Revisiting the past

I spent yesterday afternoon at a high school I used to work at many years ago. It's closing down after 85 years fine service to the community, which is a very sad thing. I don't know if the lovely old brick building will be knocked down or turned into flats, but either way it's a shame.

 It was a good place to work — the kids were fantastic, and there was such warmth and goodwill between most of the kids and teachers. Even the ratbags had their fair share of charm and spirit. It was also fantastically multi-cultural — the teachers as well as the kids coming from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, which made for a wonderfully rich soup of culture and experience—and one which the school always celebrated in a variety of different ways.

I nearly didn't go — I'm always a bit apprehensive about revisiting the past, but this turned out to be lovely. I caught up with so many kids I used to teach -- it was an absolute blast seeing them and hearing about their lives now, and their reflections about their school days. I think I was still smiling when I went to sleep hours later. 

Mandarin season

It's mandarin season here, and as usual, I can't get enough of them.

Years ago when I was traveling (backpacking) I arrived on the tiny Greek island of Lesvos at the start of  mandarin season and I must have been deprived of vitamin C or something, because the whole time I was on that island, I ate mandarins by the bagful.

They were sweet and tangy and almost entirely seedless. It was the first time I'd come across seedless mandarins, and I was hooked. I ate mandarins for breakfast and lunch and only at dinner time did I have a normal meal.

Now whenever I buy myself a bag, I smile as I remember those happy days in Greece.

Shall I compare thee to a summers day?

I found this, that someone sent me and it gave me a chuckle. For all those experiencing heat - or not.
( From  http://xkcd.com/1026/ )

Quilt Gorgeousness

A parcel arrived today containing a wonderful surprise — a beautiful patchwork quilt made for me by a friend of mine's mother. She knows I like colorful things and decided to make me this, and isn't this simply the most gorgeous, colorful quilt you've ever seen?

 

 I'm thrilled. I spread it out on my bed, and took a few photos of it. It's not a quilt, she says, "it's just a throw" — but it nearly covers the whole bed, so I'm calling it a quilt. The sun was shining through my bay window, so the front part looks a little paler and the back a little dark, but it's gorgeous all over — bold and colorful and geometric and asymmetrical — all of which I really like.

It's a thing of beauty and it makes me smile every time I look at it.

Helen, thank you so much.

Look what just arrived on my doorstep.

I'm smiling.

 

I remember when they gave out the first RITA finalist pins — it was at the 2000 (I think) conference in Washington, and it was my first RWA conference, and my first book was a RITA finalist.

The pins were new and it was a surprise for everyone when, as we registered they gave them out. They gave pins retrospectively as well, and some people were pinning on three, four, twelve or more and everyone was grinning and exclaiming over them with delight.  It was SUCH a buzz, and all through the conference it looked like little silver ladies were dancing across people's chests.

This is my fourth RITA finalist pin and the buzz doesn't get any less. It's a thrill every time, and the arrival of this beautiful little silver lady on my doorstep just made my day/week/month.

Dried Fig Jam Experiment

I used to make fig jam every year, until my friends with fig trees sold up and moved — people can be so thoughtless. :)

I don't eat a lot of jam, but when the weather starts to get cold, I do like to have some tasty jam for the occasional piece of toast. And lately I've really been missing my favorite fig, lemon and ginger jam, so when I saw dried figs on sale, I bought some and am now making up the recipe... and hoping it works. Dried figs, oranges, lemons and grated ginger. 

So, the ingredients: (sorry, the quantities are vague because I'm making it up) 

2 packets of dried figs (2 x 375g) finely chopped.

Zest and juice of a couple of lemons, also finely chopped.

Flesh of a couple more oranges (because I had them and I figured more citrus wouldn't hurt.) 

a grated knob of ginger

Sugar.

1) Mix chopped figs, zest of lemons and ginger, and pour over sufficient boiling water to not quite cover.

2) Leave overnight. (As it happened I was a bit busy, so it sat in the fridge for several nights. The idea was to let the dried figs absorb the water.) 

3) If mix is dry, add a bit more boiling water. The next day it shouldn't have any visible liquid, just moist mush of figs.

4) Measure fig mix, and add not quite the same quantity of sugar. (I like it not too sweet)

5) Cook for 45 minutes, stirring regularly.

6) Test to see if it gels on a cold saucer, as jam should. My plan was: —

    a)  If it sets in a jammy way, cheer and bottle as usual.

    b)  If it doesn't, add more lemon juice and hope.

    c)  If it's still not setting try adding commercial pectin. (I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this, because it would involve a trip to the supermarket.)

   d)  Otherwise, treat it as yummy syrup for ice cream, bottle and give to friends who eat lots of ice cream.

As it happened, version a) was the one that happened. Yay. That's my jam up the top. My mix made 7 medium jars and a bit left over. And here's how I plan to test it.

Do you make jam or is it too much mess and bother? What's your favorite jam?

Trifles — and something exciting.

No, I'm not talking about the dessert made of cake, jelly, fruit and custard that I used to see when I was a kid; I'm just talking about small things— paper earrings — and then I remembered I should mention something not so small, and quite exciting (for me, anyway.)

 I haven't been posting a lot recently, as I'm deep in book-world, but I thought I'd just dive in quickly with a small insignificant thing -- ie a trifle.

Last year, for the ARRA (Australian Romance readers Conference) I made a few origami-style paper earrings from the cover of my books, and gave them away. I blogged about it here. So this year I made some more paper ones, only in a different style — little paper Autumn Bride books.

I'm thinking of going to the US to the RWA National Conference in Atlanta in July, so my question is, should I make some paper earrings to give away there? 

Oh, and I just realized I haven't put this on the blog — the something exciting — why might I go to the US conference? Because my book, BRIDE BY MISTAKE is a finalist in the RITA competition, the romance writers' Oscar, which I'm thrilled about. 

So. . . decisions, decisions.