Bowerbird Blue

Quinoa Vegie Burgers & More Zuchinni

2012-02-19T00:55:00.000+11:00

Quinoa Vegie Burgers.

4 smallish zuchinni grated
2 small carrots grated
2 spring onions chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped
4 eggs
approx 4 cups cooked quinoa (measured when cooked)
dukkah and/or spices to taste
3 tablespoons flour

Mix it all up together - this is a very generous recipe and made about 15 large patties.

I cooked up a lot of quinoa (I pronounced this incorrectly for a good year before I had to unlearn what I had learnt) as a side dish and made the burgers as a way of using up the left overs and what we had in the garden. All very approximate measurements. Gosh it's easy to overestimate how much quinoa you need to cook when it's dry.

So much of this going on around here!

Fry on BBQ or in frypan into flat patties.

I think this would have to be my favourite vegie burger recipe to date, soooo easy and many possibilities to add different ingredients.

I sliced these delicious "fairy" eggplants thinly and barbequed them to have on the side, they are creamy yum. They have even converted the Big Bowerbird to eggplant. Even those who don't like eggplant are enjoying watch these purple stripy beauties grow.

This is how we had the quinoa the first night. Just plain with Stephanie Alexander's Kitchen Garden Companion "Warm Saute of Zuchinni, Pine Nuts and Currants" amazing zuchinni recipe. The big Bowerbird has a penchant for balsamic vinegar and this is her favourite way to eat zuchinni - with a balsamic glaze.

We may turn green by the end of summer.

And there are still more on the bench awaiting consumption. Lot's of nectarines from our tree and cherry tomatoes aplenty.

It is safe to say we have a summer glut. Such a lovely problem.

A Magical Birthday Party

2012-02-17T01:06:00.000+11:00

The party took almost a year to come around. Such anticipation and discussion, I was concerned it could only end in tears after all the two year old hype. I limited numbers, knowing that being the centre of attention is what every 2 year old thinks they want, until the day arrives. There has to be some knowledge gained from having 3 kids. We have had some serious tears at big birthday parties. As the time got closer the little one wanted to know if we were walking or driving. The mass decorating of our house and thorough explaining hadn't provided the writing on the wall, of course she can't read yet and the whole party was pretty abstract in her mind.

Our plan to picnic by the Fairy Tree in the Fitzroy Gardens was quickly changed when the forecast took a turn for the worse. Ahhhh, manic house cleaning ensued, with grumpy mummy bribing small children with computer time. They earned a whole hour and really held up their bargain to be mega super helpful.

Every day is a dress up day in our house and there were plenty of fairy dresses to choose from, but in the end she chose this princess dress. I found this vintage treasure in an op shop before I had number 3, and have had it stored in my junk room forever. What a glorious find, one of those rare moments when mother and daughter love of a garment converges. There's tulle under that skirt.

Dad is wearing green stockings and the most amazing latex elf shoes, he surprised us with a visit to the costume store. The best family picture of everyone else is the one where I've chuckled and given myself a nasty double chin - isn't that always the way! Lucky I'm the editor.

I was tempted to go and buy evil party food, in keeping with my lazy summer disposition, but some very helpful suggestions from Christine of Slow Living Essentials saved the day. Mid summer we are at the peak of our vegie patch harvest and are not short of food to share, it just requires preparation. I was so pleased I made the effort. For lunch we had - home made pizzas - two vegetarian and two child friendly cheese ham numbers. Two zuchinni slice because those green guys need eating. The real winner for the day was the home grown potato wedges - so yum. I did one lot with garlic and rosemary and another lot covered in dukkah - they were a huge hit and very simple to make - just cut into wedges and cover with oil and flavourings and bake for about 1/2 an hour.

The birthday cake was a zuchinni chocolate and pecan cake. The recipe is from here http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-zucchini-cake-iii/. Amazingly no one could taste or even recognise the three cups of zuchinni it contained. A wonderful simple recipe, I might hold back a bit of oil next time but definitely a great cake. We also had little Tinkerbell cupcakes because the little Bowerbird is obsessed with her lime green delightfulness.

Nanna brought a beautiful fruit platter and we pulled out a huge bowl of recently picked blackberries to share, all of which was eagerly devoured.

The big Bowerbird made these amazing freezer cookies ahead of time, so they only required baking on the day. They were utterly delicious and not one was left. I particularly loved the World Peace Cookies. In fact there was only zuchinni slice left for dinner so we guessed the catering quite well.

Checkout that fabulous spotty number. The little one said - "I like your dress" to which the spotty one replied "You can touch it if you like", when you're looking special it's good to know it.

One of the problems with your own children's parties is that you're usually too busy to take pictures. Twas a lovely party with many sweet moments to remember. The bubble wands were a ~~slight~~ failure as we bought our bubble mix from the two dollar shop and it was ~~a bit~~ cheap and nasty and didn't stick to the wands which we had tested earlier. We did send the wands home with our guests, along with some home made soaps the children had made, and zuchinnis. So pleased that the shop buys were limited to eggs, ham, cheese and flour.

My little baby really isn't so little any more. Gosh that 3 year point has me yearning for more. It all seems so doable at this age. Just exquisite that moment when you first hold them in your arms.

Happy Birthday Little Bowerbird, I hope we get to share many more with you. At the end of the day she declared that when she turns 39 she is going to have a robot party, would be very cool to see that one!

Seeds, Broccoli & Play

2012-02-16T01:15:00.000+11:00

I have been sorting the broccoli seeds that were blocking the back door. Amazing how those huge branches of siliques can take up so much space, I harvested the dried out seeds before some storms came through and they have been awaiting my attention.

At first I sat down with the little one and tried splitting them one by one. A good exercise in developing fine motor skills. Unfortunately the wind came, blew the sheet of paper I was collecting the seeds on in the air, sending seeds everywhere. Note to self - whilst sorting seed seems like a pleasant outdoor activity, it is not practical, seeds are light and easily lost. On my second attempt I grabbed a bucket and a potato masher and crushed the papery siliques in the bucket so they released their seeds. Then it was just a quick seive to remove the chaff.

If I get really fussy I might winnow the seeds.

These are primarily for sprouting however I may grow some in the garden.
The original plants were from a nursery punnet so i'm not sure what they are and if they're hybrids. A close friend grew some this way and the broccolli never produced heads. I threw the seed chaff around my cucumbers and noticed today that some of the unsorted seeds are coming up.

We currently have plenty of broccoli to eat

I used the peg technique for the first time. I have used this with great success on cauliflower.

This helped keep the heads lovely and fresh and slightly blanched - some have grown so large they were popping their pegs off. They grow so quickly this time of year.

the carrot seeds are also ripening.

The little Bowerbird and I had a wonderful time playing with artichoke seed, I am just smitten with those purple flowers. Too pretty to eat.

Artichokes are worth growing just for the joy of playing with their wonderful fairy seeds. you can make wishes on them, see how long you can keep them in the air, and just enjoying their silky and spiky feel.

Summer Days

2012-02-11T01:00:00.001+11:00

I'm in summer holiday mode, on the go slow, wanting to lay back. Birds, butterflies and children's laughter fill my day. Clouds drift by overhead.

I'm feeling lazy.

There are things to do.

The vegie patch is at full tilt, the harvest needs gathering and storing, plants need watering, feeding, and staking. I have let the greengage plums that I convinced the children to gather, to become an oozing smelly mass, and a punnet of lettuce seedlings sizzled whilst waiting for their new home.

There are school forms and Family Assistance hassles, paperwork aplenty.

There is a party coming up, things need to be prepared.

There is the never ending housework,

play dates, events to mark in the calendar.

School activities

And then, there are the birds, calling me outside, back to summer.

My little one sings back to them through the window.

I am delaying. Listening to music we saw at the Laneway Festival on the weekend. Feeling refreshed for some time without children, lost in remembering a day of music and feeling a beat fill my soul.

I am dancing to new songs with the Little Bowerbird. Chuckling at her crazy antics and glittering conversations.

Lost in long summer days, dreamy.

I'm not quite ready for the year to begin, just drifting, a little stumbling, some forgetting, slow living.

Making Bubble Wands

2012-02-06T01:21:00.000+11:00

Grab some bendable wire - amazingly I found this bundle in the op shop.

Make a loop and twist. Trim the ends so they are equal length to help with threading beads. Make them long or short - if too long they do get a bit bendy but it's fun experimenting and how it looks best will depend on your wire and beads.

Select beads and thread them on. We have a beautiful collection gifted to us by my sister. The little one had a great time sorting out the "specials".

Twist the ends into curls with some pliers so they aren't sharp.

Dip in bubble mix and blow. The big Bowerbird experimented with adding a silver thread star to the circle, this worked quite well but tended to unravel after a little play.

These are going to be gifts at our little one's picnic birthday party, she is very chuffed about getting a year older and has been talking this birthday up for at least 11 months. Hopefully the party will meet expectations, she was pretty joyous and easy going on her actual birthday, with her main priority being to help make a banana cake, which on eating she declared was "the best cake ever!" The wands were a great school holiday craft activity, with all the kids getting in on the action.

Asian Plum Sauce and Zuchinni Fritters

2012-02-01T03:08:00.002+11:00

We managed to save some of the plums from the cockatoos, but they were quickly ripening in the summer heat.

Asian Plum Sauce to the rescue

A small revelation. I am a very poor labeller of my preserves. I put them on the shelf to finish cooling then forget about them. Chutney can look like jam and this sauce was looking a little close to raspberry. Part of the put off in labelling is fiddling with sticky labels in the printer. These I just printed with our new laser printer on plain copying paper and stuck on with PVA glue. Of course I did forget to date them, but at least I know what's inside. I think they will disappear pretty fast anyway so the missing date shouldn't be a problem. This was so quick and easy and gives many more possibilities to insert pictures and use different shapes. They'd look prettier with some fabric on top, but I think these few jars are for my eyes only.

The only downside to the recipe is that there wasn't more. Sieving out the skins does remove a fair bit of bulk.

Recipe adapted from here http://www.carina-forum.com/ricette/sauces/null/0000021_en.php

Asian Plum Sauce

2kg mixed red skinned plums quartered and pitted

200g brown sugar

1 whole star anise

1 tspn cinnamon

2 green chillis finely chopped

200 ml rice wine vinegar

200ml plain white vinegar

100ml XiaoXing Chinese Rice Wine

50g finely grated ginger

4 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 red onions (small) finely chopped

1 white onion (small) finely chopped

8 tbspns light soy sauce and a few good dashes of ketchap manis

Instructions

Forget to read the recipe, and put it all in a pot and leave overnight in the fridge as this sauce making is taking too long.

Realise in the morning that the sugar shouldn't go in until after the fruit has softened. March on ahead with simmering until it is all soft. Lots of simmering - 2hrs or so until very soft - taste and add what you like - more salt, sweet, spice etc...

Sieve out skins pushing with wooden spoon - discard remaining contents of sieve (this felt wrong). Return to pot and simmer some more - maybe another 2 hrs. Place a saucer in the freezer.

To test if it's ready put a teaspoon of sauce on the cold plate - if the sauce stays apart when you run your finger through the middle it's set, if not simmer some more.

When ready place into hot sterilised jars.

If I had my time again I would consider blending the sauce after the hard spices are removed so as to extract maximum goodness and bulk from the skins.

A wonderful morish plum sauce with the spices, ginger and garlic all playing a part. Plum sauce has always been a personal favourite, my mum regularly made it when I was growing up, and it was my sauce of choice as a kid.

Zuchinni

These are the outcome of seeds I collected from a neighbours regular looking yellow squash last year- they're making the most beautiful Squachinnis.

Zuchinni Round de Nice - a mutato with 3 fruit merged into one.

Like the rest of Victorian's with vegie patches, we are now getting oodles of zuchinnis. It seems that once they start, there is no end in sight. We did manage to give away a bag full last week but a whole new lot are awaiting harvest. I'm taunting the kids with threats of zuchinni for dinner each night, and following through on many occasions.

This recipe was a hit, which was lucky as I doubled it and have frozen many leftovers which we've been eating for lunch. Recipe was adapted from here

Zuchinni Fritters

4 small/medium zuchinnis (home grown) grated

4 cups self raising flour

6 eggs (free range from neighbour)

3 garlic cloves chopped finely (home grown)

1 tin of drained corn (fresh would be better but ours is just pollinating)

2 red onions diced finely (home grown)

small bunch of chives chopped (home grown)

1 cup grated cheese

2 cups milk

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, will seem quite sloppy. Fry in olive oil - dollop spoonfuls on bbq, wait until cooked through when turning, cook on medium heat until golden brown. The BBQ was great for dealing with such a large quantity.

Not the classiest of food pics. I only thought of taking a picture after I went back for seconds, so my sauce is all smudgy (it's really thicker than it looks in the picture too). Zuchinni fritters with grilled eggplant (a pretty purple and white Fairy variety) and Asian plum sauce.

We knocked over this bottle in a week.

Delicious ways to eat zuchinni

Grilled plain

Grilled with Dukkah

Grilled with a balsamic vinegar and pine nut glaze

Grated with pasta - 2 versions (fry until just soft)

one with lemon zest, juice, garlic and chilli and another with

olive oil, garlic, onions, anchovies, chilli

Diceded finely in fried Rice

Chopped in a putanesca sauce.

Vegie Lasagna

I can also recommend the classic zuchinni slice

I don't reallly like stuffed zuchinnis, they are a bit to mushy for my tastes, but if anyone has a recipe to convert me please forward it on. In fact please link any special zuchinni recipes you may have.

Before.

Zuchinni growing technique - in November dig grass and a big hole in the ground. Plant mulberry (grown from a cutting bought on Ebay) and surround with newspaper covered with 5 bags of horse manure. Plant zuchinni seeds in pockets of soil around mulberry - about 3 seeds in each pocket - seeds took about a week to come up - some were fortuitously stolen by cockatoos. Almost all seeds germinated.

Before

After - a very happy mulberry and thriving zuchinnis. A great way of establishing a fruit tree as you remember to feed and water it in it's early stages.

After - rudolph is coverd in deep zuchinni shade.

And the extra patch of squash I had to create because I can't be ruthless with unnecessary seedlings. Well none have gone to waste yet.

Purple Congo Gado Gado (say that 10 times quickly)

2012-01-30T15:30:00.000+11:00

When I went to write this the monitor died, then the flash card wouldn't read and the computer said the disk had been corrupted. Needless to say it has taken a bit of the joy out of blogging fixing these problems. Don't you just hate computer problems? They're so boring and time consuming, and that's putting it nicely. I wish my card would stop messing with the dark side. I bought a new card reader but I think the disk is the problem so wasted some money as well. The good news is I did manage to rescue my pictures, of which there were many, using some free software. I have no association with this business but if you have similar problems I can recommend using Mini Tool Power Data Recovery. The software is free for the first 1GB of rescued data. It was amazing how it even found pictures I had deleted from months ago (handy to know for the accidental delete) and it was quite user friendly.

A recent harvest wrestled from the earth. Some of the carrots are becoming firmly wedged and I am reminded of a story about a turnip. I loved hearing my mum tell this story as a child, all that pulling and effort. There has been the odd snap at our house - an unscrewing action seems to work better

credit http://www.childrenstory.info/childrenstories/thegreatbigturnip.html

There is much enthusiasm for digging for potatoes at our house - the little one climbs over everyone to get in on the act. These are Kipflers and Purple Congos which taste like a yummy normal potatoes and are not at all sweet, despite their rich colour. Amazingly these tough old beetroot that were going to seed still tasted good when grated up.

Home made Satay sauce, noodles and free range eggs. Did you know if you play dodgem cars with your eggs in the saucepan (shaking them so they bang into each other) they peel much more easily? - first time I have tried this trick and it worked a treat! (One got broken by the big Bowerbird before we used the ricochet technique).

Last year I talked to our kids at school about eating a rainbow and it really struck a chord with my own children. The littlest comments on how she will make a rainbow on her plate frequently. We managed a good part of the colour spectrum in our Gado Gado, It was interesting to see how each family member arranged their rainbow. I am in love with the Puple Congos for their colour alone.

(LittleBowerbird)

(Papa Bowerbird)

(Mama Bowerbird)

(Big Bowerbird)

Only the middle bowerbird's rainbow is missing - that's because it's dominant colour was white and not so exciting.

We made Gado Dado in December with our harvest but this one is definitely prettier.

School Holidays crafting baking

2012-01-26T01:35:00.001+11:00

That big one of mine is getting so independent. She's often in the mood for baking and jumps on the computer to find a recipe or a new craft activity. She's embraced the blogging ethic and is even taking photos of her activities.

Cinnamon Biscuits artfully arranged by the Big Bowerbird.

Pipe cleaner craft (love how she set up this picture)

Playing crazy games

The entertainer

Flourless chocolate cakes with hazelnuts, fudgy goodness.

I'll have to put up the pictures of the World Peace Cookies she made later, they're as good as Gandhi.

Photographer

I'm going to miss her when she goes back to school, feels like the holidays are rushing by.

Playing With the Harvest

2012-01-21T00:00:00.000+11:00

We've always thought our cherry plums weren't edible, and left them for the birds to feast on. However, after decent Spring rains, these ruby red plums looked much plumper and more inviting, the little one beckoned for us to pick them. On tasting they were surprisingly sweet and delicious.

The little Bowerbird discovered they also make a great toy and built a cherry plum wonderland on a lazy hot summer day. Middle Bowerbird lay alongside recovering from a nasty all over rash he woke up with. It is a game only a child could invent, and I cannot explain it. I hesitated in letting her play with them but decided why not, it was her idea to pick them in the first place. I love that sour plum face, then she still went back for more.

Car Travel with Kids

2012-01-20T10:59:00.000+11:00

The journey home from Phillip Island was remarkably quick and peaceful. Especially as I slept half the way. We have a little car and its pretty squishy in the back for the Bowerbirds, especially with the car seat. This forced extreme closeness doesn't always bode well for Bowerbird harmony. Fortunately the littlest nodded off quickly and some activity books helped the other two keep occupied. The middle Bowerbird got a set of Action Packs for Christmas and was really enjoying playing the car trip treasure hunt that had a list of things to find,it's surprising how hard it can be to find a VW Beetle. It would be fun to make up our own treasure hunt for the next trip - could even add some sight specific markers to look out for - like the Giant Koala or the sea on Phillip Island.

It rained for two days following our departure so not the worst time to leave the beach. I took this from the car before I nodded off.

Do you have any favourite games for long car trips?

Churchill Island

2012-01-19T01:11:00.000+11:00

We had a beach holiday at our old home of San Remo, yet I don't have any pictures of our time at the beach. I don't really like taking the camera to frolic in the sand unless I'm only going for the sole purpose of taking pictures, a little paranoid I know. We stayed with wonderful old friends and spent a lot of time hanging out at home, the kids were so happy playing with each other it seemed a shame to move them. Middle Bowerbird has nasty eczema and screamed when when the salt water hit his legs so he wasn't so enamoured with the sea but still had a great time with the sand and shells. Little Bowerbird is besotted with the ocean and takes an eagle eye to watch, as she makes a fast beeline to the water.

We visited Churchill Island, it feels like an old friend as it was a regular haunt when we lived on Phillip Island. An ancient olive tree, they're such tough trees. I have one that has fallen over in it's pot, exposing its roots, being invaded by couch, yet still thriving.

These two girls have known each other since they were babes and have the most beautiful long distance relationship. They were inseparable the whole time we visited.

A trip to Churchill Island wouldn't be the same without a stop at the cafe.

The prerequisite babycino, my big kids still love these, finding a hot chocolate a bit too sweet and large.

My sister passed me on this hat when she shifted to London but regrettably it's too small, it sits high on my head and looks rather silly, the big Bowerbird has been delighted to put it to good use.

I just want to gobble her up in this picture, her hair is getting sooo curly, she asked the hairdesser for a Tinkerbell haircut but Shirley Temple comes to mind. The little Bowerbird mastered saying metamorphosis this week and likes to pop it casually into conversation, she's still seeking the initial cheers of applause when she first uttered it. "Can we read the metamorphosis book mum?"

Stealing a few petals from the feijoa flowers, they taste like puffy floral marshmallows, a little hard to describe but recommended.

More beautiful gardens to explore, I love tree magnolias, we have one at home that has been blessing us with flowers since Christmas, not as impressive as this specimen though.

Churchill Island is just as beautiful as I remember, amazing birds, great old gardens, an array of heritage farm animals and breathtaking views. We got to spy on some of the indigenous plants we grew and planted over 10 years ago. Such a delight to see our work with Landcare still blooming years later, trees grow pretty slow in the salty windy conditions so it's takes time to see them prosper.

Royal Botanic Gardens - Cranbourne

2012-01-17T22:14:00.000+11:00

This was meant to be a brief lunch stop on the way to Phillip Island, but there was just so much to see and do we couldn't leave. We have stopped at the Royal Botanic Gardens - Cranbourne on our way to Phillip Island for many years, but we had only ever been to the Bushland area for our picnic lunch. This is itself delightful, with bandicoots and bush rats hopping around, beautiful bird life, and an amazingly diverse array of flora for somewhere that backs onto suburbia.

Little did we know of the magic to be found in the new Australian Garden area. Such an enchanting place for children, with a giant playground set in the bush, a dinosaur playground hidden in the garden, an artificial creek complete with stepping stones that ebbs and flows to mimic the cycle of flood and droughts in Australia. We didn't even see 1/2 of the gardens which were stunning, beautifully landscaped with Australian plants from many regions, and full of life. On our departure a Southern Brown Bandicoot hopped right in front of us across the busy entrance, it seemed oblivious to the fact it was broad daylight and near a busy car park. So delightful to see these endangered marsupials and their conical diggings everywhere.

There's a great cafe hiding inside and a school holiday program which started later than our visit, but sounded fantastic. We'll definitely be back for a longer stay next time.

Avian Invasions

2012-01-16T18:12:00.000+11:00

I left the house on Saturday to garden at a friends, all the kids were home with dad. Whilst I was gone there was the most unbelievable carnage, all in just 24 hours. Unbelievably the Bowerbirds mentioned this quite casually, as if it was no big event.

The entire apple harvest - not too many tears hear as some had coddling moth and scab but some were looking good and it would have been nice to get to try at least one.

Pears and cherry plums, not my favourites but still.

More apples, they rip off whole branches and are so wasteful,

The most missed will be the Purple Plums and especially the

Green Gage Plums, soooooooo many Green Gage plums - they seem to love the kernels. This was to be their best ever year, I love their fragrant honey flesh - such a special treat.

Crab Apples

This seems to be the work of just 4 Sulphur Crested Cockatoos that are hanging about - my poor neighbour lost her plums and currants too. It could be more though, they fly over in huge flocks, their witchy screeches sending shivers down my spine. I'm like a backyard banshee if I spy one on the trees - they keep returning now they've found the bounty.

For more on my cockatoo issues visit this earlier post.

The fiendish birds are even penetrating my best laid defences, I hate nets - such a pain to put on and off.

I know what they are eyeing off next.

credit

We have nashis, nectarines, pears, sunflowers, corn, crab apples and the last of the netted plums calling their name.

Fortunately this creation by Mr Bowerbird is helping me grown some melons and corn. the hoops were made from green branches off our cherry plum that wants to grow ever skywards. I took the idea from Suburban Tomato who spied it at the Sydney Botanical Gardens using bamboo for the arches.

credit

How cool is that scarecrow? Looks a bit more like a Kindcrow, not sure if it would do the job of keeping the cockatoos away, my dragon kites are proving useless.

Fortunately not all was lost.....

Not as ripe as I'd like but still usable, I'm thinking more chutney and jam. Like Christine of Slow Living Essentials I've caught the preserving bug.

credit

Just not as much home grown produce to preserve as I'd anticipated.

Our home made selection to have with croissants, buttery, jammy bliss.

What I want to know is, how did they miss the entire avian invasion while I was gone?

Dear Wisteria

2012-01-10T00:00:00.000+11:00

Dear Wisteria,
Could you please stop growing? The gutters do not need your shade, and I do not need the extra work of climbing ladders to give you a haircut. You had a good trim a month ago and now you look like Cousin It. In addition, could you also please leave the neighbouring plants alone, have you not heard about personal space? I don't think the Camelia appreciates your arms around it's neck, and the Lilac looks grumpy with your elbows on it's head. I'm not sure if you've noticed but the supports that hold you are getting rather rotten - you are way too heavy for them in your current state. Please stop treating our verandah like a trampoline, it's likely to crumple. Do you know we live a bushfire prone area? Perhaps you could also stop leaving your dry leafy, twiggy mess and poisonous seeds everywhere. It is nice to keep your room tidy and we have a toddler in the house.
Thankyou for your assistance,
The Bowerbirds.

P.S. We do really love the dense full shade you give us in summer, and of course your lilac and white flowers are exquisite in every way.

In the Garden - December

2012-01-09T00:00:00.000+11:00

credit - Big Bowerbird

It has been the most amazing month for butterflies. This is the female Common Brown Butterfly, a terribly unromantic although accurate name, they are seriously common this time of year, but there is nothing common about them. They are just delightful. They also have the amazing skill of being able to aestivate - a bit like hibernating however they are trying to avoid our hot dry summer. After the hot summer they lay their eggs on grass and begin their cycle again.

Undesirables

Male and female Common Brown Butterfly

It's really worth letting some members of Allium family flower, just for their butterfly attracting qualities.

We've been enjoying eating them too.

Sparkle Fairy

2012-01-08T23:14:00.000+11:00

More of the big Bowerbird's photos. This time she's playing with the sparkle setting. Makes for super sweet fairy pictures. That's singing not screaming in case you are wondering what's wrong.

Out of Date

2012-01-07T00:00:00.000+11:00

Some out of date pictures from my daughter's camera.

The little Bowerbird has always hated Santa - she was on that seat purely for the lollies.

Note the distance (at least she's not crying)

Then she warmed a little.

Then decided to get comfy. CFA santa's OK.

The CFA truck Santa is the highlight of Christmas Eve at our place, the siren rings all afternoon as the anticipation mounts. Then finally he arrives and the neighbourhood children swarm out to greet him, much better than a department store Santa.

Mum's Raspberry Mess - Boxing Day Desert. Cream, raspberry coulis, raspberries and meringue. Sooo good.

The harvest is over - just a few lonely berries to find. Fortunately we have raspberry jam, butter and frozen berries to prolong our berry joyful summer.

The idyllic New Years Eve setting hosted at our lovely friends house. I think the Australian Xmas is all back to front and the overeating and Xmas lighting doesn't go with summer well. However, New Years Eve we definitely have the advantage - lots of light and warmth to enjoy an evening celebration.

Swimming, water pistols, a BBQ, butterflies flocking.

I'm sure a snowy New Years could also be delightful but this is hard to beat.

Doggy Dementia

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000+11:00

Meet our dog Sam, he's lovely but also driving me a bit nutty. He's old, blind, and deaf. He was someone else's reject dog, a single mum who didn't realise that having a new baby and a puppy was a bit much. In his heyday he would run like the wind, keeping pace with a motorbike around the paddock. He would dive into the ocean and chase rabbits. We called him Mr Softhead (it's very soft) and he was our substitute child when we were both feeling nesty. He got more attention before we had kids but is well loved by us all.

Now he's confused and a bit silly. He doesn't know what to do with himself and puffs and pants like a locomotive. He seems to have forgotten that drinking water and staying in the shade is the best thing to do on a hot day, and gets seriously overheated. Lately he's been banging on the back door for no reason, first he wants in, then he wants out, and he's trying to escape the yard - with more success than I care to say. He really like's our neighbours and their female dog, who is also getting on.

He's a good exercise in patience and kindness. After all the years of joy he's given us, it's time to give a little back. You really appreciate the commitment of having a pet when it comes to the end of their life, it's not all licks and doggy smiles. He's been with us 15 years, the children have always known him as part of the family. He does make me worry with those disappearances and kookiness, but for now he's snoring beside me, sending unpleasant wafts into the air, Sammy!

Snap

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000+11:00

The Big Bowerbird is having a great time playing with her new camera.

There's a whole teddy bear series of videos. They crack me up, but will possibly not be so joyful for everyone else.

The special effects are also getting a good workout, so many settings to play with.

I love how this highlights the patterns on our couch.

Looks like they've got tongue piercings.

So pleased she's having fun with her new camera after a year of saving. My son told me it was better than my camera today. We visited the museum yesterday and it had a serious workout, perhaps a little too much, but it's still a novelty. I think I'll have a new photographer to credit on my blog. How much photography is too much?

Sawdust and Jumping into the New Year

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000+11:00

I ordered some sawdust for our vegie patch paths about two months ago. You put your name on the list and if you answer when they call it arrives promptly at your doorstep. Unfortunately I was 2 hours too late with the last call came, and it was a long wait between rings. This huge pile of pine and hardwood sawdust came 2 days before Christmas and has turned out to be an unexpected gift to the children. They don't want me to get the wheel barrow out.

I love the softness and quietness of it as a path. Apparently snails don't like to go over it and, as it saps all the nitrogen from the soil, not much likes to grow in it.

Now I just have to move the mountain, at least no one is complaining while it's sitting there, don't kids just love to climb!

The kids did this for me on New Years Eve and I was going to post it sooner but was having computer troubles. Still sweet. A good friend recently introduced me to the tradition of jumping into the New Year at midnight. I had a sleeping child on my lap so was chair bound, but raised my feet in the spirit of it. Think I might steal that tradition as well as some star gazing that someone else had recommended. Nice to be reminded of the infinite universe we live in at the start of a new year and to enter is with some gusto.

Sprinklers and Smiles

2012-01-03T00:12:00.000+11:00

It's been a long hot drought. So long that none of our kids, including the big Bowerbird, has ever known the joys of a sprinkler in the backyard. Fortunately La Nina, kind lady, has arrived and brought some welcome rain with her. Among our kookier presents this year, was a sprinkler, all wrapped up under the Christmas tree . As soon as it was turned on the kids dived under the droplets of dancing water, making up for years of sprinkler deprivation.

My childhood is filled with memories of sprinkler games, I feel like I know all the varieties intimately - how they sound, the rainbows of refracted light they make, how they move, how the jets feel, how tough they are when jumped on, and how effectively they cool the skin on a hot day.

Of course there are always new inventions - meet the noodle head.

Mr Bowerbird made the sprinkler selection, I was after a fun factor in our device and this one moves around and can be adjusted to deliver water in certain directions. The beauty of putting it on, is it waters all our fruit trees whilst providing endless joy to the kidlets.

They all went in fully clothed, not realising how wet they'd become.

Utterly Refreshed after a good dunking.

To be honest using a sprinkler feels very naughty after all these years. I think it was pretty silly of Melbourne Water to lift the restrictions as broadly as they have, as we still live in a dry continent that can ill afford to be wasting water on lawns. Victoria had gotten used to being water wise and it seems foolish to let us go back to our old habits. On the other hand it's great to able to water the vegie patch without standing around for hours with a bucket or hose. We rent so getting a water tank is not really an option. Those squeals of watery delight are lovely. How do you feel about sprinklers? Good or bad?

Shaving Cream Delight

2012-01-02T00:03:00.000+11:00

"I want a Christmas activity" is the catch-cry at our house at the moment, it's already wearing a little thin. Activities have included moon dough, magic sand, painting, playdough, new toys, games, etc... One of our more unusual gifts to the kids was a can of shaving cream. It has already emerged at bath time for some slippery fun - the little one was calling it "Shame" which is a cross between shaving cream and foam.

Shame with food die - Fame perhaps.

A visit to the hairdressers is on the cards this holidays, we're saving on sunglasses.

This activity got a little messier than I expected. Little one required a bath at the end. Amazingly the big Bowerbird cleaned the whole mess up while I was bathing little Bowerbird and said it was fun. A very tactile activity and a good lesson in mixing colours as well.

Holiday Good Times

2012-01-01T00:52:00.000+11:00

Making bath products, the big Bowerbird let all the little ones help.

Playing with Magic Sand

Rocking in more ways than one.

I'm loving this funny thing - visitors arrive and don't know how to get in. It wasn't as easy to install as they would have you believe, definitely a two person job, but it has stopped me from constantly reminding the kids to shut the fly screen that was shoddy, never shut very well, and constantly needed adjusting. The magnets shut themselves most of the time.

We have also put one in downstairs where we had no fly-screen, and it's doing a pretty good job at letting in some air without the critters. We live at mosquito central and the many bags of horse manure I've spread aren't discouraging the fly population either. I think the add is pretty funny so have decided to share. I haven't received any commission for mentioning this product. I bought mine on Ebay and it was much cheaper than installing new screen doors in our rental property.

Who knew screen doors were so annoying?!

Here's some Boxing Day sillyness

After tricking Mr Bowerbird to eat the vomit flavoured jelly bean they had my good friend in their sights. I think they were trying to insert the rotten egg or booger flavour, we found them all over the lounge-room at the end of the day. Was the cause of much screaming and laughter on boxing day.

We received so many lovely gifts for us and our children, I feel a bit guilty that we don't reciprocate in the same way to all those who don't have kids.

Organic Raspberry Curd

2011-12-31T00:00:00.000+11:00

I came across raspberry butter on Pinterest whilst pinning preserves ideas. I love lemon butter and raspberries (which we have plenty of) and decided to give it a go. I also had some serious enthusiasm and offer of help from the Big Bowerbird. There are a lot of different techniques for making raspberry curd, after some deliberation we decided to use a fairly involved one. Not so simple, but very tasty.

http://bigfatbaker.com/blog/organic-recipes/how-to-make-organic-raspberry-curd/

Here is our own take on the recipe

Mash 580gm of raspberries (what we picked yesterday - they're starting to wane)
Pass berries through metal sieve to remove seeds (some recipes don't do this)
Cream 1and 1/4 cups castor sugar with 170gm butter in large glass bowl
Gradually add 8 egg yolks to mixer and combine
Add pinch of salt then gradually add raspberry juice until well combined. Our mix looked split but this doesn't matter.
Transfer bowl to sit on a saucepan of water. Cook on low. Butter will melt then mixture will gradually thicken. This process took around 30mins, we were whisking to keep mixture combined. I used my mostly neglected kitchen thermometer and brought the mix to 80 degrees Celsius.
Take off heat and whisk whilst cooling
Place in sterilised jars
Will keep for 1-2 weeks or you can freeze

I liked the pre mixing in this recipe which meant there was little chance of getting curdled egg in the curd.

We added 3 whole eggs, and a dash of cream to the remaining egg whites and had a tasty dish of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and chives for dinner.

The raspberry curd is silken and has an intense raspberry flavour, my eldest said it looks like a strawberry milkshake. She was an amazing helper through the process, stirring, pulping and sterilising. Middle one was also a great helper playing a lengthy game of hide and seek with the little Bowerbird to keep her out of our hair. They were all busting to lick the bowl. I think the curd is screaming pancakes, or a wonderful filling for a macaroon or sponge with cream.

A Happy New Year to you all.

I hope you have a beautiful evening with family and friends.

Pip's Potato Curry and Slowing Down

2011-12-30T00:00:00.000+11:00

I made this last week and can highly recommend it

Pip's Potato Curry.

For the recipe visit

http://meetmeatmikes.blogspot.com/2011/12/pips-potato-curry.html

Goes very well with this on a warm summer's evening. The recipe was quite generous and I enjoyed sharing it with my parents the following day for lunch. I would put more onion in next time, we have plenty drying by the back door at the moment.

The only problem with sitting outdoors on warm summer evenings.

Middle Bowerbird showing us his self portrait.

Growing his first adult tooth.

Check out those last day of school black rings under his eyes. Utterly exhausted.

The Big Bowerbird cried in the supermarket getting icy poles after her last day of school, it was hot and she was so tired and recovering from a nasty cold, bless her little heart.

Loving the holidays, sleep ins (thanks mum) and slower pace of life.

I hate Sulphur Crested Cockatoos

2011-12-29T00:00:00.000+11:00

Hate is a strong word I know, and those Cocky crests are very cool.
But......

I awoke to this sight last week and must confess that tears welled in my eyes. I am getting just a little too attached to my vegie patch.

Tags lay scattered on the ground marking the graves of melons that might have been. Each little melon snipped at the base for no apparent reason. Pure evil cockatoo behaviour, it's not food, it's fun. I would love to have seen them pulling out the tags, why I ask, why?????

This patch was once filled with beautifully spaced heritage corn grown from seed. Only a few of the 30 odd plants remain. The cucumbers I placed in between them using the three sisters approach are also snipped and kaput.The second lot of corn has also emerged and been trimmed.

What was verdant and lovingly tended is now brown and lifeless. They even snipped all the flower heads off my marigolds just to add insult to injury.

Now every time I hear their wicked screech I wonder what they're up to. They're into the apples as well, but at least they're eating them, which is entirely justifiable bird behaviour. They're welcome to the pines that surround our house too.

Such strong beaks are capable of so much damage so quickly, especially when they turn up in big numbers.

They have found these pumpkins since I photographed them and have done a thorough job of thinning them. ughhh. Now I have ugly plastic guards on everything in the hope the little seedlings can get big enough to face the Cockies wrath.

Now the autumn maize is growing,
Now the corn-cob fills,
Where the Little River flowing
Winds among the hills.
Over mountain peaks outlying
Clear against the blue
Comes a scout in silence flying,
One white cockatoo.
Back he goes to where the meeting
Waits among the trees.
Says, “The corn is fit for eating;
Hurry, if you please.”
Skirmishers, their line extendiing,
Shout the joyful news;
Down they drop like snow descending,
Clouds of cockatoos.

At their husking competition
Hear them screech and yell.
On a gum tree’s high position
Sits a sentinel.
Soon the boss goes boundary riding;
But the wise old bird,
Mute among the branches hiding,
Never says a word.

— excerpt from poem by A B Banjo Paterson 1930s

Artwork: John Gould, 'The Birds of Australia', 1848

Don't be fooled by their good looks. Last year they were snipping off my Giant Russian Sunflowers before they had even flowered. Any suggestions welcome.

The Xmas Post

2011-12-28T00:30:00.000+11:00

7am, not unreasonable, just a little early, especially as I had been given a nasty cold for Christmas.

Squeals of delight as presents were opened. Lovely to share the morning excitement with mum and dad. That is hair clips she's grinning maniacally about, you should have heard the screams about new undies and play-dough. Sad to say, it seems I've shared that nasty cold with mum as well.

Mum brought Indonesian delights like this hand carved mushroom and vanilla beans and palm sugar, yum.

Croissants with home made jam for breakfast then off to Nannas for lunch.

More presents and a traditional roast lunch for 20 family members. Not so many pictures as I was feeling too tired and snotty but the Cold tablets got me through the day. I'm not usually a big fan but if you can't lie down and rest, these are a real saviour. I even forgot to get a picture of the beautifully laid table, complete with the little Bowerbirds hand made pine cone place cards.

Off to my brothers for dinner and a white Christmas. A mega hail storm pounded down and damaged houses and cars nearby.

Prawn cocktails and left over roast.

A long day with a double feast, especially for the little Bowerbirds and then the day was over.

We drove by the neighbourhood Xmas lights at the end of the day, and I'm ashamed to say I tried to wake our small children so they could see them, they were that impressive. Fortunately they were way too out of it and slept through my own crazy squeals of delight, perhaps too many cold tablets at this stage. I know those mega house lights are bad in their consumerism and power use but I do love them in all their bright kitschy goodness. I had a great chat with the owners of a house about the spirit of Christmas and all the joy the lights bring - I just adored their enthusiasm.

Merry Xmas to you all.

from the Bowerbirds

Preserves for Reserves

2011-12-27T16:19:00.000+11:00

Merry Christmas

with lots of love from the Bowerbirds

JAMMY GOODNESS

The big Bowerbird can now whip up a jar of raspberry jam with her eyes closed. This one is Raspberry and Alpine strawberry jam. Place 1/2 the amount of sugar to the weight of berries in the microwave with a slice of lemon and cook for around 30 mins, checking every 5mins or so until set. This is a wonderful flavoursome and reliable recipe. Sadly the raspberries are starting to slow down, perhaps another week of berry bliss before we talk about the halcyon crop of a long lost summer. We think at least 12kg of berries have been happily picked from sprawling canes.

Have my mum and dad with me at the moment for Xmas. Mum helped me make some vanilla bean and apricot jam and some black currant, rhubarb and apple jam. So much jammy goodness and the shelves are heaving and looking beautiful in all their glorious shades. Warms the heart to see them filled. We also had a session sorting jars into smelly/non smelly (those chutneys really leave their mark), cleaning off sticky labels, fitting on the correct lids, and throwing away any jars missing lids. I am all set for a summer of preserving.

Apricot jam
Cook 3kg apricots and 1/2 a cut vanilla bean in 1 cup of home made pectin until well stewed. Add 2.5kg sugar and cook until set.

Black Currant, Apple and Rhubarb Jam
Cup black currants (all we had on our bush)
2 apples
600g rhubarb
1/2 cup home made pectin
600g sugar
Cook without sugar until soft, add sugar and cook until set. It's amazing how dominant the black currants are - this jam tastes like lollies.

Raspberry, Apple and Rhubarb Jam
2kg raspberries
600g chopped apples
600g chopped rhubarb
1 jar home made pectin
2kg sugar
cook rhubarb and apples until soft (add a little extra water if required - only enough to help cook and stop sticking), add berries and sugar, cook until set.

Set test. Put saucer in freezer. Place teaspoon of jam on saucer when it seem to be thickening. If the jam stays separate after you run your finger through it then it's ready.

Home Made Pectin -
I made this before I started blogging, with Christine at Slow Living Essentials. You can use the bought stuff as a substitute but it's been great to have masses of the free stuff made out of apple peel and cores in jars ready to go. It has been taking up room in my cupboard for quite a while, however has been proving it's worth of late. Great for low pectin jams like berry and apricot. For instructions and more about the wonderful apple day we had follow this link:
http://slowlivingessentials.blogspot.com/2010/06/apple-icious.html
or these directions from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Music for Long Summer Days

2011-12-21T07:30:00.000+11:00

This is a purely indulgent quick post so I remember what I was listening to and loving at the end of 2011. The little one even knows some of Kimbra's lyrics, it's so funny to hear her sing "I want to settle down". What are you enjoying listening to?

The kids have gone mad for Animal Beat Box and make up new lyrics to the same beat constantly. This makes me laugh every time I watch it.

Wax Paper Boats Action pack

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000+11:00

Making a boat from the Action Pack, a truly awesome fun kids magazine. Middle Bowerbird coloured one side of a piece of paper with crayon, then folded this with a little help from mum, sink test, it floats! They have a great Action Pack bundle that will make an ace Xmas present for the little ones to keep them busy on the holidays.

Wrapping, Decorating, Baking and Eating

2011-12-19T01:32:00.001+11:00

Xmas craft is making it's way home from school and cheering our home.

The wrapping has begun, giant colouring in pages and crepe paper. We purchased a 20cent Xmas book from the school fete that was missing pages, so we are cutting it up for decorating presents.

We have been playing with a label decorating kit. All the kids joined in but the littlest loved it the most.

The elf on the shelf has been turning up in weird and wonderful places - trying to steal the lollies from the advent calendar. He was even found in the fridge, sidled up to the chocolate crackles we had prepared for the grade 3/4 nature treasure hunt and afternoon tea. Each child was given the list I wrote the night before below and we ventured into the forest, no koalas but most things were found on a beautiful morning adventure.

Beetle Skink

Bracken Fungi

Moss Koala

Gorse Chrysalis

Purple Flax Lily

Spider web Spider

Wattle or Spiny Mat Rush

Wallaby or Kangaroo Grass

Cherry Ballart

Kookaburra or Kingfisher

Possum or Kangaroo poo

Tree Hollow

Black Cockatoo

Leaf blister sawfly

Pine Nuts

Blackwood Wattle

Gum nuts Gall

Dragonfly Caterpillar

Common Brown Butterfly

It's been proper summer hot and we're pulling out the summer clothes.

There was a mega baking xmas day with my vegie group ladies, we hired out a community kitchen for the day and brought home an extraordinary amount of food. Everyone shared some of the days creation which resulted in a huge gift to take home, actually the idea was we could share them around as gifts but I'm not sure I can - who can give away delicious home made jam, nougat, truffles, biscotti, short bread, mini puddings..... I had great success with raspberry, rhubarb and apple jam using 2kg of raspberries from the garden - will post about this one later. I also baked up pfeffernusse for the first time (I used this recipe except used 3tbspns of star anise instead of anise), russian tea cakes (link) and gingerbread (recipe link) then packaged them up together with some sunflower seeds and beans. These have made great teacher's gifts.

There has been more raspberries, they're hard to keep on top of and it seems criminal to find them going to waste. We have been freezing the latest haul.

Amazing how variable they are. The thornless bush definitely produces bigger berries.

The Bowerbirds have been making these to hold table place cards for Xmas lunch at nannas. They have crepe paper baubles, silver wool tinsel and a little glitter. The names will be written on these -

find the link here, they sit snuggly on the tops of the pine cone trees.

I made this bell stick with the little Bowerbird today so she can reach up and jingle the bells.

Xmas time is hectic but mostly joyous, just wish we had a few more weeks to fit everything in and get my crazy messy house under control.

More Raspberry goodness and Gado Gado

2011-12-13T14:29:00.000+11:00

I came home from Xmas shopping on Sunday to the smell of this. The big Bowerbird daughter had been in the kitchen whipping up not just one, but two raspberry and apple pies. I think she found the recipe on Taste.com. Would you believe there are about 5 punnets of raspberries in these, only a dish for the home grower with a bumper crop.

It disappeared pretty fast.

Strangely the little one didn't want hers, not that that posed much of a problem.

We had our first burst of really hot weather last week. After intending to make Gado Gado Thursday then napping on the couch instead, it was the perfect cool dinner for a hot Friday night.

Home grown potatoes, the first of the bandicooted spuds. It's the satay sauce that really makes the dish. We mixed up peanut butter, water, fish sauce, shrimp paste, brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice - the result was a tasty salty sweet sour concoction to drizzle on fresh crunchy salad, boiled eggs and home grown potatoes. it's a great harvest dish as you can just use whatever's growing in the garden. Most of our meals are served up like this - smorgasbord style - to cater for all the different taste buds in our house.

More raspberry jam made by that clever daughter of mine, this time using our home made apple pectin as we didn't have any lemons. Sooo good and quick to disappear.

Wees, Xmas Trees, Crochet and Cubs

2011-12-13T00:08:00.001+11:00

Today there was (from end to start)

Me exhausted, at the end of a long day, cleaning up a mega wee accident (it was even going in the hair dryer!), and bathing small Bowerbird, a tired and grumpy Bowerbird mumma missing the help of Bowerbird dad who is away. Must tell him I appreciate him more and apologise for my crankiness to the kids in the morning.

A Cub Scouts performance and end of year celebration, a small fire, cute little faces singing Christmas carols, and beautiful hand made instruments and props.

A mega craft day. I learnt how to crochet (well began to) with Christine at a wonderful crafting morning with her and vegie growing friend Beth - see below my first attempt with wonky stitches that took me most of the day to produce, Christine was a wonderful teacher and very patient. Not only that, she treated us to divine home made bread and an amazing raspberry clafoutis. Beth made some beautiful toys that were great to watch take shape and Christine whipped up gorgeous Hessian decorations.

Christmas Joy. Our elf on the shelf greeted the children this morning hanging from Xmas lights. The children are besotted with this magical creature who comes alive at night and gets up to mischief. Little Bowerbird is playing with him in her dolls house and middle Bowerbird wants a video camera set up to see what he gets up to.

We finally got our tree dressed and other decorations up this weekend.

Our pine tree is a weedy wild specimen. Each year we like to go on a family hunt for the perfect weedy pine to chop down for our Christmas tree. They're free and good to take out of our bushland. This one was huge and took a lot of chopping to be small enough to fit inside. We have a very eclectic mix of decorations - vintage, Indonesian, hand crafted and new.

I'm a sucker for a Xmas light - these are solar and come on when it gets dark.

Big Bowerbird daughter and I got a Blue Bowerbird twig tree happening, and she made a blue angel decoration for it. Note our matching twiggy vase.

Christine at Slow Living Essentials has made a lovely twig wishing tree. We got a big tree happening to make wishes on at school but I like the idea of doing Christmas wishes at home too.

The gourmet jelly beans hiding in here are a huge hit, and the old cracker jokes still get a bit of a laugh. Today there was instructions to look under the tree - there were 3 new decorations to add to the Christmas tree (see felted creations above) - bought from a lovely fair trade shop in Sunbury that makes you feel good about spending.

I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner, I'd love to start December again and do it slowly, more making less buying. Perhaps a new years resolution for next year.

Rapt with Raspberries

2011-12-10T01:23:00.001+11:00

We're hauling in so many raspberries, gosh they're good, picked fresh, sweet and warm straight from the canes, or a moist tangy burst in a muffin. You can't have too many raspberries. I'm grateful for a successful crop and a daughter big enough to pick raspberries and then make muffins and jam with them. Quote from the big Bowerbird "I love making jam mum, it tastes so good", and I love that she loves making it too.

Quick instant lunch tip. If you didn't get around to making bread like you thought you would, pancakes are a great instant substitute for school lunches - you can make them quicker than going to the shops for bread.

For more beautiful grateful posts visit, Maxabella Loves.

Xmas in the City

2011-12-09T00:00:00.000+11:00

We don't go to the shops too often. My kids think elevators and escalators are a rollicking good time, and the city lights and buzz are enchanting, although they're a bit daunted by a crowd. After a day of work in the city, dad met up with me to show the kids the Xmas sights - we've done this most years since the kids were born. The kids had already had a big day of their own, going to the zoo with dad on an unsanctioned day off.

First we visited Myer's Christmas windows, I had to wake the little Bowerbird up and she took a while to feel the Yule tide joy. Whilst she was sleeping the big Bowerbirds were sent into a beautiful pastisserie with $5 and managed to come out with three exquisite macaroons, the salesperson took pity on them and gave them one for free. Rather than scoff the lot they gave the extra one to their mum, awwww!

The little ones had a ride on the Xmas train in Myers, big Bowerbird was dirty she was deemed too big for the train, whilst the middle Bowerbird thought he was a bit too grown up for such things. The little Bowerbird took some convincing but finally came round to the idea, just in time for the last train. By the end she was loving it. The santa area didn't look to special in Myers this year, it was very sterile amongst the electrical section, not that the kids really minded. Whilst at the shops the big Bowerbird decided to spend her pocket money - she's been saving up for what seems like forever for a camera. Finally the day had come to get one, she hasn't stopped playing with it since we got home and it was a good lesson in the value of saving. We didn't visit Santa as the little Bowerbird has a bit of a phobia.

Note last years reaction to stuffed Santa and Myers Santa. Perversely I really love this picture and was tempted to take her back just to see if she still had Santa issues. Fortunately the better mummy inside me prevailed, she still talks about Santa negatively.

She's seriously loving that Golden Ticket. We have just watched the Polar Express so the tickets had extra meaning.

We also went to the David Jones Snow Cave where a beautiful display of puppet elves and a delightful talking tree can be found, David Jones won the kids department store vote. I've go to say around 5pm on a weekday is a delightful time to visit these places as we had no queues, friendly staff, and mostly had the place to ourselves. We also managed to do the whole lot for free, not getting sucked into the outrageously priced Santa photo.

We gazed at some beautiful shop displays and finally visited the City Square where the little Bowerbird quickly removed her shoes to prance gaily on the expanse of fake lawn. The giant presents proved to be wonderful climbing frames.

We were seriously disappointed that there was not a magical world hiding in these holes, which I presume are there to water the trees. They looked like they had so much potential. The maze of presents, lights, and trees was a hit with the kids.

We came home free of purchases (except for one sparkly blue camera) but full of Xmas joy and sushi filled stomachs.

Seeds of Ideas

2011-12-07T22:57:00.001+11:00

Tuesday was the last day of working on a wonderful "Seeds of Ideas" project with my good friend Kathy Holowko at Art Play in Melbourne. Kathy had been fortunate to receive a City of Melbourne Art Play grant to run the project with 100 students, and had very kindly asked me to be involved to talk about seeds and plants. There was a lot of collecting of seed, natural materials, and anticipation, and the project has kept me very busy over the last few weeks. The fact that I don't live in Melbourne made the kid/work juggle extra challenging.

The weather was perfect and we looked set for a magical last day.

We had the Grade 4/5 school children for a day the week before, and they had learnt about seeds, patterns, art, sculpture, aerodynamics, nature, ideas and metaphors. The children made paper seeds and watched them fly, then created boats out of natural materials.

Here the children's boats are patiently waiting by the Yarra River to be set free. The best laid plans don't always run as smoothly as you might like. The children's bus arrived over 2 hours late, the bus company had forgotten the booking, then had to deal with vomit and tardy schools before finally picking up our children. There was a lot phone calls and anxious re-bookings. City River Cruises were amazing, and allowed us to change plans three times. The class teacher was also wonderful and very understanding.

All the while the boats caused no fuss and stayed looking their gorgeous selves. I am amazed what children will create when given some natural materials and the directive to make a boat. No two boats were the same and each school group produced a new technique or unexpected result.

Finally we arrived at our destination, Herring Island. I've never been so pleased to see a bunch of kids, they only just made it to the last ferry.

We held a small ceremony on the jetty, reading out the seeds of ideas that the children had created. We then gave them a small envelope to put some seeds and their message inside, these were tucked carefully in the boats.

A swan watched over proceedings and the launching of the boats. It managed to score a few seeds from enraptured children.

Most of the boats floated well, the children watched them anxiously as much bigger boats threatened to crash into them.

After launching the boats we went for a nature walk on Herring Island. Children were given a list of things to look out for, like Eucalyptus seeds, mushrooms, and birds that eat seeds. This succeeded in sparking their curiosity, and they kept finding new things and asking what they were.

Willy wagtails were frolicking around the Seaberry Saltbush.

Herring island is an environmental and sculpture park, Kathy explained the art work on the Island and pointed out other artists use of patterns in their work.

Photo credit & link to some great pictures of the Island visit http://www.lizzieknz.com/2011/05/herring-island.html

Andy Goldsworthy (for more on this artist and some great examples of Earth Art http://www.morning-earth.org/artistnaturalists/an_goldsworthy.html) is one of the sculptors whose work can be seen at Herring Island. Above is a cairn he created to represent growth (Herring Island is artificially created). After visiting his work Kathy discussed Land Art and Earth Art. We then pulled out the non weedy materials we had brought from home so the kids could create their own piece of Earth Art, they also made use of natural materials that were lying around, with the instruction not to pick things as this was an Environmental Park and we didn't want to harm the plants.

Some children worked alone, some in groups.

A few of the students wanted to take their work home, and struggled with it's transient nature. It was interesting the way different children tackled the work.

I had a go at making a piece and a couple of boys sat with me and helped me finish it. Too sweet, the rose petals were added by one of the boys. I think the kids enjoyed watching what we would do (I'm not an artist so this is well outside my comfort zone), and not being watched over while they worked. It was a pretty hot afternoon and this was a great restful activity.

How lovely to work with one of my oldest and dearest friends. We're scheming new things for 2012, hoping to make use of our awesome seed collection. Kathy has all manner of projects on the go and was busy scheming how to create an installation in her house when I left her, seeds on plates might have been part of the design.

Kathy's creation.

In the end it was a magical day, and an incredible project to be a part of.

Garden Volunteers and Firsts

2011-12-07T00:00:00.000+11:00

Fuschias are bursting into flower in the fairy garden, they look just like fairies skirts.

A first - flower buds on a Chilean Guava we have had for around 4 years.

Our first quince. The smallest things get me very excited in the garden.

The mystery kiwi - not sure if it's male or female and if I can contain it to a Tee Pee.

Elderberry flowers.

Think I need another elderberry to improve pollination. Fortunately the birds have got two seedlings going for me under the pine tree.

Abandoned nest, our song thrush laid eggs but has now disappeared. Hoping they didn't meet foul play from one of the visiting cats.

Cheers to the volunteers.

Rainbow chard/silverbeet.

Celery

Carrots

Potatoes

Raspberries - not a true volunteer but this is just one plant, gone wild.

Tomatoes

Spring Onions with bees hard at their voluntary pollination work.

Sweet Peas

Love in the Mist. I have two good friends who think these are weeds. What's your thought - friend or foe?

Calendula

Broad Beans and more sweet peas. All the above volunteers are a testament to lazy gardening.

Undesirables have done there work on our cabbages, they are always bad this time of year.

The ever generous carrot patch, showing me why some vegies are worth persisting with.

Asparagus, a serious exercise in patience. Looking a little Christmassy with their bell like flowers, I think this one had a few too many xmas drinks.

I spent the day plating seeds with the Little Bowerbird today - they are a little late but I'm hoping they will fire along with the warmer days. When I exhausted her seed planting enthusiasm she said "No thankyou mummy, maybe tomorrow". A few seed experiments like loofah and spaghetti squash should keep things interesting, my first attempt at chokos was a fail but I have another on the window sill starting to sprout.

Just bought another 6 bags of horse poo and ordered 10 bales of pea straw. The sawdust I ordered for our paths 2 months ago is yet to arrive - you go down the list when they call and you don't answer - missed the call by 2hrs.... Hopefully I'll be around this week. Such a busy time in the garden, but I managed to spare a little time to put in some seedlings in our school vegie patch too. Beautiful gardening weather and butterflies and dragonflies greeting us wherever we look.

Skirt Hem to Pocket Sized Heat Bags

2011-12-06T01:30:00.000+11:00

I found this skirt in an op shop and fell in love with the fabric, it was clearly someone's hand made creation and I don't think it was ever worn. Big Bowerbird tried it on and it was too tight, little Bowerbird tried it on and screwed up her nose as it was too long.

With a little adjusting it became just right and has quickly become Goldilocks' favourite skirt, and it goes back on straight from the clothes line.

There was just enough hem left to upcycle the remnants into pocket sized heat bags. Just sew little rectangles and fill with rice (we used Arborio rice, just because that's what we had in the cupboard). I made 6 - enough for the nest of Bowerbirds. The kids adore them and even though its summer there are still days chilly enough to use them. I imagine they will be favourites over winter tucked in school jackets. A tip to stop them becoming too dry is to place a mug of water in the microwave when you are heating them up.

The little one likes to play with hers, feeling their warmth, using them as dolls pillows and juggling balls, she keeps them safe with piglet in her little bag. I imagine they would make lovely Christmas gifts if I find the time to make a few more. They would be sweet in denim, being vertically challenged I always have big hems left from my denim jeans.

An Old Fashioned School Fete

2011-12-05T08:48:00.001+11:00

After much anticipation, the school fete finally arrived. The vegie group ladies had said they would manage a plant stall, create a craft stand, make wood fired pizzas, and do face painting. I got a little carried away and even put up a photo booth and created a Wishing Tree. We also got into decorating with bunting and hand made signs. There was also a mini garden stand with things to buy on it including hand made bath bombs and pot pourri. Do your great ideas ever get the better of you? Not everything was busy but I was proud to highlight the sort of activities we do as part of our Landcare program. Across the road was trash and treasure, a cake stall, performances, books, an auction, raffle, and lots of rides.

Making a Xmas tree, crepe paper screwed in balls made great coloured baubles and silver wool served as tinsel, finally a little bit of glitter and some eucalyptus seed caps (operculums) complete the creation.

The amazing Christine at Slow Living Essentials put this stand together. Visit her blog here to see our delicious pizzas and more fete pictures. The pizzas were a huge hit, we sold out at 150 pizzas but could have sold more, they were so delicious. Plans are afoot to make a bit more use of our wonderful pizza oven.

The huge and very popular plant stall.

The vegie group ladies relaxing at the end of a long day.

The school vegie patch, mulched and freshly planted with summer crops.

Paper snow flake garlands made by Preps and sewn together by me. They really glowed in the sunlight.

The wreath making became popular with little and big girls, it was wonderful to see the flowery creations bobbing about the fete.

A seriously cute Michael Jackson performance.

Thank goodness the fete only comes around once every two years. A beautiful but very long day, felt like I took all weekend to recover. Now to get planting all those plants I brought home.