A new year & a new motto .....

Make simplicity a part of life in 2016

Beauty is found in the simple things ....

A large bowl of succulent strawberries from my mother's garden

 

 

 

 

White Camellias in a blue vase 

A Cockatoo enjoying the sunshine & attention at Café Madeline in Leura

 

Seeing the cutting I took from a Fuchsia bush bloom into an exquisite flower



 

Leura Gardens Festival

I visited two delightful & quite different gardens with a friend during the Leura Gardens Festival. My friend grew up in Leura and her parents had a garden nursery. It was helpful & interesting to walk through the gardens with someone who had inside knowledge of plants and the local community. Both gardens were in Blackheath Street Leura.

Redleaf 's hundred year old house is painted black with crisp white trim and is surrounded by nearly an acre of gardens filled with stately trees, lush lawns and dry stone walls. The jewel coloured azalea bushes are highlighted beautifully against the black house.

Sculptures by local artists were placed around the garden.

Rob Roy is a magnificent garden with a number garden rooms and unusual trees and shrubs, the maple lined driveway and several mature trees, particularly the Deodar cedar, plum and crab-apples.

Winter wonderland in Leura

As the last bit of winter in the Blue Mountains passes - the highlight was waking up to a winter wonderland of snow! A truly magical experience for my daughter who experienced snow for the first time.

Roads were closed, shops, banks & the post office couldn't open - we were all too excited about the thick covering of snow to complain. Jolly snowmen appeared around the streets, children threw snow balls and tobogganed down slopes.

My strawberry pots!

Good bye to a gorgeous girl

Six months ago we said good-bye to our gorgeous poodle Tia. She came into our lives over seven years ago rescued from a puppy farm. From the first day when she put her head on Mark's shoulder when we drove her home to when we said the long good bye she stole our hearts and gave us so much joy.

Gluten free Almond & Orange Cake

Its gloomy day in the mountains - perfect weather to do some baking.  Since I went gluten free a few years ago because of health issues  - I am on the hunt for easy, tasty, gluten free recipes. This Almond & Orange Cake ticks all the boxes - perfect with a generous dollop of cream and a cup of tea :)

Almond & Orange Cake

125g butter + grated rind of 1 orange
1/2 cup castor sugar + 2 eggs
125g packet almond meal
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 cup self-raising gluten free flour
1/2 cup milk

Orange syrup
1cup orange juice
1/2 cup sugar

Place butter, rind & sugar in a bowl & beat with an electric mixer until light & fluffy
Add eggs, one at a time , beating until combined
Stir through almond meal & poppy seeds
Stir in half flour with half milk, then remaining flour & milk
Spread mixture into a greased and lined 20cm round tin
Bake in a moderate oven, 180c for 40 minutes
Combine Syrup ingredients in saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved, then increase heat & simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove cake from oven, insert a few holes in cake with skewer. Pour hot syrup over hot cake. Cool cake in tin.

Charles Darwin Walk

Today, my daughter got her first pair of hiking boots .....

We took them for a 'spin' down Charles Darwin Walk at Wentworth Falls. Charles Darwin walked this track in 1836.

The walk follows the beautiful Jamison Creek South, which cascades down a number of small waterfalls.

The area is home to a variety of birds and the endangered Blue Mountains Water Skink

We came upon a skink catching some afternoon sunshine on the path, and saw a few Yabbies in the clear water.

The bees were busy gathering nectar from the pretty Grevillia flowers

It was a delightful afternoon walk.

Australia Day Weekend

Australia Day Weekend in the mountains was a mixed bag - after a nasty headache went on a lovely bush walk to Leura Cascades with house guests. I am sure the fresh air, sunshine and cascading water helped.

 

 

Enjoyed a special treat on Sunday afternoon, Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The play was presented by Sport for Jove Theatre Company at Everglades Garden. The production was a thoughtful interpretation with contemporary costumes. The children in the audience seemed to enjoy it and a little girl's interjection made both actor's and audience laugh.

 

 

 

Outdoor stage at Everglades Garden



This treasure from the 1930s sits in twelve and a half acres of European-style gardens and native Australian bush with breathtaking views over the Jamison Valley

 

 



 

 

We celebrated Australia Day at the Glenbrook Gnome Convention. Though the day was cold and wet the community was warm and enthusiastic. We were entertained by an excellent acapella group from the local high school.

 

 

 

 

 

Hello 2015

Another year is over  - with its changes, 




Memorial Park Blackheath

 

Challenges 

Blessings and Experiences

 

 

 

As 2015 unfolds the Anyway poem inscribed on the wall of Mother Teresa's children's home in Calcutta is a worthy guide ....

 

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

 If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

 What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

 If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

 Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

A happy new year to all.

Festive Season Highlights

December is always the busiest month - with Christmas preparations, gift shopping, sending greeting cards to people near & far .... taking time out to enjoy beautiful carols in the park under a summer sky 


The month starts with my birthday .....

Enjoyed a delicious birthday dinner at Monte Bella in Katoomba

 

 

Attended the Australian Songwriters Association Awards Night, an exciting night showcasing Aussie talent. Watched the gorgeous & talented Kate Ceberano inducted into the Hall of Fame.

 

Helped my clever & crafty daughter decorate our church for the Christmas program

Christmas day with family was chaotic but joyful. Enjoyed the blessings of family, gift giving, scrumptious food and most important remembering the real reason for the season  - the greatest gift of all - Jesus.


A gluten free gingerbread house made by my daughter!



 

An Aussie Christmas is best celebrated with a magnificent pavlova decorated with summer fruit

 

 





Get taken for a ride .... on a train to the Blue Mountains!

I took a train to the Blue Mountains for the first time the other day.  It was very pleasant! So much better than speeding through the countryside behind the wheel of car fighting with traffic. The air-conditioned train left Central Station on time and sped through suburbs. The scenery changed dramatically as the train left the outlying towns of Penrith and Emu Plains and started climbing up the mountain. Between Lapstone and Glenbrook I saw magnificent deep gorges with streams running over the rocky valley floor.

As the train meandered up the mountain, endless tree covered hills and distant cliffs were seen through the windows.  It slowly pulled into the towns where tree lined streets and charming weatherboard cottages were built before the time of 'flame zones'. On the 11^th July 1867, the first official journey by train was made between Penrith and Weatherboard (Wentworth Falls) where the line terminated.

The destination was Leura - a lovely upper mountain town. After the hot, heavy air of the city I savoured the fresh, light air and gentle breeze as I stepped onto the platform.

The trip was a mixture of present delights and nostalgia - transporting me back to childhood when we would take the train to Newcastle. We would hop on at Dora Creek station and I would press my eager face to the window as the train chugged through the towns and suburbs towards the bustling and exciting port city of Newcastle. After my mother completed her tasks - dental or doctor visits or buying new school shoes for me we would browse in David Jones. David Jones was the epitome of glamour and as far away from the simple old cottage I shared with my 3 siblings and mother. I can still smell the hot buttery cookies in the food hall - if the budget allowed my mother would buy them as a treat.

Watermelon Birthday Cake

What kind of birthday cake do you make for someone on a diet.... a fabulous watermelon cake of course! This was made for my brother-in-law by a colleague.

Even the candles are made of fruit

Making candles for the Blackheath Community Market

Preparing for Blackheath Community Market on Sunday. Fortified with a coffee from my favourite cafe in Katoomba ... The Gingerbread House - they make great coffees and tasty treats and sell all things ginger and have friendly staff :)

A storybook wooden soldier greets you at the entrance

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When the sweet scent of  Jasmine is in the air - Christmas is around the corner!

 

Time to make Christmas candles .....

 

Fresh lime candles for an Aussie summer Christmas and Cinnamon, Lavender & Mandarin (my 'chai' candles) for a cosy Christmas glow