Spring Cleaning

I try to keep the house pretty clean but I do like to give it a thorough going over now and then. Spring is an obvious time with the warmer weather. Having a wood fire for heating makes for some ashy dust which seems to settle everywhere so I always wait for the last fire of the year before I spring clean. Today the dining room hutch which is full of china tea sets took its turn. I emptied the shelves this morning at 5:50am before heading in to town for Grace's violin lesson and by the time I came home, it was ready to pack away. Glad that job is done. I have also been outside a lot. The weather is too nice to be indoors all day. Sprucing up untidy areas and topping up mulch. The chooks even the pretty little Pekins think that I do this for their benefit alone.

I also cleaned the carpets yesterday morning just in time for Hope to need some paracetamol for a sore throat last night. I really do not like carpets at all and in our first home we removed them and polished up the lovely tounge and groove floorboards. In this more modern house, the flooring is just sheeting and doesn't look as good bare. I am hoping that we can pull up the carpet still and put a floating timber floor over the top. Another thing for the wish list.

Tracy

P.S. The rose petal syrup was a triumph and I am baking a cheesecake right this very minute just to have an excuse to taste it proper.

The Place to Be

I have the herb garden all sorted with mulch and in a state of orderly chaos that I like best. Too neat and formal and the maintenance would be beyond my time constarints. The place to be right now though is under the jasmine covered arch. The scent is sublime and one of my favourites.

The table above is where Tom is doing most of his study for his exams. I don't think I would get much effective study done there, I would be too distracted but he seems to be coping. Only chemistry and physics left to do and then the long wait for results before university offers.

The house is also resembling itself now too. Extra bedding washed and packed away and normal routines back in place. At least until the weekend when we will have Grace's party for her friends. This afternoon I am going to experiment a little in the kitchen and make some rose syrup. There are some very sweet roses in bloom so I'd like to make something that captures that besides pot-pourri. If it is a success then I will post a recipe but if not, I will most likely never speak of it again.

Tracy

Guests

As I said last week, my sister and her two sons came to visit over the weekend. Fun times were had by all but we are all completely exhausted. She was a very appreciative audience for offerings from the kitchen. So much so that she ordered the asparagus pizza for lunch on arrival and then perused the cookbook and suggested (very wisely too) the curried sweet potato soup for dinner the next day. Only a sister would be so bold.

Grace had her birthday cake which was completely luscious and too much for even the nine of us to eat. Grace's biggest fan is her little cousin Ted. He calls her Mary and is relentless in his adoration of Grace. Her patience with a four year old is to be commended.

The cake was inspired by the latest Donna Hay magazine. I couldn't make the icing as white as that in the magazine but I'm a little dubious about the authenticity of magazine pictures sometimes. I also didn't make the cake into six layers, four was quite enough. The proof was in the taste though and it was lovely.

Farm activities also go down well with little boys and Ted loved having the freedom of Sunny Corner Farm. The baby being eight weeks was completely adrift, and unsettled so I'm hoping that now he is safely back home he can be the good baby that he is and let Kelly get a little more sleep.

Tracy

14

Today is Grace's 14th birthday and I just wanted to tell the world what a lovely, sweet fourteen year old she is. She has a full day with school and orchestra this afternoon but we are going to squeeze in a little after school afternoon tea at her favourite cafe and then presents tonight. Tomorrow my parents, sister and nephews will be visiting so the celebrating will be a little more elaborate. Not too elaborate though, a bbq and then a chocolate cake. Nothing too fancy, we are saving that for the high tea next weekend.

Tracy

Banana Fruit Loaf

You never realise how much you like something until you can't have it.Bananas had been off my shopping list since cyclone Yasi made them unaffordable but they are back in my basket. I have missed them a lot. Bananas are one of the few fruits that I let creep in beyond the local eating parameters. Bananas and mangoes, I just can't say no to them. The availability of the new season fruit and also some stiff competition amongst retailers has even allowed me to buy enough to make a banana fruit loaf. It is sweet and moist but with a little bit of a healthy feel to it because of the fruit. It is a great loaf to serve warm and for those who are wont to, with a little butter. Besides that, it is easy peasy.

Banana Fruit Loaf

Ingredients
2 cups mixed dried fruit
1 cup black tea (I use Chai)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons honey
2 and 2/3 cups self raising flour

Method
Preheat oven to 180 deg C and grease and line a loaf tin.
Boil the kettle and make two cups of tea, one to drink and one for the cake.
Soak the dried fruit in the tea for about 10 minutes or the time it takes to drink your tea.
Combine all the ingredients together and mix until combined.
Pour mixture into the prepared tin and bake for about 65 minutes. It may take a little longer so test the cake with a skewer to see if it is done.
Allow to cool slightly and then turn out onto a wire rack.

As the kids don't particularly like this cake I usually slice it up when it is cool and pack the slices in the freezer separately. That way they can be defrosted and toasted or warmed in the microwave as desired.

Tracy

Weedy

Further to my ramblings about garden love, it appears that I was a little hasty with my professions of weed control. The main rose garden was in danger of being overrun by the oats that had sprung up from the mulch.

It is now in better shape with the weeds removed and the chooks moving in to help with the clean up. I can now see the gorgeous blooms and pick some too without having to wade through the grass. Right now, Graham Thomas and Seduction are at their best with a few other varieties just about ready to take over as they start to fade.

Saturday was hive day. We installed the swarm we caught in the newly painted pink hive and also took some frames from the established hives for extraction. Not the frame above, not enough of the cells were capped but it does look lovely. There are a lot of eucalypts in flower right now and the bees have an abundance of honey and plenty of time to make more for both us and them.

Tracy

Turkeys today

Vickie the mother turkey is the most patient and dedicated broody, she can rival any bantam. Last year she hatched out two clutches of eggs in the season and as it is so early in the season, I think she will this year too. So far we have six baby turkeys which she introduced to the outside world today. They only stay cute for a few weeks and I am guessing that they will be a hit with the girls at Grace's birthday party.

Tracy