O Hanami!

[aurillia]

I meant to write this on Sunday but didn't get around to it. We went for a walk in High Park and it was a perfect day to see the cherry blossoms - these are really old sakura trees that the Japanese gifted to the city after WWII (for not blowing them up, we say!). People were enjoying hanami - picnics under the cherry blossom trees - and I have to

Comments

[madhowan]

Wow, that looks just beautiful in the park! Seems like a lot of people are enjoying the not-snow that's happening now. ;)

Haha, I can honestly say if I had to identify Adam in a police lineup I absolutely wouldn't be able to.

Enjoy your choccies! (Oh, and Amy mentioned something about sending you the Triple J CD? If you've still got my email, you could send your address that way, if you like, and I'll chuck those TimTams I promised you in there.)

[aurillia]

You betcha!

*laughs* Reminds me of the time I came across my dad's old gun license in his desk drawer, it gave me such a fright: a big bearded man who looked light a right criminal! I couldn't help but wonder why anyone would give a gun license to someone looking like that! (the beard has long gone)

Ooh really? Yay! Will do :D (I still keep an eye out for that book - haven't forgotten, just have to wait for the stupid publisher to release the new edition grrr)

[chinasparrow]

Yeppers, have a backup CD coming your way if you send her your address.

[madhowan]

You know, just in case something tragic happens to Amy's. ;)

[kat_nic]

Ooo, Adam! *winkwink* Can see why you'd want to keep him around!

And looking at that magnolia, yes that is exactly what we call tulip trees. It does sort of look like a tulip, doesn't it? But I can also see how it looks like a white magnolia blossom, too, just more conical.

And I have to ask: mulligatawny is what exactly?

[aurillia]

*giggle* got that right!

Yeah until you called it a tulip tree I'd never thought about it but the do look like tulips - I was thinking of you when I took that shot!

Mulligatawny Soup, although we make it more like a stew, is a yummy yummy dish where you coat chicken breasts in turmeric, curry powder and a bit of flour, fry them, then cook diced onion and apples, add the leftover spice mix (which is why ours in thicker and better tasting than other people's!), then veggie stock, put the chicken breasts in and simmer for 10-15 mins, then take out chicken, chop up into little bits and put back in with rice, cook until rice is cooked and then add a dash of milk and lemon juice and serve! Incidentally, it's in that Seinfeld episode about the Soup Nazi.

[kat_nic]

That soup/stew thing sounds awsome! I need to try that, I've got some chicken in my freezer that I need to use up, and curry powder that's been hanging out in my pantry, too. It's only supposed to be good for about six months before it begins to lose flavor, and I've had it for at least that long!

But I never watched Seinfeld, so it's signifance is lost on me.

[aurillia]

I've emailed you the soup recipe - knock yourself out!

I never watched Seinfeld
You're not missing much. Adam used to watch it and still likes it, but I find it pretty grating and not that clever, to be honest.

[chinasparrow]

And also, the pretties!

Sometimes I wish Brisbane actually had deciduous trees just so we could have the whole reflowering thing in spring. But no, we get everything looking exactly the same, all the time.

It looks just perfect...

[aurillia]

Would deciduous trees grow in Brisbane? It's not that far north and the English planted so many in other places, I'm surprised you don't have any. They are pretty.

[chinasparrow]

Not sure if they do grow here - we are a bit warm I think so they'd never actually think it was winter.

We have jacarandas and frangipanis that lose their leaves, so we have some I guess.

But not like down south. No golden leaves falling or anything like that.

[madhowan]

I have a white cedar that grows okay, and it's deciduous. I love my white cedar. It's so pretty. It doesn't do the gold leaf thing, but when it's growing back it's nice.

[chinasparrow]

Annnnnd, sewing ain't that bad - you just have to change the way you think.

I was too wussy to just try stuff out until I stopped worrying about what the end thing would look like and about wasting fabric, and just did it. It worked.

I would recommend using felt at first - it doesn't have fraying issues. Also, I know this wasn't quite what you were looking for pattern-wise, but this is a really cool starter toy to try.

[aurillia]

I just have to teach myself how to sew! It's all hand stitching too. Though, sewing machines can make things harder, what with learning to use it, tangled thread, broken needles...

Thatt's a cool pattern and a funky monster!

[ext_84342]

Very pretty blossoms! (now I have some context with your Flickr photos!)

I hope the Mulligatawny and the choc-chips and the oatmeal cookies aren't going in the same pot, just don't think that would work somehow.... (sorry, couldn't resist a bit of cheek!). I do love that soup, it's very hearty for winter.

[aurillia]

Oh ha ha ;)

It worked really well, actually, and the food was great.