Saying It With Flowers...

hi there...

 

picked a few

 

 

 

to say

 

"happy weekend!"

 

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 



Show & Tell...

good morning!

 

at last i've taken the photos of my completed market bag

&

can't wait to take it to market

when i just have a few things to pick up...

mostly lately though

i've had more than a market bag full to get..

 

though of course i could make a few more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

of course i made it a bit harder than it should have been

by choosing fabric that was just a bit shorter than the pattern wanted

so everything was shortened by an inch...

 

the pockets are also a bit shorter 'cos i didn't have quite enough  for them either...

 

and the front gusset had to be joined 'cos there wasn't quite enough there...hehe!

 

it's amazing that i didn't muck up the calculations

&

it actually fitted together.

 

i would change the gusset width though

'cos it's a bit wide for my liking

&

that would make the bag longer as well.

 

sew & learn eh?

 

i'd better go and feed the dogs

before they start

nagging!

 

wishing you sunshine in your day today...

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 



 

 

 

 



Anticipation!

hi there!

 

don't you just love that feeling of

anticipation?

 

i had just got home,

the groceries still in the boot of the car

&

there was the postie

with a parcel in her hand,

looking worried as

kara hooted around the front yard

doing her best to be a guard dog.

 

i relieved her of her parcel

&

scooted inside,

arms weighed down with bags

&

the precious parcel... 

 

 

flung down my bag,

tossed down the new mag

&

the parcel.

 

 

shoved the groceries away!

made a cup of tea

&

examined my parcel...

 

 

a little bit retro...

a little bit modern...

a little bit british...

a little bit amy butler!

 

now i have

inspiration...my new mag,

aspiration..i'm planning to sew

&

as long as i don't expire from

procrastination

i'll soon have plenty to show and tell!

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 



You're Beautiful!

hi there...

just found this little quote

a couple of days ago

&

have to share it with you...

 

 

"people often say that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'

and i say that

the most liberating thing about beauty

is realising that

you are the beholder.

this empowers us to find beauty

in places where others have not dared to look,

including inside ourselves"

 

salma hayek.

 

 

wanting you to find beauty

in your journey of looking today...

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 



Pruning!

hi there...

it's a windy monday morning here,

just fine for blowing away the cobwebs

and blowing in {to my house} all those tiny pesky jacaranda leaves.

 

 

you would be surprised to learn

that these are the remains of last seasons leaves on the jacaranda trees

out the front.

there are rusty coloured leaves all over the paths beneath

and the pesky little things

fly in the windows and are carried inside on the soles of our shoes.

it looks more like autumn than the beginning of spring.

 

it's hard to believe that in just a few weeks

these trees will be covered in purple blossoms...

oozing with stickiness falling on my car

and covering the ground like a royal carpet.

 

these sweet delights never cease to surprise me...

 

 

i have recorded these naturalised freesias flowering

for three seasons now

and this year there are even patches of them several meters away from the 'mother bunch'...

how did they get there?

it's a mystery to me..i didn't plant more bulbs!

 

but they reminded me that it was just about this time of year

that i first started 'naturally Carol'...two years ago.

 

this took me to my list of followers

and led me on to some long overdue  housekeeping pruning.

i realised that some of the blogs i've followed

were extinct.

people move on.

things happen beyond their control.

other ventures are started.

babies are born who need time and care and a blog is neglected, forgotten even.

 

so i took some time to say goodbye

to those that hadn't been updated for more than about eight months or longer...

showing no signs of life,

either slumbering or departed.

 

it was quite a mammoth effort,

culling out about twenty percent..can you believe it..of dead wood.

but now i feel like a house swept clean,

although there are a couple of treasures i just had to keep

and not give up on...

just in case

one day my blogging friends may decide to return

and keep me company here once more.

 

have you got long since departed sites

just hanging around,

or friends who have left that you just hang on to..

hoping?

 

or do you just leave everything there

not touching a thing?

 

how many people can you follow anyway?

 

 

...crepe myrtle branches.

i think 'crepe myrtle' would have to be one of my favourite plant names...

just as well i never had more than one daughter

i may have called her 'crepe myrtle'...hehe.

miss b..that was a close escape!

 

i finished my sewing my market bag late on saturday afternoon.

i'll show it to you later this week.

 

take care...

with your prunings & plantings

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 

 



Green Tea 101...

good morning!

after a week of glorious weather

it's gone all foggy, damp and cool on us...

just perfect for a hot cup of green tea.

 

 

 

green tea making 101.

 

equipment:

 

teapot

cups

green tea...not tea bags, the dried curled up leaf kind

boiling water

 

method:

 

in a clean teapot

add about a good teaspoon of green tea leaves for each person.

 



cover the tea with water just gone off the boil.

just let the tea start to unfurl for about 30 seconds

then pour off the water.

 

this seems to get rid of any bitterness

and also any particles of unwanted matter.

 

fill up the teapot again with water that has just been boiled.

 

wait 1 minute.

 

pour into teacups.

 



 

to make a second cup of tea

fill the teapot again with hot boiled water....

 

wait 2 minutes

 

pour into teacups.

 

 

to make a third cup of tea

{from the same tea leaves!}

fill the teapot again with hot boiled water

 

wait 3 minutes

 

pour into teacups.

 

after this you can't get another cup of tea out of these tea leaves.

 

but

 

if you dry them

you can tie them up in little bags and put them around your house

as they will have a pleasant aroma...

 

this is a chinese custom.

did you know that all black tea goes through a fermentation process?
i didn't before going to a tea museum.
it's goodbye to tea cosies when making green tea,
the process is so quick...

 

happy tea-making!

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 

 

 

 

 



To Market, To Market...

well not exactly to buy a fat pig...

i don't think it would even fit in my new 'jane market bag'

that i intend to make.

 

i ventured onto alicia paulson's blog

&

got sidetracked by her market bag...

all bright and floral it is.

 

after paying for the pattern,

for less than the cost of a morning tea out, i might add...

i received her pdf.

 

i think i intend to make lots of these for gifts

&

myself.

{'cos i intend to keep on shopping...and may just fill this one with tasty fresh croissants!}

 

i managed to cut one out...

after much deliberation over my shrinking stash.

i have been determined to use much of my fabric before buying new.

{but with the return of access to the internet, i have already ordered one little batch of pretty fabric...

i know... the the temptation was just a bit too much for one person!}

 

 

think...

french

apples

coffee

croissants....

 

it will be a pleasure to make, dreaming about such things!

 

what are you dreaming about

for the weekend?

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 



Chrysanthemum Tea...

good morning friends!

 

have you ever sipped chrysanthemum tea?

i hadn't before today.

according to one source it is good for

cooling internal heat...{inflammation?}

&

aiding the ability to digest oily food...

 

my son's new mother in law gave me a tin of chrysanthemum tea...

another gift from taiwan

{i know..i am so blessed with gifts!!!...and grateful!!!}

 

i have christened my new teacup...

 

 

 

there is an art to making green tea.

thankfully when my new extended family visited recently

i had the sense to ask mrs t how to make it properly.

i was going to just make it like black tea

and found out that would have been an embarrassing mistake!

i'll post 'green tea making 101' tomorrow'....would you like that?

 

living in an old house,

sometimes something really weird happens,

like a window just fell out of mr p's bedroom

and just missed the concrete!

 

 

what the?

 

fortunately it landed on some longish grass

around the side of the house where i used to have a vege garden,

before the neighbours put up shade cloth along the fence

which shut out the morning sun..then the dogs got into the area...

now it just needs a good whipper snip.

 

i've been sipping away here...

and just before i go i thought i'd let you know

just how chrysanthemum tea tastes..this one anyhow...

mmm! it has a mild full bodied green tea flavour

that hits the soft palate at the back of the mouth

and the aroma fills your senses luxuriously

almost herbal and almost floral.

 

 

 

just as well i have a tin full to enjoy!

 

naturally Carol xox

 

 



A Taiwanese Teacup...

good morning!

a beautiful gift...

on an almost 'wordless wednesday'...

from taiwan.

naturally Carol xox



Peeking in the Window...

hi there!

due to my prolonged and unavoidable computer drought,

i didn't get to share as many taiwanese experiences

as i'd hoped to by now.

this week i want to share a few more.

as many of you know

mr b and i went to taipei for our eldest son's wedding on new year's eve.

mr p {son no 3} came along as well.

we stayed in a small apartment in a little lane in taipei

for three weeks.

these pics show a typical gorgeous display in a baker's window...

there is always something with custard..which we loved,

and all kinds of goodies to enjoy....

they are just a bit different from what we get here..variations.

custard buns...



all kinds of goodies...

strawberry bread...

hot dogs!

the food was glorious...

cheap and very fresh and plentiful.

mr b had the camera on this day

as you can see he's a bread lover..hehe!

{and was probably hungry on this particular day.}

it's making me hungry too..i'm off to boil the jug and have some afternoon tea.

naturally Carol xox







This Sunday...

hi there!

hummingbird cake and a caramel milkshake

dressed with strawberries,

this is a picture of sunday morning

after church.

sundays can be bittersweet,

for me it is the day that my family always leaves me.

they arrive on friday evenings...

this week mr b {husband} and mr m {son no.2} both came.

mr b came down and mr m came up.

fridays are full of excitement.

the house gets a tidy...most times...

and there is an air of anticipation and expectancy.

saturdays are pleasant,

enjoying the company

and fulfilling plans, discussing

and making more plans.

satisfied that my family is fine.

but sundays.

sundays start off well,

a couple more hours together,

the wellbeingness of going to church

and feeding not only the spirit but

the soul and even the body.

then one by one they leave.

it's a long drive back to work for mr b,

so it's just after lunch that he goes.

then later mr m has to leave as well.

kara will sit forlornly on her couch,

her big brown eyes sorrowful

as her beloved master leaves.

i just feel a little emptier inside.

mmmm...bittersweet indeed.

naturally Carol xox

p.s...about yesterday's post...the little red and white espresso cups are made by bodum, i bought them about seven years ago locally.



Coffee Time?

good afternoon!

after meeting a special friend for coffee this morning at Gloria Jeans,

i wandered up a few shops to the kitchen shop.

as usual i just had to check out the mugs...

'cos you see,

i am a bit of a fan of mugs.

fortunately

i only have a smallish cupboard to house them in

or they would probably take over my entire house.

i have learned that i can buy them

and give them away...

and every so often i have a mug cull,

it breaks my heart

but i just think that it has two advantages...

firstly somebody who has no mugs

may now own some lovely ones very cheaply from a thrift store,

and secondly

i get to buy some more!

my newest find

was a bargain.

they were almost throwing these red polka dotted mugs out this morning...

{maxwell & williams..top right hand corner, second from right, top shelf}

one for me, one for my friend and one for her 13yr old daughter

bought for under five dollars for the three...whoohoo!!

{i was first attracted to them when they were nearly five dollars each...hehe}

i have more expensive ones,

but to me it isn't the price,

it's just whether i want to live with it or not.

when i lived in canberra

i used to love the regular china sales in david jones and myer,

up here i've collected starbucks mugs and maxwell & williams mainly.

i love collecting china i can look at and use every day...

not shut away in a cabinet, so special, that i can't handle them often.

do you have a collection?

or a weakness for something delightful...like my mugs?

have a great weekend,

naturally Carol xox



A Warm Northerly Breeze!

hi!

it's happened!

today was the first day,

the first morning

that i got out of bed

&

instead of reaching for a cardi

or a blanket

to warm my cooling shoulders

nipped by a frosty morning...

there was a gently breeze

descending from the north,

a warm

comfortable

airflow,

cocooning me

and whispering sweetly in the jacarandas.

a taste of springtime

&

light sunny mornings!

does your dog grind her teeth...

mine does

&

is sitting under my desk,

grinding away as i write...funny.

i decided to make

pancakes with lemon & sugar

for afternoon tea....

all you need is a medium mixing bowl...

sift into it

a cup of plain flour,

add an egg

then one and a quarter cups of milk.

stir well.

add a little more milk if you want the batter thinner.

i doubled the mixture

so there's more for dessert or brekky tomorrow morning

for whoever wants them.

i have been intending to post

just a couple of times a week

but

i've broken my own rules a lot lately...

i just can't help

sharing my day..it's just good to be back.

feelin' all that bloggy love...

naturally Carol xox



Apron 'n Paris!

hi!

oh, i know i'm a bit silly

but when i was taking pics of the apron i made yesterday

i was thinking of the movie

'april in paris'

and just had to tweak it a bit for my title...hehe!

i made this for a friends birthday...which is today.

i finished it just as the sun was setting

&

of course the light was diminishing fast in my dining room.

'friends' tag..came from a packet of scrapbooking tags

that were on special a couple of months ago at big w...

they are printed on canvas but i don't know how washable they are.

nevermind, if they disintegrate, the rest of the stitching can just be pulled out.

i always like to make the ties

just a bit longer than the pattern specifies...

plenty of length to make a lovely big bow at the back

or to bring around the front and tie up.

i've folded the apron up,

gift wrapped it,

tied the package with a bow,

personalised the card...

&

now i'm off to party!

enjoy your friends today...

naturally Carol xox



No Sour Lemons Around Here!

a happy good morning on a sweet sunshiny monday to you!

are you in the mood for some more cookin'?

you will love this cake if you are.

a couple of weeks ago a friend gave me a plastic shopping bag

full of lemons.

i know i could have made lemon butter/curd or probably

a billion other things...

but most of them were too laborious...like lemon meringue pie...3 processes..hehe!

i wanted something quick and very lemony.

i found this 'lemon madeira cake' recipe

in a little fat book called '500 cakes'...a title that just calls it what it is,

by susanna blake...of whom i have never heard of before...have you?

on first taste it was voted unanimously

'a family favourite'.

lemon madeira cake

220g or 8oz butter at room temperature

140g or 5oz castor sugar, plus 1-2 tablespoons full for sprinkling

3 large eggs

170g or 6oz self raising flour

30g or 1 oz plain flour

1 lemon...zest & juice

beat together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. unfortunately i thought i was using raw castor sugar in this one and it was really ordinary raw sugar and i had to beat it extra hard to dissolve all those big crystals of sugar.

beat the eggs in one at a time.

sift the flours into the bowl and fold in.

add the lemon zest and juice and mix well.

spoon the batter into a large loaf tin that has been lined with silicone paper...i just tore a large square off and lined a glass loaf  dish..the beauty of this is that you don't have to grease the dish if it is fully papered and when cooked you just lift the whole loaf out, no worries.

sprinkle the top of the batter with sugar...

this makes a lovely crisp crunchy crust on top..mmm!

{saves icing it too}

bake for 55mins on 'fan' at 160 degrees celsius.

leave cake in tin for about 10 mins before lifting out...

then eat as soon as possible!

i made this one yesterday,

it's the perfect sunday afternoon tea cake.

my brother & partner came over for afternoon tea on their way home from brisbane.

they witnessed an accident on the highway about quarter of an hour from here,

so it was comfort food at its finest...with a nice cuppa tea..or diet coke.

{by the way..the young man in the accident had run off the road into a tree and broke his ankle but there were plenty of police, fireys and ambos to help him by the time they left the scene.}

this is about the fourth time in a month

that i have made this cake, we enjoy it so much..and so do our visitors.

do you use cake forks?

we didn't until about eight years ago when i found some beauties for half price at david jones'...

now even the men around the house use them!

i love mondays...

they are my only truly relaxing day, nothing planned at all.

i hope your day is stress free too...

naturally Carol xox



Mum's Best Pumpkin Scones!

hi!

this post is a celebration...

it is number 350...

wow, how did i ever write that many?

it is a mystery to me that i ever came this far...hehe

i guess i can answer my own question.

one by one.

in honour of this occasion

i am sharing my mum's best ever pumpkin scone recipe.

i am munching on one as i type...yum!

1 decent tablespoon of butter or 50g

1/2 cup of sugar

1 egg

1 cup boiled or microwaved pumpkin...mashed

3 cups plain flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sultanas (optional...i didn't put any in mine)

cream the butter (or margarine) & sugar together.

beat in one egg.

add the mashed pumpkin and mix well.

sieve the flour, cream of tartar and baking soda into the mixture.

now with a light touch, mix until it forms one lump.

if it comes off the sides it is just right.

if it sticks to the sides add a touch more flour,

if it is too stiff, not soft and easily managed, add a touch of mild...probably a tablespoon.

turn out onto a well floured board,

shape into a smooth lump then flatten gently with your hand

 until about 2-3cm or 1and a half inches thick.

cut or press out into whatever shapes you fancy.

bake for 12 mins at 180 degrees celsius.

totally delicious.

these are simple to make if you don't overmix everything

&

are especially good for using up leftover mashed pumpkin from last night's dinner.

{or put on a bit extra so that you do have leftovers}

oh by the way i always use silicone paper to bake them on...

saves washing a baking tray and the scones never stick.

and another thing...wash down your bench or cutting board in cold water..

and soak your floury utensils and bowls in cold too,

that way the flour just dissolves and washes easily.

hot water cooks the flour into glue and then it dries and hardens

and then you have to get a pick axe to get it off everything! 

now after all that effort

you deserve a cuppa

while you munch through a plate full of scones...



happy blogging and baking...

naturally Carol xox

p.s...it has been a windy day...not too cold though thankfully...so i did get the washing done..yay!

i even got an apron cut out for a friend's birthday next week

&

as well as some baking and blogging...all in all a pretty productive day.



Shop Open Again!

hi..ain't this cute?

i found it in a department store in taipei

and just had to bring it home.

it's tag says 'attitude..not just for fun'.

the bird sitting in the bush is a magnet

&

the leaves on the tree and the bush

are three small notepads.

i love it...it is a very cool souvenier of my trip there in january

(as well as being irresistably and very neatly wrapped up in brown paper inside a little box...hehe)

my madeit shop is open again finally...

i really love my new london tube cushions

but didn't really have anyone in mind to give them to

&

nowhere particular in my home to put them

where they will look their best,

after all there are only so many cushions a girl can have,

no matter how much she loves them!

so i am selling them as a set in my little shop.

sometimes i just have to make something

just because i want to...

i hope tomorrow is just as windy as today

'cos i was thinking it will be a wonderful day to get my washing dry quickly.

hopefully there'll be something a bit more interesting

happening here on the weekend as well...

and at your place too..hehe!

naturally Carol xox



London Tube Cushion...

good afternoon!

i have been absolutely loving these calm blue days of winter,

the sparkling dew on the grass

and even the sharp cold mornings

fresh and clean.

tomorrow

the cold wind is coming again,

so i am treasuring today.

every morning this week

i have had somewhere to be early in the morning

but have been home by elevenish

and have enjoyed blogging with my new computer,

reading..i'm still powering through books.

i had forgotten how good it is to learn and get absorbed in a good book

until i didn't have a computer to share my time with!

i have also done a bit of sewing....

london subways  tube...
thanks fiona for pointing out that london has a tube not a subway!

the backs are different

but sticking to a red, white and blue british theme.

front facing.

the first pics i took were on the black leather couch

where they looked fabulous

but

our lounge room was a bit dark..winter light..or lack of it,

so

i had to move them to a lighter space, near a window.

our house is an old queenslander

where most of the windows are still original...

a mere eighty or so years

and have patterned glass not clear and smooth

so let in less light.

i am torn between keeping them

and changing them to a glass that i can see the view through

and will let more light into the rooms.

a friend's birthday is coming up next week...

i think i will make her an apron.

i haven't made one for a while.

what are you thinking of making next?

enjoy the day!

naturally Carol xox



The Thing About Blogging Is..

i was thinking this morning..in the wee hours of around 4 a.m...

that one of the greatest things about blogging is

that to the drama queens among us...it's a stage,

to the writers among us...it's a fresh new page

&

to the artists among us..it's a blank wall

in our own private exhibition!

the thing that some don't realise

is that it's also an insight to our heart,

here we wear it on our sleeve in every post,

even when we try and cover it up.

a tribute to another beautiful sunny morning...kara on her bed in the sunshine.

the bible says to 'guard your heart...

because out of it flow the issues of life',

passion or poison

gratitude or greed

forgiveness or revenge...

i must say that i love most of what i read

and appreciate the kind and generous hearted people i've met here.

i love the way you open up your hearts regularly

&

let your love flow out into cyberspace

to be balm to the lonely and needy

...and me...thank you!

don't you just love fresh clean sheets?

when i changed the linen yesterday

i took this photo of the pillowcase i made a couple of months back.

i've made quite a few for my linen cupboard lately

&

some for others as well.

this fabric didn't really appeal to me when i first made it up

so i couldn't give it away...

but it's grown on me

and is a part of my

shake-off-those-winter-webs-'cos-spring-is-'round-the-corner campaign

happening at my house this week.

lots o' love

naturally Carol xox