Finding joy in the everyday

(My dad use to make these on Sunday evenings - they would turn out crispy around the edges - he didn't use matzo meal - however matzo meal makes the pancakes so much lighter) Ingredients 3 large potatoes (peeled and grated) 2 onions (grated) 4 tablespoons matzo meal** ( 2 tablespoon matzo meal and 2 tablespoon plain flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 eggs (lightly beaten) 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste Method Grate the potatoes and rinse (in a sieve) to remove as much of the starch as possible Transfer grated potato to a bowl and add the onion, matzo meal, baking powder, eggs, sugar, salt/pepper and mix together until well combined. heat oil in fry pan (about 1cm covering bottom). Drop spoonfuls o the potato batter into the pan (they can be big or bit size). Fry over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until underside is brown, turn and fry second side When cooked, keep warm in oven. Service with sour cream (or in an Australia tomato sauce) - I pr...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Caius and Wendy and Danny ( + Bill Gates of Microsoft and Jonas Salk who developed the vaccine against Polio !) Below are some cute photos of Caius as a little boy. He was (and still is) a very caring lovable boy with a cheeky grin who knows how to convince his mother to do things for him!! We had pizzas and cheesecake for dinner which was very nice.

These 3 photos come from my mother - the one above is one of my mum when she was a little girl (1937/8) with her own mother (who died at the age of 52 in 1943). When I scanning these photos I can't help but think about their lives. Even though they are my family I really know very little about their day-to-day activities. How was their life different to ours, what were their worries, how did the war affect them? Was it more complicated or less? And what was it like being a young woman in those days. And how did they live without the computer and mobile phone!! The whole family and the family dog taken at Hugh Street. Uncle David is next to my mother (with dog). Grandpa and his daughters (Auntie Peg, Auntie Joan and Auntie Mary) - notice that he doesn't look happy - he is frowning at mum because she is wearing a "bracket" that she had made. It was a BIG no no!!! and she got into big trouble!!

While I was in Adelaide we visited an Art and Craft Market where we looked at some artwork by Grant Young. The pieces were beautiful and I couldn't help myself and I bought a painting of a still life (flowers). Below is our lounge room and the painting is above the lounge suite (1 x 1m). Tristan and Caius both love it, in particular Caius - he loves the texture and layering of painting (this is what attracted me to the work). And it still smells like the acrylic painting. This is the garden beds I have been working in this weekend. I planted lavender x 3, curry plant x 3, daisies (yellow, coral and purple) x 3 + another flowering plant (x 4) which I can't remember the name of! Then mulched it all. I have also ordered 100 Autumn bulbs!!! AND now it is raining which will give everything a good watering. The lavender is doing so well this year - so good that I have planted 3 more (Italian Lavender). Did you know that it is 8 weeks to Christmas??!! and 9 weeks to the end of ...

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. (Author unknown) If you are new to this blog, don't forget to write a comment. I LOVE hearing from new people:)

Haven't done a book review for a while: 1. Child of Our Time by Ruth David: a fascinating (but sad) book about the Second World War and how the British Government decided to save some of the children by bringing them to England ( mostly from Germany). However Ruth and a group of other girls ended up in a hostel run by 2 women who knew nothing about children and treated them rather horribly and without any emotions to how they must have felt leaving their parents wondering if they would ever see them again. Ruth never saw her parents again, they died like many millions of other Jews. 2. Rifling though my drawers by Clarrisa Dickson Wright: bought this one in Adelaide - its has pockets of interesting facts but overall not the best book I have read. Currently reading: 1. After 30 years I am re-reading Anne of Green Gables and loving it. It is beautifully written in a style suited to both young and old girls. 2. The Purpose Driven Life by Rich Warren: the verdict is still out o...

On Saturday I got Tristan to cut back the mint we have growing in the garden (and I have quite a lot) and as he loves to cook he was quite happy to oblige. He made a big jar of mint sauce - he was going to make mint jelly (which I prefer) but it was a bit tricky - maybe next time. My garden is looking great - so full of colour, like the daisies below. I have lots of these in pinks, purple and white as they grew so easy, cope with drought and frost + add so much colour. They also spread and pop up in other places and I just love it when plants naturalise. The lavender this year is looking great - must be the rains we had in spring. I am so pleased with it I am going to buy some more plants on the weekend and fill up some empty gaps. The bees are very happy. I have been meaning to put the following pictures up - they are from a walk Steven and I did around a local lake a few Sundays ago. Steven sat down at the edge of the lake and all these birds raced to see him. They were disappo...