Paddock diary

It has been a bit quiet in the paddock recently. However, one of the latest pheasant brood has decided that our gate and fence is his. These were taken on a long telephoto lens this morning, just after breakfast and a shower of rain.

Our ginger hunters thankfully have the good sense to stay away from him, and if Mango's response to a noisy chicken is anything to go by, the pheasant will live to a ripe old age!

Patisserie perambulations

Until today I didn't know there was a pastry called Koenig Amman, which sounds like the German for "The King of Amman", which I suppose refers to King Abdullah II of Jordan (who of course is half English).

The said pastry was purchased in a Vietnamese bakery in NZ.

Not French, or even Jordanian; Vietnamese.

Heck, who cares, it was FABULOUS. Sort of a multi-dimensional Danish pastry (oh help, another nation!), filled with custard and fruit.

Eh voila

And following leaves of pastry with cherry tree leaves (don't you love BBC links), here is a photo of our driveway. I love leaves and trees and colour, and we have them in abundance at the moment.

Happy Monday.

Mr Jack Frost pays a call and leaves his card.

I am always impressed by the birds in our neighbourhood, who somehow find enough energy to chirp, even when there is a significant frost.

Our "kitten" (all 6.5kgs of him) managed to hunt a mouse, which got me out of bed earlier than I would normally rise in this weather. He has now retired to our warm bed until tea time.

Things of autumn colours

We are four days into winter officially, and we have glorious sunshine. This weekend we celebrate the Queens's birthday, even though it isn't her birthday (thanks NZ!). So our roads are full of holiday makers driving up and down country with their boats and bikes attached to bits of their cars. It can be frustrating to get stuck in the queues, so we generally don't venture beyond the end of our road on holiday weekends.

Today was an exception. I wanted to go an antiques fair three towns south of us here. So off we trotted and were surprised at the lack of holiday queues. The fair was full of items which didn't appeal unfortunately. However when I saw this necklace, it shouted "take me home with you". It is 1910ish made from heavy duty glass beads. It was the curl in the colours looking like a flappers fringe which charmed me. So this was my indulgence for the weekend.

On returning home we both headed to the garden to do some tidying up. I pruned and collected branches from the Empress tree which were scattered over the grass. I was ably assisted by "Mr I Like To Show Off Climbing Trees" He is too fast for me to capture on camera, but here he is contemplating the jump up the weeping mulberry.

And the final autumn colours - a vegetable flaky pastry "something". Basically puff pastry filled with a mixture of creamed corn, egg, grated cheese, spinach and lots of butternut pumpkin.

Hats, cats, storms and fungi

I know winter is on the horizon when I get the urge to knit. I only knit one thing - hats for seafarers. Our local Mission to Seafarers in the capital likes to give away warm woollen hats to seamen who sail the southern oceans. The ladies of the N. Island like to knit for this purpose. I beg for good quality wool and make up what I have into hats (hints to anyone with doubleknit wool excess to requirements). Here are the first half dozen.

The cats have been out of sight for the storms we have endured for the last two days. In a lull between the paparazzi lightning (every 11 seconds - I counted) and house-rocking thunder (no exaggeration here - the house moved like in an earthquake), they came out to view the estate. Phantom Tabby was being Phantomy, and didn't show up until midnight when he snuck under the covers soaking wet!

This evening I was retrieving branches on the driveway that had succombed to the storm. This twig (thinner than my index finger) had the most exquisite fungi on it. Seems a shame to burn it.

Taking a chance to sit down

We've had a few guests through in the last week. It has involved quite a bit of cooking / feeding / generally being busy. In that kind of whirlwind, the cookery books don't get used, I default to "old faithfuls". So this morning's luxury was sitting with the French doors flung open onto a warm autumnal garden. I sat down with my latest cook book, purchased in Melbourne and written about the "Cairo Kitchen". Happy sigh. Next time someone will get experimented on from this book, as it contains so many nostalgic recipes for me.

Frida Kahlo and Danish Alligators

Yesterday was a bit surreal. It comprised some very uncomfortable medical tests (mine), a visit to a surreal photographic exhibition (Frida Kahlo) and a delicious and naughty Danish pastry called a Danish alligator. It was not made by a Dane, nor did it involve eating an alligator. It was nuts and icing and sweet gooeyness. I felt a bit queer after eating it. It's a while since I ate so much sugar!

If you live in NZ, the exhibition of photos taken by Frida Kahlo and her father is well worth seeing. Quite a coup for the Palmerston North museum Te Manawa. Well done Manawatu!

My dearly beloved drove me so, I was able to take photos from the car window on the way home.