MasterChef

Ok, so I know that MasterChef has come to a close here in Australia, but here, in my house, it has only just opened up a whole new taste sensation. Ivy was so inspired by the show and several contestants, that she has started making dinner for us, once a week.
On Sunday's she research's what she will be cooking from our library of cookbooks and then writes out her shopping list. Then she picks out her ingredients at the supermarket on Sunday afternoon. On Monday, after school, she makes dinner and then dessert (she is a firm believer that all meals should be followed by dessert!)
This is last weeks dessert and might I say it was mighty fine, not on the hips but on the lips!

So she is learning all sorts of things like maths, methods, time management, organisational skills, the five senses and the biggest lesson of all.......whoever makes dinner, has to do the dishes!

Not quite right

Now I've been gardening for 15 odd years now but even this one baffled me this fine WINTERS morning here in South Eastern Melbourne!
Either someone has mixed the lables with an autumn variety or I'm the luckiest gal in the world to have winter raspberries.
She is a relativly new addition to the garden so I'm guessing its a fluke but oh what a sweet treat on a chilly morning. I have been collecting "markdown" plants from Bunnings, when I work once a fortnight, to add to my food forest. I never pay full price and always check the clearance bench, not only at my work but all nurseries and garden centres I visit. Ive planted a logan berry, black berry, red and white currants, yellow and red tamarillos, gooseberry and numerous guava's. I'm hoping by this summer we will start to get some decent crops off some of them.

Quotable Sunday

The most noteworthy thing about gardeners is that they are always optimistic, always enterprising, and never satisfied. They always look forward to doing better than they have ever done before- Vita Sackville-West

A new friend

Calyptorhynchus funereus- Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo
With his distinctive Kee-ow noise, I grabbed the camera and searched, then creeped as close as I could. Oh you beautiful thing, you don't visit often and only ever stay a few moments, but thank you for making my day!

Temptation

The seed cataloges have started coming through the mail this week which always gets me so excited. I'm like a kid in a Lolly Shop...."I'll have dat one and dat one and one of them".
I'm always so tempted to try and get some seeds sown now, in the middle of winter so the seedlings can get a jump start inside where we are all cosy and warm, but I've learn't its a fools game that I just can't afford to play...till August.



Year after year, try to see if theres any new varieties that I'm tempted to try out but I always end up with the tried and true varieties. I have even started to get quiet a collection of my own seed that I've collected, which I will have to share with the kids in Garden Club this year. We will grow and sell them on our little trolley at the monday morning assemblies to all the parents. These funds help keep Garden Club running.
I was lucky enough to get three little pea seeds from my teacher when I did my Permaculture Design Cert. back in '06. These seeds came from Europe in the early 1900's and are not very common. The have the most beautiful purple flowers.
So I took these 3 little seeds and grew them, and then I ended up with 10 little seeds, and then 25 the next year. I haven't eaten a single pod of these peas from fear that I might lose them or mice might find them- so they might taste horrible for all I know but I feel I need to build the nunbers up for the sake of the story that came with them. But this year might just be the year that I finally taste one!
So has anyone grown anything a bit different that they will keep growing like the purple carrot or white beetroots?

Dinotopia

My little man turned two yesterday. It was a day spent with loved ones with good food and fun. Each year when a birthday rolls around, I think cake. Growing up in my house as a child, birthdays came and went with not much fuss and not much of a cake. But when Ivy's first birthday came 8 years ago, I felt that the cake was to be the centre piece for the day. I spent hours researching and baking and decorating and thats how its been ever since.Its my gift to my babies where I put all my love and creative energy into each masterpiece.
We recalled all her cakes last week as we gathered supplies for her little brothers..
1st Birthday :: Big Pink Teddy Bear
2nd Birthday :: Fairy Mushroom
3rd Birthday :: Barbies in a swimming pool
(with blue jelly for water!)
4th Birthday :: Merry Go Round (too hard but pulled it off)
5th Birthday :: A packet of pink lamingtons from
the general store in outback Australia!
6th Birthday :: Rainbow Chocolate Cupcakes
7th Birthday :: Flower Cupcakes
8th Birthday :: Flower Cake
So far Ivy has discussed what the theme is for her 9th this year and that suits me fine. I'm all caked out. But I have enjoyed having new material to work with, having a little boy to cater for. His first birthday was a Pirate's Treasure Chest- my best cake to date and this year was Dinosaurs.

The kids loved it and devoured it in no time.

My first exchange....

I needed a reason to get out my felting box and then I came across this exchange! I have dabbled in SwapBot but found it too judgemental and bitchy with a couple of bad experiences, so this will be a nice way to give a special gift to someone who will be very grateful.I'm so excited even though we have passed Autumn (Fall) here in Australia, its my favorite season so I'm sure my creative juices won't need much squeezing!
But before I can start this project, I have some serious birthday cake issues that need my attention.