down to earth

I've really settled back into my home this week and have been re-establishing routines and trying to find my rhythm again. There was a time when I would have had bread on the rise, cleaned the kitchen, made beds, fed the outdoor animals and tidied up, all before 9am. That's not happening now and I'm not sure if it's because the cold weather is making me slower or if I'm still finding my feet. Either way, I'm enjoying my work and have decided to do things differently now so I'm trying a few things to see how they feel.

I was supposed to be doing one of the final readings of my book now but that's been postponed so this week will be all about routines, tidying up and sewing. I've joined the blue, purple and mauve colour swap at the Down to Earth forum. I've been partnered with moeymichelle in Perth and have some household linens sewing scheduled for her. I'm looking forward to it and when I finish writing this post, I'll be going through my stash to choose fabrics. We can make anything we like as long as it's within the colour range of blue, purple and mauve. I'm sure there'll be a wide variety of crafts travelling back and forth for this swap and I'm looking forward to seeing what the ladies make.

These are my toys - a Steiff dog, bought for me by Hanno when we lived in Germany 35 years ago, and a handmade teddy bear, given to me as a gift. I let Jamie play with the teddy and he lets teddy drive Peppa Pig's car. The iron cat is a copy of an Egyptian artefact found as grave goods in a pyramid. Kerry bought it at the British Museum.

On Monday I cleaned up the bookcase I keep in the kitchen to house my cooking books and some old magazines. Although I've decluttered routinely, I'm far from being a minimalist. It makes me feel comfortable and happy seeing familiar things around me - things I've known for many years. While I was cleaning those shelves, I made a mental note that I have enough cook books. I think the last one I bought was The Thrifty Kitchen and that was a few years ago now. Some of my most loved books were gifts from my family, and my Penguin friends sent me some cookbooks recently as a thank you for meeting all my deadlines. I'll be sharing a recipe from one of those books later in this post. It's the pecan and marmalade slice.
ADDED LATER: I just remembered that the last cook book I bought was The Country Table. I bought two, one for Sunny and one for me, because it's filled with old fashioned Australian cooking. Sunny had just asked me for a recipe for corned beef when I saw it in this cook book, along with a lot of other traditional, well-known food.

I've been asked for this recipe a few times so here it is. You might recall that I rarely stick to recipes and sure enough, while this was a new recipe to me, I did make a few minor adjustments. I'll give you the correct recipe as it appears in the book, and let you make your own adjustments or stay within the recipe. Either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's an unusual slice because it has a pastry base with a cake top. It's delicious and wonderful with a hot cup of tea.

This recipe is published in David Herbert's Best Ever Baking Recipes, published by Viking 2012.

Marmalade Squares

Base and part of the filling:

350 plain flour
pinch salt
200g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
150g muscovado sugar

Filling:

1 rounded teaspoon bicarb
1 large egg, lightly beaten
120 mls double cream
50 g pecans, chopped
50 g mixed candied peel
100 g orange mamalade
2 tablespoons orange juice

Oven @ 180C
30cm x 20 cm baking tin, lined with baking paper

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with fingertips, add the sugar and mix until it clumps together.
Spread half that mixture on the bottom of the baking tin and bake for 15 minutes or until light brown. Allow to cool.
Tip the rest of the base mixture into a large bowl and stir in bicarb. Mix in the egg, cream, nuts, mixed peek and half the marmalade.
Pour over the cooled base and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.
Warm the remaining marmalade with the orange juice in a small saucepan. Brush over the top of the squares when they finish baking. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to five days.

Hanno and I had a rare weekend away last weekend when we drove over to Toowoomba for a meeting with the simple living group there. Such a fabulous bunch of women! They all brought along some knitting, cross stitch, crochet or sewing and while we talked, they worked on their crafts. We had hot tea on that cold morning and it felt good to be alive and in the company of like-minded folk.

I'll probably spend most of today sewing and tinkering around in my room. Days when I sew or garden or knit or take time to do that kind of work enrich my spirit and give me hours to think about my tasks, my family, you, me and how it all fits together. It's a small miracle that we gain so much pleasure from fabric and the hours we take to sew it. Part of that miracle is that we connect with our ancestors by using a skill they would have known, that what we do slows us down in the most gentle and gracious way and that what was once a one dimentional piece of fabric, after being worked, becomes part of life. I hope you have a lovely day. ♥︎

We had some serious pruning to do last week. Our oldest lemon tree, a Eureka which is about 17 years old, had sap seeping from the trunk, numerous insect and fungal problems and was overgrown. The middle of the tree was too lush and one side of it was so out of control and laden with lemons, almost the entire side of the tree was resting on the top of the chicken coop. Sorry, I didn't take a photo of it before it was pruned.

All these lemons will be juiced this week and the juice frozen in plastic bottles to make cordial in summer.

Most fruit trees need to have sunlight filtering into the middle of the tree. When the tree is too bushy, it blocks that light and you'll get fewer fruit. We like to keep our trees at a certain height too so we can easily harvest crops every year. But this tree seems to have escaped that treatment and it was suffering. Our tree is about 3 metres high, which is about average for the Eureka, but it's okay to prune down to a more manageable size, and that is what we should have been doing the past few years.

Above: the pruned lemon tree now has three main branches forming a vase shape. If it survives the pruning, next year we'll reduce it in size. After that we should have our healthy tree back producing delicious Eureka lemons for our food and drinks for the next ten years.

This is our two year old backup tree - another Eureka lemon. It's got it's first crop of six lemons on now but in spring and summer, I expect it to put on a lot of growth and to produce at least 20 - 30 lemons next year.

The best time to prune citrus is after fruiting and before the new flowers start forming. It's best to do a small amount or pruning every year so you don't lose too much of the tree at one time and continue getting a harvest. But we needed drastic action and have a two year old backup tree just in case this tree doesn't survive. I think if we didn't take this drastic action it would have died a slow death anyway.

Hanno harvested the lemons and started by reducing the branches in the middle of the tree. The ones he chose to take out were those that were growing inward, those that touched other branches, and diseased branches. He also looked for the swellings of the gall wasp and cut those out as well. We didn't have time to do it last week, but today the tree will be sprayed with organic horticultural oil and given a bucket of seaweed concentrate. The oil is to kill of the nymphs of the green shield beetle. The mature beetles have been biting into some of the small forming fruit and and leaving a brown dry patch when the lemon matures. The seaweed concentrate is to help with the shock of such a drastic pruning. When we see new growth forming, we'll apply organic fertiliser.

Above is another one of our citrus trees. It's a ten year old Washington Navel orange, one of two in the backyard. Every year, as regular as clockwork, this tree produces the most delicious oranges I've ever tasted. They're an excellent eating orange and very juicy too. Hanno can't eat too many oranges so in addition to the oranges I ate this year, he squeezed a glass of orange juice for me every morning and brought it in as I was writing the book. :- )

We finished picking these oranges last week and now have the last six sitting in the fruit bowl. This week this tree will be pruned too, but it won't be a drastic prune like the lemon. This tree will have a branch removed in the middle of the tree - it's rubbing up against another branch and it will let more light in. It's a good idea to check the graft too and if there are any shoots below the graft, clip them off. We'll look for the tell-tale deformity the gall wasp leaves behind and cut those out too and finish off by raising the skirt of the tree. That just means that some of the lower branches will be cut off so the tree's lower branches are higher off the ground. If you can see the top horizontal brace on the timber fence behind it, the lower branches will sit level with that when the pruning is finished. When we do that, it's simply a matter of giving it a bucket of seaweed concentrate, some nitrogen fertiliser, sulphate of potash (all organic) and to mulch around the base of the tree to stop those grass runners robbing the tree of the fertiliser.

Citrus are such a productive tree and all they need is warmish weather, sun, a good feeding program once a season and some pruning as needed, and you'll have the best organic fruit available. It's a good feeling to be able to walk outside and pick fruit and it doesn't take a lot of work. If you have the climate and space, I encourage you to try growing your favourite citrus.

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The first photos today are from Anneke south-east of Perth:

This is our outdoor area, which covers the space between our house and my parents' granny flat, which can be seen in picture 2. We renovated the granny flat for my parents almost 2 years ago, and not long after did the outdoor space in between, as a common social area.

We live on an acre in the hills south east of Perth, our weather is HOT, and the sun is very harsh. This area is very lush, unlike much of the rest of our garden, because we chose the highest UV block rating sheets to cover it, and I've fitted it with a drip system for all the plants.

It's sheltered and relatively warm in winter (thanks to the old potbelly which we've installed, just seen on the left of picture 2) and lovely and cool in summer. I can step outside my door, and sit down and have a cuppa, or just watch the birds in the birdbath or in the grevillea.

It's amazing how many people you can squeeze around an octagonal table too, it seems endless. My husband and his 6 siblings all grew up around this table, and it's seen many a gathering of family and friends in it's latest home. And I hope many more to come!

It's a space that's at times calming and at times invigorating. And perfect for every time of the year!

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And this is from Martha, who says:

This is my front porch which looks out over the creek which runs through our bottom pasture. I live in North Calolina, USA, way up in the mountains. Our nearest neighbors are three miles from our drive! It is wonderful! Our porch is spacious because our house was built in 1917 when porches were the escape from heat during the summer. Our ceiling is blue to keep the flies away; flowers and potted herbs grow in pots scattered around the porch. Our dogs and cats spend quality time here with us. At night we can see the Milky Way because we have no light pollution! Heaven on earth!

Blog: www.lazybeefarmnc.blogspot.com

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Thanks Anneke and Martha.

I thought I'd never write this post but I want to tell you about my new dishwasher and why I have it. As many of you know, five years ago we gave away our dishwasher when I realised it was using a lot more water than when I washed up in the sink. I was happy washing up at the sink. It was a soothing task, warm hands in warm water, looking out the window.

But our water bill started going up and I looked into what we could cut back on. I measured how much water I was using by washing up by hand - it was minimum 8 litres per wash, plus extra for rinsing. I started out washing up once a day but the mess on the sink bugged me, so I was washing up three times a day and using a minimum of 24 litres + rinse water a day.

I looked at the water and electricity consumption of the newer dishwashers. I'd read that the Bosch dishwashers were good but I wanted a drawer type. When we went to check them out at the shop, the retail assistant steered us clear of them and we decided to look at another German brand, Miele. We have other Miele products and they're good quality and last a long, long time. We ended up buying the Miele 3D Cutlery Tray Dishwasher G6100SCU. It's Eco wash uses 11.3 litres of water. Using the sensor wash, it will detect how much water and heat is needed and adjusts itself accordingly; on that sensor wash, it might use as little as 6 litres a wash. There is also a fast wash that takes 30 minutes.

We've had the machine for a week now and we're using it once a day. If we're using the maximum of 11.3 litres of water instead of the 25 litres a day in the sink we used to use, we're saving 13.7 litres a day and about 100 litres a week. We're actually using less than the maximum because we're using either the fast wash or the sensor wash.

One of the other problems I had with our old machine was the dishwasher powder I used. It was very corrosive and expensive. Now I'm happily using Ecostore's dishwasher powder and rinse aid and I have to say that even if they weren't my sponsor, I'd still be buying it. I asked Liz at Ecostore for some information about the powder and this is her response:

Ecostore’s Autodish Powder and Autodish Tablet formulations incorporate two types of enzymes. Their presence enables us to boost the cleaning performance particularly on protein-based stains (such as from dairy and poultry products which includes meat, milk and egg, etc…) and on starch-based stains (such as from cereals, gravy, potato and pasta dishes, etc. We use detergents (used to remove oil-based stains such as salad dressings, olive oil, butter, etc., and builders (that enhances the performance of the detergents when used in hard water).

Optimizing cleaning performance while limiting the total amount of active ingredients allows us create formulations where the waste water discharge from the dish wash machine can be made suitable as grey water re-use for gardens and lawns and also reduce the impact to water pollution if discharged directly to the environment from unnecessary chemical loading.

So it looks like dish powder has improved a lot too over those five years. Woolworths is currently selling the 1kg bottle of Autodish powder at $8.99 but keep an eye on it because they have Ecostore specials every so often. Buy then and stock up when it's cheaper.

We all have to be careful when we simplify to make sure we never have the attitude that there is no need to change. We should always look for ways to improve what we do. Technology and circumstances change all the time and by looking at how we do our housework with a critical eye we can take advantage of those changes. Sometimes when you look at your systems, it doesn't make sense to change for a variety of reasons. But when it does make sense, don't get stuck in your old ways. Do your research, think about how those changes might effect you and how you work and if it makes sense and you can afford it, make some adjustments and change.

There is a cold front sweeping in from Antarctica and the wind is gusting outside making the tall trees that surround our home sway back and forth. The wind is playing havoc with the Willie Wagtail that lives here in winter. He usually darts here and there, running and hovering low over the front lawn and I guess he's looking for beetles and grubs while he does it. But today the wind is blowing him sideways and he can't quite maintain his direction. I've decided to stay out of the wind today and I'm cocooned inside in warm clothes and a knitted shawl around my neck.

I picked a big bunch of curly kale and parsley for Sunny yesterday. This year is a very good one for kale. We've been growing it here for a long time and this year's crop is one of the best yet.

I enjoy days like today for the unusual experience of being effected by unpredictable, wild weather. On days like these my home provides a safe haven and a warm space but I think about the homeless people I know and hope they find a cup of hot coffee and a spot out of the wind. For many years I volunteered at our local Neighbourhood Centre and on days like these we invited people in for hot drinks and a respite from the cold. It never fails to amaze me how lucky I am and I always feel gratitude for the situation I am in; it could easily be otherwise. It could be for most of us.

One of the things that makes cold weather a joy is winter food and the warmth cooking brings, both physically and emotionally. Overnight I made a batch of pea and ham soup in the slow cooker so when we woke this morning the house was full of the aroma of warm nourishing soup. That alone made me feel warmer.

A ham hock cooked in broth, cooling down to be cut up so the meat could be returned to the soup.

Pea and ham soup.

Pork, potatoes and kale.

We have Jamie with us today so he and I are having the soup and Hanno is feasting on his annual pork and kale meal, which usually lasts about three days. It's a traditional north German meal of boiled pork - kassler, pork sausage, ham hock - in a green swirl of kale and potatoes It's thickened with rolled oats. Hanno swears it gets better with each passing day. We all had dessert of marmalade and pecan slice with warm, homemade custard.

Tying up the peas that came loose in the wind.

Plenty of tea was consumed, the wind whistled through the trees and we all felt warm and cosy together inside. I spent the morning on the computer and sewing machine, Jamie and Hanno were gardening and when lunch was over, we spend the afternoon inside, out of the weather, with drawing, colouring in books, naps, knitting and music. It was a lovely Sunday.

Hello everyone. A few years ago I had a photo feature on my blog where I invited readers to send me a photo of their kitchen sink. Many photos arrived and for about a year I featured a photo a week with a description written by the sender. I've been thinking of starting another photo feature so we can all have a look around our community to see where we are spending time. And then Nanette suggested I start it again so now here we are again. I'll start off with my front verandah.

This is our front verandah and it's one of my favourite places here in my home. Hanno and I have morning tea here, we talk to visitors here and I often sit and think about the entire universe here, but not in a Stephen Hawking kind of way. My parallel universes are my front and back gardens. ;- ) We live in a sub-tropical climate and these photos were taken in early winter.

If you want to be involved, send two clear photos of one of your favourite places at home or in your yard. Just one place, but two photos from different angles. Ladies, you know the drill. Photos of sewing rooms, kitchens, patios, gardens, baby's room or wherever you feel comfortable and grateful to be there. I want the men to be involved too, we all know you're out there, so I'm including tool sheds, man caves, garages, under the bonnet of the car or at the stove or BBQ, if that is your favourite place to hang out. Write a short description of what you're sending, tell us the general region you're in, a little bit about your climate and why you love your favourite place. If you have a blog, send a link which I'll include with the photos. I think readers will want to visit you after the photo is up.

I'll publish photos from two people each week. Please size your photos at about 100 - 250kb, or 650 - 1000 pixels and that will allow me to reproduce a quality photo at the size I need for my blog. Send your photos now or next week or wait until you've had time to think about it and send then. This will carry on for a while. I look forward to looking at your photos and learning a bit more about you.

The email address is: d2eblogphotos@gmail.com

Well, it's taken a good two months to mess up my work table. That's good for me! I'm usually much faster than that. ;- ) But now I have the familiar piles of books, candles, fabric, scissors, camera gear, note books and pens completely covering my work space. Only this end of the desk gives me enough elbow room for writing on the computer. Time for a clean up!

I'm feeling particularly enthusiastic lately so finding the motivation to clean up this room was easy. I know I'm lucky to have this work space so it's up to me to respect what I have and keep it clean and organised. I see it as a gift to myself. A gift that will help me remain productive and creative and in touch with all of you out there who are all being productive and creative in your own ways.

Since I finished the bulk of the writing I've slowly been slotting myself back into my routines. I'm not quite there with everything yet, but work is proceeding in that general direction. Every day I feel more of a pull towards sewing and mending and for that to happen I need a clean and tidy space that gives me enough room to spread projects out and to sit and think about ways to work efficiently.

I've never been one who tidies up my tables at the end of each day. I have a friend who does that - when (her office) work finishes for the day, she spends time organising everything so it's ready for the following day. I've never done that, maybe I should, but I tend to be a bit chaotic and when I finish for the day, I just stand up and walk away. How do you organise yourself in your work or craft room? Do you tidy up when it needs it or do you organise at the end of every day? Or is there some other way? Let me know, I want to know what you do.

This room is an important part of my small life. It's where I have most of my ideas, I work here on writing and craft, I have phone conversations here - I need it to support the effort and time I put into my home, my family and myself. I feel the inclination towards sewing grow every day so I'm hopeful that some useful work will happen here soon. I've already got my first project waiting in the wings.