This Is

On the train,no longer in the city

Going for a bush walk

Lunch at Mash Cafe

My Sunday.
This week it's a free for all and I've always had this as a This is theme if I was ever asked to select it.
Most Sundays now I leave free and spend time at home but today we made plans to visit Glenbrook,a small area outside of Sydney on the way to the Blue Mountains.

Oobi Baby

No,i do not have any plans for a baby but I have been looking at some kids websites as I need to get a baby shower gift for a friend and I would like to get my niece a pretty dress for her 2nd birthday.
While browsing the Baby's Got Style website 2 of the dresses I liked were both from Oobi Baby.
Wish they offered funky clothing like this when i was a kid.

Insync Designs

I first came across these designs at The Powerhouse Museum's Young Blood markets.
A colourful range of bangles and brooches to liven up any outfit and made from stainless steel.
Stockists available at their website

Cinnamon scrolls

I've been going through my cookbooks for recipes approriate for winter and I have been wanting to make cinnamon scrolls for a long time.They didn't have the soft texture I was hoping for but they were yummy anyway.

DOUGH
2x 7g sachets dried yeast
¼ cup lukewarm water
1 cup milk
125g unsalted butter, cubed
4 cups plain all-purpose flour
a pinch of salt
¼ cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup currants
1/3 cup sultanas
80g unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

ICING
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp warm water
½ tsp vanilla essence

Dissolve the yeast in warm water.
Place milk, cubed butter in a medium saucepan and heat until butter is melted.
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Add sugar (caster) and stir to combine.
Make a well in the centre and add the eggs, and milk and yeast mixtures.
Stir until a smooth dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes, working in extra flour if dough is too sticky.
Add the currants and sultanas at the last two minutes of kneading.
Place the dough into a large lightly floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Keep the bowl in a warm area and allow to rise for 30 minutes to an hour. The dough should have doubled in size.
Punch the dough down and on a floured surface roll into a 23 x 60 cm (9 x24 in) rectangle.
Brush generously with melted butter, reserving some for later, and sprinkle some brown sugar and cinnamon evenly over the surface.
Roll the dough up, to make a log.
With the seam-side down, cut the roll into 2cm thick slices and place on baking trays 1.5 cam apart.
Brush the tops of the rolls with the remaining butter.
Cover loosely and leave to rise until doubled again.
Preheat oven to 180˚C.
Bake rolls for 20-30 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Remove from oven and allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes then drizzle with icing.

For the icing,
Dissolve icing sugar in warm water and add vanilla essence in a mixing bowl.
Stir until smooth. Add extra water if the icing is too thick to drizzle.

Coconut bread

Whenever I visit Bills cafe in Sydney but am not very hungry I always order the coconut bread,has a great texture thanks to the shredded coconut and a subtle cinnamon taste.
Recipe from Sydney Food by Bill Granger,i was too lazy to type up the recipe so have copied it from the Lifestyle Food Channel website.

• 2 Eggs
• 300ml Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Essence
• 2½ cups Plain Flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 cup Caster Sugar
• 150g Shredded Coconuts
• 75g Unsalted Butter (Melted)
• Icing Sugar

1. Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
2. Lightly whisk eggs, milk and vanilla together.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl, add sugar and coconut, and stir to combine.
4. Make a well in the centre and gradually stir in the egg mixture until just combined.
5. Add melted butter and stir until the mixture is just smooth, being careful not to over-mix.
6. Pour into a greased and floured 21 x 10 cm (81/2 x 4 in) loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, or until bread is cooked when tested with a skewer.
7. Leave in tin to cool for 5 minutes, and remove to cool further on a wire rack.
8. Serve in thick slices, toasted, buttered and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 8-10 thick slices.

This Is

What makes me happy,theme chosen by One Little Acorn

More participants listed at Three Buttons

Getting together with friends

Holidays

Days out on the harbour

Good coffee

Cooking and books

A pretty frock,love this one by Karen Walker

Absent Week

Please excuse my absence from this space this week,my computer was unavailable the whole week and I couldn't upload any photos.
Like most people In Sydney,I'm glad this World Youth Day week is about to come to an end.
Visited the Taisho Chic exhibition at the art gallery,it's not a very big collection but so beautiful
I'm now taking it easy at home trying to get over a cold,ahh winter,I have such a love/hate relationship with you.

Work spaces

While trying to sew on the weekend I was so frustrated trying to find some workspace,had to work between the dining room table and computer table.I can't wait until I move,one thing I will definitely set up is a work space.A little corner where I can leave my laptop when not using it while in bed,a space to sew,add some colour and create.

Cozy weekend

I had one of those lazy weekends when you stay in your pyjamas all day.I had absolutely no plans and took the opportunity to do all those things I've been putting off,the jobs that must get done.
A whole big cleanout of my room,the weekly washing,repair shoes,mend some clothing,fixed the hem of a top,the first time I've ever done such a thing,turned out ok,was a very hard material to work with,started to make a tote bag from Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing,add some more images in my inspiration book(images coming soon) and relaxed with a mug of hot chocolate and the latest issue of Real Living magazine and watched a dvd.A truly cozy winter weekend inside.

Short and sweet

It felt so good to be able to sleep in on Monday morning(see above),wish i could take every Monday off

I went to the Mud Australia sale on Sunday and was disappointed,maybe all the good stuff was taken on Saturday,all that was left were things chipped or very faulty,i'd rather pay the full price and know i've bought a quality product

I know I made a commitment to post everyday in June but 27 out of 30 days is pretty good.

Don't think I can keep it up though,it is a lot of hard work and sometimes feels like a chore with that pressue knowing you have to post something

Thank god for the sun shining this week in Sydney,making winter bearable