How does your garden grow?

Saturday was a beautiful warm day. 21C. YAY. Jon and I decided to enjoy it outside, rather than cooped up inside, and so we went to bunnings, and bought some veggies to plant. (Yes, I dragged Jon away from practicing music for Sunday Church, it wasn't even too hard with the allure of warmth outside!)

I counted the number of seedlings in each punnet to get the maximum quantity of plants for $. I managed to get a bonus zucchini and a bonus tomato plant in my search. So it was well worth it.

We don't have much garden. (more than at our old apartment), but still not much at all. So we planted them in our skinny little strip between our front door and the street. Here are some photos for you.

I also popped some seeds (basil and coriander) into pots, so hopefully soon we can have some fresh herbs to cook with. And we harvested the first of our compost, so hopefully they will all grow well!
~Liz

Christmas Cards

I have been making lots of screens, and printing lots of Christmas cards over the last week or so. I did attempt to make a permanent screen with drawing fluid, and screen filler, which turned into the biggest disaster since.... who knows when. (But I'll do a post on how not to make a permanent screen soon).

Anyway, I returned to my true and tried method of making non-permanent screens, and this is an action shot of some printing in progress.

And yes, I am listening to Joy the Baker Podcasts while printing.
~ Liz

PS. My cards are now for sale on etsy. www.velvetlyric.etsy.com

What we cooked

SALMON and SALAD
Jon requested Salad. 'It is time for Salad. I feel like Salad'. I think it has something to do with spring.

So we made some salmon with greens, carrots, beans, and some other things. Don't ask me what I put in any of it... I sort of just make things up as I go along. A technique that causes me to never be able to cook the same thing twice!

~ Liz

Spring has sprung

It is warming up. The defrost is starting to happen! Not that it was ever that cold... Just Melbourne cold! And our house doesn't have ANY insulation, so was often colder inside than out. (oh and the heating sucked). Not that I'm complaining right!!!! (The joys of renting)

Anyhoo, now it is warm, I work all day with the doors and windows of my house flung open. I only occasionally have bird incidents (not in any way hipster) where birds get trapped in my passage way.

But here is a photo of what I can see when I look out my kitchen window. A fern unfurling new fronds. Quite beautiful.

~Liz

What we cooked

PASTIES
Jon and I decided we should cook pasties. When we cook pasties we do not do it by halves! So... here is a photo of them all layed out, ready to be folded and put into the oven. (In three loads). Yep we made 13 pasties. Big ones too!

They tasted brilliant, and we still have a freezer full of them.

Ingredients: potato, carrot, swede, turnip, cabbage, minced beef, pepper and salt. frozen puff pastry

Method: Make big ingredients small in which ever manner you choose (mince, dice, grind, buy a fabulous choppy thing), mix together (most effective using hands), pile onto puff pastry. Fold in half or in any way you like, as long as the seams are joined (use a fork). Bake until cooked. (golden, maybe 25min?!)

See my recipes are in a language only I can understand! (Sorry)
~ Liz

A little amusing

The other day while walking down the street with my friend getting our lunch we saw this rather amusing sight. It was parked just on the edge of the road. I thought it was kinda cool and quirky.
~ Liz

Funtastic Friday...

Every Friday a friend and I run a craft group. It is my favourite day of the week. This week I sewed a test pattern for an apron. This is what it looked like. (I actually sewed the pocket on crooked -oops)

Our craft group is run as both a place where friends are made, and where community service hours can be done. The group is part of five8, who have friendship groups for prisoners, and other such things. Check out their website five8.org. 

We sew lots of other things for the five8 social enterprise, such as wheatbags, re-usable fruit and veggie bags, and scarves. We often have stalls and such things too, and are going to set up a online shop soon, where you can find five8's products to buy.

I will do a full post of our Friday fun and frivolity soon.... one day!
~ Liz

I got my tablet!

Friday I collected my tablet from the shop of awkward teenagers (see painting over Jon). I got it successfully, managing to navigate my way through the awkward moments of non-communication... I then got home, took the necessary shots of me and my new drawing tablet, marvelled at the cool packaging the whole time I was un-wrapping it, and then even more to my surprise, I was met by.... cool geometric, geographic keys! I thought they were pretty sweet, and proceeded to look at it all weekend, (because if I installed and used it Jon would be like 'stop working on the weekend...' etc). And so today I have finally installed and drawn with it all day! Hooray! I'm getting used to the different thing it does, and the weight I need to use to draw etc. Now to finish those Christmas card designs! :D