Good Fortune
I recently put my haiku writing skills to work in a gorgeous 1000 Likers Giveaway hosted by Fruzsi Kenez of Peach Patrol. Fruzsi asked: "If you write a little poem/haiku/rhyme about someone in the picture your like counts for TRIPLE!" I got my creative thinking cap on, I love the challenge of a haiku. 
"Haiku poems date from 9th century Japan to the present day. Haiku is more than a type of poem; it is a way of looking at the physical world and seeing something deeper, like the very nature of existence. A haiku poem consists of three lines, with the first and last line having 5 moras, and the middle line having 7. A mora is a sound unit, much like a syllable, but is not identical to it. Since the moras do not translate well into English, it has been adapted and syllables are used as moras."
I looked at the strange friends in the picture, and my focus was drawn to Lulu, I Keep My Antlers Warm. I read Lulu's story and wrote this haiku:
Nimble fingers knit
a kaleidoscope of warmth
happy Lulu smiles.
Fruzsi loved it! "Congratulations Samara, your prose brought a big smile to my face and completely encapsulated the energy of I Keep My Antlers Warm."
I received this gorgeous package in the mail from Fruzsi and feel so very blessed! Thank you so very much Fruzsi - readers, don't forget to stop by her facebook page to say hello!
Speaking of good fortune, I recently featured sweet Debbie of The Smile Emporium who sent me a lovely thank you gift - aren't these peacock earrings and hair pins beautiful? Thank you so much Debbie, they certainly brought a smile to my face :) You should also stop by Debbie's facebook page to say hello!
Soulfood Soup
Coming into the cooler weather, I find it's time to dig out the cookbooks or enlist online searches for soup recipes. I made this one on Friday night, simply delicious!
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
80g butter
4 large brown onions, sliced crossways into rings
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp plain flour
1.5L (6 cups) beef stock
125ml (1/2 cup) dry red wine
1 bouquet garni sachet
Salt + freshly ground black pepper
1 30cm baguette (French stick), cut crossways into 12 slices
55g (1 cup) finely shredded gruyere cheese
Method:
Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and light golden. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until flour bubbles and comes away from the side of the pan. Add the stock, wine and bouquet garni. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until soup thickens slightly. Remove bouquet garni. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Preheat grill on high. Place baguette slices on a baking tray. Place under preheated grill (about 5cm away from the heat source) and cook for 2 minutes each side or until light golden. Remove from grill and sprinkle each slice evenly with the cheese. Place under grill and cook for a further 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.
To serve, ladle soup into serving bowls and top with the baguette
Saturday Outing and Handmade Goodness
Firstly we visited the amazing free exhibition at the Albany Museum - Line of Sight by Broome photographer Peter Strain. The exhibition is definitely worth a look and runs from Sat 4 May 2013 – Sun 23 Jun 2013, 10:00am – 4:30pm. "Line of Sight is an exhibition of photography and nature pictures by Broome photographer Peter Strain. It features extraordinary close-up photography of tiny creatures from Australia’s rugged and remote Kimberley region, from Broome to Darwin" Here is a peek at what we saw.
I found a short history lesson for you dear readers, through some selected text, on the Eclipse Island Lighthouse. "Eclipse Island Lighthouse was built in 1926 on Eclipse Island off the south coast of Western Australia. It was built as a cylindrical tower made of concrete. Initially it was a manned station using kerosene as lantern fuel in combination with a first order Fresnel lens. In 1976 the lantern was completely removed though and the optic was put on display at the Western Australian Museum. Today the light is emitted from atop a mast on the lighthouse's concrete trunk. The characteristic is a group of three flashes every twelve seconds from a focal plane at 117 metres (384 ft) above sea level."
We then meandered on to the Vancouver Arts Centre for the Annual Mother's Day Market. Maddabling and DEL-icious Designz were both visitors rather than stall holders this year. There was a lot to see, and we were inadvertently snapped by Stuff To Do In Albany, while we browsing the fine handcrafted Italian Glass Bead creations on display at the Nazzy Beads stall. It's kind of amusing that we were in the photo as we had earlier joked about Photo Bombing you see! We also had the pleasure of watching Naomi of Nazzy Beads creating glassy goodness right there at her stall. If you want to see for yourself, you can find more on the Nazzy Beads Facebook Page.
photo courtesy of http://www.facebook.com/StuffToDoInAlbany
We stopped by the This Paper Cut Life stall and had a chat with Sue Codee. Maddabling couldn't help but buy herself a new brooch, the "Levelling Brooch" to be precise. Isn't it just divine? You can find more of This Paper Cut Life by Sue Codee on her facebook page.
It was really good to catch up with several of the regular stall holders for a chat, the special folk who become friends (you know who you are ladies) as they do in a small creative community and I hope each one had a very successful market. So readers, that wraps up the Good Fortune, Soulfood Soup, Saturday Outing and Handmade Goodness blog post. See you all on Wednesday for a new Wednesday Wishes x
