Spring in the garden

 The garden is bursting forth in all its spring glory! As I mentioned in earlier posts, the rain has been so abundant this year, that even the grass did not die off during winter. But now with all the fruit trees in bloom the colour is just majestic! For me, there is something so soothing and uplifting to see all of spring's colour just outside our window. It has taken over ten years (and most of these plants shown below we have planted in that time) but I can now look out my windows and see my cottage garden coming along. It hasn't been easy, with our long, hot summers and cold, frosty winters, but we are getting there. Many lessons have been learnt along the way and as the trees and plants take root (as do we, I suppose) they continue to thrive. Bloom where you're planted is the old adage that comes to mind here. 

These plum trees are always great producers. During long summer hours of playing in the pool or with the slip-n-slide and the kids get hungry, my motto is: "Go and grab a plum from one of the trees!" We have three of these producing plums and they are all different and all delicious. Last year though we lost a couple of harvests to the cockatoos, so this year I will be netting early as I would love to have enough fruit to enjoy fresh but also to make into jam. 

These gorgeous pink blooms are from the nectarine tree. I hope this is a promise for a good harvest!

                                            

There are more flowers around the yard, each unique and bringing colour and charm to my budding cottage garden. So much joy in these simple pleasures!

Even my lovely hydrangea is awakening after the winter. I really hope we get flowers this year as the heat and drought last year meant not a one 😞

The bulbs are flourishing. Although the jonquils are gone and the daffodils are on their way out, the grape hyacinth, snow-drops and tulips are coming along nicely. 

Crop-wise, here are the new wicking beds that we established this winter.

Currently they have zucchini and spinach seeds in them. Well, we thought they were just seeds, but already the zucchini is sprouting. They are warm and protected here against the wall and get plenty of morning sun. 

The chickens got into the snow peas, but thankfully the plants were saved. I love fresh snow peas picked straight off the vine. These guys look like they could do with a drink this afternoon. 

Our seed potatoes have also sprouted early. They will be covered over shortly with another layer of dirt to help them grow and establish under the earth. Potatoes like to be covered as they turn green if they have too much sunlight. And yes, that is flat-leaf parsley in the background, still going strong after all autumn and winter!

And to finish off, a photo of the king parrot that was spotted visiting our seed tray the other day. I love it when the rosellas come but these birds are so impressive! His mate had a greenish face, but she was just as lovely.

As the weather is still yo-yoing here in Canberra, I don't expect this lovely Spring-weather to last. I just hope there isn't too many big frosts, especially now as all these plants, flowers and vegetables are sprouting. Having learnt from the past, we have plenty of sheets and shade cloths in case we do get that inevitable frost. Rain is forecast for the next week (truly, it still amazes to expect to see rain for a whole week in Canberra!) so I'm hoping everything will continue to flourish and grow. 

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are today and you take the time to enjoy the flowers.

Choc-banana muffins - Dairy Free

 It is always tough to fill the kids' lunchboxes with healthy, filling food. As both our daughters have allergies to dairy and nuts, I learnt early on that I would have to learn to bake, as most store bought food (especially cakes, biscuits and other treats) contain one or both of these ingredients.

This recipe for Choc-banana muffins is a tried and true favourite in our house. I make them at least once a fortnight, but in times when the price of bananas is cheap I may make them more often. They don't last long! I also like to keep a couple of bananas in the freezer to use when the cost of them goes up. We can't go too long without these great snacks.

Recipe:

1 ripe banana

1 cup white self-raising flour

1/2 cup plain wholemeal flour 

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 choc bits

1 egg, lightly beaten

2/3 cup soy milk

1/4 cup of vegetable oil (not olive oil as the taste is too strong)

1. Preheat the over to 180 degrees celsius (350 degrees F). 

2. Lightly grease a 12 hole muffin pan, or use patty pans. 

3. Mash banana in a large bowl.

4. Sift flour into the bowl (add the husks left in the sifter)

5. Put in sugar, choc bits, egg, milk and oil

6. Stir with a fork until well mixed.

7. Spoon mixture into muffin pan. Fill the holes 2/3 full.

8. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden. 

9. Enjoy! 😋

These are best enjoyed warm with a glass of milk or a cup of tea/coffee as an afternoon pick me up but the kids also love them in their lunchboxes for morning tea.

NOTE: I have included these under the heading of Allergy-Free cooking because the choc chips that we use are dairy free. They are dark Belgian chocolate chips bought from Costco and have no added milk or nuts. I have also made these without eggs and only used the oil and banana as a binder and that works fine too. Egg substitutes such as Orgran No Egg egg replacement works great in these also. Other milks can be substituted for the soy milk as per your requirements and/or taste.

'That first snowdrop, the flowering of the rose you pruned, a lettuce you grew from seed, the robin singing just for you. These are small things but all positive, all healing in a way that medicine tries to mimic.' 

                                                                                                                                                - Monty Don

I find myself away from my adopted home town, and back in the city of my youth this week. Things aren't going well in my family and we are waiting with heavy hearts for the inevitable news to come through. It is hard to keep our eyes on the small, healing moments when death is just a phone call away. 

Yet, there is something about harbours that I find calming. Perhaps it's the little boats bobbing serenely, unaffected by the workings of the world. Sometimes I wonder about their owners, but most of the time I don't like to disturb this serenity with humans. The boats are peaceful, they are patient and they are forgiving. They hold no grudges at being abandoned and they welcome all who happen to pass by with a gently bobbing and swaying, almost as if they are saying hello. 

The wide horizon continues to remind me of our smallness in this world. How big and grand we think we are; how wrong we are. I see this also in the garden, when after a few months of neglect, new plants (mostly weeds) begin to take root, sending out new shoots of joyful freedom. We can't control the new shoots anymore that we can control the rhythm of life. These plants will come when we are gone and reclaim what is theirs. The shorelines will continue to rise once we are gone, taking back land that was taken for houses and footpaths, buildings and progress. 

These are not grim thoughts; they are a medicine to our souls. A reminder that we are all just passing through and these 'small things' are what truly matters in our life. Taking time to prune that rose, to plant those seeds, to share those eggs with family and friends -- these are the things that matter to me. Making a small mark on an overburdened world and taking delight in the natural world. Receiving healing from the suffering that makes an indelible impression on our hearts, through the beauty of nature. 

When writing is like housekeeping

Procrastination can be one's own worst enemy. There is always something else we would rather be doing, something else I would rather be doing, yet there are things that just need to be done.

For me, housework and keeping our home organised isn't really a chore - it's something that I enjoy doing and which relaxes and soothes me. The end product of a clean and tidy space is always worth the time and effort. It might also help that I try and keep our house tidy and clutter free throughout the week (whether I'm working or not) and maintain a really simple approach to housework. 

I don't follow a particular cleaning schedule or timetable for our housework and I've often wondered if I should. But I don't really like hard and fast rules, more of a guideline to get things done. Like I said, keeping it simple without pressure to complete certain things by certain times works better for me. 

Since I've been on leave I now have more days to get everything done and I seem to have fallen into the rhythm of doing the heaviest housework at the beginning of the week then tapering off as the week goes on (and I begin to lose my energy and my motivation).

Monday, the day when I have the most motivation and energy is for vacuuming and mopping the floors. After the busy weekends (when I tend to do as little housework as possible!) the floors need attention. Tuesday has always been bathroom cleaning day.

Dusting happens when I notice that things are dusty - but even that is getting done about once a week now that I have more time. 

Big jobs like cleaning the windows and the front and back deck tend not to happen as often as they could. When I sit on our lounge and look out the front windows and notice streaks or dirt, or when I am in the dining room and see that muddy paw prints on the back glass door, I know it's time to clean the windows and glass.

Just after Nic was born we lived in a small, Defense-owned townhouse which got no natural light whatsoever. Up until that point, I had no idea how important natural light in a house was to my sense of wellbeing! It felt like we were living in a mushroom - and not a pretty, red and white toadstool one like Mr Mouse. Since then, having natural light come in unfiltered into our living space has been a blessing. It is one of the things that I love most about our house. The warmth and light in the kitchen in the morning, then as the sun makes its way across the sky, various windows in the living spaces get sun (perfect for lying in during winter) until finally the sun hits our front yard and pours in through the lounge room windows - so long as they are clean and streak-free! 

I am also becoming quite adept at cleaning as I go. This winter so much of my time has been spent in the kitchen and this is an area that I love to keep clean and clutter free. Cleaning as I go keeps everything under control, without getting too overwhelming, especially if I am baking bread and a sweet treat. I'm not terribly up-tight about this, and I'm not striving for perfection, but having the space neat and tidy means that my mind is free to move on to other things, like creative pursuits. 

On the weekend, breakfast dishes and fixings can sit around longer as people tend to eat later and at different times. I try and avoid tidying up more than once a meal! Also on the weekends when the kids are home, the general mess and evidence of them enjoying themselves (chess boards out, lego battles in the hallway, bananagrams on the kitchen table, piles of books on lounges and rugs thrown about) is not something I stress about. By the end of the day, we make sure to put things away, but when they are being used then the mess is more than welcome. To me it is a sign of happy, young people playing and engaging with their spaces. As for their bedrooms, maybe once a week I will do a quick spot clean through their rooms, but most of the time we expect them to clean them.

When the washing is done, I try to get it folded and ready to be put away (the kids put their own clothes away once folded) on the same day that it is done. I really don't like having baskets of washing lying around the place. This just makes things overwhelming and, really, it's not that hard to just get it done straight away. 

I know not everyone has the same motivation as I do to clean as you go, or to clean - even if you don't feel like it. In fact, this is where I often find myself when it comes to writing. 

I want to write and often tell myself that I will sit down and write when "such-and-such" is done. This is my form of procrastination. I have realised that if I just sit down at my desk (which I try and keep neat and tidy so that I don't distract myself with more cleaning!) and begin to read over where I left off then the words will come. Even if I don't feel terribly inspired to begin, once I've picked up the thread of the story and gotten into the world of Sylvie et al, it becomes much easier to write.

As I mentioned, my daily schedule is quite flexible, but most mornings I'm done with my chores by mid-morning coffee time. I've usually put a bread on in the bread maker (my favourite way to make bread is to do the kneading and rising in the bread maker and then make the loaf or some rolls in the oven) and can sit and dedicate some time to my stories or to my research.

That, in fact, is another area of procrastination for me. I love researching and taking notes. Some days I will do more of this than the actual writing and it is something I need to be mindful of. Do I need this information to write right now or am I procrastinating again and stopping myself from writing? Perhaps it sounds like I don't enjoy writing, but I really do and once I get start, well let's just say it's hard to stop! I can go for hours once those juices are flowing. Perhaps I need some clearer goals about my writing - in terms of achieving set goals, but most of the time I'm pretty casual about these too. I don't want it become a chore, something I really don't want to do but feel like I have to because I've set myself deadlines and goals. It's a fine line of balancing. For me, at this stage of my life, writing is a hobby. I don't make money from it or risk missing out by not completing pages by a set time. My overall goal is to complete the 12 short stories of Sylvie's life (one per month) and I've done seven, so that to me says that I'm on the right track. If procrastination continues to raise it's head I may have to consider how important this 'hobby' is to me right now. 

However you choose to clean your house or approach your writing, I am sure it is different to my rather laissez faire attitude. I'm sure in many ways it is probably better and more organised and your goals are achieved much more quickly than mine. I like the way I approach both though and feel that many things can still be accomplished without stressing or applying too much pressure. I suppose my main goal in housekeeping and in writing is to keep things as simple as possible. I hope you can also find a simple way to get things done that you might otherwise be putting off.

This photo is of my little 'library nook' where I sit with my electric fire early in the mornings until the sun rises and begins to stream in through the blinds. I always keep this space cozy and tidy :)

My family and other animals...

I have moved into a rhythm of slow days at home around here, which is exactly what I had in mind for my leave. I've enjoyed getting into a routine of house-work throughout the week, cooking and baking, writing and reading. I've also added a few new things to my days.

First of all, I taught myself how to make cotton face masks. As the situation in Victoria and NSW continues to escalate we are facing the need to wear face masks very soon here, so I didn't want to wait until they were mandatory. I used this really simple Youtube video to guide me. 

I have mostly been pleased with the results and glad that I hoarded so many little stashes of fabric over the years! The elastic has been harder to come by (perhaps others have the same idea at the moment!) and the thicker elastic I had to use this week on a second batch of masks wasn't as comfortable. Still, they will do. I plan to send some to my sisters, my mum and my friend in NSW. There are still plenty left over for us too! Once I started they became quite quick and fun to whip up!

Also I have joined two online courses, one through Futurelearn, called 'Short Film in Language Teaching.' This is through the British Film Institute and I am enjoying plodding through at my own pace and taking what ideas are useful for my own teaching.

The second course is a Heritage Teacher Summit, run by a group of US-based Spanish teachers on teaching Spanish to heritage speakers. This group is one that I continually struggle with in my planning and assessment so I'm really looking forward to this course, plus I have access to the material for a whole year. No rush.

Neither one of these courses feels like a chore to me - I enjoy both and when I've had enough I stop and do something else. Perfect pacing and interesting topics are definitely key!

The weather has turned the last couple of days and it is cold! There is snow on the mountains and the wind is icy. Last night we reached -5о so I'm a bit scared to see what has happened to our garden. Hopefully the cabbage and spinach will be protected by the shade cloth. 

The days are sunny though so the animals have been enjoying their run around times:

The two Isas even found a nice dirt bath between the wicking beds!

                         

                         

They are such good layers, we are getting three eggs a day now, which is enough for us and to give away. 

My writing has been slow to start but this week I hit a patch of inspiration and have been spending a lot of time on both the novel and the short stories. Reading truly is the best inspiration and this week I picked up a couple of books on a trip out to Dirty Jane's Canberra, a lovely big warehouse full of vintage and handmade things. I picked up some Agatha Christie (two that I don't have and haven't even read!) and the fantastic "My Family and Other Animals" by Gerald Durrell. 

You may already know the Durrells from the BBC show. The writing is absolutely beautiful in its descriptions and Gerald Durrell paints such wonderful portraits of all the members of his family and the animals that he voraciously studies on the island of Corfu. 

            "Perhaps the most exciting discovery I made in this multi-coloured Lilliput to which I had access         was an earwig's nest. I had long wanted to find one and had searched everywhere without success, so         the joy of stumbling upon one unexpectedly was overwhelming, like suddenly being given a wonderful         present."

Such joy!

There truly is beauty and magic all around us, and now that we have the time, why not take a pause to appreciate it?

What are you going to do?

Yesterday was the last day of the winter holidays, which means that as of today I am officially on leave from my teaching job. I have a wonderful replacement teacher who I have the utmost faith in to carry on with my classes during my leave, so I don't even have to worry about that aspect of my life at all. It is very liberating. These were the first school holidays where I haven't had to think about planning, reflecting on what went well the previous term/year, and assessment reviews. I loved every minute of them. We whiled away the hours playing Banagrams, cooking, gardening, reading and whatever else took our fancy. 

With the current COVID-19 pandemic and the rising cases across Victoria and NSW I am anticipating that we may go back into a lockdown where school is via remote learning. I am so glad that I am at home if my own children need to learn from home, without the added stress of planning my own classes and working with students who are completing year 11 and 12 this year.

                                                                     

I have been asked the question "What are you going to do?" many times since I announced my plans to take leave earlier this year (actually before we went into the first lockdown). Some of these question have been asked in an incredulous tone, which to my ears sounds like "How are you going to survive?" Some have been followed up with suggestions - "Travel? Renovate? Study?" Those who know me very well probably know that I already do a lot of study anyway - I am constantly learning, reading and researching things that take my fancy. Not in a formal 'institution' way, but just a "I want to learn about [insert random topic here ] today" way. I love studying new things, new perspectives on history and historical events, and I especially love taking notes. I have notebooks full of notes (both in paper and in numerous folders on my computer) which I love to read over and add to. I missed my calling as a research assistant, I think.

However, the real reason for my leave isn't one that I have shared very often. It's not very "modern" I suppose, to want to take leave so that I can stay at home. That's all. Just to be at home. To cook, clean, bake and potter around the garden as much as I like.

I have always loved reading Homemaking books and blogs, but for a long time I had to stop because I would get so sad about going to work. Teaching isn't a job that one can commit to "half-heartedly". It is a vocation, and for the last twelve years (since the children were born), my vocation has called me to be at home. So I have gone to work and been committed to my students but my heart has yearned to be at home, 'feathering my nest,' so to speak. 

Not many people like to hear this reason when I answer that question - "What are you going to do?" They are quick to tell me how dull they would find it, or how they could never do something like this. That's okay - I'm not asking them to :)

My sister, a lovely, sympathetic colleague at work (who has become a close friend in the last year) and another close friend are the few people, I think, who have understood my reason to stay at home, just to stay at home. I have no regrets about taking this leave, and refuse to dwell on the fact that next year I will probably have to return to my job. I am looking forward to this time just to do what I need to do to bless my home and my family. 

The World Of Sylvie Steeple

I am taking the first steps to set up a new blog which I hope will contain all things Sylvie Steeple. Sylvie is the protagonist in my new short stories series. The series is predominantly set in 1920s Sydney. The initial plan was to write 12 short stories, each chronicling a month in the life of Sylvie. She helps people, solves unique cases and treats people (she is a trained nurse). To date, six of these short stories have been completed. Perhaps comparisons might be made to Phrine Fisher from "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries," but really Sylvie is very different to Phrine as are the 'cases' that she takes on. Sylvie's father was an occultist so in a way she is continuing on with his work but taking on cases of a supernatural nature. Also, Sylvie is not rich and does not dress elegantly or in a fashion-forward way. She is a nurse, practical and pragmatic. She has just returned to Australia after spending several years in Europe (both as a war-time nurse and after), but she is Australian at heart.

I love to research Sydney during this time and have used some great resources to help me.

Online resources have predominantly been The Dictionary of Sydney and photos from The Powerhouse Museum.

Sometimes, though, I find the Internet a bit of a rabbit-warren for accurate and specific information so will resort to books. At the very beginning of the year we had the good luck to stop in at a Lifeline bookfair where I found these little gems:

They have been so useful and the sketches in the top book are amazing. As my character Sylvie lives in Paddington, you can imagine what a treasure trove this little book has been!

These ones, albeit old, are still handy in planning and getting a decent overview of the situation in Australia one hundred years ago. 

I've also used these old books to get a good overview of some of the views contemporary from fifty or sixty years ago. It's a nice study in historiography. The text ("Our Sunburnt Country", 1964) is surprisingly forward in some (but not all) of its views on Indigenous history and British occupation post 1780. The novel ("The Spell of the Inland") however is very typical of the time (1934) in its portrayal of Indigenous people and white Australian farmers in the Outback. The imagery throughout is very vivid and does not attempt to sugarcoat the realities of living the harsh Australian inland.

This book has been invaluable for providing information and inspiration for the lives of Italian migrants in Australia. The stories are fascinating and diverse. I've had this for many years and actually stumbled across it in the library of the first high school I worked when I moved here to Canberra. The school has since shut down, and many of the library's books were donated or dumped in the process. I'm so glad I kept this one though!

I am really pleased that I have been able to set up a new blog for Sylvie Steeple. It is still very much a baby and not worth visiting now, but I hope to have some new posts up in the next week or two.