Ahhh, love.

My sister-in-law held her engagement party last Saturday. It was a lovely night with the room swathed in brown, bronze and gold fabric, and fairy lights aplenty. The speeches were charming; the entertainment, casual and bright; the food, tempting (my contribution above); and the happy couple, delightfully in love.

Will I remember...

...the proportions of India's arm rolls?... the amount of time and sweet-talking it actually takes to brush Elara's hair?...how I cut India's dim sims into 12 pieces, Elara's into 8 and mine into 6?... the 'no touching except for one finger' rule at the grocery store?... the way India scrunches up her face for a just less than a camera click of time, when I say 'no'?... how so many small (and pink) clothes hang right the way around my washing line?... all the words and actions to the 'Dancing Face' song (ruffle your hair; puff your cheeks; pull your ears; click your teeth; eyebrows up; eyebrows down; make a smile; make a frown)?...how Elara says, in a Snow White kind of way, 'Oh I'm going to make you something cool and wonderful, Mummy'?... how much I loved them today?

Lemon delicious

Tim asked me recently why I liked to bake 'lemony' things. I don't know, actually. Maybe it's the comradeship of sour and sweet. Don't you think that these lemon curd cakes, (baked yesterday, gone today), have poise and confidence, as well as a gentle grace? Hmmm, maybe I like them because I want to be just like them! Living my dreams through cakes...

Make those bodies sing

Bananas are not my idea of a delicious ingredient from which to base a cake recipe. But since banana cake is Tim’s favourite, and we had some browning bananas, I made one. I must admit, as I pulled the hot tin from the oven, it did smell and look good, but this wasn’t enough evidence for me to try it this time! Tim and India loved it though, so I thought I’d put up the recipe for you to test…

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Lightly grease a square (or round or loaf) tin.

With an electric beater, beat 2 tbs butter and ¾ cup (plus some) raw sugar until well combined.

Add 1 egg, 1 tsp vanilla and 3 ripe bananas and beat until combined.

Fold in 1 ½ cups of sifted plain flour, 3 tsp baking powder and a dash of cinnamon.

Add 2 tbs milk and fold to combine.

Pour into tin and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (about 35mins in my oven.)

Stand cake in the tin for 5 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy (or watch other people enjoy!)

35 degree Autumn

My top five for a hot day at home:

1. Water: find it, hose it, play with it, drink it, sit in it, splash in it. If you have a rainwater tank :)
2. Grapes: put them in the freezer for bite sized satisfaction.
3. Washing: you can do about ten loads on rotation in a day (if you can stand to be outside!)
4. Fresh bedsheets: cool and smooth after a long hot day
5. Go with it: subsume the sweat and clean, dance or play cricket.

Sing a song of lollies

Aren't they just cute! These noodle boxes were filled with garden inspired lollies for all the young ones at church. And what a song of colours... a melody of greens with harmonious white and the occasional chime of red. A joy to the eyes and belly!

Tea for tiny two

"And well the tiny things of earth

Repay the watching eye" (E. Elliot)