Blue sky moment

20140506-073511.jpg
Brief conversation over breakfast this morning while my partner was watching a video clip of Packer fighting on the weekend. The exchange went like this:
“Oh it was the Packer son who was fighting. ”
“Yes James Packer, the father’s dead. ”
“He’s looking old!”

Dear Delia,

When I was twenty five years younger than I am today my friends would rave about your recipes. Unfortunately I am one of those people who like to discover things for themselves. I ignored their solicitations and denied their attention.

I wonder why, just at the time I needed a recipe, your easy entertaining recipe 3, Thick Lemon Tart appeared. This looseleaf recipe was published by you magazine in association with Sainsbury’s Magazine. The photo of you is credited to Peter Knab 1993. This recipe card survived the move from England to Australia in 1998, preserved between the pages of my Desserts And Puddings, Good Housekeeping Step-By-Step Cookery book.

20140504-121049.jpg

20140504-121110.jpg
The reason for needing the recipe was to make something with frozen limes harvested last year from a potted tree in our garden. I am happy to let you know that even though my oven doesn’t have temperatures marked, size 1 eggs are not available anymore and I was using key limes instead of lemons the resulting tart was delicious.

20140504-121120.jpg
Today I’m making your Roasted Pumpkin Soup from Deliah online. I was so impressed to find that you have an online cookery school that I felt the need to recognise your philanthropic approach and introduce myself as a late blooming fan.

Robert

20140504-121030.jpg

Thick Lemon Tart

Australian Air

20140503-113213.jpg
If you’re going to Broadbeach on the Gold Coast you’ll no doubt catch a glimpse of Air. This 37 storey residential tower was designed by Australian based architect, Ian Moore.

20140503-113809.jpg
I particularly like the bold yellow colour on the back of the building contrasted against the blue sky.

If you’d like to know more about the building, how to stay there and a 2006 review in Architecture Australia magazine, check out the links below:

Air Braodbeach
Architecture Australia

Tree spirit

20140429-220733.jpg
‘Though rains lash, winds thrash and sun doth dry,
Finger leaves rustle catching the breeze.
Tentacle twigs thrust, poke and probe from
Lean athletic elongated limbs,
Slowly inching upward, stretching high;
Gum tree spirit reaches t’ward the sky.

Born of an ancient land where fires rage,
Smooth ghostly trunk stands strong above while
Unseen roots writhe in silence below,
In search of precious water, so scarce.
A testament to survival these
Icons of antipodean land.

Fairies

20140427-092449.jpg

Dandelions I have seen growing in verges and parks near my home in Sydney appear to be a smaller variety to the ones I grew up with in England, UK. My assumption that this ‘weed’ is not native to Australia is confirmed on the Survival and Self Sufficiency website.

20140427-092556.jpg

This dandelion somehow survived a recent lawn cutting in the park to produce the familiar feather light ball of seeds I knew as fairies. I would release them by blowing on the ball to watch them float gently into the air. The medicinal and nutritious properties of this humble plant may be responsible for its magical reputation, you can find more about this on My Virtual Flower blog.

Kumato harvest

20140421-165317.jpg
Kumato seeds are not available to the general public of Australia, these hybrid tomatoes are grown to strict standards under license. Unfortunately I didn’t know this when I grew mine.