9 months

i can't believe that he's been out in this world for about as long as he lived in my tummy. weary and heavy i carried him around so glad to have him close by and so excited to wonder who he would be as he wriggled and kicked and grew. and now he's here i can't imagine how we managed without him. we love his smiles and shrieks and giggles. It's just so much fun for the three of us, getting to know our littlest cheeky son and brother.

it's been ages i know,
sarada xxx

mayfair and life at home

my friend chloe and i had a craft stall at our local mayfair recently. it was without a doubt the most challenging stall we have done so far. the weather was not on our side as great gusts of wind tried to steal our borrowed gazebo, and the rain on occasion came in lashing torrents. on top of this a very aggressive lady in a wheel chair broke the corner of said (borrowed) gazebo and then bent the pole of the one next door. despite all of these issues we both did surprisingly well and have now organised another 3 stalls. so i shall have to get busy sewing.



i was going through some photos and found these. this was a welcome home dinner i made for gaggy. sour dough bread ( i will continue with the recipe), quiche, and salads.


we were given these cool 'hard yakka' kids work trousers when we were in Australia at the beginning of the year. francisco wears them all the time.


they still look good even when he's had enough of helping his papa and looks very grumpy


and a garden experiment. bicarb, food colouring washing up liquid and vinegar make for quite an explosive wizards brew.



ambika x

alchemy, or how to make your sour dough starter

i've been making so much bread lately and getting in such a floury mess that i made myself this pinny to try at least to keep my clothes a little bit clean.



this is the first loaf of sour dough bread and it was delicious. i really have caught the bug now and am baking much faster than we can eat as a family. to make a loaf it takes about 2 days from start to finish,plus feeding out starter regularly, but i seem to have a good flow going now.

this seems to be good for all my friends who are getting to sample these lovely handmade loaves. the best compliment i have had came from a 5 year old boy who descibed his bread as 'yummy home sweet home toast'



i am enjoying this process so much i would like to share it with you here. the first step is to make your sour dough starter.Pure alchemy cultivating the wild yeasts.

you will need:

1tbsp strong wholemeal bread flour
3tbsp strong white bread flour
juice of 1 orange

In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients and enough warm water to create a thick paste. Then cover the bowl with a lid or cling film and leave in a warm place for the magic to happen. Within 24hrs there should be signs of fermentation – signalled by the appearance of bubbles on the surface. It can take anything from a few hours to a few days for the process to begin.

Everyday you need to feed your starter. you do this by mixing the same quantities of flour with some water to retain the batter like consistency. Leave it for 24hrs and then feed again. it is a bit like having a pet, look after it and it will thrive.
francisco has taken this one step further and named our starter Yoshi he is really enjoying the new daily ritual.

when your bowl gets a bit full just empty a bit out and feed again. there is no real right or wrong way and many people have developed their own techniques but this is how i have done mine.

don't be tempted to bake a loaf until your starter has been going for 7-10 days and smells yeasty and inviting.

if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask.

ambika

pirate party

francisco is now 5 years old and to celebrate we all headed to the beach and had a pirate themed treasure hunt and bbq.



the weather was amazing, the kids were excited, and the treasure hunt was exciting.


this is them trying to work out where the treasure might be buried from the map they found.


they dug and they dug and then the treasure emerged from a deep hole in the sand.


in other news from the blue cottage. i am baking my first sourdough loaf tomorrow. the dough is currently on its first rise. it is such a liberating process i cant wait to see if it works and how it tastes.

i am also sewing like crazy trying to prepare for my mayfair stall. i will post some photos in a day or two.

and out in the garden the potatoes, carrots, and beetroot are all planted out. lets hope they grow strong and healthy

ambika x

spring

spring is about warm sunshine and daffodils in the house.


spring is sprouting seeds for salads


spring is planting vegetable seeds and watching them grow in pots before they go out into the garden.


it's about experimenting. this is my sour dough starter on day 5. I cant wait to see if it works and what my bread will taste like.


and getting new projects started.



it's also about putting aside a little more time to be here on our blog.
ambikax

happy new year

i caught myself the other day writing september 2011 on stanley's latest artwork. i think it was a felt tip drawing with lots of lines. and i only noticed my mistake when later in the day i was looking at his gallery. the place we call the hallway where his pictures are tacked up for all to see whenever they are passing. i was a bit taken aback when i noticed the slip and it was a big reminder to take a deep breath, several in fact. i think life has been such a tumultuous blur since the highs we were feeling in september with birth of our littlest the month before. so much has happened, good and not so good and the months have sped by so fast that i obviously didn't fully register any changes in the outside world. things hopefully have settled down now and we can potter along in january slowly. just enjoying each other and the simple routines that each day brings. hope you can do the same.

sarada xxx

new old things

i just wanted to share these beautiful things with you. i got the little blue melamine jug and pot free, from our freeboot sale we held in september, and i bought the tea pot from a local charity shop. i just love both items and they make me very happy whenever i see them.

ambika x