Our New Letterbox

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick post so you can check out our awesome new letterbox. This was made as our wedding present by our good friend Hayley. We love her beautiful art and over the years, she's given us lots of delightful prints that now decorate our home. But this one is truly something special. Seriously, I'm pretty sure we have the cutest letterbox on the block. We love Hayley's art so much, we've even got her prints on our rubbish & recycling bins. Anything to bring a bit of colour and fun to Wecker Road, Brisbane. And yes, Craig did do most of the grunt-work. I was struggling for like 10mins to undo the nut and Craig did it in a blink of the eye! Hope you enjoy this one as much as we do.

Lots of love,

Demi & Craig.

Stinkhorns and Pandan Cakes.

So Spring is in the air and with it, comes rain. It's been lovely. I'm enjoying the bloom of Australian natives and spring flowers. Even the weeds in our lawn are growing beautiful yellow sun flowers and I can't help but smile. However, it's not all roses and sweet-smells after rain. I would like to introduce you to an interesting phenomenon known as the "Stinkhorn".

And I know exactly what you're thinking here - It looks like a penis. And yes, indeed it was. I was in a bit of shock when I first found it, thinking some sort of penile alien was growing from my mulch... However, it soon became apparent that it's somewhat benign. I later discovered that it's called a Stinkhorn, and true to its name, it stinks like uh, dog poo. But this smell is actually what attracts flies who ingest its spores (the ew brown stuff at the top) and thus, spreads the pores of the Stinkhorn. They grow from these 'egg-like' things but they're a little short-lived and don't last more than a day or so. Interesting huh?

Do you know what else Spring is good for? Baking! I decided to try my hand at my Mum's Pandan cake. It's a green (yes, green!) Malaysian chiffon cake that looks completely humble but is absolutely delicious. And here's the result below! Not bad for an amateur, hey Mum? By the way, I took it to the Buddhist centre and it was thoroughly enjoyed. I brought it for a Tara Puja (note: Tara is a Green Buddha who is known for removing obstacles) so I thought the colour was quite fitting. That and the cake also looked a bit like a Dharma wheel, and not to mention delicious! So all you Buddhists out there, remember: you might look ordinary and plain on the outside but within is a Green Buddha just waiting to be revealed, hehe. Thanks for the recipe, Mum. I will definitely have to make another and keep practising.

Cheers, Demi.