tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56126682589874613132024-03-14T21:18:49.601+11:00In a yellow woodA scrapbook from a road less traveledFeroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.comBlogger565125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-3464969378177138812014-09-26T14:08:00.000+10:002014-09-26T14:09:24.651+10:00News from Nowhere<br />
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Hello. It's been a while!<br />
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Spring is here in the Yellow Wood and my attention strays as always to the very tiniest of beings.<br />
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A beautifully striped moth in the bathroom.<br />
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A delightfully furry caterpillar on the front windowsill.<br />
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A daddy-long-legs exploring on the porch.<br />
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I hope the world is treating you well wherever you are.<br />
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Feronia xxFeroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-47762168132255184442014-05-20T15:29:00.001+10:002014-05-20T15:32:55.826+10:00Girl in the Yellow Wood<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is in Sunnmore, Norway, and it is one of the pretty-prettys I've been pinning over on Pinterest...</span></i></div>
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Once again I must make my true and sincere apologies to you for being so absent from this space.<br />
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As you know, there is some difficult stuff going on in my life right now. To quote John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".<br />
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Added to that, I have felt for a little while that things as they stood here in the Yellow Wood have been getting a little stale, so I have been wracking my tired little brain for ways to freshen things up a bit. For one thing I am now pinning all manner of bits and bobs that I like on <i><b>Pinterest</b></i>, so if you'd like to take a look, do come on over to...<br />
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<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/inayellowood/"> http://www.pinterest.com/inayellowood/ </a><br />
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Until then, I hope all is well with you on your path through the Woods, and hopefully soon I'll be back with another little idea...<br />
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Feronia x Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-51824641485886326942014-04-10T15:54:00.000+10:002014-04-10T15:54:17.577+10:00Winter is Coming<br />
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Summer has at long last left us - very late, this year. Although we are moving towards winter, it always seems to me that everything is so much more alive right now. Rains dampens and soothes the dry ground and all sorts of plants dare to show their faces without fear of being charred by the sun!<br />
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So it is that nasturtiums are starting to peek through the new grass on our newly-made terrace in the backyard (one day it will have a thick thatch of grass and we'll set up a table and chairs there) and our sadly useless passionfruit vine is shining with raindrops (I say useless in that it produces inedible fruit).<br />
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Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-21453738331413527502014-03-28T15:38:00.001+11:002014-03-28T15:39:01.144+11:00Brooding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of our three beloved chickens - Joyce - has spent the last month and a bit brooding. I had no idea what this actually meant and when she first retreated to the coop to sit in her box, we were worried. She hunched in on herself and fluffed up all her feathers. She emitted sad little noises and her comb was red-hot. This is not good, we said to ourselves, certain that one of our previously happy little crew would not be with us by morning.<br />
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Then we did a little bit of reading. This was <i>brooding</i>, in which a chicken imagines that she needs to stay in her nesting space <i>all the time</i> to hatch eggs. Really kind of sad, when you think about it, guarding and nurturing eggs that don't exist or aren't hers (because, ironically, they stop laying). Poor love. And she <i>would not</i> move, except under considerable protest, when I lifted her out of the box and into the yard during the day. Otherwise she wouldn't have eaten or drunk any water. This went on and on and we read some more - <i>leave her be, she'll come out of it in no more than three weeks</i>. Three weeks passed, then four and nearly five. Oh, my aunt said, you just dunk them headfirst in cold water! That snaps them out of it! We were horrified at the thought of little Joycie receiving such torture, especially in her delicate and rather melancholic condition, but eventually it had to be done. Prolonged brooding has its own consequences.<br />
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And so it is that she has now emerged back into the yard to resume her daily frolic with her coop mates, Gladys and Jean. She is now moulting - an after-effect of brooding, apparently - but it's good to have her back. Unfortunately we have now had to build a little enclosure for the chickens (hence the chicken wire above) because they were gradually digging up the entire garden but even in a slightly reduced space, they still seem to be having a lot of chickeny fun!Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-56583152261165234962014-03-25T16:21:00.000+11:002014-03-25T16:23:37.641+11:00Hello<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Erik Werenskiold, <i>On the Plain</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hello! I am truly so sorry to have been away from the Wood for so long. Suffice it to say that 2014 has not been the best of years for our family so far.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">But we persevere, because it's all we can do. It's all any of us can do. I am literally taking things from one day to the next at the moment, never looking too far ahead, and so I thought it would be good to take a look at what I am doing <i>right now</i>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Reading:</b> Phillipa Gregory, <i>The Red Queen</i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Listening:</b>
Wardruna (<i>LP</i>)—“<i>Runaljod – Gap Var Ginnunga</i>” (this translates as Song of Runes - The Gap was Yawning) and The Young Tradition (<i>song</i>), “<i>Lyke Wake
Dirge</i>”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Eating:</b> Homemade
custard—my hubster is the <i>best</i> cook!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Watching:</b>
<i>Vikings</i>, season 2...Hey Ragnar— Boo, Hiss!! Also, <i>The Returned...</i>genuinely creepy</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Making:</b> A
knitted poncho for Joyce, one of our chickens (poor baby is moulting badly)</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Dreaming:</b> Of
mysterious Norwegian forests</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><b>Enjoying:</b> The
slow arrival of autumn</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">So, what's occupying you right now? </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Feronia x</span></span></span></div>
Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-28918169151369290662014-01-15T12:05:00.000+11:002014-01-15T12:05:05.330+11:00Granny Chic<br />
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I am assuming that by now you've worked out that I kinda like all things vintage. And I've reached an age where I'm thinking 'Damn it, I like it. I'm going to wear it.' A lot of people probably reached that age before me, but what can I say - I'm a late bloomer. But some caution <i>is</i> still necessary. Because as much as I adore vintage, there is always the danger of looking like your grandma unless you are very careful and bear in mind that it is not <i>actually</i> 1940 (or 1930 or 1830 or whatever your chosen era may be).<br />
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I know 'Granny Chic' is a thing and for girls of a younger age and slighter build than myself, it can look kind of cute and quirky. Loveably eccentric. A little bit Annie Hall, maybe even a little bit French. But for me? Hmmm. As much as I do like kilts, tweed and floral dresses (and I do), <i>how</i> you wear vintage can make a lot of difference!<br />
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So it is that I began to think last week, 'I would love a 1940s-ish handbag'. But then I started to think about those handbags. You can't put them on your shoulder, they have those bitey little clasps and they look like they should be full of peppermint sweets and pictures of grandchildren. So I consulted the excellent <a href="http://www.landgirl1980.co.uk/">http://www.landgirl1980.co.uk/</a> blog for inspiration. And then, oh yes...a satchel. Of course! Cute, practical and with a little bit more...well, you know. After then conferring with Mr Google, a 'Cambridge' satchel seemed to be the go, but the prices (in British pounds!) left me recoiling in horror. Until I found this little treasure on Ebay for under $20. Happy days.<br />
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Vintage with a little bit more cute and a little bit less mothball. How do you wear vintage?Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-88501649111227918012014-01-07T11:17:00.001+11:002014-01-07T15:14:46.336+11:00Keeping the home fire burning<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Image from oddknits.com</i> </div>
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Hello! I'm so sorry for my absence these last few weeks. I've missed being here. I hope that you had a lovely Christmas and I truly wish you every good thing for this new year that is spreading out invitingly before us.<br />
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Here in the Yellow Wood, I have had a quiet time, taking it slowly and as calmly as I can, while the sand shifts beneath our feet.<br />
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The comforting and familiar has had my firm and grateful attention...I have been cooking some good and simple dishes from the <i>wonderful</i> CWA's (Country Women's Association) <i>Family Meals</i>. Kedgeree, quiche and orange cake. So very good!<br />
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Knitting has me preoccupied again...will I ever graduate beyond garter stitch? I sometimes think I have the knack of another stitch and then it skitters away again (laughing a little at me, I think)...!<br />
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I am reading and falling in love with Elsie J. Oxenham's <i>Abbey Girls</i> series. Wonderful! They are like book length conversations with <i>Call the Midwife</i>'s Chummy!<br />
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So, what's been keeping you busy?<br />
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~ Feronia x<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CiXdgRYkhEc" width="560"></iframe>Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-73184528414813889332013-12-06T16:08:00.001+11:002013-12-06T16:11:19.438+11:00Reasons to be CheerfulWhen good things don't come looking for you, I've found that sometimes you have to go looking for them. Lately, with life taking all manner of not-so-great twists and turns, I take a moment - even just one <i>little</i> moment - to find a reason to be cheerful (even if it's just for that moment). My two favourite sources right now won't come as a great surprise to you... <br />
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<i><b>Music </b>and<b> Comedy</b></i></div>
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I have very recently stumbled across the wonderfully Mod <i><b>Miles Kane</b></i> and this song in particular is on heavy rotation -<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/2SV422fSYE4" width="560"></iframe>
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And I've rediscovered the absurd, surreal and hilarious <i><b>Mighty Boosh</b></i>... <br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjlhakryKx8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjlhakryKx8</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Again Blogger is being weird about posting clips)</i></span><br />
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How do you cheer yourself up a bit when times are tough? Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-28319201642515076702013-11-27T11:23:00.000+11:002013-11-27T11:26:22.557+11:00Interesting timesSome challenging times are afoot at the moment, with serious illness in my family. I am literally taking each day at a time, and working hard to stay calm and positive.<br />
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I have all sorts of things to tempt me in the evenings - I am really enjoying reading <i>Persuasion</i>, I am cross-stitching a very sweet little folk design, long-stitching a pretty alpine scene and I have finally found my cure-all knitting book <i>The Knitting Problem-Solver</i> (by Tish Lilie) because I want to have a proper stab at moss stitch. <br />
Having watched a great documentary on the Amish last week, my sweet husband has been suggesting we switch off the telly in the evenings. It would be the perfect chance to get some of these things done. But I find by nightfall I am tired and have only the energy to watch tv and silly tv at that (<i>Snog, Marry, Avoid</i> anyone?) It gives me a welcome opportunity to put my brain in neutral and be distracted by the passing parade for awhile.<br />
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Ah, well. I think it's important to follow what you feel you should do, what feels right for you. Sometimes even in the smallest of ways, we need to nurture ourselves just a little and take some time out.<br />
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Lately I have also rediscovered my love of Blur, who I haven't given much thought (or an ear) to since I got into the whole Britpop thing in the mid-90s. I adore this song ("The Universal"), and its sentiment. It seems about right, right now.<br />
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<b><i>Blogger doesn't seem to wa<span style="color: blue;">nt</span> to embed it, so here's a link -</i></b></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrbxWOMpwfs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrbxWOMpwfs</a></i></b></div>
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Wishing you happy days, friends.Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-3653896202366633572013-11-18T15:14:00.001+11:002013-11-18T15:14:01.699+11:00Bomboons, anyone?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>Image from wikipedia</b></i></div>
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Being mildly obsessed with all things Georgian/Regency at present (I should never read Jane Austen), while also planning <i>for once</i> to stick by my plan of a homemade Christmas, I have discovered <i>The Complete Confectioner</i>, written by Hannah Glass and Maria Wilson in about 1800. I believe that Mrs Glass was something of a celebrity chef in her day. Yesterday I tried <i><b>Orange Bomboons</b></i>. Essentially, they are sugar and orange zest melted together in a heavy saucepan, left to cool and then cut into whatever shape you like. I am not thrilled with the result but my tasting team here (the DH, Mum and Dad) have pronounced them to be very good. Perhaps they are just being nice to me! Anyway, if you care to take a look - <a href="http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Confectioner_%281800%29">http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Complete_Confectioner_%281800%29</a><br />
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The wonderful Supersizers team (Giles Coren and Sue Perkins) also went Regency...(and by the way if you are not strong of stomach, do <b><i>not</i></b> watch the segment with the cheese)...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0_Coh8laAAk" width="560"></iframe>Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-83317174232382142732013-11-15T14:35:00.001+11:002013-11-15T14:36:34.518+11:00Rock Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKroz2zd3WfkYPIRQAKkNI-WekqAPC74kPJgYKAAWku15-Qhu8nF41yoJi3c11SMwUs7GKEoly2s259hyphenhyphenh7CMJMm3fqFeMEq_kTClgeQ2pS9AeKgaWH_qYZYQ3CxZ8eH4HoRp6g21LlCQK/s1600/byronrocks2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKroz2zd3WfkYPIRQAKkNI-WekqAPC74kPJgYKAAWku15-Qhu8nF41yoJi3c11SMwUs7GKEoly2s259hyphenhyphenh7CMJMm3fqFeMEq_kTClgeQ2pS9AeKgaWH_qYZYQ3CxZ8eH4HoRp6g21LlCQK/s320/byronrocks2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I love these rocks that I picked up on the beaches at Byron Bay. They have a soft greenish tinge to them. I'd like to make them into some jewellery but I'm not quite sure how. What do you think?<br />
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You might've noticed that I've made a few little changes to the blog. What do you think? In particular, what do you think of the new font?Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-41953962064647448352013-11-12T11:38:00.000+11:002013-11-12T11:39:01.262+11:00In the tropics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I mentioned yesterday, we spent a lovely week recently in <i><b>Byron Bay</b></i>, which is in northern New South Wales, about 1600 kilometres from Melbourne. Near to the Queensland border, it is a world away from Melbourne, and at times it's hard to believe that we're really in the same country.<br />
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The weather is entirely tropical, with humid conditions, bright sunshine and blue skies every day. We found an excellent vegetarian cafe which kept us sated (<i>Manna Haven</i> if you're ever in the area - <a href="http://www.mannahaven.com.au/">http://www.mannahaven.com.au/</a>), walked on the wide beaches and collected pebbles and shells and went for some really nice drives in the surrounding forests, which are really so very different from Victoria. In short, we did not too much at all <i>and it was great</i>. <br />
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Hot weather is not really my thing and - of course - I did get sunburnt (do I ever learn?) but it was also amazing to be reminded of just how big Australia is and how different one area can be from another.<br />
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My one complaint would be that the op-shops up there are not a patch on ours (I know, I know - I was thrifting while surrounded by a tropical paradise)!Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-74743082628594856272013-11-11T17:05:00.003+11:002013-11-11T17:06:05.471+11:00Good Baked Goods<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Time flies, as they say. Sorry not to have been blogside for a little while. We took a mini-break to Byron Bay (more on that shortly) and then there were some illness and work dramas thrown into the mix.<br />
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With Melbourne's return to cool weather, I have been baking happy these last few days. I started out with <b><i>Applesauce Snackin' Cake</i></b> from <a href="http://thesouthernladycooks.com/2013/08/28/applesauce-snackin-cake/">http://thesouthernladycooks.com/2013/08/28/applesauce-snackin-cake/</a> which worked out a treat and yesterday I went for <i><b>Good Plain Buns</b></i> from the venerable Mrs Beeton (http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/beeton-baking-35.php). Very nice with jam and a cup of tea!<br />
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<div style="left: -99999px; position: absolute;">
TO MAKE GOOD PLAIN
BUNS.
1730. INGREDIENTS.—1 lb. of flour, 6 oz. of good butter, 1/4 lb. of
sugar, 1 egg, nearly 1/4 pint of milk, 2 small teaspoonfuls of
baking-powder, a few drops of essence of lemon.
Mode.—Warm the butter, without oiling it; beat it with a wooden spoon;
stir the flour in gradually with the sugar, and mix these ingredients
well together. Make the milk lukewarm, beat up with it the yolk of the
egg and the essence of lemon, and stir these to the flour, &c. Add
the baking-powder, beat the dough well for about 10 minutes, divide it
into 24 pieces, put them into buttered tins or cups, and bake in a brisk
oven from 20 to 30 minutes.
Time.—20 to 30 minutes. Average cost, 1s.
Sufficient to make 12 buns. Seasonable at any time.<br />
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Read more at Celtnet: <a href="http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/beeton-baking-35.php">http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/beeton-baking-35.php</a><br />
Copyright © celtnet</div>
Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-11919616298589037772013-10-15T11:12:00.000+11:002013-10-15T11:12:40.829+11:00Bits and Bobs <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I came across the thrifter's holy grail recently...I found a vintage quilt in an op-shop! I could hardly believe my eyes...and it was only eight dollars. I have since given it a good wash and an air-out and it is now gracing our previously very dull beige couch (the little orange dragon is also a recent op-shop win - she's made of felt and her name is Doris). The couch looks especially lovely under the window in the Spring sunshine!<br />
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In other news, I have been...<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Falling in love with A.S. Byatt's books - first up <i>Ragnarok</i></li>
<li>Making chocolate fudge </li>
<li>Loving the re-runs of <i>Doctor Who </i>on ABC-2<i> </i></li>
</ul>
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What's news with you?Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-79823502139696221042013-10-08T11:43:00.001+11:002013-10-08T16:11:45.557+11:00white on white<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Hardanger embroidery</b>. </i></div>
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<i>Image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorelei66eyecandy/5495843250/in/pool-1092017@N22</i></div>
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<i><b>Whitework</b>. </i></div>
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<i>Image from http://chattycathy-clipyourstring.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/embroideryold-school-whitework.html</i></div>
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<i><b>Whitework with seeding and matting</b>. </i></div>
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<i>Image from http://chestofbooks.com/crafts/needlework/A-Book-About-Embroidery/Seeding-Matting.html#.UlNS6VMkKSo</i></div>
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I am very keen on <i><b>Whitework</b></i> at the moment. Put simply, whitework is embroidery sewn in white thread onto white material. There are various stitching styles within the genre - drawn thread work, Hardanger embroidery (so named because it originated in Hardanger in Norway), Mountmellick embroidery (originally from Ireland), broderie anglaise and reticella.<br />
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I love the gentle beauty of it. <br />
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So I've ordered a a vintage design ready-printed onto a lace-trimmed piece of linen from Etsy and I am going to give it a go. I'll show you the results.<br />
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What are you stitching or creating at the moment?Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-61945772796221940152013-10-01T15:36:00.000+10:002013-10-01T15:36:32.571+10:00Melancholia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have to show you this lovely old battered stem of an artificial flower that I found in an old cigar box of bits and bobs. I believe it belonged to my grand-aunt. I like to imagine that perhaps it was part of her wedding outfit.<br />
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And did anyone watch the Lars von Trier film <i>Melancholia</i>, which screened on tv here on Saturday night? Oh my, what a film. I was ready to dismiss it after its very arthouse opening but I am a fan of Kirsten Dunst, so I sat with it. What a depiction of mental illness, dysfunctional families and, truly, melancholia. And the ending...I'm not a fan of hyperbolic movie reviews, but it is genuinely haunting. <br />
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I would love your thoughts if you've seen <i>Melancholia</i>.<br />
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Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-38667697131005682062013-09-30T13:53:00.001+10:002013-09-30T13:54:22.663+10:00Finds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have had some lovely op-shop finds lately...one op-shop in particular seems to be yielding some real goodies. I found this sweet little set of Irish, hand-embroidered linen, still attached to its packaging, with this beautiful wee inscription on the back...<br />
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A wonderful old book, <i>The Modern Woman's Home Doctor</i>, full of all sorts of information and illustrations from - I'm guessing - the 30s or 40s (given that there is information on air-raid-proofing your home... The book was a dollar. Strange, strange pricing in op-shops sometimes.<br />
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And a bag of theatre programmes from 1950s Melbourne. Most hardly touched. I suspect the owner worked for one of the theatres, because there are multiple copies of some. The price for the bag? Two dollars.<br />
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Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-2970338109520263872013-09-10T15:30:00.002+10:002013-09-10T15:30:51.082+10:00Once more with felting<br />
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I bought a needle felting kit on Ebay months ago and I needle felted one forlorn little teddy bear head and then promptly forgot about the whole thing. On the weekend I just felt like making <i>something</i> and after rummaging around for a while in all my crafty stuff, I came across the kit. By Sunday afternoon I had this little guy! I really quite like him.Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-73344941400563955282013-09-02T11:38:00.000+10:002013-09-02T11:38:06.991+10:00Flower Fleur Blume<br />
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Spring has now well and truly arrived. The weather has been grey and indifferent for so long, I had forgotten how warm warmth can be! The front yard, as I mentioned in my last post, is literally bursting with all of the flowers that began their lives under my grandma's careful nurturing many years ago and which now appear every year as a beautiful testament to her and her deep love of plants and gardening. <br />
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It's funny but these photos I took remind me so much of the playing cards that she bought for me when I was a child. They were flash cards of a sort and each one showed a flower and gave its name in several languages. Although she loved the Sturt's Desert Pea and also the flower of her home state, the Waratah, European plants and flowers were her first love. And so I often spent my visits to her house identifying alpine flowers from far distant lands. <br />
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More music today...pretty, meandering and a little strange. Just the way I like it!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NiKNf_Tmol0" width="560"></iframe>Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-47775417047972785462013-08-29T16:04:00.000+10:002013-08-29T16:05:05.950+10:00Gentle Spring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Pussy Willow, picked on a Sunday drive to Warrandyte</i></div>
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Spring is starting to show itself. The front garden is beginning to bloom with all of its lovely self-sown flowers (they are the children of plants my grandmother planted many moons ago) and the air is warm and sweet. As it gets noticeably warmer, I have to remind myself not to fear the hot summer days that will follow Spring, but to enjoy what is here right now.<br />
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A trip to the op-shop this morning yielded treasure in the form of three Beatrix Potter books - <i>The Tale of Ginger and Pickles</i>, <i>The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes</i> and (of course) <i>The Tale of Peter Rabbit</i>. I bought them to sell online, but now I'm not sure if I can part with them. That's how our house has ended up full of books!<br />
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This is such a pretty song. I thought you might like it. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/FYJJOloirSU" width="420"></iframe>Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-35968555577862625722013-08-22T14:28:00.001+10:002013-08-22T14:28:32.394+10:00Disappointed Cat says...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I made this little guy a day or two ago after seeing a similar idea for a felt brooch in Pip Lincolne's <i>Meet me at Mike's</i> book. At first, I didn't like him because I didn't think he was very cute. But now I kind of like his rather affronted expression. Sort of like Grumpy Cat but more...Disappointed Cat. <br />
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I found two lovely looking cookbooks at the op-shop this morning - <i>The Vegan Table</i> and <i>The Joy of Vegan Baking</i>, both by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. The recipes look delicious and easy, two things that I have wondered about the possibilty of with vegan cooking in the past. I have never cooked vegan before. Have you? Any tips? Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-26357221257154566552013-08-21T11:24:00.003+10:002013-08-21T19:36:39.356+10:00Underground OvergroundI once read that the more you try to diet and restrict the intake of a particular food, the more likely you are to crave that food above all else. For example, chocolate (possibly doesn't hold true for cabbage). So it is that, several weeks after declaring a major household purge on all items that are neither beautiful nor useful (thank you William Morris) or are simply too numerous, I find that I am trawling Etsy and Ebay to sate a few little obsessions, looking for more <i>stuff</i> to fill the house with.<br />
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Namely, Wombles and Kiwiana (NZ kitsch - like Australiana).<br />
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Suddenly I can't get enough of Tomsk, Tobermory, Great Uncle Bulgaria and the rest, nor paua shell and hei tikis. I suspect it's the thrill of the chase, more than anything. I have resisted the urge to buy so far, holding myself to a cooling-off period instead. <br />
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Do you have any little fascinations on the go at the moment?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSFkauBJnb4qBk-q4mVyEbVMhtqWZtycCDgJv2tRC_4BuUFJ-Yy_asVJegtveooNjml-nLXwDEeg6luQdVWAntZCS6JcvR4HMQftDo11C4WekLyu8sqhSv5H363R7fEvBjAO3sO2YNnxv/s1600/il_570xN.489968176_ky34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisSFkauBJnb4qBk-q4mVyEbVMhtqWZtycCDgJv2tRC_4BuUFJ-Yy_asVJegtveooNjml-nLXwDEeg6luQdVWAntZCS6JcvR4HMQftDo11C4WekLyu8sqhSv5H363R7fEvBjAO3sO2YNnxv/s320/il_570xN.489968176_ky34.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Two womble pencil toppers found at - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/159533883/retro-70s-womble-pencil-toppers?ref=col_view&atr_uid=8174340">http://www.etsy.com/listing/159533883/retro-70s-womble-pencil-toppers?ref=col_view&atr_uid=8174340</a></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D1Q_D0mzRev97g152SW5cQRK_fPInItDS3srKFcAn6torcW5cZIDECXw4QU4EJIviHery726NtblevpK2dk3x2g7MwF4O7vXnHVrCZtgrUeo2zOX5AtIt5P9W7xs57hRo-ULLu_Gb0-s/s1600/il_570xN.415569487_r1n1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2D1Q_D0mzRev97g152SW5cQRK_fPInItDS3srKFcAn6torcW5cZIDECXw4QU4EJIviHery726NtblevpK2dk3x2g7MwF4O7vXnHVrCZtgrUeo2zOX5AtIt5P9W7xs57hRo-ULLu_Gb0-s/s320/il_570xN.415569487_r1n1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Wombling free - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/120372772/vintage-womble-stuffed-toy?ref=sr_gallery_2&ga_search_query=womble&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_search_type=all">http://www.etsy.com/listing/120372772/vintage-womble-stuffed-toy?ref=sr_gallery_2&ga_search_query=womble&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=ZZ&ga_search_type=all</a></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga280l3rcAZoznKA_AddX8YsSzB_JAbM8taVqPI_x7lZacdwv507-NhD1gBdHVCRDx61UctcC3qg-_qxwUZLfL5_rUFZEHc4lVsUfEc35MNDPsf-rDQzOCG66tHoLQFJiUHRys-CIUADK6/s1600/il_570xN.340045773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga280l3rcAZoznKA_AddX8YsSzB_JAbM8taVqPI_x7lZacdwv507-NhD1gBdHVCRDx61UctcC3qg-_qxwUZLfL5_rUFZEHc4lVsUfEc35MNDPsf-rDQzOCG66tHoLQFJiUHRys-CIUADK6/s320/il_570xN.340045773.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Not many toucans in NZ, I don't think, but oh well - <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/100671739/paua-shell-toucan-or-paua-shell-pelican?ref=col_view&atr_uid=11126389">http://www.etsy.com/listing/100671739/paua-shell-toucan-or-paua-shell-pelican?ref=col_view&atr_uid=11126389</a></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsCRhUVfbEM9O9wSj57dlasOl4KjXfb4jmu9ZJCbFuHapDJhnUbSVvHRIj5-aTxXn5q0rKGqHY6YlMPjHdYRwYuWUd3kwhB7K1D8uXAVKHlO0YFCgcdwS1axzLWlO2G3uAUie603lxksE/s1600/$T2eC16VHJHIE9nyseFeIBRL+69dVhQ~~60_57.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifsCRhUVfbEM9O9wSj57dlasOl4KjXfb4jmu9ZJCbFuHapDJhnUbSVvHRIj5-aTxXn5q0rKGqHY6YlMPjHdYRwYuWUd3kwhB7K1D8uXAVKHlO0YFCgcdwS1axzLWlO2G3uAUie603lxksE/s320/$T2eC16VHJHIE9nyseFeIBRL+69dVhQ~~60_57.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230973656336?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649"><i>http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/230973656336?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649</i></a></div>
Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-39870535617371407072013-08-16T11:38:00.000+10:002013-08-22T14:20:37.718+10:00This Charming Man<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKHtHYmjAWdsmamBSSS7bdf10N9ajORGa2ONMEVKVH-gkw_DpGbjEJETLnqTlh57yuJy25uZcXPramhzHUSg31o7MdHZs91U0zmFtT2UI51X9aI4AWemXIq0jBJjCQKiCMkE4QZ9_mKka/s1600/tumblr_mrebe2BcAS1seji43o1_r2_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEKHtHYmjAWdsmamBSSS7bdf10N9ajORGa2ONMEVKVH-gkw_DpGbjEJETLnqTlh57yuJy25uZcXPramhzHUSg31o7MdHZs91U0zmFtT2UI51X9aI4AWemXIq0jBJjCQKiCMkE4QZ9_mKka/s320/tumblr_mrebe2BcAS1seji43o1_r2_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>In case you want to go back to the musical source, this lyric comes from The Smiths song "Sheila Take a Bow"</i></div>
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I love it when someone does something really clever but it has to be quirky clever - that's the best clever of all. I'm on Facebook, sometimes against my better judgement, and as The Smiths tragic you now know me to be, I have 'liked' a Smiths page. On that page yesterday was a link to a truly wonderful site - 'This Charming Charlie' (<a href="http://thischarmingcharlie.tumblr.com/">http://thischarmingcharlie.tumblr.com/</a>) which is a play on The Smiths song 'This Charming Man' because this site brings together the words of The Smiths with the figures of the Peanuts cartoons. Putting the serious, melancholic lyrics of Morrissey into the mouths of the perpetually sunny Peanuts kids (with the possible exception there of Charlie Brown) is such beautiful fun but also such beautiful pathos as well as being somehow so apt. Genius! I contacted the very talented creator of This Charming Charlie, Lauren LoPrete, and she very kindly gave me permission to post some of the images from her site here. <br />
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<i>Lucy and a line from "How Soon is Now"</i></div>
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<i>Schroeder and "Panic"</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwNJN74KAxhrwnzNz2g2VAuBmWOTuTaLshCzU0DkqX5Zc1VQ79SU-ropnUVtW-fQCUSoxC5n1_ajxGB2t3Gw1hTL_jBd8yBQPMDYP4qM6qWxx2NpxiSG8knJoCHOBkevnyOsliLu4-1u5/s1600/tumblr_mre0dkC1hn1seji43o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwNJN74KAxhrwnzNz2g2VAuBmWOTuTaLshCzU0DkqX5Zc1VQ79SU-ropnUVtW-fQCUSoxC5n1_ajxGB2t3Gw1hTL_jBd8yBQPMDYP4qM6qWxx2NpxiSG8knJoCHOBkevnyOsliLu4-1u5/s320/tumblr_mre0dkC1hn1seji43o1_500.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Lucy and "That joke isn't funny anymore"</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatToGDqOzbzwr7myMv7VTGMCi9TqrcVBZ1l-2Y2Le93cHMiHUESwlKTS94i12WdsuTkcMsCrGdNRHr_NPK6OBCEb-dd2dkkY86uw-7C5duui2r4JM_BYk615DpPVnm5eN0a46l5BePvZ7/s1600/tumblr_mracmfSbIi1seji43o1_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiatToGDqOzbzwr7myMv7VTGMCi9TqrcVBZ1l-2Y2Le93cHMiHUESwlKTS94i12WdsuTkcMsCrGdNRHr_NPK6OBCEb-dd2dkkY86uw-7C5duui2r4JM_BYk615DpPVnm5eN0a46l5BePvZ7/s320/tumblr_mracmfSbIi1seji43o1_1280.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Sally ponders the imponderable - "How Soon is Now"</i></div>
Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-68292635652315423812013-08-13T15:04:00.001+10:002013-08-13T15:04:56.580+10:00To talk again<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZFQpHzy_K2QR245R8CxPx3aGQuOOrj4U8Ozy5XCV_TzlsAP8cN98hu6XSBrJ_m9KWiVLc7awxjVWKWZLWo5uGjc2KepgWNxLDe1c4FMtLR2nJ4mccGRqQ-AAnOLQ5YLAKL6yHru3RqQf/s1600/auscookbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ZFQpHzy_K2QR245R8CxPx3aGQuOOrj4U8Ozy5XCV_TzlsAP8cN98hu6XSBrJ_m9KWiVLc7awxjVWKWZLWo5uGjc2KepgWNxLDe1c4FMtLR2nJ4mccGRqQ-AAnOLQ5YLAKL6yHru3RqQf/s320/auscookbook.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I have been missing my grandmother lately. I'm not quite sure exactly why. We live in what was my grandparents' house, so I guess they are never far from my thoughts and also they were the only grandparents I really knew - my mother's parents spent a lot of time ill and passed away when I was very small (my maternal grandfather died before I even arrived).<br />
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But I have been thinking lately that perhaps it's because I have changed just a little bit in my interests since Grandma died in 2008. As you know, I am now completely into knitting, sewing and baking - things that she would have <i>loved</i> me to have shown an interest in. She was very accomplished in all of these pursuits and I would love now to talk to her about how she does things - this stitch or that cup of flour. That's not to say that she would have been a patient, sweet-natured teacher! I can still recall being told in no mollycoddling or uncertain terms how to knit when I asked at age ten. But it would just be nice to ask and to talk again.<br />
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And so I made this very tasty currant cake yesterday from one of my great-aunt's cookbooks, <i>The</i> <i>Kookaburra Cookery Book</i>. I'm thinking it's 1920s at the latest. With lots of nutmeg, it even tastes old-fashioned, reminding me so much for the flapjacks my grandma made every week, without fail, so that there was always something on hand for visitors who came to tea.<br />
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<i><b>Currant Cake</b></i><br />
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1 cup butter<br />
Half-cup milk<br />
2 cups caster sugar<br />
4 eggs<br />
3 cups self-raising flour<br />
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg<br />
Half-pound currants<br />
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Combine. Bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour (keep an eye on it) at 180 degrees celsius.<br />
<br />Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5612668258987461313.post-40055703094571649312013-08-12T15:07:00.000+10:002013-08-12T15:07:43.088+10:00It's the little things that make me so happy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4gN9R1Mbcqg-yAmESypkFSMxeP0vS_3HRbLGlp61JtHV8XWL0AVR6gS4iTFg039SZxXppb-ksa7hxfPTI_bP6f4EVR88dhK2nLmjO1dS2FB8LRylbnDCI7JSyFMXGDUB4glq8qZZlp4W/s1600/animalwall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4gN9R1Mbcqg-yAmESypkFSMxeP0vS_3HRbLGlp61JtHV8XWL0AVR6gS4iTFg039SZxXppb-ksa7hxfPTI_bP6f4EVR88dhK2nLmjO1dS2FB8LRylbnDCI7JSyFMXGDUB4glq8qZZlp4W/s320/animalwall.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Five gorgeous little animal postcards from Ikea</i></div>
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I know that things aren't supposed to make me happy. I know that I should delight in the <i>people</i> and not the <i>objects</i> around me. And of course I do. But sometimes, a little acquisition or two can raise the spirits. And they don't even have to be very large. <br />
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<i>A delightfully weird Japanese exercise book with a German cover from (the Japanese store) Daiso</i><br />
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<i>Owl cushion cover from Ikea</i></div>
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<i>Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs now have Smurfs in them (oh no, there are nine to collect...)</i></div>
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And two Bowie albums ("Low" and "Heroes") on sale from JB-Hi Fi...now in the CD player...</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Tgcc5V9Hu3g" width="420"></iframe>Feroniahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11220145940239166814noreply@blogger.com4