20 July 2010

Pumpkin and pastry

There is so much happening here that I have hardly been near the computer in days. Well, that's not quite true, but it is a convincing opener, right?

JW is making her annual winter visit. It's always lovely to have her company, not only because she gardens, vacuums and today, even did my ironing! No. The fact is she and her faithful pooch Lik-Lik are lovely company. We have loads of good talk, good food and the odd (i.e. daily) drop of red or white.

JW's been instructing A in using watercolours so he can add some colour to his drawings. Tomorrow we are all off to lunch, then Thursday is A's final day in the 6-week rehab program, and Friday his first art class. On the weekend, Reality Bites begins. So I guess there is quite a bit going on – even without counting my trip to the tip today with a trailer-load of prunings and then a stop at the landscape supply place on the way home to fill the trailer with hoop pine mulch. Later this week we will spread that on a section of garden that JW and I cleaned out earlier this week.

Last week while cleaning out the vegie garden we harvested the last of last year's pumpkins – three of mixed size that I found under the winter weeds. Here are two of them, in an arrangement that JW photographed as a fit subject for A's next watercolour project.

This afternoon I turned the art project into a pumpkin pie to take along tomorrow, when we have lunch with Dee, a very special Tasmanian friend who is wintering in nearby Noosa this month.

And since I was making pastry, I thought I might as well double the quantity and make a quiche for tea (see below). It was a spinach and ricotta quiche, with a few trimmings of mushrooms. But the frozen spinach more or less disintegrated during preparation, so the final result was a delicate light green in colour. Quite pretty, and tasty too. But with colouring better suited to a Christmas meal, I thought.

If this has been a very quotidian post, part of the reason is that I'm writing to stay in touch with daughter ZH, who is somewhere in Israel, attending a conference. This is her first overseas trip without hubby for company, so all the mundane news is partly for her benefit.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're making me hungry. Are you going to Reality Bites?

Zoe said...

Hello!! Lovely to hear about the food. I really wish I was there to have some of that pie - it looks fantastic! And that quiche - B would turn his nose up at it but I would devour it I'm sure. Last night I had a goat's cheese salad but Israeli goats must make different tasting cheese to Australian or Greek goats because it wasn't particularly appetising. Still, their falafel and chicken is lovely :-) Thanks for the news of home xxxxx

Chartreuse said...

GB: I hope to get to some Reality Bites events, but haven't decided which ones to aim for. There is almost too much choice! How about you? Are you able to attend any sessions?
ZH: I'll make you a pumpkin pie when you come up in August.

Anonymous said...

I wasn't planning on going - it would be fun though - it's difficult now as my mum is sick so if I do travel it is to Brisbane to visit her as much as possible.

Stafford Ray said...

Hello, haven't heard from youi in a while and wondered if something had happened that is taking all your time and energy. Of course that opens up many worrying possibilities. You are missed.

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Journalist, editor, teacher, publishing manager, education consultant….but that’s all in the past. Even further back, I could add waitress, Five-and-Dime salesgirl and my favourite title: Girl Friday! All mixed in with wife, mother, caregiver and grandmother. But nowadays, based on time spent: gardener, cook, reader, writer and whatever!