Making, Cooking and Growing

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Isn’t spring wonderful after a long, cold and wet winter? Every season has features I look forward to but spring brings an explosion of colours and scents into gardens everywhere. Shrugging off coats and jumpers and boots feels so liberating yet I remember feeling excited when the change of season led me to wearing those boots!

Apart from clothing the other element that changes with the season is food. What is available, particularly fruit and vegetables, dictates what we eat as the temperature changes. Salads and other meals served cold appear often prompted by what’s available at the green grocer. Usually we go there with a few staples on the list but then allow the freshest, most attractive fruits and vegetables to dictate what we eat for the next week.

We go to green grocer which has been run by a family of Italian descent for jas long as I remember so we can buy sheep and goats milk cheeses and yoghurts, a selection of cold meats and some other items. I love their olives.

We couldn’t resist the first of the locally grown mangoes! Armed with a damp cloth we slurped our way through three. Pretty colour, great taste, a bit sticky.

making

TOMATO and CUCUMBER SALAD WITH MUSTARD and CRESS DRESSING

This week I was looking for a Lebanese cucumber to make a salad. I also bought tomatoes, but they’re always on the list! When we got home I washed, dried and diced the cucumber, tomatoes and three slices of red onion then mixed the vegetables with two heaped dessert spoons of bought mustard and dill dressing. I didn’t add any salt as it draws the juices out of the vegetables and makes the dressing watery. Into the fridge to chill for dinner. Served with a small sprinkling of salt and some grated pepper it was delicious!

BLOOD ORANGE SORBET

Blood oranges were also on display so I immediately knew I was going to makes sorbet. I put the icecream maker insert from the Kitchen Aid in the freezer overnight to chill. The next day I made the sugar syrup and put that into the freezer, too, until it was very cold. Washed seven blood oranges which resulted in two cups of juice, just the amount required to make the sorbet. Put the juice and sugar syrup into the chilled icecream maker and set it to stir for 12 minutes. Then we had blood orange sorbet!

BLOOD ORANGE CHOCOLATES

Meanwhile, I had sliced some of the peel from the blood oranges into thin strips after I’d scraped out the remaining pulp. I microwaved some 70% cocoa dark chocolate in a cup after I’d broken it into small pieces, checking every 15 seconds. When it was glossy and melted I tilted the cup and dipped the strips of peel, one at a time, into the molten chocolate. Then I left each strip to set on a sheet of baking paper. Of course, we had to taste one! There’s no point making something fiddly if it’s not great, is there? Very hard to stop at one each, but they needed to dry. I’ll be making theses citrus strips dipped in chocolate again!

The blood orange and chocolate strips look a bit gruesome but tasted WONDERFUL!

cooking

OVEN ROASTED MEATBALLS

Not everything I cooked this week was served cold. I made OVEN ROASTED MEATBALLS following a recipe from recipestineats.com. We like meatballs but I don’t like the splatter on the stovetop from frying them. Obviously I was attracted to a recipe where the meatballs are suspended over the tomato sauce made from tinned tomatoes, Italian herbs, onion, garlic and. Then it all went into the oven for about 25 minutes.

This recipe made two very generous sized meals for two people. Dinner one night was served with the Tomato and Cucumber salad in Mustard and Cress Dressing, a new favourite. The next time the meatballs appeared I served them with just picked and steamed snow peas and potato mash.

As usual, also made three loaves of rye sourdough. It takes three days to get the dough to the cooking stage but three loaves last a couple of weeks. While I’m feeding the starter I measure out the flour I’ll need later and set it aside.

Keep the flour in a plastic crate. I make three loaves at a time as it is a bit of a faff preparing the starter/sponge, then waiting for the dough to double in size , ready to cook.

growing

Using my newly sharpened hedge clippers I have reshaped a big rosemary bush. The way the blades cut through the woody bits and the soft regrowth without much effort is very satisfying. This particular rosemary bush was grown from a piece of my Mother’s bush and is very aromatic and strongly flavoured. She also propagated a bush for our son who felt the one he’d bought from the nursery wasn’t strongly flavoured nor really aromatic.

So as I almost effortlessly snipped off pieces of rosemary I collected the soft, new growth cuttings, stripped off the lower leaves and trimmed the growth off the top a little. Into water then on the end of the table which gets morning sun and soon little thread like roots will form and I’ll pot them up to share.

Beautiful spring weather, I hope you are enjoying the weather where ever you live!

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Living the Simple Life, Rubic Cubes, Packing and Dog Toys

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living the simple life

A week down south during the Margaret River Region Open Studios was great for seeing a huge range of artworks, but also interesting in other ways. Mostly, the artisans work from studios within or attached to their houses. So as well as hearing about their philosophies, motivations and work habits, you learn, in many cases, what makes their lives fulfilling and satisfying.

Image Upsplash

The artists we visited live in suburbia, on hilltops with nothing between the beach below and Antarctica, on small bush blocks and on working farms. Heavy winter rain means the southwest is lush and green with masses of arum lilies and many wild flowers beginning to bloom. This is a very beautiful area. ( The arum lilies are considered a weed and used to be sprayed every year but apparently not this year!)

The people I spoke to often referred to seeking simpler lives. My immediate image of the idealised simpler life is living on enough land to support chickens, a horse, a cow for milking and a large area for growing vegetables. This is not necessarily what everyone was seeking. Being without the constraints of traditional work hours, living in ‘off the grid’ houses, as often the usual services are not available, and reusing existing housing styled to suit their needs were common discussions. assorted-color paintbrush lot

Image Unsplash

Tending to vegetables and animals would eat into their working time, there’s amazing wild flowers in the bush, so why grow your own flowers, working digitally at times that suit their other interests provides sufficient income and there’s still small rural schools or school buses for their children if they’ve chosen to live out of town. These were people who had chosen to live simple lives by their own standards.

Many of the artists are tech savvy and you just swipe your card on a tiny machine to pay and a receipt pops up on your phone. Many of these people have taken what they really want to build simple, harmonious lives for themselves. They have created time to follow their artistic passions. Sometimes that’s creating amazing food, beautiful pieces of art, glorious gardens but only after they’ve had a surf !

This area is extremely diverse. There’s traditional farming, vineyards, breweries and distilleries, every imaginable type of accommodation, plus deer farming, olive oil production, patisseries and lavender products. There’s all sorts of little shops selling lovely things, views that stop you in your tracks and some of the most amazing houses. Plus lots of people living simple lives and achieving their artistic goals.

rubics cubes

Do you like this Rubics Cube birthday invitation?. The 3D puzzle cube was invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Emö Rubic. He intended it to teach his students about three dimensional squares. Clever invitation, clever puzzle.

traveling

In a previous covid free time we liked to travel. My husband’s work meant he was frequently overseas, so our son and I would travel to spent time with him during every school break. I must have sewn and embroidered this drawstring bag for stowing slippers very early on as I soon adopted far less grand ways of packing. Not so pretty but very efficient.

Laughed photographing these slippers as we are currently sleeping under a zebra print rug and I have a leopard print dressing gown.

These boubouche, bought in Paris nearly 20 years ago have been worn and worn but despite looking a bit misshapen, still fit well.

I actually ended up with quite a few pairs of slippers. It was often customary to remove our outdoor shoes and wear socks or slippers indoors. I wore slippers until about four years ago when I left work and wanted footwear to suit every situation, indoors or outdoors, including long walks. I began wearing Skechers most days and my collection of slippers live unworn on a shelf. Not in a pretty drawstring bag!

We spent last week in Margaret River and I briefly contemplated the embroidered drawstring slipper bag, just like I considered a tailored, wool coat. The slipper bag stayed home as did the wool coat. The puffer jacket which came with us is light, warm and doesn’t need dry cleaning. Unfortunately it makes me feel like the Michelin man, a warm Michelin man but a very well padded one, too.

The zebra

When we’re not using the zebra print rug, Louis, our groodle likes to claim it as his own. He likes to spent hours asleep partially under it, only rousing himself if anyone comes to the door or he can smell things cooking. Any food aromas require instant investigation.

Seeing a very cute zebra toy in the pet section I bought it for Louis. He tolerated it being on the rug with him but them ignored it. He is very fond of soft toys and his reaction was a bit puzzling. Zebra has been totally ignored since he and Louis were introduced. I think it’s because zebra doesn’t squeak! I watched him chew zebra’s body, legs and head and getting no reaction, ignored him.

Body doesn’t squeak, legs don’t squeak, lost interest.

Did you watch the royal funeral?

A magnificent display of pomp and ceremony and an appropriate farewell to a remarkable person..

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How To Reuse Hotel Soaps and Refreshing The Outdoor Areas

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recycling hotel soaps

When we were away recently I had to move my husband’s toilet bag and was surprised at its weight. Took it out to the table, tipped out the contents and started sorting through the jumble. The toilet bag was a gift from me 39 years ago and it seems it’s only been added to, nothing has ever been discarded. He working life involved frequent traveling and he’d collected things from all over the world.

Sorted the sewing kits, the razors, shoe shine kits, the combs and folded hairbrushes, the nail kits, the ear plugs and the bars of soap. Most things went into the bin, but as I was scooping up the twenty plus bars of soap I suddenly wondered if I could reuse them.

Using tiny bars of soap isn’t easy nor appealing, although the bars seemed to get bigger as the years went by. So after I’d amused myself identifying the country of origin from the packaging I put them into a bag and brought them home.

Searching online revealed lots of ways to use scraps of soap to make more soap. Put it off for a while as it seem a bit of a faff and soap is pretty cheap to buy. But I also put off throwing the soaps in the bin as it seemed very wasteful as we had so many! Eventually unwrapped them and settled into reusing or rebatching them.

Apparently, the soap needs to be grated, boiled, pressed into a mold. When I’d grated one tiny bar of soap and one fingernail I knew there had to be a quicker/better way. Chopped the bars roughly with a long blade, sharp knife then put them in the food processor. Most of the bars were powdery and ready to mix after being cut, so I sifted them and only processed the larger pieces.

Cooking the grated soap and water.

I could have added a sprinkle of dried lavender to the soap or some scented oil or colours, but the soap mix was really aromatic without any additions. Added water to the powder and left it for an hour or so, then cooked it on a low heat until it formed a ball. Pressed it into a silicone cake mold. Left it to harden over three days. Cut into bars.

Would I do this again? No. The resulting bars of soap are very highly scented, which we don’t like and it was a lot of work to save a few dollars. We haven’t traveled much during the past two years but I have noticed most accommodation now offer shower gel. (All those little plastic tubes!) I usually take our own soap, anyway. My husband dislikes gels and insists on soap.

By the way, the Hilton Hotel Group and it’s associated hotel chains collect all the used soaps from their rooms and send them to be sanitized and turned into bars of soap for the homeless and third world countries. Sensible.

preparing for spring

Really enjoyed wet, cold winter days, for a while, but the bulbs have germinated and I’m looking forward to spring. Still enjoying boots, jumpers and warm scarves but I’m preparing for more time outdoors.

So I’ve renovated some little chairs hanging on a wall which were showing signs of rust. I also resurfaced a terracotta pot which has a solar fountain floating in the middle. The idea of the pot was to provide water for the bees with a landing pad so they could be safe and rest for a while. Only ever seen a few bees at the water but see little birds perched there frequently.

Treated the rust on the chairs with rust retardant. The next day I set up a ‘spray box’ aka a big cardboard carton. I sprayed the back of the chairs, left them to dry, repeated over two days, spraying a different side each time. I used a spray designed to retard rust, too, but it isn’t perfect. Which is why they needed re-doing!

The next project was the terracotta bowl. I scraped off the existing paint then sanded the inner surface before applying two coats of terracotta sealer. The outer surface was still in good condition so I only sanded a few spots. When the sealer was dry, I spray painted the pot twice. Left it in the sun for a few days as the paint smell was very strong.

Ready to go but it is too overcast for the solar fountain to work!

super moon

Image Roger Purdy, Pixabay

Did you see the Super moon, the largest and brightest moon on the 13th of July?

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How Was Your Week? Mine Was Busy!

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We arrived back from a week down south via my Mother’s place. She keeps sorting through the accumulated ‘treasures’ of the last century or so of our family life and sends me back with things she thinks I want, will enjoy or at least will look after for the next generation. My heart is not in it! I’d like an uncluttered house but that’s obviously a longer term goal.

Our son arrived here from Kalgoorlie that evening and it was wonderful to see him. He has worked extraordinary hours since October as it has been impossible to get workers, despite offering great wages. So he stayed for three days to really have a break. We did all the usual family things we like to do; eating yum cha, eating curries, sitting and talking. It was lovely.

Some of our favourite yum cha: Siu Mai, Prawn and Coriander dumplings, Prawn and Chive dumplings.

Baked Salted Egg bun.

After he’d set off for Kalgoorlie we settled back to our usual interests and occupations. I went to my Drawing in Nature class. Sadly the course ended this week. I have learnt so much and met lovely people and hope I can catch up with some of them in the future. I will be watching for other classes being presented by the tutor, Jane, too.

Leaf drawing, using Aquarelles. LIke coloured pencils, adding water spreads the colour. The small leaf, top left, is the real leaf!

It’s the middle of winter and I have been reading a lot. I have finished We’ll Always Have Paris. by Emma Beddington. This is the biographical account of a bored teenager who discovers French Elle in the school library and decides what she wants to be; she wants to be French! So begins an exciting, frustrating and very funny attempt to live in France like the French. She meets a Frenchman during her gap year and later they both live in London and have two sons. She doesn’t feel settled there, they move to Paris, then back to London, then to Brussels, then she leaves him and goes to Paris when he has the children. Eventually they reunite in Brussels. Apparently she now lives back in the UK. As much as I enjoyed Beddington’s accounts of living in each place I think her capriciousness would be better tolerated by younger readers.

We'll Always Have Paris by Emma Beddington

Also read the latest Marion Keyes book, Again, Rachel, a sequel to a previous book of hers, Rachel’s Holiday, which I haven’t read but will order from the library. Keyes is a warm and witty Irish author with a huge following. I’m always pleased when there’s a new book because they are so entertaining. Again, Rachel is classic Keyes with all the usual twists and turns and dramas and it was a really clever, satisfying read.

Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes-Book

cooking

Winter foods need to be warm, filling and full of flavour, so I often make Beef Bourguignon, a French beef stew. I make it in the slow cooker because I think it enriches the flavours. The smell of this cooking throughout the day is very enticing. Apart from beef, it’s got carrots and potatoes in it, so I just need to steam some green vegetables and dinner is ready to serve. I also make enough for a few meals.

Traditionally this recipe would also include button mushrooms, but I am the only member of my family who eat mushrooms! My preferred recipe is here https://www.makecookgrow.com/2020/06

covering journals

I set about covering four new journals. I start with red and black A5 notebooks. Leaving the red bound spines, I glue paper on the front and back covers then fold them in and glue them down. I measure, trim and glue marbled papers into the front inside cover and the back inside cover and finally, I add a calendar. I add an elastisized loop with three stitched slots for feltpens and sometimes, my reading glasses. I usually marble ten papers at a time as each journal requires two A4 pieces. Information on covering the notebooks to create a personalised journal (here) and how to marble recycled paper (here) and the elastisized holder (here).

The frido kahlo cushion

Saw this Frido Kahlo cushion online, really liked it, looked at it again the next day and decided to order it! Visited the Frida Kahlo exhibition in 2018 at The V&A Museum and loved the vibrant works of this Mexican artist (06/07/1907 – 13/07/1954) She was famous for her colourful artworks, feminist beliefs and her monobrow. It was impractical the carry any of the artworks or other products back from the UK so I was pleased when I found these products for sale online from an Australian seller. Now the cushion lives upstairs on the red leather couch. Not sure where the door stopper, ordered at the same time, will go but I know I will find a place.

in the garden

Twelve tulip bulbs have germinated, the spearmint scented lavenders are covered in flowers and I am making so much weed tea because i have so many weeds. I’ve pruned the rest of the hydrangeas and planted a few ‘sticks’ to give to my mother. She lost hers in a heat wave in February.

The last of the roses.

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Housekeeping, Exercise Week and Other Things

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housekeeping

Why am I admitting to the jumble in this utensil drawer under the hotplate? The drawer is actually longer than shown in the photo but a glimpse is enough, I’m sure. At first I only planned to remove all the plastic utensils but that led me to pieces I never use, such as a butter curler, to pieces that were duplicated and a few favourites that need replacing. I have ordered silicone tipped tongs and some silicone utensils and they’re on their way, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying the easy access I now have to everything.

Researching plastics and reading how they harm the environment led me to articles about plastics, such as utensils, leaching harmful chemicals into food when they are heated, contaminating the food. So, egg flips, plastic tipped tongs and some slotted spoons are out and so are a number of replicated utensils. Interestingly, during this purge I realised nearly all of our wooden spoons came from my grandmother and are still used frequently.

Drawer sorting turned out to be extremely cathartic. I have since sorted three more large drawers. We had a drawer full of airline kit bags. Totally useless! I have kept some of the bags. For years when we lived overseas we flew with an airline with pretty drawstring tartan kit bags. They’re perfect for storing all sorts of things and I kept the rest of them. Harvested all the socks, lip balms, hand creams, eye masks, perfumes, toothbrush/paste sets, some combs and hairbrushes and have put them in a box, along with some of the bigger toilet /wash bag sized bags to go to the Salvos. I hope they can use them.

In another drawer I found this box with my original Fitbit, a gift in 2013 . I don’t think my husband had any idea about the role Fitbit would play in our lives! Initially I did 10 000 steps a day as this was the recommended number, then went to 11 00 and so on up to about 15 00 but now aim for around 13 000 steps every day, done in all sorts of situations, but mostly around the house and walking outside, but also walking miles in airports, shopping centres and hotel rooms. I think I’m a bit obsessive! (Hear! Hear! – the Husband.)

My current devise is even more enticing as it allows me to check my heart rate, calories burnt ( I don’t think this is very reliable or I’d be stick thin ) and when I’m ‘in the zone’ for fat burning and cardio. I try to resist checking my sleep score as I’m a poor sleeper and keep reading that poor sleep is linked to dementia. I like to reach specific heart beat goals every week and always check my weekly feedback from Fitbit!

Really enjoyed a wander around the garden gathering some herbs to make a Tussie Mussie Posey for friends. A Tussie Mussie is a bunch of flowers or herbs, popular in Victorian times, intended to protect the wearer from noxious odours. This bunch smells wonderful. I think my dear neighbours will use this in their cooking!

exercise right week 23 -29 may

The focus of EXERCISE RIGHT WEEK is the idea that exercise should not be seen as punishment but should be fun. The benefits promoted by exercise are listed as move your mood, heal your heart, brace your body, boost your brain, gather your group and spoil yourself!

Apart from walking, I enjoy Pilates and yoga but have been unable to do either activity for a month so I sought the advise of a Sports Physiologist. After an assessment to determine my existing abilities she designed a safe and effective exercise program for me. Exercise Scientists and Sport Scientists can also create programs to meet your own goals.

The next term of yoga starts the first week of July and I am already enrolled. I have missed it enormously, not just the wonderful workout but our teacher and the lovely people in our group. I have been doing tai chi online for a month. When we lived in China I used to watch the elderly people in the flats across the road doing tai chi on the roof top. Their movements were choreographed and elegant, unlike mine. The local park was popular with groups doing tai chi in the morning and ballroom dancing in the late afternoon.

More information about EXERCISE RIGHT WEEK here

world bee day

yellow flower with bee during daytime

Image Unsplash

Did you miss World Bee Day 20th of May? If you’d like to encourage more bees onto your balcony or into your garden, plant lavender, foxgloves, sunflowers, poppies or cornflowers.

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An Interesting Day in Pinjarra

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Pinjarra, a country town on the banks of the Murray River, is 82km (51 miles) from Perth. It is one of the earliest settlements in Western Australia. The name Pinjarra is thought to be a corruption of the Aboriginal word beenjarrup, meaning place of the swamp.

Early settlers met with resistance from the local Aboriginal people. In 1834 this resulted in the Battle of Pinjarra, one of Australia’s worst recorded massacres.

In 1974 Alcoa established a major alumina refinery in the area greatly increasing the population of Pinjarra and nearby Mandurah on the coast.

We’d often pass through the town heading south but hadn’t stopped to explore for many years. It was an easy drive from Perth to Pinjarra on the Forrest Highway.

the evandale complex

Arrived at the well sign posted Evandale Complex, a group of buildings once belonging to the McLarty family. We parked and headed off to the first building. The garden above faces the main road into the town and is in front of the old school master’s house and the school. The school master’s house is now the home of the Murray Districts Historical Society.

The garden at the front of the School Master’s house is mainly planted with roses, including this stunner. Unfortunately, there’s no labels or site maps identifying the names of the roses. A site map for the entire complex would have been so useful! The lady in the shop thought they had one, but couldn’t find it.

Beautiful, well established roses and no signs of chili thrip!

Classic country school, designed by George Temple Poole (1856 -1934). He was responsible for designing many public buildings in Western Australia including Post Offices, Courthouses, Police Stations, Hospitals, the original Art Gallery in Perth, the original Museum, the Swan Brewery (now offices, apartments and a restaurant.) There are schools just like this one all over the state.

There’s more information about Temple Poole’s public buildings on this blog about Beverley, another old settlement in Western Australia. https://www.makecookgrow.com/2019/08/visiting-beverley-western-australia/

This spacious and fully restored four room school building is now the home of a group of patchworkers. Many of their beautiful works are for sale. There’s also interesting photos on the wall showing groups of former school children.

Autumn began eight weeks ago in the southern hemisphere, but this was the first real sign for me! Bulbs germinating in a garden bed near the carpark. Lovely.

The Art Gallery featuring works by local artists. This building, Liveringa, was built in the 1860s and is one of two homesteads on the property.

I did as directed: I drank coffee! Did I do stupid things? Not saying.

The museum is absolutely full of fascinating relics from another era when so many things were made at home. This is an Aladdin’s cave of treasures. Much of the machinery on display is still in working order. Most of the collection originated in the local district. We were accompanied throughout the workshop by a guide. She was so well informed and interesting.

Onto the shop featuring arts and crafts made by locals. Lots of treasures.

The shop and on the right, the end of the meeting room adjoining a big pottery area. So many areas for craft men and women to work, store their materials and display their products. So many interesting crafts people working at this site.

The original homestead built in 1888 and featuring wide verandas to protect the rooms from the harsh sunlight. It is now set up as tearooms. The rest of the building seemed to be storage and more meeting rooms. There are more tables at the back of the house, too.

This is the tearooms. It is where we had lunch, sitting outdoors overlooking a beautifully maintained garden leading up to the main road. There was a light breeze and it was pretty and peaceful.

I enjoyed a very good traditional quiche with not traditional chili dipping sauce.

My husband settled for a pot of tea and a scone with jam and cream which he really enjoyed. There is a limited menu with salad rolls and sandwiches, pies, cakes, hot chips and the wonderful quiche.

Then we set off to look around the town. I enjoyed visiting the new shopping centre. My husband sat in the car and read the paper.

Other buildings of interest include the old post office, on the main street, another Poole designed building. There’s several cafes offering lunch and snacks, some of the usual fast food places and some interesting shops along the main street.

DID YOU KNOW?

The Australian Alps get more snow than the Swiss Alps.

Eighty percent of Australians live on the coast of Australia.

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Reusing Scented Candle Holders and Other Occupations

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Cleaning and reusing candle holders

An empty candle holder with a replacement pillar candle in it.

Do you burn candles for their scent? So many of them are packaged in the most attractive holders and I don’t want to throw them out! Some are glass and some are porcelain. They are quite easy to clean and reuse. My favourite scented candle is packaged in a tin. I’m still thinking of ways to use the pretty tins. The labels will peel off and the lids seal snugly.

Still deciding what I can do with these tins. Any ideas?

When the candle has burnt to the base of the holder you can light the remaining wick to melt as much wax as possible. Pour the liquid wax into something where it can set then be thrown in the bin. Don’t pour liquid wax down the drain! Then place the candle holder in the freezer. The wax shrinks a little and about five hours later you can use a knife blade to pop out the residual wax. There’s probably a metal disk in the base which can be eased out with the knife, too. Leave the holder to warm up before you wash it in hot, soapy water.

Then I reused this pretty holder to hold cotton pads. I’ve actually been reusing it for years in different ways.

Boil a kettle, squirt some detergent into the holder then add the boiling hot water. Leave for five minutes, swish it around then pour out the water and wipe with a paper towel. All the residual wax should be gone, but you might have to repeat the process. If I’m using the holder for food stuffs I put it through the dishwasher.

Stationery holders for pencils and paper clips.

Now the fun bit, reusing the candle holder! Some have lids and some don’t, so that dictates what they can be used for, but they’re pretty versatile.

Once a candle holder now a salt container.

Some ideas for recycling candle holder include using them as vases for small bouquets, holders for pencils and other stationery such as paper clips, cotton face wipe holders, pretty pots for serving treats like wrapped nougat and other food things. I keep salt in one. I’ve reused them by putting short pillar candles inside them, too. Some people make their own candles to put into used candle holders.

Now a pretty bowl for treats and sometimes a vase, too.

Sweet vases for single blooms.

These two have well sealed lids and will end up in the pantry with food in them. To get rid of any lingering scent after you cleaned out and washed the container leave it and the lid out in the sun in a safe place. Should be scent free in a few days.

ITALIAN NOUGAT

In case my paintings suggest we only eat healthy, fresh food I’ve included this photo of what we were eating one afternoon when it really, really hot. We were experiencing an historic heatwave. It was too hot to do anything at all active. Very delicious sweet, Italian nougat coated in dark, bitter chocolate whilst watching TV.

watching the parisian agency

So glad there’s a second series of Le Parisian Agency. (L’Agence) This series on Netflix follows the super successful but down to earth Kretz family and their real estate agency. The mother, father and three of their four sons all work together. The fourth son finishes high school during the second series and assumes one day he will join the agency, too. The family deals in the multi million euro market and the properties they sell are so interesting. Old, new and everything in between, originally in Paris but now throughout the country, too. We get a good look around properties few would ever get to visit. Fascinating, especially seeing how much of the original architecture from the Haussmann buildings has been retained.

Pixabay

Chateaus and palaces, once unpopular except with foreigners, are now becoming more sought after by the French. Foreigners buy deserted chateaus in need of restoration, the French like them already restored.

annual macaron day 20th march

Unsplash Heather Barnes

Unfortunately, this delicious day passed me by but I am willing to celebrate later than the actual day. Macaron Day began in Paris in 2005. Parisian macaron makers initiated the day to raise money for charities.

There’s some excellent recipes and demonstrations for making macarons on Youtube, but, for me, it’s far safer to buy a few from the patisserie rather than bake a tray of about 20 exquisite little treats. Way too tempting.

and finally, the last food painting

This is the last food painting! Moved onto other things now. Well, actually I’m back painting botanicals again.

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Pressing and Preserving Flowers

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history

People have been drying and preserving flowers since ancient times. The Egyptians made fragrance from them and placed dried flowers in tombs. During the Middle Ages dried flowers were used as medicines and to mask bad odours. The Victorians created pictures from them, as did the Japanese. Dried flower pictures are still a recognised art form in Japan.

Picking and gathering

Picking and pressing flowers is a way to preserve them without chemicals. Pick the flowers mid morning when they are dry and open. Have what you need to press the flowers ready as you want to capture the bloom at its best.

Although perfect flowers are very pretty sometimes imperfections add interest. I like to add some foliage, too.

A hat full of late winter blooms picked on a warm day.

pressing the flowers

All you need is a flower press or some heavy books, scissors or garden shears, paper and the flowers.

I used lithograph paper as modern inks on newspapers can seep through and stain the flowers as they are drying. The imprint on paper towel can also transfer to the petals when it is under pressure.

Arrange the flowers on the paper. Trim to suit how you intend using the dried flowers.

Place another three or four layers of paper over the flowers being careful not to disturb your arrangement.

Place the top on the press and screw down as hard as possible or place the flowers within paper under some heavy books or actually within the books.

I have always left the flowers for about three weeks to dry. Some people leave them for less time but three weeks has always worked for me.

Remove the top of the press and the top layer of paper. The flowers will be fragile, especially the petals, so handle carefully.

using dried flowers

The flowers I dried have short stems as I knew I was going to make gift tags and cards from them. Firstly, I made gift tags. For this gift I made a box covered in photocopied musical scores because it was meaningful to the recipient. Then I made the gift tag.

I cut the luggage tags from water colour paper as I wanted the texture and whiteness. You can cut your own tags from any paper you like or buy tags.

I use a UHU Glue Stick to secure the flowers to the tag. Traditionally the flowers were secured with paper or tape tabs but I prefer using glue. Apply it carefully to the raised surfaces on the back of the flower, then the petals and then position it on the card or tag and weight it down for a few minutes while it dries. Use a punch to create a hole for the tie or ribbon, add a ring reinforcement sticker, write a message and it’s done.

The cards are made from some strips of water colour paper (300gm cold press) I had left over from another project. I like the texture and its whiteness. I write inside the card but you could add an insert of plain paper glued to the fold. Just cut it slightly smaller than the card, run UHU stick along the fold then press in into the fold of the card. Add your message.

Today, October 14th, is World Standards Day. It is observed globally to create awareness about the importance of standardization to the global economy among the consumers,regulators and industry. The theme for this year’s World Standards Day is ‘ Standards for sustainable development goals , a shared vision for a better world’.

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Home Schooling, Early Spring in the Garden and Rat Proofing Tomatoes

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HOME SCHOOLING

Early one morning recently I was awake but hesitant to turn on a light and read so scrolled through some blogs. I was particularly interested in one where the mother, entering the third week of lockdown, seemed to be totally responsible for home schooling her two children as there was no reference to sharing this task with the children’s father. Why did this blog catch my attention?

This blogger was not enjoying the constant company of her children. She found their schoolwork tedious and difficult to supervise whilst attending to her own work. Understandably, she was under pressure. She wasn’t enjoying extra time with her kids. In fact, she was furious to be stuck with them. Poor children. She reminded me of the parents who’d arrive with their children the first day of the school year or at the beginning of the school term and express their joy that the holidays are over and their the kids are someone else’s problem for the next seven and a half hours.

These expressions of relief were always shared whilst the child was within hearing range. Sadly, some of these children were all too aware that they were a burden rather than a joy.

Lockdown supervision has sometimes revealed the true ability of the student to the supervising parent. The child’s attitude to learning or such close contact with the parent may also be of concern. Parents who tended to avoid advice about helping their child learn or become socially more adept can suddenly realise there is a problem.

Is this hostility of being with your own child a result of too many other pressures, of work, of housekeeping, parenting, keeping fit and having a life away from home? I don’t know but I’ve met many children whose parents don’t enjoy their company. The outcomes are usually poor for the children. I hope one of the long term outcomes of this pandemic is families look at their priorities and make changes to create happy, well adjusted lives.

SPRING IN THE GARDEN

Spring has arrived in Perth after the wettest winter in years. We live in quite an old suburb so many people have well established citrus trees which have been heavy with fruit for some months. Our own lime tree is covered in juicy fruit and yet is flowering again.

So fresh lemon or lime with everything! One of the consequences of heavy, frequent rain is a staggering amount of weeds. They’re winning at the moment!

I planted a packet of mixed coloured ranunculus corms but they’re mostly orange. Gorgeous.

Trying to tame the determined nasturtiums. Lots of them are orange, too.

RAT PROOFING THE TOMATOES

Our local council has regular verge pick-ups when they remove either our green waste ( garden waste which is too big for the green bin) or general waste and unwanted household goods. The last pickup was for general waste. I saw this aluminum frame out on the verge across the road when I went for a walk and wondered if I could make a rat proof cage for my self germinating tomatoes.

By the time I got back I knew it would work. I think it was originally the frame for a set of drawers. I liked the height and could see how I would seal it at the bottom to keep the rats out.

Carried the frame home and washed it. While it was drying I unrolled some chicken wire and flattened it out. Recycled frame, recycled chicken wire, self seeded tomatoes. All good.

Then we shaped it around the frame, making sure it reach the bottom and covered the top. We have wily rats! Attached it with gardening wire. I’ve put the tomato plant in the cage so now we’ll wait and see.

ROSY DOCK

I found this plant growing out of rubble during our recent trip to Kalgoorlie. I was delighted when a friend identified it from the photo. It is Rosy Dock (Acetosa vesicana) distinguished by its brightly coloured flowers which are pink through to ruby red. It is a perennial plant growing from underground tubers.

It is not a wild flower! It is native to northern Africa through to western Asia. It thrives in low rainfall areas so was popular with settlers moving into the outback of Australia more than 100 years ago.

Unfortunately, flash flooding spread Rosy Dock far and wide. It now threatens many indigenous plants and animals. Arum lilies, now also considered a weed, were spread the same way. They are both beautiful flowers!

Friday 17th September is CONCUSSION AWARENESS DAY. The impact of concussion may not be evident for many years. Learn the symptoms but mostly be aware of ways to protect yourself from being concussed.

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Recycled Plastic Labels, Flowers and Books

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RECYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES

This hard to read label says, “I used to be a plastic bottle. This label is made from 100% recycled plastic.” My new cardigan is made of 100% cotton except the buttons and has a label made from recycled plastic. Good.

West Australian solo sailor Jon Sanders found on his recent world circumnavigation that nearly every 100 litre of seawater sample collected contained around 300 particles per cubic metre of microplastics. Why is this a problem? The chemicals released from plastics contribute to infertility, immunity disorders and abnormal neurological development in children.

FLOWERS IN THE HOUSE

The Phalaenopsis orchids are showering themselves in glory! Very satisfying, very pretty.

Several vases of early ranunculus. I cut them on short stems as the remaining stems have so many buds.

I read on a gardening site that ranunculus have more flowers if the corms are soaked prior to planting. I’d never done this before so tried it this year. I shared the corms with my Mother who lives further south. Unsurprisingly, mine germinated and bloomed before hers did but they also seem to be stronger plants. From now on I will soak the corms before planting.

I love arum lilies. They are a weed in Western Australia but my lilies are contained within an isolated bed. The lush, thick leaves don’t die off totally in summer as they do in the wild. The flowers start appearing at the end of August. I like to put the beautiful lilies in vases indoors.

The last of the Glamis Castle roses. They’ve all been pruned now.

CHOPSTICK STORAGE

We use chopsticks regularly. They’ve been stored in a cardboard tube for the last twenty plus years. The tube they were stored in was getting tatty. I was about to throw this acrylic chocolate box in the recycling bin when I realised it would make a great storage box for the chopsticks!

It had a brand sticker on the lid. I tore it off slowly and carefully but it left a layer of sticky glue. Tried removing it with hand sanitizer which was within reach. Didn’t work. Sprayed the sticker with Isopropyl alcohol and the residual glue just wiped off. Gave the box a wash in hot soapy water, dried it and now it’s a perfect chopstick box.

READING

Dr Norman Swan is a well known Australian broadcaster and physician. When I saw his latest book, So You Think You Know What’s Good For You? on the XPRESS ( seven day limit on borrowing for very popular books) display at the library, I borrowed it. He answers the health questions he’s asked all the time, based on the latest evidence and with good humour. Easy to flick back and forward following items of interest, this book is full of information and sound advice. You can just avoid the bits that make you nervous!

PLANTING OUT HYDRANGEAS

These ‘sticks’ are from pruning existing hydrangeas. Take a piece with two growth buds, push it into soil and come back a few months later. Roots should have appeared. I will plant these new plants in a very shady place where I planted some last year, as a trial. The plants only grew a little bit but each one produced flowers. I hope in time they reach a height where they will get more dappled light and thrive. I really like their glossy leaves and big, blousey blooms.

PRESSING EARLY SPRING FLOWERS

I collected a hat full of early springs flowers to press. I’ll use them to make some gift tags so I snipped their stems short. If I was planning to use them to make a card or a picture for the wall, I’d leave a longer stem and include more foliage.

I’d already cleaned the dusty press and put four layers of lithograph paper ready for the flowers. I don’t use paper towel as delicate petals can end up with the pattern of the paper towel imprinted on them. I also avoid newspaper as the ink can seep through the paper and stain the flowers during the pressing process.

Arranged the flowers then covered them with another four sheets of litho paper. I used a wooden press as I have one, but heavy books are also effective.

Put the top layer of the press in place and screwed on the wing nuts not really tightening any of them until they were all in place. Then I tightened them until there was no more movement.

I’ll put the press somewhere cool and dry for the next month. It needs to be accessible as I’ll continue tightening the nuts every three or four days for about a month.

TRAVEL JOURNAL PAINTING

Visited Rowles Conservation Park near Ora Banda while we were in Kalgoorlie. This lagoon is very beautiful. I have done a quick water colour painting for my journal.

In Australia and New Zealand, Father’s Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of September, so we will be celebrating this Sunday. This is a lovely opportunity to get together with family members but it may not be possible for all families due to ongoing lock downs in New South Wales and Victoria. Wishing all Fathers, where ever they are, a lovely day. Happy Father’s Day!

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