It's coming

What's coming?  Spring of course.  On a day like today there's no denying it.

Almost overnight buds have appeared on shrubs and trees.

Gardens are shedding the last of their camelia flowers to make way for fresh azalea blooms.

Jacarandas are turning golden yellow before dropping their foliage in readiness for Sydney to be brushed with a haze of purple.  I know this glorious weather won't last and winter will return in its last desperate bid to hang around.  But in three days it will be spring, wonderful spring.

August has been such a busy and eventful month, with three family birthdays just as a start.  Our ten year-old granddaughter was selected to present the ball at the opening of the Netball World Cup game between Australia and England before a crowd of over 16,000 (images taken by an excited mother).  She couldn't take the smile off her face and at the end of the game she was presented with the ball signed by the Australian captain.  Australia won that game and went on to win the World Cup against New Zealand.

Ten days ago we drove our daughter and son-in-law to the airport as they set off on a four month adventure around England, Ireland and Europe.  Maz's painting, They Never Saw It Coming, had been selected out of over 850 submissions as a finalist in the Mosman Art Prize 2015 which opened on 25 July.  Somewhat belatedly Tony and I visited the gallery a couple of days ago and were delighted to see that the painting had been sold.  We were able to pass on the glad tidings to Maz as they landed in Dublin.

On the sewing front, I was on a self-imposed deadline to finish a quilt for my granddaughter.  She is at the horse-crazy stage and her mother bought a quilt kit from No Chintz which I was only too happy to put together.  I sewed the label on the back on Wednesday morning and by that evening it was on her bed.  She loves it, thank goodness!

One of the FaceBook pages I follow had a sew-along last week.  It involved a pattern which I had bought a few months back and had not got around to making, so it was the perfect opportunity to join in.  It was a fun project and I was very happy with the result, so much so that I will be working on a similar style for the upcoming summer range of Hot Fudge which will be available soon in my Etsy and MadeIt shops.

To round off the week I made this skirt.  It's one of my favourites and is so easy to wear.  I made it in size 10, but it's available in limited supplies made to order in sizes 5 to 13/14 in my shops listed above.

So much for August.  Hurry up September, I am totally over winter.

Grandparents

When life is getting you down and you don't want to carry on, stick around.  One day you may become a grandparent and then the fun begins.

This morning we were invited by two of our grandchildren to visit their school for Grandparents' Day.  Who could resist?

The parish church was packed to the rafters, the old mixing with the alarmingly young.  If the streets were devoid of seniors today, they were all here, or so it seemed.

After morning tea our granddaughter showed us around her classroom.

Quilt designs, surely.

Apart from all her special friends, we were introduced to the Class Plant.  'Ello, Vera!

There were lots of warm smiles and moist eyes when the class sang You've Got a Friend.

Complete with perfectly co-ordinated hand actions.  What stars.

Walking back to the car, we were stunned to come across a tree in full blossom.  It's mid-winter - what are you thinking of?  

But on reflection, it was so appropriate.  We had just left beautiful children blossoming into tomorrow's promise.  We are in good hands.

The Darling Buds of September

It's coming, you can feel it in the air.  Spring arrived today fresh and clear, but the one element missing was warmth.  And I love warmth.

We had some good friends over for lunch on Thursday and one couple brought these delightful cornflowers, which with their stunning blue have to be my favourite Spring flowers.

  

With the promise of a new season waiting in the wings, August was a very busy month for me, with sales on both my Etsy and MadeIt stores.  Among the orders I had to make up were these heart garlands.  Spring weddings are obviously on the agenda.

I completed an order this morning and we headed to the Post Office to get it on its way.  What a delightful surprise to discover that these trees, which were bare a week ago, are now blossoming.

With a sky like this, it's hard not to smile.

The flower vendor in the mall had a glorious array of brilliant colour to tempt the passer-by.

But now it's back to the machine to make one of these ...

one of these ...

 and one of these.

Then I can start on my new season's range in time for the Christmas rush.  Did I say Christmas???

Grandparents' Day

The invitation came from two of our grandchildren to attend their school to celebrate Grandparents' Day.  So there we were this morning in the parish church which was packed to the rafters with that wonderful mix of old and young.

After Mass we grey brigade had time for a quick cuddle of our grandchildren before the smell of fresh coffee lured us to the assembly hall for morning tea. Ah ... real coffee and home-made cakes and pastries.

The school string orchestra entertained us with the Three Minute Waltz which, while it was probably more the Five and a Half Minute Waltz, was warmly appreciated by the audience.

The assembly was then delighted to be entertained by the Kindergarten and Grade 2 classes.  We Fudges were extra chuffed, having a grandchild in each of those classes.  I won't embarrass them by pointing them out, but they are the cute ones.

I had to sneak out early as I had an appointment I couldn't break and was brought up with a jolt when I saw this blossoming tree. Could it be signs of an early Spring?  Probably not, but it was the perfect ending to a delightful morning.  You wouldn't miss out on being a grandparent for quids.

Is Spring just a few days away? One can only hope.

Shopping malls are not usually pretty places, but our local shopping centre was a feast for the eye this morning after several weeks of really cold weather.

Sanity is slowly returning to Apartment du Fudge as we gradually settle into our new life back in Sydney.  There were the usual glitches which come with moves - internet refusing to co-operate, discovering that the removalists managed to break both our printers beyond repair, etc, etc.  However, these painful experiences will soon fade and life will return to normal.

I have had a few sales this month on Etsy and MadeIt which is wonderful, but I am now running a little low on stock which means I must get back into sewing mode.  All I have to do is unpack the balance of my fabrics and find a place to put it all.  Then maybe I can access the Bernina which is currently skulking away in the built-in wardrobe, trying to stay out of mischief. 

This dress was featured in Staff Picks (staff member Tian) on MadeIt this week, which was a thrill to see.

It was my son-in-law's birthday on Saturday, so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to test out the new oven.  The lemon meringue pie is one of those recipes handed down over the generations and it was a relief to see it come out of the oven successfully.  Here's the recipe which you may want to try.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Pastry: (makes enough for a 25cm (10 in) base, rolled thinly

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain flour

90g butter, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons castor sugar

2 egg yolks

rind 1 lemon, grated

1 or 2 teaspoons lemon juice as needed

Filling:

4 tablespoons plain flour

4 tablespoons cornflour

2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

¾ cup lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1¼ cups water

90g butter or substitute

4 egg yolks

 

Meringue:

4 egg whites

2 tablespoons water

Pinch salt

¾ cup castor sugar

 

Method

Sift flour into a bowl.  Add chopped butter to flour, rub in until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Place the egg yolks, lemon rind and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice in the centra.  Extra lemon can be added as needed.  Gradually work the flour mixture in and then knead.  If it looks dry, sprinkle the extra lemon juice over the top.  Mix until it is smooth.  Form into a disk and refrigerate 30 minutes. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface to fit 25 cm pie plate.

Trim and decorate edges. Prick base and sides of pastry with fork. Line with baking paper and weigh down with pastry weights or uncooked rice.  Bake in moderately hot oven (200°) 10 to 15 minutes, remove the pastry weights and baking paper and bake until lightly browned. Allow to cool.

Combine sifted flours, lemon rind, lemon juice and sugar in saucepan. Add water, blend until smooth, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens. This is important. The mixture must boil. Reduce heat, stir a further 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter and lightly beaten egg yolks; stir until butter has melted. Cool.

Spread cold lemon filling evenly into pastry case. Combine egg whites, water and salt in a small bowl or electric mixer. Beat on high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beat well until sugar has dissolved. Spoon on top of lemon filling, spreading meringue to edges of pie, to seal; peak meringue decoratively with knife.

Bake in moderate oven (180°) 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool, then refrigerate.

Bon appetit!