Pears offer elegant tastes and textures

Corella pears look attractive as a table centre

Hi R
The first day of Spring today.  The early spring garden players are there - fragrant Jasmine, orchids, magnolia and wattle.  Not much in the garden to cut for indoors,  but I love the look of fruit and vegetables as much as all their other benefits.  Pears, pomegranates and quince are my favourites because of their shape, with oranges and lemons for their colour.

Pears are in season at the moment with many varieties to choose from - taste being the best test.  I don't know why the saying goes, 'Everything went pear shaped', with a negative connotation, since the shape of a pear is beautiful.  So many beautiful old paintings feature pears see below  and one day I want to use pears as a subject for printing or pastels. 

Of course, the best way to serve pears is raw, perhaps cut into 4 and served with almonds, but 'Pears in Red Wine' is an elegant, relatively healthy dessert so long as the cook doesn't drink the rest of the wine! 

Clara

Pears in Red Wine
6 large brown pears
250 ml / 1 cup good quality red wine
150 grams / 5oz - sugar
cinnamon stick
orange and lemon rind

Method
Wash the pears and core, leaving on the stem
Place upright in a baking dish into which they fit tightly
Sprinkle with sugar, add cinnamon and the orange and lemon rinds and pour over the wine
Bake in 190 degrees C (375 degrees F) oven until the wine has almost evaporated. Baste during the baking. Serve with indulgent yoghurt.


Right - 'Pears in Art'

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Should Grannies go for IPads?

R wrote recently - "Treated myself to an iPad, so much fun
Have the day off to play in my studio. Have to lock my iPad away or I will while the day away with it."

When I asked why it was so much fun, she replied, "Well how can I describe my iPad?   I can't. You just have to have one to understand how amazing it is. I stalled on it, kept thinking what could be so great till one night I said what the hell and ordered one on line. The next day I had buyer's remorse but it was too late. Good thing I love it so much." 

And then another friend, a reluctant computer friend who didn't even answer her emails in the past, sends me an email from ............ you guessed it - Her I Pad!  What is happening?  Why am I missing out on all this fun?

Of course, I feel that now I need one too so the journey begins - I-Pad or Android?  Where is the key board?  What is essential and non-essential?  All this from someone who started out teaching not with an I Pad but with a Jelly pad.   What is a jelly pad you ask - not quite as ancient as the stone tablet, it was a simple method of transferring pictures to a child's book as an alternative to the existing printing technology of the guistetner which was super messy.  The jelly pad was simply  a gelatine mixture in a cake tin; you traced over the image with carbon paper, placed it onto the jelly into which it sank.  You then pressed each book onto the pad to make a print.  (A search on Google says it was called a
'hectograph or gelatin duplicator and was used in the 20th century' - remember the 1900's.)
Ok - so we are moving forward  - the question is do I really really need an I pad or an Android?
Clara :)

ps - do you know these symbols yet? A friend passed this on to me - he picked it up from his kids and general chat on FB (Facebook) and Twitter. It's like street slang that has just evolved as people want to type less online and sms.

:) means smile -look at it sideways (tilt head left)
;) means wink smile
:( means sad
:D means big smile
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Bloom where you are planted

Taking thyme to plant herbs is time well spent


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Sage is an attractive useful herb


Hi R
I loved your blog re the end of summer  -  changing of the seasons is a truly glorious time. We are coming out of our relatively mild winter compared to yours but we actually do it tough since we ignore the short sharp cold months and heat inadequately. I adore the warm soft sun during these magical days before the heat. Today was a glorious day which had to be spent pottering in the garden. 

My garden is quite Tuscan with rosemary now growing well and flowering; thyme as a ground cover, sage growing wild and lavender of course. Most flowers seem to be of lavender hue and this year I have let the violets grow wild, creating a significant ground cover. 

 Potted geraniums and pergonias flower constantly, gardenias struggle for some reason even though neighbours plants produce beautiful blooms. Reminds me of a saying that a friend and I had – “Bloom where you are planted,” we would quote then break into song on the way to The Rowers, where they had a band every Sunday evening. A well deserved break from the relentlessness of single parenting, dancing and socialising until the wee small hours of 9pm when we turned into pumpkins.

There is a growing community awareness here re the value of growing your own herbs and vegetables, with community gardens springing up on nature strips. In Italy, it is a very serious business to have a strip of land in a community garden and the family lives off the yield. Not quite sure if we have the same commitment yet, since when walking the neighbourhood, a few attempts seem to have ended with what looks like abandonment as weeds take over. One wonders whether the enthusiasm died or whether a few were expected to do the work of many – hopefully with spring in the air they will be revisited.
Clara of green fingers

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Golden Days

Hi C,

The golden days of summer are drawing to a close here. Yesterday the oppressive heat and humidity was replaced with a cool breeze to let us know that fall is on it's way. It's always bitter sweet as we look forward to summer for so long, only to have it pass so quickly. And yet there is always the anticipation of fall with its beautiful weather,the colorful display nature provides and of course our love affair with all the new fall fashions. Thought you might enjoy a few images of Wisconsin at this time of the year. 

Wish you were here.


R

How to tie your scarf ....... or make it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LYAEz777AU&feature=player_embedded#at=25...
A great site but wait................

Isadona
"I dance what I am!"

The impetus for this particular blog, is the above link to a great video on '25 Ways to tie a scarf'  so it's time to revisit Isadora.

"Who was Isadora?" some may ask. 
She was renowned for being a dancer who was usually adorned with a long scarf (like me) -  her early death was the result of an unfortunate accident involving her scarf and her neck.  Personally I admire her for her amazing spirit, and as with other feminist women, she blazed our trail. "What trail?" our daughters may ask. Another day, another blog, but believe me, "Baby, we've come a long way."


I would love to showcase  my special Isadora, who, as well as being a dancer, has made many many ????? scarves for a great cause.  "I've decided to finish out my year of blogging by knitting as many of these scarves as possible by February 9th, 2011 and donating them to area shelters. You can join me if you like. For more information go to http://www.shopatnextdoor.com/bluedotspecial.html " 

Well done R.
Clara

http://projectknitway.blogspot.com/.

Click on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Unfinished work at 88

Hi R

Margaret Ollie - 1923 - 2011

Women thrive on connections and are lost without them.
Wisdom of the day (from my desk calendar), "I've always believed that one woman's success can only help another woman's success."..... Gloria Vanderbilt
I actually feel sad for some men / women who believe that 'winning' is the most important aspect of an exercise.

Margaret Hannah Olley (1923 – 26 July 2011) who passed away this week, is a fine example and was described as "Kind, fearless and a big heart". She will be remembered as an Australian painter of still life but she was also a great philanthropist.
John McDonald - art critic for SMH - "She would have wanted to be remembered as a painter but she was so active and generous it is difficult to sum up the scope of her achievements." ..... "She was a friend and mentor to younger artists..... bought art works for public collections ... helped provide funds for people in need....she had an eye for quality and a nose for bullshit ...... being unfailingly direct in her pronouncements."

She will be also be remembered for being the first recipient of the inaugural Mosman Art Prize in 1947, one of the first of it's kind at the time and was a frequent judge of works over the years. Her final exhibition which she was still working on with Phillip Bacon, will go ahead next year.

ClaraClick on 'comment' at bottom of page to have your say or email clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au www.babyboomerconnections.com.au

Re - a great belly laugh!



Hi R 
 re my last post re dogs' performance,  you said, "Well, that was good for a belly laugh."

We love a good belly laugh.  I actually believe it is the basis of a real friendship when you share a similar sense of humour -  when you really really laugh!!!!!    And it feels sooooooo good.   
Being with babies, toddlers and grandchildren spark this fresh new insight into how we are -  and I adore them.  When my children were at this stage, I smiled so much I was afraid that I would develop eye wrinkles.  But I now know that those laugh lines on my face are an endorsement of my view of life.  So I embrace them.

When my daughter picked up her first phone (the first of many calls!!!!!) she said " BlahBlahblah  HaHaHa BlahBlahblah HaHaHa!!!!  which made me realise that her mimicking was of my phone habit.  Time moved on and phone manners morphed and swayed, but laughter always prevailed with my son and daughter.  It is the glue that holds us together during the good and tough times. With it we move forward with grace -  without it, we can get lost in a self centred focus.
http://www.videobash.com/video_show/baby-laughing-hysterically-15098This little girl knows this already!
Clara




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Which star from yesteryear is your favourite?

Hi there

Some wonderful photos from our decades. I know that every older generation is convinced that the sun is setting on a golden age, but you have to admit we experienced a giant share of charismatic 'stars', many of whom are still in the limelight.

Favourites among these have to be Elton, with Marilyn and JFK the winner for intrigue. Least favourite is George - he looks much better now.
Clara

To view or add comment, click on comments at bottom of page or send an email - clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au

123 - Sing with Me!

Hi there R and all the dog lovers out there

The Boys

Just wondering if the boys can do this?
Clara
ps I don't have a doggy but love them all. Also I love to sing!!!! Hmmmm

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Dreaming of Dior

Hi R
A 'Dior' reply from my friend Veronica, who reminds me of you and is a kindred spirit.  She has a interior style business in Mosman and her last blog is also about inspiration.
http://stantoninteriorstyle.blogspot.com/    Here is an extract from her blog.

Back to winter now - I've just been to Orange, New South Wales where the cold and wind were biting (lots of layers kept us warm!).  In the little heritage town of Millthorpe near Orange a colourfully decorated chair and cushions by a sunny window immediately made me feel toasty, and brought to mind autumn leaves in the following photo taken in autumn in Bowral, NSW.

  

Veronica:-
"I love the Dior fashions, past and present. Did you know that an Australian woman (Charlotte Smith) has written a book about inheriting a wonderful collection of beautiful clothes from other eras from her godmother. It's called Dreaming of Dior and should still be in the bookshops.


My first cousin, Hamish Bowles, works for Vogue USA and has a museum collection of dresses from glamorous women.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=  

Thanks Veronica - I love the way Hamish has expressed the creative spirit so concisely.
Clara
                           

clara@babyboomerconnections.com.au www.babyboomerconnections.com.au