Gratitude

    

Gratitude is important. Sometimes it is so easy to focus on all the things we don’t have instead of the little things we do. So here is a list of some of the little things I am grateful for at the moment...

Spring sunshine

Skype

Dreams

My small garden

Lol cats

Picnics

Bunches of flowers

My bed

Dogs at the park

Date adventures

Cuddles

Blueberry season approaching

                                                     

                 

 



One of Those Days

It's starting to get cold here in Melbourne as winter slowly creeps closer. I have started the week wishing I wasn’t at work and dreaming that I could run off and hide from the world. I wish I was back under these trees instead.

Magic

On our second day camping in the Grampians we spent the night in the bush in a magical spot on the edge of a cliff. To get there we had to hike in with all our stuff, which we were totally unprepared for (I have the scratches on my legs to prove it) but it was well worth all the effort. We went to bed watching the full moon rise and in the morning woke up to the sound of birds and the sun rising over the valley below. 

The Grampians National Park

We just got home after two nights camping in the The Grampians National Park. Feeling quite adventurous we decided not to book a camping spot and instead enjoy the solitude of the bush and do some bush camping. We spoke to a park ranger at Brambuk the national park and cultural centre and got some advice on bush camping spots and set off into the wild. We spent our nights in two different but amazing camping spots, saw lots of kangaroos, hiked in a gorge and down the side of a waterfall and woke up to see the sun rise this morning.  Happy Easter!

Pancakes on Sundays

 Pancakes are just one of those things that make me instantly happy and I always associate them with lazy Sunday mornings. Making Pancakes on a Sunday started with my mum and has now become a bit of a tradition. I use a simple recipe from Bill’s Basics by Bill Grainger and change the toppings depending on what is in season and what I have laying around the house.

Ingredients:

·         2 tablespoons lemon juice

·         300ml milk

·         1  1/3 cups of flour

·         3 teaspoons baking powder

·         2 tablespoons caster sugar

·         2 eggs

·         30 grams of melted butter

·         Pinch of sea salt

Method:

Adding lemon juice to the milk makes a great buttermilk substitute. Stir together the lemon juice and the milk and leave for 5 minutes. Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, melted butter and a pinch of sea salt. Stir in the milk with lemon juice.

Heat a large non stick fry pan over medium heat and brush lightly with butter. Use 2-3 tablespoons of batter for each pancake. Cook the pancakes for 2 minutes until bubbles appear on the surface, then turn over and cook for 1 minute. Keep warm on the plate while you cook the rest.

The Art of the Picnic

For our latest Book Club we read The Tigers Wife by Tea Obreht and had a picnic in the gardens of the National Gallery of Victoria. The gallery runs a summer event called The Art of the Picnic and do all the hard work and preparation for you. A delicious hamper, blankets and cushions are all provided in the beautiful green sculpture gardens hidden behind the gallery. Thanks to Phoebe for my delicious chocolate birthday cake too!

The Many Emotions of Badminton

,

Tomato Butter Beans with Feta and Mint

After visiting one of my favourite Melbourne cafes MilkWood I was inspired to make these tomato butter beans. They are so yummy and I just cant seem to get enough of them. I'm not sure what is in the cafe's recipe but I think I made a pretty good tribute to the original.

    Tomato, Feta and Mint Butter Beans
                                                                                                                     

Ingredients:

• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of butter beans washed
• 1 white onion finely chopped
• olive oil for cooking
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 small block of danish feta
• 1 loaf of sourdough bread
• 1 bunch of mint

Method:

Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil.  Add the canned tomatoes and butter beans and bring to a simmer. Add the brown sugar to help neutralize the acidity of the tomatoes. Cook for approximately 5 minutes. Serve on toasted sourdough with crumbled feta and chopped mint leaves.

Docklands Dinner Date

As part of our celebrations for Sam's 30th birthday we headed to Watermark at the Docklands for dinner. Watermark is a cosy restaurant bar with live jazz and a view of the waterfront. Much of our fascination with the Docklands is based on the planning potential for the waterfront suburb. We love to walk around imagining the possibilties for the area and planning our very own utopia. The reality for now however, is an obvious failure of urban design resulting in a grey concrete landscape and poor use of public space. On the upside, the newly planted Norfolk Pines add some much needed greenery to the area and remind me of my childhood in the Sydney beachside suburb of Manly. 

Pimm's Punch

For Sam's birthday I made a Pimm's Punch in my new punch bowl. I love this punch as it is such a delicious and refreshing drink for hot summer days.

Pimm's Punch

Ingredients:

• 2 cucumbers thinly sliced into cubes
• 2 oranges thinly sliced into cubes
• 1 punnet of strawberries quartered 
• 1 can of pineapple pieces
• 1 bunch of fresh mint  
• 1 bottle of Pimm's No. 1
• 2 bottles of chilled lemonade

Method:

Place the cucumber, orange, pineapple and strawberries into a large jug or punch bowl. Depending on the size of your serving dish the amount of Pimm’s and lemonade used will vary. Add 125ml (1/2 cup) of Pimm's for every 500ml (2 cups) of lemonade. Cover the fruit in Pimm’s and leave it in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and add the lemonade and fresh mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Powlett River

On our way home from Cape Paterson we stopped for one last swim at the Powlett River.

Camp 30

off for a swim / making friends on the beach / birthday presents / sam and phoebe / bbq dinner / salads in the coleman / our tent / relaxing on the beach / keep cape beaches beautiful mural

Cape Paterson

A weekend away at Cape Paterson to celebrate Kate’s 30^th birthday. Despite the weather being somewhat temperamental we made the most of it with windblown walks and invigorating ocean swims.

Picnic in the Park

Last friday after work we had a picnic in the park near my apartment. It was the first chance I had to use the vintage picnic set that I was lucky enough to be given for Christmas. It was the perfect way to start the weekend; delicious food (including our new favourite smoked trout) cider, wine and some of my most favourite people.

Picking Blueberries

I have always wanted to pick my own blueberries, mostly so I could eat as many berries as my heart desired-one for the pail one for my mouth! I finally got my chance when we were in Bright, as there happened to be a blueberry farm just five minutes down the road. It was such a fun thing to do and we still have left over blueberries in the freezer two weeks later. The Pick Your Own website helps you find pick your own farms anywhere in the world.

 

Weekend in Bright

beautiful leaves / scrap the dog / afternoon picnic by the river / picking peaches straight from the tree

Cruising

On the second last day of 2011 we spent the afternoon sailing on the river at Yamba with a group of friends. We saw a pod of dolphins, swam off the back of the catamaran and I even had a go of steering the boat. Not a bad way to get ready to say goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012.

Chestnut Park Farmstay

On New Years Day we drove up the coast to spend the night at Chestnut Park Farmstay in the Byron Bay Hinterland. It was so tranquil and relaxing it would of been so nice to spend another night there. Alas the end of our holiday had arrived and we had to fly back to Melbourne the very next day.