I am starry eyed and vaguely discontented....

So goes the song 'It might as well be spring' and boy, ain't it the truth! I would like to be able to divert my spring fever to something more practical, but I am too busy meandering amongst the flowers and planning massive changes to the garden. It might well involve some statuary and very tall tubs, and himself being very busy! (Dream on!)
Just as a reminder that 'sumer is acumin' in....'
we had a new air conditioner installed this morning. It is an evaporative one, and I wonder how long it will be before the govt. says we can't use that extra water. Never. the electrician assured me, because if we all converted to refrigerated air conditioners the national electric grid would not cope with all the extra call on power. So nobody is saying anything. Hmm. Damned if we do, damned if we don't!
If you look hard, you might see some disembodied little globe shapes, yellowish, as I tried to get a picture of our absolutely loaded to the ground, lemon tree. (In the middle, just above the hop bush.) It has been wonderfully bountiful this season, so much so that I can't even give them away, so I guess everybody else has had the same bounty. I have juiced the fruit, grated the skin and popped it into the freezer for later use when lemons are a tad scarcer. I did read that one can put the whole fruit into the freezer and use the juice, but I think it might destroy the rind. Make it to wet to grate. I would make lemonade if the boys were still here, but I suppose that is a no no these days as there is just so much sugar in it to counteract the acidity of the lemons. (Which I quite enjoy, and no.2 son eats lemons like we would eat oranges. But not mine because the shop brought ones are better! Never mind that they are probably cheap imports for which he is paying a lot of money, and weeks old by the time they hit the shelves in the super market. I really must work on the grandchildren so that they always like home grown better. Any lemon recipes out there, apart from lemon meringue pie, marmalade and cakes? I suppose the pies would freeze, but then I would have to find the correct containers for storage. (We should all have such minute problems!)
The hop bush is holding its lovely soft red colour, and to the left the geraldton wax bush has just come into flower. I can't believe how beautiful and colourful the gardens have been this spring, and I am hoping it is not a last burst before everything dies of thirst. (Oh, dreadful thought!). Victoria is still parched and desperately in need of rain (as many of you will know!). And today, there is a very strong, warm north wind blowing, which is drying the already dry earth even more so! At least the washing is dry already!

Below is a photo of the kamikaze noisy miner that keeps attacking the kitchen window. He is recuperating his strength for another attack by sipping the nectar in the grevillea. He was so busy I was able to creep close enough to catch the blighter on camera. Fat lot of good it did me! He was back with a vengeance yesterday, and had the nerve to bring a couple of mates along to get rid of what he sees as an intruder. I hope they were able to tell him it was his own reflection! (Some hope!) I have been checking the bird book, and he is just as horrid as I have always thought



Problem at the moment is that he and his kind have gone forth and multiplied, so we have a new crop of juveniles coming along, who will soon be learning to attack my kitchen window, no doubt. I do wish they would all move on! The book says that during the nesting season these birds produce a lovely song at sunrise. I haven't really heard anything special, despite sometimes waking up at that time. I maybe don't believe there is anything at all nice about these birds, aggressive, nasty beasts that they are. He looks as though butter wouldn't melt, doesn't he!

I just had to post this photo of the only flower on our tree paeony. Isn't it delicate? I have visions of eventually having a tall tree smothered
in these beautiful blooms. When I lived in Kyneton in my early teens, we had 'ordinary' paeonies which grew at the front of our house. They were a magnificent, double petalled, deep burgundy colour. If I was lucky, my Nan would sometimes allow me to take a small bunch to school, to decorate our form room, thereby winning points for our form each week. Do children still do this I wonder? Or has this sort of competition vanished along with all other competitiveness!
It was the same at chrysthanthemum time. We had a massive growth of autumn toned flowers which were magnificent. We used to nearly always win the form room comp. at certain times of the year. There was usually a chocolate frog, or a packet of sweets from a very pleased form teacher. The simple joys of country life in the 50s!

And after all that, perhaps a cup of tea might go down well. I thought we might try outdoors this time, but it is a bit blowy today. Never mind, it is reasonably sheltered near the house and the perfume of the hyacinths is delightful. I thought you might like to try my Nan's shortbread recipe, which she had from her mother and her grandmother before her. I suspect it is a recipe that came out from Cumbria with my great great grandparents in 1852. So I don't really know how old it is, but it is just so simple!

Nan's Shortbread.

1lb plain flour (500 gms)

10 ozs butter (310 gms) ?

4 ounces sugar (125 gms)

Method

Cream butter and sugar then add flour and stir until all blended. Knead lightly on floured board. Cut shortbread into four pieces and roll out rounds onto a tray. Pinch edges and mark into 8 pieces and prick with a fork. Of course, you can roll flatter and cut out whatever shape you want. Bake in a slow oven until just coloured. The original recipe said 15-20 minutes, but it varies.

(Absolutely delicious!)

Please note the absence of rice flour in this recipe. I suppose it could be added, but it would be impossible to mix the ingredients. I tend to melt the butter to very soft then add the other ingredients. It is much easier then to mix in the flour (and to knead and roll). Cheating I know, but it doesn't alter the flavour one whit!

One can add chopped glace ginger, choc chips or macadamia nuts if desired. Me, I tend to like just plain shortbread.

So, bake and enjoy this very old recipe.

Cheers to everybody!