Suburban Life – Page 24 – MakeCookGrow.com

Easter, ANZAC Day and the Eiffel Tower

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EASTER

So what’s the Easter bunny got to do with Easter? Apparently derived from German Lutheran folklore, the rabbit, originally a hare, decided if children have been good or bad and distributed eggs accordingly.

Gifts for friends and family treats. Lots of foods traditionally associated with Easter celebrations. We have fish on Friday and hot cross buns on Sunday and, of course, lots of chocolate, shared with family and friends.

More gingerbread rabbits with marshmellow tails. Tasted good and made sweet little gifts in cellophane bags.

ANZAC DAY

ANZAC DAY is the national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand commemorating all Australians and New Zealanders who served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations. It is an opportunity to reflect on the freedoms of our country due to these actions of the armed services.

This is our local memorial soon after dawn.

Many of us attend ANZAC DAY services, often marked by fly bys, the laying of wreaths and always by one minute of silence and remembrance. Then coffee, tea and Anzac biscuits with friends and family. It is a time I think of my Grandfather who was badly wounded in the battle at Villers Bretonneux in 1918 where the Anzac forces stopped the German breakthrough advance on Paris.

ANZAC stands for Australian, New Zealand Army Corps.

EIFFEL TOWER

Eiffel Tower on focus photography

Recognised the world over, like the Sydney Opera House, the iconic La Tour Eiffel, or Eiffel Tower celebrated its 130th birthday in March. It was built as the entrance arch for the Exposition Universelle, a world fair celebrating the first 100 years of the French Republic and intended to demonstrate the industrial prowess of France to the world.

Designed by Gustave Eiffel, originally the construction attracted ridicule and scorn. Now a landmark recognized worldwide, the 300 metre high Eiffel Tower attracts over seven million visitors a year. When it was complete, Gustave Eiffel walked the 1710 steps to the top and placed the French flag on the summit.

Did you know April is Gardening Month? Gardens have always been important as sources of food, medicines, for leisure plus habitats for insects and other animals. Gardens are vital to our survival. They can be either tiny or very large areas, surrounding your home or even some distance away, such as an allotment or community garden.

Gardening is enormously pleasurable for many people. I come from a long line of gardeners and wish I had more land to work with, but most of the land I have is used for growing food, flowers and herbs. Many members of my family are keen gardeners and grow their own food and flowers, some have chooks ( chickens) and fruit trees.

How will you celebrate Gardening Month?

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Autumn Here and Now Link-Up……but it’s too late!

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Hello!

So happy Sarah is back with the Here and Now link-up. I really enjoy her blog but I’ve just discovered I have left publication too late for this month, so I’ll watch out for next months link-up!

LOVING The gentle change in weather as we move into Autumn. The mornings and evenings are cooler. Very motivated to work in the garden after an afternoon listening to Sophie Thompson, horticulturist, author, ABCTV garden presenter and TEDx speaker.

EATING Easter themed cake and gingerbread rabbits.

DRINKING Forest Fruits with a twist of Apple tea. Warming, tastes good and smells lovely.

FEELING Pleased the roses are still blooming. This red one is Father’s Love and lasts for ages as a cut flower.

MAKING Little muslin pectin bags for jam making. Last year I used a knotted Chux, a kitchen wipe! Very ugly, very efficient, but now I have some little bags which I can wash and re-use. Soon there will be citrus, so I’ll be making marmalade. The pectin, from pips and peel, makes the jam set.

THINKING Time to replant a garden bed which gets good sun but is currently planted with cannas. I’m struggling to get rid of them and have been researching non-chemical ways to deal with them. Digging them out seems to spur any remnant rhizomes to greater vigor. Any ideas?

DREAMING We’re planning trips, first to Bali and then a train trip. These are the things we dreamed about when we were working and had limited time to travel. So many possibilities now!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of EASTER, the Christian festival celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus. Many families will go to Church, eat chocolate eggs and hot cross buns and spend relaxing time together.

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Three Quick, Easy, Gorgeous Easter Eggs and Bunting

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It’s not too late to make some Easter decorations. Easter has come about so quickly, but these projects are family friendly and mostly require materials you already have or can easily get. The projects I’ve featured here were very quick, very inexpensive and took little preparation. Each activity, except the shrink wrapped eggs, could be done by a school aged child under supervision.

The first easy project is MARBLED EGGS. Begin by boiling your eggs. While they are cooling cover your work area with plastic ( I re-used an old shopping bag). Half fill a bowl with water so you can submerge the eggs, gather some nail polish ( I used orange and grey) and put on rubber gloves.

Drizzle a small amount of both colours on the water and swirl with a toothpick, drop an egg into the water and gentle roll to cover with the marble.Repeat. The almost totally grey egg shows what happens if you pour in too much nail polish!

Leave them on the plastic to dry.

Pretty MARBLED EGGS. I used free range eggs which have very orange coloured shells, colours will look different on whiter eggs.

The second egg project is SPECKLED EGGS. After your boiled eggs are cool, pour some water into a bowl and add a good squirt of blue food dye and about a quarter of a cup of white vinegar. Dip the eggs into the dye and leave five minutes, stirring occasionally to create an even blue coverage.

I used an old shopping bag to cover my work surface and also wore rubber gloves. Remove the eggs and leave them to dry, then “speckled” by flicking brown paint (I used Winsor and Newton Burnt Sienna and Raw Sienna diluted water colour paint and a number 4 paintbrush) onto the blue surface, tilting slightly to speckle the sides.

Again, I used free range eggs which have an orange shell, white egg shells would look bluer.

The last very easy egg project is SHRINK WRAPPED EGGS which involves covering boiled eggs with bought shrink wrappers. (I bought these on EBay)

Separate the wrappers, then slip them over boiled eggs, then, using a dessert spoon, immerse the eggs one at a time, in a pot of boiling water. Hold for 3 – 4 seconds and then leave to cool, while you start the next one. So easy, so pretty.

* I use Martha Stewart’s method for boiling eggs. Heat immersed eggs in one layer in a pot of water until boiling, let boil one minute then turn off the heat and leave in the hot water for 13 minutes before straining and leaving to cool. Perfect boiled eggs!

Quick, free and gorgeous, PAINT COLOUR EGG BUNTING. The day before you make the bunting, collect two of each colour paint sample card you’re going to use, glue them back to back and leave under something heavy (I used a big book) Cut out an oval, egg shaped template and trace two eggs onto each of your colour samples.

Punch holes with a leather punch or similar and knot them onto string or ribbon. I knotted these close together so I could hang them around a cake serving plate.

Today is Licorice Day. Isn’t that wonderful? Licorice is a plant extract used in confectionery, medicines and alcohol. Love licorice.

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Cottesloe Beach for Sculptures and Albany for the Avenue of Honour Lights.

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Visited iconic Cottesloe Beach on a really hot day to wander around the Sculptures By The Sea. This free exhibition is in its 15th year and exhibits more than 70 pieces.

The sculptures are arranged on the grassed area and the beach so it’s easy to look at them from each perspective. Good access, beautiful surrounds and interesting pieces make this a very popular event. Across the road from the beach there’s coffee shops and cafes, icecream shops, restaurants and fish and chips shops, all with great views of the beach and Rottnest Island beyond.

This is one of a series of textural sculptures, clumped together creating a “cactus” garden. Tactile and not too big, these were very popular with children.

On The Nose, a humorous and clever sculpture. Very popular.

The artists exhibiting come from all over the world, including Japan, Germany, America, Sweden, China, Finland, Austria, Italy, Norway, Greece, England,South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

The tower on the left is the Surf Life Saving post. This is the state’s coastal safety and rescue organisation. They patrol all the local beaches and provide essential educational and emergency services for the millions of people who visit WA’s beautiful beaches every year.

SLSWA runs children’s programs, too, called Nippers, and the children on the surf skis are practising their surf life saving skills.

Luckily, visitors to Cottesloe Beach to view the Sculptures By The Sea can refill their drink bottles with filtered water from these sources encouraging less reliance on single use plastic bottles.

The leaf sculpture “Ipomoea”to the right, moved on its stem and was fun to watch. It’s the work of New Zealander, Phil Price.

To Albany, down the south coast, to visit the Avenue of Honour.

Field of Light: Avenue of Honour is an installation by Bruce Munro and features 16 000 lights which glow green, yellow then white, representing the wattles, a native bush, common in the area. This immense and extremely moving installation down both sides of the avenue, pays homage to the ANZACS . This was the last sight of Western Australia for the 41 00o troops who departed from King George Sound.

The lights just before dusk.

The lights after dusk. Beautiful, quiet, very moving, a special visit to Albany. I really like this photo because there’s a ship in the background leaving King George Sound, just as the troops left all those years ago. Amongst the beauty, we can reflect on the sacrifice, courage and honour of the ANZACS.

ANZACS the acronym for Australian, and New Zealand Army Corps

Tomorrow, the 6th of April. is Teflon Day, commemorating the accidental discovery of polytetrafluoroethylene, or Teflon. In 1938, Dr Roy Plunkett was trying to make a CFC coolant, but created Teflon.

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Cooking With Nigella…I Wish!

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Fabulous and famous enough to be recognised by her first name alone, Nigella is about to complete a talking tour of Australia. Called “An Evening With Nigella” she talked about her way of cooking and her beliefs about food.

I have always liked the generosity and flavours of Nigella’s recipes and was attracted to this recipe, ” Chicken and Pea Traybake” from my latest book of hers called “At My Table”. It’s full of gorgeous photos, wise advice and delicious recipes. Nigella’s food is for cooking at home and serving up to friends and family.

Another attraction was that I had all the ingredients to hand! I like watching her cooking programs, too, as she’s passionate about food and uses real ingredients, doesn’t follow fads and enjoys eating. Quite inspiring.

The first layer of this traybake is frozen peas, yes, frozen always on hand, peas. So easy. They actually become sweet and soft as they cook and absorb some of the flavours of the other ingredients in the dish. Then you add chicken, leeks, garlic, vermouth, oil, salt flakes and dill.

Straight from the recipe book!

My version after it came out of the oven. I served it with boiled potatoes to mash into the pea, leek and chicken juice. This recipe made two dinners for us.

An easily prepared, one pan dinner. Once it’s in the oven you only stir it once more, otherwise you leave it to cook while you get on with everything else.

Mine looks just like Nigella’s!

Today marks the beginning of Write A Letter Appreciation Week, so find some beautiful paper and mail a handwritten letter to someone. A nice change from a text or an email.

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What Are You Watching On TV?

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What are you watching on television? We have nearly 20 free-to-air channels and still struggle to find programs we want to watch each evening.

I grew up on a farm and we didn’t have mains electricity until I was 12 years old. We had a 32 volt generator which my father would start each evening for lighting, but apart from the radio, I don’t remember other electrical appliances. We had a slow combustion stove ( commonly called a wood stove, wood being the fuel it used) which meant there was always a hot kettle and hot water, but no television.

When we got mains electricity we also got a TV but only during the school holidays. On school days we went to catch the school bus at 7AM and got home about 5.15PM, we’d have afternoon tea, do our jobs, bathe, have dinner and go to bed, ready to do it all again the next day. So maybe there was only time to watch TV during school holidays.

By the time we got electricity connected my grandparents had left the farm to live in town and they had a large, remote control TV in a wooden frame. It was very grand! They liked to watch news and post news commentaries which I didn’t find very engaging so I continued to read and read as staying in town meant access to the library every day if I wanted.

Watching television has changed over time. It is no longer something you just watch but can involve interacting using hand held devices and split screens. It’s still not very exciting.

So, we rely on recordings, Netflix or on demand services, but actually we don’t watch much TV anyway. We are not alone; recently in a group of friends this was the topic of conversation and almost everyone said they watch much less TV than they used to watch. Fake news, reality programs about cooking and renovating and repeats all got a mention as turn offs.

Image result for Escape to the Country

Nearly everybody I spoke to watches Escape to the Country, an English program started in 2002, where city dwellers are shown three homes in their chosen area matched to their preferences. As viewers we also see small rural villages and sometimes iconic houses as well as local craftsmen and women and learn things about each region. All interesting as Australian viewers. There’s something addictive about seeing inside other peoples’ homes, too, and listening to the things they like and the changes they’d make.

Statistically, a huge number of people watching TV are also reading, on their various devices, doing crosswords, shopping, chatting, eating or partially engaged in some other activity. Very few people are focused solely on the television screen. Me too.

Interestingly, I was just reading an English blog and it was about the same issue. The blogger had asked for suggestions about what she could watch on TV because it was all so banal and she had so many comments from readers about how awful free-to-air TV is and lots of pay TV suggestions. Why has this happened? Is it a worldwide problem?

What are you watching? Do you rely on free-to-air or other sources? Do you watch less TV than you used to? Are you a gamer?

Today is Walk Your Dog Day, so that’s very easy to do, isn’t it? It’s something you can do almost anywhere, so long you have a dog. Great exercise for you and your dog and very sociable. Actually, dogs would like every day to be walk your dog day, I think.

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Valentine’s Day Cards and Cake

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So many Valentines Day advertisements feature roses, jewellery and perfume and almost always, chocolates. Perhaps you enjoy a dinner in a special restaurant, or new lingerie, or maybe you have your own rituals, or don’t do anything at all! But I’m sure Valentines Day, 14th February hasn’t passed you by, unnoticed.

We don’t do many special things for Valentines Day but I always make a family cake and some appropriate craft project because any excuse to puddle about in paper, glue and paint is a good one!

I began with a few Valentines Day themed cards. I made papier-mâché using scrap paper from the shredder soaked in water then pulped using a stab blender. The pulp was strained and then squeezed as dry as possible before being pressed into chocolate molds and left to dry.

I’d used scrap paper so it retained some print colours. I painted the shapes white. Then I glued the shapes onto stiff card to create Valentine Day cards for the family.

Another Valentines Day treat was a heart shaped apple strudel cake. I knew that any leftovers could be eaten as pudding/dessert with ice cream or cream. I planned to make a chocolate cake, a flavour popular with my family, but wanted to use up some apples in the fruit bowl, so made a strudel batter with cinnamon, stirred through some brown sugar and then added the stewed apple. Finally, the frosting topped with fruit gels in berry flavours. Delicious.

Our final Valentine’s Day treat was Gingerbread Hearts. Delicious, spicy and popular with everyone, they were eaten very quickly. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe Don.

We all know yesterday was Valentines Day but did you know today is Hippo Day? Hippo loosely translates as River Horse in Ancient Greek. Hippos are the third largest land mammal on Earth. Celebrate by enjoying a mud bath…..or not!

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Reading, Cooking, Scrabble and Decluttering

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This is the third book I’ve read by Jane Harper and it was riveting. Her books feature rural settings and are uniquely Australian in flavour. The Lost Man is set in the harsh, unforgiving environment of outback Queensland. The mysterious story line and gripping, dark themes, slowly revealed as the story unravels, had me guessing until the end. The conclusion really took me by surprise despite the hints throughout the story. This was a complex and evocative novel. I hope Jane Harper is busy writing her fourth novel right now!

I make sourdough bread about every five days. I used to make a traditional round loaf in a Dutch oven but now make an ( almost) rectangular loaf in a Pyrex dish. Sliced, a rectangular piece is a better fit in the toaster and means about the same amount of bread each day. Each time I bake I cut the loaf in half and freeze it so I always have fairly fresh bread.

When the temperature exceeds 40 degrees C (104 F) I lose interest in doing anything outside, so out comes the Scrabble, on goes the air conditioner, add a bowl of cashews and a jug of iced water and there’s a fun afternoon ahead. We bought a box of Scrabble when we lived in China which was light and inexpensive but that resulted from hollow tiles and plastic racks so now trying to unearth our old set with thick, heavy, ivory like tiles and wooden racks. They feel better to handle but don’t improve my score.

Watched three episodes of Konmari on Netflix and felt motivated to sort some drawers in my walk-in-robe. Skipped thanking each piece for being in my life but did pause a few times to wonder why I’d bought them in the first place. A huge bag of things for the Church box and everything remaining is nicely folded and easy to retrieve. The shoes on top of the pile look new as I’ve only worn them once but abandoned them when I towered over the children and most of my colleagues. I was suddenly too tall. I have lots more drawers to sort in the future.

My abundance of clothes is a bit confusing as I realise I wear the same pieces over and over again and rarely touch the other two thirds of my hanging space. The same seems to apply to my shoes. Since retiring my clothing needs have changed dramatically from formal, dressed for work to lots of leggings and knit tops. Not ideal, but even when I leave the house I am less formally dressed than I used to be and also wear lower heeled shoes. Not what I imagined, but the whole look has become pretty relaxed!

Tomorrow is Toothache Day. Can’t find any information about its origins or focus but I’m sure you all know how to treat it and what to do to prevent dental decay, so celebrate in your own way!

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Delicious, Quick Pickled Cucumber

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The real heat of summer hasn’t really arrived in Western Australia yet and I am already tiring of salad vegetables. Pickled cucumbers add crunch and flavour to salads. These are not sweet pickles but I like the flavour and the crispness they add to salads and sandwiches.

Pickles are recognized for regulating blood sugar and drinking the brine is very fashionable to aid recovery after intense exercise. It is also thought to promote good gut health.

Quick and easy to make, the ingredients in the pickling brine are standard pantry staples and the process is simple.

EASY PICKLES

Ingredients

cup of water
cup of white vinegar ( apple cider tastes good, too)
one teaspoon mustard seeds ( I used yellow seeds) or mixed peppercorns
one bay leaf
a few springs of herbs ( I used rosemary stripped from their stems)
one tablespoon salt
a large cucumber

NOTE You can add a teaspoon of chili flakes if you like)

Place all the ingredients except the cucumber in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir and simmer for one minute, turn off heat.

While the pickling brine cools a little, chop a large or two medium cucumbers into slices of regular thickness.

Pack the cucumber slices into an air tight, sterilized jar and then pour the pickling brine over until all the slices are covered. If you run out of the brine, just top the jar up with an equal mix of water and vinegar. Leave it open to cool.

When your pickles are cool, close the lid and store it in the fridge for a few days before opening and using. They will be crisp and refreshing and will add a distinctive flavour to salads.

Apple Cider Vinegar will cause the cucumber to go a darker shade but not effect the flavour.

This pickling method is for quick pickles to be eaten within two months and to be kept in the fridge. Ours are eaten well before their expiry date!

In gardening news, the hydrangeas are surviving the heat and blooming enthusiastically. Lush and cool looking.

The poor tomatoes are all in exclusion bags so we get some. Until I “bagged” them the wildlife were the only ones enjoying them.

The gargoyle and the flowering hibiscus.

The 4th of February, World Cancer Day, is intended to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its detection, treatment and prevention. Many cancers can be treated now days but early detection is important.

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Repurposing an Airline Amenities Bag

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Amenity bags aren’t what they used to be! Once they’d hold socks, toothpaste and brush, comb and small brush, earplugs and eye mask, lip balm, maybe an emery board and razor with cream and other little treats. These all came in a variety of lovely, re-usable zippered or drawstring bags which I have frequently repurposed. The most recent bags held a pair of socks and a toothbrush and tiny tube of toothpaste.

The amenity bag I have repurposed this time is made by DuPont from Tyvek, and claims to be a lightweight and durable material providing the best properties of paper, film and fabric. They say it is eco-friendly, re-usable, water and tear resistant.

I was attracted by it’s claimed sturdiness but also the size is just right for my makeup! I don’t use very much and this size was perfect for my carry-on bag and easy to balance on a hotel window ledge or narrow hotel bathroom shelf. I just had to decorate it to suit me!

I don’t wear a lot of makeup. I use concealer under my eyes, two part long lasting lipstick, foundation on my nose and smeared eyebrow pencil under my eyes. To finish, if it’s not too hot, pressed powder. For over thirty years I wore hard contact lenses to correct keratoconus and couldn’t risk flakes of mascara getting under the lenses. ( Keratoconus refers to irregular shaped corneas and the GP contact lenses create a smooth, uniform surface on the cornea resulting in improved vision) When gas permeable lenses became available to treat this and I could wear mascara it was too late; I was very aware of the black on my lashes and didn’t like it! I didn’t wear eye shadow for years for the same reason and now find that a bit of a pain, too, so minimal makeup.

After wash applied. Before wash applied.

The first step in decorating the bags was to give the front a light wash using fabric dye. I placed a slightly smaller piece of card in the bag and then brushed a thin wash of pink on one bag and purple on the other. The card holds the thin, pliable material flat and prevents any dye seeping through to the back of the bag. My intention was not to totally cover the original design but to create a more suitable background for printing.

I used black fabric dye, a very old stippling brush and a stencil I bought on eBay to apply the design. When it was dry I decided to add some balance and printed more of the stencil to one side.

I set the fabric dye using a moderate iron and a twice folded pillowcase as I have no idea how the Tyvek would respond to heat. Time will tell how well the image has set, but it looks good at this stage, although the fibre did not “grab” the ink well as I expected so it is smudged.

Everything fits well in the little, light zippered bag.

I have continued to do a pencil water colour painting every day. I enjoy the process and like to reflect later on the success, or otherwise, of the colours I have chosen and the techniques I have used in each one.

Yesterday was Belly Laugh Day. Why should you have a good laugh? Apparently laughing makes the tissues lining our blood vessels expand, increasing blood flow, which makes us feel happier and boosts our immune system. Laughing releases chemicals which promote relaxation. So, have a good laugh today!

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