Things are slowly returning to normal and I have to say I'm really pleased about that. I don't really enjoy the Christmas/New Year holidays anymore. The last cricket test starts today and by the time it's over next week, I hope to be well and truly back into my 2021 housework routines.
Jamie and I baked these choc chip biscuits just before Christmas and I sent him home with the leftover biscuit dough to cook more when his biscuits ran out. Luckily he had that dough because they had no snacks to leave out for Santa. They quickly baked more biscuits and I have no doubt Santa would have loved the smell of fresh biscuits when he arrived at Jamie's home on Christmas Eve.
I can't really call this our Christmas cake because I didn't get around to baking it until the first week of new year. I soaked the fruit in French brandy, starting Christmas Eve 🙄, and it ended up being absolutely delicious and moist. We still have half in the fridge and we're enjoying small slices with our morning tea.
Pizzas were on the menu too, to use up some of the Christmas ham.
If you follow me on Instagram you'll know that I'll be doing a radio slot on local ABC radio from 21 January. I'll be on every Thursday at 3.30pm talking about our favourite subject, Simple Living. I'll share the link with you to listen as soon as I know what it is.
The telltales signs of my grandkids being here over Christmas.
Here is the first reading list of the year. I hope you enjoy the reads.
- Using your comfrey harvest - this is the best free fertiliser and valuable animal and chicken food.
- 'The platypuses were glowing': the secret light of Australia's marsupials
- History cookbook
- Australian bird photographer of the year 2020
- Slow living and the art of home maintenance: East Asian vloggers celebrate the domestic space
- Young people drowning in debt: 'Don't borrow your way out of a recession'
- La Nina not as cool as it used to be
- Inside the hyper-local world of Facebook’s ‘buy nothing’ groups
- Jeans Dolls 01: The Bodies (Free Patterns)
- Scandinavian Recipes
- She has been Living in a Cabin in the Forests of Sweden for 8 years
- Live talks with Natural History Museum scientists
- An A to Z of old words to calm and inspire hope
- Searching for solace in lockdown? I found it in a chore I used to hate
- Modern life is rubbish! The people whose homes are portals to the past
I'm doing a series of simple living workshops on Zoom starting late January. For more information, read my Instagram post. If you want to join us, message me as soon as you can because I'll be closing the bookings in the next few days.
I think we'll all be challenged again this year with the Covid virus hanging around much longer than anyone thought it would. Staying at home is the safest strategy and if you must go out, make sure you wear a mask, sanitise your hands frequently and stand away from other people in queues. Take care and let's make the most of the year ahead, no matter how difficult is it. xx
