The Miner's Cottage

 

On the weekend, Shane and I went to Burra for an overnight stay in a sweet little Miner's cottage that dates back to the mid-1800s. Burra was once a copper mining town, and people came from all over the world to try and make their fortune from the mines. The Cornish were masters in working the copper, so all over the town are the most adorable cottages that are so authentically Cornish you'd be forgiven for thinking you've been transported to Cornwall itself.

 

The last time we were in Burra was in July 2010, when we spent a weekend investigating the town. It is a wonderfully sweet place to get in some well-earned r&r. The last time we were in the town, we stayed in the original doctor's surgery, but was totally smitten with all the surrounding cottages, and I'd been eager to return and stay in a traditional miner's cottage ever since.

 

The cottage we stayed in was made up of four simple rooms. Through the front door we stepped into the living room, with the master bedroom to our right. Straight ahead another doorway led into the second bedroom, which had the kitchen-diner adjacent. Along the eastern side of the house was a small weatherboard extension housing the laundry, bathroom and loo.

 

The cottage itself was made of stone, and had orb ceilings in all the rooms except the master bedroom, which had wooden slats. The floors were polished boards and slate, and from the front veranda was the most gorgeous view of the rolling rolls that make up the Burra landscape.

 

Surrounded by geraniums, with birds in the trees and creatures scampering about in the garden, it made for a wonderful retreat.

 

If you are ever in the region, then I wholeheartedly recommend a stay in Burra. There is so much to see and do, especially if you are fond of history.

 

365 Mail Art Project: Weeks 43, 44 & 45

Six weeks to go.

217 pieces of mail art yet to make and send out.

Can I do it?

 

One of the biggest challenges, aside from finding the time to make the mail art, has been finding people to send it to. I have just started a new batch of mail art to go out to the final few people who have emailed me requesting to be a part of the project.

 

I will happily accept more requests from people over the coming weeks, so if you think finding a piece of mail art in your letterbox might be kind of awesome, please do not hesitate to drop me an email! I'll be happy to oblige. At present, I'm about 50 recipients shy of 365.

 

I would especially love to send out some more pieces to fellow Australians, so if you're from Australia you should definitely email me. Like, NOW.

 

 

 

Weeks 43 & 44:

 

I was busy writing an 80-page letter to my BFF that I totally forgot to finish the mail art I started, so the pieces took two weekends to complete: Made the envelopes the first weekend, added the addresses the second. Why rush these things?

 

Using my own photos of the beach (I miss the ocean), I made the following envelopes:

 

 

 

#143 of 365:

Early morning, exposed reef for Astrid in Germany...

 

 

#144 of 365:

Stormy sunset for Dora in New Zealand...

 

 

#145 of 365:

Shoreline for Maaike in the Netherlands...

 

 

#146 of 365:

Dusk by the water for Rusty in the USA.

 

 

 

Week 45:

 

Two tiny teapot envelopes!

 

#147 of 365:

Pot of tea for Karlee in the USA...

 

 

#148 of 365:

And a pot of tea for Kirby in Australia.

(Simple Pleasures) Tea & Letters on a Tuesday

 

 

“When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?” - Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Heatwave Survival: Days 7 - 9

[Day 8: Temperature peaked at 46*C at around 3pm yesterday]

 

[Iced tea: Perfect thirst-quencher on hot, hot days]

 

Are you tired of me writing about the weather yet? I wouldn't blame you if you were. I'm tired of it consuming my every waking hour: I am constantly worrying about the garden and having to keep it damp and shaded from the sun, but despite my efforts we are starting to lose plants and I'm feeling a little disillusioned by it all.

 

Today is day 9 of official heatwave. The BoM predicted a maximum temperature of 37*C today but it has already reached 39*C. I think, perhaps, where the weather is measured there is a sea breeze that is not strong enough to penetrate through to this side of the Ranges. However, we are hopeful that tomorrow will bring about a break in the weather: 31*C. It's going to be in the high-30s again by Thursday but 31*C will feel like absolute bliss, even if it is only for one day. I've already started making a list about all the things I can do whilst the temperature is reasonable. I might even be able to use the oven.

 

In the meantime I'm slothing under the air con drinking copious amounts of iced tea. Does anyone else drink it? I make homemade lemon iced tea and keep a jug in the fridge and a mountain of ice cubes in the freezer. I thought I'd share my "recipe" incase anyone else out there suffering in the heat wants to give it a try.

 

 

Lemon Iced Tea

 

You will need:

3 - 4 pure black ceylon teabags (I use 3 teabags of Lipton black)

500ml boiling water

A 2 litre jug

Lemon juice*

Sugar to taste

Ice cubes

 

1. Put the kettle on. Whilst you wait for it to boil, put 3 - 4 of your teabags in a measuring jug. Pour 500ml of boiling water over the teabags and let them sit for 5 minutes. Be mindful of the time:  If you let them brew too long the tea will turn bitter.

 

2. Remove the teabags and pour tea into a 2 litre jug and top up with cold water. Put in fridge to chill.

 

3. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a glass, add sugar to sweeten and a splash of hot water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Then fill your glass with the chilled tea from the fridge, adding a few ice cubes when you're done.

 

4. Drink. Enjoy. Repeat.

 

* I use fresh lemon juice because I like the tang it adds to the tea. However, if you don't have fresh juice you can use cordial in its place - minus the sugar, of course, because cordial is sweet enough already.

365 Mail Art Project: Week 7

 

#18 of 365:

A jumble of thoughts for Claudia in Germany, doodled on a hot (and therefore uneventful) afternoon...

 

 

#19 of 365:

The first piece of Christmas-themed mail art for the season (although it most certainly won't be the last) for Turea in England. The baubles are hand-stamped and the envelope I made using vellum paper...

 

 

#20 of 365:

Another Twinings tea box envelope, this time for Dara in Australia, decorated with a bit of washi tape and a decoupage cut-out.

 

 

365 Mail Art Project: Weeks 3 & 4

 

7 of 365:

I recycled a tea box by turning it into an envelope for Hannah...

 

 

8 of 365:

Inspired by our trip to the seaside, I made an ocean themed envelope for Dina...

 

 

9 of 365:

Whilst Beltane resulted in a colourful spring-inspired envelope for þorey...

 

 

 

10 of 365:

Dearest Lau sent me some new season episodes of Ghost Adventures (one of my favourite TV shows - hilarious fun!) with her letter, so I made some ghostly/paranormal themed stationery for my reply...

 

 

11 of 365:

And since I was in a supernatural mood, Riley's letter is wickedly witchy.

 

 

**FYI: I have decided to move the 365 Mail Art posts to Friday of every week, due to the fact that we are quite regularly not at home on Saturday. This should have been apparent to me from the outset, but in my enthusiasm I clearly overlooked it. So, from here on in, please check every Friday for the weekly 365 Mail Art Project posts.

The Week in Pictures...

 

* This week the focus has been on the garden. I have painstakingly planned a veggie patch that follows principles of companion planting, prepared the soil and sourced all the seedlings, which will go in ground this week coming: The weather is expected to be perfect for it (not too hot, not too cold, and hopefully not too windy either!).

 

* Our Bailey-dog thinks he's human. Lately when I've ventured outside around dusk to water the garden I've found him sitting up on the bench-swing that overlooks the backyard. It's the perfect spot to waste away many a summer's evening. Bailey-dog must be reserving his place early.

 

* I have become a tea connoisseur! I drink too much of the stuff and became bored with the same thing every time, so I started buying different types and now have a cupboard full of variety. I like either an English or Irish Breakfast first thing in the morning and an Assam Bold mid-afternoon. Chai and Darjeeling are great in the evening - not too strong so they don't keep me awake all night.

Do you drink tea?