Wet Day At Byron Bay

It has been raining all week here in Brisbane, this morning the sun was out, my daughter is on holidays so we decided to have a day out to see if we could spot any whales as they pass by beautiful Byron Bay.

As we were getting closer towards Byron Bay the weather was closing in and it was very wet, windy, the rain blowing in from the sea and we could see very little, not a good day for whale spotting.

Nevertheless, it was a great day out, a great change of scene which does us all good from time to time.

It was quite rough, the waves were pounding in,  though beautiful to watch.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Shirley :)
 

Winter Vegie Garden Photos

A few photos of what's happening in our vegie garden now it is winter.

A supply of pumpkins for soups, curries, pies and what ever I can think of!

       Johnny Jump Ups, Cos Lettuce, Broccoli and Cabbage leaves in the                                         background.

                               Yellow stems of the rainbow chard.

                      Sugarloaf cabbage, just about ready for harvest.

                         Shallots growing amongst the Herb Robert.

A crop of tomatoes, so much easier to grow in the winter when there is no fruit fly around.

Have a great day.

Shirley :) 

Just Love Candles

                       I love the relaxing mood that candles can give.

Have a lovely evening :)
 

Our oranges are ripening, so time for some healthy juices to keep the cold's and flu's at bay.

Freshly picked oranges and the last of the dragon fruit, tastes great and the colour is fantastic.

                      Today, fresh oranges, pawpaw and banana.

Lovely sitting in the garden enjoying the fruits freshly picked from the trees   blended into healthy drinks within minutes.

Enjoy your day.

Shirley :)

In My Kitchen

In My Kitchen for the month of June are some Chelsea Buns, made yesterday when it was raining and it felt like we just needed something hot and chewy to nibble on with a cup of coffee while sitting watching the rain through the window.

A couple of Bannetons or proofing baskets to get those lovely looking loaves one sees in all the bread recipe books.

My KitchenAid mixer, I have wanted one of these for years so I indulged and bought one last year.

A colourfull Rooster Tile that my daughter bought recently at Eumundi Markets

Why not check out Celia'a blog at http://figjamandlimecordial.com/ to see what others are doing in their kitchens


Have a great day


Shirley :)

Sourdough Success

I had a bread making day yesterday, fed my soughdough starter the evening before, in the morning added bakers flour, rye flour and some chia seeds, kneaded it the and left it to prove until around 4 pm, so in all about 8 hours.

                    After the the kneading, great for the arm muscles :)

                         Ready for baking after sitting for 8 hours.

The loaf hot out of the oven, smells divine, now to resist until it has cooled down.

It may not have the rustic appearance of sourdough loaves but to date it is the best tasting and textured loaf I have made, now I feel enthusiastic to get a little more adventurous with different flours, grains etc.

Hope you have a great day.

Shirley :) 

Open Garden Scheme Visit

A couple of weekends ago we had the pleasure of visiting Jerry Coleby-Williams garden, one of the presenters of the Gardening Australia show.  It was a delight to visit, so much to take in, almost every plant was labeled making for easy identification.  Jerry was there talking to the visitors and all were listening very intently as he spoke about the development of his garden.

Jerry chatting with the many visitors who were lucky enough to visit his garden.

His salad bed, packed to the brim with beautiful healthy looking edible greens

              The Council Verge planted out with Golden Sweet Potatoe.  

A coffee tree thriving in the micro climate that has been created with the different levels of planting throughout the garden.

Most plants labeled.  Everyone that visited I am sure would have been inspired to grow some of their own food.  His garden is organic, no chemicals used, he said there were hundreds of beneficial insects visiting encouraged by allowing plants to flower and go to seed.

This garden was so well worth the visit.

Shirley :)