Another lovely weekend spent working with Jon on his mum’s website, reading, catching up on Grey’s Anatomy on Tivo, having hazlenut coffee (which tastes so much better when Jon makes it, as he did this weekend), eating delicious coffee cake, going to church and having lots of chats. We also got a few cherry tomatoes from our little plant in the backyard. Our chillies are growing prolifically as well- much faster than we can eat them!

Today, i am nostalgic for two tv shows i used to watch- Felicity and Ally McBeal. I am also hankering after a bonnet for this winter, although i’m not too sure if i can pull it off. I like this pattern.

I am off to find some recipes for hot cross buns for the Easter weekend. Have a good Monday, friends.

I had the loveliest of weekends. On Staurday, Jon and i went to our friends’ place to mow their lawn for them. Alice and Rose are sisters in their 70s (though you would never ever guess their age looking at them) who live close to us. I stayed inside and chatted to Rose whilse Jon and Alice were outside sprucing up their garden. They are amazing women and we always leave their presence feeling encouraged.

In the afternoon, i baked some delicious banana bread and we sat down with some tea to watch Lost in Austen, a wonderful twist on Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. It was a lovey way to spend a Saturday afternoon, wrapped up in the world of the Bennett sisters. And even Jon enjoyed it (though he will never admit it to you!).

It was indeed a good weekend- enjoying the autumn sunshine, stopping to listen to the leaves rustling during our walk back from the bakery, baking, hearing strains of old love songs from our neighbour’s house and spending some time at home with each other.

Now, the smell of coconut almond muesli (or granola, if you call it such) baking wafts towards me from the kitchen. A pleasant smell just perfect for this afternoon.

I love autumn mornings. We are still on daylight saving time and it only gets bright at about 7am, as the days grow shorter. Our room faces north-east and i love to get woken up by the sunshine pouring into the room, through the light curtains.

I went to the beach for a swim after work to regain my sense of equilibrium in the world. When i opened the door to my house at about 5.30 in the evening, i was greeted by the early evening sun, casting shadows in my hallway. It was a beautiful sight and the light was just delicious. I had a nice, warm shower and then started preparing dinner. As the sweet potatoes and red capsicums were roasting and the red onions were caramelising on the stove, i made a cup of tea and sat down at the kitchen table with an orange and two squares of dark chocolate. It was a lovely way to start the evening.

Dinner turned out to be amazing and i thought i’d share the recipe with you.

Pasta with roast sweet potato (or kumara), feta and basil (adapted from this recipe):

500g sweet potatoes (cut into 1cm slices)

2 red capsicums (bell peppers)

3 red onions

300g fettucine

125g feta cheese (crumbled)

1 cup basil leaves

Dressing:

1 t. lemon zest

2 T. lemon juice

2 T. olive oil

Roast sweet potatoes for 25 minutes and capsicums for 40 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees celsius (about 400 F) with olive oil drizzled on top. Heat a frying pan with 3 T. olive oil and cook the onions until caramelised with some burnt bits for good measure. This took me about an hour. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Put all the dressing ingredients together and whisk. Combine pasta, roasted capsicums, caramelised onions, feta and basil together. Add the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Stir through sweet potatoes and serve. We had this with a warmed fresh baguette from the bakery and real unsalted butter (none of that low-fat nonsense we usually have). SO YUM! I think it would be a nice spring-time meal as well. My neighbour commented as he passed by our house that something smelled amazing. And the house did indeed smell wonderful when all this was cooking.

I was in a baking mood and whipped up some brownies for dessert whilst Jon was at church for band practice. He just got back so we’re going to enjoy the brownies with some hot chocolate. Oh, how i love good food.

There are times, when I’m walking along certain streets of Sydney, that I can almost believe that I’m in a small country town. There would be an absence of constant traffic and I would pass by a garden with pink flowers flowing out onto the street. The only sound would be the soft, soothing rustling of the leaves. Those are the times when I would imagine myself riding my bicycle and giving a little “toot” of the horn and a big smile when I passed by a familiar face; the basket attached to my bicycle would hold a freshly baked sourdough loaf, a bunch of daisies and a bottle of wine for dinner that night.

Soon enough, a car wakes me from my walking reverie and then another car passes by. Snippets of adult conversation waft towards me from the café I pass by- “Did you hear…?” “No!” “I’d like to offer you this job” “I’m pregnant”. I notice the rubbish lying by the side of the road and as I wait to cross the intersection, not one vehicle gives way to me to walk across to my house.

As my walk back from the library ends, I realise that I did have a very lovely time indeed walking the streets of Sydney in a tie-at-the shoulder white flowy blouse, a pair of worn-in jeans, a blue bucket hat and a red straw bag. My walk had consisted of happy thoughts like baking and toile de jouy fabric and I had even found some organic chai and honey yoghurt at the store. Really, a good time.

But as I enter my house, all I want to do is for someone to embrace me and tell me that it’s all going to be ok. It’s a yucky feeling that settles into my bones and makes itself comfortable. Later on in the afternoon, i find myself swimming laps in the ocean bath, an activity that would usually leave me feeling strong and invincible. Instead, after 30 laps, i get out and make my way home, tired. In the kitchen, i watch the autumn light come gently into the kitchen. I sit in a ray of sunshine and sip some tea, grateful for that at least.

Today is my husband’s 30th birthday. Indeed, it is a very special day. I bought him a “learning Italian” CD and book since we’re going to Italy (And London! And France! And New York!) later on in the year. I love this photo taken of him carrying my cousin in 2006. It was eight months after we started dating and he had come with me to Singapore to meet my family for the first time. Everyone loved him. It was also during that trip that he proposed to me so it’s a trip that will forever be etched in my mind.

But i love this photo because it shows Jonathan in his element- loving children (and he is amazing with them. They always seem to calm down when he’s around.) and just being kind and loving. And i adore how happy my cousin looks being carried by him. She was absolutely smitten with this man during the trip.

Some days, i cannot believe that he is my husband- this wonderful person who puts aside his own needs to meet mine, my bestest friend. He loves milkshakes, always getting the chocolate one (even when he might prefer stawberry or vanilla) because he knows it’s my favourite too. It’s about the little things- the cup of tea made just right, how he makes sure the closet doors are closed before we go to bed because i cannot tolerate open doors, insisting that i let him chop up the onions so my eyes can stay dry. But it’s also about the big things- his dedication to his work, his love for his family, his generosity and his desire to do good in this world.

For all these things and many, many more i say- Thank you, honey. I hope you have a very special day and i pray that this year brings with it much favour, grace and hope. I love you.

So, it’s really autumn. I felt it a few minutes ago when i opened the windows and felt a cool breeze rush in. And then i felt it again when i took the towels out for a wash in the laundry room outside and smelled that crisp, chilly air.

As much as i enjoyed summer, autumn itself brings with it possibilities and activities and the unveiling of my new red peacoat.

I start teaching at the university again next week and apart from the usual first-day-of-class nerves (that even teachers get i’m sure!), i’m excited to see what new methods i can employ this semester to make learning fun.

Later this morning, i’m taking a walk to the library. It seems like the perfect day for a walk and the library is a great destination to look forward to. Lesson planning in the afernoon (if i can keep me hands off the library books) and then maybe a swim in the evening. A good day, my friends. I hope you all have a good one as well.