On the home front (plus the bread recipe)...

 Finally getting here after a week of hot sunny weather and headaches most days (roll on Autumn!). Seems there are a few wanting the bread recipe.  I've been making it on and off for years, and have posted it on my blog a couple of times previously.  Not sure where I got the recipe from, but think it may have been an internet friend in the UK.  This is the original recipe, with my comments/changes at the bottom...

Irish Soda Bread

3 cups flour (I prefer whole wheat but white is great too) 

1 cup rolled oats (like Quaker Oats) 

1 cup dried non-fat milk 

1 teaspoon sugar (honey) 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon baking/bi-carb soda 

1 3/4 cup water 

2 teaspoons of lemon juice 

Preheat oven to 350F/175C, Grease a large cookie sheet with sides (jellyroll pan).

Mix dry ingredients well, add water and lemon juice, stir until just mixed, don't over stir, if needed add extra water 2 tablespoons at a time (some flours are really thirsty and soak up the water)...you will now have a batter that may be very "firm" like yeasted bread or it may be a little thinner than you are used to with making bread...not to worry, it cooks up very well..."dump" the batter in the middle of the cookie sheet...slightly shape with dampened hands and cut an X in the top to let the gasses escape. 

Put in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve hot...it is very good...it is not a traditional loaf of bread but it is great with meals...it is also nice for breakfast the next day with either cheese or peanut butter. 

Variations: Instead of using non-fat dried milk in the mix you can substitute sweet milk with the lemon juice for the water or you can use buttermilk without the lemon juice. I had non-fat dried milk in the kitchen so I used what I had. You can add caraway seeds, raisins or ground flax seed to add variety. If you are using white flour and want to add fiber you can stir in bran or wheat germ. Soy flour or powder increases the protein content. Lightly toasted sunflower seeds are a nice addition. This loaf is very flexible -- variations are endless...one day for a dessert loaf of bread I added chopped dried fruit that had been soaked in orange juice. I also added some Pumpkin Pie spice and a little extra sugar...about a half a cup. This was very tasty.

Lynda comments: I double the recipe and cook in 2 bread tins.  I use a variety of flours: wholewheat, white, rye, buckwheat, spelt, quinoa, ground almonds/hazelnuts.  And add sunflower, pumpkin, chia, sesame seeds, ground linseed/flaxseed, kelp.  And molasses instead of sugar/honey. I also add some caraway seeds as I like the flavour.

I find it takes a bit longer to cook, perhaps because it's so heavy, but I test it with a skewer to make sure it's cooked through before turning out.

If you have any questions...just ask :)

On to other news...

Because it's been so hot this last week, not a lot has been getting done in the garden, although I do like to have my coffee break on the back undercover deck...

The blueberries are loving the hot weather and are starting to produce more than I can keep up with.  I pick some each morning to have with my breakfast, but I think I will start freezing some soon too.

And today I dug my first potatoes...

I had a trip up to Marnie on Wednesday and we did a local walk...

It's been a bit hot for knitting, but I got another couple of beanies/hats done for charity...

And I recently picked a up a bag of bright/light odds and ends of yarn at the op shop, which I'd been running low on...

So I'll be able to get back to my scrappy granny squares ...

And I've put the Maeve Binchy book aside for now as this one that I had reserved from the library came in.  I'm finding it very interesting.  It's almost like 3 or 4 books in one with the multi layered stories, which are woven together so well...

And I'm still getting an early morning walk in around the river...

"O gift of God! a perfect day,

Whereon shall no man work but play,

Whereon it is enough for me

Not to be doing but to be."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Weekend Words

Three readings from my devotionals this week, because I couldn't choose :)

FYI: the Beside Still Waters devotional (second reading) is by Charles Spurgeon, and the Beside the Still Waters (third reading) is an Amish/ Mennonite publication.... 

From Be Still and Know...

And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. - Isaiah 30:21

Early one morning I was invited to go for a walk in the woods.  It was a beautiful morning.  The birds were singing, and the sun was shining through the trees along the trail, reflecting its rays on a lake close by.

The family dog went with us.  However, he was not satisfied to stay on the path, but ran from one side to the other.  As we returned, the dog was exhausted, panting as hard as he could.  I said, "Do you know why your dog is worn out?  It is from all the detours he took.  He was off the trail more than he was on it."

We may become exhausted physically, mentally, and spiritually at times because of the detours we take from God's path.  We run this way and that on paths of our own making.

The Lord has promised to be our personal guide through life.  His part is to open the way before us; our part is to walk in it.  Whether the way be rough or smooth, dark or bright, easy or hard, we have Someone who knows each step of it.  However, we must seek guidance from His Word and from prayer.  He promised, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which though shalt go.  I will guide thee with mine eye" (Psalm 32:8)

Many voices urge us to turn this way and that.  Many things may distract from His way, but we must close our ears to them.  We must stay close enough to hear His voice directing us.  If the way is not clear before us, we must wait until it is.

Today are you uncertain which way to go?  Perhaps the "traffic light" of your life is red, indicating you are to stop.  Or it may be the yellow of caution.  As you wait, in God's perfect timing, it will turn green; indicating that you can go ahead.  You will hear the Lord say, "This is the way, walk ye in it, when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left."

From Beside Still Waters...

The Lord's Presence

Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it." - Genesis 28:16

The Puritans believed in an ever-present God.  Oh to be able to feel God everywhere, in the little as well as the great, in our rising up and our sitting down, in our going out and our coming in.  I cannot imagine a life more blessed or a spirit more related to the spirit of the glorified than the mind and heart of the person who lives in God, who knows and feels that God is ever present.

If you are in personal danger, or in the midst of a storm, or facing illness, and if you hear a voice saying, "Surely the Lord is in this place," you will be perfectly at rest.  The anxious air grows pure if He is there.  Lightning cannot strike you, or if it does it will be joy.  The storm cannot devour you, nor can the hungry ocean engulf you, or if one does, it is happiness if God is there.  There is no need to fear.  Nervousness is wickedness when "the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you" (Deuteronomy 33:27)

You may be in great poverty.  Your walls may be bare and your furnishings scant.  And still you may say, "Surely the Lord is in this place."  Remember the old Christian's exclamation, "What, all this and my God present with me?"  Better to have poverty and feel His presence than to own the world's riches and not know that He is here.

Some of you are in deep affliction.  Your difficulties are so great that you do not know where things will end, and you are deeply depressed.  But remember, "Surely the Lord is in this place."

Some of you are called to some extraordinary duty and do not feel strong enough.  Follow that call, for surely the Lord is in that place.  He will help you.

From Beside the Still Waters...

Casting Our Care - Read: Psalm 115

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." - 1 Peter 5:7

The word care, as used in today's key verse, can mean distraction, anxiety, concern, fearfulness, protectiveness, apprehension, or meticulous attention.  To cast is to throw upon, fling or toss, deposit or disperse.  It seems that care is natural to us, and we feel that we must manage all the details of our affairs.

Since we are limited in our perspective, we build up a huge load of care that distracts from trust in God.  But God sees the whole picture and can manage all our concerns for good according to His purposes in Christ.  Sometimes we worry and fuss and try to pressure others to do and be what we think is best, making life miserable for ourselves and our loved ones.  We protectively try to manage every detail in a spirit of frustrated anxiety and unrest.

Does Jesus care about this?  In Philippians 4:5-6 we find the instructions, "Let your moderation be known to all men" and "Be careful for nothing."  Moderation speaks of mildness or gentleness.  This applies especially to those who are close to us.  To be careful for nothing doesn't mean being careless, but rather putting full trust in our sovereign God and casting our burdens on Him with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving.

It takes humility to realize that we don't have the resources for managing all our affairs as God does.  We need to let go and cast our care on Him, believing that He is truly a "help" and a "shield" for all who trust in Him (Psalm 115:11).  If we are unwilling to let go, God will still care, but instead of receiving the blessing of relief, we will be left with frustration, worry, and an out-of-control feeling.  We need to let go and let God!

If we do the casting, God will do the caring!

- Daniel Stauffer - Ephrata, PA

On the home front... And further afield...

 Had a lovely day out this week with Marnie and Denver at the Tasmanian Arboretum.  Marnie had been there before but neither Denver nor I had.  We enjoyed a walk, and a picnic.  Only got to see half, so we will definitely go back again...

And after our walk...

we found this table under the trees to have our picnic

On the way home, we took a little scenic detour and came across this roadside stall selling jams and preserves...

And a surprising find, on a country side road... 

 A book library...

two old 'art worked' refrigerators 

I picked out this Maeve Binchy book.  Haven't read any of her books for awhile and don't think I've ever read this one...

572 pages!  Will probably take me all year to read, but I am enjoying it so far

These were given as gifts to family and friends this Christmas...

And I managed to get 4 beanies/hats knitted for Knit 4 Charities last month...

They have been mailed off to the collection point for this particular charity, each with a little tag attached...

Not getting much time at the moment for any crafting, as the garden is keeping me busy...

apples are growing

as are the tomato plants

Raspberries and potatoes coming along

blueberries ripening

picking some raspberries (although they are just about finished now) and blueberries to add to my breakfast each morning

Cooked a chicken and vegetable stir fry recently...

I throw in some cashew nuts just before serving

And there is always bread to bake...

every couple of weeks

And made a macaroni/vegetable/tuna frittata yesterday...

left overs for lunch today

All this food talk has made me hungry, so I'm off to have my lunch!

But never forget...

"Life is not intended to be simply a round of work, no matter how interesting or important that work may be.  A moment's pause to watch the glory of sunrise or a sunset is soul satisfying, while a bird's song will set the steps to music all day long" - Laura Ingalls Wilder

xx

Weekend Words

 From Be Still and Know...

"For I know thew plans which I am planning for you," saith Jehovah, "plans of welfare and not of calamity, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11 Rotherham)

The year we are now entering is one unknown to us, but known to God.  He has a "custom-designed" plan for our lives.  Included in His plan for us is the year ahead.

At the time Jeremiah wrote the above scripture, God's chosen people were in captivity.  Jeremiah reminded them that God had not forgotten them, but in His own time would return them to their homeland.  "...I know the plans I am planning for you..."  Their captivity may have seemed like a calamity, but God assured them He had their welfare in mind.

We cannot see what lies ahead in the new year, but God can.  "...I KNOW the plans I am planning for YOU..."  His plans are for the PRESENT moment - NOW.  "The plans I AM planning for you..."  He knows "where" we are, the "why" of our circumstances, "how" His plans fit into our lives, and "what" His plans are to accomplish.

His plans are PURPOSEFUL.  "Plans of welfare, not of calamity..."  Often we see our circumstances as calamities, but not so with God.  He loves us and desires only His best for us.  We view our situations from where we are, but God sees them completed and fitted into His plans.

He has PROSPECTIVE plans for our FUTURE.  We are to be WITH HIM in heaven.  There we will experience no sorrow, nor pain.  There all our tears will be wiped away.  Knowing that one of these days He will return for us gives us HOPE today.

We can face the new year with peace of heart and mind, knowing that God is working out His plans not only for our life on earth but throughout eternity.

His plans for our lives find completion and fulfillment in Jesus Christ.  "Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to HIS PLAN, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.  For God, in His foreknowledge, chose them to bear the family likeness of His Son" (Romans 8:28-29 Phillips)

"I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, Give me a light that I might go safely out into the darkness.  And he replied, Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God.  That shall be more to you than a light, and safer than a known way." - Minnie Louise Haskins

From Beside Still Waters - Words of Comfort for the Soul - C. H. Spurgeon

Blessed Beyond Measure - Genesis 22:17

The greatest blessing God gives is His presence.  If I could choose any of life's blessings, I certainly would not ask for wealth, because wealth cannot bring freedom from pain, concerns, or anxiety.  I certainly would not ask for popularity, because there is no rest for the world's leaders.  My choice, my highest honor, would be to have God with me always.

When God is with us, there is no difference between Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace (Daniel 3:19) and a comfortable bed.  It does not matter!  We will be happy in either.  If God is with us, if His divine love surrounds us, then we carry our own atmosphere and residence wherever we travel, and we can say with Moses, "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations" (Psalm 90:1)

The individual who can say this is full of heaven, full of God, and blessed beyond measure.  This is the privilege of all who truly believe in Jesus, of all who come out from the world, and of all who, like Abraham, live a life of faith (Genesis 12:4).  Bow your head, believer, and let the Lord God pronounce this blessing, "I will bless you."

If you are sorrowing, suffering, weary, or burdened, receive this blessing from God's own mouth, "I will bless you."

If you are poor, despised, or slandered, this blessing is not shortened.  Take it with you, and go on your way rejoicing.

"My dearest Lord,

be thou a bright flame before me,

be thou a guiding star above me,

be thou a smooth path beneath me,

be thou a kindly shepherd behind me,

today and for evermore."

St Columba (521 - 597)

All photos are flowers in my garden :)