How To Cook Bok Choy, Reading and Happy New Year!

Share this post

HOW TO COOK BOK CHOY

Do you like a variety of vegetables? We are lucky enough to find a huge range of seasonal fruit and vegetables in our shops. After the indulgences of Christmas and Boxing Day I like to make light, fresh, easy to eat meals. (That’s in between finishing off the ham and Christmas puddings.)

Today for lunch I quickly cooked bok choy and prawns. At the end I added some garlic and it was very good. This was a light meal for a very hot day while we sat watching the cricket on the TV.

Begin by chopping the ends off the bok choy and washing each leaf thoroughly under running water. There’s often sand trapped between the leaves. Shake them to dry them. Usually I chop them into thin strips but today I cooked the whole leaves. This vegetable cooks down a lot, so make sure you have at least one bunch per person.

Heat about a quarter of a cup of water in a frying pan over high heat until it boils, then toss in the leaves. Let them settle, then swish the leaves around, using tongs, cook some more, swish, until the leaves are wilted and the water has evaporated. I add some finely diced garlic at the point. Serve as desired.

This time I removed the bok choy from the pan, splashed in some extra virgin olive oil and flash fried some peeled prawns. When they were ready I served the bok choy and prawns. You could add rice or noodles. This simple and quick meal tasted wonderful.

READING

The gentle lull between Boxing Day and the New Year is the most perfect time to enjoy some quiet time reading. As a family we all enjoy gifts of books for Christmas. In fact, my husband always gets exactly what he wants for Christmas and his birthday; he buys the books he wants and I wrap them!

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Australian Vogue, this months cover features Nicole Kidman, “our Nic”. Really interesting to read about the fashion revolution of the 60’s and 70’s because I was there! Iconic photographs and pieces by past editors, designers, models and photographers makes for an great edition.

Unlike a magazine which is easy to pick up and put down with its shorter pieces, some of these books below have been very difficult to put down.

A fortnight ago I read Alice Hoffman’s “The Marriage of Opposites” and was struck by the cleverly researched facts supported by fiction resulting in an evocative and engaging story, so I can’t wait to start “The World That We Knew” published 2019.

Really enjoyed Anne Glenconnor’s “Lady In Waiting”. Her biography is a rich mix of aristocratic families, royalty, travel and courage. She is also an occasional columnist for the Spectator. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, her story is fascinating and I really enjoyed this book.

Two gorgeous Christmas gift books, with a common theme, are Janelle McCulloch’s “Gardens of Style” which is typically fabulous, like all her books and Jackie Bennett’s “The Artist’s Garden”

McCulloch’s book came gift wrapped and sealed to add to it’s allure. Many happy hours ahead. And some new ideas for the garden, I hope, although our garden is tiny and the gardens featured are often very big. Two beautiful books.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

After what has seemed like the fastest year ever, we are about to embark on a new decade. Do you make New Year resolutions? For many of us, the new year is seen as a new start, a fresh beginning, resulting in lists of resolutions. These lists often revolve around self-improvement. So, weight loss, fitness, healthier food and less alcohol.

Some lists focus on improving the work/life balance, resolving problems at work, earning more money or planning for retirement. Or perhaps planning the holidays all that work will finance.

I don’t make New Year resolutions but will continue walking 12 000+ steps every day, investigate more ways to use less plastic and continue decluttering. Had some success throwing out, donating and even selling things during the past week but there’s so much more to go!

So, do you make lists? Do you make permanent changes or do your plans slowly, or even quickly, fall by the way?

Whatever your approach,wishing you a HAPPY and HEALTHY NEW YEAR and thank you for reading my blog!

Share this post

Recipe For Devilled Eggs, Rum Balls and Slowing Down

Share this post

DEVILLED EGGS

Devilled eggs are an old fashioned finger food, easy to pick up one handed at a party and easy to eat. I was a bit intrigued by the name Devilled Eggs as they’re not hot or particularly spicy. The name was found to be in common use in the 18th century, first appearing in 1786. By the 19th century it generally referred to some spicy or zesty foods, not just eggs.

I caught the end of a Nigella Christmas Special on TV recently and she was preparing a tray of Devilled Eggs. They looked delicious and seemed to disappear quickly when she set them at her Christmas Dinner. They are also suitable for vegetarians and gluten free guests.

We needed to “take a plate” to several parties this week, so I decided to make Deviled Eggs. “Take a Plate” in Australia doesn’t literally mean arrive with an empty plate as if the host/hostess is short of crockery, it means take a plate of food to share.

Following Nigella’s recipe, I left the eggs in a dish on their sides overnight. This was supposed to ensure the yolks would remain in the centre of the egg. Total fail for me, with some yolks visible at the edges and ends of the eggs after they were boiled.

I am a huge Nigella fan but her next step wasn’t so fabulous, either. By boiling them for one minute, then turning off the heat and leaving them in the hot water for 12 minutes, then putting them in a bowl of icy water for 15 minutes, the eggs should have been easy to peel perfectly. No! I had torn whites and misplaced yolks; something which has never happened before.

Then the final problem occurred when, having followed her recipe, I tasted the egg mixture and it was not to my taste, at all.

So, unfortunately, I had to start again, making them the way I used to make years ago. I have no idea where the recipe originated from but it is quick, easy and relies on pantry staples. The recipe required the yolks from eight boiled eggs, 3 tablespoons of whole egg mayonnaise, two teaspoons of Dijon mustard and a dash of Apple Cider Vinegar. Tasted great after a good mix with a fork and a grind of black pepper.

The yolk mixture is traditionally piped into the egg white. I threw out my piping bag ages ago due to it being stained. I forgot to replace it. So, I put the large star piping point in a ziplock bag after I snipped off a corner. Then I pulled this over a mug and scraped the yolk mixture into the bag. After I’d piped one egg, the bag split, delivering a big blob onto the plate of whites. Spooned the mixture into the rest of the egg whites. Time was running out!

Scattered the completed Devilled Eggs with chopped chives and then paprika. They tasted very good and were eaten quickly.

RUM BALLS

This is another nostalgic recipe for Christmas time treats. I make these delicious rum balls from memory, too, and they are quick and easy.

Simply process a packet of milk arrowroot biscuits (250gm), a tin of condensed milk (395gm), a cup of desiccated coconut and 2 tablespoons of dark rum. When the ingredients are well mixed, fill a bowl with more coconut and a bowl with cocoa, then scoop out walnut sized amounts of mixture. Roll into balls in your hands then roll the balls in the coconut or cocoa until they’re well coated. Put them on a parchment lined tray. Place the tray in the fridge for an hour and they’re ready to share. So easy, so delicious!

Other essential Christmas nutrition.

Eat. Share. Enjoy.

SLOWING DOWN

The time after Boxing Day, the 26th of December and the New Year (new decade!) is often a time to slow down and contemplate. There are probably fewer social commitments and there’s time to enjoy Christmas books, games or other gifts and less pressure around meal preparation. There’s probably left over ham, turkey, Christmas puddings and Christmas cake and in Australia where it is the middle of summer, masses of fresh, colourful fruit. No cooking, just peel if necessary, slice and serve. This is a precious time to re-charge. Some people consider New Year resolutions, some people plan post Christmas shopping sprees and some people just slow down and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Whatever your plans leading up to the New Year I hope you are happy and well and beginning to feel re-charged. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And happy Fruitcake Day! This seems a bit odd to me as I associate fruitcake with Christmas, not two days after Christmas.

Popular in the past for their longevity, these alcohol laden treats could be stored for months or longer without refrigeration. We soak the fruit for our Christmas fruitcakes in brandy for about two months before making then a week or two before Christmas. So, enjoy fruitcake today, if you have any left!

Share this post

How To Make Rye Sourdough Bread and December in Western Australia

Share this post

MAKING RYE SOURDOUGH BREAD

What sort of bread do you like? Do you make your own? For some time I made a sourdough loaf every few days. I’d slice and freeze it so we had beautiful bread all the time. Then rye sourdough was recommended to me. We are lucky to have several artisan bakeries nearby and we tried a selection of rye loaves, but only one was made from 100% rye flour.

To reduce single use plastics, in this case cling wrap, I use a hotel shower cap stretched over the bowl while the dough rises.

White flour sourdough. I made rectangular loaves eventually as they were easier than the rustic ball shape to make sandwiches and to toast.

So I decided to try and make 100% rye sourdough myself. I read many recipes and watched videos online and narrowed the choice to three. I’ve only made the first one so far. This is the process I followed.

Fed the mother/starter and left it overnight until it was frothy and puffy. There’s instructions on the site listed below for making your mother/starter if you don’t have one.

Measured out the salt. The recipe actually listed sea salt, which seems to have disappeared in the last pantry cleanup, so I used Himalayan salt.

Dissolved the salt in 400ml of warm water.

Then added 200ml starter.

Mixed it all together.

Then weighed out 600gm of rye flour.

Sifted the flour into the wet ingredients.

Then kneaded the dough until it was smooth and the flour was all absorbed. This took about five minutes.

Left the dough to rise until it had doubled in size. It is 41 C today so this was achieved quite quickly, but a slower doubling in size results in a stronger flavour.

This loaf is made with 100% rye flour. Most rye bread loaves have a blend of wheat flour which is high in gluten and rye flour, which has a lower gluten rating. It is a dense, great tasting loaf with a nice sourdough tang but a good rye flavour, too. We have eaten some and frozen the rest, sliced, as it will thaw quickly in our climate.

Unlike most bought breads, this loaf is simply made from flour, water, salt and starter. It is very dense and filling, too!

This is the recipe and video I used to make my rye bread. Lots of good information here: www.crazy-cucumber.com/make-rye-sourdough-bread-sourdough-starter-breadmaking

IT’S DECEMBER WHEN…

This year seems to have been the fastest year ever and now it’s December. Your really know it’s December in Australia when you have to check the bee bath regularly due to heat evaporation. I’ve had to put the bee bath up on a plant pot as our dog, Louis, considered it his outdoor water bowl and regularly drank it dry. The pebbles create a safe place for the bees to stand and drink in the bath.

December means the hydrangeas are blooming and very lush and pretty.

As are the agapanthus, which seem to flourish in the unrelenting heat.

And the hippiastum which blooms most of the year and the flowers are big and bold and gorgeous.

The lime tree has lots of fruit. Great sliced in water and on fish and curries.

Christmas decorations are going up.

And all plans seem to focus on Christmas. I’m not photographing the burnt spinach, the drooping tomatoes and the scorched gardenia. It has been very hot in Western Australia.

December 21st is CROSSWORD PUZZLE DAY because the first crossword puzzle is thought to have been published on this day in 1913. Doing crossword puzzles every day is thought to be good for memory and mind health. Love a good crossword puzzle!

MERRY CHRISTMAS and BEST WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR TO ALL MY LOVELY READERS!

Share this post

Can Dogs Eat Apples, Making Christmas Cakes and Re-usable Giftbags

Share this post

CAN DOGS EAT APPLES AND CARROTS?

Our dog, Louis, has just had his teeth cleaned. He is six years old and despite having a dental stick every night, he had plaque build up. The dental sticks claim to promote daily oral care. Maybe not but he loves them! I was reluctant for him to have a General Anaesthetic, an essential part of the cleaning process, but the vet emphasized the risk of losing teeth to decay.

So, if the dental stick has been ineffectual, will apples or carrots help? The good news is that both apples and carrots are great for your dog’s health and in particular, their teeth. It’s important you don’t give your dog apple cores, especially the seeds, as these contain cyanide, which is poisonous for dogs. Carrots are best cut into small pieces as some dogs choke trying to swallow large pieces. Apples and carrots are rich in fibre, vitamins and good for cleaning teeth and easily included in your dog’s diet.

Keeping your dog’s teeth healthy is obviously important. Our vet recommended tooth brushing, dental friendly diets additives to their water and some low or no calorie chews. I think Louis is too old to be introduced to tooth brushing. He’s had one of the chews the vet recommended in his toy basket for ages and never plays with it. The water additive recommended to us claims to reduce plaque accumulation by 88% and is probably the path we will follow. There is also a powder which is sprinkled on their food once a day .

These products are approved by the VOHC, the Veterinary Oral Health Council. Both are expensive, but if you thought a visit to the dentist for your checkup, scale and polish was dear, brace yourself for the cost of your dog having the same work done. Our vet recommends regular dental checkups for cats and dogs, which will become part of his annual visit to the clinic for his vaccinations.

MAKING CHRISTMAS CAKES

We have been soaking the dried fruit for the cakes since early October. The fruit has been soaking in brandy and every morning my husband inverts the jars. Now the time has come to make the cakes.

I begin by lining the cake tins. Next I get all the ingredients out, ready to add to the batter. Finally, I weight and sift, chop and add until all the ingredients are amalgamated. I use a recipe from my Aunt, which I’ve used for the past 35 years.

Remarkably useful laundry pegs hold the brown paper and baking paper in place until the batter is poured in. The paper slows down the cooking and ensures an evenly cooked, moist, richly flavoured cake.

When everything is mixed we all stir the batter and make a wish. The batter is then gently poured into the prepared baking tins. I bang the tins on the bench top to level the batter and knock out any trapped air. Finally, I decorate the tops of the cakes with blanched almonds and cherries. I used to cover the cooked cakes with marzipan and then add icing, but now we just enjoy the simple decoration of cherries and almonds.

The cakes cook for about five hours. Then they’re left to cool before being wrapped in foil and stored in tins. Every few days we drizzle more brandy over the cakes. They are very, very good.

RE-USABLE FABRIC GIFTBAGS

In the past I have printed Christmas wishes on fabric by glueing the fabric to a piece of A4 photocopying paper and then copying the image onto the carefully glued together paper/fabric. It has worked well. Not today! The new printer wasn’t having any of that and promptly clogged up and flashed unfriendly messages. I had to scan a code onto my phone to read the manual to work out how to open the printer and remove the offending paper/fabric.

So, this year I have settled on another system. I cut the fabric (from an old cotton sheet) into double A4 sized pieces so I could fold the finished work in half and then just sew one side and the bottom to make the bag. I placed the photocopied Christmas piece between the folded fabric so it was in the middle and used a bullet nib Sharpie to trace the image.

After I’d ironed the fabric I stitched quite a wide channel across the top as I hadn’t decided if I was going to thread a drawstring through it or just tie the top with a length of ribbon. Then I sewed the side and bottom, ironed it again and sat an thought about the drawstring or tie!

Finally decided on the drawstring! Slit two little holes either side of the side seam and sealed them with clear nailpolish, threaded the tartan ribbon, put in the gifts and tied a bow.

NOTE Giftwrap often ends up in the bin. When you buy wrap, scrunch it in your hand to make sure it doesn’t have plastic in it, like foil wraps. If it stays scrunched it’s paper and bio-degradable, if it resists and unscrunches (is that a word?), it has plastic in it and wont degrade. It’s a pollutant.

Friday the 13th! It’s WORLD VIOLIN DAY and HOT COCOA DAY which will probably be ignored in Western Australia as it is not yet 12pm and the temperature is 39C, with 40C forecast.

Share this post

How To Make Grazing Platters, Little Felt Covers and What I’m Reading.

Share this post

How To Make Grazing Platters

Christmas entertaining needs to be easy and relaxing for everyone, so I like to make Grazing Platters, also known as Grazing Plates, with a variety of tidbits to appeal to all tastes. Sometimes I use a wooden board but recently I have been using platters, which are smaller and allow me to place them at regular intervals along the table, so everyone can reach easily.

I select at least three cheeses, a blue vein, a Camembert and a sharp cheddar plus a selection of crackers. Then some cold meats, such as ham off the bone, salami, spicy sausage and pastrami. I roll up or fold the meats into quarters. Next, some grapes cut into small bunches and strawberries, a separate bowl of mixed olives, plates of dips with carrots, celery and crackers and a few bowls of cherry tomatoes, cashews and pretzels or potato chips. I put bread sticks in tall mugs to add some height, along with glasses and sometimes flowers. You can add artichoke hearts which taste lovely but make the platter messy! This feast was for my husband’s bookclub and they needed room for books and their notes so I set the platters down the middle of the table on woven placemats with matching coasters.

Set the table with dinner plates, napkins and forks, as everything should be bite sized, easy to pick up and easy to eat. Put out serving tongs and spoons. Add salt and pepper, plus a jug or two of cold water, then water and wine glasses and you can sit down and enjoy the company, too.

FELT CASES

I like my handbag to be organized with things in pockets, slots or zippered compartments. The mirror did have a little fabric cover but it is long gone and the emery boards were in a fold of cardboard and annoyingly, kept sliding out. I needed replacement covers.

I made the length of felt some time ago. I embedded the silk threads into it to add interest. It was intended to be a scarf but as pretty as it was, it was too hot for me!

So I cut a folded rectangle just longer than the emery boards and another rectangle, just bigger than my closed mirror case. I pinned each piece together and using embroidery floss, blanket stitched the pieces to make two covers.

Using pink card I cut a narrower, folded rectangle to make a pull out lining for the emery board cover. I cut out a thumb pull, slid the folded pink card into the cover and it was done! I lined the emery board cover with card to stop them from catching or tearing the felt. Just pull the pink card up a little and the boards come out smoothly.

So now these two covers are in a side pocket in my handbag. I am glad they have the silk threads in bright colours as the inside of my bag is black and gloomy, but I can see and easily find these in their pockets.

Quick, easy and effective.

READING

The Long Call

The latest Ann Cleeves thriller introduces a new character, Detective Inspector Matthew Venn, in a series called Two Rivers. This book, published in 2019, is set in North Devon where the rivers Taw and Torridge converge and run into the sea. This is a typical Ann Cleeves murder story with complex twists and turns.

If you enjoyed the Shetland and Vera Stanhope series, you’ll enjoy this new book, too. Apparently, the film rights have already been secured for this story. It was a good read and I finished it in two long sessions.

Incidental Inventions By Elena Ferrante

Are you an Elena Ferrante fan? Her books were very popular in recent years and I’ve read them all. They have been made into a HBO series, too. This book is different. Ferrante, a pseudonym, was approached by The Guardian to write a weekly column for their paper. This book is the collection of her columns from January 2018 until January 2019, arranged in chronological order.

I loved the Neopolitan Novels, for which she is most famous and eagerly began this collection. Her description of how she approached writing the 52 columns was interesting, but her nervy, anxious state of mind and resulting edgy, uncomfortable writing eventually exhausted me and I gave up at the last week of April. Her internal tension is reflected in her books but amplified in her columns. And the final comment is about Andrea Ucini’s whimsical illustrations at the beginning of each column. They are delightful.

India Hicks: A Slice of England: The Story of Four Houses by India Hicks | Hardcover | 2018 | 30 Day Money Back Guarantee | Best Price Guarantee

If you like peeking into lavishly decorated English houses ( the author’s father is David Hicks, the famous decorator) rambling around fabulous gardens and visiting very old houses through to the newly built, you’ll enjoy the very stylish India Hick’s “A Slice of England”. Related to the Royal family and grand daughter of Louis, Earl Mountbatten of India, she has access to amazing homes, beautiful furniture and century old crockery and cutlery and masses of decorator items.

She also details how she and her partner designed, built and decorated their new home. This is a gorgeous book, and I enjoyed the tidbits of history and fabulous houses with their treasures, although none of it really relates to my life in suburban Perth!

December the 4th is the birthdate of St Barbara, the patron saint of miners. December the 6th is MINERS DAY, recognizing the men and women who spend their days working, often underground, to provide the coal, steel and copper among other metals we demand to sustain our way of life.

So take a look around you and acknowledge the products dependent on mining, from your phone to your transport, your pots and pans and devices. All require products dug from the Earth.

Share this post

How To Dry Bay Leaves, Recycling Glass, “The Crown” and Repairing Painted Walls

Share this post

HOW TO DRY BAY LEAVES

Aromatic bay leaves come from Laurus nobilis, or the bay tree. It is native to the Mediterranean region. The dried bay leaf is used as a seasoning in cooking.

Our bay tree needed pruning. I brought in one of the branches removed during pruning to dry the leaves.

I began by snipping the smaller branches from the main branch. Next I washed and left the leaves to dry off.

I picked through the collection of leaves and discarded any that were not perfect. I also removed the older, larger, darker leaves as these can be very tough. I don’t use any pesticides in the garden so some insect damage is always possible.

Place the leaves somewhere dry, cool and protected to dry out. It’s quite warm here and I left them to dry for ten days. Meanwhile, I washed the jars, printed the labels, used water colours to paint leaves on them and then cut the ribbons to tie on them. These I glued with a dot of clear glue to the jars. Finally, I carefully slid the dried leaves into the jars, screwed on the caps, labeled them and tied the bows. Done! I will give some as gifts at Christmas.

Used extremely handy laundry pegs to hold the ribbons in place while the glue dried.

NOTE The leaves should always be removed from a dish before it is served. You can eat the leaves but the edges are very sharp and can hurt your mouth.

Although fresh bay leaves can be used in cooking it is easy and convenient to dry and preserve them so they are always available. Store them in a sealed jar in a cupboard or in the freezer.

Bay leaves are considered a ‘supporting’ element, intended to bring out the other flavours of a recipe.

Fresh bay leaves can be put in containers of flour and grains to repels weevils. They also deter moths from woolen clothes and can discourage silverfish from books, too.

The Greeks and Romans used bay leaves to make crowns or laurels which appear throughout history in paintings and sculptures.

RECYCLING SKINCARE JARS

I buy skincare in glass jars as glass is easily recycled, unlike plastic containers. Now, some brands of skincare are producing sealed foil pots of their product to refill the used glass jar. Just peel off the foil seal and push the pot into the jar and all done! It is kinder to the planet and kinder to your wallet. Investigate to find out if your preferred brand of skincare has a refill option.

Foil is easily and effectively recycled.

THE CROWN

The Crown Season 3

Are you watching Series 3 of The Crown? The third series started 17/11/2019 and is now all about the 60’s, with political change (Wilson), the exposure of spies (Blunt) in the Palace and awkward marriages (particularly Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon) I thought Claire Foyle was great as a younger Queen Elizabeth but I’m not so sure about Olivia Colman as the older Queen Elizabeth, despite loving her performance in other programs.

Some of these events I remember, or heard about, which makes it very interesting. I don’t know how accurately historical events are portrayed. Anyway, early days and I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the series. Are you watching it?

PATCHING THE PAINT

The newly done paint was barely dry when I saw a bit gouged out! Much grumping, then I filled the hole with Polyfilla. The next day, when it was dry, I sanded it, wiped away the dust and painted it with the tiny bit of leftover paint left by the painter. Problem solved!

These photos are the same area and some paint, but taken at different times of the day with natural and then artificial light! The repair is indistinguishable from the damaged piece. I hope I don’t have to do it again.

The 25th of November was INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. The declaration of this day aimed to activate and motivate governments around the world to do something about violence towards women and children.

During many years as a primary school teacher I began to think the best way to deal with domestic violence in Australia was to remove the perpetrator, if it is a man, and leave the women and children in their house, attending the same school as always and within a community where they could receive support. This would prevent the break in the childrens’ schooling which often results in poor outcomes for the children. The man could be accommodated where he’d be able to continue working and supporting his family, but also receive counseling and assistance in modifying his behaviour. The children could, if safe, visit and maintain supervised contact. I think this would probably be less expensive than emergency accommodation, hospital visits, single parent benefits and the long term cost of poorly educated children.

( I acknowledge women can be the perpetrator of violence, too, but this is directed towards the special day highlighting violence against women by men )

Share this post

Cooking Shortbread, Making Gift Boxes, Eating and Reading

Share this post

COOKING and GIFT BOXES

Just read that Christmas is only 34 days away so I have begun making gift boxes of shortbread biscuits. Some of these I will take as out hostess gifts. These are tiny little shortbread biscuits to enjoy with coffee or as we did, champagne! They are rich and delicious.

I have a template I’ve used for years to make the gift boxes. I plan a box making session and make photocopies of the box template, glue gift wrap onto the template, let it dry, cut it out and glue the boxes together. To finish I use a leather punch to make two holes for threading ribbon through. I put the shortbread biscuits in little cellophane bags, seal them then put them in the gift boxes. Finally, I tie a bow in the ribbon threaded through the holes. All done!

If you’d like to make gift boxes yourself search online as there are many variations available.

The guidelines are printed darkly enough to see them when the template is glued printed side down to the decorative paper.

I used a plastic ruler to fold along the lines to create the box shape. I glued the side and waited until it was dry, then the base and finally shaped the pleat in the side before folding over the top and punching holes for the ribbon.

Filled with a sealed cellophane bag of shortbread biscuits.

EATING YUM CHA

Our favourite family brunch is yum cha. Luckily, friends introduced us to this restaurant. These delicious little bundles of flavour are light and easy to eat. This time, along with all our usual dumplings, we tried Steamed Salted Egg Buns as our son had just eaten them in Singapore and recommended them. We really enjoyed them. Don’t be put off by the squid ink colour! Sometimes these lava cakes are coloured with squid ink and other times, bamboo charcoal powder. I particularly like steamed dumplings and turnip cake. Not all turnip cakes are equal, but the ones where we go are very good. Add a pot or two of green tea and it’s a great brunch.

READING

I was given Victoria Finlay’s The Brilliant History of Colour In Art. It is an in depth history of mans’ use of colour to illustrate events from the Ice Age to the Digital Age. Finley’s book describes the evolution of paint from ground materials to storing stable colours in tubes. She explains the origins of many words associated with colour along with fascinating stories, all supported with illustrations, mainly from the J. Paul Getty Museum Collections. If you’re interested in the evolution of art and particularly colour, you’ll really enjoy this book. I loved dipping into it with its gorgeous photos and learning something new each time.

How The Dead Speak - By Val Mcdermid - Paperback

Also just read multi award winning Val McDermid’s “How The Dead Speak”, another murder mystery in her Carol Jordan and Tony Hill series. Slow to start, this story picks up pace with many twists and turns. It’s a great thriller with a satisfying ending. A good read from this author who has sold over 16 million books.

Image result for sharon santoni my stylish french girl friends

And finally, I’ve just begun Sharon Santoni’s “My Stylish French Girlfriends” a luscious book featuring the equally luscious houses of her French female friends. Santoni has been married to a Frenchman and lived in France for many years. Here she shares photos and stories about her friends and their homes, plus their philosophy on family life, decorating and gardening and their jobs. Gorgeous photos and creative, resourceful women. I’m about a third of the way through and loving it!

November 21st is World Hello Day, encouraging you to simply greet people when you’re out and about. Well, that’s easy, isn’t it?

Share this post

How To Repair Leather Handles, Bulk Cooking and Afternoon Tea

Share this post

REPAIRING LEATHER HANDLES

When we moved everything to have the interior of the house painted I found things needing upkeep and repair. I’ve mended a mirror frame, fixed a shutter, repaired a wooden chess set rack, re-attached the hessian on a Persian carpet to rehang it and now I have renovated this shopping basket.

This is my favourite shopping basket. It has a flat oval base which balances it securely at the checkout. Fabric bags flop and are difficult to pack but this bag sits firmly as we fill it. I can stuff some fabric bags in it to carry them to the shops. It is also a good size for me to carry as I can’t overload it.

Over time and with constant use the leather handles had become worn and were cracking. I needed to repair them before they tore completely.

This is a mans’ leather belt. You could re-use one from an op shop/charity shop but I was given this one and it looked unused.

Firstly, I used a craft knife to cut off the buckle. I measured the width of the existing handles and then used a Sharpie to rule a line long ways on the belt to make it the same width as the handles. Then I cut carefully along this marked line.

I measured and cut the strip into two pieces the length of the handles. Before I glued these strips to the existing handles I cut into the leather to create a slightly thinner piece at each end so I could slide this under the piece attaching the handles to the body of the bag.

To cut the piece out I ran the craft knife across the leather, scoring just in from the end and making sure I didn’t cut right through. Then holding the leather on edge, I cut out the black layer of leather.

Working on one handle at a time, I glued and pegged the new lining to the existing handle working on about 15 cm at a time. When all the leather was glued together I left it to dry thoroughly before doing the second one. ( I find laundry pegs so useful for small repairs)

I didn’t use a special leather glue for this repair as I didn’t have any and the all purpose glue I had said on the label that it was suitable for leather. It has glued the two pieces together smoothly and strongly.

The mended handles look a bit wonky because I’ve just unpegged them but a few hours hanging on the back of the chair and they were perfect again. The handles feel good and will last a long time.

BULK COOKING

My mother broke her wrist and will be in a splint for six weeks and then at least another six weeks to recover full use of her arm. She is in her late eighties and we are all relieved she didn’t break a hip or leg. Having a broken wrist is difficult enough for her to manage.

Cooking is very difficult as she can’t apply any pressure to her wrist to cut anything. We went and spent the day sweeping in the garden, dead heading roses, changing and washing bed linen, some cleaning, shopping but mostly, I cooked. All jobs she does all the time but can’t for now. She has soups, corned beef, chicken, cut up vegetables and three jars of her special muesli. We bought frozen vegetables so she can add those to her meals, she has yoghurt and sliced fruit loaf. She is also surrounded wonderful family and friends who will help, too, but for a very independent person this is a big change.

By the end of the first week the downside of this plan became evident: it becomes boring to eat much the same thing day in and day out. Luckily, other options have presented themselves and also she has became more adept at doing everyday things with her left hand.

She is right handed and this is the wrist she broke, so she’s trying to do crosswords with her left hand. She can’t drive, either, but I think the biggest challenge will be looking after her hair. It is very long (she can sit on it) and she plaits it every morning and wraps the plait around her head and secures it with pins. Very difficult with one hand!

COOKING FOR AFTERNOON TEA

Do you have a few “go to” recipes you make when visitors are coming but you don’t have time to shop? I have my regulars, including curried egg sandwiches, pinwheels, shortbread and a cake. I always have lemons, limes, oranges or even passion fruit on hand to make a cake. I add a bowl of crystallized ginger and maybe some cashews so people can pick at something small and easy, especially if we’re not at the table. Sometimes I serve casual afternoon teas on the coffee table.

ARMISTICE DAY 11th November

Armistice Day, known as Remembrance Day in the UK and Veterans Day in the US, commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice at 11am on the 11/11/1918, ending World War 1. After more than four years of fighting, the defeated Germans called for the Armistice, the suspension of fighting, to secure a peaceful settlement.

Many people wear a red poppy on this day each year and stand at 11am for a minutes silence to remember those who dies or suffered for their country in all wars and armed conflicts.

Share this post

How To Restore Worn Leather and Summer Fruit

Share this post

How To Restore Worn Leather

These two leather sofas are nearly twenty years old and still strong and very comfortable. They have been slept on, played on, eaten on, frolicked on by two puppies who became keen on sleeping on them as grown dogs and, of course, sat on by people. Although I have treated them over the years with saddle dressing, wear and tear was beginning to show.

There are four steps to restoring the leather surface on worn sofas.

1. Ensure the areas needing restoration are clean.

2. Match a quality leather dye to your sofa. I bought the dye I used from a boot maker/shoe repair shop. Test the colour somewhere you wont normally see. Be aware it will dry a little lighter than the colour when it is wet.

3. I was re-dying small areas so used the small brush which came with the dye but if you need to do a bigger area, use a bigger brush. Dab the colour on carefully. The dye is thin and can run easily. Go slowly and carefully. Make sure the room is well ventilated.

4. Leave the dyed areas to dry overnight. Next day, treat the entire piece of furniture you have restored with a saddle dressing ( I use R.M. Williams Saddle Dressing) Rub it in with a soft cloth. Let it soak in before giving it a final buff.

Not a good photo but a very successful repair!

RM Williams Leather Conditioner

I use the old version of this R M Williams leather dressing cream.

Maintain the renovated leather by treating it regularly with leather conditioner. Regular care will prolong the life of the furniture.

Summer Fruit

The shops are full of summer fruit and we love this time of the year. Here’s last night’s desert; blueberries, strawberries and mango. We grow our own blueberries and apricots. This year I am not feeling generous towards the rats and birds who eat our fruit so we have netted the apricot tree and the blueberry bush. We’re protecting the fruit. Covering them was a difficult and time consuming job. We will have to refine the process for next year.

Louis has been to the groomer for his Spring suit. Under all the fluff was quite a small dog!

TONGUE TWISTER DAY

How will you celebrate phrases that are difficult to say, especially when repeated really quickly? Try this one:

Six sleek swans swam softly south on Sunday.

Share this post

The Stress of Painting the House and Spring Things

Share this post

The Stress of Painting the House

It was time to finish painting the interior of the house. Last year we had the exterior re-painted. Four weeks ago we had the downstairs painted, last week we had the upstairs painted. The interior hadn’t been painted since the house was built 13 years ago.

We had quotes from painter decorators to paint the ceiling, doors and door frames, skirting boards window sills and walls. We settled on a painter who had been recommended by a neighbour.

The first stress in this lengthy process is the cost! Our painter has done a very good job and taken care in every aspect of the job. His quote compared well, he worked hard and we’re pleased with the painting, but it is still a lot of money.

It’s stressful having someone in the house from 7AM every morning and hoping he’d make sure the dog didn’t wander out the gate because the front door was open, so that was another worry, too.

The third enormous stress was readying the house for painting. We realised just how much stuff we have but hadn’t allowed time for a good cull. All the furniture had to be moved, and everything else had to be packed and stacked. In theory, it should have been unpacked soon after the painting was finished, but that hasn’t really happened, yet. There’s so much to sort and decide if it stays.

Interestingly, the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale, a list indicating the degree of stress created by specific activities, doesn’t list House Painting. These are the first 10 major stressors on their scale:

Death of a spouse or child: 100
Divorce: 73
Marital separation: 65
Imprisonment: 63
Death of a close family member: 63
Personal injury or illness: 53
Marriage: 50
Dismissal from work: 47
Marital reconciliation: 45
Retirement:43

We had decided to have the downstairs painted then three weeks later, have the upstairs done. Moving, sorting and boxing things was a major stress. And very hard work.

One of the reasons we arranged to do the painting in two parts was so we could stay in the house. This was less disruptive but the smell of the paint, especially the gloss enamel used on the the timber bits, was very, very strong. I had a slight headache for days.

Unpacking, sorting, finding things needed repairs and getting them done all added to the tension and stress. We had discussions about what could go to the charity bins or the rubbish bin. Most of it stayed.

We changed the paint colour. The bathrooms were painted a warmer white called Creamy White, the least imaginatively named colour on the paint chart. It has a warm glow about it which looks really lovely. The rest of the house was painted in Subiaco Sand, a more “bleached” or watered down version of the original colour. The colour changes depending on the light. It looks really good and I’m glad we did it, but I am moving house before it needs painting again!

Considering the Holmes and Rahe list, it would be interesting to know what causes the most stress for other people. Do you agree with their ratings? Have you re-painted recently?

SPRING THINGS

This part of the spring garden looks pretty and is finally almost free of weeds. After a wet winter we had SO many weeds.

Thinking about spring, now it is the Spring Racing season in Australia. The highlight is the Melbourne Cup, run on the first Tuesday in November. First run in 1861 it is now a public holiday in Melbourne and known “the race that stops the nation”. It is televised across Australia and known for fashion parades, champagne lunches, glamorous parties and a huge spike in betting!

Share this post