Really, it can't be february...

Summer is nearly over (though it is still hot!) and I have not posted for so long! I have no idea where January went! But back to earth today with the first day of school for my lovely Stel. She was so very brave and I hope desperately she is enjoying her day! It was a beautiful welcome for her, with the whole school waiting to greet the new students. There was a lovely Powhiri for the class one kids and their family, with songs and speeches. And then we were greeted one by one by each teacher and staff member which made it all seem so inviting. Her teacher is fresh and young and all I can hope is she enjoys every minute she is there :) If not, there is always homeschooling!!!
The garden is chugging away. Mostly providing pumpkins and tomatoes...and the now dreaded giant zucchini! I am waiting for a batch of zucchini coconut loafs to finish cooking, then I shall be making zucchini banana bread, before venturing onto zucchini orange chocolate loaf (which will use up about 2 of my 5 gigantic zucchs!!! They shall be heading for the freezer to be munched on during winter, when I shall be glad to see them :)
It is about now I am planning my winter veg, and I have prepped some of the soil for planting. It just gets so hot when I am ready to do work, I can't bear to go out in it! We are officially in a drought in our town...first in 100 odd years and we are brown! there is a sprinkler ban (for those who use one) and if the rain doesn't come we won't be able to use hoses soon!!!!! Madness!!
I have been trying to keep up with the 100ft diet. Half the food on our plates every night would be ours...lets hope I can post some pics soon :)

On a roll, or should that be a muffin...

I felt the urge to make muffins this morning. Mainly because I had some stewed fruit and didn't know what I was going to do with it
:) So as I lay half asleep I conjured in my head a batch of rhubarb apple and custard muffins...mmm...The challenge being to make them vegan. So I made a mix for basic muffins, added soy milk, oil and fruit in place of the milk butter and eggs, plopped some custard (also soy milk) in the middle and hey presto...They probably needed a tad more sugar, but they taste just fine otherwise :)

choc oaty treats

I love baking, and I am reasonably successful at most things I try. My only problem is I have children who prefer the dough to the end product! So the big people are left to eat it all...Until now... Now I have found the perfect compromise. It is from Leah Leneman's Easy Vegan Cooking, and it is called Oaty Chocolate Treats. I actually thought they were biscuits when I started making them the first time, and I got half way through before I realised they were not baked. They are a kinda fudgy sauce mixed with oats, fruit and nuts. But best of all everyone loves them in my house (for now anyway....) . I like them because they remind me of chocolate krispie cakes I used to make with my aunty Fofa :) (I guess you can use the same base recipe to make a vegan version of this old fave)

Books and birds

It has been a little while since my last post, but you get that really. I have been busy painting our lounge and 'master' bedroom ,and the weather has been fairly miserable, so I haven't been all that motivated to do much...until yesterday. Yesterday I had a burst of creativity and I finished a doll I was reworking. I shall be finishing the little jersey I am knitting tonight, and then I will have three dolls to hand over for the school fair (which happens at the end of the year...).

I also just received one of the cookbooks I ordered few weeks ago. I have been vegetarian for more years than I haven't, but lately I have been trying to incorporate more vegan meals into our lives. So I ordered myself a copy of Vive Le Vegan in the hope I will be more inspired. It is one of those books often blogged about, and I am keen to work my way through a few recipes(particularly the cookies...my lord they sound so good). The other book I am still waiting for is Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World...the name sounds impressive enough, and the pics I have seen on various blogs look divine, so I cannot wait to get hold of a copy! I am a bit behind the times as I found it hard to get way over here...and that is saying something since I actually look after the Books page for the local daily paper and know most of the publishers who distribute here...but it is on its way now and I am excited :)

The garden is looking a little sad. My last cauliflowers were ruined in the rain we have been having (I am not god with waste...). The weeds are growing better than they should aswell. I need to get out there and do a good few hours of weeding (between frosts and rainstorms). The birds are happy though, as I have left a few apples on the tree for them all to enjoy. I love watching them all dancing about the tree, especially the Wax Eyes. They are like little green sparrows with white rings around their eyes. My camera is out of juice so I found this pic to show how cute they are :)Right... Best be off to clean up as my mother will be down for the day tomorrow....