5 Covid-19 Occupations and Interests

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1. Slow Cooker Bread

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

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

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

Delicious!

2. Autumn in the Garden

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

Brushing against this spearmint scented lavender releases the loveliest smell.

The umbrella stand petunias continue to thrive.

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

3. Walking

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

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

4. Reading and Watching

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

5. ANZAC DAY

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

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

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

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

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

Trays of cooked and waiting to be cooked ANZAC biscuits.

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

ANZAC the acronym for AUSTRALIAN and NEW ZEALAND ARMY CORPS

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

EARTH DAY

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

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

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Here and Now

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

Loving

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

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

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

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

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

Eating

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

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

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

Drinking

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

clear glass of water selective focus photo

Feeling

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

Making

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

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

Thinking

black framed eyeglasses

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

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

Dreaming

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

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

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

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What Are You Reading, Watching and Doing?

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Apologies

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

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

Coco Chanel Photographs

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

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

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

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

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

And Also Sculptures By The Sea

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

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

A New Sphere For The Renovated Garden

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

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

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

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

It adds a bit of colour to this reduced collection.

Random Jobs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alternate Entertainments

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

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

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10 Distractions in Self Imposed Quarantine

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

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

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

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

1. Before/After in the Plastics Cupboard.

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

BEFORE

AFTER Accessible with frequently used small containers at the front.

2. At Home Dry Cleaning

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

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

3. Marbled Paper

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

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

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

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

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

4. Easter Tablescape.

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

5. Squared up Pictures and Mirrors

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

6. Immune Boosting Soup

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

7. Pretty Touches

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

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

8.Yum Cha For Sunday Lunch

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

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

Prawn Hargow with broccoli and pickled ginger.

9. Garden Jobs

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

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

10.Cupboard Cooking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Mushrooms, Repairs and Sculpture at Bathers Beach

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Researching Mushrooms

I’d like to grow my own mushrooms. I bought a kit a while back and was disappointed with the yield. Inspired by a book*, I set off to buy some inoculated substrate to make my own mushroom farm.

I was told about a local Saturday morning market where a variety of mushrooms were sold and some seemed to be growing in kits. Found the grower and had a good chat! He sells already inoculated pink oyster and white oyster kits. I bought a tray of pink and white oysters and some king mushrooms.

Research dictated I cook and eat them, one type at a time, but quite quickly as they’re fresh and it is still very hot in Perth. I’ll be back at the market for one of his oyster kits next week. My husband will be back for the German sausage with onions and mustard in a bun.

The long mushroom on the left is the king mushrooms aka Erygii the KIng (genus Pleurotus erygii) The other two are pink (Pleurotus djamor) and white oyster mushrooms.

This delicious plate of king mushrooms on buttered toast was a real surprise. The grower had said they’d taste a little like scallops and they do, cooked in butter and served on toast with a light sprinkling of Himalayan salt and fresh parsley.

Like the pink oyster mushrooms the white ones had a very delicate flavour. I am going to try growing the King Oyster mushrooms which have a distinctive flavour.( I have just discovered the kits are not available until it is cooler, maybe in May)

*MILKWOOD, Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar, Murdoch Books 2018

My Own Repair Shop

I watch a British program, The Repair Shop, on ABCtv every week day afternoon at the moment. Extremely talented crafts men and women repair and restore family treasures. The range of things which are repaired is amazing. Less landfill but mostly, these repaired pieces are of huge sentimental value to their owners.

My repairs are far more modest but I like maintaining the things we have in good shape. I wish I had paid more attention to my Father when he was working out in the shed as he seemed able to repair anything and had a huge stock of bits and pieces to do these jobs. He collected nails, screws, bolts, leather, rubber, glue, even bits of wire in various gauges plus useful bits of timber. The shed was a lovely place to poke around for a creative, crafty little girl.

So, this week I have re-glued the patch in my husband’s panama hat, originally intended to keep hair oil off the top of hats. He doesn’t use hair oil but I didn’t want to lose the patch. I gently peeled off the existing strip of glue, which had failed and squeezed another narrow stripe around the protective piece and held it back in place. Job done!

Collected my bag of glues and gently eased the old, spent glue from the patch.

Glued it and held it until it was secure.

My second job was repairing a hole in the kitchen floor tiles. Something had been dropped and chipped the porcelain. I cleaned the hole then over filled it with all purpose Polyfilla. Protected it with a faux witches hat while it cured! Later I saw Kirsten, the ceramics specialist on The Repair Shop, repairs ceramics with car/auto body compound, a flexible putty which dries to a strong mend. I’ll get some this week to try.

Next I sand papered it flush with the tile then painted it. I painted the repair with a layer of Dulux Antique USA , then I touched it up with some colours I mixed myself from sample pots. Now smooth and matching the surrounds and difficult for anyone else to see.

I know where the repairs is but it is hard to see….good!

The final repair was treating and re-painting a few rusty spots on an outside metal door frame. Firstly, a rust converter then two coats of paint to finish the job. Matching the white paint was the hardest bit as the existing white has discoloured with age. Took a couple of tries to get it right.

Sculpture at Bathers

This is the fourth event since 2013. The intention is to establish the presence of local sculptors and increase their opportunity to been seen and appreciated. There are 95 sculptors represented in this beach side exhibition.

Richie Kuhaupt Man of Steel

I can’t find the name of this very beautiful and textural sculpture which looked like an octopus. Swaying slightly in the sea breeze and the movement of people it was lovely to look at from the distance and close up.

Greg James Bolte and Co. These bronze Indian Runner Ducks are amusing.

A popular exhibition, it was difficult to see most of the pieces due to the number of people there, enjoying the works and the weather. The beach at this time of the year is an ideal setting for exhibitions, especially when the sea breeze comes in.

This is Bathers Beach in Fremantle. A beautiful stretch of beach easily accessed via public transport and private vehicles, there’s a lovely park nearby plus restaurants, coffee shops and bars. A very pleasant environment to visit the sculptures.

Later we meandered around Fremantle, enjoying the old buildings, the wharf and the ocean. A lovely afternoon.

Today is Friday 13th! Are you superstitious? Historically, the number 13 is considered unlucky, probably resulting from 13 people sitting down to the Last Supper. Actually, the Mayans considered it a very lucky number. Friday the 13th only happens once to three times a year. To be fearful of the number 13 is to experience triskaidekaphobia.

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How To Grow Stephanotis and Being Grateful

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GROWING STEPHANOTIS

This attractive vine with its leathery dark green leaves and pure white, highly aromatic flowers is a stephanotis vine. Also known as Madagascar jasmine, wax flower or Hawaiian wedding flower, it is native to Madagascar. It was traditionally used in bridal bouquets as the cluster of flowers hung down and smelled sweet.

It is a quick growing, climbing vine with fragrant, waxy star shaped white flower. It needs to be supported on a frame/trellis or fence. My friend has a vine growing through a magnolia tree. Both plants have thick green leaves and white blooms. It looks very pretty.

These are the seed pods. They are about the size of a large avocado. The pod will turn brown as it dries out, then split and release many seeds, each attached to white silky filaments, or propellers, which will spread them far and wide on the wind.

To Grow Stephanotis

I was given the brown seeds from a seed pod. I dug a trench about 2cm deep in seed raising mix, scattered the seeds in the trench then lightly covered them with more soil. I kept the pot moist as it was very hot here at the time. Within two weeks the first dichotyledon (two leaf) plants had appeared. Within three weeks all the seeds planted had germinated.

The seeds and seedlings need to be kept moist. They germinate in hot weather.

Three weeks later I transferred the seedlings to temporary pots ( yoghurt pots) to take to a friend who wanted to plant them along her fence. I have already planted more seeds and will pot them up to give to my Mother. She grows plants for fund raising stalls. The funds support the School Chaplain program in her parish.

Stephanotis plants like heat but not constant direct sunlight. They flower in summer. The flowers have a strong but attractive scent and once established, they are hardy and bloom freely. They need the support of a frame or fence.

In cooler climates stephanotis are grown inside as a house plant. They need to be near a window for light and warmth. Be careful not to over water the plant.

Other highly scented plants which will attract birds and bees and are blooming now are gardenias, lavenders and frangipanis.

Grateful

I’ve just come back inside from checking on some lavender seedlings I planted in the front courtyard. I’m glad I checked; the reticulation needs adjusting. While I was out there I looked down towards the highway. Two lanes moving, the other two lanes not. We live near several big private schools and the highway goes into the city, so the traffic can be awful early in the morning, then not so bad, then heavy again in the afternoon from 4-6pm. Looking at the cars I felt so grateful I didn’t have to edge along with them to work!

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Sunday, 8th March, we celebrate International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is #EachforEqual. The over riding view is an equal world is an enabled world. It is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

The Women’s Movement of the 70s strived for the same changes, but in Australia there is still not equal pay for equal work in all fields of employment. Consider female representation in parliaments and in company leadership. We have along way to go.

So, let’s celebrate the courage and determination of the women who have played a role in change but also be mindful of areas which are unfair and limiting our women and girls.

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Thoughts and Everyday Things

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In the past, I used to really enjoy linking to a blog which has gone in a different direction now. Reading that blog and the similar blogs which all linked up was really fun and interesting.

The headings I have used today in this blog are copied from Fiona’s blog “Stay Home Instead” but with some modifications so they are more closely matched to what’s happening in my life! I hope you enjoy these little snippets.

Looking Around the House

We’ve been down to my Mother’s in Australind, so returned with lovely things. These roses are from her garden. They are bravely holding up in this dreadful humidity and heat, but only just!

Also from her garden the sweetest, prettiest grapes. My husband had to climb up on the tank stand and them onto a retaining wall to snip these off the vine, but what a luscious bounty. We shared them amongst three people and my Mother had enough to do the same.

Also remnant fabrics. I have a friend who makes quilts for a charity so my family and friends often get me to pass on fabrics for her to make quilts.

On the Breakfast Plate

This delicious loaf of bread came home swathed in layers of white tissue paper. As a child our bread come home wrapped the same way. I usually eat fruit and yoghurt for breakfast but couldn’t resist the crust off this loaf. Added butter and Vegemite…wonderful.

red and white ceramic mug

An important part of breakfast every day is a double espresso.

On My Mind

Like everyone else, I am concerned about the coronavirus. We’re taking precautions but there seems to be so much we don’t know about the transmission, treatment and limiting the spread of it, so it’s on my mind. I am so glad our government has declared it a pandemic and is taking appropriate steps to limit the impact on all Australians.

On My Reading Pile

brown mushrooms

I really like mushrooms but I’m the only one in the family who eats them. I tried growing them last year using a boxed kit I bought. Not very impressive yield, so the kit became soil for a new, potted rose. (It is thriving)

I’d like to try again so have been reading Milkwood, Real skills for down-to-earth living, by Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar, as a guide. There’s five sections in the book; how to grow tomatoes and mushrooms, beekeeping, collecting and using seaweed and wild food. The mushroom section is easy to follow and very motivational. I’ve just been told this morning about a local farmers’ market where there’s a mushroom grower who sells inoculated substrate, so we’ll go hunting Saturday morning.

On My TV

This heading is a bit difficult as we aren’t watching much television at all. We watch The Repair Shop (ABCtv), the news and weather and The Little Drummer Girl on SBStv, but not much else. We have so many channels but we’re not really interested in most of the programs at the moment.

The Repair Shop is a fascinating program where artisans repair antique or special artifacts which are damaged. These very talented restorers repair everything from clocks, paintings, ceramics, textiles and furniture. Owners take their specials pieces to the Repair Shop and the craftmen and women show us the process of repairing and restoring their treasures. Intriguing stories and wonderful artifacts.

On The Menu This Week

I love reading about people who plan their menu for every week and shop based on those plans. I’ve tried to do it, I’ve printed off beautifully coloured planning sheets and I’ve shopped according to those plans. Something always happens and I’ve realized it just doesn’t work for me.

Salmon with Mediterranean Spices, cauliflower, broccoli and green beans plus a squeeze of lime and a grind of black pepper.

I hate wasting food and somehow everything gets eaten. I’d like to say I make double every time and freeze half, but I rarely do that, either. We tend to eat seasonal food and what is available dictates what we eat. The green grocer we go to has amazing fruit and vegetables and the rest just seems to happen.

So, the photo above shows our dinner last night!

A Chore I’m Not Looking Forward To This Week

After I’d photographed and written about removing or at least taming this bougainvillea the enormity of the task hit me and I’ve rung a gardener to do it, instead! It was carefully kept under control until some birds ate the middle section out of it and the top just shot away. It needs to go before it engulfs our house and the neighbour.

Sir John Tenniel, the principal political cartoonist for Punch magazine for over fifty years, died on February 25th, 1914. He was most famously known for illustrating both Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass.

Tenniel drew the 92 illustrations for the book, which were then engraved in wood and these woodblocks were then used as masters for the electrotype copies printed in the books.

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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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How to Clean A Chop/Stamp, Painting, Birthdays and Growing Ivy

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CHOP CLEANING

This has got nothing to do with meaty chops! Chops, in this case, are a Chinese stamp or signature. I have three. They are a remnant of living in China and now I use one of them to stamp my paintings and prints. The chop is pressed into the pot of ink and then stamped on paper.

The ink is also known as seal paste and is long lasting. It is usually handmade from natural materials; Artemisia Argyu, known as silvery woodworm plus castor oil and white clay. The vivid red colour is most common and often called “cinnabar” red as it is red with a tint of orange, like cinnabar. The paste or ink is best kept in a ceramic pot.

Over time the carved out characters on my stamps have become embedded with the red ink. I couldn’t find any online instructions on how to remove the sticky, thick red ink, so I experimented. I was hoping I’d regain the crisp clarity of a new stamp.

I began by wiping off what I could on paper towel. Then I scrubbed the area with diluted pure soap and hot water. Partial success, but not enough. Then I tried spraying on a little Isopropyl Alcohol and scrubbing again with a clean toothbrush. Success! Rinse, dry and ready to use.

PAINTING

My water colour class started on Monday and runs for eight weeks. I have been using this palette for nine years and was reluctant to clean it as I relied on the same colours time and time again. I bought some new tubes of paint and decided to start again, not with a clean slate, but with a clean palette! Here is the palette soaking in the trough in the laundry.

Three hours later, a lot of scrubbing and then a lot of cleaning in and around the trough and I have a clean palette. My painting bag is packed, ready to go.

BIRTHDAY

It is our son’s birthday this week. He is 33. He was 55cm long at birth and now he’s 194cm. I cannot believe how fast 33 years have gone! Usually we celebrate birthdays with yum cha, but considering the risk of corona virus, we decided to celebrate at home.

Our son wanted fettucine with a meat sauce. He made the dough but we all helped with the rest of the process.

We’re not sure how nonna would have done this by herself but it is worth the effort as this pasta is luscious!

While the fettucine was drying I made an Apple Ginger Birthday cake which is cooling next to the drying rack of fettucine. It is busy in the kitchen!

Dry and ready to cook.

Meanwhile I have made a rich meat sauce to serve with the fettucine. This sauce starts with onions and garlic then the mince and finally passata and tomatoes and chopped up vegetables. During the cooking process I add dried basil, a little sprinkle of cumin, some thyme and salt and pepper. I remove the two bay leaves before serving.

The Apple Ginger Birthday cake. When it was cool I iced it and decorated it with diagonally cut Ginger Thins finished off with a little circle of finely chopped crystallized ginger in the centre of the cake. It was very good.

GROWING IVY

I was a bit surprised to see pots of ivy for sale at the shopping centre. I have never considered buying ivy as I thought you just broke a piece off a plant you already had or asked someone else with a plant for a piece and got it growing. Apparently not.

The verge out the front is currently a bit of a mess but that’s because we have a verge collection next week, or a “bring our your dead”. This involves putting anything non vegetative that you no longer want on the verge and then the council truck picks it up. In the meantime, people cruise around looking at your discarded things and take what they want. Great recycling but why do they make such a mess? Carefully stacked and safely arranged things are in total disarray within hours.

Anyway, when the rejected goods have gone it will be time to replace some dead patches in the ivy under our street tree. The tree is obviously an attractive place to park in the heat of summer but the ivy doesn’t do so well being parked on, so it is time to replant.

To grow ivy cut off a tip piece (top of image above), strip the lower two or three leaves (second part of image above), place it in water (below).

Refresh the water once a week until you see little white roots shooting from the bottom of the stem, plant out and keep moist for a few days, then water every two days until the weather cools down. Voila! Free plants.

February 14th is Valentines Day, but unless you avoid shopping centres, don’t watch television or read the brochures in the letterbox, you already knew that! We don’t really celebrate the day although I’ve made a card and will make a cake in a heart shaped tin, because I always do and we’ll go out to dinner with friends because we arranged it a while ago.

Some water colour paper, folded, a cut up pink envelope to make the banner, a neoprene heart and some letters written using a Sharpie. Plus glue.

Plus a recycled envelope.

Completed with a gold sticker.

How do you celebrate Valentines Day?

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Bushfires, Reading and Summer Fruit

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Bush Fires in Australia

Raging, out of control bush fires have been incinerating parts of Australia for some weeks now. The consequence is loss of lives, loss of animals both wild and domesticated, loss of food crops and loss of homes and businesses.

According to Bjorn Lomborg, in The Weekend Australian, February 1-2, 2020 p1 “Australia is the world’s most fire prone continent. In 1900, 11 percent of its surface burned annually. These days, 5 percent of the country burns every year.” We need to review our fire management strategies.

Little comfort for those whose lives are in upheaval due to bush fires. Many charitable institutions immediately began collecting money to assist those effected. I am always a bit wary of these big charities as those at the top earn enormous incomes in this country, but was able to donate in a direct and immediate way, elsewhere.

Local farmers from Harvey, near where I grew up, were driving eleven truck loads of donated hay, plus clothes, blankets and nappies thousands of kilometres across the Nullabor to feed surviving stock. The co-ordinator, Ms Belinda Hall, speaking on ABC WA Country Hour 18/02/2020, said , “Some of the most generous donations came from farmers and communities devastated by the 2016 Waroona-Yarloop bush fires (in Western Australia) that destroyed 160 homes and killed two people.”

This was a long journey across Australia. The cost for diesel to fill up these trucks at every service station stop was $10 000. I was able to donate to a crowd funding site to help pay for the diesel and every cent went to this cause.

For an historical overview of fires in Australia, the impact on Australia and other countries and other information, visit this informative site https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-50951043

READING

As usual, I have been enjoying some library books. Unable to do many jobs in the garden due to the heat, I’ve focussed on garden design and gardens as seen by other people. I’ve already ordered this year’s tulip bulbs to remind me the weather will come and it will get cooler, ………….eventually.

The first of these books is “Gardens of Awe and Folly” by Viviane Swift, a whimsical and gorgeous record of gardens she knows well on several continents. She visits nine of her favourite gardens around the world and walks us through each, sharing the history, intention, management and individual charms of each. Her watercolour paintings highlighting the unique aspects of each garden created the most wonderful travel journal. Her depth of knowledge and passion for these gardens worldwide, was very inspiring. Loved this book!

The second book I’ve dipped into for ideas while I’m thinking about rejuvenating the garden was Adam Frost’s “How To Create Your Garden”. Suitable for smaller suburban gardens, his ideas and plans are easy to follow and to incorporate in your own space. There are three sections in the book, focusing firstly on designing, then building and finally enjoying the finished garden. Although this book is written by an English author, much of the information, especially in the design and build sections, could apply to gardens almost anywhere.

Also re-reading Graham Greene’s “The Quiet American” our bookclub book this month. First published in 1955 this novel is about the breakdown of French colonialism and the American involvement in the Vietnam War. This espionage thriller has all the elements of a ripping yarn; love and war, honesty and deception, betrayal and loyalty. I am really enjoying it and I enjoyed the film, featuring Michael Caine, too. We both like visiting Vietnam and a few years ago we stayed at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi where some of the scenes where filmed.

I had trouble photographing this book as the cover is totally unremarkable. I always consider the covers of books when I select them but this cover has nothing to recommend it!

My husband belongs to an all male bookclub. When the convener of this bookclub was interviewed on the ABC radio yesterday, the female presenter made much of the “men only” aspect of the bookclub. This made me think about the four bookclubs I have belonged to in the past 35 years which have been “all female” but this aspect was never an issue. I don’t think it was ever mentioned . Although we often met in houses, husbands were never present. The focus on “men only” felt like a double standard on the “oh so politically correct” ABC but I think the announcer was trying to be controversial.

The Children Act By Ian McEwan

Last year our bookclub read “The Children Act” and last night we watched the film. Released in 2018 and staring Emma Thompson, we watched it on Netflix and thought it was a good representation of the book. Confronting moral and humanist issues played out around the lives of the judge making these decisions and her husband. Great book and film.

SUMMER FRUIT

Plums, beautiful summer stone fruit, delicious fresh and plain. To easily pop out the seed, pierce at the top, where the stem was, with a sharp knife, slice around the circumference, twist each half in opposite directions and the stone is revealed and easy to remove. Works for other stone fruit, too.

Thinking about food, did you know 9th February is Pizza Day? Traditionally an Italian dish, immigration and the returning servicemen after WW2 saw an explosion in popularity America and to a lesser degree, worldwide. It’s a very easy day to celebrate!

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