birthday dessert ideas: February 2011

Time to Buy a Bike?

I have never been much of a bike rider. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was 12. However, now I am thinking of buying myself a bike.

The catalyst? I have just been offered a new job that is only a short bike ride - about fifteen minutes - away, although it would be a fifty minute walk. Most of that distance is through back streets and parkland, so there are few busy roads to brave.

I love the look of some of the retro cruiser bikes that are currently on the market, such as the Apollo Cruiser below. They appeal in so many ways: only three gears, comfy seat, cute basket up the front, skirt-friendly.

Lycra is not my thing; I just want a simple bike that will take me from A to B without too much drama and with a reasonable amount of comfort.

Are you a cyclist? What kind of bike do you ride? Do you know anything about cruiser bikes?

Sunshine, when you're with me I can fly!... ☼

Marido regressado de Lisboa. Almoço no jardim. Felicidade total!...

Tenham um bom Domingo!

Husband back home from Lisbon. Lunch in the garden. Total bliss!...

Have a nice Sunday!

Sweet tooth

Acabei de fazer uns pasteis de nata e ainda apanhei a luz do dia para o fotografar! Vou jantar a casa de uma amiga e vão servir para acompanhar o café. São tão deliciosos quentinhos, é de comer e chorar por mais!...

I just made these traditional portuguese sweets, with custard cream. They are so yummy and delicious and I like them still warm. I'm having a dinner at a friend's house and I'm taking these to have coffe with. Just sprinkle some cinnamon on top and that's it!

Profusion of blooms

Sábado e sol = combinação perfeita. Queria tirar fotografias das toalhas-de-mesa que tenho para vos mostrar mas, sozinha com as duas meninas, é mais difícil. São todas toalhas às flores - nada de novo, portanto... :) Uma delas tinha o nome de "Profusion of Blooms". Achei tão lindo e apelativo que não resisti a dar esse nome ao título deste post.

As minhas toalhas-de-mesa são mesmo isso: uma profusão de lindas flores!

Saturday and sun = perfect combo. I wanted to take some photos of my tablecloths, but being alone with the little girls makes it harder. They all have flowers - nothing new! :) One of the tablecloths had the name of "Profusion of Blooms": I just couldn't resist using that name for this post's title.

My tablecloths are really like that: a profusion of beautiful flowers!

British cozy

Olá! Ultimamente tenho andado a refrescar a decoração da minha casa - deve ser dos ares da Primavera que se aproxima - e o meu quarto foi um dos sítios eleitos, pois tinha andado algo esquecido, principalmente desde que a Conchinha nasceu. Já há muito tempo que tinha visto num dos livros da Cath Kidston os edredons antigos que se usavam nos anos 30 e 40 e que ela tem, entre muitas outras coisas bonitas. Sempre gostei de edredons, desde pequena. Aquela fofura toda atrai-me e, apesar dos que têm penas não serem muito aconselhados para os alérgicos (eu mesma!), não consigo resistir a usá-los... Encontrei-os à venda aqui - Velvet Ribbon. Juntamente com as tradicionais mantinhas aos quadrados (também adoro mantinhas, no sofá então, nem queiram saber!). As fotos que mostro são de quilts, mas vejam os edredons e digam de vossa justiça. É que a Primavera está a chegar, mas ainda está um friozinho!!..

São lindos, não são? Eu gosto!!

Credits

Pure Style Online

Hi everyone! Lately I've been redecorating some rooms in my home - it must be the Spring coming - and my bedroom is one of the chosen places, as it's been kind of neglected, especially after Conchinha was born. So, I had seen these 30s and 40s vintage eiderdowns in one of Cath Kidston's books and I found them online at Velvet Ribbon. Ever since I was a little kid that I enjoy eiderdowns - they're so fluffy and cozy! I know the feather ones are not so good for allergic people (I'm the one!) but I just can't resist using them... I also found the traditional check blankets, so great to have on you sofa - I'm a blanket girl. The photos I'm showing you are of quilts, but check the site and tell me what you think of the eiderdowns. I know Spring is on its way, but it's still so cold!

They're beautiful, aren't they? I like them!

High performance

Papéis-de-parede de alto impacto atraem-me. Por isso gosto de os ver em painéis, assimétricos, ou aqueles menos comuns, tipo murais. E, como reparei na imagem deste sofá antigo centrado com uns rolos de papel pendurados na parede por trás, lembrei-me do papel digital da Cath Kidston que, apesar de ser noutra cor (na foto, pelo menos - penso que o têm noutras tonalidades), teria um efeito muito semelhante numa composição deste género... Os grandes pormenores fazem mesmo toda a diferença e eu imagino um sofá com este pano de fundo num hall de entrada ou uma mesa encostada à parede, a contrastar com o painel, numa sala cheia de luz...

Credits

LivingEtc

Cath Kidston

I love high impact wallpapers. That's why I like them assymetrical, in panels or murals, maybe the least common ways. So when I saw this old sofa enhanced by the panels behind it, I remembered Cath Kidston's digital wallpaper above and, although the photo shows it in a different background color, it could be used in a similar decoration... These big details make the whole difference and I can imagine a sofa with this kind of setting in an entrance hall or maybe a table close to the wall back against this wallpaper, in a room filled with light...

Rock Cakes

'This is Ron,' Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes on to a plate.

'Another Weasley,eh?' said Hagrid, glancing at Ron's freckles. 'I spent half me life chasin' yer twin brothers away from the forest.'

The rock cakes almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons.

from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Rock cakes get their name because they are lumpy and look a little like rocks, not because they are rock-hard. At least, fresh rock cakes aren't hard, but like most scone-type mixes they should be eaten fresh or they can come to resemble pebbles. I like my rock cakes straight out of the oven, split, and spread with unsalted butter.

This recipe comes from The Commonsense Cookery Book, which was the required text for year 7 Home Science at my high school.

Rock Cakes

2 cups self-raising flour

90 g butter or margarine

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 Tbsp currants, sultana, chopped dates or mixed fruit

1 egg

3 Tbsp milk

Heat oven to 200 degrees celsius (20 degrees less for a fan-forced oven). Grease an oven slide. Sift flour. Rub in softened butter lightly with the tips of your fingers. Add sugar and ginger. Add dried fruit. Beat egg, and add to it the milk. Add eggs and milk to dry ingredients, and make into a stiff dough. Place mixture in small, rough heaps on prepared oven slide. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool on a cake rack.

Tips

Although the recipe suggests ginger, you can easily swap this for cinnamon or mixed spice.
I usually use commercial mixed fruit for the dried fruit, and I always put more than the recipe says.
If the mixture appears too stiff after you add the milk, just add a little extra milk.
Keep an eye on the oven as overcooking will burn the fruit.

Everybody loves the sunshine

Hoje, para grande surpresa minha, acordei com sol. Depois de uma noite terrível - a Conchinha está doente e acordou de duas em duas horas - lá consegui arrancar-me da cama, de garganta arranhada e olheiras até ao queixo. Quando vi o dia que estava, fiquei tão contente! Foi pegar na mesa que está na lavandaria, toalha em cima e toca a aproveitar o resto de sol! O meu pequeno jardim aquece facilmente, é protegido a toda a volta por muros altos. Claro que foi comer e vir para dentro, que ainda não estamos propriamente no Verão! A foto de baixo foi tirada para fazer um experiência com as cores da toalha e do prato de bolo.

E pronto, são estes os pequenos detalhes da vida de uma mamã que é a tempo inteiro ao fim-de-semana! :) Espero que gostem das fotos!

To my great surprise, today I woke up to a sunny day. After a lousy night with my little peanut being ill, waking up every two hours, I managed to drag myself out of bed with a sore throat and bags under my eyes. But I was so happy when I saw the sun that I took the small table out of the laundry room, grabbed a tablecloth and set the table for breakfast outside. My little garden warms quite quickly as it is surrounded by high walls. But nevertheless, we just took our meal and went back inside right after, as it is not summer yet! The last photo is an experience with the colors of the tablecloth and the amber cake stand.

Well, and these are a few details of the life of a full-time mummy at weekends! :) I hope you like the photos!

So give me the light

Sempre vivi em casas com pé direito muito alto - hoje em dia, não, pelo contrário! E é nessas casas que adoro ver estes candeeiros de tecto antigos, ou a imitar antigos- eu gosto de brilhos e tudo o que reflicta a luz é muito apelativo para mim. Gosto de os ver em contraste - numa cozinha rústica, numa casa-de-banho ou, luxo extremo, numa casa de praia como a da última foto... vá, eu nem pedia tanto a Deus!... :)

E qual é o vosso preferido?

Via / Credits

Pinterest

A Life's Design

I always lived in houses with high walls. Well, not now, actually where I live right now it's quite the opposite! But for me it's in that kind of houses that these chandeliers work out best. I love glitter and sparkles, so everything that shines and reflects the light catches my eye. I particularly like to see them in contrast with the rest of the decoration - in a country kitchen, in a bathroom or, extreme luxury, like in that beach house of the last photo... Oh Lord, I wouldn't ask for this much!... :)

And which one is your favorite?

In the Paper: Payneham Community Market 19 February 2011

If this image is too blurry, you can read the article and admire Will's gappy smile and friendly, borrowed chook here. Scroll through to page three (yep, I'm a page three girl!). You can also read the online version here.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

... who's the fairest of them all? Adoro espelhos! Tento usá-los em casa o mais que posso, para reflectirem a luz e aumentarem o espaço. E sonho com um espelho veneziano há anos, desde que vi esta imagem de uma casa-de-banho cor-de-rosa (again) numa revista da Elle Decor Uk que guardo até hoje...

E as florzinhas em papel neste espelhinho? Fantástico, não?

And what about these paper flowers? Amazing, no?

Credits: Marie Claire Maison

...who's the fairest of them all? I love mirrors! And I try to use them at home as much as I can. They reflect the light and enlarge space. And I dream of having a venetian mirror ever since I saw that pink bathroom (pink again) in an Elle Decor Uk magazine that I keep until today...

Collecting stuff...

Eu tenho espírito de coleccionadora. Gosto de ver as coisas em conjunto, guardadas e arrumadas, e tenho alguma dificuldade em separar-me rapidamente de peças antigas. Sou assim no trabalho, também. É aquele raciocínio tão típico do "um dia posso precisar". Em termos profissionais, tem-se revelado útil. Em termos pessoais, não é bem assim. Preciso de renovar, mudar de pele. Deitar fora algumas coisas velhas e trazer outras novas (ou nem tanto, podem ser antigas, mas serão novas em minha casa).

Nos últimos tempos, tenho pensado no passado. Não sou saudosista por natureza, sempre gostei mais do presente e dos dias que virão. Mas, o que é facto, é que me vêm à cabeça memórias - muitas - de coisas que não voltarei a viver. Ou ver. Por isso estes pratos em pyrex materializam a minha nostalgia. Devem ser saudades da Primavera. E das arrumações da estação!...

Eu tenho espírito de coleccionadora. Não tenho é espaço suficiente em casa!

I have a collector's spirit. I like to gather stuff. I like to see them in boxes, together and it's kind of hard for me to let things go. I'm like that at work too. In professional terms, it's been quite useful most of the times. In personal terms, I wouldn't say the same... I need to renovate, "shed my skin". Throw away some old stuff and bring some new ones to my home (well, not new in age, but new to me!)

Lately I've been thinking a lot about my past. I'm not a nostalgic person by nature and I've always preferred the present and the days that will come. But the fact is, I've been remembering lots of situations and things that I won't live again. That's why I like these pyrex dishes so much - they materialize my nostalgia. It must be because I miss Spring - and Spring cleaning!

I have a collector's spirit. I just don't have enough room in my home!...

Working Things Out

vegie patch

For the month of February, instead of working four days a week from 9 until 3, I'm working five days a week. Another staff member has gone back to China for the Chinese New Year and I have taken on an extra day's work to help cover for her.

One extra day a week doesn't sound like much, but it is making a difference to me. I don't have as much time to organise my household. Overall I feel more tired. I feel I have to be more organised every day because I don't have Fridays to catch up on any messes.

This is a roundabout was of explaining why I am not blogging much at present. However, I am looking forward to March, when I should be able to write more frequently again.

Thank you for your patience!

A little Valentine sweet table

Aproveitei este dia de sol para por a mesa no jardim. Com a ajuda da Carlota, lá conseguimos tirar a mesa da sala - já montada com os pratos em cima - e, mesmo tendo caído uma perna (da mesa, claro!), conseguimos levar a nossa avante! Como é habitual, a minha ideia inicial para este tema deu muitas voltas e houve muita coisa que tinha idealizado que acabei por não fazer. Estive mesmo para desistir da ideia, por várias razões, mas estava com pena de não aproveitar algumas das peças alusivas a este dia que já tinha juntado. E, como adoro doces, decidi a semana passada fazer esta mesa para um lanche e este foi o resultado final.

Esta é a minha inspiração para o Dia de S.Valentim - um amor doce, cor-de-rosa e dourado, os cupidos e os postais dos anos 40 (que eu adoro!), as flores (sempre) e os corações...

Feliz Dia dos Namorados!

Bolo: Cupcake

Today was sunny, so I decided to take the table outside. With the help of Carlota, we managed to carry the table already set to the back porch - one of the table leg's fell apart, but we reached our goal successfully! :-) As usual, my initial ideas for this table were a little different, but some things didn't run as planned and I had already given up the idea of doing it. But I was a little sad, as I had already gathered a few things regarding Valentine's Day, so this week I decided to go along and make it! I love sweets, so it's hard to say no to a good treat!

This is my inspiration for Valentine's Day: a sweet, pink love, with gold touches and a vintage feeling. I love the two postcards that are on the table, they are part of a collection that I have and I can't get enough of staring at them.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Give me your love

Há imagens que valem mil palavras... não sei se é das camadas de papel, do efeito do cabide, se do conjunto todo... mas adoro estes corações em papel, tão próprios da época namoradeira que atravessamos! Eu gosto de coisas. E esta é mais uma das coisas de que gosto. Thanks Linda for such a beautiful inspiration!

Credits: Simple Things

Some images are worth a thousand words... I don't know if it's because of the layers, the use of the hanger or the whole set, but I love these paper hearts!... I like things. And this is another thing that I like. Thanks Linda for such a beautiful inspiration!

My Favourite Way to Eat Tomatoes: a Reader's Tale

After I wrote about my favourite way to eat tomatoes, a reader emailed me with a delightful story about her favourite way to eat them. I asked her permission to share this story with you. Thank you Laurie!

My favorite way to eat tomatoes is now a wonderful memory. When growing up in South Florida and the Keys, I would often be at my Gramma's house in the dog days of summertime. (She had the ugly but amazing lemon tree). No one had air-conditioning in those days, and she lived in a house with lovely cool wood floors and high ceilings (from which the quilting frame would hang when the women relatives would come for quilting weekends - but that's another story.)

Gramma would sit on the back porch and announce "Darlin', It's too hot to be a meat day today."

She'd ask us to go and pick some tomatoes for dinner - and we would simply have them sliced with a bit of salt - still warm from the heat of the day. Sitting on that back porch, eating those tomatoes, basking in her love and kindness - Life was Good!

Love will bring us back together

Está a chegar o Dia de S. Valentim e o meu coração bate forte quando vê estes postais antigos... Eu acho uma delícia os cupidos de início do século XX e deleito-me a ler algumas das mensagens de amor que se escreviam naquela época... Eram realmente tempos diferentes.

Vou tentar tirar umas fotografias a uns postais dos anos 40 que tenho guardados (já prometi isso em tempos, mas ainda não o consegui fazer) para vos mostrar os detalhes e as cores dos desenhos daquela época.

Valentine's Day is coming and my heart beats stronger when I see these beautiful postcards from the early XX century. I really enjoy reading the love messages that some of these old cards still have written on them, they are so cute!... Those times were really different from our days and age.

I have told you this before, but I'll try to take some pictures of the Valentine's postcards that I have - they're mainly from the 40s and I would like to show you the colors and the lovely details of those drawings.

Pottering

eggplant

Every day after after work I go for a wander around the garden in the afternoon sunshine. I think and daydream whilst examining the plants. I check for insect damage and see if the tomatoes need to be tied to their stakes again. I worry over plants suffering from heat stress. I look at the young fruit trees and see if they have grown much since I last looked - they usually haven't, because I check them before work too. I imagine future harvests and I pray for rain.

Then I go into the house and face my hungry children, desperate for their afternoon tea.

Summer, I love you (although I'd love you even more if you weren't so hot!)

jap pumpkin

sweet basil

silverbeet