Wednesday 25 November 2015

Victoria Sponge


  

Sunday morning after spending some time picking berries I was inspired to bake a cake.
I have enjoyed A Table in the Orchard by Michelle Crawford very much. Hugo and Elsa is Michelle's blog.  So lovely to enjoy her beautiful home and garden.


I had a beautiful bottle of lemon butter in the fridge made by my Mum. Always delicious!
I hardly every make a cake.  But cake it just had to be. 
The recipe for Vicotria Sponge was lovely. Easy to follow and worked out perfectly. 


As I prepared the ingredients and the tins, I caught myself thinking about my Nana and her beautiful sponge cakes she would make. I'm not even brave enough to try her recipe! But as I buttered the tins and dusted them with flour I thought about her and wondered how many sponge tins she had prepared during her many years of baking. 


Now this cake is not a light and airy sponge like my Nana used to make but it is so very delicious.  I filled mine with a layer of lemon butter and freshly whipped cream, topped it with more cream and some beautiful berries.


Mum, Dad and I sat outside under the tree on Sunday afternoon, cups of tea in hand and enjoyed the Victoria Sponge together.

What a lovely end to the weekend.

Thursday 12 November 2015

Berries....







My new garden at Lorea House has provided a few lovely little surprises.  Berries being an especially delicious one!



One of the first jobs I completed when I started tidying the garden was to remove an awful weed mat type product from around the strawberry patch. Underneath I found hundreds of snails. Oh yuk!!
A big tidy up and a big dose of sugar cane mulch and a drink of liquid thrive and my strawberries took off. Big lush healthy plants.  Flowers followed and then of course the best part. Strawberries!  So many strawberries. At the moment there's a big bag full waiting in the freezer that I will make jam with soon.



The other berries have been a little bit of a mystery to me. I really haven't had a clue!  But I'm told they are Boysonberries. Whatever they are, they are certainly delicious. 




How delicious they have been.  On pancakes with the strawberries with maple syrup. With yoghurt and a little granola sprinkled on top but my favourite, on a little pavlova nest with some beautiful fresh cream!  Heaven!

Berries are something I've never experimented with before in the garden but I must say it's been worth dealing the the spiky canes to enjoy the delicious fruit. 

What a lovely thing it is to enjoy fresh berries right from my own sweet garden.  

Sunday 25 October 2015

Trestle Table Love....

I have had the most beautiful couple of weeks. Not all wonderful. But lots of beautiful moments to make up for some really awful ones. 


I've had an idea in my mind for a little while now. 
I didn't end up with an outdoor table when I moved to my new life. I managed to save my lovely chairs that I painted quite awhile ago now.  

Bringing an idea to life is such an exciting thing to do.  

Planning, shopping, working it all out.


A trip to the Toowoomba recycling centre is always a fun thing to do.  

So many beautiful old doors to choose from. I found this one. Perfect for what I had in mind.  Strong, heavy, chippy and oh so wonderful.


A lovely friend made the trip to Bunnings with me. We had found a great set of instructions on the net and had our list ready.  How good is a trip to Bunnings!   One of my favourite places to go. Dangerous even!!

Home with our bits and pieces the fun began.  

My friend owns all the gear necessary. What a beautiful afternoon of building fun we had. 


Perfectly worn and chipped from years in another life. 


Right at home under the tree at Lorea House. 


Such perfect little details a reminder of its previous life. 


Ready for a perfectly beautiful summer of memories. 




Sunday 13 September 2015

Oranges in Springtime ..... And a little Marmalade

  
I finally picked the oranges!  What a harvest it was.

Beautiful sweet, juicy oranges.  Right at my back door.


I doubled the recipe which called for 1kg of oranges.  Hmmm, that took care of three of these large beauties!


The need for four cups of orange juice took care of a lot as well.


Sixteen beautiful bottles of orange marmalade.

I also boiled some of the oranges and pureed them ready for the freezer for future use to make Orange and Almond Cakes.  Five of them!  




What a wonderful morning of finally enjoying my little home.  I just love to create and I think that making jam can safely come into the category of creating. 

To grow produce and use it is a most satisfying feeling.  I just love it.

Not only to be able to use my own produce in my own home, but to be able to share it with family and friends is truly something that I enjoy.

This part of my life is certainly nothing new to me.  I have lived my whole life watching the women of my family make and bake not only for our immediate family but to share with the community in which we live.  Whether it was our immediate family, our neighbours or our extended community in which we lived.

I feel truly blessed to have been part of this wonderful experience of learning from my Mother and my Grandmothers. The gift of giving of ourselves however large or small the gift, whether it is a physical gift or just a thought, to be able to be a blessing to others is truly something wonderful we can share.

I will hopefully continue to share myself with others through my creating. 



With Spring finally here comes the promise of a new crop of beautiful oranges.

My garden smells delightful!

Sunday 2 August 2015

A New Corner ...



My new little kitchen is coming together. Nana "Eleanor" gave me her beautiful canisters so long ago. A part of her life transferred to mine. They sit so beautifully in my kitchen.

A reminder everyday of my heritage and also of the beautiful woman she was. Strong and capable.  I loved her dearly and miss her every day.

The Polk a dot jug set also a very special gift from my parents. They were an engagement gift from mums grandad more than fifty years ago now. I love them. 


The little herb planter was part of my new kitchen and today I finally picked up some little pots of herbs to fill it with.



So much fun bringing  my home to life.  



Monday 27 July 2015

A Corner of my Home

Just to share with you tonight a little corner of my home.


A collection of my favourite things. The Box Brownie was my Dad's first camera. Very much treasured by me.  

My collection of glass cloches is also very treasured. The glass fishing floats from a favourite shop in Tasmania. 

A calming view from my couch.  My cosy little cottage. FilÅ‚ed with love and friendship. My heart is full.  

I am so thankful.

Tuesday 14 July 2015

Another New Beginning



With life being quite challenging this year, through choices of my own doing, I have made another step in my new life.


I found the most perfect cottage. Lorea House.  She is around 100 years old and inner city where I live. Beautiful high ceilings with pressed metal.  Fully renovated complete with a lovely kitchen and a claw foot bath to soak in. My furniture sits perfectly within her walls. 


I have mostly unpacked. Some cupboards still on order but when they arrive I will get more organised.  


I have made a start on the garden. I don't have a total vision yet but I've got a beautiful little yard to work with. There are also some beautiful old roses. I can't wait to discover what treasures that are still to be found. 


Complete with a mantle I am thrilled with my beautiful little cottage.

Here's to many happy days with beautiful people who fill my life with happiness and love. 

Sunday 11 January 2015

New Year New Beginnings



We only live once and I have chosen that I will be living my life beautifully.







Here's to new beginnings.