Friday 25th September

The weather is a bit better that it has been the last couple of days, but to be honest we actually needed a bit of rain, the paddocks needed it and our tanks are both full to overflowing. There are still rain clouds about but the sun keeps popping it's head out.
My view eastwards from where I sit on my laptop at the dining table


It ended up being a bit of a mini Spring clean this week, I have no idea what got into me but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the going's on at Down to Earth. It all started of quite innocently doing the usual housework, but it kind of went a bit beyond that and I ended up de-cluttering as I went' It's never ceased to amaze me how 3 people can generate so much 'stuff'. On Down to Earth there are some discussions about stockpiling, they are about foodstuffs. In this house there seem to be stockpiles of washing hiding in long forgotten corners, these corners seem more prevalent in teenagers rooms. Although Joe does have a corner like that too. I can't say too much though because no doubt my mum would be along soon and shout me down, reminding me of the piles of ironing she placed neatly on the end of bed waiting to be put away. I'd get into bed, wonder what that annoying thing on the end of the bed was and kick it off, that pile would stay on the floor for quite some time, well at least until I had worn them all and put them back into the wash! Needless to say this didn't last long and mum stopped doing my ironing, can't say I blame her really either. They say what goes around comes around, I can only think that my teenage son is now my payback time.

Oh do stop waffling woman and get on with it! So the mini spring clean continued and the downstairs has once again become my haven from the goings on upstairs, more of that news to come later. I even pulled everything out of the pantry cupboard, cleaned that and reorganised everything. Not that it took long to be honest, there wasn't that much in there. After more reading at Down to Earth I realised my pantry was a bit sad, in that it was a bit woeful. So now I really need to go shopping and work on that stockpile.

Everyone seems to be feeling the pinch these days and we are no exeption, so our immediate aim is to try and cut down on some expenditure, one of those being the grocery bill, we buy so much stuff that is not necessary and to my horror stuff sometimes goes to waste, and I hate waste. So if I get the basics right in the pantry and bake more often we should in theory save a bit of money. Putting it into practice is another thing though. We have a freezer full of meat so we don't need to buy that. The veggie garden is starting to produce, if we could survive off that, wouldn't that be the bees knees! I have some preserving to do, I've got a lemon and a grapefruit tree heaving with fruit, so I need to make some lemon honey/curd. Now that Laura has posted step by step Marmalade instructions on Our wee Farm it should be a breeze.
I made plum jam last Autumn and we are just about to start the last jar, so definatley worth the effort.

Also on my list of cutback efforts is to do more homebaking, I've madde Anzac biccies already this week, they lasted about five minutes! Last night I made some butterfly cakes, this uses the Victoria Sponge recipe.




Butterfly cakes
I double up the recipe and use muffin cases to cook them in, they're bigger!!!

8oz softened butter &
8oz caster sugar

Mix together in a bowl until light and fluffy

4 eggs

8oz plain flour &
1 tsp baking powder sifted together


Add one egg at a time to the butter and sugar and a spoon of the flour, mix. Continue until all eggs and flour are mixed together.

Place a large spoon of mixture in each muffin case in a muffin tray and bake in pre warmed oven, 170degC for approximatley 20 mins or when springy to the touch.

Cool on wire tray.

Butter Icing
3oz butter
6oz sifted icing sugar
Few drops vanilla essence

Mix all ingredients together

To make the 'butterflies' cut a circle out of the top of each cake, don't cut right to the edge, and cut at an angle so when you remove the cut out it has a slight wedge to it.

Spoon butter icing into the well of cake, cut your wedge in half and place together to look like 'wings', Dust with icing suger and enjoy