cabin fever

What a backbreaker the last two days have been, sitting on my arse in front of the computer... exhausting!

The mailing list is done though which is monumental and I sent out the first newsletter (about the satchel sale of course). Sorry if I missed sending it to anyone but people in my inbox sometimes don't end up in my address book. If you didn't get it but want to just click on the link above and then subscribe... equally if you want to unsubscribe you can do that too. I won't be hurt... no really... I won't be.... I also promise that I won't bombard you with annoying emails... just occasionally...

I have been home too much this week and once I have this post written I will put my shoes on and hit the road for the studio. The upside of being home is falling in love with how this cushion looks on my Axminster rug. This was a lone little odd sized cushion that I just had to keep. It doesn't happen often that I keep a cushion, not because I don't love them all but if I did succumb to cushion-love too often, upstairs would be even more chockers than it is. So I control myself and delight in their being adopted out to good homes.

OK I've stared at this screen far too much in the last few days. I'm outta here. 

Have a lovely day and if you want a satchel for 20% off then drop in or give the shop a call.

one trick peony

I went for a walk this morning, down to get milk and bread and to try and blow the cobwebs away from being stuck here for the last three days. I spied these peonies. They make me happy. It's been a good season for peonies and the roses through areas like Coburg and Brunswick (I haven't ventured further into the middle and outer suburbs so have no idea how they are looking out in the Far Reaches) are looking fabulous. Amazing what a bit of rain can do, crazy that Victoria used to be known as the 'Garden State', then the drought hit and ended all that.
I was stuck to the computer most of yesterday trying to get the bulk SMS programme to work and stayed up late last night typing in 4 books of mailing list contacts. The bulldog clipped mailing list pages still to go are about the thickness of two books so there is a lot to get through. I am cursing people's bad handwriting..... This is what happens when you try to organise a item specific sale on the spur of the moment, frantic data input. If you would like to be on the mailing list just email me (pene@alphalink.com.au) with 'mailing list' in the subject and I'll whack you on it as I work my way through them all. I'm viewing this as training for the mountains of paperwork I need to sort. Building up my typing muscles and getting psychologically prepared. Of course if I win Powerball tonight I'm paying someone to do it for me.

So don't forget 20% OFF SALE ON CAMBRIDGE SATCHELS until Saturday 10/11/12.
You can call and pay over the phone and we can either hold it here for you to pick up or we can mail it.

**cambridge satchel sale**

As you know I hate having sales (except maybe the occasional studio sale) but overnight we got confirmation that the VBO* of satchels we placed in June (!) and which has been delayed 3 times (!!!) is almost ready. This has lead to panic stations this morning.... where the hell are we going  to put it all??

So we've decided to have a sale, 20% OFF our current stock of Cambridge Satchels.

Clearing the decks so to speak. Emptying boxes out to make room for more satchels. Giving you a chance to score our lovely satchels at a ridiculously cheap price. There is nothing wrong with them, we just have lack of space issues.

The rules are...
NO HOLDS
NO RETURNS
NO EXCHANGE
NO RAINCHECKS
NO LAYBYS

Please help us!
We can mail them at the usual postage rates if you are interstate!

And the sale ends this Saturday 10th of November!

I've listed the colours and sizes here.


*Very Big Order

pavlova experiment ✔

I'm still stuck on making pavlovas and the fridge is filling up with egg yolks. Now I've found the easiest pav recipe ever I am walking away from them- carrying a plate and a fork and a rather large slice topped with cream, strawberries and passionfruit.
Turn the oven on to 120ºC.
Take 6 egg whites and 1 1/2 cups of caster sugar, bung them in the bowl of a mixer with the whisk attachment, start mixing on low (the recipe says this, I just cranked it up to 11 straight away) and then turn up to high and beat until thick and glossy. It'll take about 15 minutes.
Turn mixer off, add 6 teaspoons of cornflour (this recipe was on the back on the White Wings cornflour pack) and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and beat for 1 minute. I also like to add my yummy Bourbon vanilla bean paste here too.
Pile it all up on a tray lined with baking paper, a round of about 20cm in diameter and cook for 2 hours. Turn the oven off and let the pav cool in the oven for a couple of hours.
What do I like about this recipe?
Well I was brought up on the whole slow addition of sugar to make a good pavlova myth. I think it's just one of those techniques based squarely in the days of hand whisking, of course a tablespoon at a time would be easier in that case. I've done my time in cooking jobs hand whisking egg whites and mayo but now I have a KitchenAid and I'm jolly well going to use the thing. I multitasked doing this pavlova, hung the washing out, got the rubbish together, talked to the cat, drank tea, so that is another reason for my joy in this bunging it all together technique. Also the low temp cooking for a longer time means less chance of overcooking or too much browning. The crust on yesterday's pavlova was perfect, still in one and I just smashed the centre to create a crater for the cream. The marshmallow interior was thick and perfectly cooked through.
A perfect pavlova is a heavenly thing.
My work here is done.

pavlover

I have become slightly obsessed by pavlovas. I made one for a BBQ yesterday (the same BBQ that I managed to go to a week early last Sunday with cassata cake) and whilst it got damaged in a near miss on the way (#fuckingsundaydrivers) it was happily devoured by all. I think pavlovas are one of those cakes/desserts/foodgroups that just make people very happy. Which explains why a vegan at a certain Xmas party last year got very very grumpy when everyone else was smacking their lips in joy.
I can feel some pavlova experiments coming on.
The shop is open today if you are in the 'hood. I'm sort of hovering about doing things that didn't get done yesterday. Like trying to clean the stairs and heading into town to do the banking and look at magazines. And I better sort out some lingering emails as well. And mugs of tea for Dell.
Jethro spent a bit of time unwittingly taunting Peggy through the glass this morning. A small quivering dog and a slightly bemused cat.
Cup Day tomorrow so we won't be open. Sorry about that but I am sure you have other more relaxing things to do than shopping.... and your tomato plants need to be planted out as the tradition goes.

cases, chores and cup day horses

Suddenly I can feel Santa's breath down the back of my neck, oh, how wrong that sounds. I mean that when the birds arrived I was starting to feel that Xmas was on it's way but that I could still hold it off for a bit longer. Yesterday though, the Trunk and Orderly stock arrived and that was the end of that, no more putting off the end of the year festivitus. Now I am getting a stockpile of stock that I have nowhere to pile and I will have to tear the shop apart and re-stack it all.
For a minute there the kitchen and hall were comparatively easy to move about in, then the hallway got a bit dangerous and the stairs (which are always a bit precarious) exploded with boxes and baskets and spinning equipment. Now the 'backyard' has been half taken over with yesterday's cardboard boxes and Garbage Eve isn't until Tuesday and I am feeling swamped. I also forgot to take the boxes of newspapers out to the recycling last week and the floor needs a damn good vacuum especially after I spilt a bag of Cob's Gourmet Caramel Popcorn on the carpet last night.... it's all a bit embarrassing at the moment.
I am trying to shame myself into doing a bit of re-organisation/cleaning.
So it's Saturday, I'll be in the shop and I have new stock to price and get out. There's the T+O cases, we've got the Lunch Case, the Kinder Case and the Weekender all back in stock and the new Xmas special the oh-so-cute 'Little Scout' has arrived (that's Janita posing with the black and purple one). "Little Scout' is a backpack for kids but if you are petite, like Janita, you'll be able to wear it. I want a big one!

We've also had more birds come in although I still haven't put all of them out yet, my current favourite is the chartreuse ones. And we've ordered in some Xmas lights, just couldn't help ourselves, tiny weeny little fairy lights in 3 battery powered lengths and in a 10metre long plug in version. The cool thing is you can use them inside or out and you could even use the little 1.5 metre one on an Xmas wreath on your front door.
Look at the time! Damn, I better dash. Have I told you that I have a mountain of tea towel cushions as well? There are some stunners! Lots of horse-y ones for Cup Day. Come visit! Remember- don't leave buying T+O cases and Cambridge Satchels until the last minute before Xmas...... and we can post.... and I am trying to get products photographed and into our online store..... and I better get cracking and get my Saturday morning chores done.

horrible

Last night was a weird one and if I was a follower of the Halloween tradition I might think some gremlins were at play (I really can't get my head around Australia + Halloween). I ruined dinner- undercooked some ingredients, totally overcooked others, result horrible and inedible- and then tried to drown my sorrows in the new Connoisseur blueberry ice cream which ended up being was just plain revolting. By this time I was too scared to make a simple cup of tea in case I stuffed that up too and decided by about 8.45pm that the best place to be was in bed watching Horrible Histories on my iPad.
I am totally addicted to HH. You've got to love a series that teaches you about the Luddites in the form of a punk song, Greek philosophers a la The Monkees and RAF pilots as a boy band, I dare you not to sing along! (There is also Mary Tudor/Kate Bush, Emily Pankhurst and the Suffragettes/Spice Girls, William Shakespeare/lounge singer and many more.)I'm a total sucker for a mix of kid's TV show, history and very talented actors never performing down to their audience and still managing to keep a straight face while having buckets of 'poo' tipped over their heads. A good way to All Hallows Eve.