It’s been a busy week for me – from muddy visits to farms, baby scans and road-trips west. This is what my last seven days looked like…
The week that was
Category: Everyday life
A slow, sunny Sunday
It’s just been the most beautiful autumn weekend. Cool nights, sunny days and a wonderful mix of places to be and quiet time. The last 24 hours were just so languid and lovely I wanted to jot down my memory of them. A reminder to look back on when a not so relaxed Sunday comes along…
Saag paneer
I’ve always quite enjoyed Indian food, but it wasn’t until I moved to England that I gained a full appreciation for the cuisine and its myriad of tasty dishes.
Having a ‘curry takeout’ or going for a ‘curry’ is one of the most beloved of meals in the U.K and it’s reflected in the number of Indian restaurants that can be found in any one location. In the small Worcestershire town that Adam and I lived in, there were at least half a dozen places you could get a curry. Over the months I quickly developed a deep love for saag or palak paneer – most commonly, a mildly spiced spinach dish served with chunks of cooked paneer cheese.
The versions I’ve had so far here in Australia haven’t quite matched up to what I’d eaten in England, so the other week I decided to have a go at making the dish myself, adapting a recipe from the BBC’s Good Food website…
My maternity wardrobe
I’m almost halfway through my pregnancy now and I really can’t believe how quickly the weeks are flying by. My morning sickness seems to have subsided (hooray!) and although I still indulge in a day-time nap whenever I can, that overwhelming exhaustion of the first trimester has passed. I’ve also now developed a little bump and after weeks of making my existing wardrobe work, I’ve finally picked up a couple of maternity specific pieces…
The calm Easter
The Easter break is almost upon us and I for one can’t wait. To me, Easter always feels like a laid-back holiday – there isn’t the same level of expectation, planning and hysteria like at Christmas. Perhaps it also stems from the fact, that when I was a child, Easter was always a really quiet time in my family. We rarely travelled during the few days off. It was always about recharging batteries, indulging in good food (and some chocolate!) and receiving a pair new winter pyjamas.
This year I’ve got a firm picture in my mind as to what I want to do…
What’s making me happy: April
I’ve always loved the month of April for its transitional quality – in Australia it generally means the arrival of cooler mornings and the first signs of autumn. When we were living in England it meant longer evenings and spring blossoms. This month though, this has been what’s making me happy…
A mini gallery
This past weekend I ticked off one of those jobs that’d been sitting on my to-do list for months. It was one I was super enthusiastic about, that just got put off when my first trimester sickness kicked in, and the put off some more.
The funny thing is, it wasn’t a hard or cumbersome job, it was actually something nice – mounting some new artworks…
A breakfast date
The other week, Adam and I managed to sneak in a Friday morning breakfast date. Although it would have been lovely to have the entire morning to linger over our meal, the hour or so we had alone was just wonderful and the perfect way to start the wind down to the weekend…
The week that was
The first week of April is here and just like that we’re into the second quarter of the year. Sometimes it feels like life is truly just whizzing by and when that happens I like to slow things down and reflect on the little moments. So, this is what my last week looked like…
Ribolitta
That first taste of autumn arrived at the weekend. Stormy rain rolled through on Friday night, lashing windows and dropping the temperature. By Saturday that’d broken up into scudding showers that blew in with force along with a cool wind. It resulted in lamps getting turned on early, candles being lit and my favourite cosy clothes being pulled out of the cupboard for their first wear of this year.
That sort of weather always make me crave warm, hearty meals and one of my favourites is ribollita – a Tuscan bread soup. It’s packed full of vegetables, is bursting with flavour and is my go-to recipe whenever someone says they feel poorly…
Wattle and Ash 