A friend generously gave me 'SEASONS IN MY HOUSE AND GARDEN' by Holly Kerr Forsyth for my birthday recently and, being a long-time fan of Holly's, I realise all over again how lucky I am!
This is a book that anyone can enjoy - or enjoy receiving as a gift. There are many useful gardening hints and lots of little tips for making your home a more beautiful and nourishing place through all the seasons of the year.
Not only is this book filled with Holly's sumptiously beautiful photographs, but there are some jolly useful recipes in there too and I've made a firm resolution to try some of them very, very soon. The recipe directions are comprehensive and sound as if you could hardly go wrong - I note that Holly's beautiful daughter Olivia tested all the recipes for her mother and they certainly look and sound scrumptious.
Now that I know when and where to plant rhubarb for instance - in Autumn in a shady spot which will be perfect for my garden in Tassie. I shall be doing this very shortly and look forward to a lovely crop for many years to come. And there are some other veggies which I have not tried before and now feel motivated to attempt. I haven't reached the end of the book yet and really I hardly want to get to the end - it's perfect to dip into and browse through. My copy will live on my coffee table where I can easily reach it to check on things and to become inspired anew.
Well done Holly - I just love your latest gorgeous book!
Read Holly's regular gardening column in The Weekend Australian or check her website at http://www.hollyforsyth.com.au/
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
MORE THAN A THOUGHT BUBBLE
In Hobart this week I attended a special dinner at Parliament House to celebrate the inscription of the five Tasmanian World Heritage Convict Sites (and very nice the dinner was too).
Speeches and chats covered many related topics, one of which was the matter of road signs pointing visitors to the various sites, but particularly to Woolmers and Brickendon Estates.
Signs are always difficult things to get exactly right and there seem always to be objections of one sort or another. It can be a burearocratic nightmare between several departments before the design and the situation is deemed to be just right. But one of the main difficulties is - as per usual - about the money, because good roadsigns don't come cheap.
Now it sounds as if there might be some financial help from the Commonwealth Government for World Heritage signs. Wouldn't that be wonderful? And everyone agreed that it absolutely would!
I vividly imagine visitors arriving at Launceston Airport and being made aware - almost as soon as they arrive - that there's a World Heritage Convict Site very near the airport. Then I imagine them (or at least some of them) making their way instantly there!
Here's hoping that this particular little dream can soon become a reality and that it proves to be more than just a throw-away dinner-time thought bubble......!
Speeches and chats covered many related topics, one of which was the matter of road signs pointing visitors to the various sites, but particularly to Woolmers and Brickendon Estates.
Signs are always difficult things to get exactly right and there seem always to be objections of one sort or another. It can be a burearocratic nightmare between several departments before the design and the situation is deemed to be just right. But one of the main difficulties is - as per usual - about the money, because good roadsigns don't come cheap.
Now it sounds as if there might be some financial help from the Commonwealth Government for World Heritage signs. Wouldn't that be wonderful? And everyone agreed that it absolutely would!
I vividly imagine visitors arriving at Launceston Airport and being made aware - almost as soon as they arrive - that there's a World Heritage Convict Site very near the airport. Then I imagine them (or at least some of them) making their way instantly there!
Here's hoping that this particular little dream can soon become a reality and that it proves to be more than just a throw-away dinner-time thought bubble......!
Monday, November 15, 2010
VISITING BRICKENDON
This week I went to dinner at Brickendon Estate near Longford along with 150 others - we were all attending a fascinating symposium in Launceston, all about Interpretation of historic sites, National Parks etc.
A delicious barbequed meal was held in one of the large old barns on the property and we were treated to some good wines - Tasmanian of course.
Brickendon Farm Village interprets the convict story so well and, along with neighbouring Woolmers Estate (the two properties act as one precinct) has recently been made a part of Austalia's World Heritage Convict Sites. These two grand colonial Estates are separated by the Macquarie River and they illustate the "good", or at least the more positive, side of the early convict Assignment System.
Our visit coincided with an enormous hailstorm which lasted half and hour and which seemed to fall exclusively on the very barn in which we were sheltering - luckily we had plenty of wine to while away the time! After the downpour the sun came out and rainbows formed, giving us a wonderful bright evening to wander and take in the lovely little convict-built village.
The old bake-house had been fired up and a baker was there busily making damper, and the picturesque little church was alive with organ music especially for the occassion.
When darkness fell we were treated to a theatrical performance of "Voices from the Graves" performed by members of Launceston's Mudlark Theatre. This was such an evocative performance bringing the stories of convicts vividly alive for us. Hearing these true stories in such an authentic setting, where the convicts actually lived and worked, was just amazing.
A visit to this beautiful historic place is simply a must for anyone interested in the convict story and indeed for every tourist to our state!
Check the website http://www.brickendon.com.au/
Look for "Voices from the Graves"....
A delicious barbequed meal was held in one of the large old barns on the property and we were treated to some good wines - Tasmanian of course.
Brickendon Farm Village interprets the convict story so well and, along with neighbouring Woolmers Estate (the two properties act as one precinct) has recently been made a part of Austalia's World Heritage Convict Sites. These two grand colonial Estates are separated by the Macquarie River and they illustate the "good", or at least the more positive, side of the early convict Assignment System.
Our visit coincided with an enormous hailstorm which lasted half and hour and which seemed to fall exclusively on the very barn in which we were sheltering - luckily we had plenty of wine to while away the time! After the downpour the sun came out and rainbows formed, giving us a wonderful bright evening to wander and take in the lovely little convict-built village.
The old bake-house had been fired up and a baker was there busily making damper, and the picturesque little church was alive with organ music especially for the occassion.
When darkness fell we were treated to a theatrical performance of "Voices from the Graves" performed by members of Launceston's Mudlark Theatre. This was such an evocative performance bringing the stories of convicts vividly alive for us. Hearing these true stories in such an authentic setting, where the convicts actually lived and worked, was just amazing.
A visit to this beautiful historic place is simply a must for anyone interested in the convict story and indeed for every tourist to our state!
Check the website http://www.brickendon.com.au/
Look for "Voices from the Graves"....
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Great Food
Did you know that if you are short of time or - Heaven forbid - simply lazy, it's possible to buy really wonderful ready-prepared food from the kitchens of Alps & Amici (of course you'd need to be in Launceston to find it!)
This is seriously gourmet food I'm talking here and quite possibly, better than you could do it yourself - especially if you are as busy, or as lazy, as I am.
Daniel Alps is often right there in the kitchen busily creating exciting dishes, using the very freshest of seasonal, local produce.
I'll quote just a couple of the meals available right now.
Just imagine - Ginger spiced chicken with black noodles; or Fusilli pasta with garlic, roast mushrooms, spinach and herb oil. The mouth waters just reading about it let alone seeing and tasting.....
And the range of bread is impressive and very enticing. I have long ago decided not to bake my own bread because I'm such a sucker for eating fresh-baked bread and could easily consume an entire loaf, if I'm not very careful. But the bread in this food improium is just as bad for me - the wonderful smell of baking is just so tempting!
It's guaranteed to make you take some home with you.
How lucky are we to have such an overflowing abundance of delicious food of all kinds to choose from.
I've read about our fist convicts and early settlers and am amazed at how they managed, and I'm finding out more about this to tell soon!
This is seriously gourmet food I'm talking here and quite possibly, better than you could do it yourself - especially if you are as busy, or as lazy, as I am.
Daniel Alps is often right there in the kitchen busily creating exciting dishes, using the very freshest of seasonal, local produce.
I'll quote just a couple of the meals available right now.
Just imagine - Ginger spiced chicken with black noodles; or Fusilli pasta with garlic, roast mushrooms, spinach and herb oil. The mouth waters just reading about it let alone seeing and tasting.....
And the range of bread is impressive and very enticing. I have long ago decided not to bake my own bread because I'm such a sucker for eating fresh-baked bread and could easily consume an entire loaf, if I'm not very careful. But the bread in this food improium is just as bad for me - the wonderful smell of baking is just so tempting!
It's guaranteed to make you take some home with you.
How lucky are we to have such an overflowing abundance of delicious food of all kinds to choose from.
I've read about our fist convicts and early settlers and am amazed at how they managed, and I'm finding out more about this to tell soon!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Alps & Amici
This week I met that champion of Tassie grown food and wine - Daniel Alps. This is a well known serious foodie we are talking about here - someone who is synonymous with the best quality Tasmanian produce. I have never met this fascinating character due to having lived in France for the last twelve years, during which time the high-end food scene in Tas has grown and grown.
The food emporium Daniel and his wife have only recently established in Launceston's Abbot Street - called Alps and Amici (which means Alps and Friends, just in case your Italian is not so fluent!) is everything a foodie could dream about and much, much more. It's all beautifully presented making everything almost irrestistably tempting.
Daniel is right into Cooking Classes (which sound wonderful and run from March through to November) and he conducts seminars and food and wine tastings too, and even cup-cake decorating classes.
Cup-cake madness sure has taken hold becasue these classes are regularly booked out. And actually the cup-cakes you can buy in the shop are very imaginative and - well, just divine!
This has to be potato central too because there are no less than eight different types of spuds, along with an impressive range of fresh fruit and veg - naturally Tasmanian grown. You can also buy truffles when they are in season.
And I haven't even got around to mentioning the terrific selection of wines - all Tasmanian of course.
Altogether Alps and Amici is quite simply foodie paradise!
Where to find Alps and Amici:
52 Abbot Street
East Launceston
Phone: 6331 1777
Email: info@alpsandamici.com
Web: http://bit.ly/dAqP0M
The food emporium Daniel and his wife have only recently established in Launceston's Abbot Street - called Alps and Amici (which means Alps and Friends, just in case your Italian is not so fluent!) is everything a foodie could dream about and much, much more. It's all beautifully presented making everything almost irrestistably tempting.
Daniel is right into Cooking Classes (which sound wonderful and run from March through to November) and he conducts seminars and food and wine tastings too, and even cup-cake decorating classes.
Cup-cake madness sure has taken hold becasue these classes are regularly booked out. And actually the cup-cakes you can buy in the shop are very imaginative and - well, just divine!
This has to be potato central too because there are no less than eight different types of spuds, along with an impressive range of fresh fruit and veg - naturally Tasmanian grown. You can also buy truffles when they are in season.
And I haven't even got around to mentioning the terrific selection of wines - all Tasmanian of course.
Altogether Alps and Amici is quite simply foodie paradise!
Where to find Alps and Amici:
52 Abbot Street
East Launceston
Phone: 6331 1777
Email: info@alpsandamici.com
Web: http://bit.ly/dAqP0M
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wool Centre
I visited the Tasmanian Wool Centre at Ross recently and was struck by how much there is to see and do inside this lovely old sandstone building. Of course, as you might expect there's everthing imaginable about wool and sheep - even a film about the history of shearing - should you want to learn how to shear a sheep during the course of your life!
I loved the big, colourful modern tapestry by John Coburn - naturally all made from superfine wool. And one could spend hours browsing among the woolly articles for sale - the very best, not to mention the warmest available.
But one of the most interesting things of all, I thought, was a small museum telling a more general history of Ross and its district. I had no idea for example that Ross started out as a garrison town and that there were so many connections with the history of convicts in the early years of the development of the region.
The surrounding enormous sheep stations, with their beautiful and historic homesteads, were built, not only "on the sheep's back" but actually with the hard labour of convicts.
There's a film telling about the beautiful sandstone architecture and something about the families who have made this lovely little village the charming place it is today.
I was intrigued to note that it's possible to book a tour of the village and have one of the trained guides give a more detailed insight into its history.
Of course I've often been to Ross, sometimes stopping or a coffee or a light lunch usually on the way to somewhere else. But now I've discovered that there's much more to Ross than immediately meets the eye - though what meets the eye has always looked highly attractive!
I loved the big, colourful modern tapestry by John Coburn - naturally all made from superfine wool. And one could spend hours browsing among the woolly articles for sale - the very best, not to mention the warmest available.
But one of the most interesting things of all, I thought, was a small museum telling a more general history of Ross and its district. I had no idea for example that Ross started out as a garrison town and that there were so many connections with the history of convicts in the early years of the development of the region.
The surrounding enormous sheep stations, with their beautiful and historic homesteads, were built, not only "on the sheep's back" but actually with the hard labour of convicts.
There's a film telling about the beautiful sandstone architecture and something about the families who have made this lovely little village the charming place it is today.
I was intrigued to note that it's possible to book a tour of the village and have one of the trained guides give a more detailed insight into its history.
Of course I've often been to Ross, sometimes stopping or a coffee or a light lunch usually on the way to somewhere else. But now I've discovered that there's much more to Ross than immediately meets the eye - though what meets the eye has always looked highly attractive!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Cataract Gorge, Launceston
Cataract Gorge in Launceston is usually no more than an attrative, peaceful little stream with boulders, but occasionally, when it's in flood, as has been the case this week, it becomes a raging, roaring torrent about a thousand times bigger than normal.
There has been torrential rain, and a huge volume of water is forced between the high dolerite walls of the Gorge, to empty itself into the Tamar River. And the whole of Launceston turns out to stroll along the walkway to view this dramatic spectacle of nature in the raw.
Those early Victorians knew a thing or two (as well as doing all the energetic building to make Launceston what it is today), they constructed a lovely walkway along the side of Cataract Gorge, linking Kings Bridge with the Victorian gardens of the Cliff Grounds.
There's a cute little cottage hanging precariously over that walkway which the city of launceston makes available in a residency scheme for Visiting Artists (and it has resulted in some wonderful artworks being created).
But, about my walk - starting from the Kings Bridge, I walk up through the Cliff Grounds, to the suspension bridge at First Basin. I like to do this walking thing vigorously and step out swiftly, creating a pleasant round trip by returning along the much steeper Zig-Zag Track. This track runs along the other side of the gorge and there are look-out spots encouraging you to take in some spectacular views over the Tamar Valley.
My round trip takes me about an hour. It is possible to venture on much longer walks should the fancy take you, as there are plenty of connecting tracks all through this beautiful natural bushland reserve. I face a serious temptation when I get to the end of my walk at Stillwater River Cafe where I finally undo all the good I've just done by indulging in a seriously scrumptious slice of cake with my coffee - and with lashings of cream too! Aargh!!
There has been torrential rain, and a huge volume of water is forced between the high dolerite walls of the Gorge, to empty itself into the Tamar River. And the whole of Launceston turns out to stroll along the walkway to view this dramatic spectacle of nature in the raw.
Those early Victorians knew a thing or two (as well as doing all the energetic building to make Launceston what it is today), they constructed a lovely walkway along the side of Cataract Gorge, linking Kings Bridge with the Victorian gardens of the Cliff Grounds.
There's a cute little cottage hanging precariously over that walkway which the city of launceston makes available in a residency scheme for Visiting Artists (and it has resulted in some wonderful artworks being created).
But, about my walk - starting from the Kings Bridge, I walk up through the Cliff Grounds, to the suspension bridge at First Basin. I like to do this walking thing vigorously and step out swiftly, creating a pleasant round trip by returning along the much steeper Zig-Zag Track. This track runs along the other side of the gorge and there are look-out spots encouraging you to take in some spectacular views over the Tamar Valley.
My round trip takes me about an hour. It is possible to venture on much longer walks should the fancy take you, as there are plenty of connecting tracks all through this beautiful natural bushland reserve. I face a serious temptation when I get to the end of my walk at Stillwater River Cafe where I finally undo all the good I've just done by indulging in a seriously scrumptious slice of cake with my coffee - and with lashings of cream too! Aargh!!
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