larder

There’s been a lot of discussion on other blogs lately about grocery shopping habits and ways to cut spending. It’s a topic that’s very much on my mind right now. Determined to shave a few dollars off the weekly food budget and  empty my deep freezer so it can be defrosted, I’ve changed the way I [...]

crochet heart

My name is Di and I am a crochet addict. It’s been 2 hours since my last stitch. I’ve already shared with you my first pathetic attempts to learn crochet here  and here on the blog. Despite my initial enthusiasm, I really struggled to learn and remember the various stitches and terminology of the patterns.  A Learn [...]

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Time to get away, celebrate, unwind, laugh with friends, enjoy good food, drink great wine and explore the countryside. It was the perfect long weekend. A girlie afternoon tea with special friends and endless champagne. A missed train. A new crochet project and stitches mastered. Crackling fires. Clinking glasses. Feeding alpacas. Lazy mornings. Banana bread [...]

fireplace

Its finally ticked over to Winter here in Melbourne. Frosty starts, drizzly rain and chilly evenings have set in and we haven’t turned on the heater yet. Yep, you read that correctly. We have NOT turned on the heating. Are we mad? Crazy? Wearing donna suits all day long? Nope. We’re trying to get by [...]

banana bread with spread

I think I just died and went to heaven. This banana bread is amazing. So good that I think I deserve a pat on the back: One, two, three. Well done me. Its also so easy to make, especially if you have a gazillion bananas stashed away in your freezer like I do. OK, a gazillion is [...]

lunch order

Have you ever had to resort to the lunch order bribe to get your kid to go to school? I did this morning. Olive wouldn’t get out of bed. After the 4th attempt to rouse her she told me she had a sore throat and a cough and that she needed a ‘home day’. I [...]

Lemony Sour Cream Cakelets

I love it when a plan comes together. I had a huge tub of sour cream sitting in the fridge needing to be used and a couple of tired lemons languishing in the fruit bowl. Inspired by the success of my one bowl, 1st Prize Chocolate Cake, I threw everything in, crossed my fingers and [...]

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I think my belly has finally recovered from the afternoon tea extravaganza that was Mother’s Day this year. Olive restrained herself from bursting into our room until 7.30am, showering me with hugs and kisses before scrambling to find the presents she had hidden away in the playroom. A Sussan gift voucher, a Breville Jaffle Maker, [...]