A few bits and pieces from the last month…
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We’ve recently discovered Faheem Fast Food on Enmore Road. It’s surprisingly good and very well priced, although the service can be a bit aloof at times.
We’re late to the party – apparently everyone we know eats there regularly – but we avoided Indian and Pakistani food for years because of Small Man’s nut allergies (which he still has, but he’s much more savvy about what to look out for these days). The tandoori chicken was deliciously spicy and the mixed lentils were to die for. I went back a week later and ordered the “rice with three veg curries for $11” option and refused to share…
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This is the fossil that started the collection…a two kilogram mammoth molar tooth, given to me by my sister Cynthia 15 years ago. To be fair, she actually gave it to the boys, but they weren’t nearly as interested in it as I was…
The tooth still has its root (photo above) and grinding surface (photo below) intact. I’m not sure of its age, but a quick google search suggests that it’s probably around 12,000 years old. It’s a joy to own partly because it’s not fragile, so I get to play with it a lot…
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I fell out of the meditation habit in the second half of last year, to my personal detriment, so I’m trying to get back into regular practice again this year. So far, so good…
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I returned from our visit to Singapore with this stunning vintage bowl – another gift from Cynthia. It’s a hand painted Baker & Co Ltd piece from England, commissioned for the household (or possibly school) of Haji R. E. Mohamed Kassim – a wealthy Indian businessman and philanthropist who lived in Malaya (as it was then known) in the early 1900s.
The bowl probably dates from the 1920s, making it nearly a century old. Perhaps the “1695” inscription is a catalogue number. I loved knowing the story behind it…
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Pete’s hands have been too sore for him to make jam in the past few years, but this time Small Man hulled all the strawberries for him – all fifteen punnets’ worth. We didn’t have a lot of pectin made, so this batch is very soft set. And not overly sweet, which is Pete’s trademark style…
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My friend Sue gave me this beautiful calendar for Christmas – she and her husband Craig create and publish the Wine Dog book series. If you’re a dog lover, you’ll adore them…
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Me (whinging): “why can’t we go out for dinner?”
Pete: “because we have a bed full of rapini and backyard eggs and just picked cucumbers and freshly baked focaccia and homemade sambal.”
Oh. Fair enough. It was excellent too.
Sometimes I forget how much great food we have at our fingertips. The whole dinner cost us less than $5, and there was enough leftover to feed the neighbours as well…
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We’ve been meeting up with friends at The Carpenter Cafe – a new establishment hidden away in the back of an old factory in Leichhardt.
They do fabulous ice lattes and great simple meals, but I really wanted to show you the gorgeous stoneware they serve their hot drinks in. The cups are made in Sydney’s inner west by Zuko. Sadly, I can’t buy any, because I really don’t need any more cups in the house, plus I’d already asked my friend Steve Sheridan to make me a couple at the end of last year. So I’ll just keep going to The Carpenter for decaf lattes instead…
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I gave two of my upcycled useful bags to Tom and Grace (formerly Baby Grace), and they found a new use for them..
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My latest project-on-the-go was this apron, which I made from an offcut of toile fabric. It has a pocket deep enough to keep an iPhone safe in case of a minor spill…
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I’ve been tempering chocolate again now that the weather is a bit cooler – these Sao Thome 70% dark origin chocolate frogs were set in my contraband Freddo moulds…
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As I’m trying not to buy any clothes (new OR secondhand) for a little while, I thought I should put some effort into upcycling some bits and pieces for winter. I dug out this scrap of badly stained vintage kimono silk, which had previously served as the lining for a child’s coat. I picked it up a few years ago from Cash Palace Emporium. It’s printed with gosho dolls, and I reckon this one looks just like me…
I washed it carefully (sadly the stains didn’t budge), then seamed the front opening closed and turned it into a reversible scarf. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out…
And continuing with the Japanese theme, my tidying up uncovered this old noren (door hanging) that our friends Yuji and Maude bought us over two decades ago. It hung outside Pete’s office for years, slowly fading in the sun and occasionally being set upon by mynah birds. When our friends bought us a replacement, this one was washed and put away…
I tried turning it into a scarf but it was too worn, so I cut patches out of it instead. These were appliqued onto my homemade flares, assembled by merging together two pairs of girl-sized Gap jeans. I loved the super thick denim and they were only $2 each from our local Salvos. The flares were a bit boring though, so I was happy to find a way to jazz them up a bit…
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Lastly, a plug for my friends at Reverse Garbage. They’re having a vintage sale (fabric, haberdashery and collectibles) on Saturday 9th March. I am not going not going not going. If I chant it enough over the new couple of weeks, it might stick.
Reverse Garbage is based in the Addison Road Community Centre in Marrickville. And if you pick up a metre of purple wool cashmere at the sale, rest assured that it’s been carefully stored in my camphor chest for over 20 years…
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Life is good! Hope all is well in your universe! ♥
Wow! You certainly keep yourself busy Celia. Kudos to you on the recycling! And I especially loved your tempering of the chocolate! Just say the 3 C words and I’m your fan. chocolate, coffee and cheesecake.(not necessarily in that order) I can’t believe Reverse Garbage is still there in Marrickville. The last time I visited was over 22 years ago. What a fabulous place to get lost in & come out with loads of potential ideas.
NOT GOING NOT GOING NOT GOING…..can you hear me laughing??? Rapini in a Fritata great because I love that stuff.
You are my inspiration! I retired a couple years ago and have just now reignited my sewing hobby. My first wish was to get some help creating a pants pattern for myself. I searched around, found some sewing leagues, got a referral to a person who specializes in pants patterns. Her fee? Over $500 US! I guess I’ll keep watching for tutorials on Pinterest….. I love your butterfly patches. They are an enchanting reminder of the 1970s when we embroidered and sewed braided trims on the hems and back pockets of our bell bottoms. Those were simple days.
Bonnie, if you keep trying on pants at charity shops until,you find the perfect fit then just unpick carefully and use the pieces for your pattern.
I love these posts! Strawberry jam and curry (but probably not together!) Yum 😁 But I especially love the doggy calendar!
Another lovely post. I’m not convinced that chanting will actually work though 😂. Those chocolate frogs look wonderful. No, I’m not starting a new hobby. I’m not starting……
Perhaps the best way to think about your longing for those beautiful coffee cups is to look forward to visiting the café frequently and enjoying a delicious coffee in one. I could have a vintage fabric and haby sale with the contents of my sewing room!
I always look forward to seeing what you are cooking, making, eating, doing. It is the stuff a good life is made of ♡
Love these updates – although always feel very unproductive compared to you after reading them! I need a pair of those flares – in love – and I’m a blue and white toile freak – my (huge) bedroom curtains are similar.
Absolutely love that apron, beautifully done!
Hi Celia, I was introduced to your blog by Emilie’s book. Thanks for all the informative sour dough posts! I noticed you use baker’s flour while Emilie uses all purpose flour. What is your view on the difference here? Can they be used interchangeably? Thank you!
Hi there, bakers flour is a bit different here than in the US. Firstly, it’s MUCH cheaper. Secondly, the AP flour Em uses (King Arthur) is higher in protein than the ones we get in Australia, so when her recipes specify all plain flour (AP), I substitute a mix of plain and bakers flour. For feeding my starter, I use only white bakers flour. Hope that helps!
Its quite different than we are used with Bengali recipe, but I think its also nice and delicious.