Ordering Plants Online

Monday morning, and I wanted to buy a small tree.  After recent gardening endeavours, I've been left with a much nicer and neater courtyard.  Much more sunlight is encouraging me to plant edibles.  No privacy, though, is rather disconcerting.  I can see right into my neighbour's rooms.  Obviously, they can see right into my living room, too.  Hence the desire for a small tree.

Instead of wandering into local nurseries and finding out what they have (or not), I went online to find nearby nurseries, intending to phone them and find out their small tree stocks.  I found, however, online nurseries that deliver.  Perfect!

I spent quite some time checking out different providers, and different plants.  There were quite a few from interstate - not so keen on that, despite their assurance of quality.  When I found nursery direct online (find them here), I was much happier.  They service South East Queensland only, and include free delivery.

Eventually, I decided on a Lilly Pilly - fast growing, screen plant, native, full or part shade, suitable for pots - yay!  They require a minimum order amount so they can keep the delivery free, so I kept looking.  One bit that is bare but gets lots of sun is against the fence which has the clothes line, and I picked some kangaroo paws for there (although they won't stay there, I didn't think that through); I also bought a 12-pack of herbs.

The Lilly Pilly

They arrived today.  So exciting!  I had a call earlier in the week to check something, and the driver this morning was lovely too.  And I had forgotten how beautiful kangaroo paws are.  My grandparents had some in their front garden so this made me all nostalgic.

Kangaroo Paws

I'm going with pots for a couple of reasons: I want to keep them when I move; and the soil in the borders is fairly poor.  These photos were taken immediately after they arrived, I've been stocking up on pots and soil over the last few days.  My local gardening supplies place is probably getting suspicious.

Herbs!

The herbs looked so bright and enthusiastic in the morning sun - they reminded me of kindergarten kids.  I'm not going to the extent of naming them though.

Today's photo:

From the garden, of course.  I removed some excess garden stuff, some weeds and some - I don't even know what it was.  It was covering a stump, and (I discovered) a big fat worm and some new aloe growth.  Which looked like some sort of alien growth.

Mum's Baked Custard

When I was growing up, if there was a glut of milk for some reason mum would make a baked custard.  (Excuse me while my tastebuds have a moment).  Recently, I signed up for milk delivery - but because I've had a cold I haven't been consuming as much milk as normal.  There is enough milk in my fridge that I wouldn't have to buy any until Monday, but tomorrow is delivery day.  Yes, I am able to change my order but I forgot to actually do this until after the cutoff time. 

On mum's last visit, she was looking for something and came across an old (I mean, really old) Good Weekend magazine.  On the front, she had written out her recipe for baked custard.  Could this have been found at a better time?  I think not. 

So, did you get all that?  Excellent.  (Oh, the cup with pills is part of the graphics of the cover, not an actual cup).

Dear Mum,

Thank you for passing on this recipe.  I hope it's ok if I share it with the whole internet.  You should be glad I have a smart phone complete with a converter app.  So when you said, 'preheat oven to 375F' I could just put that into the converter and discover it's 190C.  I boiled the kettle for the bain marie then realised I only had 2, not 3, eggs.  While I waited for confirmation from Abm that he had a spare egg for me to use, I checked cake books for recipes with only 2 eggs.  These are surprisingly scarce.  When he arrived, we chatted while I boiled the kettle (fully, this time), greased the casserole dish, and sorted out the best bowls to use. 

I separated the (thankfully) 3 eggs.  I admit, I neglected to add the pinch of salt to the whites before beating them.  Um, I also admit that after a while of beating them I decided the peaks were firm enough.  I also admit I was rather 'mum-like' in my measuring of '? 3 dessertspoons' caster sugar. 

Now, when you say 'gently heat 600mL milk with a teaspoon vanilla essence DO NOT BOIL' (well, I reordered the sentence so those not in the family who may read this can sort it out), how heated do you mean?  Do you mean lukewarm?  Almost boiling but not quite?  Over low heat?  Medium-low heat?  Medium heat?  I used medium-low heat and heated it a little past lukewarm before adding 3 dessertspoons sugar and then stirred until the sugar was dissolved.  While I was waiting for the milk to heat I whisked the egg yolks, and put the casserole dish in the lasagne dish (best dish for bain maries).  After the sugar had dissolved, I added the yolks to the milk and sugar and stirred a bit with a wooden spoon.  I was half hoping the whole mix would thicken and look more like custard than milk and egg, but I was disappointed.

I enlisted Abm's help in holding the sieve over the casserole dish so I could pour the egg and milk into the casserole dish through the sieve.  Good thing he was here.  Now, this whole 'gradually fold in egg white meringue so that most of it remains on top of milk/egg mix' bit.  Can you be more specific?  Am I to pour over the meringue and just let it sit?  Or mostly stir?  It seemed to sit on top anyway so I just tried to make it look pretty.  Of course I will add nutmeg if it's ever mentioned - who wouldn't?! :)  Water added for bain marie, and into the oven.  After 10 minutes (or should it really be 15?) I lowered the temperature to 175C, which is what my converter app told me 350F approximates.  After 20 minutes it looked all nicely browned so I took it out of the oven.  The meringue was nicely meringue-y but the custard was still quite wobbly so next time (yes, practice makes perfect) I'm guessing more mixing and possibly longer cook time...?

Anyway, I was very pleased to have made this recipe.  I think Abm is rather pleased as well.  And of course there are leftovers as well so dad might benefit also...  Obviously, I need more practice.  With merely eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and nutmeg, it's relatively healthy, yes?  Excellent.  I hope to be able to make this for you in due course :)
Lots of love,
Anna xo

Today's photo:

Public holiday today in Brisbane, thankfully.  Spring was in the air, so I was inspired to do some gardening.  Before I got stuck into it, I appreciated the light and shadow on the tomato and aloe vera plants.  After taking this photo, I had to check my camera and what I was seeing - the top looks chopped off but it's just made that way, promise.

Avant Garde Patisserie and Invitations

Yes, it's holidays.  Some friends I only see when each of us is on school holidays.  This morning, I sent a text to Di (who has a blog too - find it here), asking if she'd have time for coffee today.  I must admit here, I'm a fairly slack friend.  I very rarely take the initiative in catching up with friends, and I'm very fortunate in having friends who will suggest things to do.  So the fact that I made the first move today is (in my head, anyway) a step forward.  I have a mental list of other friends who'll need a connection soon.

The weather today was a bonus too, as it wasn't raining the entire time.  I even had a rain-free run this morning!  However, considering the possibility of rain and parking, we opted for Baroona Rd, Milton.  Well, it was an interesting parking experience, but we had no dash through the rain so I'll consider that a win.  Neither of us had been to Avant Garde Patisserie before.  Very tempting treats - neither of us was very disciplined.... I had the Choc Date Pistachio slice.  I was expecting a mega chocolate indulgence, but it was quite light and chewy.  Dusted with cocoa and icing sugar resulted in me making quite a mess!  Nothing too embarrassing though.

There was nowhere really warm to sit which was disappointing, so I spent most of the time chilly.  And the seats were not superbly comfortable either.  Coffee was in the middle of the bell curve - not bad, but not something to write home about (or recommend to coffee aficionados - aficionadi?). 

Today's photo:

The sun came out for just long enough for me to grab my camera and take 4 photos before my battery died and the clouds hid the sun again.  It was so exciting seeing the water droplets sparkling in the sunlight!

Daily Photos Catch Up

Since promising to take a photo a day, I have been very slack in posting a photo a day.  I've still been taking them, I just forget to upload...  So here are the last 8.  Yikes!

Monday, June 18.  This agave plant is one of many on a nearby street.  I have thought about photographing them on several occasions, so I'm glad I had an excuse.

Tuesday, June 19.  A street near the school at which I teach.  Seeing this tree change over the year is a great joy.

Wednesday, June 20.  These fluff-balls are right by the footpath at home.

Thursday, June 21.  Fete de la Musique, and I was the contact for St John's cathedral.  Most people don't see the wonderful light show that happens in the cathedral - between about 11 and 3 the stained glass produces these wonders.  I hadn't seen this kaleidoscope effect before.

Friday, June 22.  Sunlight in the courtyard catching this new aloe vera flower.

Saturday, June 23.  This is a great guard dog.  Seriously.  When I returned from my run on Saturday, Gracie was mostly inside but with her head outside, keeping tabs on the goings-on outside.

Sunday, June 24.  I had less than an hour at home during the day, in which I ate lunch.  After calling Gracie back from barking at a passing neighbourhood dog - and she came, too - I gave her a little treat.  She stayed for more.  I caved.

Monday, June 25.  After running a practice half marathon on Monday, the weather was quite cool and overcast.  Perfect practice weather.  Standing under the light, the light and shadow visible through the f-holes was striking.

Tuesday, June 26.  A sneak peek of tomorrow's post...  Growing up, my favourite food was green apples.  Apples, generally, but I remember a few bad experiences with red apples so I preferred green for a long time.  Whenever my mum was cooking with apples, I'd hang around for the peel.  An all-in-one peel was a bonus.  When visiting my grandparents, my grandfather (who was born in Scotland) told me that, if you peeled an apple or orange with an unbroken peel, you should throw it with your right hand over your left shoulder (preferably with your back to the fireplace), and the letter it most closely resembled would be the initial of the person you would marry.  (Not surprisingly, 'S' was a common result).  Similarly, twist an apple stalk going through the alphabet and the initial on which it breaks off is the initial of your future spouse.  This is a habit I still have.  Anyway, tonight I managed two unbroken apple peels.

Sinus-clearing Soup

I've been feeling like I'm fighting a cold all week.  This is not a good feeling, especially with a to-do list as long as mine.  At lunch today, I was contemplating my options with that stuffed-up feeling in my sinuses.  I had half a tin of tomatoes sitting in the fridge, so I thought I'd improvise a soup.  Then I noticed the chilli sitting there, and decided to try a spicy soup and clear those sinuses.  The last time I tried to make a spicy fish soup I was rather underwhelmed with its spiciness, but I went all out here.  It worked a treat - after 2 spoonfuls I was reaching for the tissues, and felt much more clear-headed afterwards.  And thankfully knocked a few more things off my to-do list.

Approximate recipe for the Sinus-clearing Soup:

A chopped onion
Green capsicum
Red chilli, sliced
1/2 tin diced tomatoes
A tablespoon or so of tomato puree
About 1/4 cup drained jalapenos
About 300g prawns (or something with protein)

Heat some olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onions and fry until soft.  Add the chilli and capsicum, fry until softened, then add the tomatoes, tomato puree, and jalapenos.  Also add some water - I used about 1/4 cup but it depends how sloppy you want your soup.  Bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for a bit (10 minutes maybe).  Add the prawns, increase the heat and cook until prawns are cooked through.  Serves 2.

Today's photo:

Brisbane knows how to put on good weather in winter.  We have a week of sun ahead of us.  When I was emptying the water from the coffee machine, I saw the shadow of this flower was so crisp against the fence.  Plus I like that it's no longer straight up, but leaning over (mostly thanks to the washing line).  I've lived here for many years, but it was only in the last few that this aloe vera plant has actually produced flowers as we were in drought for so long.