Basil and me

One of my favourite flavours in the whole world is basil.

About a decade ago I had enormous luck with it and seemed to have an endless supply.

I invested in a smallish, some may say puny, mortar and pestle and fine-tuned my pesto making skills.

Time went on and with three children in hand I didn't grow basil again.
That was until last year when, while unscrewing the lid of my Coles house label pesto, I was overcome by nostalgia.

Now, some months later I can report that I am the proud owner of a huge terracotta pot full of basil.
But, on the downside, I should have four times my bounty.
I just could not get punnet after punnet to grow.

Lack of water and TLC at the all important establishing time was probably lacking as end of school and Christmas festivities overran me.

With hindsight a bit of netting may also have helped the survival rate.

But I have been loving my surviving plants.

I haven't made one bit of pesto yet but I have loving the torn leaves in salads, focaccias and most of all, bruschetta.

We have no particular recipe.
Chopped tomato, plenty of torn basil, red onion to taste and olive oil. Plenty of black pepper seasoning.
If I have some feta I also like to crumble that in the mix. My favourite is the creamy Dodoni.
Otherwise I opt for the cheaper, low fat options.
Not quite as yum, but not too bad.
The other night I went to a fitness class.
I did not feel like a big meal but started to make bruschetta.
My 8 year old, Lucy, insisted she would make it for me. I wasn't all that encouraging but she turned out a super yummy bruschetta on Vita Weet crackers.
Bellisimo.
We have been enjoying the recipe on grainy bread, French sticks and rolls that needed to be eaten.

Clever Clivias

Since we waved goodbye to our cubby house in our little backyard, we now have a view of what has always been an ugly little corner of our yard.
It has been home to the compost bins for years. One year at the local Richmond Primary School fete I picked up a few pots of clivia, lovingly potted up by a mum called Maree.
As with most people with teeny weeny gardens, I long to plant all manner of things but the reality is there isn't room.
But I couldn't resist the clivias.
So, at home I looked for some little shady spot in which to plant them. They ended bang up against the compost bin. This was good and bad. Bad because it wasn't the best spot for them. Good because they flourished thanks to their prosimity to the worm-rich compost bin.
They've been neglected but have made their own way. In the meantime, I moved the compost bins to another spot and transplanted a struggling standard Lily Pily tree.
The Lily Pily, a gift from my sister to my husband when his nephew died 12 years ago in lieu of flowers, has looked liked it was on its last legs. It had dried out in its terracota pot once too often.
But even now it is looking good. It is probably not the best showcase, tucked in the corner against the fence, with the neighbour's peaky ivy trying to strangle it. Luckily, we manage to get the secateurs to it before it takes hold of the tree.
But back to the clivia. Their orange blooms put a smile on my face. I would love to plant them right across the back, in front of the limes and lemons, where the gardenias once ruled. That was before the citrus cut all their shade and one by one by died.
In the meantime, I am enjoying what I have got.

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A blooming Birthday

There's something about this time of year that makes me feel happy. In the Southern Hemisphere the weather is warming up and there are so many beautiful plants coming to life after their lazy winter siesta.
And, today, has been extra special because it is my birthday.
Let's just say that I am getting closer to 50 than I am to 40 but it is all relative.
These children are theoretically keeping me young, and tired and grumpy and sometimes feeling like I am not appreciated. But what of the alternative? I would hate to think.
I woke to my three children clamouring over my bed, brandishing a birthday card. And what a beautiful, well chosen card  Featuring some of the gorgeous things I love about Richmond and Melbourne. The Vinegar Skipping Girl sign, where Richmond becomes Abbotsford and almost Hawthorn.
The colourful Brighton Beach bathing boxes, the gaping Luna Park entrance and Melbourne's iconic W-class tram.
So, as I say, John is always good for a delightfully thoughtful card, but where was the present? None of this "I want your presence not your presents" thanks very much.
I should not complain because after years, they know they can't win. I always say just let me buy something that I want or need.
But, this year, vulnerable and needy after my cornea transplant I haven't felt like getting out and about. The fact that I can't drive and that last week was a killer week for sport, plays and whatever else completely nobbled me.
But I had said more than once I would like an iPad 3 and maybe some runners.
Daughter 1, Hannah, insisted that I would never use an iPad 3 and it would be a waste of money. Anyway, I kind of sucked it up and I do pretty well subscribe to that theory that I am lucky to have them all and material goods aren't important. But a part of me felt a bit disappointed.
So, I suggested to John that we head to the nearby gigantic hardware store and get ourselves some potting mix, fertiliser and potted colour.
We opted for some basil seedlings. Lucy, 7, loves pesto so I am hoping that come summer we might be able to make some. I also chose some lobelia to trail around the standard cumquat and maybe even that potted Yukka that keeps growing like a Triffid near the front door.
I toyed with tomatoes. Too early without a glasshouse so put them back, I concluded.
We got home and John realised he had unloaded all the mix and fertiliser from the trolley but not the seedlings. I rang the store and they told me they would be awaiting our return. Great.
Then, I opened a letter I know from the familiar writing to be from my lovely flower loving friend, Louise.
Another gorgeous card with five packets of seeds inserted in the middle.
So, here I am with Razzamatazz Chilli seeds (ideal for containers); dwarf sunflowers which the kids will adore and three varieties of tomato - Roma, Gourmet Mix and Money Maker.
Loving the look of the Gourmet Mix with promises of yellow, red and blood red tomatoes.
What a treat.
Space is going to be a problem but I may just sow half of each seed packet of tomatoes. Mmmmmm summer salads of tomato, fresh basil and fetta are making me salivate.
But the hard labour must wait for another today. Today is for trivial things. And, I am hopeful that iPad 3 will be arriving any time soon.

Magnificent Magnolia

I am still feeling out of sorts after my recent eye surgery. (that's another story and another blog - Claire Heaney Cornea Transplant Diary) so I am gingerly just making my way outside.
At the moment I have limited vision in my right eye so judging where I am walking and crossing roads is tricky business. I have had to limit my time in front of the computer to an hour or so at a time.
But today I made myself get up, shower and catch up with a colleague for a coffee.
The weather in Melbourne is gorgeous today and I can't begin to tell you how my spirits lifted thanks to the combination of a caffeine hit and the emerging Spring blooms.
On the way back, when time wasn't so much an issue, I strolled down a lovely tree lined street, peering at the new blossoms.
Then, around a little laneway, I came across the tulip-like blooms on a friend's magnolia tree.
The port wine flowers are divine.
These friends have long talked about renovating and I always say "please do something around that magnolia, don't chop it down". To me, it has long since been a sign that Spring is here.
Further down the street, some vivid Camellia japonicas are equally as gorgeous. It is a great time of the year.

Father's Day

I am putting last minute touches to the school Father's Day stall. It is one of my things. I love seeing their excitement as they choose a gift. Unfortunately, it is hard to source goodies for dads and granddads. Undies, socks and the like don't really cut it. For a long time now, choc-filled mugs and stubby holders have been the mainstay. But some of the mums are grumbling they've got too many cups and glasses and so on. I feel like telling them that perhaps if they  contributed to the stalll they might be able to come up with something better. But most times I hold my tongue and take the criticism quite personally.
This year I have been thinking of how I can incorporate gardening into the stall. Kids love to buy plants but I haven't the room outside or time to cultivate plants. I have done it in the past but timing the plants so they are at their best is very hard.
Instead, I am opting to making little gardening packs, Terracotta labels with "parsley" and "basil" on them, little trowels, forks, pots, seeds, gardening gloves, novelties and spray bottles.
I have been collecting old orange net bags and have been putting bits and pieces in them and tying up the ends with a knot. I think they look good. They are a healthy, sustainable option and hopefully the kids will plant their seeds with Dad or Grandpa. Having said that, I have no doubt my two kids will be heading straight for the mug, glass or stubby holder bearing "their" favourite sweet. No worries what Dad might want.

When life gives you lemons make lemonade

AN update on my lemon and lime largesse.
Well, I haven't made any lemonade yet. Lucy, 7, and her mate, Annie, managed to drive the neighbours bonkers one recent Sunday when they set up a stall to sell them.
Given how much they are charging for them in the shops, the 50cents each or three for $1 price went down well.
They sung and danced on the footpath, cajoling poor passing pedestrians into buying lemons and limes. I think most were happy to do so and some even gave them a tip.
Of course, lovely neighbour Margaret came back a few times to purchase. I doubt she needed them. But that is what she does. That's why we love her.
The girls closed the day with a total of something like $17.50.
They were chuffed. We agreed they could get a cheapo icecream from the Golden Arches and do what they wanted to do with the balance. In Lucy's case her share went into her iPod fund. Apparently at the age of 7 she is the only person in the world not to own one! I found it very difficult to give them away to friends and family. I am assuming it has been a bumper citrus crop year.
I squeezed plenty of them into ice cube trays and then decanted inti ziplock bags.
I made a lemon slice. My good mate Nikole turned some into lemon butter for a fundraising afternoon tea we were putting on for the Hands Across the Water charity. It tasted scrumptious on Nikole's scones. There are still a few more left and I really hate the thought of them rotting. I will have to scour my recipe books for more suggestions - lemon meringue pie, lemon delicious ........