cake and elephants

It's the middle of the feijoa season and we have an abundance. We've been giving them away to neighbours and workmates (isn't everybody at this time of year?) but still have too many. If you're in the same situation you might like to use some up by making this recipe for ginger and feijoa cake. It's delicious, moist, easy to make and uses up 500 grams of feijoa pulp. It's good with lemon icing and might be even better with the addition of walnuts.

I was hoping to have a small herd of elephants made but I'm afraid there's only two. I used this free pattern.

Reading: I've just started The last hours by Minette Walters. It's set in Dorset, England in 1348 and tells how the lady of the manor and her serfs survive the plague. Lady Anne is progressive in her ideas about equality, education, religion and healthcare possibly because Walters is writing from a modern perspective. The characters are (so far) predictable. The book is unbelievable but I don't want to stop reading it.

Watching: Wild, wild country on Netflix. This is a documentary series about guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the commune he established near the tiny, isolated town of Antelope, Oregon in the 1980s.

works in progress

It's wild and blustery day today. This is our first "significant winter storm" and the end of a lovely, long summer. Interestingly, today, as this storm blows in, New Zealand commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of its worst maritime disaster, the sinking of the inter-island ferry, the Wahine.

I have some things in progress to show you. I'm knitting another puerperium baby cardigan like these ones (here and here). But this time it's guilt-free knitting as I finally purchased the full pattern - Beyond puerperium - that goes from newborn size up to 2 year-old and includes 4-ply, 8-ply and 10-ply yarn options. The puerperium must be one of the most popular free patterns on Ravelry and I've wanted to acknowledge Kelly's generosity - by actually buying the pattern - for ages.

Plants are always works in progress, if you think about it, and I recently re-potted my ficus. This is my indoor plant success story; it's still alive - and flourishing - after being in my care for a whole year. I'm also very proud of the spider plant that I grew from a cutting. I love propagating plants - so easy really but so rewarding too. I have a few other cuttings ready to be potted up: another spider plant and some succulents and cacti.

The elephant is really just a spur of the moment try-out of a pattern I found. More on that next time.

Drinking: red bush (rooibos) tea

Listening: Border trilogy (podcast) on Radiolab - the background story to USA's protection of its southern border with Mexico

joy and comfort

New black and tan checked linen apron to replace this old work horse. I've added pockets this time.

And, with no particular baby in mind, a baby cardigan fresh off the needles - although a long time on the needles. I put off knitting those tiny sleeves for months and then had problems with the front button band that I did and undid four times and still didn't get the best finish. However this is a good free pattern that I'm likely to make again. Details here on Ravelry.

Reading:
The gentle art of Swedish death cleaning : how to free yourself and your family from a lifetime of clutter by Margareta Magnusson. The idea is that you ought to sort your stuff out before you move out of the large family home into a smaller apartment and, preferably, before you die so that other people (probably your grieving children) don't have to do it for you. Margareta doesn't give a lot of detailed advice but chats away in a lovely friendly way. I was very fond of her by the time I finished her book. She suggests you should start your decluttering early (at about 65 years of age), take your time and focus on one room at a time.***

Goodbye, things : the new Japanese minimalism by Fumio Sasaki who is a serious minimalist and lives in a tiny apartment in Tokyo with very few possessions. Even if you're not interested in living in such a seemingly extreme way this book is worthwhile to get us thinking about consumerism. In the 2013 documentary My stuff by Petri Luukkainen, Petri puts everything he owns into a storage unit. He can retrieve one thing a day for a year to discover just how much he really needs. It turns out he could get by with 100 things but needed 200 to live with some “joy and comfort".***

dressing the bear

Sewing for Woe Bear - a dress (made using this free pattern) and self-drafted matching bloomers. Gingham always reminds me - in a good way - of Sylvanian Families. These grey rabbits belonged to my children and are now cared for my granddaughter. I like that. I wonder if some of the toys that she has now might one day be enjoyed by her children.

Nigella in the garden. I planted it mainly because I love its common name - love-in-a-mist, devil-in-a-bush. I think the name came about because the flower sits in a 'mist' of delicate, dill-like foliage. The devil is the horned seed head, also surrounded by foliage. Not a grandiose statement plant. But quietly intriguing. And a good self-seeder.


Reading: Knots and crosses by Ian Rankin. This is the first book in the Inspector Rebus series - mindless page-turner crime. Great reading and plenty more where this came from. ****

Watching: Transparent - a comedy-drama web series created by Jill Soloway about a Los Angeles family and their lives following the discovery that the person they knew as their father is a transgender woman. *****

Eating: At last - feijoas. Although spoiled somewhat this year by the "alien invader" guava moth larvae (those little worms that get inside the fruit)

home and away

We've just had a wonderful week staying in Russell in the Bay of Islands. Russell is a lovely town and there's plenty to do up there.

I'd recommend

• a visit to Waitangi and the new museum

• a boat trip to Urupukapuka Island - the pohutukawa and flax were in bloom and full of bees and tui plus you often get to see dolphins in the harbour

• doing the full circle walk from Russell to Opua to Paihia. It's a bit of a stretch - 14km - but you can stop half way at Opua for lunch at the marina.

• Pompallier House - they now have a small café. You can sit on the verandah drinking coffee and eating croissant while looking out on the garden and harbour.

• swimming at Long Beach

And back home, the cornflowers are in full bloom and bringing lots of bees into the garden. And the christmas cake is fresh from the oven. It's a "blonde" fruit cake that can be made close to christmas. The recipe is Eliza's fruit cake by Annabel Langbein. It contains prunes which give it a wonderful, moist texture. Last year I spent ages decorating the cake with concentric circles of blanched almonds but this year I got lazy and simply scattered sliced almonds over the top. Have you made your cake yet?

Reading:
Tin man by Sarah Winman. This is a novel about what might have been, memories, sexual identity and love - of childhood friends Ellis and Michael and, later, of Ellis and Annie. It's a well written book but it lost me about two-thirds through. ***

Bertie's guide to life and mothers by Alexander McCall Smith (44 Scotland Street series) I found this in one of the local book exchange cupboards when I was looking for something light and quick for a holiday read. Which is exactly what I got. I like McCall Smith's #1 ladies' detective agency series but Bertie's guide was just too twee for me. **

Listening: Tiny desk concert by Cat Stevens

blossoms

We have two ornamental cherry trees in the front garden that look amazing - and attract dozens of bees - for the short time that they are in full bloom. Which is now. So we celebrated hanami in the rain yesterday with a small family gathering. Hanami (flower viewing) is a Japanese custom to enjoy the transient beauty of flowers and is usually celebrated with a picnic beneath blossoming cherry trees. Unfortunately we had to have our "picnic" indoors.

And the top for quilt #4 is done. It's a variation on this one. I'm going to focus on sewing for a bit. I've had sore hands that seem to improve if I don't do much for a while. Probably an RSI thing but so frustrating. It seems that crochet in particular and knitting are bad for me.

Some good news is that a local supermarket chain is going to stop supplying plastic carry bags by the end of 2018. I hope this will just be the start and that other supermarkets will follow and that eventually all plastic bags will be banned.

Reading: My father's wake by Kevin Toolis. This is part biography and part thinking about death and dying. The author, who is Irish, believes the wake embraces death as a normal part of living. Whereas the Anglo-Saxon world lives in denial of it. Not as gloomy as it might sound.

spring

The early Spring weather has had me in the garden so I haven't been spending a lot of time making things lately. Instead I've been trying to lure bees into the garden by planting herbs - purple basil, mint, lemon grass, thyme and oregano - and a few flowers among the veges. We've also planted an avocado, a passion fruit vine and a bay tree. I can't wait to try drying our own bay leaves. Plus, even in a small garden, there's always lots of work to do after winter.

I did find time though to go to Fabric-a-brac last Saturday. I shopped without intent which was joyous.

Everyone in the house is away for most of this week. I always look forward to being home alone and imagine myself living a zen life - getting up early, doing yoga daily, taking long walks and eating raw foods but the reality is that I eat apple crumble for dinner, stay up late watching re-runs of Inspector Morse and sleep in. This time though I am without a plan. Today was taken up with a haircut for me, an emergency trip to the vet for the cat and a mad flurry of window cleaning - by me, of course.

Reading: The photo and recipe for the beautiful cured eggs coloured with beetroot and saffron is in Simple fare - spring, summer: guide to everyday cooking and eating by Karen Mordechai. This is a stunning cookbook with so many interesting but simple recipes that I'd love to try. 

linen and a vase

Linen napkins - I bought the linen as a bundle labelled "place mats" at an op shop last summer. Hardly used, colours still bright. I'm particularly keen on the mustard. I cut them down to simple everyday napkin size and then hand stitched them with narrow hems. I decided this was easier than winding bobbins for the six different colours and mitering corners. Plus, as you know, I like hand stitching. It's quiet, relaxing and can be done almost anywhere.

Doodle stitching on some of the left over napkin linen. I don't know where this is heading but it's another pleasant thing to do.

And something new for the kitchen window sill - a lotus pod vase by Auckland potter, Ann O'Sullivan purchased from my new favourite local florist, Here among the wild. I like that it's handmade and can hold just one stem or many - especially at this time of year when there's not much happening flower-wise in the garden.

Reading:
The flower workshop : lessons in arranging blooms, branches, fruits, and foraged materials by Ariella Chezar with Julie Michaels
Styling nature : a masterful approach to floral arrangements by Lewis Miller
Bringing nature home : floral arrangements inspired by nature by Ngoc Minh Ngo

herbaceous

Winter officially starts in a few weeks and it's getting noticeably colder here. I cooked a pot of pea and ham soup last weekend. And used my last bouquet garni bag from the pile I made a couple of years ago. I find the bags so much easier than tying bunches of herbs together. Fill with fresh and/or dried herbs - even pop in a few peppercorns - then draw up, knot and trim the twine. When your soup is done fish out the bag, let it cool down and put the whole thing into your compost bin. I made more bags today. They're quick to make - no accuracy or seam neatening required - just a little draw string bag made from cotton "butter" muslin threaded through with cotton cooking twine.

I've also been experimenting with drying herbs. I've probably left it a bit late in the season but I've started with oregano which thrives in my garden. I rinsed the oregano first and gently shook off excess water. Tied it up in small bunches and hung them in my pantry from a little makeshift clothesline. Apparently you should dry herbs in a cool, dark place. You need to leave them there until the leaves are crisp and brittle. This took three weeks. Once dried just crumble up the leaves and store in an airtight jar. From a decent bunch of oregano I harvested about one tablespoon of dried herbs - which isn't much but does prove how much more potent dried herbs are over fresh. I'm encouraged and have started a second batch. Next autumn I think I'll do a larger quantity but also try other herbs like thyme or sage. Have you tried drying herbs? What worked for you?

Reading: The rules do not apply a memoir by journalist, Ariel Levy. The blurb says "in 2012, at age 38, when she left on a reporting trip to Mongolia, Ariel Levy thought she had figured it out: she was married, pregnant, successful on her own terms, financially secure. A month later, none of that was true." I'm only up to the married part. Too soon to comment but so far, so good. ☺

family

The family have moved in. We've gone from a quiet house to one full of activity, toys, dirty dishes and laundry. But it's so nice to have the house full of life again.☺

We've been enjoying
- a railway line and farmyard in the living room
- buckets of tomatoes and beans from the garden - with some beans making good moustaches and
- watching the "hair" grow on our alfalfa eggheads, Charlie and Annie.

I've also managed to finish two sunhats hats using this free Oliver + S pattern. It seems every sewer on the internet has made this hat so there's lots of help and inspiration out there. This pattern worked out really well for me but there is a Q&A here, an alternative construction method that requires no hand sewing here and instructions for adding a chin strap here.

all the good

Some recently re-potted cactuses - some are new plants and some are newly painted pots.

And some purchases from the Grey Lynn Park Festival on Saturday

• slippers for me for next winter. They are fair trade, handmade in Mongolia from local wool. They are my favourite slippers - warm and hard-wearing. I try to get a pair each year from the festival. This time I didn't have enough cash so the seller gave me her bank account number and said I could do the transfer when I got home. How amazing that she trusted me. I felt so overwhelmed by her kindness and generosity.
• a new cookbook for my collection, Everyday easy eats, produced by Balmoral School in Auckland. Also available here should you want a copy.
• a little blue dog made by blind artist Juliet Jackson - a friend for the elephant I bought from her last year. 

Saturday night we went to a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by our American neighbours. During the evening guests were asked to share something that they had felt grateful for during the year. The responses were heartfelt and I felt blessed to have these friends and to be living in such a peaceful country.

I'm not usually so mushy but it was quite a weekend and it reminded me of this quote by John Wesley

Do all the good you can,

by all the means you can,

in all the ways you can,

in all the places you can,

at all the times you can,

to all the people you can,

as long as ever you can.

four more

- the cherry trees are in blossom
- Little Garden - one of local supermarket chains has a promotion giving customers tiny peat pots complete with dehydrated growing medium and seeds for herbs and vegetables. It's aimed at children but we're giving it a go.
- homemade almond butter - recipe here
- lemon cake with a sugar topping

Lemon Cake
125g butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 170ºC.
Grease a 20cm round cake tin and line the base with baking paper.
Cream butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in the rind.
Fold in sifted flour alternately with milk to form a smooth batter.
Spread into tin and bake for about 45 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Rest in the tin for about 3-4 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack set over a tray. Spoon over lemon syrup.

Syrup:
1/2 cup sugar
juice of one lemon
thin strips of lemon rind (use a zester, if you have one)
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and spoon over the warm cake. Allow to set.

Nice served with thick Greek yoghurt.

Watching: Veep season 4
Reading: Spaces: where creative people live, work and play by frankie magazine (2015). It's tempting to just look at the great photos in this book - I love looking at other people's stuff - but it's so worth reading the text to hear their stories too. One of my favourites is about a couple and their two small children who live in a lighthouse keeper's cottage on Moreton Island, Queensland. "Sometimes it's so quiet you can hear the sound of whales exhaling as they surface on the sea below the house." Imagine that!

Have a good week.

hanging pots

I like succulents. They are so unfussy to grow and fun to propagate. I'm always on the lookout for cuttings and have pots of baby succulents hidden all over the garden. This project was a perfect way for me to get them potted up and looking great - and brighten up a boring side garden at the same time. Succulents are well suited to hanging pots as you don't need to water them very often and, even when they're not flowering, the foliage is interesting. For hanging pots I think the trailing ones look best - like the burro tail (photo top left). You could also try jellybean or baby's necklace. Or a small-leafed ivy if you're not a fan of the succulent.

To make some hanging pots you will need:
plastic pots with drainage holes in the bottom
a one-hole punch
"S" hooks - available from hardware stores and/or gardening centres
plants
potting mix
drainage material

Punch a hole in the centre of one side of your pot.
Add some drainage material to the bottom of the pot.
Add potting mix and pot up your plant.
Poke the hook through the hole and attach to your trellis or fence.

If you're in need of plants or inspiration the Auckland branch of the Cactus and Succulent Society of NZ are holding their biennial show and sale from 4-6 November. There is usually an amazing display of weird plants and bargains to be had. See you there.

beginnings

Spring is happening in the garden with a few flowers in bloom - polyanthus, primula, freesia, daphne. I really like the primula. It's such a simple flower but cute with its little spot of yellow. And I love how the flower clusters branch off the stalk in layers. It reminds me of a wedding cake.

We have new across-the-road neighbours. My lovely next door neighbour organised an afternoon tea to welcome them and I baked and took these lemon and rosemary biscuits. It's one of my favourite recipes and you can find it here. Next door neighbour got out her best flowery china cups and we sat in the garden drinking tea and eating treats and getting to know each other.

plants

After reading Indoor green: living with plants by Bree Claffey I was inspired to try some houseplants of my own. So I've started off with this Calathea rufibarba - aka Velvet Calathea or Furry Feather Calathea. The leaves have wavy edges and purple undersides. Apparently it likes low light conditions which is perfect for indoors, I think. 
I haven't had much luck with houseplants except for a few succulents and cacti. I recently repotted my favourite cactus. The photos were taken in 2013, 2014 and a couple of days ago. It's amazing how much it's grown and how desperate it was for a bigger pot. Sorry, cactus.

Reading: In order to live: a North Korean girl's journey to freedom by Yeonmi Park

Listening: Cerulean salt by Waxahatchee

tui

For a few weeks now a couple of tui have been in the garden. I love tui and the weird noises they make. They had built a nest and, sadly, last week their two babies fell from it. The parent birds were frantic - swooping low over their chicks and making a huge racket. I got my bewildered cats inside and watched the birds for a while. The chicks were too young to fly and the parents too scared to feed them on the ground. So my neighbour and I gathered up the chicks and she took them to Bird Rescue where they'll be raised by hand until they're able to be released. The parents stayed in the garden for a few days afterwards - then disappeared. If only I could tell them that their babies will be ok...

Watching: People places things starring Jemaine Clement who makes no apology for his kiwi accent. Yeah!

three words

+ Tiny star-like flowers on my new sedum. I love how delicate they are and how the colours go with the grey foliage.
+ And Elusive primes - a zine created by my talented friend, Zoë. You can see more of her work - and that of other creative and clever women - in Three words: an anthology of Aotearoa/NZ women's comics coming out in March next year but available now to pre-order. Also some contributor profiles here and a radio interview with editor, Sarah Laing here.

How're your christmas/holiday preparations going? I bought a real tree this year but, I don't know, it looks a little sad. Real tree? Or artificial tree? What do you think?