The colors of autumn

What a glorious time of the year it is here in Melbourne during
the months of March to May.
It's not too cold and the climate is winding down in response
to the hot, unforgiving summer months. You can almost hear
the living environment around you breathing a sigh of relief.
That's what I like about autumn.
Time to go hunting in thrift shops.
I've also had the pleasure of finding some little
treasures hidden amongst all the piles of discarded items.
I was lucky enough to discover some beautiful table linen,
one cloth being meticulously hand-embroidered and crocheted,
the other machine made but still beautiful....
featuring floral patterns, I bought these for pennies.
Along with the Royal Albert china tea cup-
a real treat to sip and earl grey during a busy morning.
And crabapples.....one day I'll make something from them,
for now they look very decorative on my dresser.
Bye for now.
Andrea

Holiday Adventures on the High Seas

Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne 18/1/09

Out of interest, I recently borrowed a book from the library,titled
'Tall Ships'.
Leafing through the wonderful pages
I discovered a ship that I hadn't heard of before,
thus being a replica of an early 18th century ship
that brought the first settlers to Melbourne, from Tasmania.
Her name was The Enterprize, and I was pleasantly surprised
when I learn't that she is docked here in Williamstown, Melbourne.
Fortunately enough we were able to book a trip on this
fascinating ship, and all within reach of public transport.
I can only describe the experience as being awesome.
There is a wonderful sense of freedom once you leave the mainland behind.
Once her sails are up, she glides through the water peacefully,
rocking from side to side sometimes as the swell comes up which makes it hard
to keep your balance.
As we sailed I thought of what the bay would have looked like
pre settlement .
It would have been a sight to behold for those courageous early settlers
as they made their way into the bay.
Void of the pollution haze, filtering out the
distant Dandenong Ranges. Just coastal shrub and clean beaches lining
the shorelines. Oh well. That's 'progress' as some like to call it.
I have another name for it -
'madness'
or
'greed'.
As you can see from these photos, The Enterprize has been
lovingly crafted from recycled timbers,
and attention has been thought out carefully,
down to the last detail.
Her crew is run by volunteers,
and if you would like to see more about this historic ship
you can visit 'The Enterprize'.

Summer and the living is easy....

Now that the silly season is over,
it's time to lay back and take it easy , for my family
and I. We had a busy Xmas, given that
the annual family xmas get-together,
was held at our place. Lots of organizing and
cleaning up to do before the
company arrived -
a notable event this year in particular
as my relatives from Holland had come to spend
xmas with us. A European man's view of our great land,
is interesting indeed,
and on entering our house they informed me that
only the rich can afford to
live as we do here in Australia...
with our large houses on large blocks of land.
Me thinks , that sometimes we forget how fortunate we
are to live in such a prosperous and lucky country.
And I am forever thankful that my father was of the
adventurous spirit , otherwise I couldn't call this great
country 'home'.

I've just recently acquired a fine piece of early australian furniture-
from my grandfather (possibly crafted by himself)
who has moved to a retirement home
having just turned 100! I am in awe of his staying power -
having survived the 2nd World War,
and living with a health condition as a result,
he is truly remarkable. These photos depict a still life
on top of the cabinet featuring
native flowers, an old model ship ,
and a book I have been reading -
Captain Cooks
Journal on board the Endeavor -
a fascinating read.
I still think I was born two centuries too late ,tee hee,
as I would have been in my element
recording and observing the native wildlife and fauna
just as Banks and Parkinson did in the 1700's.
Whether you're in Australia in heat of the summer
or somewhere else in the world, take it easy,
and dare I say it...
Happy New Year.

'Lemon tree, very pretty...

...and the lemon flower is sweet.
But the fruit of the poor lemon is
impossible to eat!'
Or so the song goes.
We have a flourishing lemon tree in our yard,
bursting at the seams with lemons,
I've thought of how I could put them to some use
as it seems such a waste to see them falling to the ground.

I usually have the juice of a lemon every morning
diluted in a glass of water. So cleansing and high in vit. C.
Unfortunately it seems whenever a recipe calls for the use of lemons,
it requires sugar to compensate for the sourness of the lemons...
and I don't like to use a lot of sugar in my cooking. So,
the next best thing is a preserve. Simple to make,
just fill a large preserving jar with lemons sliced open and
packed with salt. Add a teaspoon of peppercorns and
one bay leaf, and fill to the brim with more lemon juice.
Then set aside in a dark place for 6 weeks, inverting
the jar once a week. Well I made mine (pictured)
about two weeks ago so will wait a little longer for the results.
Then the family and I will sample some of this preserve
as an accompaniment to our meal.
So maybe lemons aren't so impossible to eat after all.

Blue and White is a delight!

A wee family hand-down.

'The Blue Book' sits on my dresser

happily conversing with others items
of the 'blue and white' variety

Indulgence.
That's why I blog...primarily.
I like to indulge in the pleasure of taking picturesque
shots from around the home. Especially when one has a beautiful
antique dinner setting such as this one-
offered to me by my mother-in-law when previously turned
down by all other members of her family -
because it's too
'old-fashioned.'

As you can see, the makers mark as being
'Warwicks of Scotland' established in the 1800's.
A close look at the dinnerware will delight the viewer
with romantic landscapes featuring castles, old ships
and flora running the rim of the plates.
Exquisite artistry all round, and to be admired and revered
for it's artistic merit...
not because it happens to be unfashionable at this point in time.

The above plate has the makers mark 'Old Foley'
on the reverse. Made in England.
I like to serve scones or sweet things on these when
visitors arrive.
And yes, I do use this setting on occasions-
I would be mad not to! Although with two
young children, everyday use would be unpractical.
Special occasions only!