Mandarins

Market Morning

On the last Sunday of each month, our little town hosts a market in the park. It's pleasant to browse the stalls in the search for bargains and interesting bits and bobs, and perhaps buy some local produce or craft.

This morning the weather was idyllic, and we met Sue and Courtney at the park. The children had a lovely time swinging, climbing and slipping down slides, while Sue and I took turns to watch them and potter about the market. Then, much to Boo's excitement, Jumps arrived on his bike (having ridden from home), and we all settled comfortably on the grass to devour the huge bag of honey-sweet, juicy -- and perfectly seedless -- mandarins I bought for next-to-nothing from the smiling man at the fruit stall.

Posies

Little posies bring me so much pleasure, and take almost no time at all to pick and arrange. I'm thankful each day that I have a garden, and that my mother cheerfully lets me pick blooms from hers (although I'm not allowed to touch her roses!).

Today there's a small autumnal bunch in the lounge room ...

... a cluster of pink prettiness in the bathroom ...

... and a scattering of elegant camellias floating in a shallow bowl on the dining-room table.

Roasted Capsicum, Chilli & Tomato Soup

Rachael, who's just as excited as I am by the idea of bulk shopping, took me on an afternoon excursion to a grocery wholesaler in the city. There we saw huge freezers full of prawns and berries, shelves piled to the ceiling with pasta and peanut butter, a cool room packed with wheels and blocks of pungent smelling cheeses -- even a room chock-a-block with sweets and nuts in enormous bags, which smelt like I'd just stepped into chocolatey heaven. I left delightedly loaded up with outsized packets and cartons of food.
Now, how can I tackle the 2kg jar of roasted capsicums?
Make the easiest, tastiest store-cupboard soup I've ever come across, that's how.


1 onion, diced
1T olive oil
2t minced garlic
2 tins diced tomatoes
about 500g roasted capsicums, chopped roughly
1T vegetable stock powder
Chilli sauce, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Gently sweat onion until glassy and slightly coloured. Add garlic, stir and cook for one minute.
2. Add tomatoes, capsicum, stock powder, about 1 cup of water and chilli sauce. Turn up heat, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 15 minutes.
3. Blend until smooth with a handheld blender. (Next time I make this I'll pop in a can of drained chickpeas just about now and heat through before serving.) Season to taste and serve topped with a slice of lemon, if desired.

Hidden Waters

We've discovered an enormous dam hiding just around the corner from us: I'd seen the sign pointing there plenty of times, but for some reason had never explored further until today.

So this afternoon, having swept and washed and wiped and vacuumed all morning long, we set out for a quick peek at the dam and adjoining arbortoreum.

The afternoon sunlight was magical, and the water as blue as blue can be. There were plenty of tracks to walk along, a little river to drive across, and waterbirds piping in the rushes.

Too soon we had to hurry home -- the gates closed at 4pm -- but we plan to return before long with picnic basket in hand.

Muffin Tin Lunch

Katy at Sycamore Stirrings has a nifty idea for quick-and-easy kid-friendly lunches. She hosts Muffin Tin Monday, when lunch is composed of little bits and pieces served in a muffin tin. It looks cute, and is an opportunity to serve old favourites next to a tiny taste of something new.
Boo's baby bento contained a few slices of buttered mini bread roll, cubes of cheddar, a piece of homemade Anzac slice, pasta twists, dried apricots, and a handful of mixed dried fruit.
He was delighted to have lunch served in a muffin tin, and devoured almost all of my offerings.
I think this is the first of many muffin tin lunches.

Home Again, Home Again ...

... to be greeted with this beautiful vase of flowers (picked and arranged by my mother), waiting at the front door.

We've had a gorgeous, busy holiday ... now it's time to unpack, wash, and put away our travelling kit.

I will catch up with blogging tomorrow!

The First Daffodils

Last year the daffs didn't raise their pretty heads until late July, but this autumn the weather has been mild and deliciously springlike, with bright, warm days, fading into crisp evenings. The magnolia buds are beginning to swell, and hyacinths and jonquils are peeping out their green shoots through the earth.
The sharp winter frosts haven't yet bitten (and I wonder if, infact, they will appear at all), which means that many of the plants that would have died by now are still in fine form, and our field and my mother's garden both look surprisingly lush. In fact, we're actually hoping for a frost, as the pond is covered in a thick, rust-red algeal growth, which a cold spell would likely kill.
Boo and I have been taking advantage of the fine weather: riding the tricycle along the garden paths, taking our tea and lunch out onto the verandah, and inviting friends over to play in the garden.

But tomorrow we'll leave this country idyll to head to the city for a week's holiday. I'll miss the garden, but am looking forward to catching up with friends, taking Boo to see the sights (I've promised him a trip to Chinatown), eating at interesting little restaurants, and spending time with our extended family.

Nature Table

Boo and I spent this afternoon poring delightedly over our nature table, which we've made in a partitioned wooden box that originally contained coffee samples. Boo painted each segment in bright colours, and each holds a collection of treasures from the garden: brightly coloured and striped feathers, cicada shells, a tiny bird's nest which cradles a speckled bowerbird egg, moths, beetles and jewel-bright butterfly wings.

Bee on Lavender

Looking at this picture I've just remembered Boo's first-ever made-up song:

"Bees go on Lavender,

Bees go on Lavender,

Bees go on Lavender,

'Cause they make honey

All day long."

A Birthday Gift I'd Like to Return

Recently a friend's husband was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. As I also have type 1, I expained to Boo that Murray had got diabetes, too.

"Goodness!" exclaimed Boo "Did he get it for his birthday?"

A Haircut from Angelo

Last week Papa and Boo set off for a boys-only trip to the barber. I wasn't even allowed to enter the shop (according to Boo, no girls can go into a barber's), so waved at the two of them through the window, before happily setting out on a solo shopping adventure for much-needed shoes and sheets.
Angelo did a lovely job on Boo's hair -- and delightedly even posed for a photo -- and gave our little boy two lollipops for being so good. Afterwards Papa treated his grandson to a chocolate milkshake, they rode the escalator up and down several times, and went on coin-operated shopping-centre ride (which Mummy absolutely refuses to pay for).
Boo has always disliked having his haircut -- but I don't think we'll have any trouble persuading him to visit the barber in future!

Favourite Things

Homemade gifts, created with care and a great deal of talent -- and especially when made just for me -- are among my favourite things.

And it seems that Boo shares my appreciation for handcrafts, as we discovered on the weekend when a dear friend of my mother's gave him a beautiful crossstitched picture of his name. Each letter is embellished with cute little cats: one sailing under a rainbow; others eating cake and icecream.

Boo was delighted with this gift, and clutched it tightly to him, even placing it beside the dinner table when he ate.

We have hung it in pride-of-place above the bed in his bedroom, where it looks perfect.

Thank you Andy!

A Rainforest Walk

Nestled in the valley just beside our town is a tiny, emerald-hued rainforest ...

... the path through the forest is a raised walkway, which crosses over tumbling streams ...

... and past deep, silent pools, surrounded by lush birds'-nest ferns ...

... and finally to the picnic area, where Boo and I usually share a sandwich that we have brought from home.

Jonquils on my Coffee Table

A bunch of jonquils from my mother looks perfect in the Chinese-inspired cup and platter (bought on special last week for $1.80), while a delicately spired sea shell echoes the colours and shapes of the flowers.

A Rainbow in the Sky

Driving through the countryside to craft this morning, Boo and I were treated to the beautiful sight of a rainbow, arching over a field of grazing cows. It reminded me of a poem I learnt as a child.

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began,
So is it now I am a man,
So be it when I shall grow old
Or let me die!

The Child is father of the Man:
And I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

-- William Wordsworth

Lemon Meringue Pie

Visitors arriving for the weekend gave me an excuse to bake!

2/3 packet plain biscuits, crushed
90g butter, melted
2 x 400g can condensed milk
5 eggs, separated
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup caster sugar

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160C. Combine the crushed biscuits and melted butter, press into pie dish to form a crust, then chill.
2. Meanwhile, beat the condensed milk, egg yolks and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Pour onto the biscuit base.
3. Beat the egg whites until starting to stiffen, then slowly add caster sugar and beat until stiff. Pour the meringue mixture onto the pie.
4. Bake for 25 mins or until just starting to brown on top.

Avenue of Ornamental Pears

The driveway that leads to the manor is looking marvellous as autumn colours begin to glow from the ornamental pear trees. These trees are only three years old, but already they make a wonderful show in autumn and spring.

Volcano!

Back in the mists of time, dinosaurs roamed the earth, resting in the shade of little plastic trees, and climbing up dormant play-doh volcanos ...
... until one fateful morning, the giant Boo filled the volcano's cup with water, red food colouring, and a tablespoon of bicarb-soda ....

... then poured vinegar into this arcane mixture ...

... and watched with delight as the volcano erupted, red lava bubbling and flowing in torrents down over the hapless beasts -- a disaster in miniature!

Later on we visited the ice age, freeing tiny toy dinosaurs from the blocks of ice in which they were entombed, by smashing them with a hammer. Boo loved this -- and there are now several Smurfs, a luckless plastic sheep, and a toy farmyard hen becoming icebound in the freezer.

Thanks for these ideas to Julie,whose blog Havin' Fun Yet? is a hoot to read, and a goldmine for great ways to interest and entertain a toddler (especially busy little boys who love "bamming" things!)

After a Bath

Often after a warm bath Boo and I cuddle up in bed in a nest of soft blankets, and read a book or two. There's nothing as nice as a freshly scrubbed baby in a snuggly mood!

The Rocking Chair

We've moved the green rocking chair into our room, as it's been needed in the middle of the night several times this week. Boo has had croup, for the first time in his little life, and only mummy's arms and the rhythmic motion of the rocking chair could soothe him.
It's terrifying to watch your baby struggle to breathe. At midnight on Tuesday we phoned my mother (who's a nurse) and she came over immediately, bringing calm to both the patient and his parents. And soon Boo did calm down, and drifted back to sleep, with bouts of wracking coughing at intervals.
He still has a dreadful cold and cough, but fortunately we haven't had to deal with croup again, and he is quite cheerful and busy, although tiring easily, during the days.
So in the last week we have stayed home, and -- illness aside -- our days have been pleasant. We have had time to read a dozen books at a stretch, to make pancakes and french toast, have birthday parties for superheroes with play-doh cakes, make papier-mache, and watch entire movies. And while I won't say it's been fun, exactly, it has been cozy and calm and companionable. For both of us.

I Want to Stay at My House!

Recently, one of the teachers at preschool asked me why I think Boo isn't keen on spending his Thursdays with the other children. The only answer that makes sense to me, is that he has too much fun at home.

There are chickens to feed, eggs to collect, and often Frodo to play with. A doting mummy who bakes and crafts -- and has plenty of time for her only baby -- is at hand. Daddy works in the office down in the garden and often pops into the house for lunch, a snack and a game, or invites Boo to visit him at work and watch cartoons on utube.

Next door -- just a phonecall away -- are doting grandparents: Papa with his pockets full of jellybabies, always ready to ask Boo if he wants to come on a short excursion to the shops, or maybe a bike ride; and a Granny who teases and cuddles him, feeds him biscuits, gardens with him, and sets up train tracks so he can play peacefully at her house while she potters about.

Now, all we have to do is make home more boring!

Red

Cajun Fish with Bean Salad

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tb Cajun seasoning

2 t paprika

2 t lemon juice

2 garlic cloves, crushed

4 firm white fish fillets

2 lemons, cut in half

1 x 420g can kidney beans, drained

1 x 400g can corn kernels, drained

2 celery sticks, thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 cup drained roasted capsicum

4 T raspberry vinaigrette

cooked brown rice, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Combine oil, seasoning, paprika, lemon juice and garlic in a bowl.
2. Cut a large piece of baking paper, and place one fish fillet in the centre. Drizzle over 1/4 seasoned oil. Fold paper to form a tight parcel and place on a baking tray. Repeat with remaining fillets. Place in the oven for 15 minutes to cook, or until fish flakes when tested with a fork in the thickest part.
3. Meanwhile, heat a chargrill over medium heat. Place lemon halves, cut side down, on the grill for five minutes or until charred.
4. Combine onion, celery, kidney beans, corn, capsicum and vinaigrette, then toss.
5. To serve, open each parcel and place fish fillet and sauce on a plate. Serve with rice, salad, and the charred lemon half.

Buttermilk Pie

No pictures -- this pie disappeared too quickly in our house!

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour, plus a little for dusting
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Beat eggs slightly and add sugar and flour. Then add melted butter and mix well. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix.
3. Dust the unbaked pie shell with a little bit of flour. Pour batter into shell, and then sprinkle a little more flour on top.
4. Bake until the custard is set and the top is delightfully brown and crinkly, approximately 1 hour.

Bitten by the Tsetse Fly

Any kind of childcare is not something that Boo embraces wholeheartedly.

On Mondays I attend a craft group for three hours, and Boo stays with two very nice ladies and a group of children in the little church house near the hall. Although he is terribly reluctant to go most weeks, he does have a nice time, he tells me, "in the end".

Last week, on hearing that it was time to get ready to go to childcare, Boo simply took to his bed. "I'm very, very, very, very tired", he stated with determination, and marched into his room, closed the curtains, and climbed into bed. He lay there pathetically for a few minutes before I went in to see if he was actually asleep.
"I'm sleeping!" he shouted loudly, screwing his eyes shut as I came over to his bed. "I've been bitten by the Tsetse Fly. It came over from Africa. So now I have to sleep and sleep and wake up after craft's over." Funny baby -- I had to leave the room or I would have burst out laughing!
So I decided to try to outbore him, and settled down to reading the online newspaper. He stayed "asleep" for ten minutes or so, then popped up bright as a button and said he was happy to get dressed and go after all.
And he was amenable and good tempered all morning, so I took him to the noodle shop afterwards and we had lunch out together. He was delightfully complimentary about the plain noodles they served him, and boldly asked the chef if he could take the leftovers home. Which he ate for dinner. And then finished off for breakfast.

Gone Fishin'

Portrait of a Little Boy

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

Quick, budget-friendly and very low fat (today I care!), this soup tastes better the second day after it has been made, and freezes beautifully.

50g butter
1 brown onion, halved, finely chopped
2kg cauliflower, cut into florets
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup skim milk powder
Sea salt flakes & ground white pepper
1/4 cup natural yoghurt, to garnish
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add cauliflower and stock, and bring to the boil. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly.
2. Blend cauliflower mixture with a handheld food processor until smooth. Add skim milk powder, then blend until mixed thoroughly.
3. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt and slices of fresh wholemeal bread.

Biking Beside the Lake

My three wonderful nephews are staying here for the holiday weekend. Today the weather was magical -- a glorious sunny, cool autumn day -- so we took our bikes for a ride along the lakeside.

Boo has a new carriage (which Grandpa devotedly pulls), and sits proudly in it watching the scenery go by, or playing with his toys, or eating his sandwiches. He's happy just to be a part of a day out with the 'big boys'.

Every now and then along the way we stopped and the boys played in a park, or walked to the end of a jetty to ask the fishermen what was biting. "Leatherjacket", they told us.

Our goal was the little takeaway store by the sandy beach. The boys were very enthusiastic to get there, as Grandpa had generously offered to buy icecreams for everyone.

After playing in the park ...

... it was time to ride home, where I gratefully passed Boo to his Daddy, and soaked my aching body in a hot bubblebath!