War memorial for ANZAC Day (Canberra)

The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia
Last weekend, we were able to spend a couple of days in the Australian Capital Territory; the main aim was to revisit the iconic War Memorial (leading to ANZAC Day), the English-inspired Cockington Green and the mind-boggling displays of the Questacon Science Exhibition.
What I'm sharing today is mainly for ANZAC Day, some photos of the War Memorial and a few shots from around the city of Canberra.
As the nation commemorates the life of our diggers, let's spare a thought and prayers for those who are serving and defending our peace and freedom.

This is the Wall of Remembrance at the War Memorial; it has the names of all Australian service men and women killed in war.

Simpson and his donkey - his name was John Simpson Kirkpatrick. He enlisted iin the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance as Private Simpson on 25th of August 1914. He was known for his bravery and compassion and used a donkey to carry water up Shrappel Gully and to bring wounded men down to the beach on ANZAC Cove from the firing line on the ridges above. He was fatally wounded after 4 weeks in action, on May 1915. (The bronze sculpture is by Peter Corlett 1988).

The Parliament House

This is the Hall of Memory and the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier in the centre.

And the mosaic dome...it's a depiction of the soul rising to its eternal destination

Autumn is in full swing... and the temperature is already dropping to zero degrees

Lake Burley Griffin.

This seagull wasn't going anywhere....

We stopped by the lake for some brekkie....

The Rose garden was a little worse for wear but this white bloom seemingly enjoyed the early frost and the dry weather typical of Canberra at this time of year.

Some of Lake Burley Griffin's residents.

Mary Poppins from the distance.

Cockies don't want a cracker!

ANZAC Biscuits Recipe, sharing a piece of Australian History.

To commemorate this significant day of history, I thought I would share this iconic recipe. Anzac biscuits originated in World War 1. It was claimed that wives of the soldiers sent this sweet crispy biscuits to their loved ones serving in war. The combined ingredients don't spoil easily and stay fresh during naval transport.

Ingredients: 1 cup desiccated coconut
                    1 cup brown sugar
                    1 cup rolled oats
                    1 cup plain flour
                    1/2 cup butter
                    3 Tbs golden syrup
                    1/2 Tsp bicarb soda

Method:
            Preheat oven to 180degrees Celcius(160 fan forced). Combine coconut, brown sugar, rolled oats, and flour in a mixing bowl. Melt butter and golden syrup in a large saucepan over low heat. Mix bicarb soda with boiling water and stir into melted mixture, and then pour into the centre of the dry ingredients. Mix to a moist but firm consistency.
Create a small rounded teaspoons of mixture and place it on greased biscuit tray or you can use baking paper. Pressed the mixture with a fork to flatten the ball.
Bake for 15 minutes, cool on a wire rack. You can store them in an airtight container(if there's any leftovers).

Thank you all for stopping by. Wishing everyone a wonderful week.

 This teapot tells a lot of history, it belonged to my husband's grandad which was handed down to his mum and now in his care. There's nothing like sipping a sweet brew of history right under your nose.

I've cut sprigs of rosemary from the garden to make a little boquet of remembrance.

Our garden in Autumn

While the rest of the world is celebrating the bounty of beautiful colours which the season of spring brings, in our veggie garden, crop-rotation is in full blast: out go the summer crops, like cucumbers, eggplants, pumpkins, melons, beans and some salad and tropical greens as well as the heat-releasing chilies. And in comes the cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas and all the winter-loving salad greens.

There are 3 Queensland blue pumpkins ready for picking. And the rest will be waiting till the end of Autumn.

This Emperor mandarin has been infested with fruit flies. The photo is a little blurry, I'm only using an iPad, the pix are a little over exposed.

Rockmelon still a while to go before it's ready.

Cherry tomatoes - the last plant still standing.

This bird's eye chilli or bullet is very productive, it produces more chilies than I can pickle and give away.

This is sweet potato vine. May not be known to a lot of people that the leaves of the sweet potato are edible rich in vitamins and minerals. We grow this variety solely for its leaves and not for tubers.

Teeming with fruit

This is kangkong AKA water spinach, great for stir-fry, steamed, in soups or as an accompaniment to any salad greens.

Some overgrown mescaline salad mix.

Bert loves watching the veggie garden day and night. He is a perfect "guard gnome"; scaring away unwanted guests!

Please join me on the verandah for a relaxing Saturday afternoon tea.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe weekend!

Vintage find

After spending my Sunday morning with the "vicious cycle" of domestic chores e.g cleaning, washing and the laundry, I thought I would reward myself by visiting a local arts and craft market. I was on the lookout for anything vintage and quirky.

My daughter and I headed towards Windsor markets, only 55 Km north-west of Sydney.

It's situated along the George Street mall in Windsor and on every Sunday from 9.00am-3:30pm. What I like about the market is it caters for everyone. There are organic fruit and vegie stall, crafts, fashion for young and young at heart, pottery, jewelry, hand made soaps, homemade preserves, plants and the list goes on...

There are also few choices of shops in the surroundings and cafes. One of our faves is Windsor Seafood. People from near and far come to Windsor to taste their signature fish and chips. The service is excellent, the staff are friendly, fresh seafood and truly their fish and chips is tops. Outside the cafe, there's a South American Macaw, who attracts everyone by his looks and his squawks. No one walks past him without taking his picture.

 This is one of my fave shops along George St. It is called The Farmer's daughter jewellery; it's a little store of different interests; vintage homewares, recycled fashions, some vintage fabrics, quirky jewellery (not the sort you'll find in an ordinary stores). Here I found my vintage table cloth which was perfect for my table on the back verandah.

And here it is; I love the brown, blue and green floral print; perfect for these two tables.

And the star of my day were these "cheeky" salt and pepper shakers. Isn't he the most daring and cheekiest little fellow? He will stand out amongst my collection of salt and pepper shakers. I will share the rest of my collection next time.

A couple of weeks ago I took a picture of this Phalaenopsis orchid. I only started collecting orchids from last year. And this year is the first time that I will see them flower under my care.