Afternoon Tea and Friands

Blueberry and Lemon Friands and Moroccan Mint Tea

Still on the topic of tea, my favourite time of the day (apart from first thing in the morning before anyone else is awake) is in the afternoon when both children are asleep - if only for 15 minutes - at the same time. It doesn't happen everyday but it is blissful when it does.

I like to sit in the sun on our deck and have a cup of tea and look through a book, perhaps write a little bit.

My book of the moment is this beautiful coffee table book:

If you like Vege gardening then this is a gorgeous and inspirational book.

The friands were a result of my spontaneous purchase of the day - a Friand tin. I really like friands as an alternative to muffins - they are something different and a bit lighter. I know that you can cook them in a  muffin tin as well but I wanted the real cafe-like experience. Blueberry and Lemon is my favourite combination.

On that note... the big boy is awake. That was my 15 mins!

baby B at 4and a half months

More Books

Another one for the reading pile.....

I would love...

These are the two sewing books that I have my eye on at the moment - unfortunately they are only available through Amazon in the US so that means I have to suffer through the dodgy exchange rate... we will see what happens...

Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross

Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner

Second hand bookery

There is a certain second hand bookshop in the stunningly named suburb of Fyshwick in Canberra which is presently having a closing down sale - 50% off all of their book. You read right - ALL of their books!

I pop in every now and again and rummage through the shelves to see if there is anything I missed last time. On the weekend I came across these two gems. I love ols sewing books. The McCalls one is from th 60's and the other is from the 70's. The illustrations are just great - if I had a scanner I would scan some in!

But another great thing about them (aside from the old school sewing tips) is some of the fabulous prose - as I come across some gems I'll try and post some here.

Here is a good one:

"The basic fact about clothes is that arm's go in sleeves, coats fasten, skirts start at the waist (wherever they may end) and dresses cover the body from shoulder to hem. Designers can indulge in the wildest flights of fancy, or dip into past decades for inspiration, but one thing remains constant, clothes are still cut out and made up more or less as they have been for centuries".
Dressmaking Made Simple, p6, 1974