractions in Self Imposed Quarantine

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We are in self imposed quarantine. We have reasonable food supplies and any medication we might need. We are being cautious. Schools are still functioning although parents are being told to keep their children home if they are worried but school will finish this week in Western Australia, a week earlier than expected. We are being told to keep our distance from each other: two arms length apart.

Small businesses are closing and unemployment will be a major challenge for Australians. We’re shopping online and focusing on small local businesses where possible, but we are not big consumers, either. I can’t help but think about the towns decimated recently by bush fires and now being commercially effected by CV-19.

We will use this home time to do jobs around the house and in the garden when it is cool enough. Talking to friends it seems lots of us have long TO DO lists for the house and garden. My first job involves the plastics cupboard. About five years ago my sister-in-law was staying here and she sorted and rearranged all the plastic things in this cupboard and I was able to maintain that for ages, but not any more! Big job ahead.

These are a few of the things I have already done during the first few days of quarantine.

1. Before/After in the Plastics Cupboard.

Or, when I suddenly realised it was not only a mess but I have no need for so many containers now we’re not going to work and there are just two of us here.

BEFORE

AFTER Accessible with frequently used small containers at the front.

2. At Home Dry Cleaning

My husband’s tie had a mark on it after a recent outing so I said I would wash it. Read the label. It said “Dry Clean Only”, but we are in self imposed quarantine, so no trips to the dry cleaner planned. I consulted Google and found several items describing safe ways to launder a silk tie.

Following the advice on Google, I gently rubbed dish detergent on the mark, then swished the entire tie in lukewarm water before rinsing it three times in clean, lukewarm water. Placed it on a towel outside. When it was dry the mark was gone, so I ironed it with an ironing cloth on top and it is perfect!

3. Marbled Paper

I needed to marble new sheets for the inside covers of my journals. My mother gave me this tissue like paper but it had tears and marks on it so I cut sheets to fit the inside covers of my journals. Then I ironed out the fold marks.

I use Japanese inks to marble paper. Usually I do enough for the inside front cover and inside back cover for five or six journals. Wearing gloves, I mix the inks using the dispersing drops from the ink pots or a chopstick but you can also blow on the inks with a straw. I then print the sheets in the laundry trough by gently floating the paper on the mixed inks. The sheet of paper is then carefully peeled off the surface and placed outside on the brick paving to dry. They dry very quickly and are then ready to glue in place.

The tissue thin papers I cut were too fragile, so I used printer paper which is what I usually print on. The colours are pale and pretty and more like traditional marbling colours.

These prints are on the tissue paper I cut. The inks gripped well and resulted in strong colours, but the paper was too fragile and tore when it was wet. I was able to rescue a few sheets but not many.

Marble papers inside, trimmed, glued in. Three new journals ready to go! They’ll keep me going a long time if we are in isolation for months.

4. Easter Tablescape.

Easter feels really flat this year. Normally I do a lot of cooking but we wont be entertaining or going south to visit my Mother. All the usual decorations don’t sit well in this time of concern and closed churches. So, just a little arrangement on the table and an online order of chocolate!

5. Squared up Pictures and Mirrors

Love this clever little spirit level. Had it for years and love it. Wandered round the house after dusting and straightened the pictures and mirrors. Everything looks straight.

6. Immune Boosting Soup

Always have chicken stock in the freezer so made a thick, immunity boosting soup for our lunch. Borlotti beans, chicken stock and lots of vegetables cooked up with ginger and turmeric. Delicious but not ideal when the temperature is 37 degrees celsius (98.6 F) at lunch time.

7. Pretty Touches

Now we are housebound I’ve added more flowers. There’s very little left blooming in the garden except roses. The swathe of very pretty Mexican rose creeper flowers don’t last well when cut but I really like the colour.

This is where we keep photos of our fathers and our previous, much missed dog, Toby. I did the painting in the background when he was quite young. He and Louis, our dog now look very alike but are very different personalities. Both wonderful!

8.Yum Cha For Sunday Lunch

Our son was down from Kalgoorlie for the weekend. He left in February when it was very hot and now the mornings are much cooler and he needed warmer clothes. He also wanted some of his kitchen equipment and spices.

As a family we used to enjoy going out on the weekends for yum cha. That is no longer possible. We had some frozen so were able to sit down to our favourite family Sunday lunch. We had Prawn Hargow, Szechuan Pork, vegetable dumplings, Thai Chicken and broccoli in garlic and chili. Plus some dipping sauces and pickled ginger.

Prawn Hargow with broccoli and pickled ginger.

9. Garden Jobs

Went through my tin of seed packets. Planted some hollyhocks and yellow nasturtium seeds, plus some fresh perpetual spinach as the existing plants are getting a bit tough. Also planted some little gem lettuce as the seeds were close to their expiry date. Found coriander seeds which were past their expiry date so planted them in little pots and if they germinate I’ll snip them off when they’re small and we’ll eat them as micro nutrients scattered on our dinner.

Also did masses of weeding. There’s still a lot more to do but today we have had very welcome rain. Such a change but it is autumn now.

10.Cupboard Cooking

Suddenly cooler so thought I’d make a chickpea curry for lunch. Unfortunately, we have no fresh ginger or garlic and I’ve run out of onions. Discovered I can make a very good curry using only bits and pieces from the cupboard.

Mixed 2 tspn onion powder, 2 tspn garlic powder, 1 tspn ginger powder with 1/2 tspn each of cumin, turmeric and cayenne plus 1 tspn ground coriander in a medium sized pot and heated it up. Added a tin of drained chickpeas and a tin of diced tomatoes, plus 1/2 tin of hot water I’d used to swish out the tomato tin and let it all simmer for about 15 minutes. Stirred to prevent sticking. Then I added some frozen broccoli and cauliflower and simmered another 10 minutes.

Very nice straight away for lunch and even better the next day as leftovers for lunch. Next time I might add a couple of potatoes to the mix or spinach. Cool enough now for hearty meals.

I always have onion and garlic powder as I make our own taco mix. There’s lots of online recipes if you want to try it. A jar lasts a very long time.

Picked the last of the spinach and the basil which is going to seed. Added to a squid dinner. Fresh and lovely.

Hope you are managing with the limitations and risks of CV-19. Love the way people are sharing online museum and art gallery visits, book lists, great things to watch on TV and online/text communications. Found some new blogs I’m really enjoying, too. Think frequently about the hard working farmers who grow the fresh food we eat, the staff still working in food shops and the many front line health professionals. I thank them all. Keep safe, keep well and make sure you’ve had your fluvax!

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Ages of My Life, The Memories of My 88 Year Old Mother

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My Mother’s Memories

I was talking to my mother when I was writing the previous blog, 12 Things I Like About Being Older, and she was relating those things to the events and changes in her life. It was so interesting I asked her to write down some of the events we were discussing. She did despite recovering from a broken wrist. These are her thoughts, memories and comments on her life. I will encourage her to expand on her later years which were full of farm work, community engagement, church and family plus continuing contact with her pen pals and friends all over the world.

My father, Reg, my sister Marty, myself and my mother, Mick.

A DIFFICULT BEGINNING

I was christened in the hospital where I was born as I was dying. I have been told it was lung failure. My sister told me years later that I was born prematurely and that was the problem. However, I survived. It must have been because the only clergy available was the Anglican Bishop!

NEXT ERA

My sister, who was three years older than me, started school. I was very unhappy! Our dog became my new “playmate”. I wouldn’t leave him alone. The two of us would lie on the drive, at the gate and wait for Marty, my sister, to arrive home from school.

THEN IT BECAME MY TURN

I left the dog and went to school. We were called “the bubs” and our room was very basic, with wooden walls to window height and canvas “windows”. No heating or cooling. The room had a cement deck outside where we sometimes had our lessons in fine weather. Children from Grade 1 to Grade 3 were altogether. The wooden main school house had Grades 4, 5, 6, and 7 all together. The headmaster taught the children up to 12 years of age We walked along bush tracks from our house overlooking the river to school and picked wildflowers in the spring. There were very few roads and they were made of limestone.

I joined the Brownies. I am on the left, middle row.

Then the war came and with the war, flying boats on the river. Australia was cut off by the Japanese advance and the only fast link was by a 26 hour non stop Catalina flying boat flight to Colombo in Sri Lanka. We could no longer swim in the river off the jetty but we did anyway. The girls school in the city was requisitioned and my only sister went by bus to the newly built Kent High School in Victoria Park. School for her was only half a day due to overcrowding. By the time I got there, more buildings had gone up so there were more classrooms. There was food, clothing and petrol rationing and a blackout at night. No lights at all anywhere. There was an air raid shelter at school and we dug one at home.

POST WAR AND ANOTHER ERA, STUDYING FOR THE LEAVING AND MY PARENTS SEPARATION

Our house in Duncraig Road, Applecross

By now I was studying for the Leaving, the final school exam, and my parents separated, causing quite a change in our lives. We had to move from our home in Applecross overlooking the Swan River to a two bedroom flat with my mother’s friend who ” took us in”. We stayed there for some time. I finished my schooling, passed the Pharmaceutical Apprentice’s entrance exam and went to work at the Adelphi Pharmacy on St. George’s Terrace in Perth. When I was old enough (you had to be 18 as it was a four year apprenticeship and not allowed to practice until you were 21 years old) my father signed the indenture papers and I began my four year apprenticeship.

In the city.

The apprentices did all their studying at night at the Technical School in St. George’s Terrace, very convenient for me as it was nearby, but not good for many. We finished work at 5.30 and began lessons at 6pm. We were paid one pound, about $2.oo a week for first year, two pounds for second year and so on. After I left, the lessons were held in the daytime and the pay increased. Not long after, apprenticeships ended and university degrees came in instead.

At the Women Pharmacists’ Association dinner 1950. I am on the right.

Morgan and me, 1949, Rottnest Island.

I finished my time but had married and had a young son and found it difficult to manage childcare. My husband, Morgan, was studying law at the University of Western Australia on an ex-serviceman’s grant. We had decided on a block of land in Doubleview and were working on house plans, but that was not to be. Morgan’s father had a timber milling business and was building another mill and running a farm, so he wanted his only surviving son to come down to the farm. We went.

I was about to have our second child and, having had some medical problems having the first, I stayed near my doctor in Perth and the hospital. Morgan’s mother looked after our first son at the farm. This was 1954. Two years later our daughter was born.

My Mother In law holding Twinkle the Shetland Pony with the three children, my Father-In-Law on Greyboy and Morgan on Bill

At “Parkfield”, the farm with my sons and daughter.

We left the farm 54 years later and Morgan died of leukemia three weeks later. What has followed in my life in the 64 years since I left Applecross and became a farmers wife has had many “ups’ and perhaps some “downs” but it would take many, many pages to chronicle them.

St. Nicholas, our family church with my husband, Morgan.

I can only say I am happy, I have been loved and still am. With reasonable health I trust I shall have time to record some of those memories in the future.

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