h&s

in which i attend a letterpress workshop, run by the two fab ladies at harrington & squires

composing stick

applying ink to the press (an adana 8×5)

first press. VERY excited

the creation: a limited edition print run of one of my poems

288 picas wide. such a fabulous use for a tiny space

also love these shopping list magnets that they make. so cool

making bread

i didn’t know that life held anything so ineffably delicious as this bread…
- katherine mansfield, 1908. (from selected letters, clarendon press, 1989)

some of my earliest memories are of freshly baked bread, sitting on the kitchen counter, waiting for us to arrive home from school. one of my older brothers used to cut thick slices, then lather each slice with a generous helping of home-churned butter and some vegemite. me, i’m more of a beefsteak tomato girl.

my mother has always made bread: she is still to this day one of the most amazing cooks that i know.

what she makes is not fancy fare, however she has the astonishing ability to take a brief glance into any pantry and make something delicious, as if by magic, out of cupboards that i would think bare. i guess with nine children to feed, one does get pretty good at making something-from-nothing!

it’s taken me a really long time to realise that this way of showing love for others, through cooking, is one of the most precious gifts my mother could have given me. and she probably doesn’t even know she has… because i don’t think i’ve ever told her! cooking is a way that i can show my love and appreciation for others.

i suspect i learned to cook and make bread by osmosis from my mother, then bread more formally when i was 18 years old as part of a hospitality course. and it’s still one of the things i turn to when words just aren’t coming and i need to take some time out; rest. kneading bread gives my hands something creative to do (that also has a delicious end result), whilst my mind slows down; reverts to a state of quiet peacefulness.

the laurel room, washington hotel, washington island, door county, usa

for the second time this week, as the words refuse to come, i’ve been baking bread. this particular recipe was one i found whilst we were on holiday at the washington hotel in door county, usa. (it’s a lovely place and highly recommended if you want somewhere fabulous to visit: check it out when they’re open again for business).

even though i still don’t have the answers that i’m looking for, i feel like i’m closer to my calm centre; the place inside me where the answers are more easily able to be heard.

* i’ve included the recipe here, so you can give it a go yourself if you’re so inclined

freshly baked

multi-grain honey bread

[download the pdf]

ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 cup 7 or 10 grain hot cereal mix ⁽¹⁾
• 3 eggs ⁽²⁾
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature ⁽³⁾
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 4-5 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1 tablespoon salt

method

1. in a large bowl, add hot water to cereal. cool to room temperature
2. in a second bowl, whip eggs and combine with buttermilk, honey, oil and melted butter. mix with cooled cereal
3. combine at least 4 cups of the flour, the yeast and salt, then mix into the liquid to form a slightly sticky dough
4. turn on to a floured surface, knead 10 mins, adding more flour if sticky
5. cover and let rise at room temperature 1 hour or until doubled in size
6. form 2 loaves and place into greased bread pans
7. let rise 30-40 minutes or until double again
8. preheat oven to 450 fahrenheit/230 celcius/210 fan
9. bake 30-40 minutes ⁽⁴⁾ until dark colour and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom

footnotes

1. i buy a couple of bags of bob’s red mill hot cereal mix every time i take a trip to the usa as its the best mix i’ve tried.
2. if you are allergic to eggs like me, orgran ‘no egg’ is a lovely substitute
3. if you don’t have buttermilk you can make your own by placing 1 tsp white vinegar or lemon in a measuring cup, then adding milk to make up to 1/4 cup. stand 5 minutes before using
4. time will vary based on your oven. check frequently to ensure you don’t overcook!

silence

anyone who listens long enough will write again.
accept that silence instead of always pushing.

- baxter, james keir (1926 – 1972)
poet, postman, teacher, dramatist, writer, social critic

postcards from northern ireland

dear friends,

thursday last week had us boarding another flight. this time to visit the causeway coast in county antrim, northern ireland.

the whole area is stunning, with quiet roads, beautiful scenery and history that far surpasses anything we can find back home in new zealand.

we stayed in a beautiful quiet country location not far from the giants causeway, choosing to spend the afternoon of our first day taking a tour of the local whiskey distillery in bushmills. because of the high volatility in the areas we toured through, photos were not permitted, but the tastings at the end more than made up for it!

we checked out the giants causeway,

walked the carrick-a-rede rope bridge,

found the dark hedges on bregagh road near the village of armoy: this spectacular road is bordered by 300 year old beech trees

lay listening to the waves in some gorgeous tiny fishing harbours around the causeway coast

visited dunluce castle

took a drive through the glens of antrim,

and checked out the waterfalls in the glenariff forest park.

we drove down roads that reminded us very much of those we would find traversing new zealand coastlines

and took a day trip out to rathlin island to see the puffins. we couldn’t get very close but got chatting to one of the locals who has some amazing photos of them (including the one below…)

puffin by tom mcdonnell

more ash clouds over england and ireland meant our flight home was cancelled, so we took the opportunity to see some of county down – specifically the ards peninsular

we spent a night in the tiny town of portaferry, then spent the morning exploring the peninsular

visiting st. cooeys wells

the holy wells were founded in the 7th century by st. cooey. according to tradition, it was here that he performed his pentiential exercises in the late 7th and 8th centuries. the foundations of a church, modern altar and three holy wells may be found. a drinking well, washing well and eye well are still visited by pilgrims and are reputed to have healing powers.
- source: ards visitor guide 2009/10

and the ballycopeland windmill

before checking into our room at pier 36 overlooking the donaghadee port and lighthouse

tomorrow we’re up early to head to belfast international airport, headed back to london.

but for right now, i’m off to enjoy another pint of the local brew. cheers!

-leonie

p.s. more photos up on flickr

finding magic

above all, watch with glittering eyes the world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most likely places.those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.

(roald dahl, from the roald dahl treasury)