My Projects

Both Stephen and I aren't ones to sit around with nothing to do. We both like a project or two to be going on with.
Currently I have a couple on the go: a sewing and knitting one. Both of these activities are things I have done a lot of in the past but not so much of late. Being in Clyde during the winter months is the perfect time to resurrect such skills so both the knitting needles and the sewing machine have come out of hibernation.

I found a dear wee long lined child's cardigan in a Women's Weekly magazine so that has been my first project. I have used a merino double knit wool from a shop in Alexandra and at $3.70 per 50g ball is good value compared to similar products I have seen elsewhere. Not having anyone of that age to give it to I am now on the look out for a size 3-4 year old who would like to wear it.

The next knitting project is a newborn singlet. Francie, our neighbour up here in Clyde, has given me some 3 ply wool, pattern and knitting needles to use. I am finding quite therapeutic to be sitting at night to the click clack of the needles. Would anyone know a newborn who would like this?
My sewing project is a bolero type jacket to wear with a dress I have been wearing to all the weddings we have been attending. Already we have the next invitation for the start of the next wedding season so I thought a jacket would give it a new look. The silk ones I have seen in some fashion shops were $399 so I decided I could do much better than that. Time will tell. Anyway I am now beavering away at that too.

Posted with Blogsy

Favourite recipe books

One of the bonus's of being back here in Clyde is access to all of my cooking books. (I only have a very select few in the bus at any one time.) As a cook it is amazing how attached you can become to some of them. The internet is a very useful tool for looking for a new, or perhaps a favourite recipe that may have found its way on line, but there is nothing like browsing through the recipe book itself. 

This morning I delved into one of my destitute gourmet books for mock maple syrup. We often have Scottish pancakes on a Sunday morning for breakfast and we usually serve them with either golden syrup or some 'real' imported maple syrup that we get from my friend in Otatara. This morning we had neither so I knew I had this 'mock' syrup recipe which would be better than nothing.

Sophie Gray has quite a collection of books out now but I only have the first four.  She is a woman with a philosophy after my own heart when it comes to food. I see the first book she published was in 2000 when she was wanting to cut back on her food budget but not on the quality of food she prepared for her family.  This first book, Stunning Food from Small Change, certainly shows you how to prepare economical but nutritious food though probably my favourite one is 'more stunning from small change'. This one has lots of bread recipes that I return to time and time again.

However there is nothing like inspiration to flick through a recipe book to 'pep' up the weekly menu and I can see that we will be enjoying some new recipes this week.

Scottish Breakfast Pancakes - a regular weekend breakfast for us. Some times served with  crispy bacon, fresh fruit and yoghurt, they often double as brunch.  They are very economical and easy to make, using a cup of rolled oats, a cup of milk, an egg, flour, BP and some butter. 

The following link will take you to her blog:  destitutegourmet

or the following one to her website:destitutegourmet website

Four Seasons

One thing that makes Central Otago appealing is its certainty of providing four definite seasons.

Yes it may be really cold at the moment with the day starting with a hard frost but there is something about hunkering down for the winter. A bit like hibernating really. And then knowing that there are three more distinct seasons to look forward to. We haven't had a hoar frost yet (this takes  the cold to a whole new level of cold and prettiness ) but some of our early morning scenes are still spectacular.

Each season is equally spectacular and each provides its own rewards and treats.
Spring is a treat as the fruit trees blossoms and everything springs into life again. Alexandra even has an annual Blossom Festival to celebrate this.

Summer brings the heat and the holiday makers. Day after day is usually hot and dry with temperatures  often in the late 20degrees.







Autumn brings out the squirrel in us - harvesting the final fruits of the summer and bringing in the grapes for wine, as well as preparation for the approaching winter.  The deciduous trees make for beautiful picture postcard scenes as locals enjoy the last days before winter sets in.





Our winter days here have developed a pattern. A late morning rise, the cooking of rib warming porridge to go with freshly brewed coffee all before pulling back the drapes at 10:30 when the sun rises over the hill.
A walk to the shop for the newspaper is our next activity, and on our return another cuppa and a read sitting in the sunshine (behind glass) takes us through to when it is safe to venture outside.
It is very easy to fill in the day until 4:15pm when the sun goes down behind the hills and you instantly feel the change in temperature. We then draw the drapes to keep in the heat and stay cozy for the rest of the evening.
And like many locals, by July, many take the opportunity to holiday in warmer climes until the first signs of spring begin to show in August. We are going to be no different when we head across to Australia in late June.

Happy Birthday Stephen

How does a birthday boy celebrate his big day in Clyde?
Well first he has to survive a very cold frosty morning so there is no incentive to get up very early. As we are tucked under the hill here in Clyde at this time of the year it is 10:30am before any sunshine warms us up.

So after a leisurely start to the day it was time to open the presents:
warm brushed cotton PJs and a cover for the boat.

Later in the day there was time for 'play'. We have a washing machine that has passed its used by date and I knew that he always had his eye on it.  He has seen lots of ideas on how to recycle various such things ( I think a wind turbine is on the plans) so today was the day when he had time for that first look. We will have to watch this space.

Once the sun was down (4:15pm) it was time to retreat back inside to enjoy a birthday drink, and a birthday tea, that included a wee apple pie. This was followed by a piece of Fudgy brownie, complete with a candle to finish a lovely relaxing day.




The following link takes you to the recipe for this delicious recipe that uses 225gm of 72% dark chocolate.
Fudgy brownie

Olives

Our one olive tree has been planted for a number of years but it is this year that it has produced its first harvest of just 200 olives. Of course I have long lost the variety name but it is obviously one suitable for this area. In fact there are several olive groves in the Central Otago area and even an Olive Growers Association. I wonder what the criteria are for joining??  I do know that there is an olive press in Cromwell where those with larger harvests than ours are able to transform their olives into oil.
Not so many years ago The Southland Herb Society invited Sue and Trevor to come and speak about their small 'hobby' block.  The following pages, taken from the Herb Society newsletter, give you an insight to growing olives for oil in this area.

After some research I have decided to brine my olives. Most of them are green as they seldom ripen here as the season is just not long enough and very unpalatable until processed. Soaking them first, after making a small slash in each olive, helps removes the bitter oleuropein leach out. They can be soaked for up to 40 days before being placed in a finishing brine. I plan to use the recipe from the Get Growing newsletter I receive each week from The NZ Gardener. It will be interesting to taste the finished product.

Central Otago's paradoxical weather

It is hard to believe that we could have just experienced two extremely contrasting days of Central weather.

Outside food preparation.


Saturday, although a little overcast and slow to warm, provided us with a beautiful late autumn day. So lovely in fact we were able to entertain our lunch guests outside in the sun.  Geoff, Pauline and two of her grandchildren joined us for an Italian themed lunch - minestrone soup served with ciabatta bread, followed by a selection of pizzas and wedges, and finished with a piece of fudgy chocolate brownie. All of this was enjoyed with a wine for the adults and some grape juice and soda water for the children. 

The afternoon was completed with the children harvesting our ‘200’ olives  from our one and only tree, its very first harvest. (Watch this space to see what I do with them next.)

Olive harvest.

Sunday morning couldn’t have been more different. During the night a strong wind had come up and we were told it was gusting up to 120km per hour. Not long after we got up the wind died right down and the rain started. We have never seen such rain here in Clyde. It persisted down ALL day and so much so that we weren’t tempted to even so much as poke our nose out through the door. It was a day for indoor activities with the heater on, the tele on and lots of hot drinks throughout the day.

A check of the Met service website this morning confirmed what we already knew. There had been a lot of rain. In fact, 59mm which is about 17% of Central Otago’s annual rainfall of 365mm.  Wow.
(25mm = 1 inch)

Alexandra's weather stats

Back to Clyde

We made the decision to head back to Clyde on Thursday. We had managed to achieve most of the things on our 'to do'  list though obviously we could always find more!!  Our new tenant, Amanda, was safely installed in our house, the piano had been moved next door for Tom to use and we were happy with general state of the garden and bush. We had spent the night camped over at the Nursery as we shared a meal with our friends Chris and Brian and Linda and Ray on Wednesday night.

We went back to Rakiura Parade to pack up all that needed to go back to Clyde (and there seemed to be a fair amount.) While there we were given a going away present from our neighbours Ruby and Ethan. They are from a lovely and large family with these two being numbers 6 and 7 and the youngest. They gave us two freshly laid eggs, a couple of chocolate bars, two biscuits, two oranges and two little paper umbrellas that you decorate your drink with. A tour of the bus was also a must.

Before heading off we stopped off to say our goodbyes to Stephen's parents and have a bite of lunch. We try to keep off the main roads so made our way through Hedgehope and into the back of Gore. It was truly a beautiful afternoon considering what it had been like only two days before. It wasn't until we got close to Rae's Junction that we saw any evidence of snow and then it was only lying in the most shaded of areas. There was certainly more around Roxburgh as the picture below shows. We took this from east side of the river up by the dam while stopped for a cup of tea (the advantage of travelling with your home on your back!)  The snow was still very close to the road as far as Coal Creek but then it gradually disappeared.  

It was nice to return to a slightly larger space that our flat provides us with especially now that the colder weather has arrived. The bus is great in the warmer months but with the shorter day light hours and cool nights causing condensation it is nice to be inside a building again.