Entries from March 2009 ↓

Just got news from SF Girl today that they’ve got a puppy! He’s 15 weeks old and his name is Micah. Apparently his favourite toy is an orange rubber chicken that squeaks.

I guess he won’t like going in the ‘Pussy cats’ section of the blog, and seeing as I’m not a dog person I won’t be starting up a doggie category, so his news will have to live in ‘Urban family’.

Very exciting … a commission from the actual mother of a baby I knitted for last year – a year old now and baby Ava needs a proper little girl’s sweater in something thick and soft for running around in this winter. Took her mum to the wool shop at the weekend to choose the pattern and possum wool. A rather eye-opening experience for her I think. Especially when they didn’t have the wool in stock and one of the wool shop ladies took us aside and told us in hushed tones of a website she runs (bit of a surprise!) on the side where you can often buy wool that’s not in stock in the store … hmmm, *she* has stock and the store doesn’t … ?

Great to have a knitting project – this winter was looking a bit devoid of babies, scarves, kittens and test knitting.

Struth, I know the weather guy on 3 is trying to be hip cool but really, what kind of English is “…there ain’t a lot of change …” and “…getter gooder…” Definitely not cool.

Mmm, mmmm. Homemade popcorn all good. Even with nothing on it but melted unsalted butter. Just had our first popping experience. Will put less corn in the pot next time.

V2 of the hot cross buns are ready! We used the bread maker recipe again and indeed I had not clipped the container into the oven properly which is why it didn’t work last week. This time we didn’t put the fruit/sugar ingredients in before the kneading cycle was finished so there was still some hand kneading required at the end.

The white stuff for the crosses was too thick last week, and this week too thin to maintain a pattern! It squirted all over the place not maintaining any shape and dribbled all down the sides.

However the house smells amazing and the shiny little buns with no sign of white lines or crosses are cooling on the bench.

It’s another lovely blue day in Wellington today, just how I like it, looks warm but when you go outside there’s a very slight autumn coolness in the air.

Had a long wander through town and around the harbour yesterday.

Saw a very orange bus and trailer.

And took an arty photo of the ivy up the side of the Museum Hotel. Soon it will be full coppery autumn colours.

Hmm, Earth Hour was a bit of a fizzer in central Wellington last night. We lit our candles and turned out the lights, then looked out the window waiting for lights to go out on the hills. None that you’d notice.

We’re going to do the lights out thing tomorrow night 8.30 – 9.30 for Earth Hour. Will be interesting to look out the window and see if the city is any less lit than usual. Probably not seeing as it’s mostly commercial.

Here’s the little orange vest I made out of bamboo cotton that’s going to a my cousin’s new son in Hong Kong. Hopefully not too hot!

We saw an episode of Bobby Flay’s cooking show recently where his non-chef wife made his birthday dinner – for pudding she made double layered peach cobbler. Home made pastry and fresh peaches. We thought we’d give it a go for Wednesday dinner with our Short Dark Friend. I’ve only attempted my own pastry once or twice and didn’t much like it, hence the only once or twice. But now I have our chef friend’s food processor, and seeing as it saved the hot cross buns at the weekend I thought I’d give it a go for the pastry. After all, Bobby’s wife made it look so easy.

I might’ve put too much water in but it rolled out and kept it’s shape. I layered it with fresh peaches warmed with butter, nutmeg, sugar and flour.

Hey presto, peach cobbler. It was very good even if it didn’t quite look like hers. I think my pastry was a bit stodgy.