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

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