Bits and pieces

Back in Melbourne now, and it is lovely to be back. Back to my fish, who survived a lonely week in a dark and quiet house. Back to my recipe folder, which thanks to a visit to the Royal Easter Show has now doubled in size with yummy things to try. Back to my cosy house, my thriving little garden and crazy weather. Back to my Sewing Machine! Hurrah!

First of all, I must bid a sad farewell to one of my longest and dearest friends.

Spotlight at Dee Why is no longer! As fabric stores go, it was the greatest, exceeding all others in fabric chaos, reliably predictable staff, and of course aisles and aisles of every crafty bit you have ever needed.

I am really sad to see the end of an era! Now it has moved to a giant horrible mall miles away from any sort of decent public transport.

Would it be sad to buy a car purely so I can drive to a fabric store?

In happier news, a new recipe test will happen this evening. It is a bit of a variation on a Gordon Ramsey Fast Food Recipe - http://www.channel4.com/food/recipes/chefs/gordon-ramsay/bacon-pea-goatscheese-omelette-recipe_p_1.html where I will use pancetta instead of bacon and spinach instead of peas (GROSS, peas!!) but I am hopping around in excitement to eat the goats cheese. It is sitting in the fridge beckoning to me.

Next to try will be a spinach and chorizo soup, but I'll regale you with the ins and outs of that after the Gordon Ramsey fest.

Yesterday I made my Mum's classic homely cosy yummy pumpkin soup. Here's the recipe - so easy and basic but SOOOO rewarding:

750g pumpkin

3 small brown onions

60g butter

1 1/2 cups water

3 chicken stock cubes

Salt and pepper

To serve: chopped chives and cream, if desired.

Chop pumpkin roughly and boil in unsalted water until tender. Melt butter in pan and cook onions until soft but not brown. Place all ingredients in a blender and whizz til smooth, or push through a sieve. Reheat as desired.

See? So easy, and wait til you eat it. Yum! And it should be served in bowls like the ones above, by http://ginadesantis.etsy.com/ as it gets cold quickly!

Travel All Over The Countryside...

It has been a while since my last little musings, and this is because I have been On Tour! Doesn't it sound posh and glamorous, and believe me when I say it really isn't - but there are lots of other positive ways to describe it!

Seeing the sights of regional Australia has been something that makes me very aware of who I am in the world. My job tours around to big and small towns in Australia and occasionally overseas, and the things you see make you feel very small. Today we flew over floodlands in Queensland and the landscape was like nothing I had ever seen before, in any country. The way the rivers twisted and blossomed with coloured sand amazed me. Seeing whole fields of sugar cane flattened by the rains tore at my heart. And yet being in the torrential rain in Northern Queensland I felt I was experiencing the real landscape - a proper RAINforest.

Another thing that I have discovered that I think is absolutely great is http://www.improveverywhere.com/. My friend posted their video of "Frozen Grand Central Station" on facebook and I think it is just fantastic. That's really my kind of entertainment. Creative, witty, funny, and done for the pleasure of all, and just for the hell of it. Check out their video:




As far as my NeverEver store goes, I have some Big Ideas coming very soon to my store, which has been a bit dormant while I have been traipsing all over Australia. Think Laptop Sleeves, Doorstops, Tote Bags and more gorgeous baby clothing and some accessories, too. I have been dreaming it all up for a few weeks now, and am ready to go. Stay tuned! I am excited about this "season" of goodies, as it were...