Happy New Year

Today is the second day of 2021 and to be honest it's going to be much like 2020 in respect of the pandemic.  Whilst Australia is so lucky in terms of the rest of the world, Covid is here and is not going away in the short term.  I am lucky that my sister is here from Perth as I haven't seen her in 3 years so it's great to spend time with her.   Western Australia have recorded over 265 days or so without any community transmission.  Queensland is over 100 days without community transmission.  

We had our usual family Christmas with the most delicious prawns, ham, salads, chocolate plum pudding, home made custard and various slices.  We collectively all do our part in our family gatherings and it works really well.

I'm about to go and make some Turkish Bread for lunch today so I'll keep this post short and sweet.

Around here - my Niece's Wedding

We are nearing the end of the year and what a year it's been.  We are so lucky in Australia and particularly Queensland that we have been so safe from the Pandemic.  Life in Brisbane seems pretty normal and here's hoping that continues.  Our borders are open to the rest of the country and my sister from Perth is coming over for Christmas this year.

My niece [her daughter] finally got married on the 27th November in Perth and whilst our family were travelling over to Perth in April this year for the original wedding date, it wasn't possible for us to travel this time round.  The wedding went off without a hitch and the photos were beautiful. 

Around here - Christmas Lights

Today is the 1st December, 2020 and that means the Christmas Lights on the houses are up and we can go out at night time to see the pretty lights.  I have been taking my kids to see the Christmas Lights since they were 2 and 4 years old and the 4 year old just had his 17th Birthday so a long time.  We still love going and looking at the Christmas Lights as it gets you into the festive spirit.  My sister also made our family Christmas Cake today and I sat with her and kept her company while she made it.

I remember some of the early days with the kids I found some great houses to go to.  One had a fake snow machine OMG the kids loved that one running in and out and under the snow.  Sadly the next year the house didn't do that again as I guess it got very popular and maybe didn't expect that many visitors each night.  We also went to a house in our current suburb where we went down the side of the house down hill and around the back of the house they had a window display...the kids didn't want to leave.  Over the years we've been to some wonderful light displays and we find a few more each year.  Here's some pretty photos from our regular first night seeing the lights as it's in a street not far from our house and there's about 6 houses either side of the street that all do it every year.

Around here - Jacaranda Season

Brisbane is looking so great with the beautiful Jacaranda trees in full bloom.  There are pops of purple throughout the suburbs everywhere you look which is so pretty.  Here's a link to lots of images of these trees in Brisbane.

Around here - featured

I'm so excited that my "Birthday Tradition" has been featured on "For the Love of the Photograph" in "Your Stories" today.  Here's the link to the blog post if you would like to have a read.

Around here - Home Made Yoghurt

One of the things I started making regularly is home made yoghurt.  I have a Thermomix and a Thermomix warmer which is basically a bowl that's like a thermos to keep things cold or warm.  I first made yoghurt in December 2013 and I was amazed it was so simple.  The recipe I currently use is Fiona's from Stay Home Instead.  I add a little bit of maple syrup at the end to make it a tiny bit sweeter however the one litre milk makes two jars and then a few tablespoons left over as a starter for the next batch.  I was very nervous to first make yoghurt however it's pretty simple to make.  Do you regularly make yoghurt for your family?

I pop the thermo warmer in a beach towel and then I leave it for 24 hours before I decant it into the jars.

After 24 hours ready to pop into the jars and into the fridge.

Around here - Documentary

On the weekend I watched "Kiss the Ground" movie on Netflix narrated by Woody Harrelson.  Science experts and celebrity activists talk about the ways in which the earth's soil may be the key to combating climate change and preserving the planet.  Basically the movie is about soil and it may sound a little boring however I found it a really interesting documentary about how having good soil can help the planet and our health.

In January we went to see the movie The Biggest Little Farm and it's true that the health of the soil is the key to the quality of our food and sustainability.  If you haven't seen this movie I can highly recommend it as it's filmed over the course of an 8 year period and the couple work with nature instead of against it starting with a dry patch of land.