Now that I'm on a roll

I forgot to mention the exciting things coming up for this season at Cygneture. I am expecting supplies and equipment deliveries from Canada, UK and the US in the next week, so keep an eye out for more colour for summer, gold & bronze lustre (thanks to Alastair Wise for that one) and butterflies.

Lemon creams and the occasional table

And oh what a beautiful day it is today, tomorrow looks set to be even warmer and sunnier. Summer is afoot.

Nikki has returned at last and to celebrate her first day helping in the kitchen I planned to take some photos of her. Get to the kitchen, I was sure I put the camera in the car, but perhaps I didn't. So the day went into honeycomb, mint discs and going vegan with fruit & nut cluster, dark chocolate discs, animals and jungle pops. Forgot to bring storage boxes so a quick trip home was required. Happy-happy. Sunny drive. Through my front gate. Oh-no. No. Surely that's not my camera... Yup, right in the middle of the driveway with a whopping muddy tyre mark squashed into the middle of it.

Hence no photos in this edition.

Wednesday improves. Another sunny day and a date with friends. Drop 6.5 to school, pop into post office. Yippee, parcel to pick up. Yahoo, Amazon delivers. I loooove Amazon, it comes right to your doorstep, or it would if I had postal service to my door.

Chocolate books, bread books, medicine books, food DVDs.

Joy.

Set off to visit friends, lovely morning, arrive home to find that the pixies have been to my door and left me bottles of wine. Oh can the day get any better than this?? Kiddies tired, both in bed asleep by 7:30. Mmmm.... time to enjoy a glass.

So, we have this lovely occasional-table that we set beside the couch for nights like this and it works a treat when you remember to put it there. It doesn't work quite as well when you think it's there, but really it's folded neatly against the wall. Plonk (I wonder if that is how the phrase was coined in relation to wine?) There was no occasional-table, just my carpet. Plonk.

So now we have lemon creams (keeping with the vegan theme too). I was asked to make fruit creams, 'the old fashioned ones you used to be able to buy, but can't find anywhere anymore'. So for Stephen at Salamanca, this one's for you!!

All going well, 48 lemon creams, using Glendevie lemons, time for dipping, a bit sticky...mmm... take care...not going well, noooooo. It was like a horror movie about a deep sea monster or an alien in a building. 48 went in, but only 15 came out. Stephen better like them. Stephen better turn up for them!

The way to spend a Sunday in Tasmania

Three friends, lots of kids, bottles of wine, almond bicuits and bread from Cygnet Market, smoked trout and a bit of fun. That's a fine and dandy Sunday.

Dad put 6.5 to bed tonight:
"Ed and Jeanette weren't there today" (at Cygnet Market)
"No they weren't"
"I'm going to dream of eccles cakes"
"O.k. you do that"

Bless him, they are good eccles cakes.

Swing in to Spring

Spring at our house

And what a beautiful time of year it is. The days are getting longer and the nights shorter, the evenings are warmer and there is a distinctive buzz in the air. Yes the damn flies are back and every year I forget how enormous they are. They should be in the Amazon, not in my house.

And now that the weather is warming up I can start making moulded chocolates again. I miss them. They are so satisfyingly pretty when they work out.

We're back to Salamanca and Cygnet markets next week and will be increasing our whereabouts in the coming months so stay posted!

Saras saves her choc-pop from extinction

Chocolate selections

Oops!

Some days I amaze myself, I am on fire, I can do no wrong and then I make up for it....

Between 2.5 deciding that sleeping is no fun when you have a cold, chocolates not working, fire not starting 'cause the wood's gotten wet.... blah-blah-blah...

Well, Thursday morning, 8 a.m., is now the most important single time of the week, it's when I phone Slalmanca for a spot. Today at 8:55 a.m., I remembered that. Unfortunately I remembered a tad too late so while I will be at Salamanca this Saturday the 18th, I willl not be there on the 25th or the 2nd either. Silly me....

Politics at our house

Conversation between 6.5 & dad:

"Dad, do we have a Prime Minister yet?"
"No, not yet, they are still figuring it out"

"Dad, why don't they share?"
"Well, that's a bit hard to do"

"Well, why don't they take turns?"
"Mmmm..."

"Dad, they should do paper-rock-scissors!"
"Yes, that's a good idea"

Cygnet Growers & Makers Market

Three really good reasons to venture to Cygnet Market on Sunday 5th (from 10-12)

No.1: Cygneture...(experimenting with gooseberries again this week and Lemon Tea ganache)

No.2: Ed & Jeanette's Pork Pies (you need to get in quick because fellow stall holders have realised how great they are so they usually sell out in the first hour or two)

No.3: The handmade sourdough and beer breads that have been for sale at the front door for the past few markets (delicious)

Mmmm... Four good reasons

No.4: The honey, also sold at the front door (mountain lilac and leatherwood among others)

Alright, five....

No.5: Hand made and photographed cards (some beauties of Tasmanian birds and picker's huts)

Fine, lots of good reasons... Ed & Jeanette's goats cheese, handmade soaps, Julie's plants.....

Then have lunch at Lotus Eaters and the Red Velvet Lounge, visit local art galleries, take a walk along Port Cygnet water front................