Eating, Reading and Decorating

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EATING

We went to the Farmers’ Market in Albany and bought these three small cabbages, a red cabbage, a savoy cabbage and a Chinese cabbage. They were very attractive.

I cooked the red cabbage in butter drizzled with apple cider vinegar. Crisp, crunchy and very tasty. Served with meatballs in a thick, garlicky tomato sauce. Delicious. I cooked the Chinese cabbage much the same way after I’d cut it in half longways and removed the very small core.

Removed the core from the miniature savoy cabbage and cooked it in olive oil with a splash of apple cider vinegar towards the end. I added it to leftover roasted pumpkin and sliced chicken breast to make a light lunch. The flavour of these small cabbages is very strong.

MORE EATING

Then on the weekend we ate at ANGEL’S HOUSE in Essex Street in Fremantle, run by Jeremy and Anthony Blanchet. We have eaten at Jeremy’s restaurants before and were always delighted at the food and presentation. The restaurant is located in a 1880’s heritage house and is fresh and modern. We were keen to try Angel’s House as soon as it opened. We were not disappointed.

Photo used with permission.

This French Bistro offers a small but perfect menu featuring classic French bistro food and both Australian and French wines. ( There is a new menu starting today, reflecting seasonal change) The dishes are beautifully prepared and presented and the wine list is varied and very good.

To begin we had French Onion Soup with Emmantal and Croutons and Salmon Gravlax with Celery Remoulade and Brioche Both were delicious. Followed up with Boeuf Bourguinon on Creamy Polenta and the amazing Cassoulet Toulousain. These were both hearty, traditionally prepared dishes, full of flavour and substance. Warm, tasty and delicious on a cold and windy day. Our lunch dishes were perfectly matched with Zarephath Pinot Noir and Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône.

Photo used with permission.

We ending this very satisfactory lunch with Poached Pear with Walnut Candy and Chantilly Creme and a Creme Brulée with Mandarin Confiture. My double espresso, the perfect way to finish a meal, was perfect! This is a gem of a restaurant. Highly recommended.

READING

So while we’re on a French theme, let me tell you about this gorgeous French magazine, My French Country Home.

This fabulous magazine about living in France is the work of the well known French based author and blogger, Sharon Santoni (here) and her team. I have read digital editions of the magazine and looked at subscribing but the postal charges to send it to Australian were a bit fierce! Then I asked my local library to subscribe and I get to enjoy the hard copy now. And I really, really enjoy it.

During this time when we have hard borders in Western Australia the magazine is a lovely glimpse into life outside our shores. The photographs are gorgeous, the stories engaging and the insight into life in France enticing. Now I just have to find an affordable way to have her divine seasonal French boxes delivered!

DECORATING

These pretty flowers are from the bok choy. It has gone to seed! So pretty, so I put them in a vase.

Some years ago I saw this mirror for sale in the eastern States. The cost, plus secure shipping, made it very expensive. I often thought about how much I liked it with is intricate, classic Chinese lacquer work. Then I was looking at an overseas decorator’s blog and saw it again. And really wanted it! Searched online for a few days and found it again, for sale, in the Eastern States.

Inspired by Chinese pagodas, it is carved from mahogany to look like faux bamboo and finished in a gloss black lacquer. It is heavy and large and joins three other mirrors in this room!

Ordered it at the beginning of the CV-19 crisis in Australia. Supply of so many things was disrupted so it took months to arrive. Now it hangs in our sitting room along with other Chinese influenced furniture and other decorator pieces, reflecting the years we lived in China. I love it!

Did you know September 1st was Letter Writing Day? Sending someone a letter takes effort. You need a pen, some paper and envelope and stamp and usually have to leave the house to post it. It takes days or even weeks to arrive at its destination. You consider the content more carefully than an email or quick text.

Letter writing was once the most common means of global communication. Apparently, the benefits of writing a letter include making the recipient happy, promoting mindfulness as you focus and consider what you write and generating self reflection. Time to write someone a letter?

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Everyday August Activities and Two Book Reviews

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August brings change as we move from winter towards spring in September, although there are few signs yet! We are experiencing very cold weather but I notice new growth in the garden.The days are already a little longer; it is lighter earlier and sunset is later. Time to finish pruning the roses and transplanting one which becomes overwhelmed every year by it’s huge neighbours. And I am watching the self seeded tomato closely, hoping the green tomatoes will turn red.

AUGUST FOOD

Winter eating! We like to shop for fruit and vegetables at a green grocer we’ve been going to for a long time. Lots of fresh produce to be eaten raw (apples, tomatoes and mandarins), roasted (sweet potato, butternut pumpkin, Dutch carrots) and steamed ( cabbage and broccoli) The limes and lemons are used mostly on fish. The clips around the fruit bowl are used to seal the top of bags, they aren’t for eating!

After a happy break from bread making I am back making my own sourdough. I have had to use the ‘proving’ setting on the oven to get the starter and then the dough to rise as it is very cold now. Well, cold for Western Australia! This homemade bread is simply made from sourdough starter, flour, water, a little olive oil and salt. It takes nearly two days from waking the starter to eating the cooled bread and is worth the effort.

Lunch for my mother. She has been staying for a few days to go to a specialist doctor’s appointment. She grew the lettuce. I added cheese, cucumber, ratatouille, mushrooms, hommus and crackers.

My husband has become a regular customer of a nearby bakery along with many, many other keen bread eaters, too. He loves their white loaf, thickly buttered and even more thickly covered in honey or marmalade. It is very good bread, but I prefer sourdough! Bread from this bakery comes wrapped in tissue paper.

WINTER ROAD RE-SURFACING

We went to look at this local road which has been re-surfaced with asphalt made from sustainable and recycled materials. The asphalt is made from more than 125 tonne of recycled materials including over 30 000 glass bottles, 50 000 plastic bottles and tyres and recycled asphalt. This has resulted in a durable and long lasting road surface considered to be equal to traditional road surfaces. This is the first recycled material surface in our area and only the second in Western Australia. This is a good way to use rubbish!

WINTER FLOWERS

I don’t remember another winter when the roses have flowered for so long or been so beautiful. I have benefited from my Mother’s garden, a neighbour’s generosity and a few remaining blooms from my own garden. The table is covered in vases of flowers and I love it!

The bromeliad blooms are such gorgeous colours but they droop almost as soon as they are cut. I used green garden wire to attach the blooms to recycled chopsticks!

Most of the roses have been pruned but the few remaining ones will be done tomorrow. We have three rubbish bins; a general one, one for recycling and the best one, for someone who can’t make compost, a bin for green waste. I like the green waste bin to be really full when it is emptied every fortnight. We have lots of roses so pruning is spread over two bin emptying days!

WINTER READING

I’m not really interested in magazines about clothes and celebrities or reality TV stars, but I love decorator magazines! I enjoy seeing how people live, how they integrate old and new but mostly, how they make their houses their own, how they show their interests and what they like to have around them.

So, when I picked up this decorator book by Tara Shaw, called SOUL OF THE HOME: Designing with Antiques, I was really interested. Then I read her comment about your house being your biography, a true reflection of your passions and interests. I really like individualistic houses, reflecting the owners. She says, ” Always feather your nest with things that are meaningful to you. You should be able to ‘read’ a great house just like a biography.”

This book is full of great houses and great ideas. Like so many books I read, and I read many, I borrowed it from the library.

The second book I’ve been reading is Michael Moseley’s FAST ASLEEP. I’m a MM fan after repairing my gut following his Clever Guts system from a book of the same name. It took a while but has been a great relief. Living with constant gut pain is very tiring.

Getting enough sleep is challenging at times. I have read about cognitive therapy recently to treat poor sleep but find this book far easier to follow. It includes information on diet, fasting, settling to sleep and how to ‘retrain’ yourself to get to sleep and stay asleep. All his ideas are backed by recent science. Still a work in progress for me but his system is easy to follow.

I’m not a fan of magazines in general but subscribe to lots of decorator magazines and country life magazines. Probably too many but I really enjoy them. My most recent haul of four magazines included two from the UK in paper or compostable wrappers. Good. The two Australian ones were delivered in plastic. Annoying, but I carefully slit the top and re-use the plastic but would prefer paper wrappers. The magazines from the UK always arrive safely.

This is National MISSING PERSONS WEEK in Australia. This program is organised by the Federal Police and aims to raise awareness about the significant number of people, particularly young people, who are reported missing every year. Of the approximately 35 000 people reported as missing each year in Australia, approximately 20 000 are under the age of 18.

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What’s in the Box, The Winter Garden, Mussels and a Book Review

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MATTRESS IN A BOX

We needed a new mattress and went to the bed shop to start looking at what was available. We’d done some online research and knew the level of support we’d prefer. The sales lady was lovely and showed us two suitable mattresses and we lay on both. They were very comfortable.

We went away to consider our options. Both mattresses recommended were expensive, but really about the price we’d expected from our research. Later that evening my husband was looking at information about the two recommended brands and came across a Choice ( consumer testing and recommendation publication) site which had assessed a range of Mattress in a Box products.

They rated very well. He looked at user reviews, most of which were very good, too. We started looking at what was available and decided we would try one! The obvious advantage was the price difference for a mattress with similar springs, latex, memory foam and other features. We’d been looking at the mattresses with bases costing $1800 and $2500. The boxed mattress delivered was a fifth of the cost of most expensive mattress.

The box finally arrived. We expected it to come within five days. We ordered 3rd of July, it arrived 24th of July after many, many texts and phone calls.

The compressed mattress is well protected and was clean and fresh. We rolled it out on the floor and left it to settle.

Wheezing and sighing, the mattress quickly decompressed and puffed up into a proper shape.

The literature which came with the mattress recommended leaving it 24 hours to fully expand. We have been unable to register the mattress to activate the warranty as the site doesn’t work. I’ll try scanning the Q code and see what happens.

After 24 hours it looked like a regular mattress. We re-used our previous base. The mattresses we looked at in the bed shop were pairs, that is a base and mattress.

The first tester is still assessing the comfort and suitability of the mattress. We will sleep on it tonight.

General Comments.

This is a very economical mattress by comparison but we could find no reviews from people who had slept on them for more than four years. We are happy to wait and see.

We ordered online and could only text the company representative. This became very frustrating as delivery was such a problem. Expected within days it actually took 21 days and that eventually involved daily texts and promises about delivery on Monday 13th, then Tuesday 14th, then “later in the week” so stayed at home Thursday and Friday. No mattress. Started texting again on Monday, then Tuesday 21st at which point we were sent a tracking number. The freight company didn’t recognise the number and it took A LOT of time and effort for them to find the box. It sat at their depot until Friday 24th July when it was delivered mid-morning. We were enormously inconvenienced by staying home waiting for delivery which failed to eventuate, day after day.

The mattresses we looked at in the bed shop were made in Australia. The mattress we bought gave no country of origin information online but is made in China.

CV-19 is very well controlled in Western Australia but we didn’t want to go into the bed shop and lie on mattresses. The pillows supplied were covered in protective sheets for our use but we’d rather avoid doing this again at this time.

THE WINTER GARDEN

The self seeded tomato was covered in flowers and I was very pleased to see some grow into fruit. I don’t know if they will mature into red tomatoes, but I have my fingers crossed.

The arum lily has begun to bloom, too. These are considered a weed in Western Australia but I really like the large, lush green leaves and the beautiful white bloom. I grow them in a garden bed where they can’t escape! I really like to cut them and bring them indoors, too, but also enjoy looking at them out of the window.

WINTER EATING: MUSSELS

Fresh and available here in winter, these are local Leeuwin Coast mussels. I prefer to eat them at home because I always make such a mess prising those tiny delicious morsels of meat from the shell. The little bowls of lemon scented water accompanying mussels in restaurants can’t compete with the mess I make enjoying my seasonal feast, so I eat them in the privacy of my own home!

I make simple sauces to enjoy with the mussels. This year I made a cooking broth from onion, garlic, tomato, white wine, parsley and tinned tomatoes.

Cook the mussels until the bivalve pops open. That means they are cooked. Discard any shells that don’t open, ladle some into a bowl, add a few slices of toasted sourdough ( or any other bread) and another sprinkle of parsley and enjoy.

The recipe is available here. https://www.google.co/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=delish+recipe+mussels+in+tomato+and+garlic

READING

I know botanical art is not of interest to everyone and hesitated to review this book which I enjoyed so much. Ellis Rowan was a successful, fearless and very talented artist who thrived during a period when most respected artist were male. She lived her life on her own terms and created accurate paintings of botanical subjects from many countries but particularly Australia. Her works are still recognised as accurate representations of Australia’s flora in the 1800s. Strong and determined, she succeeded against the odds.

Christine Norton-Evans book about the Australian botanical painter, Ellis Rowan called ELLIS ROWAN: A LIFE IN PICTURES is an amazing account of a remarkable botanical artist and her astounding 50 years of adventure and achievement. This resulted in more than 3 000 works now in private collections and the National Library.

Rowan traveled the world, painting and exploring, often alone, and becoming engaged in 1873 didn’t slow her down. She was known for her glamorous and immaculate grooming but mostly for her botanically accurate representations. Her works depict accurate plants and colours. She generally painted water colours but in later years also used oils.

Cluster fig (Ficus racemosa )

This is the story of an energetic, gifted and determined artist who thrived in a time when males dominated the artistic world. I bought it after reading a review and began flicking through, really enjoying the paintings but then went back and read it properly. It is a great read!

Plastic Free July RECYCLE/REDUCE/REUSE

The old mattress was picked up by a company who recycle all the components. It cost $50 and all work is done in a sheltered workshop. Check options online.

Coffee pods can be recycled by the company who manufactures them. Nespresso have their own collection points and other brands have similar arrangements. Look online for options near you. Percolators, plungers and cafeteria coffee makers (pots used on a hotplate) result in grounds which can be disposed of in the garden or bin.

Please let me know if you have any clever tips.

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How to Keep White Bed Linen White, Cooking, Growing and a Book Review

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I really like white bed linen. It always feels fresh and clean, both cool in summer and cocooning in winter. I buy white, cotton, good quality sheet sets. So far both sets we use have lasted over 12 years, although I have had to mend the lace edging on one set.

Love the embroidered bees on these white sheets.

This beautiful set of sheets needs occasional mending to maintain the lace edging. As a new puppy, Louis somehow got onto the bed and chewed about 30cm of the lace edging. He found it very satisfying, I didn’t find mending it very satisfying at all.

We also have a white quilt cover. I throw a cream wool blanket over the quilt cover during the day. The sunlight and the dog have slowly caused the cover to become more cream than white, despite the protective cover.

Time for a whitening treatment. I didn’t want to use bleach because the chlorine component in bleach reacts with protein stains and causes discolouring. Protein stains are typically sweat, blood, vomit, egg and other foods. The chlorine causes these stains to yellow. After lots of research I settled on using Borax. I bought some at the supermarket.

HOW TO WHITEN BED LINEN

I wiped the laundry trough to ensure it was clean. Then I dissolved ½ a cup of Borax in very hot water before adding the quilt cover. I used a copper stick to agitate the cover and returned to do this every now and then. After four hours I put the wrung out cover in the washing machine with a scoop of my usual washing machine powder and put it on a long, hot wash.

This is the copper stick or washing dolly. It was originally used to agitate washing in the copper, a big copper tub over a fire. Then the stick would be used to “hook” the washing out to put through the wringer/mangle to remove as much water as possible, before rinsing or hanging to dry. We didn’t have electricity until I was 12 and my mother relied on the copper to do the laundry. My copper stick is actually a cut down broom handle with the ends slightly rounded. I am surprised how often I use it to stir things soaking in the trough.

Borax from Woolworths 500gm $4.10. The tub has a list of instructions and cautions to follow when using this product.

When the cycle finished I hung the cover on the line. Line drying, if the weather permits, always smells fresher. I like ironed pillow cases and the decorative edges on the top sheet but didn’t bother ironing the cover. Back on the bed. White, fresh and crisp. Covered with a wool blanket to protect the cover from the wet weather dog. A good result.

This treatment would work equally well on stained white shirts, sporting uniforms, other bed linen, tea towels and bath towels. I wish I’d known how easy it is to restore stained white fabrics when I was washing and ironing so many business shirts and school shirts every week. I think almost anything white would respond well.

cooking

Last week I made slow cooker beef bourguignon as a way of using some tough pieces of steak. This week I found we still had three pieces of that tough steak which was not quite enough for two meals, so when I made it I added a tin of cannellini beans. They bulked up the stew and tasted very good. Perfect dinner for wet and windy nights.

growing

These are vegetables grown from scraps. When I cut off the end of the celery and bok choy to use them I put the bases in water until they developed roots and then planted them. They are growing well. Something else likes them, too, and has nibbled at the leaves of the bok choy. A neighbour simply puts the ends in soil and her celery plants are impressive. I’ll try this next time.

At least 13 years ago I planted the ends of spring onions in a pot and they have thrived ever since. I have a year round supply of spring onions just outside the laundry door. Spring onions are used frequently in Asian cooking, but I add then to so many things. A quick favourite is an omelette with eggs, spring onions and a grating of strong cheese. Add a chopped tomato if I’ve got one. Almost instant food.

Versatile spring onions.

And the first of the tulips.

reading

This is another library book I reserved during isolation and now it has arrived. It is wonderful to have access to the library again.

Anne Tyler writes about the ordinary, the everyday. She manages to portray those same characters with depth and compassion.

Micah never really understands or connects with any of his girlfriends, although at 44 he feels too old to call them girlfriends. He works, he occasionally visits his large, chaotic family but mostly he lives a simple life, following his own strict schedule. He’s puzzled by how things have turned out, but an encounter with an old girlfriend makes him think, then act. Love a happy ending!

A beautifully told story from this brilliant story teller. Really enjoyed it.

The title refers to Micah refusing to wear his glasses on his morning runs and mistaking an advertising sign on the footpath for a redhead at the side of the road. This hints at how he often sees things a bit differently.

The beginning of July marks PLASTIC FREE JULY. The tagline this year is CHOOSE TO REFUSE SINGLE USE PLASTIC. Lots more information at PLASTICFREEJULY.ORG. You are encouraged to avoid waste, protect the ocean and sign up to be part of the solution.

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The New Fridge and “Exciting Times”, a Book Review

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THE NEW FRIDGE DRAMA

Do you feel your electrical goods don’t last very long? I am convinced now that our electrical appliances are designed to stop working after about ten years. Why? When our oven was about eleven years old it stopped functioning. The electrician came and showed us the damage, quoted for replacement parts and then explained the oven was so old that new parts would take months to arrive. We use the oven almost every day and not having a working one for three months would be difficult.

The next problem was finding a double oven which would fit the existing cavity. We’d recently had the kitchen cupboard doors replaced and I didn’t want to have to get a carpenter to modify the oven space so we were limited to only a few models which would fit. We bought a stainless steel Smeg double oven and we have been very happy with it. The big issue for me was the stainless steel finish in my all white kitchen. I got used to it and eventually didn’t notice it every time I walked in there.

About eighteen months later the dishwasher also stopped working. This was during the early days of isolation and it was worrying having an appliance repair man come into the house. He arrived gloved and masked and after inspecting the machine, shared the news; our Bosch dishwasher had died.

His company was able to supply and install another dishwasher and remove the old one. We weren’t keen on shopping in a huge electrical shop so took his advice and bought the dishwasher he recommended, a Siemens. We are pleased with it but the only one available at the time had a stainless steel finish. Not my preferred finish but I felt we had a solution which meant we stayed isolated and had a functioning dishwasher.

Then a week ago we came inside from gardening. I turned the coffee machine on, my husband turned on his laptop. Coffee machine worked, no internet connection on his laptop. Modem not working. Investigating the meter box revealed we had a problem. Called the electrician. He diagnosed a dead fridge. It wasn’t the compressor or the fan belt and probably couldn’t be repaired and anyway, parts would take months to come. The fridge, despite looking very new and modern was actually about twelve years old.

So, Friday mid afternoon we go to a big electrical goods supplier as we have to find a fridge which will fit the existing cavity. The salesman wanted to know what we were looking for in a fridge, which I hadn’t given any thought, but told him the size was actually the most important factor. That limited us to very few options and we selected the one from a brand we knew. The salesman thought it was available in white and tapped away on his computer. Tap, tap, tap, yes, available in white, tap,tap, tap, delivery in ten weeks! Only stainless steel or graphite finish available now. We bought stainless steel. It matches the oven, dishwasher and hot plate.

We keep a lot of food in the freezer. We buy locally caught fish and prawns (shrimps) which are very affordable this year as the traditional export markets are limited. My husband buys big pieces of meat and butchers them to suit our needs. There was a lot of meat in the freezer. Luckily, a neighbour (we have great neighbours) offered us several shelves in her freezer.

The next afternoon the new fridge arrived. It was very difficult to get through the portico and front door to the kitchen. I was really impressed by the two young men and their determination, care and problem solving skills. Eventually the new fridge was in place, the old one was gone and my once white kitchen now has all stainless steel appliances. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

Relating this drama to my mother she referred to the fridge she has in the garage and the one in her kitchen, telling me they are really old! Both are over 30 years old and no problems. Fridge design didn’t change very much for years so despite their age, her fridges look fine and do the job well.

Pondering inbuilt obsolescence led me to Buy Me Once, a business promoting long lasting products. Tara Button created a website featuring products which do last. She considers

1. Do the materials used result in a durable product?

2. Do customers and independent reviews confirm the product’s longevity?

3. Is the product manufactured from ethically and sustainable materials?

4. Is exceptional aftercare offered?

5. Is the design timeless?

I like the concept of buying the best and buying less. Sometimes the best will have already proven its durability, such as an antique or second hand product and sometimes the brand is well established and recognised for its quality. As consumers we all have the power to buy thoughtfully.

More information, mainly focusing on UK products from www.buymeonce.com

Bought 38 years ago in still in frequent use.

EXCITING TIMES by Naoise Dolan A BOOK REVIEW

I hesitated to review this book as I was always told,”If you cant find anything nice to say don’t say anything at all”. The nice thing; this story is set in Hong Kong and I really enjoyed the author’s references to places I know well. Many of the streets, MTR stations and routes and even some restaurants were familiar and I enjoyed the nostalgic journey, but not much else.

This is a book about millennials. I know a few things about millennials; I grew one myself. He is thoughtful, funny, focused and hardworking, as are many of his cohort. The angst, self obsession, ennui and ability to ignore her core values in favour of free rent in a lovely flat (without the cockroaches in her paid accommodation) in exchange for sex and occasional company, seems at odds with our protagonist’s communist leanings and constant sneering at those who house, feed and entertain her.

Ava has finished university with a degree in English Literature and uses her “abortion” money to leave her home in Ireland to teach “rich children” English in Hong Kong. She doesn’t like them or the job but has no plans for the future. Ava actually scorns the job and her colleagues, scorns the children she teaches, scorns her sex partner but allows him to pay for everything. She is shallow and self obsessed.

This tale, a quick read, is full of clever quips about the use of language. These fill in the gaps between Ava leaving her rich, Oxford University educated male sex partner and going to her rich, Cambridge University educated female sex partner. Her parasitic behaviour was at odds with the irony and feminist views so important to our main character.

The author, Naoise Dolan , herself a graduate of Trinity College Dublin and Oxford University, obviously hated her university years and everyone she met. She has been compared to Sally Rooney, author of ‘Normal People’. This is another book I found frustrating but I must be out of sync with young readers. It has been made into a series of 12 episodes currently airing.

Finally, I headed to online reviews and discovered many readers who reacted the same way I did to this book. Reviewers don’t publish their age but I would like to know if this tale resonates more with young people. I could not recommend it.

Did you know?

June 10th marked the 99th birthday of Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, the Duke of Edinburgh. He is the longest serving consort in British history. Born to both Greek and Danish royalty he has been married to Queen Elizabeth 11 since 1947.

He is best known for the Duke of Edinburgh Award, developing competitive carriage driving and his sharp wit and occasional gaffe.

Many happy returns!

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Making, Cooking and Growing in Changing Times

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MAKING

Have you been busy crafting? There’s an amazing range of craft tutorials online and you can master so many useful and entertaining skills. I’ve been watching painting tutorials which have been very interesting but a bit intimidating, too. My favourite painting tutorials are from The Rijksmuseum. Search Youtube for a range of demonstrations. I was really inspired by the Botanical Painting demonstration, having just done a series of Asiatic Lily painings myself, nowhere near as detailed as those done on the Rijksmuseum video.

A friend said at Christmas time she and her group only exchange handmade gifts. I thought this sounded very smart until I realised my repertoire would only cover cooking and growing. Although I enjoying making biscuits (cookies) and presenting them in pretty boxes and growing plants for friends, I knew it was time to get some new ideas.

SEED PACKETS

My first effort is this set of seed packets. I printed the template from the Country Living site, then painted the pot and plant image using water colours. When the paint was dry I cut, folded and glued the packets. I’ll make sets of five or ten, I’m not sure, yet.

For templates and ideas for seed packets, try Pinterest or search online. Once you select a template is it easy to personalise the front with your own illustration and wording if this is what you’d like to do. Then print, cut and glue. Package with string or ribbon. Pretty and easy.

CANE CHAIR REPAIR and a NEW CUSHION COVER

My next project this week was not making gifts but re-covering a cushion on a cane chair in the family room. This is a very old but comfortable chair. My mother likes to sit on it with her coffee next to her on the sofa table. When I upended the chair to dust it I found pieces of cane unraveling and some nails sticking our. I also realised that when our dog was a puppy, not only did he like to lie under the chair and watch the world, he also teethed on one of the struts between the legs. Tiny little puppy teeth chewing was very evident. Luckily it has not effected the integrity of the chair.

The glued down cane needed masking tape to hold it in place while it dried. Usually I use clothes pegs to hold things in place until set, but the cane was too thick. It has stuck well. I also hammered in all the nails. Next I measured and cut a new cover for the cushion and two ties to attach it to the chair at the back.

The existing cushion cover had a coffee stain. I tried washing it but there was still a shadow of the stain. New cover required. To make the cushion cover I just cut a rectangle from white cotton fabric twice the size of the cushion and added seam allowances, then stitched up both long edges on the wrong side, trimmed and turned it the right way out. I made two ties from folded thin strips and turned them the right way out, which was a bit of a fiddle, then trimmed and ironed all the pieces. I was going to hand stitch across the top, then machine stitch where the ties were attached to make the join strong but ended up machine stitching across the top. I used a long stitch so I can easily unpick it to wash when necessary.

This chair gets a lots of use! It now looks fresh and plump and is very comfortable.

COOKING

I’ve been disappointed with the harvest from mushroom farms or blocks in the past. I bought a sample pack of mushrooms at a market before WA closed down and really liked the King Oyster Mushrooms. I began looking for a supplier of the grow blocks and found a commercial grower selling fresh mushrooms and grow blocks from a nearby suburb. Perfect!

Ordered a King Oyster Mushroom block and it was delivered that afternoon. It was a square plastic pack containing hardwood sawdust, wheat bran and soy bean husks inoculated with the spores. I put it in the fridge overnight to “cold shock” it to begin fruiting. I had already prepared a faux greenhouse by drilling many holes in a plastic storage box. I put the opened block slightly elevated on blocks in the greenhouse and misted it regularly using a water spray.

About seventeen days later I began harvesting really big, great tasting King Oyster Mushrooms. I cut the thick, firm, tasty stems to scallop sized pieces and chopped the tops into four. Then I simply cooked them in frothy butter until they are slightly coloured. I served them on just out of the oven buttered rye sourdough with Himalayan salt sprinkled on top and chopped parsley, too. Very, very good.

This mushroom kit has been a great success. I have harvested around 750gm of King Oyster Mushrooms and there’s probably about the same amount developing in the block for future picking….and eating.

Fresh citrus everywhere, so made little shortbread biscuits flavoured with lemon zest.

And made some jars of grapefruit, lemon and kumquat marmalade in the microwave. The shortbread biscuits are shared with the lady who gave me lemons and there’s a jar of marmalade for the lady who gave me the grapefruit. The neighbour who lets me pick her kumquats doesn’t eat then at all! We live in an old suburb with well established citrus trees. We have a lime tree and luckily, the neighbours share their bounty of lemons, kumquats and grapefruit.

For some years now I have been making our sourdough loaf in a Pyrex rectangular baking dish as it results in predictable sized slices, but made yesterday’s loaf in a dutch oven. Love the rustic, irregular loaf, ate some with the mushrooms.

GROWING

Have you joined the kitchen scrap growing movement? A few weeks ago I planted a celery end which is growing well, and then I planted five bok choy ends, too, and they are growing impressively. Have five more bok choy ends in a bowl of water waiting for roots to appear to ensure fresh veg over a few weeks. Very exciting.

This healthy tomato plant self seeded and I am hoping it will grow tomatoes but it may be too cold now. Love a self seeding edible plant as opposed to the many, many self seeding weeds I have to deal with all the time.

Also planted more silverbeet, more lavender and a yellow nasturtium. The yellow is my husband’s favourite but seem to have stopped self seeding, as did the red one, my favourite. We’ll have masses of orange ones, though. My mother grew the yellow one for us. Also planted hollyhock seeds collected by her and a canna tuber, too.

The bromeliad is blooming. The pink, mauve and purple colours really pop against the mostly green winter garden.

and LOOKING

Monet’s garden in Giverny opens soon but we wont be there! The spring garden is gorgeous. If you’d like information and a virtual tour, copy and paste http://www.fondation-monet.com

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 5th JUNE

“The food we eat, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the climate that makes our planet habitable all come from nature.” This is the opening statement defining World Environment Day.

Biodiversity is the theme for 2020. This involves 8 million plants and animal species, their ecosystems and the genetic diversity within them.

As always, the aim is to highlight how we are damaging the environment and to celebrate the achievements each year. For more information, inspiring stories and plans for action visit https://www.worldenvironmentday.global/

https://www.countryliving.com/diy-crafts/how-to/g1035/easy-paper-craft-projects/?slide=5

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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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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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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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On Becoming Empty Nesters, Cooking, Summer Garden and Reading

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ON BECOMING EMPTY NESTERS

Like the Obamas, we have just become “empty nesters”. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, (Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your life In Focus) Michelle Obama, as a new empty nester, talks about the energy she can now direct to her other interests and how she can focus on her husband.” It’s just him and me and Bo and Sunny. ( the dogs) They don’t talk…the dogs.”

silhouette photo of grass field

Your life changes when the children have gone. Some friends have expressed sadness and a loss of purpose, but more often women talk about having time and fewer distractions so able to follow their own interests, re-newing interests with their husbands or developing new interests.

This is an exciting time for many women who have juggled motherhood, home duties, working and being a wife. Many find it relaxing and invigorating. Some friends commented on how the house stays tidy and there’s always milk in the fridge. Others enjoyed the more adult relationship they were having with their newly independent child.

assorted flowers in macro shot photography during daytime

The biggest, unexpected change for me is that I sleep better. Our son would wake at 5am on workdays, then come downstairs at about 6am and have breakfast then leave for work. He was always very quiet but I was aware of movement in the house. Now I sleep in and I’m loving it!

COOKING

Summer means crayfish (lobster), crabs, prawns, mussels and squid in Western Australia. It has been very hot today and I wanted to make something really easy for dinner. Enter Squid in Tomato Sauce!

Need a delicious and easy summer dinner? Gather 350gm of squid, an onion, a jar of herb and red wine pasta sauce, some dried and fresh basil and ground pepper.

Cook the diced onion in olive oil until soft. Meanwhile cut the squid tubes into rings. When the onion is soft, push it to one side of the pan and cook the squid for five minutes. Combine the onion and squid.

Pour the pasta sauce into the pan. Boil a kettle and swish out the jar with about a cup of hot water and add to the pan. ( Then use the rest of the hot water to scrub the cutting board.) Leave to simmer for about 20 minutes stirring regularly.

Serve with fresh basil on pasta or rice. A generous meal for two or for three with rice, pasta or steamed vegetables. Add another large squid tube and you have dinner for four.

Preparing the prawns for lunch tomorrow. Fabulous seafood in Western Australia.

ORANGE IN THE SUMMER GARDEN

The predominant colour in the summer garden is orange. These orange bulbs are haemanthus coccineus, usually called hemanthus. When the bulbs stop blooming, strappy green leaves appear. Apart from the bright orange flower they have a spotted stem.

The bulb lies dormant in the garden until mid February, then the top becomes green with a white rim and then this becomes orange and the flower appears.. A bulb about to flower is just to the left of the two flowers.

Gorgeous, cheerful day lilies. They don’t last long but more come all the time.

This chili plant has purple, mauve, red, orange and yellow fruit.

These cannas seem to bloom all year round.

READING

As usual, I’m mostly reading library books.

If you enjoyed Elizabeth Strout’s “Olive Ketteridge” and “Olive Again” I’m sure you’ll enjoy one of her older books, published in 2017, “Anything Is Possible”. Set in rural Illinois this is a story about growing up in a small country town and the relationships within families and the wider community. A good read.

Also reading at the moment “Cover to Cover” because I’d really like to learn about book binding and this is a very motivational book. I am looking for a tutor to show me how to stitch the signatures, bundles of pages, together then add the cover. I know what to do but like to see someone else demonstrate the process. Once I’ve seen it done, I can do it.

Enjoying Sophie Pester and Catherine Bruns, “Supercraft Christmas” because I saw it reviewed and knew I’d love the crafts featured. I plan to sew fabric gift bags much earlier this year to reduce the Christmas pressure. I will use their Advent Calendar bags as a pattern for printing the bags.

You know how they talk about Nigella’s television shows and cookbooks as “food porn”, well, I really like decorator porn! I’m currently reading “Be Your Own Decorator” by Susanna Salk. Not because I want to re-decorate (well, I probably do) but because I just like to look!

Pages and pages of beautiful rooms and not a sign of decluttering in any of them! These are the favourite rooms of 75 renown designers and most of them are gorgeous. Full of collections unique to each owner and all supported by the author’s advice and design tips plus lots of information about using colour. So interesting.

I have just read that wooden toothpicks were first patented on the 21st February 1928. Toothpicks are common in all cultures. Skulls of Neanderthals and Homo sapiens clearly show signs of teeth being picked clean.

Although picks made from wood remain most common, during the 17th century toothpicks were luxury items made of precious metals and decorated with precious gems. Plastic toothpicks have been available recently but wooden picks, often made of birch are still popular. Dentists recommend the plastic picks but prefer the little brushes. I would avoid single use plastic picks.

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