Uncategorized – Page 3 – MakeCookGrow.com

Visiting Beverley, Western Australia

Share this post

This lovely Wheatbelt town is a two hour drive from our home. It is one of the early areas established in the West Australian colony. Land grants were first taken up in 1831 and the town was established in 1868.

The old well maintained buildings, some with great street art, house the usual supermarket, hardware supplies, pharmacy, cafes, a great dress shop, a bakery and art and craft shops and galleries, plus some shops selling old wares. It seems to support a vibrant arts and sporting community. Beverley is an easy drive from the city and an interesting way to spend a day in the country.

Last week, on a cool, clear sunny winters day, we visited family in Beverley. After lunch, we went for a wander along the wide, main street, Vincent Street. Many of the architecturally interesting facades from early development remain.

Famous for the Beverley Soaring Club, the largest club in WA, you can book a trip for a silent view from the sky.

The council publishes a detailed guidebook, Welcome to Beverley, full of useful information. It includes the plan for a short walking tour of the main street.

ROADS BOARD OFFICE. Built in 1908 and in use until 1961, this is now a private house.

OLD COURT HOUSE Designed by George Temple Poole and built in 1897, the courthouse was in use until 1990.

George Temple Poole, an Englishman, was born in Rome, where his parents were holidaying. After working in Ceylon and London, he was appointed Superintendent of Public Works for Western Australia in June 1885. He oversaw the design and construction of more than 200 buildings throughout Western Australia. Thirty four of these are listed by the National Trust and described as, ” essential to the heritage of Australia and must be kept.”

OLD POLICE STATION AND COTTAGES These Federation style cottages and Police Station, just off Vincent Street, were built in 1910 and restored by the National Trust in 2010.

OLD COUNCIL CHAMBERS Built 1898.

OLD BANK HOUSE 1907, Federation style, now a private residence.

FREEMASONS TAVERN Originally this building had wide verandas, typical of when it was build in 1886. It was re-built after a fire in 1908. Recently renovated.

BEVERLEY STATION AND PLATFORM THEATRE Built in 1886 and restored in 2006. Now a multipurpose cultural precinct and railway station. Like so many other areas of the town, it has a carefully clipped and maintained garden.

BEVERLEY POST OFFICE Still in use as a Post Office plus a newsagency, built in 1910 in the Federation style.

To the right of the Post Office is the ANZ BANK, built in 1909.

BEVERLEY OLD JUNIOR SCHOOL Designed by the famous West Australian architect, George Temple Poole and built in 1894. Typical red brick building with large windows, a school design repeated all over Western Australia.

On the way home, canola crops in flower.

Green countryside following good winter rains.

Grass trees, damaged in a previous bush fire, recovering well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all horses in the Southern Hemisphere for yesterday! Horse ages are standardized so the closer the horse is born to August the first, the older it is in its division. In the Northern Hemisphere, horses celebrate their birthdays’ on January the first. Hope you made a carrot cake for any equine friends you have and helped them celebrate by kicking up your heels.

Share this post

Six Almost Free Luxuries

Share this post

What is your definition of luxury?

What would you do if you won $40 million dollars?

Listening to the radio when I was driving recently the announcer was discussing a $4o million dollar Lotto ( lottery) draw. He said the winner would be, “Living in the lap of luxury.” Listeners were invited to phone in and describe their idea of luxury.

Generally people listed building or buying dream homes, first class world travel, especially cruises, cars, boats, bikes and 4WD vehicles. One man said he’d pay for his Nanna’s hip surgery as she’d been waiting for it a long time, but mostly listeners wanted to buy similar things; houses, travel and vehicles.

I didn’t win Lotto and am not in the market for any of those things but I do like luxurious little treats around the house which make life very comfortable. They’re much cheaper than the list above, too!

1. My mother always has FRESH FLOWERS in the house. Like her, I mostly grow them in the garden, so minimal cost. I like pretty relaxed arrangements of whatever is flowering. I specifically grow roses, alstromerias, tulips and irises as cut flowers and create contrasting colours using ivy, rosemary and lavender. ( If the ivy roots whilst in the vase, I plant it on the verge where I’m creating a low maintenance garden. Lawn needs mowing and constant watering, but ivy is easy and lush) I also have an orchid which blooms every year and stays inside for about five weeks.

2. DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY accessed through our local library. I can download books, DVDs, order books, magazines and DVDs from their catalogue, send printing and pick it up later and also read current magazines and newspapers.

3. The best COFFEE and TEA. Since my niece told me about a coffee capsule strong enough for my preferred double espressos, I’d rather drink coffee at home and really enjoy the flavour. Espressos arrive cold in coffee shops, at home I have the luxury of great flavour, fine china and hot coffee. It is consistently good and I can recycle the capsule. My son, a keen tea drinker, has a cupboard full of his favourite blends. He uses loose leaves in a teapot or a tea infuser. This way he avoids the plastic in many teabags and has a very good cup of tea.

4. LEMONS and LIMES. Zest and a fresh flavour hit for fish, salad dressing, Asian flavoured foods, pancakes, chutney and in bottles of water. I love the smell, flavour and versatility of these common citrus. They add luxury to everything! And vitamin C.

5. FRESH AIR and SUNLIGHT. In winter the light comes right into the back of the house. It adds warmth and brightness. First thing in the morning, while the coffee machine warms up, I go around and open the shutters. I also open doors to let the air circulate and freshen the house. Everything feels clean and lighter.

This one always finds the warm sunlit patches.

6. Retirement has brought the luxury of using TIME how I like, including lying in bed some mornings, reading, and going to activities such as painting, mahjong, yoga and bookclub during the day. I walk 12 000+ steps a day and used to do this mostly at night. Now I have the time to do two or three long walks a day. I still vacuum, shop, cook and tidy up, but not at a frantic pace. Being able to choose how I spend my time is luxurious!

Apart from being my brother’s birthday, yesterday was Caviar Day. True caviar comes from only a few types of sturgeon. So, celebrate with a bowl of caviar eaten from a mother of pearl spoon and enjoy its salty deliciousness.

Share this post

Reading, Making, Cooking and Growing

Share this post

HAPPY NEW YEAR ! I hope you all enjoy a happy and healthy New Year. I’m not big on new year resolutions as I soon forget them but I still aim to use less plastic ( a plan I worked on last year), establish some sort of routine so I get more done and tick off more travel plans. I admire those people who plan to cut out sugar, exercise more and meal plan, and wish them well, but I know from experience that’s not for me!

Exercise is obviously a popular resolution as my inbox is bulging with ads for athletic clothing, sports gear and offers from gyms. Since 2013 I’ve worn a Fitbit and do 12 000+ steps everyday and consider that my core exercise. I don’t need any lycra, but do need good shoes when I’m specifically walking, not just doing day to days things

READING

The days after Christmas, before the busyness of the New Year are such a great time to sit and relax and read. I’ve always admired Ines De La Fressange’s style of dressing and decorating and was very pleased when I was given “Maison Parisian Chic at Home”. These are real, lived in apartments, with typical Parisian parquetry flooring, and the marble fireplaces you’d expect, the high ceilings and the large windows with glimpses of wrought iron balconies outside, then inside, individual and slightly bohemian decors. These are not the stark, minimalist apartments of decorator magazines, these are charming and individual homes.

Accompanied by water colour paintings by Marin Montagut of the elements which contribute to each decor this is both an inspirational book and an intimate glimpse into life in Paris. It is available from Book Depository and if you buy from the side bar, I get a tiny commission!

“Unimagined ” by Imran Ahmad, my January book club book, is a memoir of his early life in Britain. His Muslim Pakistani family moved to Britain in the 60’s, seeking a better life. His parents prosper through determination and hard work and Ahmad relates his primary, secondary and tertiary educational experiences. His goal is to belong, to become the quintessential Englishman. He relates this journey well. This is a thought provoking and easily read book, but it was his philosophical dilemma between Islamic and Christian beliefs which I found really interesting.

MAKING

I bought this little wooden Village Scene set to make before Christmas but ran out of time, so opened it a few days later, painted the pieces and then put it together the next day when the both sides were dry. I used three paint colours; caramel snap, string and white cotton to create some contrast. The kit shows a snowy winter scene but it was 35 degrees celsius here today, so I’ve used pale, bleached paint colours.

My collection of little houses is made of tin, wood and ceramics. The white ceramic houses can hold tealight candles.

I think my housing estate is full, now!

COOKING

Two ham bones, two large pots and diced onion, carrot, celery and split yellow peas results in three big jars of soup. My mother gave me the clip top jars and they are so useful. It’s too hot here for hearty bowls of thick, luscious Pea and Ham soup so after they cooled, I put the jars in the freezer until it is cooler. Also made a large jar of very meaty chicken stock and froze that, too, for cooler weather eating.

GROWING

Masses of basil in the garden and it is starting to go to seed, so I’ve picked some to make pesto. This keeps in the fridge for about a month but we’ll eat it well before then!

I picked and washed about two cups of basil leaves, patted them dry then grated three quarters of a cup of sheep’s pecorino cheese. Most recipes recommend parmesan, but we really like the sharp taste of pecorino. I added about four dessert spoons of extra virgin olive oil, quarter of a cup of toasted pine nuts and two cloves of garlic, then processed it until it was well mixed and finely chopped.

Tastes wonderful! Commonly mixed with pasta but our favourite is Jamie’s chicken breast covered in pesto and wrapped in a strip of pastry and then roasted. Great hot or cold.

The 4th of January is World Braille Day highlighting the importance of producing materials in Braille for blind people. In Braille, letters and numbers are represented in a series of six dots paired up in 3 rows.

Incredibly, Braille books must stay in the country where they are published due to restrictive international copyright laws. The Marrakesh Treaty, intended to make distribution easier, if it becomes law, will change this situation

Share this post

Making, Cooking, Growing and Reading

Share this post

MAKING These little muslin jam making bags hold the peel and pips of oranges, lemons, grapefruit and kumquats for jam making. Citrus fruit is low in pectin and the pips and skin are high, so including the bag of pips and some skin while the fruit cooks disperses the pectin, which is the setting agent.

These little bags are so easy to make. I cut a rectangle of washed and ironed muslin and sewed a hem along one of the longer edges.

Then I stitched the two open sides together, using zigzag stitch as the weave of the muslin is very loose.

Turned the bag inside out and sewed the two edges again in normal straight stitch. Then stitched cotton ties on the top seam and it’s done. A perfect pectin bag!

COOKING Soaked over a kilo of mixed fruit in sherry and brandy for about six weeks in preparation for the Christmas Cakes.

The first part of making the cakes is to line the cake tins with brown paper and then baking parchment paper. I hold it all together with pegs.

Next all the ingredients are mixed in a big bowl.

Each family member stirred the mixture and made a wish, then I poured it into the tins and decorated the top with almonds and cherries. I used to ice the cakes but not anymore. They cooked for nearly five hours and smelt wonderful the whole time.

GROWING I picked this pretty pink geranium from a friend’s garden to paint. I liked the colour so much I broke a piece off and planted it.

It’s growing well!

READING “Frieda, The Original Lady Chatterley”, Annabel Abb’s carefully researched but partly fictional account of D.H.Lawrence’s muse and wife was a fascinating snapshot of women’s rights and opportunities during the first half of the 20th century. Frieda, a German baroness by birth, marries an English professor of linguistics and moves to Nottingham, an industrial city with strict behavioural expectations which stifled her. She adores her children but feels suffocated by her marriage and lack of intellectual and sexual stimulation and sets out to achieve more.

( The book has a different cover overseas.) Frieda pays a dreadful price for her freedom. She loses contact with her three children until they are adults and lives within a toxic and erratic marriage with Lawrence. Frieda was a woman who refused to conform and was determined to be wholly her own person. A great read.

Also read Arundhati Roy’s “Ministry of Utmost Happiness”. I bought it because I’d really enjoyed her previous book, “The God of Small Things” but I found her new book so long and so distressing I struggled to stay engaged. Her wide ranging collection of characters and locales plus the constant and graphically described violence, all based on historical events, was finally too much for me. No utmost happiness for me!

The 7th of December is Pearl Harbour Remembrance Day. On the 7th of December the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour, the Headquarters of the United States Pacific Fleet in the Hawaiian Island. This attack caused America to enter WW2.

The Japanese also attacked Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore the Dutch East Indies, the Philipines and the International Settlement in Shanghai at the same time, although the date on the other side of the international dateline was December the eighth.

Share this post

How To Make A Rustic Ivy Wreath

Share this post

Time to pull the ivy out of the street tree and cut it off to the ground. Can’t totally remove it as it makes good ground cover on the verge. It is tough and green and survives with irregular watering.

The ivy, planted as ground cover, has spread up the verge tree and needs cutting and pulling out of the tree. Dusty work and frequent showers of bark when we pulled out the long, cut off pieces of ivy.

I made a pile of the thinnest most pliable lengths of ivy to use to make the wreath. The pieces need to be “strappy” so they can be formed into a circle.

Stripped the leaves from the long pieces of ivy.

Make a circle with a long piece, joining and twisting any extra length into the circle. Hold the end in place with a peg. Take another piece, tuck the end between the two pieces and then weave it in and out around the circle, tucking the end between the original pieces and holding it with a peg. It becomes stronger and more secure as more pieces are added and the pegs can be removed.

The wreath becomes a more regular shape as more pieces are woven into place. The wreath can be as thick or thin as desired but about eight long pieces are needed to make a sturdy base.

When the wreath is strong, add pieces of ivy without stripping the leaves. Start by holding the piece in the middle and weave it one way up to the end, tuck it between base pieces then twist the other half going the other way, tucking that end in, too. Just keep adding pieces until you are happy with the look of your wreath.

Keep adding lengths until the wreath looks finished.

At this stage you can hang it or add more elements to the leaves, such as baubles or bows if you want a Christmas theme. The leaves will droop and die in five days in Western Australia’s heat. Then the leaves can be pulled off or the pieces with leaves can be unraveled back to the bare wreath to add other decorations.

Leave some pieces unwoven and hanging for a really rustic looking wreath.

The hanger which I add at the end is a bent piece of craft wire. I hook it over several pieces of the wreath then squeeze the ends in to make the hanger secure.

This creates a secure way to hang the wreath. Usually it is covered by the ivy leaves.

After I’d removed the leafy ivy strands I twisted fairy lights around the wreath. They look very pretty.

The bare wreath can be stored for using later and added to if you want a sturdier circle. Just lay it flat until you need it again.

Today is EVALUATE YOUR LIFE DAY. Is it time to step back and look at your life? Are you happy, healthy and achieving your goals? Today is the day to evaluate your progress and make new plans.

Share this post

The Amazing West Australian Wildflower Season

Share this post

Western Australia’s wildflowers are amazing. It has the biggest collection of wildflowers in the world. Of more than 12000 species, 60% are endemic to Western Australia.

The wildflower season, which attracts an enormous number of tourists, begins in June and ends almost six months later.

Heavy rainfall this winter has resulted in a bumper season.

Golden Wattle. Australia officially celebrates National Wattle Day on the first of September. Wattle is our national floral emblem and has been in our Commonwealth Coat of Arms since 1912. It also features in the Order of Australia medal.

Wattle has fluffy flower balls ranging in colour from cream through to deep golden yellow. The bushes regenerate quickly after fires, are drought tolerant and attract bees.

The original Kangaroo Paw, the others below, in various colours, have been hybridised as landscaping flowers. Kangaroo Paw is the common name for a number of species although this one is endemic to the south west of Western Australia

This is the rare and amazing flower Wreath Leschenaultia. They are exquisite rings which only grow on disturbed gravel ground. These hard to find flowers are in abundance this year and are very beautiful.

Eucalyptus leaves. So pretty and fashionable in floral arrangements. In some species only the juvenile leaves are round in shape. As they mature the leaves become longer and thinner.

Eucalyptus trees dominate the Australian landscape from streetscapes, to parks, bush land and paddocks.

Eucalyptus or gumnuts.

The nut pops open and a beautiful flower appears.

Grevillea. This is a diverse genus of about 360 species which grow as ground cover, lower shrubs and some reach tree size. Grevilleas are hardy and requiring little water, they are now popular as landscaping plants.

Bottlebrush, endemic to Australia but has been widely cultivated and naturalised in other regions. The long, tubular flower is very attractive to wildlife, especially birds.

Everlastings, pretty bright yellow centered flowers which can be dark pink, pale pink and white and last for a long time. Known as everlasting or paper daisies, they make a stunning display in massed groups. They are particularly prolific this year because we have had a very wet winter.

This boab tree was brought down to Perth from the north-west. The trees are recognised for their large, swollen base. They are found in remote areas of the Kimberley, a northern region of W.A.

Banksias, named after Sir Joseph Banks who came to Australia on Captain Cook’s ship “Endeavour” in 1770, have long flower spikes and serrated leaves.

As the banksia flower ages, it dries and darkens, transforming into a grey, woody “cone”.

Geraldton Wax, a gorgeous tree with this pretty, waxy little flower. They last for a long time and flowers can be white, pale pink or purple.

This is a tiny selection of the wildflowers blooming now.

Today is the International Day of peace, begun in 1982 with the ringing of the Peace Bell at the United Nations Head Quarters in New York. Probably not a lot you can do to achieve world peace in one day but there is a lot you can do to have a peaceful day yourself. Enjoy it!

Share this post

Very Good Turkey Rissoles

Share this post

This week I made turkey rissoles. I’ve never bought minced turkey before so spent ages looking for a recipe incorporating the Asian flavours we like.

Like most rissoles recipes everything could be mixed in one bowl. I doubled the ingredients and made two lots of the mixture. The recipe used a 450gm packet of minced turkey, the packets I bought were 500gm (1lb)

TURKEY RISSOLES

based on a recipe from allrecipes.com.au

INGREDIENTS

500gm minced turkey
1/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 tablespoons minced spring onions
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce ( I use low salt)
1 tablespoon oil ( I use EVOO)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley to serve

METHOD

1. In a large bowl mix the turkey mince with breadcrumbs, egg, spring onion, garlic, ginger and soy sauce. Shape into 9 rissoles, or to your preferred size.

2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook on each side for 5 minutes, although I found they took longer. Garnish with parsley.

I used the pan scrapings to make a gravy, added some seasoning and when I re-heated it, a generous splash of white wine.

The double mixture made 18 meatballs which resulted in two meals for my family of three.

It’s been cold and wet here for a few days so I made a tray of roasted potato, kumara (sweet potato), carrot and red onion sprinkled with fresh rosemary.

The aroma coming the oven while the vegetables and especially the rosemary were roasting was very tempting. Next time I’ll add more rosemary as it was lovely with everything.

I divided the cooked patties in half and heated one lot and put the other half in the fridge. While the patties were heating I steamed some broccoli and reheated the gravy adding some seasoning and served the roasted potato, kumara, red onion and carrot and steamed broccoli in the bowls and then added the patties and poured on the gravy.

This was a delicious dinner, especially on a cold and wet night.

A kilo (2lb) of turkey mince makes two meals for three people. I made 18 meatballs, more than suggested in the recipe, but I used more turkey mince, too, as I bought two 500gm (1lb) packages. I doubled up on all of the other ingredients and the mixture was a good consistency.

The second meal was the remaining patties heated and served in sandwich press toasted rolls spread with sriracha mayonnaise, some cos lettuce leaves and snow peas out of the garden, all accompanied by a little bowl of Asian dipping sauce. It was very good and I’ll be making it again.

UPDATE. No minced turkey available this week so I bought minced chicken and the rissoles are really tasty. Again I made a double mixture (1kg or 2lbs minced meat) and will serve the ones in a basil tomato sauce (left) with pasta and snap peas out of the garden and the second lot (right) I made a gravy from pan scrapings, cornflour, some chicken stock and water then poured it over the rissoles and I will serve these with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Tomorrow is Milk Chocolate Day. Milk Chocolate is a mix of cocoa solids and either dried milk or condensed milk. Chocolate has mood enhancing benefits due to a stimulant, theobromine and a compound called anandamide. Good reasons to enjoy some chocolate today!

Share this post

Here and Now

Share this post

Today I am joining the Here and Now link up with Sarah from Say! Little Hen. I really enjoy her blog and have discovered some other blogs I really like reading, too, through the link up.

LOVING// The newly pruned roses are already showing regrowth, so spring is coming! The arum lilies are lush and blooming, too. I know they’re classified as weeds in Australia but I love the shape and contrast of striking green and pure white. I have done some water colour paintings of them over the years.

EATING// I make a loaf of sourdough bread every few days. I like the rustic, imperfect shape and it tastes so good.

DRINKING// Although I’m careful about how many coffees I have each day, I start every day with a double espresso.

FEELING// Surprised at how quickly my retirement date has arrived. I officially retire tomorrow after 41 years as a teacher with the Department of Education. A difficult decision but now I’m filled with plans for traveling, craft and gardening and so many other things.

THINKING// How interesting it is to be home at this time of the year and see how the sun reaches into the house and warms the tiled floor.

DREAMING// Spring in the garden. We’re re-doing a garden bed which has always struggled. So, new soil and then I can plant out the cream clivias I have grown from seeds.

Did you know today is Emoji Day? Emojis have become fully fledged animated faces and symbols. These textual expressions evolved from early Japanese phones which then captivated the world market. Emoji is E, Japanese for a picture and MOJI, for a character. Once only on phones, emojis are now found on every device. Have fun with emojis today!

Share this post

The Big Cookup

Share this post

I started the process to make sourdough today but it’s a long business. This involves re-activating the “mother”, the starter, by feeding it some flour and water and leaving it until it froths and bubbles. While that was happening I began making pasties.

To make very easy pasties brown two medium onions then add one kilo (2lb) of grass fed lean mince and break it up and brown that, too. Add a one kilo (2lb) bag of diced frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and mix the meat and vegetables. When it’s all cooked add vegetable stock or water to just cover the meat and vegetables and let it cook until the vegetables are ready, then thicken it with plain flour and water and let it cook for 5 minutes. I add some salt and ground pepper and cook it for about 10 minutes longer before turning off the heat and leaving it to cool. Most of the liquid should be cooked off by now. I forgot to take a photo of this stage and also of cutting bread and butter plate sized circles from bought sheets of pastry, putting filling in the middle and folding the ends and then the top and pinching the top seam. Brush with milk wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown. No photos, sorry!

While the filling was cooking for the pasties I made a pasta sauce browning a chopped onion and then adding and browning 500gm (1 lb) grass fed lean mince, then some more diced vegetables, a chopped tomato, some dried basil and a 500ml jar of passata and let it cook for about 45 minutes on low heat. Left it to cool before freezing.

Meanwhile I prepared this cinnamon and pear teacake. The pears sank into the mixture but it still tasted wonderful served with icecream and sprinkled with icing sugar.

I also prepared and cooked these Apple Rose Cakes and they look funny but they taste very good! These are my first attempt and I slowly got the hang of placing the apple and rolling the pastry.

I’ll make these again as they were very popular.

These pasties smelt wonderful cooking and we’re really looking forward to eating them.

By now the “mother” was ready and I began the sourdough. It is still doubling in size and I will cook it in the morning.

Freezing the surplus pastie filling as I ran out of pastry and froze the pasta sauce to use later. The freezer is almost full so I transferred the filling and sauce into ziplock bags so I can stack them.

The dough had more than doubled in size by morning so I shaped it and put it to cook in a Dutch Oven. The surface looks funny because it expanded so much during the night it stuck to the cling wrap.

The dough has rested again and it’s time to put it in the oven to cook.

Slashed and ready to bake.

Beautiful sourdough, always worth the effort.

Today is Camera Day. Instead of putting film in your camera, taking your photos, taking them in to be developed and then possibly discarding some of the processed photographs which you don’t like, now you can aim and click, then review and discard or keep. Do you print your photos or just share on social media?

Share this post

Growing Mushrooms, Some Garden Repairs and Scrumptious Shortbread

Share this post

GROWING MUSHROOMS

Do you love mushrooms? I’m the only one in my family who eats mushrooms and decided to try a boxed “Mushroom Farm”. Followed the instructions and misted the box everyday and waited.

Fifteen days later the first mushroom appeared!

Closely followed by some more.

Weighed the two crops I got and found I’d grown 156 g of mushrooms. What a flop! I could buy 1.5kg of mushrooms from the grocery shop for the $15.00 I paid for the mushroom farm. There was no second crop so the whole lot went into the garden as soil improver.

GARDEN REPAIRS

This gap between two lots of paving was cracked and some of the old pebbles were becoming loose. I dug out the old pebbles and concrete. The channel shows our grey, hopeless beach sand which needs the constant addition of nutrients

Mixed a bucket of quick set concrete using a recycled bucket from the local deli; it used to hold olives. Mixed it with a stick and poured it into the channel.

Smoothed it out and collected the pebbles I had cleaned and could re-use and included some new ones, too, partially burying the pebbles in the concrete.

The job is nearly finished. I hadn’t cleaned the pebbles with a wet rag when I took this photo. Two days later it has set well and is now clean.

SCRUMPTIOUS SHORTBREAD

I have a friend who often talked about the scrumptious shortbread her mother’s cousin, Nancy, used to bring when she was visiting. Nancy is a close friend of my mother’s and I was delighted to be given her recipe and couldn’t wait to try it. I’m glad I did as it is very, very good.

Cream 7 oz of butter with 3 oz of caster sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence. I discovered my electronic scales can be used in metric and imperial settings which was very helpful. Add 9 oz of plain flour sifted with 2 oz of rice flour. Mix and roll into a ball. I pressed it into a glass tray, rolling the top flat with a small rolling pin.

Cut finger shapes into the dough and prick with a fork then put it in the fridge for an hour.

Bake at 140 C fan forced for 45 minutes then leave it to cool. I ran a knife along the existing cutlines and that made it easy to get the fingers out when the shortbread was cool. This is good shortbread, tasty with a light texture.

Today is PINK DAY. Pink didn’t describe a colour until the 17th century. Before that, pink meant to create a perforated or punched pattern (think pinking shears) Pink, the colour, was previously known as rosy or pale red and remains the colour of romance. I hope you are in the pink of good health.

To celebrate I’ve bought some black and pink, not black and red, journals which are awaiting covers and marbled lining papers.

Share this post