Beachy weekends...

Over the weekend we went away with friends. And it was wonderful. Drove down the Mornington Peninsular, to a little place called Blairgowrie. We were staying one street back from the surf beach, in a giant house. Aren't friends generous to organise such a holiday? Weather was wonderful, which meant going to the local monthly market was a must. Afterwards I went for a stroll along the bay beach while the fella went swimming.

I love wondering along the beach. I enjoy getting sandy and having the cuff of my jeans become a little wet. I hunt for shells, for tumbled glass, for worn pieces of wood. I snap photos, wrinkle my nose up a seaweed and dream of doing this every day.

It was a great time to catch up with some friends we simply have not seen for years. I am excited about renewing old friendships... and feel very chilled after my mini-break for the weekend.

How have you relaxed lately?

The Nordic Festival

Last weekend, our family went for an adventure in the country. The car was packed, an itinerary was agreed on, accommodation booked and off we went to Warburton. Only just over an hour from Melbs, Warburton is a little town in the east, nestled in amongst the hills. The sky was clear and still. The country side was gloriously changing from green to orange with deciduous trees. The leaves on numerous grape vines were going this way also. It was gloriously relaxing and felt like a holiday.





So why Warburton you ask... For an inaugural Scandinavian Festival! Who would have thought? Certainly not me. I didn't really have any idea that this sort of thing occurred. But a few months ago I was going to the Nord Living shop on Glenferrie Road to purchase a gift for a baby shower, and sure enough the proprietor asked if I was going to the festival. With the details scribbled down and plans being hatched, I discovered more. Not only was there to be a smorgasbord dinner prepared by a Danish chef, but viking re-enactments, a film festival, vodka tasting, two art exhibitions, an opportunity to discover one's Nordic roots, lectures on social policy in Scandinavia and a market. Oh, I am quivering with excitement just recalling it all!


So we explored the town and found great cake and some nifty second-hand shops. We ate Swedish meatballs and Danish open sandwiches. We purchased Finnish glass wear. We spoke with women dressed in Norwegian traditional costume. We made friends with fellow scandies, and discovered where in Melbs to by lenkisauna (sausage to eat when having a sauna). What a weekend.


As for crafting up there, a number of stalls at the markets had beautiful crafted things. I did feel too cheeky to take pictures of their creations though... So imaging an army of comical vikings, made from felt and faces obscured by wispy woollen beards around 15 centimeters tall. Or hand-knitted hats featuring Nordic designs. Lovely!

For some Scandinavian links I picked up over the weekend, try the following:

Fine by Nature - Finnish textiles shop in Warburton
100 Hats - hats and creations with Scandinavian designs
Nordic Festival information - where we went, the program, etc...
The Mud Factory - Swedish bicycles and Scandi-inspired ceramics
Nord Living - Scandi shop in Melbourne

Scandi-ing about on the weekend...

Images from a Scandi weekend away. More details to follow...

Lovely things considered on a Saturday morning...

A bird on a bicycle, how lovely, how Melbourne (a gift to myself to celebrate being back in town).

Lovely things to cherish:

the fella learning to knit

the cat running away from the vaccuum cleaner

coffee on a Saturday morning

birds, beach finds and blog give-a-ways (thanks Sara)

bags of oranges from the markets, waiting to be turned into jam

lily season

a clean house

knitting until you have finished a project

watching Masterchef when you are too sick to go to work

Spanish chocolate with a hint of cinnamon

Douglas and Hope's Melbourne canvas tote

watching Rage and Video Hits until they end

baking bread, with dried fruit and spices

What lovely things do you cherish?

Oriental lilies in abundance at the markets, I couldn't resist taking some home.

A beautiful bird, a warrior found at St Kilda beach and a print from In the Light of the Sun.

The fella's efforts at knitting - he is getting there!

Cozies all cozied up...

A holiday Kukaburra at Taggarty

A sweet little stich counter from the op shop and some precious tortoise shell needles from my nana.

I've been well and truly bitten by the tea cozie bug. And what a warm, itchy yet delicious bite it is!

Here are a few of my reflections on what I love about knitting cozies, but I have gotten a little carried away... They can be whipped up quickly, just in a few sessions really. They are appreciated as they are not every day things (but they should be). They give me an abundance of opportunities to try out new knitting techniques - such as intarsia knitting, which I am becoming a bit of a gun at now. Small, seemingly useless bits of will can be used up and maximised to their full potential. The finished product makes sensational gifts. And they are just so cozie!

I'm loving the book I bought, as mentioned previously. And recently I've had time on my hands, such as a weekend in the country to knit, knit, knit. Please enjoy this one finished project and the two works in progress. Flicking through my how-to cozie book, I've got around five more that I want to try out. And then there's that article in the most recent Mixed Tape zine about the amazing lady who makes her own cozie designs and then wins prizes at the Red Hill show. Oh, I could dream and knit for a very long time...

Well, I gave Con her super cozie, the one with the mega lining and sweet reverse knitted sheep. And despite her having a relatively big tea pot, the cozie was huge! And her pot's handles come from the top of the pot not the side. Drats! I think I need to come up with a plan for the good old top handle tea pot model. After all, I have one too that I use at work on cold days. I'm thinking two pieces, with no covering over the lid. Tight fitting too.

Bits and bobs that have made me happy!

Launceston Marina
Originally uploaded by Kah Kit Yoong

A beautiful photo of Tassie for your viewing pleasure. Not my own photo unfortunately - I'm yet to unpack the camera.

Life continues to get more organised! Hurrah. Friday was a day off work, and was the rejuvenating lift that I needed - morning markets, hot bratwurst with sauerkraut, cups of tea with sisters, sister-in-law, mum and dad, house cleaning, repair men fixing things, coffee and red wine in St Kilda while reading the Big Issue. What a day - then off to Tassie that night. I felt so relaxed, the fella commented that I was happy (I take it I've been a grump lately!) and I had good friends to spend the weekend with.

As for crafting time, I need more in my life. But I'm getting plenty of book time (reading Sense and Sensibility), and a fair dose of the tennis too. I am looking forward to the crafternoon this Saturday! Which will give me some crafting hours, some cups of tea and some good chats.

But until then, I need to clean more. I need to organise the house - particularly the shared study/craft room. I need to do our grocery shopping as you can't get everything from the markets. I also need to spend some more time reading blogs, linking with people and loving the creative world that is online.

By the by, thanks so much to MMAMs for putting the crick-star up on their photo gallery in December. It was part of the meme that was running around the theme of "My Place and Yours". Now all I need to do is get the real Cricket back as our house is inhabitable at last.

What's going on with me

Making: a picnic backgammon set
Writing: job applications
Eating: healthy stuff
Drinking: good red wine
Thinking: about living in St Kilda
Planning: for the big move
Wishing: for some serenity
Loving: lightning, parties for two year old girls
Reading: not much - I need something new
Watching: Capitalism, a Love Story
Wanting: to go to bed now

But before I go, a picture of this funny looking dolly. She was at the Tip Shop when we went exploring there on Saturday. I think she is too scary for words. I could just imagine the horrors she gets up to at night. Surely there is a film about a discarded doll who goes on rampages after twilight sets in...

Some things to chew over

1. Why there was rain last night - it is the dry season after all;
2. Why I have no interest in reading poetry - thanks for that one Guy;
3. Whether I should get my hair cut like Lily Allen in the 22 video clip;
4. Why there is no water in the small pool at my house;
5. Where the recycling bins have gone;
6. Whether I'll wear this shirt after making some changes to it (was stained when washed with a blue dress, but too lovely to give away just yet);
7. Why French films are better;
8. Why red wine is better drunk from a big glass;
9. Why I felt so gumpshie about going out for drinks with a male work colleague;
10. Why Sundays are so lovely but always so short.

One of my more blond moments...

This weekend I had the pleasure of being invited to a cheese party. Friends Geoff and Hannah wanted to celebrate a number of special things, so organised a party on the beach for Saturday afternoon. Guests were encouraged to bring along beach things and a plate of cheese. Being a former deli-girl, I was eager and also amazed that I have never personally hosted a cheese party. Thursday afternoon I perused the local fine food establishment, hunting for a soft rind soft goats cheese. Milawa Cheese Factory make something similar, which I've previously covered in prosciutto and baked in the oven. It was the epitome of an indulgent dinner... Anyway, given that I now live in rural Australia the options were limited when it came to goats cheese. I did find a dutch semi-hard that was piquant enough to satisfy.

So, on to my silly mistake. I opted to bake a loaf of bread to go with the cheese. It was certainly a success and I've put the recipe for the two baguettes below. Thanks Martha Stewart and Nicky from work who lent me the cookbook. The instructions called for a baking stone to be heated in the oven. As I don't have a baking stone, I used a beautiful hand-crafted wooden chopping board. Ops. I have now a black board, with a hidden grain. I must remember, wood is combustible. Repeat after me "Wood is Combustible". So an inverted baking tray made do instead. The loaves were crusty on the bottom and cooked wonderfully though.

Baguettes

Starter:
7 oz flour
¾ cup warm water – plus a little more
¼ oz dried yeast

Dough:
7 ½ oz flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ tbs salt
1/3 cup warm water
Vegetable oil
Polenta

To make the starter: Combine ingredients in the bowl of your mixed, and combine with the paddle attachment until you have a thin batter. You may need more water that the ¾ cup. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to stand at room temperature for at least 12 hours.

To make the dough: Add the flour, salt and a little of the water to the starter. Attach the dough hook and mix of low speed for 3 minutes. Add more water, up to 1/3 cup if needed – I only used a tiny bit of water. Increase the mixer’s speed and kneed for a further 3 minutes. Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed lightly. The dough will be soft but not sticky. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for 1 hour to prove until doubled in size.

Return dough to the floured surface. Press gently into an oval. Fold the top third down, the bottom third up, then fold the sides in. Turn over so the folds are underneath and return it to the oiled bowl. Prove again for a further hour once covered. Why you fold it like this, I don’t know. But Martha recommended it and it worked.

Return dough again to the floured surface. Divide dough into two pieces. Gently shape into two ovals, cover with plastic wrap and leave for 20 minutes.

Sprinkle a long baking tray with polenta. Pre-heat the oven to 220⁰C, with a shelf in the bottom third of the oven in place for your baguettes to cook on.

With the long side of the oval facing you, fold the top third of one of the dough pieces down, the bottom third up. Roll into a long baguette shape. Repeat with the other dough. Cover with glad wrap and place in a warm spot to have a final prove for 30 minutes. Make four superficial slices into the tops of each baguette, and brush with vegetable oil if you want a more golden loaf. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until deliciously done.

These baguettes are chewy with a thick crust. They needs to be torn rather than cut and are perfect with cheese by the ocean.

It's show time!

The local show is on this weekend, and will be fun for those who are going. For me, it means a short working week and a bonus day on the weekend to get things done. So lovely, so exciting. Now really the house should be cleaned from top to tail, but knowing me this isn't going to happen. Instead perhaps I will

Attend a BYO cheese party
Watch So You Think You Can Dance
Sew a quilt
Knit some more of a baby jumper
Sleep lots
Finish reading In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Eat pate
Perhaps get a bit more of the sun on my bones.
Sounds stella to me.

Ever entered anything into a show? My father entered some flowers he had grown into the church fare when I was sixteen on behalf of all of us kids. We won in abundance, but each prize was only twenty cents or so. Hardly worth it. A lady at work often enters some delicious baked goods. Got me thinking, what would I enter into the show...

Off to watch an environmentally friendly home design show. Thanks ABC.

Weekend creating...

water quilt
Originally uploaded by columbialily

This weekend has been busy and inspirational. Waking up this morning I could smell the neighbour's toast, and it made me think that Sundays give you time to stop and make good breakfast, dwell over a pot of tea, read through a mountain of blogs/newspaper/new novels and get some crafting done. How I love these mornings! How I love this image that flickr came up with - the colours are so iridescent, the morning looks chilly. It reminds me of Melbourne mornings, and is a lifetime away from Darwin experiences.

I went along to a patchwork class yesterday. Both good and gumpshee things came from it. I had never participated in a class before, and was given the barest of instructions when I signed up. Consequently I arrived without an idea of what I wanted to make, without fabric and without the essential - my sewing machine. To an experienced craft-class participator, this may seem incredible! But I really didn't have a clue... So home I went to get some belongings. None the less, I ended up purchasing fabric to make what will now be a quilt. I was hoping to commence a new project, but certainly didn't expect it to be an olive, avocado and luscious pink pinwheel quilt. Pictures will follow when the fella returns the camera. I was encouraged though by the other quilters, particularly around my colour choice. There is now some question as to the boarders - to be bright pink or not... Anyway Dragonfly Fabics is the only patchwork shop in town and they have a good range of supplies. Certainly more tempting fabric than Spotlight does. The women who run the shop are experienced and more than willing to give advice. Check them out here.

So some bread is outside proving, I'm gulping down that pot of tea and just re-threaded a bobbin. I've got sewing to do, clothes to wash, a kitchen that could benefit from some elbow grease. How I love Sundays!

Sunday reading list

After a restless night's sleep, I thought perhaps the gym would be good. I go around three times per year, and it is only in our basement car park. I lasted eight minutes on the cross-trainer (I think that is what that contraption was!) before collapsing on the floor. The only solution was to come back upstairs and read my newest magazine!

Peppermint Magazine came out during the week, and was a wonderful surprise. I had subscribed months ago and not heard back from the publishers. I feared they had taken my money and run. That was me totally overreacting of course. My mind is still not made up about the mag - I'm wondering if it lacks a little something. But in saying that, it had a big article on the rise of handmade, and has a list of interested blogs who are concerned with creating, eco-ness, op-shop clothing, etc. So far I've been a fan of Vegan & Vintage and don't mind Little Green Stilettos.

Through my blog trawling, I followed a link to a link, etc and have found this fellow - Closet Cooking. His recipe for lemon and blueberry breakfast cake sounds delicious. I'm keen to read him more regularly and get on with the cooking.

Speaking of cooking, here's a recipe for the Orange and Chocolate Cake I dabbled with last week. It is a mix of a number of recipes, and a take on the traditional non-leaven orange cake of Jewish culinary traditions.

Everyday Ingredients Orange & Chocolate Cake

2 oranges
200 g melted butter or margarine
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cup self-raising flour
¼ cup cocoa powder

Beginning the night before ideally, place the two oranges into a saucepan & cover with water. Cover, bring to the boil & then simmer for 2 hours. Leave in the water until cool, ideally overnight – your house will smell delicious!

Pre-heat oven to 180⁰C. Line a round 23 cm (or so) cake tin with baking paper.

Remove the oranges from the water, quarter & place into the bowl of your food processor – skin & all. Process until no chunks remain. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl, process until well combined. Pour into cake tin. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. Test to see if cooked by piercing the cake with a skewer – will be free of batter if cooked. May need a further 10 minutes. Enjoy dusted with icing sugar. Some thick cream is nice too.

Saturday business

Mt Martha boatshed, November 2008
Originally uploaded by the_bashful_owl

Today was a to-do day: clean the car parking space, go to the tip, have sushi for lunch with a friend, finished off some swaps, get enough sleep, wash the clothes, pack the dishwasher of hand wash the dirty dishes...

Some of these things go done. I went to the tip and discovered the tip shop. So exciting. I've been checking out the many before and after shots on the design sponge website, and felt so inspired to salvage something and repurpose it. Alas, not today. We currently don't have the space to work on big projects, and I just couldn't choose what to rescue. There was an appealing telescope that tempted me. As did some bronze light fittings. I found what could have been a perfect sewing chair, and a sewing/craft storage system. There were too many possibilities... The most exciting thing though was the free plant I picked up from the item disposal bins. In saying that it was free, I then went to the hardware store and spent almost $50 on a perfect pot and premium potting mix. Perhaps it was a more costly outing than I anticipated! At least the plant was free.

Today the weather is perfect in Darwin. I was perusing my photos, attempting to create space on the lappie and found this beautiful image. It would be perfect in Darwin - if only you could swim in the ocean. Oh well, Melbourne boatsheds and Darwin dreaming...

Happy weekend

Sunday mornings

Darwin sunrise, originally uploaded by the_bashful_owl.

Woke up far too late to see this today, but isn't the sunrise amazing? We live on the fifth floor and have beautiful views of the harbour rather than the ocean. I don't mind at all... and will surely miss such spectacular natural eye candy when we move...

As for today, I spent hours in bed reading my newest patchwork book. I can't wait to start sewing today. Currently two oranges are on the boil, to make a cake for church tonight. I made an orange, almond and chocolate cake for a friend's renovation party last night. Boy did the compliments flow. So with a boosted baking ego, I'm keen to make another. No almond meal left though, so this will be a combination of two recipes. Will be so tasty, with the recipe to follow once success has been had.

Happy Sunday.

Easter weekends...

Easter is a lovely time of year and a truly joyous celebration. Sure, it is strange to celebrate the death of someone, but the someone who die did it to give life and to build relationships! Truly amazing! Plus, Easter is also about his life, his resurrection and thus God's triumph over evil once and for all. I know not everyone thinks this though, as one of my colleagues this week reported that it was a "depressing holiday" and couldn't understand why Christians celebrated it.

For the weekend, which is only half way though, we have spent time with friends and enjoyed a slower pace of life! With the exception of getting up early to make hot-cross buns for Good Friday church. Despite their lack of crosses, they were beautiful and went down a treat.

These hotties are a bit of a tradition in our house. I've made them for the past three years, and always feel that we need more. One thing I'm not sure of is why they are only eaten at Easter. These are now made with the amazing red kitchenaid mixed the hubbie gave me for my birthday last year. They smell delicious and are very satisfying to make. We have been try to get some traditions going. Another thing we do is eat a fish-and-potato pie, care of Nigella. Every year we aim to watch The Passion of the Christ, but sure enough this year our DVD player would not read the disk. This was exceptionally frustrating, but perhaps another year.

We've not sent out eggs or gifts this year. We were simply too disorganised. I did make those fabric Easter eggs though, and sent all a picture of them and a simply profound bible verse: Unless a kernel of wheat dies and falls to the ground, it remains a single seed. If but if dies it bears much fruit.

Weekend wonderland

It has been a simply lovely weekend!

The week that has just past had its moments - both my fella and I went to funerals, some of my clients at work were quite sick. I felt that I was not getting enough sleep. We also had a house inspection so there was mad cleaning to be done. All we have to do is clean the fans though, so we passed the inspection with flying colours. But all told, there was too much going on in the week for me to take time to smell the roses (and coffee and freshly baked cakes...).

So for the weekend, we took it easy. Friends from down south came to visit. They are in a band, and had two gigs in Darwin. It has been a while since I've done anything out on the town, and seeing friends play some energetic live shows was great. It was also a joy to hang out and encourage each other. Plus, lots of swimming in the pool - there is nothing like a dip at 1 a.m. Check out what they are doing here http://www.skippinggirlvinegar.com/ They too have a thing for owls, much to my delight. My plan is to craft them a stuffie to arrive in owlie post this week.

I also enjoyed the local Saturday morning markets - a local busking, lots of organic bananas, hot laksa, tropical flowers such as these. My favourite snack would have to be a veggie samosa, thin pastry, hot potato and curry powder filling, a little bit of grease. Washed down with a fresh juice, perhaps mango, lime and honey. At this time of year, there are three local markets over two days. The famous local markets will start again in the next two weeks as the dry season hits. There is little better than sitting on Mindil beach eating a steamy dinner with friends as the sun sets over the ocean. Wow, Darwin is amazing!

Now it's off to church. Then SYTYCD and some sewing. I've found a great blog which has tips for fabric Easter eggs. http://www.retro-mama.blogspot.com/ This will be my project for tonight while cheering for some amazing dancers. The plan I have is to send off boxes of these eggs as substitutes for chocolate this week. It is perhaps a little too ambitious, but you never know.