Hello autumn

I think autumn is my new favourite season. It has to be. Look at these colours.

Everywhere we look it's big blue skies, burnt oranges and purple reds. Well, maybe not everywhere. I wish there were more of these beautiful liquid ambers around. They're only dotted around here and there.

So Luca and I are on a mission every morning. To spot another 'idciduous' tree.

'Look Mummy, I just saw a idciduous tree'.



We both want to plant more. In fact, as we've been talking trees so much lately, he wants to plant a mango tree. And a banana tree. And an apple tree.

I want more of these liquid ambers. So I've made a promise that once we have our own house, we can plant those trees.

The mornings and evenings are chilly. But it's hard to snuggle up and get cosy in Australian houses. They're just not built for the cold. Three houses later and I think I've figured out why houses over here don't do cosy. It's to get us outside.

It works. (Hang on, is that why Australians spend so much time outdoors? That's it, isn't it?? Because it's so freaking cold inside.)

And when it's cold, I make pumpkin risottos and curried vegetable parcels.

Roast chunks of butternut squash with sage. Make a risotto the traditional way (splash of wine, lots of stock). Once the squash is soft and caramelised, give it a rough mash and fold it through the risotto with lots of freshly grated parmesan. Lots. Kids will love this. Mine do.

I fried slices of onion in coconut oil until slightly softened, then stirred through some mild curry paste (this was intended for the boys' dinner). Added cooked chunks of potato, carrot and sweet potato, then spooned dollops onto rectangular strips of butter puff pastry. Brushed edges with egg, sealed together to make neat parcels. Then brushed all over with more egg and baked until they looked like this. And because even the mild curry paste had a bit of kick, I served some yogurt alongside to dip into. Great for lunch the next day, Graeme says.

This was meant to be a garden post. A big garden post, but my sister in Perth has just called me and demanded to know when my next batch of recipes were being posted.

So this is for you sis.

And I promise if you move over here, I'll cook all of this and more. In return for cleaning up Kian's mess, of course.