Lighting the tree

Yesterday I was given a rather unusual present - well it wasn't really for me, it was for the Christmas tree.
Chinese technology is so much fun and so inexpensive! This gadget that is giving me so much pleasure is a little electronic box that directs a laser light show on to hard surfaces. The colours thrown are the colours of Christmas - red, green and yellow so we set it up to hit the Christmas tree. This is how it looks

camera details       3sec        f/7.1      ISO 200       26mm

Once I had started to use the camera I wanted more pictures so I moved in a little closer. With a slow shutter speed I expected to get a lot of blur from the moving lights so I was a little surprised at how sharp they turned out.

camera details       1.6 sec       f/7.1      ISO 200       55mm

A big fad at the moment is to capture "bokeh". Bokeh is the name given to the radically out of focus effect on lights. This effect is best when there is something in the foreground that is in focus and the pattern of lights are behind.

camera details       2 sec       f/7.1      ISO 200       50mm

And one more bokeh shot of the lights

camera details       2 sec       f/7.1      ISO 200       55mm

The laser light cannot be left on all day, the recommendation is to turn the thing off after a couple of hours to allow it to cool down. So most of the time we shall be illuminating the tree with the regular tree lights and when we have visitors we shall turn on the special effects!
AJ

Almost Christmas

With the days racing past and visitors arriving and departing by the minute it is difficult to fit everything into a day! This morning after collecting a car from the railway station and then taking a friend to the airport I was able to start on decorating the Christmas cake.
I first made some fondant (roll out) icing and made a sort of reasonable job of placing it over the cake - I certainly couldn't win prizes for my cake decorating skills!
Then it was into my collection of ornaments for something to put on the top.
Every year I manage to find a different one to add to the collection and when friends go overseas at Christmas I ask them to look out for something a little different for me.

I found a rather sweet "Santa" that was brought back from Europe for me a few years ago and dug out the little reindeer that must be over fifty years old by now! They have trotted over a few cakes! Then a strip of sequins suggested a different way of surrounding the cake.

Pieces of left over fondant icing was rolled into sausages to create the raised lettering.

A week ago I picked up a bag of gold bells thinking they were tree decorations - but they did not have loops for string so were packed away - I found a use for them! Incidentally the piece of paper that stuck to my shirt is a mystery! I didn't know it was there! It was a label on the wrapping of one of the (not used) cake decorations, how it managed to adhere to me I don't know!

The finished cake. See what I mean about not winning prizes for my cake decorating, the icing is not smooth! Ah well, the overall effect is what matters!

Now to give you a recipe. I was asked about the sponge I used in my slice, so for anyone who enjoys food I am going to give you this recipe. I make it with all different kinds of filling. Black cherries (canned) or mixed berries - strain the juice away - are quite delicious. A spread of black-currant jam or similar plus fruit that is not so sweet makes a good combination (such as apple or blueberries). Of course, when Christmas comes around I use fruit mince to which an equal quantity of sultanas cooked in orange juice and drained (one minute in the microwave) have been added.
The slice I illustrated was a double mixture with three eggs to bind it.
Here is the recipe as written in my well worn recipe book

BASE:    1 1/2 cups SR flour, pinch salt,  1/4 lb butter ,  1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg.

Put flour, salt and butter in basin, mix well, add sugar, then add well beaten egg and mix to a soft  paste.
Roll out half the mixture and line a swiss roll tin.
Spread fruit filling. 
Roll out the other half of the mixture and cover the fruit.
Here the book is really vague, it says "Bake in a moderate oven" I use a fan forced oven at 180 degrees for 25 minutes. I also gently press the middle to be sure it is cooked, if it feels firm it is cooked - if not give it a further five minutes.

A few little tips. Roll the sponge out on baking paper and lift the paper into the tin for the first layer then do the same with the second layer but this time inverting the sponge over the fruit - but flip it fairly quickly.
When the top layer has been patted to fit into the corners and all the fruit is covered, I wet my hand and pat the sponge gently then sprinkle granulated sugar (regular table sugar) over the top. The dampness gives the sugar something to grip onto!
When cooked put a sheet of baking paper over the top then a chopping board then turn the baking tray and board over so that the slice is now face down on the paper covered board and the tray can be lifted off. Put a wire rack over the slice and invert it again so it is now the right way up and the paper and chopping board can be removed. this makes sure that the sugar stays on the slice!
It all sounds a bit complicated but I assure you that it isn't!
I hope you try it!
AJ       

Christmas is coming

With our topsy turvy weather no one can make any plans for outdoor activities. So many different Christmas pageants have been cancelled in the past two weeks here on the Gold Coast that it is not funny - and I suspect that this trend is not isolated to here. Rain is covering Australia and even the Hairy Nosed Wombat in the desert area of western Queensland has become a water rat with a flooded burrow. (For those of you who do not know this rather rotund huge guinea pig, it is a very endangered member of our native animals!)
Lucky for us, I planned our Christmas break-up for our Visions Group yesterday as an indoor celebration. As Santa was invited too, I asked a few children along to brighten our day. It worked!
Our Santa was a champion and the children - who ranged in age from 10 months to eight years - really had fun with this playful character.

Our youngest party-goer checks if the beard is real.

Santa's real life wife had come along to our celebration too and she remarked that she was amazed at how the children reacted to him. Perhaps it was because we were all in a party mood and the children felt safe and excited. Being in a home with Santa is a lot more relaxed than being in a shopping centre surrounded by strangers.

Being asked to give a "hi-5"

Once the children and Santa had left, the exhausted members of Visions also made their departure. Oh yes, we all had a turn at having our photos taken with the gent in red! Our cheeks were aching from all the smiling! We had a lot of fun.
But now it is pouring with rain and the back yard is not lawn but water frontage! The creek has flooded and is over the banks again. If the weather had been like this yesterday we would have had fewer people at our party because many roads are flooded and those that are not are quite dangerous because of the driving rain.
Christmas carols that are normally held as fund raisers for charities are being cancelled left right and centre. Our local carols were supposed to be held this morning - but it has rained all day so I bet they didn't happen. A big event with one of the "You've got talent" winners, plus two others in different parts of the Gold Coast will be casualties of our rain since they are supposed to start at six this evening - and it has just turned six as I write this story. It must be dreadfully disappointing for the organisers - as well as the performers who were expecting to make their appearances. Even our Santa from yesterday will miss out on his appearances too.

On a lighter note. I will share my email address with you. If you need to contact me it might be useful!

AJ    joanren@gmail.com

Christmas Day

For me the celebrations of Christmas Day are almost over. I haver returned home from a wonderful day with the family. Here is a picture of my daughter in law, Donna with her two beautiful daughters, Kayla aged five and Chantelle, three. They are all excited and ready to open their presents. And what a lot of presents they got! Christmas is very much a time for children and our day was no exception to that rule! It was the children that received the most presents including the most noisy and the most fun! Although I took lots of photos I switched the camera to movie mode and took half a dozen little movies as well. They are fun to watch. The children got a fun game that was a set of tunnels and toys for two mechanical guinea pigs! The guinea pigs made all sorts of noises and ran backwards and forwards in a most realistic way through all their obstacles. They were really fun to watch - and to take movie of!
So Christmas is now over for yet another year. I have set my reindeer and Santa on the dining room table and have just taken a shot of them because the little Santa seems to be waving "good bye". Since he will be back in the North Pole working on his next assignment - Christmas 2010, this photo is an appropriate one to end this day's blog. I hope you enjoyed the day as much as I did.
AJ

Christmas Lights

This white display was created by one woman on her own. She even clambered onto the roof by using her wheelie bin as a ladder to put the lights up there! She was telling us that no one in the hardware store was able to advise her on how to anchor the lights to the tiles so she worked out a method herself.

Although very simple and not a winner in the Christmas lights competition, I liked the way this house was picked out with lights - it created a sort of light painting!

These two pictures are of the overall winner of the lights competition. It really was amazing how much had been created, snowmen, reindeer, ten drummers drumming on the garage roof and lots of little animated Christmas toys in the garage display too. It certainly deserved to win.

These are just a few pictures of the lights that decorated some of the homes on the Gold Coast for Christmas. I took lots of pictures but will only share a few!

AJ

More handmade decorations

Many years ago I used to play with clay. I was a reasonably successful potter but I would amuse myself - and everyone else - by modelling with clay.
In a moment of madness I decided to make a Nativity scene. Every "famous" artist has painted the Nativity and since I was hoping that one day I too would be famous (!!!) I too created my version. I think I went a bit overboard with the sheep though! I enjoyed pushing the clay through a garlic press to make the shaggy wool so the shepherds ended up with a very large flock! I did enjoy creating the camel for one of the wise men. In fact it is the best piece in the collection! The little figures were all covered with white glaze and fired to 1200 degrees.
For many years the Nativity scene has been stowed away in a suitcase but this year has been unwrapped and is on display in my lounge.
We have the reason for our celebrations on display alongside the pagan Christmas Tree with all its lights and decorations.
I have a crazy mixed up home!
Thats the way I like it!
AJ

Decorating for Christmas

My house guests were out for the day so I hastily stole a few moments to finish decorating my reindeer. I have a bit of a collection of Christmas confetti - the stuff you sprinkle over tables to make them look pretty - as well as pieces of felt and a few beads so with a glue gun and a bit of peace and quiet I applied the glue and glittery bits. (I managed to singe the tips of my fingers twice before I learned not to do it again!) After lunch I decorated the Christmas tree and set out the reindeer on a set of cupboards in the dining room.
A few weeks ago I had sent away for some fibre optic lights (Ebay) and after searching for AA batteries I set them amongst the reindeer for a rather fun look. I know this is a bit "over the top" but I am not going to string streamers around the house nor make a big fuss with other decorations so in the dining room "This is it"!
The little Santa with the sack is made of pottery and was made by me twenty years ago now! Boy it doesn't feel as if it was that long ago!
The sleigh I found in a store on sale one year after Christmas when all left over decorations are sold for half price. I like a bargain!
The funny stuffed reindeer were once used as gifts beside each plate one Christmas - some of the adults didn't take them home so I have four to play with! Some of them you can squeeze and they sing!
I have taken a photo of the decorations in the lounge and will share those with you another time.
AJ

Christmas is coming

While everyone else is out shopping or doing sensible things what does AJ do with her time? Paint reindeer of course!
For my family the decorating for the festive time is done two weeks before Christmas so the week leading up to that time of decorating HAS to be the preparation of those decorations! I had bought some papier mache small reindeer and they are a most uninteresting brown cardboard colour so I had to set too and change them. I used Ceiling white paint because it is water washable and I am not the cleanest of painters! I also wanted something that would dry reasonably quickly. I don't want the reindeer to be tacky at Christmas!!!! (sorry! wierd sense of humour!) Besides which, I need to stick all sorts of ribbons and sparkles on them so they look smart and special. So they need to be dry by tomorrow.
I did surprise my daughter in law when she rang me in the middle of the painting job and she wanted to talk to someone sensible - and proceeded to ask me what I was doing. Gulp! At least I made her laugh! I guess there are not too many people who admit to painting reindeer on a hot summer's day!

AJ