Thursday, March 23, 2017

Gift for a rainy day...

It's raining a lot and we're hopeful that our very very late wet season has truly arrived because the dam is at less than 17% capacity and our town needs water.

I stood at the living room window this morning and gratefully watched this much needed water from heaven soak the ground below...

The house becomes very dark on rainy days but I do love it so. 
Even though it's still very warm and terribly humid outside, the air conditioner humming away inside gives me a sense of autumn and  makes me want to put a pot of thick minestrone soup on the stove and bake bread for supper tonight. 

I'm missing 'real' autumns and winters today. Since moving to the tropics in 2009 we've not experienced one, no longer needing our comforting woolen winter coats or soft and toasty sheepskin Ugg boots. We haven't needed heating in the house nor sat through a wild winter storm. 

Life in the tropics is very different to what I've known most of my life. To be sure it has beauty and I've grown to embrace much about living here...but just for today I'm a little melancholy and longing for falling autumn leaves and a reason to wear one of my dear old cardigans.




Perhaps I've been melancholy for more than a day?
Mr E came home from work early yesterday to surprise me with flowers. It seems he'd noticed I haven't been buying them lately. Isn't he precious? They're so beautiful...


I think this glorious autumn-y hued flower is a dahlia. Gardening dears, am I correct?


Baking has been back in full swing I'm pleased to say. 
After Tuesday's failure of the not-very-pleasant buckwheat slice base, I scraped off the raspberry chia jam and coconut/almond topping so as not to waste the yummy bits. My first plan to re-use the toppings was to smother them with custard as a dessert that night but then I decided to 'jam' two pieces together with lemon curd and create a whole new slice! 
Mr E was most impressed...


....but in case that didn't work out I had plan D ready to go and baked my beloved more of his favourite Banana, Date and Ginger loaf. 


I have to show you the little Anna Gare measuring cups I bought myself for Christmas. Truly, they are unusable for accurate measuring because I'm just not sure where to fill to, but they look so cheery in my kitchen that I don't care if all they ever do is hold strawberries because they're so pretty...

Funny, but as I was taking these photos the first tea towel I pulled out of my kitchen drawer was the pink check one which has my Love To Bake heart stitched on to it and it also made me smile, which is a lovely thing on a melancholy day.

And then I thought, give the girls a smile too.
So here you are. 

Free pattern download until the end of April here in my shop. 




So what shall I do this very rainy day?
I shall stitch and re-watch Darling Buds of May which I just borrowed from the library for the third or fourth time...

I love the warmth and the delight and love for others in Darling Buds, and there's a lot of domesticity that inspires me too. I doubt I will ever have enough of learning about and living within a gentle domestic life.

The stitching is Block 3 of "The Love of Home BOM" and I'll share this free pattern with you on April 1st if you're sewing along this year...


Before I go, a little word of explanation...

I feel the need to share this via the blog.
Many dear blog readers regularly email me to chat about our shared love for God, interest in the gentle domestic life, similar health challenges and other things.
It's very humbling to have such beautiful hearts open themselves up and tell me about their lives when they have never met me and I do not take that lightly. 
For the longest time I have tried to respond as quickly as I can, not a rushed reply, but to chat as though we were having a cuppa on the back porch...but the emails have increased as more and more 'kindred' souls seek to become email friends with me.

Dear hearts, I am sorry but I am unable to create time for what would surely be a lovely time of fellowship. In doing so my family would lose me, housework would be a hope, Bible study a memory, and designing would fall by the wayside.
I have a handful of precious true friends who live far away and even struggle to maintain regular contact with them, so please do not be offended. 

This is one of the many reasons I began the Gentle Domesticity Facebook group.
It's an open kitchen table, someone always there with a cuppa and cake ready to chat, and I get to drop in each day at morning or afternoon tea to soak in the conversation and offer my own thoughts too.

I'd "love" for you to join us and that way there's no pressure on my part or yours.
Visit as often or as seldom as you want.
You're always welcome.



The weather forecast is for lots more rain and we may even have a cyclone forming off the coast by Saturday.

You know what that means? 
More baking, more stitching, and I might even pop that soup on after all.
Have a beautiful day. xx

hugs



22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jenny I too miss the true changes in the seasons, the soup and casserole season is far too short for my liking. Mind you we do get a bit more of a taste of winter than you do up in the tropics.

Minestrone soup is such a lovely soup - lots of colour and flavour so appealing to the eye when the days are overcast and cold.

Take care of your self.


Lynette

Baa. xxx said...

The facebook page is a lovely clever idea. Lovely blog post today - so you!

Martha Roberts said...

Love this post. I am so fortunate to live in a place with four seasons, but the weather is so unpredictable at times, it can be in the same week! Thanks so much for free pattern.

Catherine said...

A lovely post. The flower looks like a chrysanthemum from the look of the leaf. They are fairly common here in the U.K. In the autumn.

Lin said...

Raining here too this morning as I read this clutching my morning coffee. Nice post Jenny. xx

Anonymous said...

Beautiful rain fell at last here in the Mount, starting last Monday and continued into Tuesday. The garden. the native bushes and trees and the chooks loved it. The dry soil, turned into dust by the summer heat, was washed downhill and everything looks fresh and green again. I stitched. My day was brightened by the lovely stitchery my needle was working and I had an 'attitude of gratitude' that a gentle, generous person called Jenny had given me this lovely BOM design free. Thank you, Jenny, for giving us the chance to create something lovely that will continue to give joy for a long time to come. Thank you, too, for the little 'I love to Bake' design. Actually I don't love to bake but I will love painting my Bake Heart with beautiful threads. Alma.

gail said...

What a joy to visit your lovely blog every few days.
We have had sooo much rain down here in the south, a couple of sunny days would be a blessing.

Little Quiltsong said...

Loved your post! Also love rainy days, but without thunder and lightening :)! So glad you are getting your much needed rain - that is a blessing. Your bowls are so, so pretty - what a day brightener. Minestrone soup - Mmmmmm - delicious! All your dishes look and sound delicious!

Jacqueline said...

Another beautiful post. And I am sure we all understand the need for prioritizing your time and that not all things we want to do can be done.

Thanks for all you give and do for us out here in blogland.

Sandy said...

I so enjoy you designs,baking, flowers, and your honesty about your precious time limits. Just keep doing what you're doing for us to enjoy!!!!

Anonymous said...

The flower is Chrysanthamum!

Christine M said...

Your flowers from Mr E look lovely in that jug. I love your measuring cups. They are so pretty. Thank you for sharing your I love to bake stitchery. Take care. Hugs, Christine xx

Kathleen said...

Thank you for the Love to Bake stitchery. I plan on making something for my daughter using that pattern. She is a talented self-taught cake artist.

Createology said...

Rain is so very refreshing. We are having lots since our five year exceptional drought. Do be safe during your storms. Thank you for the Love to Bake gift. A lovely hand stitched towel and a nice baked goods would make an excellent gift for a neighbor or friend in need. I completely understand the lack of time to do it all and email with solemn attention. Great idea you have dear. Hugs...<3

Anonymous said...

Dear, dear Jenny. You stitch, you bake and you enjoy your family. That's what you were created to do. All these other wonderful things you share with us are second place. I love them. I love that you are willing to share, but you go right on putting first things first. A crumb from you is plenty to keep me busy, and your Sunday thoughts are so inspiring. Thank you just for being you. I hope that you keep getting rain and that reservoir behind the dam is soon very high.

Glenise M said...

Dearest Jenny Once again you have delighted me with your blog. Thank you for your ongoing inspiration and sharing. Your blog is my one must go to. I will skip other emails but I see one from you for your blog and I am hooked and all else is forgotten.
I live on the Gold Coast and whilst not as tropical as where you are, I too miss the seasons as I was born and lived for first 30 years of my life in Melbourne. Luckily I still have family in Melbourne and a son and daughter there so I have an excuse to go there regularly for a visit when I can and I can soak up the seasonal weather.
Thank you again for your wonderful blog. Oh, by the way you are so lucky to have Mr E!!!!

Guida said...

Thank you for the lovely pattern. Take care of yourself. Guida

Debby said...

Thank you Jenny!

Carla said...

A lovely post. Those measuring cup are so unique and pretty.
Being in Texas I can get 4 seasons in one day sometimes. LOL except snow..

Susan said...

Crank up the AC and then you can put on your sweater. I suspect the line next to the measure amount is where you would fill it to, but it would be hard to level dry ingredients. It would also be rather full and difficult to pick up and pour liquids from. But they do make a nice decorative touch and you can put the berries or other cute things in them.

I live in Michigan and we have a saying, "wait 5 minutes and the weather will change."

Winifred said...

Take care with that cyclone.
I did love the Darling Buds of May too it was another world. There were some great actors in it.
My favourite soup is carrot & coriander, love it. I never measure anything unless making a cake everything else is just look & feel! Those measuring cups are pretty so it doesn't smelter that they are no use for measuring.

Those flowers are lovely, he is very thoughtful, like you!

selina said...

your beautiful measuring bowls all have a line on them after the measure, i think that's where you fill them to. they certainly are unique
beautiful flowers to brighten the day!
stay safe with the storms & rain
thanx for sharing