3.Winter is...

..a laden tree, a scramble for recipes.

2. Winter is...

..bare poplars reaching up into grey.

It's Been A While

I haven't intended to be away for so long. Life is busy, as always. It's regular and normal and day-to-day. But it's different too. There's a lot of adjusting going on. I'm loving my new house, loving making it a home. I'm stubbornly pursuing the good things, lightness and laughter. I'm trying for shiny and bright rather than the obvious alternative.

I've been hovering around, checking in with other blogs and keeping up with the portrait project, but I've lacked the motivation for much else here in this space. And one thing that's become abundantly clear after a month of not much is just how much I miss it - the outlet, the interaction, the inspiration.

And yet, the words aren't flowing. Not yet.

So I've decided to give myself a little project for the month of August - to keep my hand in, to give me a focus, but that doesn't require too much effort. It will force me out with my camera and keep my eyes open and searching. 

There's a bunch of fresh flowers in my kitchen, and their scent combined with the unexpected warmth of the past few days reminds me that spring isn't far away. In the meantime, I'm going to try to celebrate what's left of winter with a month of photos, each accompanied by a handful of words, or none at all.

It might be just what the doctor ordered.

Two Little Monkeys...

..bouncing on the bed.

In the Morning Light

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago and I keep coming back to them. It seems they represent so much at the moment, of all the moments that make up our days and lives.

The reason I grabbed my camera at the time was the light. I saw it first, streaming in and capturing those two little girls doing what they were doing, casting a long shadow on the wall behind. The 'discovering' photographer in me wanted to know how it would look through the lens. I like the way my 'eye' is learning and developing the more I practise this craft.

But looking back on the photos after, I saw so much more. I saw my first babe blossoming into a big girl, able to make out the words on the page all on her own. I saw a big sister taking a moment of her morning to give her time and focus to her little sister. I saw that little sister hanging on every word, focused entirely on the words and the images before her. And I felt a glimmer of pride that enough has been done right in the lives of these girls that this moment could even exist in the first place - that they chose a book, that they chose to share, that they chose togetherness.

Most of our mornings aren't like this. There's chaos and noise from the get-go. Thank goodness for the occasional pause, to notice the light, and to capture a moment that might otherwise have been lost.

Photo Stuff

That there is a photo of me and my three taken late last year by my good friend Briony (of Catch Photography in Brisbane). Photos of me are thin on the ground, photos of me with my girls scarcer still. I guess that's the lot of the one who holds the camera in the family. I was recently asked to provide a profile photo of myself for a PR thingo. I wasn't able to because I just don't have any. I don't love being photographed, I admit. And I've put photos of myself on this blog, oh, about three times now. Recently I was interviewed on film for a Cancer Council promo. That took me so far out of my comfort zone, I can't even tell you. And when I pop it here on the blog - and I will soon, I promise - I will hardly be able to stand it. Time for someone to get over herself (in all her approaching-middle-age glory!)

Anyway, in a similar but different vein, I thought I'd share some of my favourite photography blogs, or blogs I love especially for the photos. 

An absolute favourite is Flannery O'Kafka. Glasgow-based Andrea has lots of kids who are conveniently very photogenic. That Hugo! She shoots portraits and kids fashion editorials and just lots of beautiful images. Moody and often dark and always beautiful.

Lamb Loves Fox is a 365 project with beautiful little Lamb as the main subject (her just-born baby brother Fox will no doubt be joining in soon). I don't know what it is about these photos but I just love them to bits. Gorgeous kid, gorgeous light, stunning intentional composition. Inspiring stuff.

Tahnee of Milk Please Mum has been seriously practising her photography. Her blog is living proof of the amount of photos she takes and the quality of them. She has launched her own business - how exciting! I found this shoot she did of the lovely folk at Lemon Rhodes quite inspiring. The way she captures the stuff going on around the subject reminds me of another amazing photographer.

And finally, Malt Memories is brand new to me, but my goodness. Would you look at this? And these? They're like stills from an arthouse film. I can't wait to see more.

Photo A Day August

After the fun I had in July, I decided to join in with Fat Mum Slim's Photo A Day challenge again for August, over on Catch Photography's Facebook group. I missed a few this time, but here are some nifty collage thingos (via Picmonkey) of the ones I managed.

1. outside

2. one

3. coin  5. logo

6. writing  7. 8 o'clock

 8. glasses

9. messy  10. ring

11. purple  12. spoon

 13. simple

14. arrow  15. ready

16. food

 17. faces

18. inside  19. hole

21. cool  22. home

23. pair

24. path  25. fresh

26. dream

27. tap

29. down  30. card

31. hidden

The Nursery

I spent Saturday, all day, at The Nursery, hosted by Tim Coulson and his lovely wife Kesh. Tim was so generous with his knowledge, his story so inspiring. I've been following his blog and admiring his photos for months now. I can't believe he's been at it for such a short time - less than two years - and that his skill, his eye, his talent is so rich.

I've got no aspirations to be a professional photographer but taking photos is something I love, and since getting my hands on an entry-level DSLR, it feels like a little part of the world has opened up for me. When I take a good picture, I think it's usually a bit of a fluke. But Saturday showed me that the technical stuff I already know is really about all I need. And that it's just about practice - "Thousands of photos over hundreds of days" - and about connecting with my subject.

Some things I learnt on Saturday:

- Afternoon light is really quite wonderful

- Jodi and her beautiful family are lovelier in real life than on her blog

- A group of people coming together with a similar interest is incredibly energising

- Kesh and Tim have a very sweet, and content, baby boy

- Overexposure is just fine

- My decision to buy a 50mm lens (and repair it when I broke it) was a good one
- There are many very fancy cameras available which I must remind myself I don't need and can't afford anyway

- The way Tim culls and organises his photos is almost as impressive as the images themselves
- If you have a DSLR and don't know how to use it, shove people out of the way to get into one of these workshops. Really.

I'm a bit nervous to show the pics I took on the day, more so than on an ordinary day in an ordinary blog post. Don't ask me why. But - deep breath - here are my favourites.

Photo A Day July

My very talented photographer friend Briony of Brisbane-based Catch Photography has been hosting a mini Photo A Day group on her Facebook page. You'd have to have been living under a rock not to know about this fun, not-so-little daily photo challenge run by Fat Mum Slim. I couldn't get my act together to start in June, but after completing July's list, I'm hooked. I thought I'd post the lot in one go.

1. self portrait

2. busy   3. best part of your day

4. fun   5. on the floor

6. chair

7. garden   8. lunch

9. big   10. your favourite colour

11. letter

12. texture   13. open

14. building   15. finger

16. sign   17. your addiction

18. plate

19. animal/insect/pet   20. eyes

20. 9 o'clock

21. upside down   22. mirror

23. stranger   24. heart

26. sunshine  27. on the road

28. cup  29. last thing you bought

30. calm  31. toothbrush

Ricotta Times Two

So, what to do with all that yummy homemade ricotta cheese that's so easy to make and so much yummier than anything you could buy in the shop?

Happily, ricotta was an ingredient in a few of the recipes I had to cook and photograph recently for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. The recipes need to be passed by a nutritionist, so they're pretty good for you. And they have to be yummy, which speaks for itself.

These banana and ricotta fritters were so tasty, and it's nice to find a use for all my squishy overripe half-eaten bananas that's not cake or muffins. It's a Tobie Puttock recipe and you can find it here.

Then there were Callum Hann's scrummy ricotta pikelets with figs and honey. They were so good, and, like the fritters above, passed with flying colours when it came to my three girls.

Ricotta Pikelets with Figs and Honey

3/4 cup wholemeal plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra, to serve

2 eggs

100g ricotta, plus extra to serve

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons honey

spray oil, for cooking

6 figs, quartered, to serve

honey, for drizzling, to serve

Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and ricotta together until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk and honey, then combine with dry ingredients.

Heat a heavy based non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Lightly grease the pan using the spray oil. Add ¼ cup of batter and cook until golden brown on the underside, 1-2 minutes. Turn over and cook until just cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve topped with extra ricotta, a sprinkle of cinnamon, a generous pile of figs and finish with a drizzle of honey.

And that's Sunday brunch out of the way. You're welcome.

Naughty vs Nice

I've made no secret of my obsession with the Bourke Street Bakery. It's something I'm not working on in the slightest. I'm happy to have this little problem in my life, OK? So just be quiet. 

Apart from their amazing bread and incredible tarts, their muffins are beyond belief. I haven't made them in a while, but not because I don't love them. I do. It's just that they're a bit naughty. Lots of butter, lots and lots of buttermilk, lots and lots and lots of sugar and dark chocolate and...ahhhh.

I recently made a different type of muffin for a special photo shoot, another one for the Biggest Morning Tea. Now, it wouldn't be fair to compare these ones with the BSB ones. That would be like comparing slow-roasted pork belly with a steamed chicken breast. 

Nonetheless, these ones are very wholesome and still really, really good, especially straight out of the oven. And especially especially if you're baking for your kids and you're a big fat food hypocrite like me.

Want the recipe? Hmm, I thought so.

Nicky Buckley's Banana Muffins

1 cup self-raising flour

1 cup wholemeal self-raising flour

1 cup oat bran

3/4 cup caster sugar

60 g margarine, melted

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas)

Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare a 12-hole muffin tin with oil.

Mix flour, oat bran and sugar. Make a well in centre. Add combined margarine, milk, eggs and banana, and stir until just combined. Don't overmix - it should still be lumpy.

Spoon into tin and bake for 15 minutes.

Loafing

An eerie mist descended on the village today. It was (and still is) cold and wet and spooky. So we stayed indoors and baked. This. Crazy good and only a little bit bad for you. I found the recipe via Ellen's lovely blog. She has teenagers to help share the load. My three littles weren't too keen on all that cinnamon. I stared across the loaf at the GM and said something to the effect of, "If we're going to keep eating like this, we need an exercise plan." He said something to the effect of, "Or you could just stop baking." 

But that's not going to happen.

And then I remembered this. A different loaf altogether. 

I baked it last month in order to style and photograph it for the Cancer Council's Biggest Morning Tea promo. All of the recipes they use have to get the thumbs up from a nutritionist, which means they're yummy and good for you. I can vouch for the yummy on this one, and the girls devoured it. And unlike the cinnamon pull-apart loaf above, there's no yeast, no kneading, no proving, no setting aside for an hour or so...

Enjoy! (By the way, if you think those dried cherries look awfully blue in the pic, it's because they're actually dried blueberries. Couldn't find cherries anywhere. Shh!)

Nicky Buckley's Apple, Dried Cherry and Almond Loaf

Makes approx 12 slices.

50g rolled oats

300ml milk

2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour

1 teaspoon baking  powder

125g dried cherries

50g dried apple, diced

1/3 cup soft brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons honey

1egg, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons roughly chopped almonds, plus 2 tablespoons extra.

Fresh ricotta and honey to serve.

Put oats in bowl, pour milk over and leave to soak for 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 180 C . Grease and line a 1kg loaf tin with baking paper.

Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl and stir in the rolled oats, dried fruit, sugar, cinnamon, honey, egg and almonds. Mix together well.

Spoon mixture into the tin, level the top and sprinkle with extra almonds. Bake for 45 mins or until golden brown on top and cooked through. Leave to cool a little in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Toast and serve with ricotta honey.

Food Styler

Working from home has its advantages, especially when you're a mum. There's no travel time, for instance, and yes, you can spend the day in your jammies if you so desire.

But there are pitfalls. Today I was working on a little project, a follow-on from this one last year. I thought I'd attempt some photos while the girls were playing, but one little monkey found a way to muscle in on the action.

I'll post some of the successful photos soon, as well as the recipes. That one there - an apple, cherry and almond loaf - was bloody delicious, and healthy too!