Spring

Perfect blue sky.

An afternoon sea breeze.

Sunlight streaming into the hut.

Babies in singlet suits.

Bifold doors wide open.

Lawn mowing.

Flower garden bursts into bloom.

The return of the swallows.

Bird song in the morning.

Frog calls at night through open windows.

Gin and tonic.

Home made ice cream.

Lazy afternoon snuggling in the bedroom.

A later twilight.

This weekend almost felt like summer instead of spring. 

Rob ordered some sand to top dress his lawn. The dogs followed him as he wheeled the barrow to the pile left by the truck, and then back to the lawn. When they got too hot they retired to the laundry hut verandah. But all three were blissfully happy.

The girls and I snuggled on our bed with the French doors open.

Sunday, of course, was Father's Day, so after a late breakfast and some baby cuddles, Rob picked up his eldest daughter. We enjoyed a curry for lunch then Piña Colada ice cream (dairy free), then after a cooling head wash for each baby girl we all retired to the bedroom to watch them wriggle and coo. 

The weekend was over far too quickly. 

Today I know:

That winter is over. Spring has arrived. Sure we may still get the occasional cold day, but the longer days, the wattle blossom, the frogs chirping, the garden coming to life, the almonds flowering, are all heralding a new season.

Never walk away and leave a rice pudding to cook in a rice cooker. Hot cream inside all the drawers as it overflowed on the way to the kitchen floor is not fun to clean up.

Sleep is precious. Very precious.

Elisabeth loves food. Despite the early intervention guys saying to wait until 6 months corrected, (our paediatrician did admit premmies can go early), Elisabeth is ready now at 5 months corrected. She lunges for our food, drools while she watches us eat, and looks longingly at my water bottle (she thinks it's a giant milk bottle). The other night Rob was eating some home made coffee ice cream, and she kept trying to swipe it! He had to hold it above his head. We are combining purée with baby led weaning, as she prefers her own spoon or hands but will happily accept rice cereal or mashed banana from me at the same time. I haven't noticed any great difference in her breastfeeding yet!

Maggie is such a dear. Elisabeth will only sleep during the day if we hold her, so Maggie waits patiently beside me. She talks in this cute breathy way, starting off quietly but getting louder as she gets going. She loves my silly ditties and smiles every time I sing her favourite one.  I have been coaching her on rolling, so she can catch up to Elisabeth. She humours me but I suspect she will do it when she is ready.

Nigella and Claudia are still hiding out in the breezeway, snuggling each other when they think no one is watching. If they didn't eat so much wallaby poop I may let them lick the babies as much as they'd like! 

Rob is looking after all of us so well. Shopping, cooking, cleaning, washing, working, gardening, nappy changing. Most importantly,  he is the best baby cuddler, a skill most needed here at the moment. Both girls are lulled to sleep in his arms, a smile twitching at their lips.

I love our little hut. It has been the perfect place for our babymoon. I return to work part time in late January, so I still have five months to make the most of. I am so lucky to call the hut home. 

We have a routine, who knew?

Yesterday we celebrated another milestone, the girls are now 7 months old and have spent 100 nights at home with us. I like celebrating these steps away from our scary premmie baby beginning. How did we celebrate? I searched our meagre wine cellar for a bottle of bubbles but there were none to be found. Luckily Rob must have read my mind and came home with our favourite house wine, the Montepulciano, a glass was perfect with a quick dinner of pasta carbonara. I am a cheap date these days, one small glass of wine is all I need to feel light headed after a year of not drinking at all.

This last week has been a little crazy. Family celebrations and visits, a lunch with friends and a trip to hospital for blood tests. I didn't realise we had developed a routine with our girls, until we broke it, five days in a row. Boy did I know about it then. 

So for one day when the memory of these early days with newborn twins fades, I'll document a typical day here.

We wake around 7am. Or earlier if the girls feeds have been a little crazy overnight. I have stuck to feeding the girls separately, twin feeding is a nightmare, especially as Elisabeth still uses a nipple shield, so I'd rather they feed properly individually. Rob will let me get set up with the My Breast Mate feeding pillow (so glad I bought it) and burpee cloth, sitting up in bed and he will pick the girl who is protesting the most from their cot. Sometimes the other sleeps on, other times they are treated to a nappy change and dummy while I feed their sister. Then we swap. Until recently we both got up then. But as the days have shortened, our enthusiasm for leaping out of bed before the sun is up has also waned. I find it too difficult to nap during the day, so a few extra minutes of sleep with a snoozing baby beside me is welcomed. 

Rob, stumbles out into the cold hallway (our bedroom is kept at a perfect 18 degrees thanks to a small panel heater and Percy the room temperature penguin). Followed by two excitable German Shepherds. Nigella has taken to sleeping out in the breezeway to escape the crying, but generally likes to come in some time early in the morning and sleep near the doorway. Perhaps so we don't forget her. Claudia braves the crying and sleeps on her mat on Rob's side of the bed, but she can look quite concerned at times. Rob dons a polarfleece jacket, a possum merino beanie, gumboots over his pyjamas and takes the dogs on a morning perimeter, taking a load of dirty washing to the laundry on the way. The dogs love the frosty mornings at the moment, especially frosted wallaby poop. We imagine to them they are like dog icy poles. Eew. Often I catch a glimpse of them chasing after balls or gambolling around like crazy things (the dogs that is). If the washing is done then he'll also hang it up (yes I am lucky and I love him very much!)

Back in the hut, I have usually moved the girls down to the living room. The heat pump brings the room up to a toasty temperature quickly. I will change the girls nappies and put one in the swing and one on a mini bed (actually a change mat) on the window seat. I realise that my days of doing this may be over soon once the girls start to roll. At the moment our breakfast of choice during the week is porridge, with I have to admit cream and brown sugar. Rob also makes us lattes from the machine. My only coffee for the day. 

I still have to express a few times a day, as my milk supply never settled down. I've tried stopping it but I get too uncomfortable, so my long term relationship with the electric pump continues. So I often do a quick express here. After bragging smugly about my daily shower, I have to admit that I am only getting one every second day at the moment. The extra sleep in eats into my shower time, and at the moment sleep trumps cleanliness. Besides, I'm saving water right?

Rob has a quick shower and heads off to work in his little car. Usually this morning nap for the girls means I can do something for myself, mostly baking a cake or some biscuits, or maybe reading some blogs, or a book! Phone calls to friends happen now too. I quickly tidy up the living room, even though I know by the end of the day there will be baby blankets and toys strewn across the window seat, table and side tables but it feels good to tidy it all up still. If lucky I might even get a moment for a quick cup of tea.

They usually wake up between 10.30-11. They are given their daily dose of Pentavite with a small syringe. A smelly, yellow, oily multi-vitamin, pineapple flavoured (why?) it often gets on their growsuits, face, hands or mine! Once they start solids that can at least stop. Both are fed now, and they enjoy a little chat post feed on the pillow, their cute smiles absolutely undo me at the moment. They are starting to like sitting up, but are not so keen on tummy time but we still do it. They have a play on the rug on the floor, with a few toys and now their new extremely psychedelic, all singing, flashing, crinkly playmat. They usually spend a few minutes chatting to each other too.

Then I get one to sleep in the swing (usually Elisabeth as she is fighting sleep at the moment, note to self don't muck around with their routine!) and the other up on the window seat bed again. I quickly have some lunch, usually left overs or toast. Sometimes one of them is a bit cheeky and would like a top up snack or a nappy change.

They wake up again around 2 and we do it all again. They get a ferrous supplement in the afternoon. This one is clear, but stains brown if you spill any. I try to get a cup of tea and snack again. Sometimes it's still warm by the time I drink it. Around 3.30pm Nigella and Claudia start getting restive (they spend most of the day sleeping on their mats in the breezeway or in the sun on the terrace) and want to go outside to wait for Rob's return. I know how they feel. Sometimes things can unravel at this stage and one of the girls will be awake, no matter what I do! Clean nappies, full tummies, reading books, cuddling. Often the Putumayo yoga music is played on a loop, we have used this album since the girls first came home, I think more than anything it calms us down!

Around 5pm Rob calls from work to let me know he is on his way, often he stops to shop on the way home. The girls (both baby and furry) and I wait until his headlights come rushing down our 300m driveway, and shine right into the living room of the hut (as we have double glazed windows we don't require curtains or blinds). The dogs rush to get to him first and knock each other over in the process. A quick hello to me and the girls and then he'll head down to the laundry hut, to pop some washing in the dryer, play golf in the dark or quickly harvest some veggies.

Meanwhile, the girls are rapidly unravelling and cluster feeding. Sometimes one might give me a break and fall asleep, but sometimes not. The witching hour most definitely exists here at the hut. Rob will prepare dinner, we will try and discuss our days over crying or chirping. Then we'll quickly sit down at the table to eat. Poor Rob, I really should take a moment to savour and appreciate the lovely dishes he prepares for me, but I have one eye on the babes, and often I abandon or have to scoff it down. One day I hope to eat at leisure. Please tell me I don't have to wait 18 years.

I have to admit by now I feel quite tired myself, and am looking at the clock hoping for it to be 8.30. We will then pack up shop, take feeding pillows, nipple shields, drink bottles, phones, chargers, iPods and of course the babies and dogs down to our bedroom. On goes the yoga music, the lights are dimmed, and I sit up in bed and feed them one last time. Usually they fall asleep in Rob's arms. Usually. But recently it seems this doesn't happen until the magic time of 9.42pm. Then suddenly they fall asleep. They are placed in their sleeping bags in their shared cot, one down each end, and then we thankfully fall asleep too. 

If we are lucky they wake at 2am and 5am. If we are unlucky they wake at 1am, 3am and 6am. 

So that's our day at the moment. I really do enjoy being home at the hut with Maggie and Elisabeth. Our recent run of outings and visits to the hut have interrupted our routine, and poor Elisabeth has been the most confused by this. Over stimulated by new surroundings, or traumatic blood draws, she has forgotten how to sleep during the day. After a quiet four days at home, she is finally getting back to normal.

Weekends are lovely, as Rob is home too, we can chat at leisure, drink tea together, take longer over breakfast, cuddle babies on either end of the window seat, keep the dogs amused and bathe the girls. Hopefully soon the weather will be a bit nicer, and the girls will be able to sit up in their big double pram, (they don't really like the bassinet one much), and they'll be able to go out for some fresh air.

So that's what it's like with twins. Busy but twice as much love.

One of life's surprises

If you've followed my blog for awhile you'll know we surprised our family and friends at Rob's birthday by getting married.
Seems the universe, fate or someone else had a surprise in store for us.
I've heard many people say that seeing your baby on an ultrasound for the first time is an amazing, life changing moment.
I doubt that Rob or I will ever forget the moment when our Dr congratulated us, and showed us not one, but two babies on that little screen.
We have since found out our babies are identical twins, a one in 300 chance event.
I have now gotten through 10 weeks of all day nausea and sickness, and am starting to grow a nice round bump.
We saw them yesterday in one of their big scans, a marathon 2 hour session of finding organs, legs and arms to measure. Somehow our lovely radiographer was able to keep track of which limb belonged to whom. It is amazing to see how close they get to each other in there. Apparently our 3D pictures were keeping the other staff amused in the other room (I didn't realise they had an audience) as baby A's legs suddenly turned up in front of baby B's face!
Our babies technical due date is in mid March, but twins tend to be early, so we expect them sometime in late February. Life at the hut will change, but it is a very welcome and happily anticipated change.

Beach visit

Last Sunday was sunny to start off with, so we decided to head to our favourite farmer's market at Cygnet. We picked up some bread, vegetable seeds, almonds and some Hellebores then took a bit of a drive in the hills behind Cygnet, ending up at a beach we visited a couple of years ago.
Nigella knew immediately where we were, Claudia took her cue from her older sister and got very excited. We released them from the back of the car and they ran over to the beach.



I had hoped that the cheeky dogs could stay dry. But what was I thinking? They ran in quickly (it must have been freezing) splashing around, chasing each other and generally having a great old time.





The sun didn't last much past our return home, it poured with rain all afternoon, calling for a lazy window seat nap.

Happy birthday hut {one}

Tomorrow is our one year anniversary of moving into the hut.
We were so over building this time last year, it had dragged on. We packed up the big pieces of furniture (we'd moved bits and pieces down over the preceding weeks) with the help of our friends and their trailer and ute and drove the 15 minutes to the hut. We unpacked, and popped a Jackman & McRoss family pie in the oven, to share our first meal at our table.
The rest of the day was spent cleaning the flat (attached to my parents house and our home for the previous 4.5 years), then returning to unpack and put our bed back together.
We spent the next few weeks feeling like two little children playing house. Even now, we will both spontaneously say "we live at the hut" as it hits us that it's what we wanted for so long.
This year has been busy with the installation of the window seat, Rob setting up both gardens (beds and paths), and paving the terrace (all 108m2). Collecting some more mid-century pieces for the rooms, pulling the wardrobe apart and reassembling it in the spare bedroom.
We've hosted parties and lunches. Friends have come to stay.
The hut has seen much laughter and love, a number of spontaneous happy dances, a few tears and disappointments, and the occasional mild disagreement. But on the whole (and I think Rob would agree) we have loved our first year here and it has felt like our home almost immediately.
Happy 1st birthday hut.

Monday's Menu {and beauty}

Last night Rob took the dogs out for what we call "a wee on a wallaby" around 10.30. Don't worry no wallabies are harmed in this procedure.
He came straight back inside to get me. The night sky is spectacular at the hut anyway, as there are no street lights around the stars are so clear and bright. But last night there was an Aurora Australis happening. Our first at the hut.
Despite the cold -- thank goodness I'd grabbed a beanie and polar fleece -- we stood in the dark at the end of the terrace and watched in awe as a shaft of silvery light shot up from the horizon and then became a series of shimmering waves, that slowly moved across the sky. The light was like a translucent curtain moving in a breeze. Beautiful. Stunning. Luminous.

I didn't even bother trying to take a photo. For once I was content to capture the memory in my mind, confident that I could record it in words here.


This morning the mist hung over the hills as the sun started to rise. I don't know why but Rob and I have become so much more aware of the beauty of where we live since moving to the hut. It was hard to tear ourselves away this morning for work.


So the menu this week:

Monday: Massaman curry, I used a paste I admit and the end result wasn't as good as I had hoped, but still tasted pretty good with rice and poppadums.
Tuesday: We fixed the curry, by adding some almond meal to thicken the sauce and some silverbeet. We ate it with poppadums again and some natural yoghurt.
Wednesday: Lemon linguine.
Thursday: Tomato, vegetable and meatball soup.
Friday: same soup with freshly baked bread (Rob stayed home to work!)
Saturday: Egg and Bacon pie with rocket salad.
Sunday: Rocket salad with soft boiled eggs, blood pudding (sorry Sarah), and sourdough croutons.


Yesterday we headed to the Cygnet market (which is held on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month, from 10am-2pm). We love Cygnet on market days. Even better they have an atm for our bank now! So we picked up free range eggs, vegetable seeds, almonds, spices, rhubarb, carrots, parsnips, swede, leeks, and silverbeet. We couldn't resist a couple of Eccles cakes from Lotus Eaters, a browse in the second hand clothes shop behind the cafe, a loaf of Steve's sourdough rye and a couple of his jam doughnuts. There was a cute new fruit and vegetable shop in town, and we found some coffee beans (we'd totally run out so we were on the hunt for some) and I spied a beautiful dark grey salad bowl, made by Emile Henry. Rob indulged me and bought it.

I'm thinking of collecting my recipe posts in a separate page as a list, what do you think?

As a previous world champion...

...today is a big day. Bigger than the Olympics. The excitement and tension has been building steadily over the last few weeks. The training schedule has been crushing. Team politics have been fought out, secret strategy meetings have been made. The rankings and draw has been debated and questioned. Training has been tapered. Carbohydrate loading has started. Today is the biggest day of the year for my fellow competitors and I.

Today is the:

 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP OF CRIBBAGE

This renowned event is hosted annually by the School of Plant Science. To win the ultimate prize, a team must work their way through the draw, playing four sudden death games of crib, to win the honour of being crowned the World Champions.

This is not a competition for the light hearted, it is fierce, spectators hackle, adjudicators watch over you to ensure no point is missed or pegged incorrectly. The adrenaline rush is real.

Rob and I have had the luck talent to make the final three times together. Twice we failed at the final hurdle. Watching as our competitors celebrate their win, the cheers from the crowd, the trophy ceremony, with the sickening feeling of total desolation as you realise nobody remembers who came second.

But 2009, was a year to remember, we made our way through the draw quietly, even played a game over because of some dubious backward pegging on the part of our opposition. I can remember it like yesterday.

Finally the big final game. The room is quiet, the atmosphere close, as the crowd leans in closely to examine every card, every throw out, every play. In true Australian tradition, the under dogs are the crowd favourite. We have never been considered the under dogs. We battle not only our opposition but a whole room of competitors, who embittered by their earlier exits, are keen to watch the top dogs lose. My mouth is dry, Rob plays crazy daring pegging cards, making me writhe with almost physical pain. This is not the time to take risks. But I can read his face, I know when he has got the turn up of the century, turning his hand from a meagre six to the coveted dozen or better. We took lady luck along for the ride, pegged like demons (where the skill lies) and still the game was so close.

Heart thudding it comes down to quite literally a matter of a few points between us.

It won't be won on what we hold, rather the pegging. 

We are actually a little further behind, we turn up a jack and get a point, edging closer. Now is not the time for radical pegging, I don't think I'm actually breathing any more. 

Rob has an opportunity to make it 15 and win the game. I look at his face. I think he has it, I'm almost sure. But he's delaying the play. Surely this means he has it?

Then he puts his card down. Time appears to slow down as I see it and realise he's just pegged us the two points. The cheering starts. We have won. We are the world champions. After 10 years of trying our names will be forever immortalised on the trophy.

I must admit since achieving the lofty heights of champion, I thought I should retire at the top. But the addiction to the adrenaline rush is too strong. Despite not regularly playing anymore, as soon as I walk into the hallowed room, I want to win again.

So today is it. Another shot at glory. The dress up theme this year is Las Vegas, so in true botanical style we have created cactus hats. Wish us luck, cause just quietly, really that's all you need to win crib!

DISCLAIMER: I apologise for the excessive use of sporting clichés; I just couldn't help myself!

One Year and Monday's Menu {Flatbread Pizza}

So first up, today is a special day at the hut.
A year ago today we invited our closest friends and family down to the hut for Rob's birthday party.
It was meant to be a house-warming too, but the build of the hut hadn't quite gone as fast as we'd thought.
But that didn't matter, we ate all our favourite foods, drank sparkling wine and enjoyed the sun.
In between main course and dessert, we had organised a little surprise.
Just a little ceremony.
I can still hear the gasp.
Happy 1st Anniversary Rob, it was a perfect day and our first year has been a memorable one.
(If you'd like to read the full story of our surprise wedding last year click here).

Back to our menu.
Monday: Beef and red wine stew.
Tuesday: Gres de Champenois with fresh figs and salad.
Wednesday: A tomato based pasta sauce with eggplant, zucchini, olives and fetta.
Thursday: Pork sausages and mash with home-made tomato sauce
Friday: Pesto and potato pizza (see the recipe below).
Saturday: Margaret Fulton's tarragon roast chicken with roast vegetables.
Sunday: Yum cha and Me Wah. Steamed dumplings and roast duck and many other delicious morsels.


Rob used this bread dough below for the pizza base.

Annabel Langbein's Crusty Flat Bread

This is a wonderfully supple focaccia dough that makes enough for two large loaves. You can freeze half the dough to cook later. We used leftover mashed potato, but if you don't have any in the fridge, boil potatoes until tender, mash them and allow them to cool before adding to the recipe. The wetter the dough is, the lighter the finished result will be, so don't be tempted to keep adding flour.

Prep time: 20 minutes + 3 hours rising, or 12 hours in the fridge.
Cooking time: 25 minutes.
Makes two large loaves.
Crusty flat bread dough
1 ½ cups warm (not hot) water
1 ½ tsp dry yeast granules
1 packed cup cooked and mashed potato
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 ½ cups high-grade or baker's flour, plus extra for kneading
2 tsp salt

Topping
1-2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp fresh rosemary leaves
½ tsp sea salt

Place warm water in a large mixing bowl (a breadmaker or electric mixer with a dough blade is ideal, if you have one). Sprinkle yeast over the water and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Mix in the mashed potato and the cup olive oil. Stir in the flour and salt and mix until the dough just starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn the dough on to a lightly floured board and, using lightly oiled hands, knead about 30 times (or for 3-4 minutes on the dough cycle of a breadmaker). Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with muslin or a teatowel and leave to rise in a warm place for 3-4 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk. You can also leave it in the fridge, covered, to rise slowly overnight.
When you're ready to cook your bread, place a baking stone on the centre shelf of the oven and preheat oven to 220degC. Turn the risen dough on to a lightly floured board, divide in half and shape each half into a ball. Roughly flatten one ball on to a tray lined with baking paper, pressing the dough out to an oval shape about 25 x 20cm. Use your fingertips to press dimples into the top of the loaf, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary and sea salt. Slide the baking paper with the dough on it off the tray and on to the preheated baking stone. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden.
When cooked, the bread will sound hollow when you tap it. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking stone for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool. Repeat with the other ball of dough. If you want to save the second ball of dough to use later, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean cloth and place in the fridge for up to 48 hours. It also freezes well. Thaw before pressing out and baking.
This recipe is from Annabel Langbein Free Range Cook.

So once it had been kneaded, Rob rolled it out very thinly. He made a pesto and smeared that across the pizza (you could use a bought pesto, but we still have basil so are enjoying it while we still can).
He carefully sliced raw potato very thinly and spread them across the pizza, then sprinkled rosemary sprigs on top. He cooked it until the base was golden and crisp (how we like our pizzas).

Next morning he added some currants to the remaining dough and made cute little currant buns which were light on the inside but nice and crispy on the outside.

Veggie patch

With the absence of flowers in our garden at the moment, I think I'll make Friday a regular day for posting about progress in our garden.
Despite the often inclement weather over Easter, Rob persevered and put together most of the garden beds in his veggie patch. Our poor neglected grape vines that have been plonked in the ground for the time being need to be moved out to the slope in front of the orchard, so that the last 3 beds can be put in place.


On Tuesday we had a delivery of top soil and another of pine bark mulch. You'd think by now we'd be able to calculate the volume of soil/gravel etc we'd need but we realised that we'll need another truckload of soil to finish off the beds. Although our soil is pretty good already, it is clay based, so this nice sandy topsoil will improve the drainage in the raised beds. We put down weed mat between the beds and covered it with the pine bark for the paths.


Rob also finished the last two quadrant beds in my flower garden, and levelled off the soil. I spent a happy afternoon weeding around the box hedge plants. I got about half way through, so will finish that off on the weekend.


Finally we planted three new trees. A pepper tree (Schinus molle), a tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) and a liquidambar (Liquidambar styraciflua).

We hope to finish off the beds this weekend, and plant out some seedlings for (fingers crossed) a winter crop.

Happy weekend.

Goodnight 2011

Today has been spent preparing the base for our paving, it was hot, dusty, thankless work. Although the whacker bit was exciting to watch. Claudia didn't help there, deciding it would be fun to chase the water spray and generally get in the way.
At one stage we had to stop and watch as a wedge tail eagle got harassed by a pair of forest ravens. Watching them swoop above us is literally awesome, to use an abused adjective.
I'm afraid I wasn't as helpful this afternoon. The crusher dust needed to be screed and I was getting in the way.
Added to the fact we were both hot and hadn't eaten lunch, we were a little tetchy. So to cheer us up I went food shopping and have made Stephanie Alexander's chicken Provençal for our last meal of 2011. It is just simmering away nicely, the smell of chicken, tomatoes and garlic pervading through the hut.
So we bid 2011 a fond farewell. It was a big year for us. We sprung our surprise wedding on our family and friends, I became an aunt for the first time, and we finally moved into our hut.
It is truly lovely at the hut, and we don't take a moment for granted, after a four year wait to get here. Having our own home has been very important to both of us. I feel settled and content, not constantly wishing I was elsewhere, or using up time until we could be here.
Happy New Year to you all. I look forward to sharing another year with you, who knows what chapters we might add to the Hut Chronicles in 2012.

Village spirit

We headed to the Cygnet market today. We love these country village produce markets, and have tried a few around the Huon & Channel. But this was the first time we'd gone to this one.
It was buzzing from when it opened at 10am, even though it was a cool day. We bought quite a lot, actually. Rhubarb, lettuce, spring onions, broad beans, carrots, strawberries, a Korean gardening tool, a celery top spatula. Then we wandered along the main road, a new shop front beckoned us, with it's welcoming timber door and pot belly stove. Part second hand book shop, part homeopathic pharmacy and part toy shop. We couldn't resist a tiny bunny and a fox. We were quite taken with the billy goats gruff though!
We had a coffee and some lovely crisp pastries at the Lotus Eaters, before picking up some bread and jam doughnuts (for later, I promise) from Red Velvet Lounge.
Finally some new pink eye potatoes and free range eggs from the shop.
It was the best market we've been to, the stall holders were friendly and it was so busy (in a good way).
Back at the hut we made two different Christmas puddings and I made a batch of speculaas for a Dutch friend.
I'm counting down the days to go to our holiday now, roll on Friday.

Our life...

The end of the working week found us shopping, first at Bottega Rotolo for cheese, and Christmas treats such as glacé clementines and chocolate with nougat in it. If you're a local and haven't visited them you have to check out their Christmas goodies.
Next was the Mother's market in Battery Point for jam, melting moments and brownies from C & C cupcake factory. I have to admit the melting moments didn't make the end of the street! I also bought a cute brooch for a friend for Christmas and an elk for the window from Dick & Dora.
It was a lovely evening, Rob spent some time outside raking the grass, I couldn't help myself and wrapped a few gifts, with all my new accessories. Last year we left all the wrapping to the last minute. It started off neatly, but soon disintegrated into hastily wrapped and scribbled tags. So with good intentions I plan to do them as we buy them this year.
We've decided to have categories for our presents for each other and Rob's daughter. The categories are: need, want, wear, eat, drink, read, play, write and watch. (We don't get the last few!) I'm feeling pretty smug as I have 4 of Rob's 6, and know what one other is (he does too- I wouldn't dare buy his scythe for him!) Do you have any present traditions?
Today has been grey and a bit damp. After the gym and a little shopping, we met a guy at Margate to check out the pavers we hope to buy in the next few weeks. Having the terrace paved will make the hut feel really complete. We're planning on having different sized sandstone pavers. That's what we're planning for our holiday, what fun we have!?
Then in Margate we stopped to pick up some (18) fence posts, although we had the trailer, I think Rob meant to go and get them tomorrow, so we didn't actually have a rope. My worst fears were realised when, as we drove onto the main road, one of the posts rolled off the top! Luckily it just ended up in the gutter. After sheepishly retrieving it, a nice guy gave us a piece of rope, so we safely got them home.
So Rob has been out in the rain all afternoon (he couldn't help himself) digging post holes whilst I stayed nice and dry stamping gift tags and baking a chocolate prune cake.