Bread:
I recently made a loaf of ciabatta, just like I did on the boat this last season and last year. The difference was that I used the dough hook on the electric mixer - what a difference it makes to the state of my hands and wrists!
I am not sure whether the dough hooks made the difference to the airiness of the loaf, or whether it was the warmth of the kitchen where I rested the dough, but it certainly rose faster and became more bubbly than it has before.
I did have to send photos to John Knighton who was the catalyst for my starting to make ciabatta back in 2017. The recipe was found and sent to me by Julia, who is always keen to extend my culinary experience ...
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| Rising |
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| Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble ... |
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| Ready for baking |
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| And I've started eating it ... |
That evening we had Joy and Grahame over for dinner: starter of chicken nibbles cooked on the Weber BBQ (the team liked them, but I wasn't that impressed with the marinade); main of cheese tarts, salad and ciabatta (see photo above); and dessert made by Joy - berries and cream with mashed banana.
Kereru:
While we were eating dinner, we heard a loud beating of wings and looked out of the window at John and Jenny's loquat tree. Here's what we saw:
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| Two kereru - native NZ pigeons. Just beautiful! |
Sunset:
And that evening, the sunset was lovely:
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| I took this from our bedroom - the view to the west over Jillian's place. Aaahhh! |
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| This beautiful hollyhock is growing against our shed - I love the colour. |
2 comments:
Very lucky to see the Kereru, it must be unusual? I don't recall seeing many in NZ when I grew up there many years ago.
We are in Waikanae and there seem to be quite a few around here - this couple live locally. And we've seen them up in the bush on Hemi Matenga - the reserve on the hills to the east. Also saw one recently in the reserve at Owhango.
Without the intention to start a storm of anti comments, I'd have to say the incidents of kereru has increased in places where work has gone in to eliminating predators that eat eggs and hatchlings (rats, possums, stoats). The main tool being used by DOC is 1080, among other tools are traplines in reasonably easily accessible bush.
Cheers, Marilyn
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