Yeah but.... yeah but.....

So I've been a bit AWOL over the past few weeks, and I'm sorry I haven't been stopping by and visiting/commenting on everyone's blogs.  You see it all started with a bit of tooth ache, and a filling that didn't achieve the desired effect.  Then there was a tooth pulling followed by 10 days with a painful jaw.  Then just as I was coming good our broadband was all used up for the month, mainly because some little person can't get enough of Peppa Pig via Youtube on Mummy's ipod touch (that's been banned now....).  So here I am, minus a molar, broadband at the ready, and bursting to share with you some photos of a recent trip on the Don River Railway -

Sadly Tasmania doesn't have passenger trains.  With a total population of about 500,000 it's easy to see why the state couldn't justify a passenger network, so we only have freight trains (here's an example my Mum loaded onto Flickr the other day).

So it became a family day out, because we all love trains.  That's two of my sisters, father and nephew there.

I think the train love affair is in the blood.

Angus was a little unsure at first but it didn't take long.  Bless him.

It's not a very long trip, which I think is good as far as the little ones are concerned.

Thankfully for my sister Renee, things have changed.  In more ways than one.....

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . .

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

I must do this more often.

Blog about clothes makeovers that is.  I've done quite a bit of it lately and don't have any photos to show for it.  Naughty me.  So here's a fresh start -

A nice little op shop (thrift) find.  An older girls' hipster skirt in little girls' colours.  I knew I'd regret it if I didn't fork out the $2, and felt confident I could convert it into a dress for my girl (I had already taken out the side zip when I took this photo).

I thought I could do enough shirring on the yoke to bring it down to size enough but I think there was too much bulk, and I didn't want to start cutting bits out of it to make the shirring work.  It needed to be simple.  Luckily the skirt was lined, which meant I could sew a few parallel lines of stitching and thread hat elastic through.  Easy peasy, and has also given it a lovely fulness.  Sorry it's not the best photo, we've had a dull rainy day here today and this was the only photo where she kept still.  Although I do like this photo as well -

She's a very busy girl you know......

Oh and that footstool she's leaning against.  That's on the makeover list too.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Post 203

Instead of a giveaway, which I really don't have time for, I thought I'd give you a recipe instead.  I've been making bread for years but have never had a great deal of success.  I knew it was in the second rising and despite trying different techniques of kneading, rising, baking times and temperatures it just wouldn't work.

And then Margaret Fulton came to my rescue.

I guess Margaret Fulton is the original celebrity Australian chef, and her cookbooks are much coveted.  So when I found a small volume in amongst Ant's recipe books I was pleasantly surprised, especially when I came across her recipe for a single rise brown bread.  And it works.  Beautifully.  Every time.

I've adjusted ingredients, measurements and method enough to feel that I can safely publish it here.  The original recipe was also for two loaves and I've changed it to one.

One-Rise Brown Bread

2 tbs             fresh yeast

1 tbs              castor sugar

2 ¼                cups warm water

375g             wholewheat flour

375g             white bread flour

2 tsp             salt

2 tbs             vegetable oil

1 tbs             honey

 

Place yeast, sugar and warm water in a small bowl, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and make a well in the centre.  Add the yeast mixture once it has activated and gently stir to combine.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and need for 10 minutes, until it is smooth and springy.  Place inside your greased loaf tin.  Cover with a piece of oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour until it’s doubled in size.  Brush the top with a little water and sprinkle on poppy seeds (or sesame seeds, or whatever takes your fancy).

Bake in a preheated hot oven, 230˚c (450˚F) for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 200˚c (400˚F), and bake for a further 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped.  Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Counting

 Counting two, yes two quilts finished this year already.  I can't actually say they were started this year but that's beside the point, getting two quilts finished within two weeks of each other has been a great boost to the spirits.  (and yes, I made a matching hat for Tamsyn's dress)

This first one is Angus' cot quilt, which I started while still pregnant with him.  Thank goodness I finished it before he grew out of the cot.....  It's made from some Heather Ross 'Far far away' fabric (the Owl and the Pussycat is the print in the centre panel).  Being a lovely sturdy cotton linen blend I'm hoping it will withstand some of the treatment that my little bulldozer can inflict.

 Some of you may remember the hexagon star quilt I began way long ago, before children were even a twinkle in our eyes.  So it hardly seems real that I've finished it.  Mostly hand sewn (I only used the machine for adding the border and binding), I wanted to hand paper piece it and use fabrics purely from my stash - some of which would be over 20 years old now.

I also hand quilted it, which is so very satisfying but virtually impossible to do while pregnant.  Hence the delay with completion.  Tamsyn doesn't seem to mind, and has requested it on her bed every night since.  So I'm guessing it's hers now.  Still haven't come up with a name for it either, it's always been called the Hexagon Star quilt....

Also counting: 200 posts!  I know this isn't much of a milestone for a lot of bloggers but for someone who seriously considered to stop blogging altogether mid last year it means something to me.  I want to do a giveaway but haven't quite decided what yet, as the idea is still brewing......

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

. . . . . . . .

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

After the heat of the day, a photo by rufus48 (Fer) on Flickr.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

{this moment}

I've decided to join Soulemama for 'this moment' each Friday.  That way I can keep the blog updated without having to think of anything witty to say...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.