Snow news is good news

My Mum, Lorenzo and I went down to Hobart this week and saw snow on the hilltops, at only 300 metres. We had to stop and take photos, firstly because it had been years since we'd had snow in the winter and secondly, because we didn't know if that would be all for the day. Fortunately it wasn't!



We arrived at Constitution Dock in time for lunch and shared fish and chips at Mures. Lorenzo loves seeing all the ships so Mum took him for a walk around the dock and Salamanca, running errands, while I had a meeting with our architect, Michael. He's now come up with two sets of designs, both innovative yet still practical, but after much umming and aahing we'd like something between the two. So we're still at the drawing board stage, literally.



Afterwards the weather cleared to beautiful sunshine in the city except for the snow cloud which enveloped Mt Wellington. We said, "Let's go there immediately!" and the beauty of Hobart is that in 20 minutes we were there. At first we saw patches of white here and there, then entire rooftops covered, and then there was snow absolutely everywhere. Houses and gardens, roads and trees, it was a perfect winter wonderland scene. It was heartbreakingly beautiful. As if we'd stepped into a chocolate box painting. I could have happily sat there, rugged up outside on a bench just watching and listening. Because the other amazing thing is that snow has a sound. With Winter being an inbreath of the earth, the effect of snow seems to soften certain sounds and amplify others. Before long you are hearing a new soundscape from places you may have thought you knew. It seems esoteric I know, but it was a complete revelation.



Lorenzo was equally spellbound, watching everything with wide eyes until I took him to a fresh pile of snow to make a snowman and throw snowballs down the mountain. Then he couldn't stop laughing and giggling and running around, watching the foot prints he left in the snow, digging into the snowpile even when he complained his hands were cold (yes, I forgot his gloves). And when it started snowing I showed him how we could catch snowflakes on our tongue and taste them. Truly a magical day.

A new love of trees

Slowly, very slowly, the earth lets out a sigh and the seasons shift. We see more flowers popping up each day, the air is starting to smell sweet and fresh and best of all, there is more daylight each day. Mum's cherry trees were full of pale pink fragrant blossoms for a brief week but a day of gusty winds has now left them bare again, save for a beautiful soft pink carpet underneath each tree. Was that enough time for the bees to pollinate? We'll find out if and when cherries start to appear.

I bought my first trees for our future orchard today. Although now I think about it the first trees I bought were the hornbeam trees three years ago for Lorenzo's grove, so this makes it my first fruit trees. Just to explain - after Lorenzo was born I knew I wanted to bury the remaining placenta under a tree in a place he could always return to. A search on Celtic tree astrology revealed his tree to be a hornbeam, Carpinus betulus, so now there is this beautiful tree growing on my parents' property. The remaining four trees are still waiting patiently to be planted as that intended grove while my parents decide what will happen in that part of the garden.

But back to the topic, I asked Mum along because she's the gardener par excellence and I'm a complete novice (read: reformed house plant killer). I wanted to start with an apple, a pear and cherry trees then she chose the varieties. On her advice I also bought a miniature nectarine tree; smaller trees being easier to pick, prune and look after. Even though it's a miniature it's already fruiting. If all goes well we should get at least 20 nectarines from a tree no higher than 50cm. Amazing! Let's see how many we get to eat this summer. For the next year or so they'll be living in pots in Mum's garden until the house is finished and we can start establishing the garden. I can hardly wait.

In the grip of Winter

We're house-sitting again! We're in a beautiful area of meandering hills, tall green forests and lush valleys. From the kitchen window we can see the stream rushing past, full of the rain from the recent soaking to the eastern half of Australia. We haven't replaced the digital camera since our last one died which means I'll have to sneak off with my Dad's next time we visit because I am itching to take photos of this place. It really is beautiful. A little bit like this, which is Tassie not far from here.


Bread News - The sourdough starter is taking longer than expected though living happily in a glass jar in the fridge as part of step 3 of the fermentation process. On the normal bread side of things, I've started baking regularly since it was our turn at our new Steiner Playgroup. They have a winning recipe which is so super easy and delicious, you can make it with the kids around.

4 Simple Bread - easy to make and easy to eat

1. Combine the following in a large bowl: 4 cups plain flour, 4 cups atta or wholemeal flour, 4 teaspoons salt, 4 teaspoons sugar, 4 tablespoons yeast, 4 cups warm water, a glug of olive oil.
2. Knead in a Mixmaster, Kitchen Aid, etc. using a dough hook, or by hand, for a few minutes till smooth and elastic.
   
3. Leave to rise, covered by a tea towel, at room temperature till doubled in size.
   
4. Turn out and knead again by hand for a couple of minutes. Little hands love helping here.
5. Place back in large bowl, covered with plastic wrap to stop it drying out. At this point you have a choice - you can let it rise slowly, in the fridge overnight for baking tomorrow Or at room temperature again and bake today.
6. TO BAKE - turn out and shape into however you like your bread. This quantity can make 2 loaves - one to keep and one to give away to your wonderful neighbours, Hello Rhonda and Graeme * wave* Or you can shape small buns, I've made 20 with this amount.
7. Put into a preheated oven at 190 degrees C for about 40 minutes depending on your oven. They are ready when your kitchen smells warm and yeasty and tapping the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow.

I mention using Atta flour because I've found it vastly superior to wholemeal flour. I asked the guys at the Mill about it and they say it is a whole meal flour in that the whole wheat grain is milled to make it, it is just milled differently to what we're used to with wholemeal flour. A discussion amongst friends revealed that many of us love it and use it instead of what's labelled as 'wholemeal' flour which mainly appears to be plain white flour with bran added in. Not the same thing now, is it?

Can I also mention that I think it's cool that I can go to the Mill to buy flour? Naysayers are welcome to leave comments but I will not be dissuaded.

We may be toasty warm inside, especially after baking and filling the house with warm bread smells, but to go outside on a sunny day still means rugging up unless you like to personally grade wind chill factors. So it's still very much Winter. I'm trying to think of more wintry things to do before Spring is upon us. Any suggestions? So far, we've made Ice rings with pine cones and winter berries. We've had early mornings walks in frosty gardens. We've cut out paper snowflakes for window decorations. The kids have helped me gather kindling and bring in firewood. I'm planning a bonfire with all the wood we've collected from pruning in the orchard but that still needs to dry out. Any other wintry ideas?

p.s. Eszter's birthday post is still postponed while I locate ye olde shoppe where they can develop photo film and put it onto ye olde CD for viewing.