my winter garden...

I'm just pottering about today, cleaning & washing. the banana bread in the oven is almost ready & a new batch of bread dough is on the rise.
Here are some photos snapped of my garden. I braved the chilly hilltop air & went outside.
I'm just about to start on a bookbinding job for MoVida Next Door. They've requested 20 bill folders. The afternoon shall be dedicated to cutting & glueing.
See you all tomorrow with some progress shots.

baking...

What do you make when you have a giant patch of rhubarb at your door?
Why rhubarb bread of course!

Recipe from BBC GoodFood Australia, June 09.

at this moment...

The past few days have been a blur. Travelling into melbourne 3-4 days a week is starting to take it's toll. I can't wait until the commuting stops & I get to potter around the countryside some more. I think somehow I'm just staying on top of things, precariously balancing all that needs doing with a little down time here & there. Like taking the dogs for a big walk down the hill. This is me & Otto checking out some cows.
I hope you're all having a lovely week.

birthday gift...

Oooh, the big reveal. I can finally show my latest crafty endeavour... a patchwork scarf. It is for my dear younger sister, who's birthday it is today. Happy Birthday Melly!
I scrambled to the post office just in time to make it arrive today. It is hand stitched around the edges & has a wool felt backing. She probably won't use it so much up in Brissie, so she'll just have to come & visit me then. What a devious plan.
Do you like my new sewing chair by the way? It was another score from Samuel's stash in Grandma's shed. I wonder what else he's hiding in there from me.

trunks...

Do you you remember in this post... one of the rooms used an old trunk as a coffee table.
Well I showed it to the boy & he promptly announced that he had two in his Grandma's shed.
I was jumping up & down with excitement, well maybe that is a little exaggeration. But I'd only ever seen them in antique stores with ridiculous price tags, so yeah. I was a little excited.
Here's one of them all cleaned up & has now found a home in our living room. The other is still waiting for some soapy love. And... would you believe it... I found another this morning at the Grantville market for $20. Do you think three trunks is enough? Or shall I keep my eyes peeled for more. Ha ha, I think I'm addicted to bargain hunting old wares.

it's still a secret...

I've completed my little sewing project from a few posts back. Here is a tiny little glimpse, I'll show it in it's full glory when I know it's safely in the hands of it's new owner. Until then... this is all I can give.

Can you guess what it is?

bread making adventures...

We're slowly working on setting up our little farm cottage. Hopefully it'll be up and running in the spring. We've started scouring the Gippsland countryside for suitable furniture to do the fitout. Some great stuff was scored at an auction last sunday & we've found a neat little town nearby with three antique stores.
The idea I have for the cottage is for me to supply homemade & local produce for the guests to prepare their own breakfast at their leisure. I'm thinking homemade baked beans & bread, eggs from our chickens, you know... yummy scrumptious sort of stuff.
I've wanted to make bread for ages & now I have found the perfect book. If you have always wanted to make bread too, then I strongly recommend it. I'm going to sound like a dag here, but this book has changed my life. I get so excited with each loaf that I make & there's long time kneading & no mess to clean up at the end either. Perfect!
Here's some documented proof of my endeavours.
The first loaf I did was a bit free form & it didn't rise very well either.
But it still tasted delicious.

I varied the recipe in the second batch, adding some wholemeal & cooking it in the pan.

This is my third batch that I had rising this morning. This will last into next week, making four loaves. I also made some naan to go with a curry & that too was super easy & so good.

hello again...

Well hello there... I'm finally back up & blogging.
The moving house has ceased, the settling in has begun & the wireless internet is running grandly. (mind you, I'm sure it won't always be that way... knowing telstra)
I've been cooking up a storm in my new & very spacious kitchen. I have quite alot to share in that area, but that's for a post of it's own.
There hasn't been too much gardening though, I'm afraid to say. It just doesn't stop raining, which I'm certainly not complaining about... just merely observing.
I've completed my granny blanket, photos shall appear shortly... watch this space. My current craft fix is a secret, but here's a wip pic. Can you guess what it'll be? I've been finishing the final touches in the car every morning. It takes just past an hour to get into melbourne, so busy hands make for a faster commute I say. I'll show you the finished product as soon as it reaches it's new owner.
Anyway, it's lovely to be back. Thanks for all your comments over the past two weeks. I'm yet to reply, but I'll get there soon.

weekend past...

Well, what a weekend! We spent the whole day on saturday driving three trips from melbourne to the farm. That's because we had three cars to transport down to the new place.
I must say, the only good thing about driving for hours on end in the rain, is the beautiful rainbows that hug the sky. We saw at least one a day.
I'm really loving my new home, I feel very content. Yesterday was spent lolling about, thank goodness. lots of cooking & crochet by the fire. I also made scones, haven't made them for years. But I just had to do it... I was in the country.

I'm now without internet, because telstra are messing me about. I shall pop back in everynow & then until I resume normal blogging. Give me a week or two.

my creative space...

I'm suppose to be packing right now... but you need a little break every now & then... don't you?
Due to all my hands on crafting being squirrelled away into moving boxes, I've been messing about on my computer instead. Photographs that I have taken over the past few years are being teamed up with some lessons from nature. I want to eventually bind it into a small book. Here's a couple of pages for a little taste.