Best laid plans

Best laid plans indeed.

We are experiencing what is being called a 'rain event'. Which simply put means 'lots and lots of rain that could result in flooding'. Our plan was to head out to The Channon Markets tomorrow however Nature is turning on a great display of watery weather. I am not complaining of course. We certainly are in need of if. It would seem that most of it is soaking straight into the ground and not much is running into the dam yet. 

The blue dot in the middle of the photo below is Doug resplendent in all his raincoat finery. Snug as a bug he is against the constant rain. This photo shows a moment of watery sunshine from this morning. The garlic crop at the top left corner is absolutely flourishing and we expect to start pulling out the biggest bulbs in about a month. The flowers are just now starting to sprout so we have to cut them off over the next weeks to allow all the growing energy to go into the bulb rather than the flower.

All my timber art has been put back on the studio shelf for now. I was so looking forward to being able to offer them to customers this weekend. It is so satisfying to see someone completely smitten with a piece I have made and walking away with it to hang in their own home.

We have a lovely big tub of sunflowers coming along in the back yard. The tallest one so far is about 5 feet tall (1.5 metres) We are hoping to harvest the seeds before the local parrot gang finds out about them and steals the lot for themselves.

Meanwhile I have made a lemon cake out of the very last lemons from our tree. We have had a great crop of lemons this year, our tree has done well. My intention was to take a photo of the cake once it had cooled however quite a bit of it has disappeared already. My Mum is here visiting from South Australia and Rob is home today...enough said! I am sure you can use your imagination to picture it whole. Ordinarily icing sugar can be sifted over the top of it, however I prefer to keep the cake to healthier ingredients.

I have tweaked this recipe to make it gluten and dairy free. If you are in a baking mood here it is:

LEMON CAKE
Ingredients:
125 (4.4 ounces) grams Nuttelex (soy butter)
125 grams dark brown sugar
1 cup gluten free Self Raising flour
1 cup almond meal
4 tablespoons rice milk (use soy or almond if you prefer)
2 eggs
2 lemons zested and squeezed

For the syrup 6 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, according to taste.

Oven 160 degrees fan forced otherwise 180 degrees (320 degrees Fahrenheit/356 degrees Fahrenheit).

*Cream the butter and sugar, then add eggs.
*Add flour, almond meal, lemon rind and milk and mix together.
*Pour into a tin and bake for 40 minutes or until baked.

Then mix the syrup together.

*After removing baked cake from the oven leave it in the tin and prick it all over with a skewer.
*Pour over the syrup while still hot.
*Allow the cake to cool in the tin until cold before removing from the tin.

This is Brigitte, one of my rescue cats who is half Abyssinian. I bought this foot stool for Mum to use and of course Brigitte has taken ownership of it. 

So it is goodbye from Brigitte and myself until next week. Have a fantastic weekend and remember to do what you love.