Visitors of the feathery kind

Posted on November 4, 2010 by Jacinta

We have an abundance of wildlife here.  One of my favourites (I’ll probably say this every time I post about native animals) are King Parrots.  They are so naturally inquisitive and really quiet for wild birds.  Their colouring is amazing, almost iridescent.  They are really cheeky and visit everyday, but we don’t encourage feeding.  It doesn’t stop them trying to sweet talk us though! Or should I say it’s more like a really high-pitched shrill.

FEED ME - NOW!

Male King Parrot, isn't he lovely

Female King Parrot, she's so sweet!

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Success!

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Jacinta

So, after a phone call to a local shop, chaos was averted with a quick trip and purchase of elastic and two craft projects were completed!  So I bring you a birthday skirt for Scarlett’s friend and a skirt for Scarlett to wear to the birthday today!

Of course I stared the skirts yesterday afternoon.  I figured I could knock them over in a couple of hours, on a public holiday, with Greg home to help, ha!  Try a few more hours than the initial few and you are close.  I didn’t use a pattern, just made it up as I went.

Scarlett was very proud of her skirt.  I cherish the fact she loves things I make for her.  The photo’s aren’t the greatest, but as I only completed the skirts 5 minutes before we had to leave, it’s the best I could do.

The heart doubles as a pocket


All wrapped up!
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Crafting chaos

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Jacinta

I had hoped to bring you something I have spent this afternoon working on, but at the 11th hour, I realised I didn’t have the right elastic to finish the project, hmm!  So watch this space tomorrow and hopefully I will have something to show for my efforts!!

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Come and Wonder Around our Garden

Posted on November 1, 2010 by Jacinta

I thought it would be nice to share with you, a glimpse of our garden.  It’s definitely a work in progress.  It was quite overgrown when we moved here last year.  We have been trying to combat nature and dare I say it, we might be getting somewhere, albiet, very slowly.  There were a few pesky plants that were destined for compost, agapanthus being one of them.  I have tried burning it, hacking it into small pieces, pulling it up and leaving it to die off (ha, ha, that was a joke at my expense).  My next move is to put black plastic over it and hopefully that will fix up what is left.  I really think agapanthus could survive a nuclear blast! I’m sorry to say, invasive plants bring out another side in me.

It’s saddens me to say that a lot of the beautiful native landscape around here is being choked out by introduced plants.  Vines like ivy are a curse.  I do regular walks around the garden pulling out ivy, but bless it’s desire to survive, it keeps popping up!

Rant over?  Hardly, but I figure I better move on and actually follow through with what I stated in the post title!  My veggie patch is dismal, so far, due to the above mentioned plants, I only have potatoes planted.  I am however, very impressed with them so far.  They are looking very happy and we are looking forward to the first crop.  I planted sebago and pontiac varieties.

My veggie patch thus far!

I have tried to capture the amazing Mountain Ash gum trees on our block.  They are tall to say the least.  To give you an idea, the tree fern you can see at the bottom of the first picture would be close to 2 metres (6 foot) from base to top of fronds.  So follow up the trunk of the tree and you will see what I mean by ‘tall’.

Note the tree fern in front of tree is about 2 metres tall

This is a view just to the right of the above photo

Looking down our driveway at front of house (our driveway is a lot steeper than picture makes out)

Looking across the back of our garden

The apple trees are blossoming.  They smell so lovely and the flowers are pretty to boot.  The photo of the blossom is from our dwarf Snow Apple.  It’s a heritage variety.  We also have a dwarf Granny Smith for cross pollinating.  We also have an almond tree, blueberries, a cumquat tree, a dwarf black mulberry and a pomegranate tree.  Most of them are not much bigger than sticks, so don’t make for taking great pictures!

Snow Apple blossom

Of course I always have lots of help when gardening.  Lots of bums up in the air checking how things are growing would be one of my favourite sites in my garden!

'Bottoms up'

I’m hoping your garden is growing well!

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The girls

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Jacinta

Our chooks are affectionately known as ‘the girls’.  They are so efficient in cleaning up scraps and eating bugs.  They wait very impatiently every morning to be let out into the chook yard where they spend their days scratching for tasty morsels and enjoying the odd dustbath.
They make for pretty funny entertainment, especially when they are all trying to scrap over an unfortunate bug who has wonderend into chook territory.

So with no further ado, let me introduce Carrie, the Isa Brown, who is the oldest and wisest of all.  She was one of our original three chickens who were named after the girls off the show Little House on the Prairie.  This was due to the fact their original chook house resembled the house the Ingalls lived in. Unfortunately Laura and Mary were taken by foxes.

Carrie - Head chicken

Annalisa is a Rhode Island Red.  I feel she may give Carrie a run for her money in the chook pecking order.

Annalisa - up for the challenge of being head chicken

Capricorn, or Crappa Corn as Tenneille pronounces it, is a Chinese Silkie, who, I am afraid to say, is the kind of chicken from where the term ‘bird brain’ may have been penned.  Although, that funky feather do is rather happenin’ don’t you think!

Capricorn

Now last, but certainly not least, is our other Chinese Silkie.  I’m sorry to say I don’t know what her name is currently.  For some reason it has changed numerous times over the last 7 months since she came to join our chook family.  I think she started out as Princess, then Goldie, then it could have been Twilight (no, my kids know nothing of vampire movies) and now of course I have bird brain, not really knowing what she is currently called.  If I ask the girls, I will get different responses.  So lets just call her chook number 4!
She’s a bit camera shy and currently very disgruntled, as we haven’t allowed her to sit on the eggs laid by the other girls, while she is clucky.  She is very desperate to be a mum, but with all the foxes around here, I don’t want to have baby chickens on the foxes dinner menu.

Chook No. 4

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Munch Away the Grumps

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Jacinta

In an effort to change the mood of things around here today (oh yes, grumpy was reigning supreme, the little people that is), I decided that afternoon tea outdoors was in order.  I love baking, but don’t make a lot of things for the kids with sugar.  Ah, but of course there are always exceptions!  Today was one of them.  I flicked through a biscuit recipe book I had on the shelf, but nothing seemed right.  So what do I do, I make up a recipe instead.

These biscuits are very quick to make and have a slight cake like centre and a crunchy outer.  Best of all, they aren’t too laden with sugar.  They disappeared off the plate in a matter of minutes.  It certainly changed the mood and made the afternoon much more pleasant indeed.

I was going to call these biscuits, Citrus Spelt Biscuits, but really, that sounds terrible.  Munch away the grumps is so much more fitting, don’t you think?

Ingredients –
(makes approx. 20 biscuits)

1 cup white spelt flour
1/2 tsp bi-carb of soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
80gm butter
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
zest of 1 orange
Cooking spray

Method –

Cream butter, sugar and essence.  Add egg and beat until combined.  Mix in zest, sifted flour, bi-carb, cream of tartar & milk.  Stir until well combined.
Spoon teaspoonfuls of mixture onto lined and greased oven trays.  Bake in moderate oven for approximately 10-12 minutes.   Remove from oven and cool slightly before turning the biscuits onto a cooling rack.

Variation –

  • If you want a crunchier biscuit, omit the tablespoon of milk.
  • Add the zest of 1 lemon for a slightly different flavour.

Before

After

Posted in Gastronomic Explosions - aka Yummy Food/Recipes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Books to inspire the crafter within

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Jacinta

So as we are getting closer to Christmas, the realisation that I have done very little, albiet, nothing for Christmas is a little daunting.  But of course there are always books that inspire the crafter within me.

Sew Soft Toys by Karin Neuschutz is one of them.  It has been translated into english.  The patterns are easy to follow and the toys are just gorgeous. Here is a link to the book.  I made Tenneille an elephant out of the book for her birthday last year using some funky fabric I picked up at an op shop.  Tenneille loves ‘Eli’ and they have been on many grand adventures together.  Scarlett has been patiently waiting for me to finish making a horse from this book.  I have cut it out, it just needs stitching!!

Tenneille's Eli on an adventure

I recently ordered Homemade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner.  It is full of beautiful sewing projects for babies and mother’s to be.  I haven’t made anything from it yet, but the cute-as-a-button baby booties are on my ‘must sew’ list.  Along with the Quick change trousers for Jairah, oh and Henny Penny and her six chicks are pretty darn cute too.  I could go on, but I would be listing practically everything in the book!  Anna Maria’s fabrics are divine to too.  I purchased my copy through Fishpond.

Cute-as-button shoes

Quick change trousers

Henny Penny

Creative Play for your toddler by Christopher Clouder and Janni Nicol is another favourite.  I have made the bunny out of this book quite a few times.  I am always impressed how a square of knitting transforms into the cutest of bunnies and all of them seem to have their own personalities.  Jairah’s has one floppy ear!  They make up very quickly and I have been know for making them the night before a birthday.
The fishing set is pretty sweet too.  I have actually cut out fish to make this, but they seem to have disappeared into my craft stash somewhere.  I am sure I will come across them when looking for something else!  The Parachute people and wind wand are also worth a look.
This book also goes into the importance of creative and imaginative play for toddlers through a Steiner/Waldorf perspective.  It really is a lovely book.  I can’t remember where I purchased this, may have been Amazon?

Jairah's Bunny

Fishing game

Parachute people

Disclaimer:  I am not getting any kickbacks for recommendations.  I just love to share books that I have enjoyed.

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Ahhh, Peace

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Jacinta

I’m not referring to the fact the kids are asleep (bless their little souls they are all fast asleep), I have just returned from yoga.  I find I come home with every cell of my body relaxed, revived and just a little bit quieter within, ready to face another week of whatever lays ahead.

It’s so lovely to walk into the yoga space each week, along with other people who are there with the best of intentions.  Everyone leaves, smiles on faces and lovely conversations exchanged.  I must declare, Mondays are my favourite day of the week (should I be ducking for cover right now??).  Anyway, I’m so relaxed, I am actually finding it difficult to focus enough to type this blog entry.  So I am going to leave it at that.

May your day be filled with bliss, peace and just a little bit of quietness within.

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Buttermilk Pancakes

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Jacinta

Pancakes are part of our weekend ritual and help to make our weekend get off to a great start.  I have, over the years, created a recipe that produces nice fluffy pancakes. The trick is to beat the egg whites.  Top them off with fresh berries, pure maple syrup and cream – yum!
I use a mix of flours.  It depends what’s in the pantry.  I usually use one cup of wholemeal or spelt flour and one cup of white/unbleached flour.  Of course you can use just one type of flour.  I make my own buttermilk, which only takes a couple of minutes.

Ingredients – (makes approx 10 large pancakes)

2 cups plain flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp Bi-carb soda
2 to 3 eggs, separated
500ml cows milk
1 lemon
1 cup cottage cheese
Zest of 1 orange, finely grated
pinch of salt
Butter or cooking spray for pan

Method –

To make buttermilk, squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the milk.  Whisk lightly.  Set aside.  Into a bowl, sift flour, bi-carb and cream of tartar.  Add egg yolks, cottage cheese, buttermilk and orange zest and stir until combined.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form.  Gently stir egg whites into the batter until just combined.

In a pre heated pan, add butter or cooking spray and pour in desired amount of batter.  Cook until bubbles appear.  Flip pancake and cook until golden brown.  Repeat until desired amount of pancakes are cooked.  Serve with your favourite toppings.

Variation:

Omit cottage cheese and replace with 1/2 cup sour cream. Follow recipe as above. Makes for very light and smooth textured pancakes.

Enjoy!!

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An Artist in our Midst

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Jacinta

So it seems young Jairah is potentially a Picasso in the making.  While I was distracted in the kitchen, talking to a friend who was visiting, Jairah was busy practicing his artistic skills on our off-white leather sofa.  Needless to say he has done a ‘great’ job.  He was so very proud of his work to say the least.  What’s a mama to do?  I just took the pen and a photo, which he was very happy to pose for I might add!  Scarlett was very impressed that Jairah had actually drawn some ‘letters’.

As I type, Greg is busy trying to lift the pen out of the leather.  Oh well, at least it will be really clean once we are finished!!

This is just a sample of Jairah's artwork

One very proud artist!

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