In My Kitchen: February 2012...

In my kitchen this month are the sweetest, juiciest, tastiest peaches, stewed and packaged...

And are so good as a sweetener on porridge for breakfast, or with icecream for dessert after dinner.

In my kitchen are fresh figs, served with baked custard and a dollop of cream...

And roasted vegetable soup, great for getting in a veggie-fix when the hot weather lets up for a bit.

In my kitchen is quick and easy meals like broccoli and cauliflower cooked in stock and served with pasta flavoured with butter and covered in parmesan cheese...

And vegetable casserole pies.

What's in your kitchen this month?

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In My Kitchen is a monthly feature hosted by Fig Jam & Lime Cordial.

To take part, simply make a blog post and link back to Fig Jam & Lime Cordial.

The Absence of a Quiet Mind...

A Quiet Mind by Thomas Vaux

"When all is done and said,

In the end thus shall you find,

He most of all doth bathe in bliss

That hath a quiet mind:

And, clear from worldly cares,

To deem can be content,

The sweetest time in all his life

In thinking to be spent. 

The body subject is

To fickle Fortune's power,

And to a million of mishaps

Is casual every hour;

And death in time doth change

It to a clod of clay;

Whereas the mind, which is divine,

Runs never to decay.

 

Companion none is like

Unto the mind alone;

For many have been harmed by speech,

Through thinking few or none.

Fear oftentimes restraineth words,

But makes not thought to cease;

And he speaks best, that hath the skill

When for to hold his peace.

 

Our wealth leaves us at death;

Our kinsmen at the grave;

But virtues of the mind unto

The heavens with us we have.

Wherefore, for virtue's sake,

I can be well content,

The sweetest time in all my life

To deem in thinking spent."



On My Mind: Strawberries...

[The sweetest, juiciest, tastiest strawberries, growing in hanging baskets on our back veranda]

"Right now I just want to chill for a while. Take a hiatus from all the craziness. To clean my house, see my family. Just see some movies and pick some strawberries". ~ Lauren Ambrose

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This is a Friday photo feature from Down to Earth that anyone with a blog can join. It opens the door to us sharing our lives through these photos and gives us all a new way to discover each other, and maybe form new friendships. Your photo should show something at home that you're thinking about TODAY.

To take part, all you have to do is post a photo, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to Down to Earth. Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When your photo is published, go to Down to Earth and add a comment , with a link to your blog photo.

On my mind: Business Ventures...

After much discussion and deliberation, SJ has decided to start his own business. Having found himself recently unemployed due to company downsizing, he's struggled to find full-time work elsewhere.

So, he's decided that he might as well go with what he knows (and which he also happens to be very good at) and work for himself, running a business from home. It's scary and exciting at the same time!

There's been stressful moments, but as each week draws to a close SJ finds himself one step closer to becoming a sole trader in the field he enjoys. The simple thought of it makes him smile, which (for now, at least) makes the stressful moments worth it.

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This is a Friday photo feature from Down to Earth that anyone with a blog can join. It opens the door to us sharing our lives through these photos and gives us all a new way to discover each other, and maybe form new friendships. Your photo should show something at home that you're thinking about TODAY.

To take part, all you have to do is post a photo, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to Down to Earth. Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When your photo is published, go to Down to Earth and add a comment , with a link to your blog photo.

On my mind: Weekend tasks.

"If you've never experienced the joy of accomplishing more than you can imagine, plant a garden." ~ Robert Brault

Yes! Gardening is on my mind this Friday! How could it not be? The weather continues to be glorious and perfect for spending time outdoors.

Our first task for the weekend is to finish the raised garden beds (pictured above). SJ made the first one earlier this week and is hoping to knock-up a second today. We are making these ones out of old sheets of iron and steel posts cut to size. If they prove suitable we will build more. We are using deep beds in an attempt to combat weeds, and will plant a selection of tomatoes, corn, lettuce, cauliflower, silverbeet, capsicum and cucumber for this season.

The second task is to start laying crusher-dust on those areas of the yard currently not being used for garden space. The purpose of this is to keep the weeds under control and to make snakes and lizards visible during the warmer months.

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This is a Friday photo feature from Down to Earth that anyone with a blog can join. It opens the door to us sharing our lives through these photos and gives us all a new way to discover each other, and maybe form new friendships. Your photo should show something at home that you're thinking about TODAY.

To take part, all you have to do is post a photo, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to Down to Earth. Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When your photo is published, go to Down to Earth and add a comment , with a link to your blog photo.

Farewell to Winter Wednesday...

[The Spencer Gulf on this warm and sunny August day]

The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.

~ Henry Van Dyke

August is drawing quickly to a close, and so is winter, most definitely!

August always can surprise with some truly beautiful - what some may even term perfect - weather, and this week so far has been just that: Clear blue skies, a slight breeze, and a warming sun.

I'm annoyed that I'm unable to get outdoors and truly enjoy this weather. I could be out in the garden, but alas! I'm stuck in the office instead.

No doubt this weather won't last for long: Soon it will be September and windy!

Winter Wednesday has been hosted by Hazel Dene.

Winter Wednesday: Red Sky at Morning.

“Like a red morn that ever yet betokened,

Wreck to the seaman, tempest to the field,

Sorrow to the shepherds, woe unto the birds,

Gusts and foul flaws to herdmen and to herds.”

~ William Shakespeare (Venus & Adonis)

A red sunrise Tuesday morning proved to be the calm before the storm.

Last night there was thunder, lightning, rain and gale-force winds.

Windows rattled, loose iron clanged, and bins were upturned, sending wayward recyclables tumbling down the street.

Behind it has followed a cold, wet and windy Wednesday, in true mid-winter form.

(Don't know where spring has scampered off to).

Winter Wednesday is hosted by Hazel Dene.



Winter Wednesday...No, really.

[Weather forecast from Willy Weather]

No, it's not a mistake! Even though we're officially still in the middle of winter, it is expected to reach 29 degrees Celsius today:

It would appear that Winter has gone on vacation, and Spring is temping in its place.

Winter Wednesday is hosted by Hazel Dene.

Winter Wednesday: Mid-Winter Blooms.

A colourful discovery in the garden:

A jonquil...

 

A pig-face...

And a native creeper (whose name I've no idea),

all in bloom.

The first sign of spring, perhaps?

I'm amazed they've survived the frost, to be honest.

"Awake, thou wintry earth -

Fling off thy sadness!

Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth

Your ancient gladness!"

~Thomas Blackburn

Winter Wednesday is a photo feature hosted by Hazel Dene.

On My Mind: Winter's Teeth.

Boy, was it another frosty one this morning! (Even though this is phrased as a question, it's actually made as a statement. Don't ponder its grammatical incorrectness too much: Just trust me when I say it's an Australian thing.)

I know I seem to be talking about the weather a lot lately, but during mid-winter what else is there to talk about? It's too cold to do anything except sit around and discuss how cold it is.

When we woke at 6.30am it was still below zero (degrees Celsius) outside, and through the window (there was no way I was venturing outside!) I could see the frost glistening in the first light of the day.

We have had frost every morning this week. I'm starting to worry about the garden: I often turn the sprinklers on for a few minutes before leaving for work, just to spray the ice off the plants before the sunlight reaches them so they don't suffer frost burn, but this morning there was no hope of that as the water pipes were frozen solid!

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This is a Friday photo feature from Down to Earth that anyone with a blog can join. It opens the door to us sharing our lives through these photos and gives us all a new way to discover each other, and maybe form new friendships. Your photo should show something at home that you're thinking about TODAY.

To take part, all you have to do is post a photo, write a short caption explaining it, and link it back to Down to Earth. Please write a new post, don't link to an older one. When your photo is published, go to Down to Earth and add a comment , with a link to your blog photo.

Winter Wednesday: The fog is rising...

The drive into work this morning started with rain, then became pea-soup fog, and then dissipated back into rain as we came up and out of the Ranges.

Last night had such a chill to it that I found it difficult to sleep; the combustion heating had been lit all day and continued ticking over all through the night, but Winter's icy cold grip refused to abate.

Winter Wednesday is a photo feature hosted by Hazel Dene.

(I felt today's dark, gloomy winterness was the perfect opportunity to join in.)