Look what we did!

Meet Dave. Dave is one of the newer members of Terrible Comfort. He's friendly, kind of modest, furry and he wants to talk to you about Chekov.

Orange Onion Marmalade

As requested by the lovely Bianca of Sadie and Lance, here is the recipe for Orange Onion Marmalade, an awesome addition to eggs at breakfast or anywhere a busy modern person requires chutney.


Ingredients

10 white onions
4 oranges (juice the oranges and zest them too, keep these separate)
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 and 1/3 cups of brown sugar
4 tsps turmeric
8 tsps mustard seeds

Method

Cut up the onions into chunks, put into a saucepan with the vinegar  and orange juice and bring to the boil.

Add the sugar, turmeric, mustard seeds and the orange zest, boil for 10 mins until onion is soft, but not mooshy.

Then turn heat down and simmer for 30 mins. This should make enough for around 6 mid sized jars, depending on what size jars of course.

handmade, homemade goodness

Firstly, two beautiful things.

We needed a peg bag, and rather than just buy one, I asked the ever clever Becclebee to sew us one. This is what she made...

I love the machine stitching, and the cute little jocks! How beautiful is that?

Next is some handgrown garden goodness. I went out this morning ans was presented by this. Beautiful, happy summer colours, bright green and that gorgous yellow! Christmas colours in Australia. This is our first ever zucchini flower, and I really think it's stunning. Dreadfully uplifting for the morning!

Next comes our handmade chutney and preserves store. Squirreling away ripe goodness in jars for the lean winter months... I know it's not a very pretty photo, but it's the subject matter, not the composition that's exciting in this one!

1) Corn relish made yesterday (can't wait to try that, it's a brand new recipe)
2) the last few jars of the very successful Orange Onion Marmalade
3) Sadie's Tomato Chutney, the amazing recipe from Sadie and Lance
4) Dandelion Wine, from the cheerful flowers popping up all over the backyard. If you've never made dandelion wine, go outside and do it today. It needs to be bottled for at least a couple of months, we leave it for a year. It's like delicate champagne when you open it, and totally worth the wait. 
5) Onion Chutney. Another brand new recipe that's awaiting a suitable meal to open...

Last but not least is more, more more stars... These are Christmas decorations for a friend. I love handmade, homemade christmas decorations!

crocheting is an addiction

Becclebee, from marjoryjane, invited me toone of her regular crafternoons last weekend. While there, she was crocheting very interesting things. So interesting, infact, that I abandoned the pre-prepared craft I had bought along and jumped instead on the crocheting band wagon.

She, and now I, have been busy crocheting stars using the wonderful Royal Sisters star pattern.

(All images kindly nicked from Becclebee's blog)

The tighter, smaller ones are Becclebee's. Just like knitting, I crochet looser than she does. At the top of the photo is the pretty 70s crafting dress I was wearing at the time. I'm such a fan of the blue-and-white colour scheme in clothing.

Bec also had these amazing crochet pieces completed
How cute are they! I'm not really a huge fan of christmas decorations but this has made me aware that I'm rather keen on homemade christmas decorations. I've already crocheted myself a line of 7 yellow stars, a friend a red, green and white set and a friend with kids a rainbow set of 17 stars. Damn human fraility that I need to rest my wrists now! There's so many more stars I want to make...

If you haven't been over to The Royal Sisters, do pop along to bathe in some of her cheerful granny goodness.

Here, here are the Wild Things

I found this down an alley the other day, how could I go past it without photographing it?

. I'm so excited to get the book! I've ordered it tonight. The experience of helping make this film, of being on set and being behind the scenes, was truly one of the highlights of my career and I'm so pleased to be able to relive that through this hardcover book.

I went to see the film the other day, there was a cast and crew showing. I love the visual quality, the creatures and the setting and everything was perfect. I wasn't so sold on the story, I have to say, but talking to a friend of mine afterwards, he said something that helped enormously with my understanding of the film.

Don't be afraid, if you've read the book, this isn't a spoiler...

I was unsatisfied with the Wild Things characters, they didn't seem to learn anything or even move on from when we met them until when we leave them in the film. But once the idea that all the Wild Things were previously children who have followed (or forged) Max's path but let themselves be taken over with the Wild Thing spirit, and have stopped being children and have totally become the Wild Things. That's why they don't progress during the film - they're stuck as who they are*.

I have to say that a) I didn't get that from the film at all, and b) it made the film SO much cooler! I wish, I wish it had of come through more in the film itself. My friend was on set most of the time and thus privy to the inside workings and thinkings of the film, which is how he formed this reading of the film.

So my advice to you is to take this knowledge into your viewing of the movie. It'll make it so much better!

But the very exciting news is that not only are there already photobooks of the story of the film, but there is a Making-Of book out as well, called Heads On and We Shoot: The Making of Where the Wild Things Are. Being a part of creating this film, being both on set and behind the scenes, was truly a highlight of my career and I'm so pleased that I can relive those feelings and sights through this beautiful hardcover book. I can't wait to see it!

ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* the main evidence of this is Daniel, the Bull, which is the quiet one that doesn't appear to take part in all the other guy's actions, he still has human feet, signifying that he hasn't quite made the total change from human to Wild Thing. It's a very subtle hint to this reading of the film, so don't fret if you've seen it and missed it.

EDIT
I was thinking more about the film and really, it was beautiful. And I was dreadfully excited to see scenes I was around for the shooting or helped with the creatures. The beautiful owls, for instance, I spent two whole weeks steaming feathers. If you've never steamed a feather, the up side is that they unfurl and straighten like a flower unfolding and it's quite beautiful to watch. The downside is that you'll end up smelling like damn chooks all day. Not really my favourite of smells.

I wonder if that's where my owl thing quietly started...