Sisters in the Garden…

Back in March my sisters, Sonnie and Jan visited, you might say we were a little excited.

The day that they were to arrive, the phone started buzzing with text messages advising of their respective departures, Sonnie had a 2.5 hour drive, Jan had a 6 plus hour drive.  We received updates letting us know where they were, something that we do to make sure everyone is traveling safely.

Sonnie arrived first, with Jan arriving a few hours later.  Bags were taken to their rooms, cups of tea enjoyed, and the talking began.  The day they arrived there was to be a street parade, in existence since 1957, the aim of the Maffra Mardi Gras is to give community groups in Maffra, and throughout Wellington Shire, the opportunity to raise funds for their organisation.  Culminating in a family-friendly evening with a street parade, marching bands and floats, market and food stalls, entertainment for all ages and a lot of fun!  This years’ theme was “the circus” and local trucking companies provided the mobile platforms for local schools and community groups to join in the parade.

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it was quite a warm day, so with the parade scheduled for 6pm, it was perfect!   We found our place along the street, and we couldn’t wipe the smile from our faces.

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Plums and Raspberries

Following on from my last post where I was gifted a bucket of blood plums, I thought that I would share the recipe for one of my favourite jams – Plum and Raspberry Jam.

My Gran used to make plum and raspberry jam when I was a child.  Back then we didn’t have access to fresh raspberries, but there were plums each season.  To make her jam, Gran would purchase a can of raspberry jam and then combine it with the plums while making the jam.  I just love plum and raspberry jam!

My beautiful Gran, the late Grace Catherine Flood (nee Marshall), in her garden.

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Taking a break…

We had friends visiting a beautiful spot just over an hours drive from here, so planned to meet up with them while they were there.  I contacted them to arrange a day and time, and then contacted a cousin who lived in the area to see if they were available to catch up on the same day.

With times arranged, we planned the rest of our days outing…

We left home mid morning, we were heading to Lakes Entrance, a beautiful coastal fishing town, and very popular spot for tourists, particularly in the warmer months, although we love it all year round.  We were hoping that the lady who sells fresh fish from the back of the boat would be there, but sadly, when we arrived, she wasn’t there.  I took a walk across the footbridge to the beach, before returning to wait with Gary for our friends to arrive.

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In the Garden – December 2022

Well, I’ve skipped a couple of months, let’s just say that sometimes life gets a little busy!

But here’s a peak into what happened in the Garden in December 2022…

The Iris Garden

The roses in the Iris Garden are looking lovely and recovering from being smothered in kikuyu!

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Sorry, but this is not a pudding!

For many years now, I have been cooking  and packaging special Christmas hampers for our family in Queensland.  These hampers are our Christmas gift to them, something from our kitchen to theirs on Christmas day.  The hampers are generally made up of various sauces, pickles, jams etc that have been prepared during the year, and then there’s a cooking frenzy just before they are sent off, where Christmas cakes and puddings are made, batches of biscuits are baked, and if there’s time a big batch of crunchy granola.  This year I also popped in a little recipe for them to try, using my Mango and Kiwi Fruit Chutney. Continue reading