'Twas a very merry Christmas indeed...

 

 

I hope your Christmas Day was as pleasant as ours, with plenty of perfect Christmas weather (dependent on where you are, I suppose), copious amounts of yummy food, and fun times and laughter with family and friends.

 

It was a warm one for us: 37 degrees Celsius was the maximum at home, but thankfully it was a few degrees cooler at my parents' house 40km away, where we spent most of the day.

 

The daily temperatures are now expected to rise significantly over the next week. Now until the end of January tends to be the hottest time of the year for us, where temperatures can easily soar to the mid-40s and beyond. As the hottest year on record draws to a close, I'm hoping the BoM's predictions of a hotter than usual summer will be well off the mark!

 

So, here's to the closing of one year and the dawn of another. I hope 2014 will be splendid for you all.

 

xoxox

 

 

The Week in Pictures...

 

 

** We finished painting the bathroom the day before Christmas Eve (what is that? Christmas Eve Eve?)...Actually, I lie: It's not finished at all. The walls and ceilings are done but the architraves and doors currently have nothing more than the undercoat and I'm not rushing to get it done. We're coming into the hottest part of the year now and it is simply too hot for paint: It'll dry on the brush and become nothing more than a sticky mess. So I shall finish the painting when the weather cools.

 

** I know it's supposed to be an enjoyable time but Christmas stresses me out! I didn't finish cooking, cleaning the house and wrapping presents until 12.30 in the morning. We were both so very, very tired and yet barely a wink of sleep was had on account of the noisy neighbours across the road. They partied in the noisiest way possible until 9am Christmas morning (and then no doubt slept all day). I'm fairly certain that isn't appropriate neighbourly behaviour.

 

** Despite being uber tired, Christmas Day was nice: BBQ breakfast with the in-laws followed by lunch with my family. I received a bunch of wonderful, useful gifts - cookery, crockery, kitchenware, framed photos, books and jewellery, plus my sister made me carrot cake cupcakes. We handmade 99% of the Christmas gifts we gave this year and although it required a lot of preparation, we didn't have to fight the Christmas shoppers to get any of it done. It felt good to give without blowing the budget too.

 

** The rest of week has passed rather slowly, much to my delight. The weather for the most part has been pleasant with temperatures in the low 30s (degrees Celsius) and cool southerly breezes in the evenings. Until last night even the neighbours had been quiet! But now we are getting ourselves ready for the first heatwave of the summer, which is looking to be a real stinker (a heatwave in South Australia is 5 or more consecutive days of 37*C and above, by the way). I plan to wile away the days with a good book or two.

 

How about you?

The Week in Pictures...

 

** I traded cupcakes for a bathroom reno. Ha! I wish! Although, I did make plenty of butterfly cupcakes whilst the tradies were here. Those babies go down a treat.

 

** I found some stewed quandongs in the freezer (last year's pick) so I took them out and made Wild Peach Pie. As I was feeling generous I let Shane and his mum also have a piece each. I ate the rest.

 

** I took my first bubblebath in four years, although I didn't pick the best day: It was humid and I found sitting in a steaming bath to be a little suffocating after about 20 minutes. On the upside, the water didn't go cold!

 

** It was stupidly hot the past week and looks to repeat the week ahead. At this stage the BoM is predicting we'll be celebrating sweating Christmas Day in style with temperatures in the mid-40s (degrees Celsius) and possible thunderstorms. I'd much rather be snowed in.

 

** Sign that it's almost Christmas #1: The agapanthus have begun to bloom!

Sign that it's almost Christmas #2: Apricots on the tree, almost ripe enough to pick but not quite. Give it a few days (this is what I keep telling myself despite the fact that I'm so impatient I've been eating them half green. They still taste pretty amazing, though).

 

** One of the great things about having a garden is pretty little surprises like venturing down to the vegie patch and finding the leeks (which didn't grow big enough to pick) in flower.

 

How was your week?

365 Mail Art Project: Weeks 8 - 10

Oh! How I would love to be showing you a multitude of mail art pieces from the last three weeks, but alas! I've only managed to make 3 pieces during that time on account of a certain bathroom renovation, which has taken up all my time and energy. And it's still ongoing: As soon as I finish this post I must get back to painting it.

 

But for now, here's some mail art:

 

 

#21 of 365:

Inspired by said bathroom renovation I am sending Ulrika in Sweden the bath I wanted but couldn't have...

 

 

#22 of 365:

Whilst Laura in Canada is getting the Mr Armitage I wanted but could not have...

 

 

#23 of 365:

And my sweet penfriend Ele in Italy will be receiving a vintage Santa, who I suspect will be arriving a little late. Cést la vie!

 

 

I'll be back next Friday the 21st December with some mail art in celebration of the apocalypse! That's assuming, of course, that the world doesn't plunge into darkness and I lose my internet connection as a result. That would be so very annoying.

The Week in Pictures...

 

** You know those weeks where not a lot happens but a lot happens at the same time? We had one of those.

 

** The bathroom reno is all-consuming. It seems that every time we make a small piece of progress a new problem pops up and we end up at a standstill again. At this stage we'll be without a functioning bathroom for another week and all because of a MIXER TAP.

 

** I simply not have the time for my Mail Art Project this week, which was probably a good thing in hindsight as I was lacking in inspiration anyhow. No doubt anything I had tried to make would have been a complete waste of time. However, I did manage to write out all our Christmas cards instead.

 

** My Ma turned 50. FIFTY. I can't even imagine it: It seems so far in the future and yet so close at the same time. She celebrated with a dinner at a local restaurant with her family and friends and we ate cake - chocolate sponge with cream and strawberries, to be exact.

 

Here's to another fifty, yeah?

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.

 

 

The Post-Christmas Blog Post...

[Our super pretty Xmas Tree]

In true 2011 fashion, the past week has flittered by and I've barely noticed its passing.

Where does the time go?

I'm on leave from work until next week. During this time I'd planned to achieve a many wonderous thing, but already it is Thursday and I've not yet done even half of what I'd planned.

[Xmas cards decorate the dining room mantel]

Xmas Day was a warm one in our sunny, windy, thunderstormy part of Australia. It reached 36*C in our little town, and due to the thunderstorms brewing it was humid all day until around 9pm in the evening when we had a quick patter of rain followed by a cool change. So, the day after Xmas was wonderfully pleasant, as have been the days that have followed it, although tomorrow is supposed to be back into the high-30s, and it is possible that we'll have temperatures in the 40s for the next week or so.

[Useful Xmas gift #1: Don Burke's Organic Gardening]

But back to Xmas Day: A BBQ breakfast, followed by a feast of a midday meal, followed by a feast of an evening meal left us feeling quite gluttonous!

I love to give useful, practical Xmas gifts, and I tried to do that again this year, but I also received some wonderful useful gifts in return. I've already put Don Burke's Organic Gardening book to use and planted seeds for the next lot of planting, as well as having planned my vegie patch for autumn.

[Useful Xmas gift #2: Homemade preserves and dukkah]

And this morning for breakfast I had quinoa bread spread with a generous serving of homemade pear and vanilla jam, which my sister made. I didn't know she was quite so clever in the kitchen and it was delicious!

Now I'm spending this warm afternoon writing some letters, watching a bit of TV, cooking (in the slow cooker), and reading. I've four full days left free from the confines of paid employment and I intend to get myself back on track with all that I have planned...

Tomorrow I think I'll made some nachos. Gosh, it's been years since I've had those! I'll have to share the recipe...

How are you spending your holidays?

Monday Mail Out: Xmas Mail...

Has it been a week already? I have certainly been kept busy, what with all the shopping online in my pyjamas.

Got to love the internet!

This impressive pile of parcels was waiting for me when I got home from work today. I just love this time of year, even if the the goodies inside aren't actually for me. Sure, they're addressed to me, but the most of what came today are Christmas presents for other people.

The one right on top is for me, though: A letter from Nicola (it was her birthday today, by the way).

A day that brings a letter is a good day indeed.

Written correspondence has been a hobby of mine for a long time, & Monday Mail Out is a weekly feature whereby I can share my love for the lost art of letter writing. I hope my experiences will encourage others to send out letters on Monday too, and have them rediscover the joy of sending and receiving mail. If you have a blog, feel free to join in.

Monday Mail Out: The Christmas Post.

[Christmas greetings ready to be posted]

What a busy time of year Christmas must be for the post! Perhaps the only time that many people send snail mail wishes.

The postal service always seems to rise to challenge, though, with the delivery of mail being much faster at Christmas time than at any other.

I always look forward to this time of year and the arrival of cards to decorate the mantel: A kind of snail mail shrine.

Written correspondence has been a hobby of mine for a long time, & Monday Mail Out is a weekly feature whereby I can share my love for the lost art of letter writing. I hope my experiences will encourage others to send out letters on Monday too, and have them rediscover the joy of sending and receiving mail. If you have a blog, feel free to join in.

An appreciation for simple things...

[Mail out: 3 letters, 1 postcard, & a book]

No mail went out yesterday. Can you believe it? I still cannot comprehend how I managed to go through the day and not make it to the post office. I'm blaming it on a morning appointment that ran overtime. By a lot. And an evening meeting at work that took longer than expected.

But of course I spent a portion of my weekend writing mail: It wouldn't have been a weekend without it! The mail just had to go with this morning's post instead.

[Bailey-dog chasing geckos - Entertainment for hours!]

After a hot week, closing with a scorcher on Friday (41*C), it was such a relief to wake Saturday morning to the sound of rain. Rain, might I add, that hung around all day and gave the garden a good soaking. It never ceases to amaze me how much plants prefer rain water to the stuff from the bore.

[Laundry on the line]

The weekend also included a Christmas dinner with my work colleagues: An hilariously fun evening packed with good food and good company, a great way to start the festive season.

[Chopped veg ready for a casserole]

But most of all the cool change was a great opportunity to enjoy the simple things: Spending time outside with Bailey-dog, the birds and the lizards; tending to the garden; doing the household chores; writing mail; and utilising the oven for some hearty, home cooked meals.

Hot, hot, hot!

Forecast from willyweather.com.au

Talk of the weather over the past few months has referred to mild temperatures, thunderstorms and plenty of rain.

In fact, it was so mild and so wet I was beginning to think that summer would just pass us by this year, and we'd not have to spend days and weeks (and months!) sitting in the dark with the air con on high.

Turns out that was a pipe dream, as summer made its arrival Christmas Day when the temperature  hovered around 40 degrees Celsius until a cool change started to move through later in the evening.

A week later and we are back in the 40s again, with the temperature expected to range between 35 and 45 degrees over the next week.

I cannot think of the words best to describe it, but at the very least this type of heat is stifling. Walking outside is like stepping into a furnace: The air is so hot and dry it burns the insides of your nose and makes your eyes water. The tar on the road is starting to glisten and become sticky. Inside the air con is on but I'm still sweating enough to be stuck to my office chair. And I'm certain I just got sunburnt walking to the post office, which can't be more than 200m from the office.

There was a stubble fire just outside of Quorn yesterday that the CFS was quickly able to control and douse, but it instilled some scary thoughts and momentary panic. It's the first so close to Quorn in a long time, and if the weather hadn't been so kind it could have been an entirely different scenario. There'll be no fireworks this New Years' Eve, that's for sure!

This is the type of weather I dread every year. Having lived in South Australia my entire life you'd be forgiven for thinking I'd be used to it by now. Perhaps I'm just getting "soft" as I get older, or perhaps this is just weather you never become accustomed to.

With heatwaves and floods, Australia's start to the New Year is not going to be what most had anticipated and planned for.

...What's the weather like in your part of the world at the moment?

Etsy Swoon (+ a thank you)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/51906410/grey-swallow-gild-tote

I dislike the crazy panic that is Christmas shopping. Normally I struggle to think of things to get people that are both original and practical that wont cost a fortune. I find myself wandering the shops aimlessly for months, and then in a last-minute blitz buy everything a few days before Christmas Day.

Every year I make the resolution to be more organised for Christmas in future, and I am proud to say that this year I have (mostly) achieved that aim, for the first time! And it's all thanks to Etsy!

I am in love with Etsy. Obsessed and addicted, even. There is so much amazing, beautifully original handcrafted items available at Etsy for a reasonable price that I thought I would share some of my favourite shops.

I also thought it would be a good opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to Daisy at AskAlice, from whom I purchased the grey tote pictured above. Due to a PayPal issue that I still cannot figure out, I was unable to record this purchase at Etsy. It took a few days, but Daisy and I were able to come to an arrangement that saw me pay for the tote outside of Etsy. She was always quick to reply to my messages, and to suggest alternatives. Then, knowing I needed the tote as soon as possible, she sent it straight away by registered post. I must mention that the tote is absolutely gorgeous: I love it and I know the person I've bought it for will love it too. I will definitely be returning to Daisy's little Etsy shop again in the near future.

I have found all the Etsy shop owners I've dealt with over the past couple months so incredibly helpful, generous and an absolute pleasure. NoCryBabyDoGs surprised me with extras sent along with my purchase, and JewelryDeli, MermaidsTearsJewelry and rockitbot posted out my items the same day I ordered them.

All the items I've received are of the highest handmade quality I have ever seen: These people are exceptionally talented, and if you haven't yet checked out what's available at Etsy, then I highly recommend that you do! Immediately! There is something there for everyone. So, if you're looking for gifts for people, then I recommend you check Etsy out: If you need something quick, you can search for local sellers.

As an added bonus, I felt like I've avoided the ridiculous hype and panic that I normally find myself in at this time of year. Yes, I still have a two family members who I am struggling with for gift ideas, but everyone else is sorted. I have never been this organised for Christmas in my entire adult life. It feels good!

Christmas Comes but Once a Year...

M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S

&

H A P P Y N E W Y E A R

Yes, I'm a wee bit late in getting out my Christmas greetings to all the lovely people who stop by to read my blog. I've been missing-in-action since I finished work on Christmas Eve, and am now taking a well-earned (albiet not long enough) 2-week break. All phones have been silenced. The only contact I have with the outside world is via the internet. Luckily it is far too HOT to leave the house: Perfect reading weather, and I plan to use it wisely.

SJ and I decided to have a Christmas tree for the first time this year; in previous years we have always been away from home at Christmas and therefore never saw the point in having one, but this year, for the first time, we woke Christmas morning in our own home. It was so nice to have it lit-up during the evenings leading up to Christmas Day; it is such a pretty tree, and I look forward to having it up again next Christmas. It is a small fibre-optic tree, adorned with a few small gold baubles for good luck (originating from the Witch Ball), and sits in front of the un-used fireplace in the living room, which made a great storage place for presents.

SJ & I werent the only ones to put up our first Christmas tree this year: Another family we know had always had a giant "singing Santa" in lieu of a tree, but were continuously told by people that their 5-year-old son was missing out by not having a Christmas tree. So, this year they went out and got a tree to stand alongside giant Santa. This got me thinking about Christmas traditions, and why we seem to need them to have Christmas spirit. I remember as children my siblings and I always looked forward to December as it meant the Christmas tree would come out of storage and we'd all stand around decorating it. It was an exciting time because when the tree was up in meant Christmas Day was just around the corner, and we'd begin to count the number of sleeps until it arrived. In hindsight I dont think it would have mattered if it was a tree, or a giant singing Santa, or something else entirely; whatever the symbolism used, Christmas would still have been an exciting time, as it usually is for children.

As it is Summer in this part of the world during Christmastime, most Christmas trees are artificial. A real tree would simply not survive until Christmas Day: the heat would make it shed its leaves and branches quickly, leaving a rather shabby sight come Christmas morning. As such, there are no Christmas tree farms, and our tree came packed in a box from a department store. The history of the Christmas tree is a fascinating one, and I have always assumed that anyone celebrating Christmas would have a tree of some kind. Do you have a Christmas tree, or is there some other tradition in your household?

Baked Figs with Vanilla Icecream

Apologies for my absence.

Does anyone else find that during November and December everyday life seems to pick up speed? Suddenly there are so many more things that need doing, yet seemingly less time in which to do them. Or, at least, that is how I feel at the moment.

I do have photos from November that I want to share, and will share at some point in the very near future, but right now I simply must, must, must tell you about this fantastically easy and delicious recipe for baked figs that I (surprisingly) found the time to make on the weekend.

All you need is:

12 figs, sliced in half

2 tspn sugar

300ml sherry

4 whole peppercorns

3 tbspn honey + extra for serving

Vanilla ice cream (made with buttermilk is best)

All you need to do is:

1. Place sliced figs facing up in large ovenproof dish.

2. Sprinkle evenly with sugar.

3. Poor sherry over figs.

4. Add peppercorns to dish.

5. Drizzle honey over figs.

6. Place in oven at 180*C and bake for 30 minutes.

7. Remove figs from dish and allow to cool, and pour remaining sauce into saucepan. Simmer on a moderate heat until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds, then chill in fridge.

8. Serve figs drizzled in sauce and extra honey with scoops of vanilla icecream.

Yum!

(This recipe is a variation of the one I found here.)