Monday 4 September 2017

Spring Beginnings

The weather here has been Spring-like for a little while now. Many days of warmer temperatures reflecting the very short Winter we have had. (Perhaps that is the new normal??) It is very dry here and I heard over the radio that it is predicted to be a hot, dry Summer. (Perhaps that is the new normal too??) The first new leaves are beginning to unfurl on our neighbour's Plane Trees that spread their branches well over our shared boundary. I love these beautiful, deciduous trees and how they mirror the weather and seasons. It seems though that they only lost their leaves a short time ago and now they are readying themselves for Spring. I wonder if they had a long enough Winter sleep??

A Spring leaf unfurls.

In our own garden, our little native bees are taking flight from their hive sooner rather than later each day now as the temperature reaches 18C earlier. Did you know that native bees only venture out when the temperature climbs to that magic degree? The native birds are making good use of the bird baths; coming in to drink and splash about in the cool water. The first snake, a carpet python curled up in the eaves of the verandah, has been spotted and a pair of nocturnal Long-nosed Bandicoots have been visiting at night, leaving their tell-tale drill holes throughout the garden and lawn and forcing us to think up ways to protect our plants. (We put up a temporary wire mesh fence, dug well into the ground to try to keep them away from the base of the avocado tree...we'll see how that goes!) The last of late Winter's offerings have been harvested; a few lettuces, leeks, baby potatoes and little sweet pea posies among them. 

A pretty posy indeed!

From the very few passionfruits left after sulphur crested cockatoo raids, a deep yellow and tangy passionfruit curd has been made. Some for us and some for friends. Fresh, locally grown and sweet strawberries were enjoyed with a french toast breakfast and a creamy Fathers' Day cheesecake sponge, a cheat's "cheesecake" really for there is no cheese in it at all, was a special homemade treat for Dad and Grandad for our Sunday afternoon tea.

 A little pot of passionfruit curd. Mmm!

Sweet local strawberries make perfect french toast toppings.

Homemade sponge underneath with a creamy "cheesecake" topping.

One new craft project and one rediscovered project are taking shape. A soft blue cotton washcloth is forming on my knitting needles and a little hand-stitched tote, that I began years ago, is being completed one tiny hand-sewn stitch at a time. Although more time consuming than using a sewing machine, I am enjoying the slowness of hand sewing again. 

 Brown linen and a soft cotton lining held together with hand-sewn stitches.

We spent a lovely evening in at our city's South Bank to celebrate the birthday of a special young teenager friend. A train ride in, a shared Mexican meal with much laughter and fun, a ride together on the big Wheel of Brisbane that offered a twinkling bird's eye view of our city at night. Finished off with a slice of divine homemade chocolate birthday cake, it was a happy Spring night indeed.

I hope you have had a happy start to your new season too.

Meg





24 comments:

  1. I thoroughly enjoyed reading through your post Meg. Spring has popped in a few times to say hello here however fleeting visits so far. Temperatures are slowing increasing. I actually noticed a lot more bees whilst walking yesterday especially around lavender.
    Love the look of your lemon curd, will give that one a try. Sounds like a wonderful Father's Day together with your beautiful cooking.
    Have a great week.
    Kylie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We did have a lovely afternoon tea for Fathers' Day, Kylie. I hope you all enjoyed your lunch together. Meg:)

      Delete
    2. Oooops typo I mean your passionfruit curd.

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. It was a lovely weekend, Cheryl. Family, friends, good fresh food, a little craft and gardening of course! My kind of happiness! Meg:)

      Delete
  3. Goodmorning Meg, we are so very similar, yesterday I made 2 jars of lime and passion fruit curd from the last of winters bounty from our garden. We are eating ripe sweet strawberries morning, noon and night as well. I did a bit of gardening on Saturday, really just a tidy up and new mulch applied to the pots and veggie garden trying to keep some moisture in the ground, it is so very dry, isn't? Have a lovely day.
    Fi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't passionfruit curd just divine, Fiona! I haven't ever put lime in the recipe though so I must try that as I have some lime juice in the freezer. I hope your mulching efforts keep a bit of moisture in the ground for you, Fiona. I mulched a couple of months ago but things are really starting to dry out now. More than anything, we need rain. Meg:)

      Delete
  4. We have had a few days of light persistent winds which will no doubt dry out the ground even more. I am not looking forward to the summers heat but I do look forward to the end of they dry season. Like Kylie I have been noticing more bees about - the native bees are enjoying the nasturtium and the honey bees are very interested in the allium flowers. I love sweet peas but have not grown any for years. I must keep them in mind down the track.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Isn't it lovely to see bees in the garden, Sherri? The honeybees here have been very noisily buzzing in the allysium and the little native bees are loving the rocket that I've let go to flower. Sweet peas are my all-time favourite flower. This year's blooms are all pinks! Meg:)

      Delete
  5. I love Southbank, Meg. I have never been on the Wheel of Brisbane thought and it must look fantastic at night. It is going to be 26C here already and I am wondering what summer is going to be like. The Carnival of Flowers gardeners have their work cut out for them making sure the plants are still flowering during the week of the carnival as it has been such a warm winter...and dry too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love South Bank too, Chel. It was lovely having our dinner there and it was a stunning view over the city from atop the wheel. It was 31C here today, very dry still and in need of some rain. I hope it comes soon! Sounds like you need it too up there, fingers crossed for good soaking rain soon. Meg:)

      Delete
  6. Yes 31 degrees today....it's going to be a hot summer...the difference from summer these days than when I was a kid we would have a hot day and then cool it down with an afternoon thunder storm and you could smell the water hitting the hot road. These days we just have hot days and nothing to cool them down with. The cake looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think back to last Summer, Kathy, when there was just day after day after day of scorching heat with no relief. I really don't like that kind of heat. I also love the smell of the earth after the rain, it's hard to describe but there is something so fresh about it. I hope we get some decent rain soon. Meg:)

      Delete
  7. I can almost smell the fragrance of that bunch of sweet peas Meg.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There scent is something that I find really hard to describe, Sally. It's sweet and oh so delicate a perfume. I love to close my eyes and breathe in deeply to capture it. My grandparents grew sweet peas on a trellis in their garden and I thought them, as I still do, the most beautiful of flowers. Meg:)

      Delete
  8. Here in UK, our weather is turning cooler and wet, I don't mind we live in a dry area, so the rain helps. Our main season change will happen later in September as the leaves turn to rust and reds. Love your sweat pea flowers, I love them but the will not grow in my garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We'd love some of that rain you're getting, Marlene. Send it over! The sweet peas will finish soon as it's getting too hot now. I have had a couple of years where I didn't have much success with sweet peas and other years where I get an abundance of flowers. I'm not sure what makes the difference. Meg:)

      Delete
  9. We just finished some lemon curd from the winter stock and we had a heap of beautiful passionfruit given to us, but we ate all of the them straight up or with a little ice cream, yum. I'm so glad spring is here, the mornings/evenings can still be a little chilly, but the days are gorgeous. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is certainly a beautiful day here today, Clarissa. I love that the early mornings are warm but not too hot so I can stay in the garden for longer:) Later this afternoon, I'm going to plant up a large tub of mixed bee-friendly flowers and some lettuce seedlings too. Perfect weather for the garden! Meg:)

      Delete
  10. Oh Meg, that passion fruit curd looks so delicious! My grandmother used to make the most heavenly passion fruit meringue pie. :) Spring is my second most favorite time of the year, right after Fall. I love the new growth, Spring flowers, and just that promise of new life!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't remember that last time I had a meringue pie of any kind, Debbie. How lovely a passionfruit one would be! Autumn is my favourite season of the year too but Spring, with it's unfurling leaves and bountiful flowers, comes a very close second. Meg:)

      Delete
  11. It's very dry here too, Meg, but I have hope the rain will return. I've been working on digging some more ponds, and the dry weather reminds me to take every opportunity to capture water on the landscape. Your home made goodies look yummy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope the rain comes soon, Chris. Dry weather like this reminds me of how important water is to life and to the growing of food. Meg:)

      Delete