Eggs, Entertaining and Reading

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eggs

The difficulty in finding free range eggs in shops at the moment seems to not just be an Australian problem, but a widespread issue. Supply in some countries has been limited by disease (farmers in the USA have killed millions of egg laying hens due to spread of the deadly avian flu) ; some countries believed Covid was spread in eggs, hens lay less in cooler weather and all supply chains have been effected by Covid. The price of feed doubled in cost after Russia invaded the Ukraine, a major supplier of wheat, particularly impacting on prices in the UK.

brown egg on brown nest

The demand for eggs from hotels, cafes and restaurants dropped dramatically in Australia with the onset of the pandemic but was quickly replaced by an upsurge in home cooking. The supply problem arose from a swing towards free range eggs. Free range eggs cost more due to the limited number of hens per hectare, free range hens lay about 20% fewer eggs and the cost of collecting the eggs out in paddocks is greater than barn laid or caged eggs. The other additional costs of fuel, staff shortages and increased cost of feed and packaging materials are spread across free range, barn and cage laid eggs. The drought, the flooding, recently introduced government levies and the mice plague have also added to production costs.

flock of chicken on green grass field during daytime

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Why choose free range eggs? Nutritionally, all eggs in Australia are very similar. For me the decision was based on concerns about the welfare of the hens. I just think a hen pecking outdoors is a happier hen! The alternative, keeping our own, is not possible as we don’t have a big garden. It is better not to contemplate that free range hens sadly lead significantly shorter lives. I just hope that they are happier ones.

rooster and hen on grass field

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Interestingly, recent information indicates backyard hens’ eggs in some areas of Sydney contain about 40% higher lead levels than commercially produced eggs. Older, inner city homes are more likely to have high levels of lead in their backyards. All gardens in older, inner city areas probably reflect the same issues with lead contamination. This also impacts on the quality of home grown produce and honey. (c.f. Elsevier, volume 301, Lead poisoning of backyard chickens: Implications for urban gardening and food production)

eating

We’ve been entertaining ! We’ve had relatives to morning tea one day and afternoon tea another day. It was so good to catch up with people returning to Australia and some other family members. Now you know why I was thinking about supply and quality of eggs. I always make curried eggs sandwiches. Everyone in the family makes curried egg sandwiches. I also set cakes and slices and platters of cheese, nuts, dried fruit, fresh vegetables, dips and crackers. I want to be sure there’s something for everyone!

Still a bit chilly in Perth at the moment, so I also made scones to serve with jam, hot from the oven.

reading

England Postage Stamp Exeter, United Kingdom - February 14, 2010: An English Used First Class Postage Stamp showing Portrait of Queen Elizabeth 2nd, printed and issued in 1998 british crown stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images

I was recently given a hefty tome, Tina Brown’s The Palace Papers. I don’t really follow the royal family although I admire the Queen. I don’t usually follow stories about the younger members of the royal family. I did watch the Oprah interview with the Sussexes and felt uncomfortable about their claims and demands. The factual accounts of their behaviour and expectations documented in this book certainly indicates they could never live the life of service and restraint expected of the royal family.

Interesting and supported by thorough research, this is the story of the Queen’s life after she ascended to the throne. Subtitled ‘Inside the House of Windsor – The Truth and the Turmoil’ the change in the public expectations of royalty is evident, especially after the death of Princess Diana. The monarchy had to change with the times. The triumph of her Jubilee year and Platinum Jubilee, the ongoing dramas around Prince Andrew and Prince Harry and her involvement “parachuting” into the opening of the Olympic games certainly revealed the Queen in a different light.

gold and blue crown

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Never a fan of Prince Charles I was interested in his support and popularity with younger people who recognise his passion for organic gardening, protecting wildlife, building and restoring buildings using sustainable methods and general interest in housing. He acknowledges the disruption to the lives of younger people due to the pandemic and expresses concern for their mental health. His trust supports many youth programs. His plans to ‘slim down’ the number of royals depending on the public purse are also popular. The Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, long time ‘third party” in the Prince’s marriage, is also gaining popularity.

British Collage Illustrator Vector EPS file (any size), High Resolution JPEG preview (5417 x 5417 px) and Transparent PNG (5417 x 5417 px) included. Each element is named, grouped and layered separately. Very easy to edit. british crown stock illustrations

Like so many families, there are those who work hard, like Princess Anne, and those who exploit their position, like Prince Andrew and Prince Harry. Being the ‘spare’ lacks clear purpose and we know how that has played out! This is a very privileged strata of society and different rules seem to apply to what is acceptable behaviour. The difficulty for the Royal family is their once private problems are now broadcast on social media almost instantly.

The author’s conclusion, “The fascination of monarchy is that its themes repeat themselves because its protagonists are earthy.”

A fascinating book, too. Have you read it?

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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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Happy Living, A Drawing Class, Painting and Cooking

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happy living

According to the World Happiness Report 2022, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world for the fifth year in a row. Other northern European countries follow with Denmark ranking second, followed by Iceland, Switzerland and the Netherlands. New Zealand comes in at number ten and Australia is number 12 on the list. Then Canada was 14th on the list, UK came in at number 17 and USA came in at 19.

Finland’s Flag Pexels

WHR considers lifestyle and peoples’ sense of well being to rate various countries. The report noted that volunteering, helping others and making donations had all increased in many parts of the world during the past two years. This increase in social benevolence due to COVID 19 has benefits for the givers, receivers and observers. Also evident was that countries with a higher trust in public institutions and more equality recorded much lower rates of death.

The six factors considered were gross domestic product per capita, social support, life expectancy, freedom of choice, generosity of population and perceptions of internal and external corruption.

Information is collected from a number 0f sources for this survey. If you are interested this is the site https://worldhappiness.report

drawing in nature

I enrolled in a four week “Drawing in Nature” course with a well known local artist, Jane, because I know I get a lot done when I focus for two hours. She introduced our theme for the session, ( last week it was feathers, this week was shells) and showed us examples of her work. Next we chose a feather/shell to examine and then draw. Jane talked about the different depth of line using 2B, 4B and HB pencils. We experimented, working on drawn circles, going from dark to light, exploring blending, pointillism, feathering and cross hatching.

Guinea Fowl feathers

Jane also introduced us to blending stumps used to blend our pencil marks. I had never used one before and I really like the way they allowed us to smudge and blend.

(A blending stump or paper stump is a stick of tightly rolled soft paper with two pointed ends. It can be used to blend, smear or smudge graphite, charcoal or similar mediums. Also known as a smudging stick or a tortillon. There’s online instructions for making your own! )

Inspired by Annie Herron’s art projects in the book, Around The Kitchen Table, Good things to cook, create and do-the whole year through, a mother and daughter project, I did some quick small paintings. Herron uses seasonal prompts to suggest quick works and talks about capturing simple scenes.

Around the Kitchen Table

Her daughter, Sophie Hansen, adds seasonal recipes and ideas for family fun, making this an interesting and motivating read. I chose one of Hansen’s slice recipes, Triple Ginger Crunch to make and take to my drawing class this week.

If you’re a fan of ginger, you’ll find this slice delicious!

Triple Ginger Crunch with glace ginger chunks.

decorating trends: GRANDMA COASTAL

Companies producing everything from paint, wall paper, furniture, lampshades depend on you purchasing new pieces regularly to support their businesses. I’m tragically a huge fan of decorator and garden magazines. I don’t follow decorating trends although they are an intriguing window into fashion and how easily we are influenced. I occasionally add or take something away, but not often. I am endlessly curious about people, how they build or renovate their homes, select colours, styles and finishes and how they allocate their budgets. I’m interested in how frequently they change their living environment and what provokes change. I’m a fully blown sticky beak!

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As we all become more concerned about landfill and our use of limited resources so decorating trends change. When the mid century style replaced the white minimalist fashion we saw the focus move to re-using existing pieces. The latest decorating trend is partly based on recycling or upcycling everything from furniture to curtains and decorator items. Let’s look at Coastal Grandma and what it means.

Image Unsplash

Google has reported an increase of 334% searches last week into Coastal Grandma style. The style features nothing obvious like shells and faux life bouys on the wall, but neutral colours, loose linen covers and other natural, sustainable fabrics. White, cream, beige, grey and caramel along with cosy lighting, cushions and always, fresh flowers. The house should look lived in, comfortable and a bit worn and faded. Recover, restore, reuse. The aim is timeless, pared back but still luxurious.

Image PEXELS

Interestingly, the style is discussed widely in clothing sites, too. The same neutral colours reign. Button down collars, trousers, straw hats and straw market baskets plus knotted jumpers around the shoulders are all mentioned. Styles are classic in cut and design and feature natural fabrics. Again, faded, lived in colours and styles with a preference for vintage and recycled items. Sustainability is a constant theme.

international mens health week

The theme this year of International Mens’ Health Week, 13 -19th June, is Building Healthy Environments for Men and Boys. It’s about focusing on creating physically, mentally and emotionally healthy males. Lots of information online.

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Goodbye Plastics, Cold Weather and Reading

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Decluttering

I boldly revealed the terrible jumble in the drawer under the hotplate in our kitchen two weeks ago. Now I’m pleased to be able to show the decluttered and sorted drawer! The new silicone utensils have arrived and the plastic ones have gone.

Duplicated utensils are boxed up to donate and everything I’ve kept serves a purpose. Of course, the newly sorted slots are more efficient and attractive. We did seem to accumulate so much stuff over the years!

Sorted and easy to find what I need.

This is the best bread knife we have ever used. We’ve tried several types over the years and they’ve all needed replacing fairly frequently. Then our son introduced us to this knife, intended for cutting watermelons. It is the best bread knife ever!

I’ve sorted several more cupboards, too, and what is immediately obvious is my passion for red! So much red, from Dutch ovens, to storage containers, sieves and utensils. It has been a long love affair; many of these items have been in my various kitchens for nearly forty years. So, yes, I like a bit of red. Interestingly, although I dabbled with red lipstick and nail polish for a few months last year, I don’t wear much red. I only have one red cardigan and one red top. Everything else hanging in the robe is black, navy, olive green, a few mustard coloured things and some white. And leopard print but that’s a neutral, too, isn’t it?

Decluttering continues to feature on the TO DO list. I have an open wicker box on a chair pushed under the table (cleverly hidden so I don’t have to see it) which was in constant use when I was working. There’s pencil cases with felt pens, coloured pens, coloured pencils, stickers plus scissors and glue. I used to sit at the table preparing school work and marking, so these things were in constant use, but not for the past four years. Is it that long? Time to tackle the no longer used work stuff. No idea what I’ll do with all those stickers!

cold weather

Autumn days are so lovely! Clear blue skies and temperatures in the 20°C ( 68°F ) during the day and chilly at night. Such a contrast to our very hot, long summers. Autumn feels like a time for reflection, being still and noticing things all around. Time for planning the spring garden, for fixing the reticulation and sorting out the verge garden, currently planted with ivy. It needs a lot of water in summer, so time to go.

Autumn has turned to winter with some showers but we’re still experiencing warm sunny days and crisp cold nights. Each season changes what we eat and what we wear. We put a big rug over our laps in the evenings unless it is very cold, then we turn on heating. We shop at a green grocer who only stocks seasonal produce so everything is fresh and sourced locally. I still walk my 13 000+ steps, sometimes in a puffer jacket, often with a thick scarf when we take the dog to the dog park. What’s flowering in the garden changes (only camellias at the moment) and I’ve planted flowers for spring.

Australians don’t really celebrate autumn/fall or the other seasonal changes the way some countries do, with wreaths featuring yellow, orange and brown leaves, a different set of cushion covers and other decorating touches. I’ve seen blogs featuring seasonal artwork, which is very attractive but I don’t want to store seasonal decoration. Christmas and Easter decor items take up a lot of room already!

Image Upslash

Colder weather dictates warmer food. In our house this always means roasted vegetables and lots of soup.

Thick luscious cauliflower soup from our dear neighbour, chives from the garden.

reading

Recovering from post election media exhaustion but still not watching much television. I read a lot, fiction, non fiction, decorator and garden magazines and some blogs, too. This year I planned to make my life more balanced, to have time to enjoy completing the Code Cracker in the paper in one sitting, to enjoy the company of friends over long lunches, to just slow down and consider the things around me. That didn’t happen!

Needing to help other people sort out life changes, poor health and ongoing therapies, the opened border between WA and the other states and the resulting Covid surge, all hindered my carefully considered plans. One thing I have achieved, by default, is more time to read!

Really enjoyed Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, a gripping story about a wedding on a remote Irish Island. Several guests have a motive for killing the groom but of course, we don’t find out who did it until the very end! Great story. It’s being made into a film, too.

The other book I couldn’t put down is Richard Osman’s The Thursday Murder Club. Set in an aged care home which was once convent, this rollicking yarn is told from the point of view of the main characters. Funny, clever and whip smart, this is a great first book. The author says it’s his first, and so far, best novel!

I’ve just read that this is being adapted for a film, too. Also found he has published another book, too, so checking to see if it is available at the library.

did you know

Australia has over 60 separate wine regions? Western Australia has nine distinct regions, mostly in the south of the state. The history of wine making in W.A. dates back to 1840 when the Sandalford Winery was established in the Swan Valley.

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Luscious Tomato Tarte Tatin, Nigella’s Chocolate Cake and ‘The Labyrinth’

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tomato tarte tatin

We are heading towards the end of the tomato season in Western Australia so I decided to make a Tomato Tarte Tatin before it’s too late. I reread the recipe in Belinda Jeffery’s A Lunch of Sundays and used it as a guide for making one, too. I made my favourite short, crumbly pastry, although I’m sure Jeffery’s is lovely. I don’t know where I originally got this recipe for Pate Brisée but it is the best, easiest, quickest ever. For a quiche size dish, you need 250gm plain flour, 125 gm butter, 1/3 cp cold water and a pinch of salt. Tip all the ingredients into the processor, pulse until clumped together, smooth into a ball in your hands then leave it in the fridge for an hour. ( I chop the butter and if it is very cold, microwave it for 10 seconds on high before adding to the processor. If the pastry is for a sweet dish I use unsalted butter).

Olive oil, butter and balsamic vinegar, caster sugar and a pinch of salt for caramelising the tomatoes, plus the pastry. Grated pepper towards the end of cooking.

Jeffery’s recipe involves scraping the seeds and pulp out of the cherry or grape tomatoes using a teaspoon. I never do and the tart is still delicious. Find a recipe that suits your style of cooking .

I like this tart as it’s popular with vegetarians and everyone else at the table. It’s delicious hot or cold. There’s lots of versions in recipe books and online with added ingredients but I make the original.

I don’t like wasting food, even if it is a small ball of leftover pastry. I rolled it out, made a mini flan and filled it with sun dried tomatoes and snipped spring onion and baked it in the oven with the tart. It was delicious, too!

When I think of Italian cuisine I think of tomatoes. Recently, my husband read me a paragraph from the book he was reading which mentioned the introduction of the tomato to Italy in the 16th century. What! Tomatoes are to Italy what kangaroos are to Australia, surely?

Apparently tomatoes were introduced to Italy from the Americas. These early tomatoes were about the size of a cherry tomato and were yellow. They were called Pomo d’oro, or golden apple. These involved into the red pomodoro we know and love today.

nigella’s chocolate cake

Searching through my remaining recipe books recently to find my handwritten pastry recipe I found a a Nigella Lawson book I used quite often then forgot about. It survived the great ‘sort and discard’ which reduced my recipe book library by about half two years ago. Due for another purge as I tend to look up recipes online now or make old favourites.

Needing a part birthday cake, part Easter cake I settled on Nigella’s Chocolate Cake With Coffee Buttercream (p244) recipe from her book, At My Table. This is an odd cake mixture. The wet ingredients are added to the dry ingredients and the mix is very, very sloppy. Her recipe was baked as two cakes with a butter cream filling and icing. I don’t have two same sized cake tins so settled on a large bundt tin.

A most surprising cake! It cooked in about 30 minutes and was still moist and luscious days later. It was a very big cake! It looks good and tastes good. If I’d been thinking I would have cut it in half, one half for eating over the weekend and one half for freezing.

the labyrinth

This very engaging book by Amanda Lohrey is about love, loss and finding peace. This sparsely told story is about a mother, Erica, dealing with her revengeful son being imprisoned, but it’s also about her own developing creativity. She researches, designs and eventually builds a labyrinth along side the old, rustic house she buys to be near her son, who is in prison.

The descriptions of the landscape and the people Erica meets are richly described as this story evolves. Erica is scarred by her own mother leaving the family when she was small and then discovering as an adult that she’d died two years after leaving, so no chance of reconciliation. The father of her son had also disappeared when the boy was two resulting in anger and confusion. So, no happy endings, really, but a well written story.

ANZAC DAY

Australia and New Zealand commemorate ANZAC Day (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) on the 25th of April. Traditionally services were held at local war memorials and in capital cities, but Covid has changed that recently. Now, people stand at the end of their driveways holding candles and listen to the buglers playing the Last Post ( lights out) and Reveille (get up!).

red flower in macro shot

Image: Unsplash

We then sat on the verge enjoying coffee and a chat with our wonderful neighbours. This year we were better organised with chairs, a table and coffee machine and everyone brought food to share. Dawn broke with a pink and purple striped sky and a memorable, lovely picnic followed.

did you know?

Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world?

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Tortilla Española, Reading, Lucky Bamboo and Rosemary.

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tortilla española

A blogger I follow likes to go through her extensive collection of recipe books every month. She selects one book. Then she makes one or two things from the chosen book. I decided to do the same. I’ve been reading Belinda Jeffery’s new book A Year Of Sundays. She describes this book as a “cookbook, a conversation and reflections on the world around me.” She writes about her cooking school, growing fruit and vegetables, trialing recipes and sharing food.

I chose to make Tortilla Española (p195). I remember we enjoyed this in Barcelona and I had all the ingredients in the fridge or cupboard. You need eggs, onions, potatoes and some oil. It’s a tasty alternative if you’ve given up meat for Lent. I used to make tortillas for picnics as they travel well and taste even better when they’re cold. I thought we’d enjoy this for lunch with a small salad. I was right!

Making the tortilla took quite a while as the potatoes need to cook for about 20 minutes with the onions, in hot oil. Then the potatoes and onions sit in the lightly beaten egg for about half an hour to absorb the egg flavour. I used this time to make the Homemade Mayonnaise (p175). I’d already separated the eggs, keeping the yolks for the mayonnaise and adding the whites to the tortilla mix. You know I hate to waste food!

My version and Jeffery’s version in the book.

While the potato and onion mix was absorbing the lightly beaten egg flavour, I started on the mayonnaise. None of Jeffery’s romantic balloon whisking for me! No lovely French ceramic bowl for mixing in, either. For years I have made mayonnaise in the food processor but today I made it using a Barmix and a jug. I used a blend of extra virgin olive oil and olive oil, as Jeffery suggested and I like the flavour. Dripping the oil slowly into the mix meant the whole process took about 25 minutes. The resulting mayonnaise is thick and creamy. This recipe makes a lot of mayonnaise!

Belinda Jeffery’s A Year of Sundays has recipes arranged to reflect the seasonal fruit and vegetables available. The recipes are accompanied by beautiful, inspiring photographs and generally rely on ingredients which are commonplace. I found lots of recipes I’d like to make, including her version of Tomato Tarte Tatin, a new favourite.

reading

I’ve really enjoyed reading Daniel Klein Travels with Epicurus. After the author is advised to have the teeth on his lower jaw removed and replaced with implants he begins contemplating the battle to fight off signs of ageing. Is it better to be forever young? Looking for answers, the author travels to the Greek Island of Hydra where he spent a gap year as a teenager. Here he observes and talks to the old men who gather daily to reminiscence about lives well lived.

It is not the young man who should be considered fortunate but the old man who has lived well, because the young man in his prime wanders much by chance, vacillating in his beliefs, while the old man has docked in the harbour, having safeguarded his true happiness.

EPICURUS

Klein intersperses his observations with Epicurus’s quotes about the way to live a good life. We often relate Epicurus to epicurean style dining, which the great man himself eschewed for a bowl of lentils, eaten in the company of friends. He did not promote excesses in any area of life. Friendship was important and discussing the meaning of life was more important. Klein compares this relaxed way of living to his retiring American friends who have bucket lists, lengthy lists of goals and are driven to be frantically busy, but most of all, to look young. I think these are common goals in many societies.

Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our happiness.

EPICURUS

His insights are based on the beliefs of Epicurus and other philosophers. This is philosophy ‘lite’ but thought provoking and interesting. An easy, good read.

lucky bamboo and rosemary

A few weeks ago I wrote about propagating new lucky bamboo stems, pruned from an old, dying (over fertilised) very large parent plant. They have done very well. Only one stem didn’t ‘take’ but the rest have healthy roots and are growing new leaves. I have planted them all in a pot in soil as they last longer than those growing in water. In a few weeks I will divide them into two pots.

Last Anzac Day, the 25th of April, I made Anzac Biscuits for the neighbours and added a piece of rosemary ( for remembrance) under the ribbon tied to each box. I also put a leftover piece in water. When it had good strong roots I planted it out in a pot. As it grew I began removing the growth on the lower part of the stem to create a topiary rosemary tree. It is going very well!

Have you begun Easter preparations? No controlled borders for us this year so we are really looking forward to our son coming to spend the Easter break with us!

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Recycling Plastic Bottles, My Reusable Drink Bottle and Dingoes

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is clothing made from recycled bottles good for the environment?

Brands manufacturing clothing partially from recycled bottles cite their environmentally sound credentials. Is using recycled plastic a good use of this product? The process of using recycled plastic involves creating small flakes of plastic which are melted into minute pellets. These are heated, spun into threads and then crimped to make soft, fluffy fibre. It is usually blended with something else to make fabric.

Image Pexels

Is this the best way to recycle plastic? The first problem is that every time the clothing is washed it releases microbeads into the water system. These are known to last at least 100 years in the environment. (Modelling suggest much longer) The other issue is there are better uses for recycled plastic. Using plastic bottles to make more plastic bottles is more efficient than taking the plastic out of the loop. Fashionable clothing can be discarded after being worn a few times. Used clothing eventually becomes landfill.

Image Pexels

The Australian Federal Government is one of the first in the world to announce plans compelling washing machine manufacturers to install microplastic filters in washing machines. (here) This only takes the microbeads out of the water systems, but not landfill, as the filters are emptied into rubbish bins.

If you are interested in more information, look at www.moralfibres@gmail.com

my plastic drink bottle

(My apologies if you have already read this section. I had a bit of a technological blip!)

Like so many people, I carry a bottle of water with me when we go out to avoid buying bottled water in a plastic bottle. I have an aluminum bottle which holds 500ml but it is heavy. The real problem is I can’t easily see into the bottom of the bottle to be sure it is clean. So when I saw a white poly carbonate* 500ml bottle at a great price I bought it.

I can easily see right down to the bottom of the bottle, it is light to carry, sturdy and extremely long lasting. I assumed the dominating brand name label was on the shrink wrap wrapper, not printed on the bottle. I was wrong! The cellophane wrapper was clear, the bottle was not. I hesitated to use it as the branding annoyed me. Bit by bit I began using it for all the reasons I mentioned earlier. But I still didn’t like it.

Clear sight to the bottom of the bottle.

Every journal I’ve ever had has been covered in my own choice of paper by me, I always create my own phone backs and so I set about looking for a solution for the drink bottle. To have my own design printed as a waterproof sticker was expensive and to buy a phone sized sticker from a company making them for the back of mobile phones was much the same price, so I went looking for waterproof stickers. Narrowed the search to Australian companies because of delays in shipping from overseas and wanting to support Australian businesses.

Two stickers would have covered the branding but I enjoyed using three!

These stickers came in a pack of 50, took only a few days to arrive and I’m really pleased with them. It took two stickers to cover the branding. I used three. It was fun deciding which ones to use and thinking up uses for some of the 47 left over stickers. Best of all, I really like my Japanese themed drink bottle.

There’s a theme here; I really, really like traditional Japanese art.

Poly carbonate is about 250 times stronger than glass. One of its characteristics is high impact resistance and weight. It is a natural UV filter and can be reused without significant degradation.
Update. The stickers have been on the bottle for over three weeks now. It has been in almost daily use and they still look new. Good.
DINGOES
Image credit Pixabay
Dingoes are wild, medium sized canines living in Australia. There is a small population of dogs with similar genome markers in Asia, suggesting the dingoes came via boat to Australia at least 3 500 years ago. They live in every area of the continent, except in Tasmania. They can live in harsh deserts through to lush rain forests but access to water determines where they live.
Image Adobe Stock

Dingoes are carnivores although they do eat some fruit and vegetables, nuts and grain. Their preference for meat causes conflict with farmers. When livestock is lost to dingoes farmers respond with poison, namely 1080. Since 2016 Queensland’s Cluster Fencing scheme has been effectively preventing dingo attacks on sheep and calves. Using guardian dogs is also becoming an effective and economical way to prevent dingo attacks.

Dingoes traditionally ate kangaroos, specifically red kangaroos. National parks are being overgrazed by kangaroos and feral goats. The environment is out of sync. By living harmoniously with the dingoes the kangaroo population can be controlled, there would be more grazing land for livestock and a more sustainable environment would result. This is one example of the forward thinking approaches being implemented by farmers in Australia.

SOME FACTS ABOUT DINGOES

They don’t bark, they howl. Their teeth are larger than those of domestic dogs. They have large, pricked ears. They live 8 – 10 years.

The oldest remains found are 3500 years old.

They live in packs of about 10, although young males can exist on their own until they create their own pack.

They are primitive canines related to wolves. They grow to about 60cm tall, weight up to 25 kg. with red, ginger or typically sandy yellow coats.

HAPPY EASTER !

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International Women’s Day, Plastic Pollution Treaty, Painting and Eating

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international women’s day

Last week, on Tuesday 8th March, we celebrated International Women’s Day. The campaign theme this year is #BreakTheBias. Officially recognised by the United Nations in 1975 I wonder what has changed. A recent study, quoted in the Sunday Times Body and Soul liftout (March 5th, 2022) refers to a study which found that young females exhibiting headstrong behaviours grow up to earn about $4000 less a year compared with men in a similar position. Interestingly, young males who demonstrated headstrong behaviours end up earning more than men who were considered dependent in childhood. So girls are still expected to be compliant. Boys are seen as leaders, girls are seen as bossy.

woman signing on white printer paper beside woman about to touch the documents

Unsplash Photo Credit

While it seems obvious that women need to get into the top positions in management and boardrooms and generate change, there’s that tricky little problem of maternity leave. Men feel women lose momentum after having children. Childcare is disproportionately the mother’s problem. Not many fathers prefer to stay at home and mind the baby. It’s often not a choice for many parents as (of course) the father has a greater earning capacity.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, a woman working full time earns $1575 a week compared to a man, who earns an average of $1837. The Australian Federal Government has introduced guaranteed superannuation contributions during maternity leave plus a baby bonus of $5000 for women giving birth or adopting a baby. Unfortunately, women are still retiring with an average of 23% less super than men due to lower pay and time out of the workforce.

Golden Retriever lying on bed

Photo Credit Upsplash

The same issues women were campaigning against in the seventies are still being discussed today. Women want equality of opportunity, greater flexibility in their paid work (working from home, for instance) and equal pay for equal work, resulting in financial security. They are tired of sexual innuendo and harassment. The situation is changing, but too slowly. Time for positive and meaningful change at all levels.

historic plastic deal signed in nairobi by 175 nations

On the topic of change, in another long overdue response to social pressure, 175 nations belonging to the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) met in Nairobi to sign a legally binding commitment to end plastic pollution by 2024. While the details now have to worked out, the meeting acknowledges that plastic pollution is a worldwide problem. It spans international borders and all nations must work together to solve the problem.

The treaty encompasses all stages of the life of plastic: it’s production, consumption and disposal. The treaty is legally binding, includes financing mechanisms and acknowledges that some countries can do more than others.

white and brown boats on blue sea water during daytime

Unsplash Photo Credit

“In the space of one human lifetime, we have caused unimaginable damage to the global environment, choking every part of the global ocean with plastic pollution”, said Lord Zac Goldsmith, a UK Minister for the International Environment.

painting and eating

Whenever I go near the fridge at the moment I seem to open it and have a look. Obviously, nothing has changed since I last looked, no amazing treat has magically appeared, but I do get inspired to paint what I see. Then I usually eat it! Not a good plan.

I made an Egg, Creamed Corn and Potato Pie, by mistake. Had some lovely free range eggs to use so added some grated Edam, which was getting a bit elderly, 4 medium potatoes thinly sliced longways, a tomato and then went looking for something else preferably something to add some colour. Found a tin of corn in the pantry. I’d sliced the potatoes, beaten the eggs and grated cheese and just needed to add the corn. Surprise! It was a can of creamed corn, origin unknown! Pondered briefly, then added the creamed corn to the egg mixture, mixed well then constructed the pie. Layer of thinly sliced raw potato, egg mixture another layer of potato then a cut up tomato on top a grind of pepper. About 40 minutes in 170°C oven. Quick. Easy.

This ended up as a very tasty experiment. We really enjoyed it. I’m not sure I’ll make it again as I never think to buy creamed corn but it blended well with the egg and tasted very good. Add salad for lunch or cooked vegetables for dinner.

I don’t buy a lot of books despite being a keen reader. My husband buys a few books every month. The problem is storage. We have a large room upstairs with bookshelves built floor to ceiling on two walls and every shelf is full. Some are packed two books deep.

I borrow books from the library. If I really enjoy a book I buy it, but not very often. A fortnight ago I borrowed, read and reviewed Jaclyn Crupti’s Garden Like A Nonno. I read every page. This book is packed with practical advice. I didn’t want to return it to the library, so I bought a copy! It wont be going upstairs either, there’s so many things I want to start doing now, particularly improving our scorched, grey beach sand soil. I’m collecting the things I need to make weed fertilizer right now. (Page 68, I know because I’ve already marked it.)

My final painting of food from the fridge; I’m back to painting flowers.

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Watching, Eating and Gardening

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the tinder swindler

Image credit: Netflix

Three women meet Simon Leview (above) through the dating app, Tinder. He befriends them, claiming to be the son of the super rich diamond dealer, Lev Leview. He dazzles them with his wealth, then steals from them. He claims to be under threat from unidentified people and asks them to help by sending money for him to escape. Each woman goes into debt having borrowed money to give to him. Eventually, they doubt his story and can borrow no more money. They then connect online and realise they have each been seriously duped. One swipe right changed their lives and not in a good way. This is their story. Leview claims to be misunderstood, the women are trying to pay off massive debts.

Interestingly, while the women involved struggle to repay their debts and get on with their lives, Leview (real name Shimon Hayut) has been released from prison, has a Hollywood agent and is dating a model.

inventing anna

undefined Image credit:Netflix

Anna Sorokin, a Russian who claims to be German, arrives in New York in 2013 and works hard to become accepted by the rich and famous as a wealthy socialite. Inventing Anna is a dramatized version of how the real Anna conned an enormous amount of money from friends and the wealthy associates she sought out. She was ruthless, scamming banks, hotels and high society.

Sorokin got away with her audacious scams by claiming to be a German heiress waiting to inherit a multi- million dollar trust fund when she turned 25. Finally found guilty on a number of charges, she is sentenced to 4 years in jail. Many of her victims are too embarrassed to report their loses. She was released in 2021 but is then taken into custody by Customs and Immigration for overstaying her visa and is awaiting deportation. Meanwhile, she’s written a book and done lucrative deals, including working with Netflix on the program.

So what do we learn from Inventing Anna? Social media is a clever platform not necessarily based on fact. Proceed with caution if you’re relying on what you see on your device!

Eating

GRAPES

Chilled grapes from my mother’s garden. Despite breaking a record held for 110 years by having 13 days over 40ºC the grapes are lovely! My own garden is not doing so well.

RED CABBAGE

I cook for two people and find so many fruit and vegetables last two people more than a few days. They do not stay fresh and crisp! So, after I bought a medium sized rockmelon and realised we’d have to have a quarter each for lunch and then a quarter each for dinner, as it wouldn’t keep, I started looking for smaller pieces, especially vegetables. This is a petite red cabbage.

We enjoyed half one night braised in a pan over high heat in cider vinegar then a knob of butter and a good grind of black pepper. We had the other half the next night simply boiled. No waste. This is really a hot weather problem as leftover vegetables go into the soup pot in winter!

TOMATO, BOCCONCINI and BASIL SALAD

Gathered the ingredients for a light summer salad at lunchtime. They looked so luscious I sat down and painted them!

First I painted them, then we ate them!

This is a traditional Italian salad and features the colours of the Italian flag. So, red tomatoes, green basil and white bocconcini!

So quick and easy. Slice the tomatoes and cheese thinly and arrange on a plate. I put a sliced avocado in the middle, drizzled with a peppery olive oil then sprinkled basil over the top. Served with toasted ciabatta. Lunch done.

When I set my plate of salad, I added finely diced raw red onion for a contrasting crispness. Delicious.

SOURDOUGH RYE BREAD

Every fortnight I make two loaves of rye sourdough. Some goes in the fridge, some goes in the freezer. I’m the only one who eats it, my husband has two favourite local bakeries where he buys his white artisan loaves. No rye bread for him!

growing vegetables

Affirm press

Are you growing your own food? Whether you’re new to gardening or an old hand I think you’ll find something interesting in Jaclyn Crupi’s Gardening Like Nonno. I certainly found loads of advice and recipes for improving soil quality. This is little book packed with practical bite sized bits of information.

Crupi grew up with two Nonnos ( Italian grandfathers) who she describes as “…no-nonsense, hard working and cheeky. They know how to fix things, how to make things, how to grow things and how to care for things”. This little book is full of useful information about improving the quality of soil organically, choosing and saving seeds, seasonal plants, the tools you’ll need and how to care for them, chickens and even some recipes for preserving your crops.

Whatever size your garden I think you’ll find inspiration in this practical book. I couldn’t put it down and have gone back to find particular advice, especially on soil improvement. La dolce vita in a book!

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Painting, Cooking, Reading and Huge Lotto Prizes

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painting botanicals

A friend arrived with two picture frames. He asked me to paint pictures for the frames. I asked what he wanted me to paint. Fruit, vegetables or flowers? He pointed to my Moleskin painting book and said anything like those in there. So, flowers. Did he have favourite flowers, preferred colours. No, just do some like those ( in the book) So I did!

I began with the dark red geranium as I have several pots of them and I know he likes them. Then I painted a gladioli, which I didn’t like at all, so started again and painted some carnations. Painting for someone else is actually very different from trying to capture the colour and shape for myself.

Took my friend’s frames apart, cut some mounting boards then put them back together again.

The unloved gladioli.

cooking

This recipe for Feta and Leek slice was doing the rounds at yoga. I had a leek and a packet of feta so knew I was going to make it for lunch. Had everything ready to go when I discovered I didn’t have enough plain flour, so I used self raising flour and left out the baking powder. Worked well!

To make a LEEK and FETA slice mix 200gm yoghurt, 200ml vegetable oil (I used a mild olive oil), 200gm crumbled feta, 200 gm chopped leek, 2 cps sifted plain flour and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder plus 4 eggs.

Spray or oil a baking dish and spoon in the mixture. I used a spatula. Top with 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds if desired. Bake is a pre- heated oven 220°C for 15-20 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Can be eaten hot or cold

Conversions weight 200gm =7oz, temperature 220ºC-=430°F

This made quite a big pie. Next time I make it I’ll freeze half as eating the same thing for lunch and dinner and then again for lunch the next day is a bit too much. I drizzled sweet chili sauce over it the second day as it seemed a little bit dry.

NOTE I used self raising flour as I discovered I’d run out of plain flour. This made a ‘puffier’ slice than the original one. Tasted just as good.

Also I find leeks need a lot of washing to remove all the sand embedded with in the leaves!

Served at lunch time with salad, at dinner time with steamed vegetables and the next day with sweet chili sauce.

apple crumble

What do you do with leftover apples losing their crunch? I try not to waste food so peeled them, removed their cores and cooked them in water, a little sugar and cinnamon. Cold stewed apple with icecream would have been appropriate during this never ending, record breaking heatwave, but I decided on apple crumble.

While the apples were stewing I thought I’d look up a ‘proper’ recipe for the crumble instead of just mixing the oatmeal, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter the casual way I usually do until it feels just right. I immediately discovered a problem. Apparently I should have weighed the prepared apples before I stewed them to determine the ‘right’ amount of crumble! Too late, proceeded in my usual casual ‘throw it all together’ way.

There are many recipes for making a crumble online. This is a great way to use up any fruit which can be stewed. Serve crumble with custard, cream or icecream. Delicious even on a hot day.

reading

Adrian Hyland’s Canticle Creek is a fast moving story about Leading Senior Constable Jess Redpath briefly leaving her police job in the outback to accompany her artist father to an awards evening in rural Victoria. This gripping murder mystery, taking the reader from one drama to another, left me not sure who the killer was until the very end. Full of twists and turns with some great descriptions of the various landscapes, the story has well developed characters and is a good read.

Kit Kemp, regular readers of this blog will know, is one of my favourite interior decorators. Her new book Design Secrets is full of her colourful and clever combinations of fabric, colour and shape. She talks about the design processes she uses with her staff to come up with new projects and ways to put things together. Kemp doesn’t dictate strict guidelines and encourages the use of everyday objects to create pleasing arrangements. The results are often exuberant! It did occur to me that this style of decorating with layers of fabric, paper and objects plus furnishings was probably more suitable for cooler climates!

huge lotto winnings

Last week one of Australia’s lotto prizes was $120 million dollars which sounds like an enormous amount of money for one person to win. Actually, there were two first division prize winners, winning $63 million dollars each. One of the winning tickets belonged to a Kalgoorlie syndicate of 250 people. They each won $261,986. Millions and millions of dollars can be life changing, but not in a good way, whereas $261,986 must be wonderful! This is a great deposit on a house, a way to pay off loans, a chance to travel, educate children or buy the family treats. I’ve just read in the paper, some syndicate members plan to pay off mortgages, buy caravans and travel, plan for their retirement and help their children get settled. Makes so much more sense that huge prizes.

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eggs

eating

reading

cooking

covering journals

The frido kahlo cushion

in the garden

happy living

drawing in nature

decorating trends: GRANDMA COASTAL

international mens health week

Decluttering

cold weather

reading

did you know

tomato tarte tatin

nigella’s chocolate cake

the labyrinth

ANZAC DAY

did you know?

tortilla española

reading

lucky bamboo and rosemary

is clothing made from recycled bottles good for the environment?

my plastic drink bottle

DINGOES

<img decoding=async class=aligncenter src=https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2018/03/26/08/26/hare-3261923__340.jpg alt="Rabbit, Easter Bunny, Plush Bunny"> HAPPY EASTER !

international women’s day

historic plastic deal signed in nairobi by 175 nations

painting and eating

the tinder swindler

inventing anna

Eating

growing vegetables

painting botanicals

cooking

apple crumble

reading

huge lotto winnings

HAPPY EASTER !