“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities; but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant, is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.” – Goethe

Lovely ones,

I’m writing this as I gaze across my local Bowling Club’s bowling green.
I usually sit here once a week during term time as I wait for my daughter to finish her dance class. The club is a hive of activity – adults having a cheeky afternoon drink, children dashing about, folk undertaking a tennis lesson (the club has a court) and sometimes there are dogs who manage to escape onto the Bowling Green – much to the thrill of children and annoyance of Management.

It’s quintessentially Australian with that great, no-frills attitude that makes Australia (I think) so charming.
And everyone is just happy to be here, mingling with their neighbours and friends and being thankful that they have somewhere local to go.
The club has a small bistro, a bar and thankfully no poker machines. It’s the glue of the local community and it is great! And it also has a Thursday night meat raffle, so it doesn’t get much better than that.

And sitting here reminds me that with everything currently going on in the world, how important it is to “find” your people/community, to embrace those who think and feel with us, remembering to embrace traditions and to keep hold of them.

This week in the kitchen, we have been making several Moroccan dishes. I don’t believe in reincarnation but perhaps I was Moroccan in a past life? That and Persian, Greek, Chinese, Italian, French……the list goes on.

But I love Moroccan cooking especially. You get a bit of heat with some of the dishes, some fragrance with others, dried fruits, meats, an amazing array of vegetables and some obscenely sweet desserts. What’s not to love?
So, I’ve added Beef with Apples and Honey to the Recipe page.

The kids and I made thumbprint biscuits this week too. They are easy and yummy. They do contain peanuts however so please note if you or your children can’t eat nuts.
I am so thankful that I have children in my life that are not allergic to peanuts, but I send my love and respect to those of you that have to navigate food allergies with your child/ren. I commend you.
See Recipe page for Thumbprint biscuit recipe.

And I’m just going to overshare here for a minute. I had to give someone feedback this week. And it reminded me of how hard it is – particularly when the feedback is “attempting” to give the good old cliché of……constructive criticism.
And here’s the thing, I’m not very good at it.
Who can relate?

I seem to either be too nice or too harsh….and never a happy medium. But I’ll keep working at it, in the hope that I improve my technique. Sigh…..

What’s on in the Mountains at the moment? Well, I’m glad you asked.
The spring gardens in the blue mountains are famed.
And rhododendrons are one of the spectacular plants that do so well in the Mountains climate. We have one in our garden that I always feel pangs of guilt about re it needing more food and water……
And of course, Rhododendrons have their own Festival in the Mountains.
Blackheath Rhododendron Festival (rhodofestival.org)

The local Arts Festival is on in Wentworth Falls at the beautiful (and if not heritage listed, should be) School of Arts Building
Home | Blue Mountains Artfest (bluemtnsartfest.com.au)

And from the 25th November, the Underground Exhibition will be on show at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre. It will feature 4 artists and their interactive works.
“The artists directly or indirectly engage with the transformation of materials, some sourcing the science of geology and successive changes in organic and non-organic materials such as the origins of precious metals…….we live in an age when human dominance of biological, chemical, and geological processes is reshaping the Earth”.
https://bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au/

It runs until the 28th January.

Until next time,
Diana X