Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Let me share some happy moments from the past few weeks with you…

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Little Tom had his 8th birthday recently and I made myself very popular with his parents by giving him a mountain of chocolate…

While I was in tempering mode, I made these dark chocolate ginger bites for Pete (dropping a piece of naked ginger into each mould was much easier than dipping them individually)…

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Cash Palace Emporium in Leichhardt has now closed, although their pop-up shop in Paddington will be open for a few months longer. When Elaine was clearing out her shop, she found this Japanese New Year’s decoration and gave it to me as a gift…

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I caught the train to Auburn to explore the Arzum Turkish Market and came home with a bag full of treasures – Jordanian za’atar, tulumba, pastirma, two sorts of olives and three types of ground chilli – pul biber, isot and maras…

That night we made pizzas topped with Turkish tomato and pepper paste, and sprinkled with dark isot biber chilli flakes…

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I’ve been reading about Japanese boro – textiles created from mending and patchworking old fabrics together. Traditionally a peasant craft born of necessity, the few pieces which have survived now sell for thousands of dollars each. If you’re interested, there are some wonderful photos here.

I found an old denim shirt in our rag pile and was inspired to repurpose the fabric. The aim is to gradually add bits to it as time goes on…

It already ties into quite a funky 60s-style shoulder bag…

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My friend Diana gave us a large bag of her homegrown “Hot Lips” chillies. They dried brilliantly in the dehydrator and we’re fully stocked for the next year at least…

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I took Mum to the Rocks and Minerals Show at Paddington RSL Club a couple of weeks’ ago. While there, I picked up this gorgeous boulder opal from Brett of Opal Empire for just $20…

Mum bought this magnificent Canadian jade, carved locally by Tom Taverner. He’s widely regarded as the best jade carver in Australia…

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As I’ve so often mentioned before, I really do have the best friends in the whole world. PeteV and Nic bought me this special salt from Mexico – it’s sat on my shelf for a while now as I was under the impression that it contained ground up grasshoppers. It turns out that’s not the case, it actually contains ground up worms.

When the laughing had died down, PeteV showed up at the front door (they live three houses away) with a bottle of aged tequila and a vial of grasshopper salt so that we could do a taste comparison. It’s amazing how two shots of tequila at 5pm on a Monday can brighten up the entire week to come…

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Last Saturday, we climbed the Harbour Bridge Pylon Lookout with Uncle Steve and his kids – it was a glorious family day out, and the view was stunning…

It always surprises me that this attraction isn’t more widely known! The Bridge Climb can cost up to $380 per person, but the Pylon Lookout, which takes you up nearly as high, is just $15 for adults and even less for students and concession card holders. Better still, you’re allowed to take a camera up (which you can’t do on the Bridge Climb) and there is an unobstructed 360º view of the city and harbour…

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Our daily walks continue – the winter mornings are cold, but often sunny. I loved this photo so much that it ended up as my computer screen wallpaper…

A rainy night left a perfect sky mirror on the Greenway’s basketball court…

Gorgeous Sammy at UTS Rowers makes the best coffee on the Bay Run – in the morning light, she glows like an angel…

We took this photo last week from the Rowers’ Club, just as the sun was rising…

A couple of bridge photos…here’s the pedestrian overpass, which is home to the light show, bathed in golden light…

…and this morning, the motorway bridge was a visual feast of curves, lights, reflections and blue…

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Finally, the scruffy-haired love of my life forgot to turn the dishwasher on before going to bed. The following morning, I gave him a sock (a stripey one, of course)…

“What’s this for?”

“I’m setting you free. You’re a rubbish house elf!”

“What?”

“Mistress has given Petey a sock. Petey is freeeee…”*

(*It’s a Harry Potter reference)

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Wishing you all many happy moments!

Thank you for letting me share mine with you! ♥