day eleventy billion ...

 

... here in our bubble. 

You see, some people didn't do what they were told. Some people behaved in a manner that helped to spread the rona and we were put into lockdown. And whilst the case numbers are going down they aren't going down as quickly as they'd like and here we are, at day eleventy billion.

Now I know as far as 5km bubbles go this place ain't so bad, I mean we have the beach (dolphins), bush (koalas) and the Somers General but man I'm starting to miss people ... and bookshops and galleries and oh how I miss Noodle Box. 

stage 4

I'm obsessed with slow photography, the kind that involves film and patience. Something that is perfect to practice in this current stage 4 lockdown. 

new work - iso 2020, Somers Beach - emulsion lift on Ilford matt archive paper xx⠀
⠀
This is actually a picture of a picture, well a picture of a picture of a polaroid lift - still with me? Polaroid lift? It's the time consuming, often heartbreaking, far from cost-effective yet totally addictive process where you pull apart an old school polaroid photo to carefully extract the emulsion and then give your image new life and texture. The process is crazy frustrating and polaroid film is notoriously fickle but it's incredibly rewarding when the magic happens. ⠀
⠀
Prints of this addition will be limited to the small collectors print size - all of the details are in the print store.

Somers (winter market) Soup

I suspect that if you have kids between the ages of 12-15 that attended Somers Pre School then the mere sight of this soup may be night terror-inducing. I mean it's delicious and super easy to make but many past preschool parents will remember making saucepan after saucepan of the stuff, ready to sell at the Somers Winter Market.

Many apologies to whoever ended up with the massive overorder of the mugs ... I thought everyone would buy one! 

Developed by a team of dedicated parents who set up and managed the soup stall at the first market held at Coolart it's simple, quick to make and is packed with great taste and goodness. The volume of curry paste can be varied to suit individual tastes and I do tend to make mine a little thicker than most.

Ingredients (serves 4)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp korma curry paste
• 1 – 1.5 litre salt-reduced vegetable stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 2/3 cup red lentils, rinsed
• 1/4 cup pearl barley, washed
• fresh coriander leaves to serve

Method
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add curry paste. Stir to combine.  Stir in stock, tomato, lentils and barley. Cover. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until barley is tender. Divide between bowls. Top with coriander. Serve with bread.

Mornings are where it is at here in Somers ... where your biggest dilemma is in which direction to walk. Do you head towards Sandy Point for an amazing sunrise view and or towards The Somers General for that much needed morning caffeine fix? 

Zen AF

I'm trying to channel some Zen AF vibes amongst these crazy school holidays so a Mandala drawing workshop at the Somers Shala was simply perfect. Thank you Maisie Minikin for sharing your skills and to Maz for creating such a special place here in Somers xx

Pearl Bay

I think of Somers as a little like Pearl Bay from Seachange (the original one, no offence of course to the remake I just have a thing for the originals). 

If you've never seen the series do yourself a favour and binge it over winter then come summer when you spot a couple of the stars who have holiday shacks down here you'll be taken back to simpler times xx

#isobaking

Step away from the kitchen Janis ... I'm loving all the memes getting around during this time about needing to be quarantined from the fridge/kitchen/food etc. I mean what else do you do when the world feels a bit topsy-turvy but bake comfort foods.  If only I loved green smoothies as much I love goods carefully created from way too much butter, sugar and everything else living at the top of the food pyramid xx

Anzac Apple Pie - recipe from the Gourmet Traveller Website