Friday, 3 September, 2010
Outside our front door, a small miracle is taking place every day. The mandarin is budding. There are soft new, shiny green leaves unfolding, and small white flower buds forming.
Friday, September 3, 2010
sunrise
Friday, 3 September, 2010
I'm usually up before sunrise these days, but don't often get to actually see it (Munchkin is often eating then, so we are somewhat preoccupied with that).
But this week I did manage to get out and enjoy the view for a few moments. It was gorgeous!
I'm usually up before sunrise these days, but don't often get to actually see it (Munchkin is often eating then, so we are somewhat preoccupied with that).
But this week I did manage to get out and enjoy the view for a few moments. It was gorgeous!
Bring on the tastes of summer!
Friday, 3 September, 2010
I am so looking forward to strawberries again this summer! Last year's crop was fabulous so I'm hoping for more of the same (a LOT more!).
I am so looking forward to strawberries again this summer! Last year's crop was fabulous so I'm hoping for more of the same (a LOT more!).
Here's the newly transplanted strawbs...
And a few spare runners made it round to our unit garden (20 in fact - just have to work out how to cover them so we get to eat them before the birds do!)...
A few minutes gardening
Friday, 3 September, 2010
Munchkin and I did a bit of gardening recently - putting in some salad green seedlings and pruning a rose bush. He fell asleep. I enjoyed the morning.
Munchkin and I did a bit of gardening recently - putting in some salad green seedlings and pruning a rose bush. He fell asleep. I enjoyed the morning.
Some carrots I pulled while I was out there.
Flowers
Friday, 3 September, 2010
I am so enjoying the shift from winter into spring. The garden round our little unit is in need of some tlc, but still continues to provide some beautiful gems of late winter/early spring...
I am so enjoying the shift from winter into spring. The garden round our little unit is in need of some tlc, but still continues to provide some beautiful gems of late winter/early spring...
Amy
Thursday, September 2, 2010
One Hour, Two Soups
Thursday, 2 September, 2010
A few weeks back I made soup - it went to a friend who'd just had a baby, and another friend with a baby. I ate a bowl-ful of each too.
I discovered that I should do bulk soup more often. It took me an hour in the kitchen to create 2 fabulous soups...Irish Chicken Soup and Seafood Chowder (which is really just a soup as its not thick like a true chowder). These are 2 of my absolute favourite soups and they also happen to be quite easy to make.
Chop, chop, chop went the big knife. Into the pot went the veges. Steam rose as things simmered. The smells pervaded my home.
I came back later after they had cooled, to pull chicken off the carcas and add the yoghurt and egg yolk for the chicken soup, the milk for the seafood one, and put everything into containers and rinse out the pots.
All in all, a very satisfying hour's work. Now, if only there was more room in my freezer I could do another 'two soups, 1 hour' session...
Amy
Art
Thursday, 2 September, 2010
We've been exploring children's art in my degree recently which has got me thinking about my personal artwork through the years.
I used to think I wasn't very 'artistic' as my paintings didn't come out how I wanted...I (very stupidly) compared myself to friends with great perspective and painting talents. I've now realised that 'art' takes a much broader view than what I had in mind. The collage I made as a teenager, of a birdsnest using real hay and egg shells was art. The photos I take, sometimes they are art. My cards are art. Now that I've worked out that creativity and artistic ability can take many forms, I enjoy doing collage-style artwork, and things that tie art in with other uses, such as card making or patterns in knitted blankets.
We've been exploring children's art in my degree recently which has got me thinking about my personal artwork through the years.
I used to think I wasn't very 'artistic' as my paintings didn't come out how I wanted...I (very stupidly) compared myself to friends with great perspective and painting talents. I've now realised that 'art' takes a much broader view than what I had in mind. The collage I made as a teenager, of a birdsnest using real hay and egg shells was art. The photos I take, sometimes they are art. My cards are art. Now that I've worked out that creativity and artistic ability can take many forms, I enjoy doing collage-style artwork, and things that tie art in with other uses, such as card making or patterns in knitted blankets.
Here's one I did as a very young child. Such a cute tadpole, I was! The name writing is a work in progress...
We went through all the saved artwork with Mum recently, my brother and I. It was so interesting seeing the differences in artistic ability. My brother did the most amazing, detailed drawings from a very young age. Many of my saved artworks are things stuck to paper (i.e. sand, bottle caps, etc!) rather than drawings. Shows how we process things differently I think. My brother had really good fine motor skills and saw things in detail. I liked to collect tactile objects. So our artwork really reflected who we were. It is nice to look at it that way, rather than thinking one form is 'better' than the other. Neither of us would consider ourselves artists in the classic sense. He has gone on to write, perform and teach music. I do a lot of things with my hands. So I guess we are artists, after all.
Here's a more recent artwork that I did in Australia using some gorgeous local seeds and splotches of red and white paint. I had to leave it behind as I don't think NZ Customs would have appreciated it...I do miss it's bright colours, texture and semi-random patterns. I hope to do some more canvases, eventually. Maybe after finishing my degree??? This summer is already booked with a photo album for Munchkin, among other things. Amy
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