Christmas cakes and puddings

I love making Christmas puddings.  Each October I travel to Mum and Dad's house and make a day of it.  I always make two, sometimes three.  One to test before Christmas, one for big day, and one to eat in January, just to string out the holiday feeling a bit longer and feed any loitering holiday makers.

Mum throws the silver coins into the mixture and everyone who happens to be there stirs in a wish.  Mum and I usually stir in a few extras for absent siblings.  But it never goes quite according to plan.  The silver coins go missing every second year (Mum likes to store them in a very "safe" place), we often have to improvise trivets out of coils of gardening wire, and they have been known to boil dry while we get on with other things.  Whatever happens, there is pudding on the table on Christmas Day.  Though this year they're forecasting 30C.  Perhaps I should turn it into pudding icecream.

This year the Goslings and I travelled to Port Fairy
to make a day of it with some of the family.

I think the puddings will be delicious.  I'll let you know.  The cakes are another story altogether.  They were a DISASTER.  I don't want to relive it in detail - here's the abridged version.  I have a spicy, delicious recipe with secret ingredients (actually, not a secret at all, they're green peppercorns) from a Family Circle Christmas book, circa 1983.  It's a winner.  I always make a massive batch of this mixture and turn it into a number of cakes of different sizes, for different people and occasions.  So, it's a LOT of cake.  The past couple of years I've tried to take some of the mystery out of baking a perfect fruit cake and studied up.  I've drawn on advice from show judges, the CWA and a number of internet searches.  Technically, I know what makes a prize winning cake.  In practice, I produced several black lumps.  I blame the oven.  By the time I realised they couldn't possibly cook in the centre without the tops turning to charcoal it was too late.  I've never made them in this oven before, but should have known it would be tricky -  the cursed thing has ruined a number of efforts over the past two years.  Anyway, I'm declaring 2012 the year of the fruitcake.  I'm going to practice throughout the year until I can turn out a reliably delicious fruitcake.  I like the idea because fruit cakes keep for AGES and I'm never tempted to eat the whole thing as quickly as possible, which is the case with every other cake.  And the Gander doesn't like them, so they tend to last in this house.  Here's a picture of this year's horrible Christmas cake.  Consider it a "before" shot.  I'll upload the "after"s during the year.

PS.  I read recently in the Age that you can salvage a burnt Christmas cake by shaving off the black bits, stabbing it all over with a wooden skewer, drenching it in liqueur, and covering it with marzipan and royal icing.  Which I would do if I had time to burn.  I might get as far as the liqueur step.

Holidays

I'm back.  Not sure for how long, maybe just today.  Lots has been happening.

Firstly, we've been overseas for five weeks, visiting the Gander's parents.  Our only purpose was to spend quality time with loved ones, and I'm happy to say "mission accomplished".  It was lovely mooching about with them, just playing and eating and chatting at their home.  We put no pressure on ourselves to race around the countryside doing things, or being tourists.  We had little day trips to places of interest, but nothing too strenuous.

A picnic in the woods

And I think that was the way to go ... we couldn't have managed much more.  A thirty hour journey is hard work at the best of times, but hungry, sleepy babies in airport lounges at midnight really takes it to the next level.  The Goslings did marvellously well, and we managed to avoid any major meltdowns, but unless you have a very good reason for going, I couldn't recommend taking such young children around the world for fun.

Anyway, within days of arriving both Grandies were firmly wrapped around the Goslings little fingers, giving me and the Gander a chance to nap and recover our equilibrium.  The weather was GLORIOUS, so we spent much of time in the garden.  It's very easy to see where the Gander and Goslings have inherited any interest and skill in gardening from ... the Grandies are mad keen, and indeed, are recognised as amateur experts in some particular fields.

Grandma and Little Miss Gosling gardening

So, a month flew by and we left with heavy hearts.  Homecoming was a mixed bag of emotions ... I know the Gander pines for some things about his home country, but we rejoiced over the clear nights where the moon and stars light up the sky rather than aircraft, and the quiet and space we have at home.  It's peaceful.

Civic cabbages

The council gets a big thumbs up from me for its public flowers.  There are loads and they're all beautifully maintained.  The roses at Vansittart Park and the Cave Gardens are lovely but at this time of year they are nothing more than bare stumpy sticks.  Planted beneath them though are an abundance of cabbages.  There are also loads in planter boxes down Commercial street and the middle of roundabouts.  They're a quirky splash of colour in winter.  I love them.

Busy down on the farm

The old diary, tyres and submersible pump

It might not look like much but this tiny part of our five acres has been the focus of our most expensive works since we moved here 18 months ago.  And there's nothing to show for it!

Because our little farmlet was the result of a subdivision, our water supply was still connected to the neighbouring farm's.  The same pump was filling their cow troughs and our toilet. $5000 later and the problem has been fixed .... at our expense as the pump is on our land.

Right next to this pesky pump is a pile of old tyres.   It turns out 155 car tyres and 14 truck tyres were left on the property, which we inadvertently purchased with the house and land.  The only legal way to dispose of them is to have them taken away to a special facility that shreds them and passes them on to be recycled.  Having them removed set us back another $1200.

Infant orchard

On the positive side, we just finished planting the orchard.  Last year we put in four apples and a lemon.  Actually there's a funny story here.  There was a fruit tree already growing slap bang in the middle of our planned path.  Dad told me he thought it was a mulberry.  I LOVE mulberries and really wanted to save the tree.  It was surrounded by heavy duty wire and it had grown so large it was being strangled.  I snipped all the wire away and the Gander transplanted it into our new orchard.  A couple of months later it sprouted some leaves ... and then nine cherries!  Yum.  I love cherries too and they grow very well in this climate.  Anyway, we just planted an apricot, a peacherine, a greengage, an orange and a crab apple.  There's one spot left for an avocado - we'll plant that in spring and see how it goes.

A baby blanket

A dear friend of mine had her first baby yesterday.  I made her a blanket a few weeks ago in anticipation of the happy event.

My Mum is a very skilled seamstress, capable of making beautiful evening wear, hardy children's clothing and the most delicate decorative hand stitching.  Needless to say, I'm wanting in all these areas.  But she inspires me to give it a go, and I have another incentive - my Granny's sewing machine.  Check it out.  She bought it in Nigeria in 1952.  I had a few sewing lessons last year and my teacher could hardly hide her horror at such an antique, but it goes forwards and backwards, and does zig zag and button holes - more than enough for me!

Anyway, here is the blanket.  It is cotton on one side and fleecy and chenille on the other, with ribbons round the edge.  Miss Gosling was given a similar one when she was born and she loved the ribbons once she became aware of their existence and had some control over her hands.

Sheep for beginners

The sheep and I have not got along since we met about a year ago at the saleyards.  It's been a troubled relationship to say the least.  And hopefully, it will end tomorrow morning without too much drama.  And honestly sheep, in this case it really wasn't you, it was me.

I had NO IDEA what we were getting into.  I have grown up surrounded by literally thousands and thousands of sheep and they all look so happy and fat and healthy.  I know they need crutching, drenching, shearing ... too easy.  NOT.  When do you do these things?   I've been driving about peering into paddocks noting what the farmers are doing to their gazillion sheep and inflicting it on our seven.  And what about their horny curly toenails?  I watched a tute on the web about how to pare them back with garden secateurs.  They were crutched with my sewing scissors after the hand shears proved impossible to handle.  Both procedures were effective but the poor sheep.  Each time they saw me approach they shrank into the furthest corner of the paddock.

Which brings me to our main sheep trouble - rounding the flaming things up.  First of all, in my defence, for the entire duration of their stay with us I have either been heavily pregnant or had a baby strapped on in a sling - so I haven't been the most agile jillaroo.  We have also been a bit hampered by lack of sheep dog / ATV and sheep yards.  The Gander very cleverly crafted some makeshift yards out of star pickets and old gates, which work a treat as a holding pen, but lack a race to funnel them in.  And the fiesty ones have been known to jump over the side.  Luckily the flocking instinct is strong and they jumped back in.

All this has resulted in a lot of us chasing them around the paddock, literally in circles.  The Gander seems to know what he's doing, but he tells me I have no affinity for sheep, that I can't think like one, because I'm always moving at the wrong speed in the wrong direction and actually help the sheep evade the yard. 

So, Plan B.  The past 10 days I've been feeding them lupins in the pen.  Apparently lupins, and other grains, are like sweets for sheep and ours certainly love them.  (Who knows how much to give them, or if lupins are good for them.  Two of my million unanswered sheep questions.)  My plan was to wait til they were all in there munching away, sneak up and close the gate behind them.  Two things I didn't anticipate - firstly, they eat the lupins at dawn.  I'm usually up, but in my pyjamas and home alone with the babies.  That hasn't stopped me nipping out in pyjamas and gumboots when it's 1C, but I find that secondly, there are always two keeping sentry while the other scoffs a snack.  The minute they see me they trot out of the pen.

Onto Plan C.  Yesterday we strapped kids into pram and left them outside the paddock.  Then the Gander, a skillful cyclist, lifted his deadly treadly over the fence, planted me by the gate, and with a few sneaky twists and turns herded the sheep into the pen.  I slammed the gate behind them.  Yay! We should have thought of the bike earlier!

Tomorrow they are going to be slaughtered, destined for our deep freeze.  And I'm very sorry to say they aren't in great nick.  While they are generally healthy and have had enough to eat and drink, they could have used a bit more TLC.  And I'm sorry these sheep were our guinea pigs, but I have learnt so much from this experience and expect the next sheep that come to stay with us will be much happier, fatter and relaxed.  I'll keep you posted!

Mother Goose's take home tips for looking after sheep.

• If you don't have a working dog or a motorbike, and suitable experience, buy the sheep young and treat them like pets.  They must be relaxed and happy in your company.  The problem with ours was we only rounded them up every couple of months to flip them upside down and do horrible things to their bottoms or toes.  No wonder they became hysterical when we tried to catch them.

• Get a local to help you develop a calendar of what needs doing when.  When's shearing? Crutching? Drenching?  And then just do it.  Don't wait til you think your sheep looks licey or might have worms.  Too late, the poor things are suffering.

Have you got any other tips?  I'd love to hear them.  As you will have gathered, I need all the help I can get!

Mount Gambier Public Library does it again!

A quick post just to remind you how much I love the library.

We went last Sunday to check out the Trash and Treasure event on the verandah.  Anyone could book a table for $10 and sell their odds and ends.  I found this gorgeous hand painted bowl for 50 cents and a few Playschool DVDs for a couple of dollars.  They're very old episodes - my vintage in fact!  I love seeing Noni, Benita and John again and Miss Gosling doesn't know any better. She has a pavlovian response to the theme song, it sends her straight to the couch, quiet and happy for half an hour.  So, very happy with my little haul.

Inside they had an ocean touch pool.  I'm not sure why, I didn't stop to read the posters, but spent ages bent down with the Goslings watching and touching a little shark, sting ray, lobster and an enormous hermit crab. How cool is that?

On the other side of the library were activities marking Environment Month.  There was craft with recycled materials for kids - Miss Gosling fashioned something out of an old toilet roll, with lots of dots stuck on it.  And there were talks on sustainable housing.  Right up my alley.

And no trip to the library is complete without a few laps through the tunnel, and reading some stories.  It is, after all, a library.