Coming Up Roses

 Isn't it funny how one little thing,
can so often lead to another..
in life?
A few weeks ago, I had enquiry on one of my Cath Kidston wallpaper auctions on Trade Me..."That's it!! That's what I'm after said the enquiree..I've seen it in the Six Sisters Cafe on The Marine Parade in Napier & I'd love 4 rolls to do a feature wall. Where did you get it from?" Well I could only send her in the right direction on that one: to the UK, but meantime, I was able to seek out the cafe with Cath Kidston wallpaper, that she mentioned.

Six Sisters Coffee House.

 Why Six Sisters you may ask? (I did). Apparently a certain Dutch Port Master arrived to live in Napier in the late 1800's & with him came six sisters, his daughters. In time, he gave them each a house of their own. Six identical houses all in a row!

An interesting combination of sweet, 

 funky & contemporary. The Cath Kidston Antique Rose paper is on one wall down the other end.
Tili jars on the mantelpiece you'll notice Julie.

Quirky.

Really great coffee.

 Nice customers too.

 Some of whom, have upsticks & come to live in our garden.

 Well just for a while.

 We've been making plenty of summer salads. These "Indigo Rose" tomatoes have been fascinating. Apparently the worlds first commercially available tomatoes containing high levels of anthocyanin..which just means that they are really good for you.

 There's been so much going on for us through January. I am starting to figure that a little pruning seems to have been required in order to stimulate the blooming process. But one things for sure, being pruned is not comfy. There are those changes in life that make things interesting & keep you growing & then there are others, that just seem to chop off your bits & pulverise you.
The challenges have been thoroughly destabilizing & overwhelming, yet I am encouraged to find that my intuition is a real ally & highly functional. I was so pleased that we decided one night to keep the bones from chicken (even though it's summer) & make a large pot of chicken broth.

  I don't think that Rob & I ate much else for days & days as we journeyed the hard stuff of upheaval with Rob's work.  Dear boy, even said.."right I want to learn how to make this stuff" and he did.

 When the big (really big) waves come they bring with them new opportunities to see where our wounds are & where we still need to be healed; revise what really matters to us & determine whether we have gathered around us enough tools & skills to work it all through. And then we have a choice...will we really, really be there for each other? YES!
I am working with a lot of fear & anxiety & knowing that it stems from early childhood & on going life long family disruption. I am choosing every day to heal from the traumatic wounds of narcissistic abuse..it's going to be a very long journey, but one I must make. I am so grateful to the "girls" who have been brave enough to leave comments on my page here. I wasn't sure that I should write about it (at all) but now I know that I had to.
In stressy times simple food is important. I have been making these simple fruit sauces a lot lately. This one was made to use up the apricots that were starting to go off. A little honey & a little lemon juice & a zap with the whizz stick & viola apricots redeemed.

 I am intrigued to find that any fruit puree made like this will last for days & days in the fridge. The strawberry one (with a little honey & a drop of rosewater) made a great dipping sauce for rockmelon & Coconut Ice peaches.

 I have been drying some summer herbs to make Julie's wonderful sachets to keep the moths at bay in the linen cupboard. The top leaves are marshmallow..great for adding to bath bags along with oatmeal.

 You can find the recipe just here. I've added these star anise into the mix. Aren't they beautiful things!

We accidentally found a large elder bush hanging over the footpath recently, so we gathered as many ripe elderberries as we could & I found a really nice, simple recipe for an elderberry mother immune elixir just here. 

I added these ground rosehips & some ginger to the tonic mixture.

It's tasting delicious, I must say. I will strain out the berries in a month or so & bottle it up in readiness for any feeling-a-little-under-the-weather days to come.

The other tonic that I would not want to be with out is our funky, kombucha tea.

"Kombucha is an antioxidant rich immune boosting beverage coined the “Immortal Health Elixir”. It's a rich source of antioxidants, B vitamins, glucaric acids and probiotics which aid in digestion, gut health, joint care and detoxification. Like all fermented foods, it is extraordinarily rich in enzymes and beneficial bacteria and therefore a dream come true for your gastrointestinal function. It re-establishes the natural ecology of the intestinal flora, which in turn boosts immunity and allows the body to absorb nutrients and eliminate waste with ease."

You can read more (& how to make it) here at Petite Kitchen

If you live in New Zealand & you'd fancy having your own "scoby" I'd be very happy to post you one..just let me know.

 I'm really enjoying this pink hebe just now. It's great for picking too.

 Wednesday was a birthday day..don't know about that goose on the left but isn't Sarah just the sweetest girl. Not fair to catch them out first thing in the morning eh.

 Rob & I spent a little time in Napier, walking near the beach & heading back to Six Sisters for a coffee.

This month is the month of love...now that sounds like a great idea.

And a really good focus, don't you agree?!

Have a gentle week dear friends.

Thanks so much for your visit.

♥♥♥♥♥