Sad passing of a Friend, Irrepressible Springtime, and an Invitation

I do apologise if you have missed me. I have been rather preoccupied. Sadly, my dear old assistant passed away a couple of months ago. I went to Tasmania, to walk on the land of my ancestors, and it was a comfort, yet beloved friends are always be missed.

I have also been participating in a course to learn more about the ways of commercial cookery, which has taken most of my time for the past half year. Commercial cookery seems a very busy sort of world, & I wonder how many people actually appreciate the effort that goes into producing their meal when they go to a restaurant.

My personal interest, as you probably know, is organics, & I know the production of really good food
all begins in the garden,
& that the produce is only as good as the seed, soil, weather & the skill of the gardener.

Garden produce must be harvested, handled & stored correctly to keep it in peak condition until it reaches the kitchen. This is an art in itself.

Next, the chef creates a menu designed to be not only tasty, or nutritious, or look pretty, but is meant to be a totally pleasurable experience for the diner.

Food must be cooked to perfection, served at exactly the right temperature, & engage all the senses..... so much effort...your body transforms food into fuel........Alchemy!


The first purple artichoke this spring in my garden ............amazing design!

Certainly, I have learned to respect the artistry involved in creating beautiful food.


Above is a rabbit's eye view of the vegetable garden

The garden is bursting with life once more, & the vegetables had to be fenced in order to keep out marauding rabbits this year. Again, we have a pretty little black one, & a couple of Peter Rabbit-type brown ones, that frolic in the grass close by while is sit quietly.

I have to protect plants as they grow over Summer from the Possums, Wallabies & Wombats too. Also from the Rosellas, who are very sneaky, & really like eating pea & bean seeds.
There 's not much I can do about clever mice that get into the fava beans, so I will try to pick them just before Ali Baba & the Furry Thieves discover them.......


Now I invite you to quietly enter this picture below

I invite you to sit very still..............watch this scene...........
silently.......... from the sanctuary..............of a healing Grove............soft apple & elder trees.........
scent the cool breeze.............

curious birds will soon appear........... to investigate...............
Kookaburra & Magpie.......... always hoping for a free grub or snail...............

Rosella, King Parrot & Cockatoo have you under surveillance..............
in case someone has seed in a pocket ...........

one Duck stays...........
slowly......quietly..... sipping & siphoning tadpoles in the cold pool.................

as you sit,
gentle Rabbits creep from their cover.............

beneath the great Cedar..................

to nibble sweet Spring grass......

right in front of you.........

Springtime is happening...........

everything is new and tender.

Blessed Be