Lightest! Fastest! More Efficient!

I love ads for household appliances.

Isn't mother stylish?

Gosh, she's a looker too!

From a Women's Weekly dressmaking supplement, undated, 50c from Vinnies.

Oppy Tablecloths

Here's a lovely oppy tablecloth. Brand new. Made in West Germany.

I really like the green but not the middle panel. Nevermind, I'll cut it up anyway.

And look at this cute couple. A nicely hemmed piece, plus a runner and half a dozen small serviettes.

A European theme.

Tucked up in Bed

We go to bed, originally uploaded by Comfy & Cosy

Pip's Words & Pictures is so me and made me think of this picture from an old Golden Book. I think I've blogged this picture before but I love it.

Tuckling under are the words we use in our house to get under the covers and be cosy. Comfy and Cosy are used a lot too.

My old favourite quilt, the Woogey has final fallen apart. It had some holes for a while but was valiantly holding it together. But, all of a sudden, it just gave up and is totally threadbare. I can't throw it out and it's too fragile to wash. I really don't know what to do with it.

To replace some of its wooginess, I recently bought some new bed linen: jersey, my all time favourite. I can't do flannelette and I'm always on the hunt for jersey. It's hard to even find a decent site to link to. Anyway, the last two sets I've bought were from Kmart and Target. And they've been wonderful.

So, this winter, much tuckling under happening, sans woogey, but under jersey softness.

He's in the Mail

Uniformed Letter Carrier with Child in Mailbag, originally uploaded by Smithsonian Institution

Look at the face on this poor little tacker!

The photo is one of many posted by the Smithsonian (and where I found some pictures for my post back here).

The description of the photo is given:

This city letter carrier posed for a humorous photograph with a young boy in his mailbag. After parcel post service was introduced in 1913, at least two children were sent by the service. With stamps attached to their clothing, the children rode with railway and city carriers to their destination. The Postmaster General quickly issued a regulation forbidding the sending of children in the mail after hearing of those examples.

Thank goodness for that!

Barossa Cookery Book

This dear little book was found at the Port Adelaide market last weekend. I considered buying a $75 mixmaster but bought the Barossa Cookery Book instead.

When I got home J said 'Why didn't you buy the mixmaster?' Why indeed... space being the optimum question/answer.

I love German cakes like struedel cake and Bienstich. I've been pouring through this cookbook since Sunday trying to determine the best (read: foolproof) German cake I could make.

German Coffee Cake

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
3 cups SR Flour
4 eggs
1 cup milk

Streudal topping
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 lb (about 125gm) butter

Heat oven to 190C. Grease and line a springform tin.

Beat butter and sugar to cream, add eggs, then milk and lastly flour. Pour into tin.

In another basin, mix the topping ingredients: flour, sugar and cinnamon. Rub in butter to crumbs.

Crumble on top of cake mixture and bake for 60-75 mins. This makes a big cake.

Now, here's the hil-ar-ious bit. I misread the recipe. See that huge pile of butter in the red bowl. That's for the streudal topping. I thought the microscropic print said 1/2 lb butter.

It's actually 1/4 lb butter. The print was so tiny!

Small difference! So the topping is meant to be dryer and crumblier.

Ahem.

Don't worry about mistakes, I say.

'cept I can't show you the result because it's too embarrassing.

It did taste quite yummy though.

Does not posting a picture of the final cake defeat the purpose of a cooking post?

Am I ever gonna see your blog again?

I wonder how long it takes to be excluded from the blog club?

You know, if you don't use your library card for years, they cancel it.

I was just thinking that if I don't hurry up and post, my blog membership card might get cancelled.

So much to say, so little time!

No, not really. I have to say that since giving up work (last week) I've been as busy if not busier. I'll have to work on that.

I can highly recommend leaving work and especially giving lots of notice. I was inundated with presents. Really good ones too. Work gave me an iPod (I know!) and various people gave me wine, a handmade bag (I'll have to show that because it's right up my alley) plus a crochet monster, nectarine chutney, a great Maggie Beer cookbook.

And other stuff. But really, really good stuff and nice cards and heartfelt hugs.

Edited to add: Three bunches of flowers and an $80 beauty treatment vouchers (and that was from our printers! )

'What are we going to do without you?' You'll move on, that's what you'll do.

Really people, you'll miss me because I made your lives easier. End of story. I'll stay in touch with my close work friends but the rest. Nah.

I have lots of homework to do for art, mostly because I make work for myself. I choose the longer complicated road rather than a quick fix.

Yesterday I went to the Botanic Gardens to see a calligraphy exhibition. Beautiful!

I didn't take any photos of it though but did of the gardens. Such a beautiful retreat in the middle of the city.

Mon Amis

entre amis p62, originally uploaded by pilllpat (agence eureka)

Thanks for helping to celebrate my blogoversary. The winner is No 1, as selected by the Random Number Generator.

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 17

Result: 1
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

And that's Trashalou!! How exciting! An overseas winner. I have sent you an email, Trashie.

Strangely this is the second random selection that gave me number 1 as the winner. The early bird, etc, etc, I reckon!

Thanks for all the lovely comments everyone. Glad you could play.