Happy Father's Day Jeff!

Happy Father's day Jeff! I made a cute little card ... it features BUNKY THE ART SPARROW, now in small form and with a die to cut him out! It also features a stamp that looks like washi tape. I have plenty of washi tape, but I'm really drawn to the fake stamp that looks like it.

How craft skills will save you time and money

Having craft tools around, and the skills to use them, can save you so much money. So much.

Like, if you had a 2x2 Rubik's cube, and some of the stickers were a bit damaged, what would you do. Throw it out?

Not me. I used colourful cardstock, a square punch, glue and satin varnish to make it as good as new!

Well, Thomas was pleased.

One thing I've learned about gardening...

... is that it's probably best to let carrots grow in rather a DEEP pot.

You're still in time for the Hot Chocolate Festival

Did you know there's a Chocolaterie in the Yarra Valley? Well, there is. Yarra Valley Chocolaterie will serve you a better than average hot chocolate any day of the week, and if you can get out without buying a treat to take home, you're a better woman (or man) than I.

Right now (August 2013) is the Hot Chocolate Festival. They have 31 special flavours, and you get to vote on your favourite. They've organised it to be seven flavours every seven days, so no danger of finding the one flavour you didn't like being the only thing on the menu. We've had two visits - we have a learner driver in the family (who has to fill in a log book with 120 hours of proper supervised driving practice), and she thinks a one hour drive, then chocolate, then a one hour drive is a morning well spent.

I had Lemon Myrtle in week 1. Oh wow. Lemon Myrtle is a bush food you need to get into your repertoire, it's fabulous.

That's a shot of melted milk chocolate next to it, and a handmade marshmallow.

Jeff recommends the mint...

While Catriona favours Cookies and Cream.

That was week 1.

In week 2 we had macadamia (amaaazingly good), mocha (big coffee hit, apparently) and jaffa (never fails to be a good combo). No photos that time.

And this weekend, it's week 3, but our driver is busy singing and dancing. Shall we have driving practice without her?

You must become a John Finnemore fan!

Who's the funniest comedy writer working today? Why, it's John Finnemore! If you want a treat on your iPod, you should hunt down Cabin Pressure, and Souvenir Programme.  Cabin Pressure is a sit com based at a tiny airline. It stars the now-very-famous Benedict Cumberbatch, but of course when it started, he was just part of the talented ensemble. And Souvenir Programme is a sketch show, featuring some of the cleverest and funniest sketches I've ever heard. There's one about grasshoppers, honestly, cleverest thing ever, but you'll have to work up to it.

Here's a link to the first episode of Cabin Pressure, and here's one for Souvenir Programme.

And here is a link to Mr Finnemore's own blog, a terrific read (his descriptions of procrastinating at the British Library when he's supposed to be writing are particularly worthwhile).

And here ... this is good ... is a sketch he wrote, and wasn't able to use in the new Souvenir Programme, so he kindly gave it to all of us.

And here are my twins, Jonathan (left) and Thomas (right) performing the sketch after dinner. I was amazed at how it came to life in performance. Even though I'd read it, I giggled myself silly! And anything that gets 15 year old boys away from the computer is a good thing.

So thanks for a lot of laughs, Mr Finnemore, and get back to that next writing thing you were supposed to be working on.

We got cockatoos!

Well, who's that in the garden? We seem to have some cockatoos visiting the bird bell! Jeff loves getting birds into the garden, so is is a real score.

Interesting cooking lately

I've been doing plenty of interesting cooking lately ...

There's this. Sourdough starter. I have two going, one I made myself, and one I got from a shop. They're both good. This one wears a hat so I know which one it is.

With a good starter, I make bread like this any day! Well, I make it with yeast too, but starter is extra satisfying, and it tastes pretty good.

I've made yoghurt too, pretty successfully... I used the dehydrator to keep it at the required temperature, and that was successful.











Since the dehydrator was on, got to make some fruit leather too. This is kiwi fruit, very tart and tangy.

Sprouted some barley in a jar ...

... and used it to make malted barley flour! That goes into the bread too. I dried the sprouted grains in the dehydrator too. The sourdough starter hitched a ride on the dehydrator too, so I think we can safely say, nothing went to waste.