The year of the cat

It seems, chickens aside, that we haven't had much luck in the pet department.  Losing both our dogs after only a year or two in our family.  Enter Twiggy, a little stray kitten that appeared one day at the Apple Shed.  At first thoughts were that she could be the Apple Shed Cat, but after setting off the alarm at night,  we thought she might need a more domestic situation.

Skinny and like a twig when she arrived, here she is now, settled into our home, putting on weight and quickly forgetting her wild feral roots to become a spoilt and much cuddled moggy.   The children adore her.  I do too, and even Leo, no fancier of cats in the past, has taken to her funny antics.

2014 for us, is set to be the year of the cat, and hopefully Miss twiggy will be around for many years to come.

Happy New Year dear friends, I wish you a bright year filled with love, health and happiness.   xx

Midsummer moments

I wish I had taken more photos the last few days.  So many moments I would like to remember during these long warm days.   Days filled with sunshine that wake you you up too early and keep you up way too late.  Moments with family and friends, time spent in the garden, and eating plenty of delicious food.

I did take my camera on an evening walk past picturesque paddocks that were filled with freshly cut hay. And even though the air made me sneeze, it still felt pretty magical. Golden bales all in row in the meadow.

It's those golden evenings I love the best.   Where you stay outside and don't even think about dinner until 9pm. Lucky there's leftovers in the fridge. But sadly no more cherry pavlova. I'm afraid that didn't last past boxing day.

I hope you there a plenty of special moments in your days.

Bright red drinks

"I love bright red drinks, don't you? They taste twice as good as any other colour."

So said Anne Shirley in one of my favourite childhood books, Anne of Green Gables, in the raspberry cordial scene.   I was reminded of raspberry cordial yesterday when I took a look around the garden to see it had been overrun with raspberry canes.  Nothing else for it but to brave the jungle and pick as many as we can to make raspberry cordial to sip on Christmas Day.  A day which certainly calls for a bright red drink.

Here's how I did it.

About 300g raspberries
1 cup of castor sugar
1 litre of boiling water.

In a large bowl, add raspberries and sugar, then pour over boiling water, give it a quick stir and allow to steep overnight.   In the morning pour it all through a strainer into a large jug but don't push the fruit through or the cordial will become cloudy. The fruit left in the strainer will be pale but you can eat it on pancakes or stir it through yoghurt.

Pour the syrup into a glass jar or bottle and store in the fridge for two days.

To serve, dilute the cordial with water to taste, still or sparkling, and marvel at how good bright red drinks really do taste.

Oh Hi There!

Hello!

Remember me?

I used to blog around these parts.

It's been a long time between posts because, but you see, I've been working on super amazing project that's been taking up almost all of my time and energy.   Although I have been keeping instagram updated so I haven't totally turned my back on my online life.

It's all about that shed I told you about.  Remember The Apple Shed?  I've been working there with a great team to create a cider house and museum with a little bit of food on the side. On Sunday we had a special pre opening event with Slow Food Hobart to celebrate Terra Madre day.  I pulled together a grazing table bursting with produce from the Huon Valley. The photos are below. We open on Monday.  Then I'm hoping to have some time to get ready for Christmas, spend time with my peeps and finish my book.

This Apple Shed Project has been really challenging and I'm learning so much.  Long days, lots of dust and plenty of cleaning.  It's turning into such a beautiful space.  I can't wait to show the photos once it's finished.  Stay tuned!  In the meantime, follow the Apple Shed on Facebook to see some work in progress pics.

What's happening in your world?  Are you ready for Christmas?