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Ingredients

125g plain chocolate
100g granulated sugar
30g coco powder , Valrhona Chocolate or Scharffen Berger Cocoa powder
140g desiccated coconut
50g almond meal
1tspn almond essence or rum !
2 egg whites
60g each of white and dark chocolate, Callebaut Chocolate

Method

Melt chocolate and set aside to cool.
Whisk egg whites until they form a soft peak. Add 3-4 tablespoons
of the sugar and mix until the mixture is glossy and firm. Fold in the remaining sugar,
chocolate and coconut, followed by the almond essence.

Place rounded spoonfuls of the mixture 2.5 cm apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15-18 minutes until the macaroons are dry on the outside
But moist and soft in the center.
Melt the chocolates for the decoration separately. Half-dip the biscuits in to one or the other
Chocolate. Lay on silicon paper to dry.
Spoon the remaining chocolate into a piping bag and pipe contrasting lines over the macaroons.

Last year I planted some new varieties if tulips into my front garden. I hope the will multiply profusely and that the late winter rains don’t rot the bulbs! In the past I have lifted the bulbs and replanted them in March. This year I’m going to be a little reckless and leave them in the ground!

Pretty Woman

Inimitable

Jan Van Ness

Mascara

Columbus

Hot Honey Rag

Other bulbs I planted this year are Purple Rain -Allium and Fritillaria meleagris, (a plant I have wanted forever)!

Once upon a time I made a little movie about one of my early mixed media paintings. The best part of making this little short was editing and making the sound track!

https://youtu.be/ei1sf-zRaMk?si=4MLBVfpq_dalKTlp

Have you ever read the book, Groundsel? Jack Frost has hidden the key to time and Winter lasts all year, well that’s exactly what it feels like here in Rosebery! I knew this town is designated as ‘rain-forest’ but, I had no idea of the amount of rain that can fall and, it’s been windy and cold!

Time to look at doing some indoor activity to stop the cabin fever!

To take my mind off the soggy conditions and my forlorn downhearted daffodils, tulips and beheaded Dutch iris’s, I’ve been tidying up the studio and putting my mind to what’s next. I always feel a little down after exhibiting and it takes me sometime to refuel my creative energies. Sometimes it comes from internal forces and sometimes it comes unexpectedly form outside. This time around it’s been a bit of both!

I was unexpectedly asked if I was interested in illustrating a children’s book and another two emails arrived with the offer of two painting commissions! Plus, I found my old soldering iron and noticed that I still had quite a few bits and pieces left for making some soldered glass pendants.

I’ve always been the type of creative that has to be busy with more than one project, don’t ask me why, its totally subconscious and I don’t question it myself!

My father was the same as was his mother, the only grandparent I knew.

So, after sometime refreshing my memory of soldering, thank you Margo Beatty and Suzi Blu! Was it really 2014 when I last made my soldered pendants!

I made a bunch of pendants using images from my mixed media paintings and a couple from my watercolour illustrations. A couple O made just for myself, a couple more I made for my sister…but I will reveal those at another time. (birthday presents), several more are now in my shop!

It was quite a learning curb and my eyesight is not as it once was, but I’m rather happy with the end result and I am using what I have!

The illustrations for the children’s book are nearly completed and I will post some photos of the work soon!

The first painting commission work is in progress…and I have to keep that a secret too!!

But I can share with you that my sewing room is nearly finished, I now have a sewing table, just need a couple of shelves to put up and I can start…or finish off a ton of projects I started a couple of years ago! YAY