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That’s all

Something in my Flickr email box today.

Dear Naive Zebra,

My name is S!@£$$%%%% and I am the photo editor at a book publisher named Timber Press. The company is based in Portland, OR and specializes in publishing books for the home gardener. I have been collecting photos for an upcoming book on backyard berry growing.

Since the book is meant for the home gardener I have been searching on flickr for beautiful photographs of peoples gardens. I came across your stream and you have some very lovely images in your collection. I am very interested in the image of the black currant bushes taken in 2010 or similar images. I would be very interested in talking with you to see if you would be open to providing some of your photos for the book.

I do know that his email will most likely come out of the blue, but I wasn’t sure of another way to contact you. I do hope you might have a moment to talk over email and I can give you more information about the project and how we would potentially use your photos.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Thank you so much for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
S!@£$$%%%%
_________________________

SS!@£$$%%%%, Photo Editor

Timber Press
Portland, OR 97212

Always nice to get nice emails

G’day all , ’tis me.

Trying a new way to blog , from the iPad.

To explain a little about recent events, people have asked me “who is Jonno ?” .

Well firstly he is known as Jonno or the ginger ninja, not Jon or Jonathan ( the name his parents spent hours deliberating over).

In the world of Zeebaa chums he’s a fairly new addition , but that does not dilute his importance.

So those regular readers , know me, ish.

So I am opening the floor to questions to Jonno.

This in order that you get a blog piccie of Ninja.

Please feel free to send questions to Jonno via the blog , the more the merrier and make them interesting.

Well it’s been too long , I have been hermitted away from the world for various reasons .

However my chums have been enquiring re photos etc etc.

So with the help of my lovely chum Jonno , I have come to a work around.

Created a photo gallery page , I’ll hyperlink it when I get the time , here you will find the latest updates of photographic stuff n shixxle.

Chilli sauce, makes 1 1/2 cups

1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup water
1 Tbs fish sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
2 garlic cloves
8 candlenuts
3cm piece of galangal
6 birds-eye chillies

1 To make the chilli sauce; put the sugar, water and fish sauce into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.

2 Add the rest of the ingredients, pour into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a jar and refrigerate. This chilli sauce can be refrigerated for up to three months.

It’s not a mega hot sauce

Note: Use fir needles from the Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) or Norway Spruce (Picea abies.)

For the echinacea-infused rum:
15g fresh echinacea root (or 10g if using dried)
100ml white rum

For the hot toddy:
120ml fir needles
1 star anise
3 calamondin oranges or 1 lime, sliced
250ml boiling water
2 tbsp eucalyptus honey
Pinch of black pepper
1 shot (28ml) echinacea-infused rum (see ingredients above)
1 tsp unsalted butter

1. To make the echinacea-infused rum, combine the echinacea root and the rum and leave to steep in a cool, dark place for 2 weeks. Strain out the echinacea and bottle up. The mixture will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

2. To make the hot toddy, strip the needles from the fir branches until you have 120ml.

3. Put the needles in a teapot or bowl with the star anise and sliced calamondin oranges or lime, honey and black pepper. Pour over the freshly boiled water. Cover and leave to steep for 15 minutes.

4. Strain into a pan, and reheat on the stove.

5. Once reheated, add the echinacea-infused rum and butter until melted. Stir, then serve in a large cup.

USE: For adults, drink 1 cup only in the evening or before bedtime.
CAUTION: Contains alcohol. Consideration should be made when driving.
STORAGE: Best made fresh for use at once.

50g fresh rosehips
1 tsp Maldon salt
2 tsp dried ground ginger
1 tsp citric acid
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp glucose

1. Preheat the oven to 80°C (180°F), or its lowest setting.

2. Bash the rosehips in a mortar and pestle to break them up slightly. This will split the fruit – remove the seeds and discard.

3. Add the salt to the split hips and give them another quick bash with the pestle. The goal is just to break them up a little, not turn them into mush.

4. Scatter the rosehips on a baking tray and put in the oven at 80°C (180°F). Immediately turn off the heat and leave in the oven for half an hour or so until they are dried but not burnt.

5. Remove the dried hips from the oven and grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder. Mix with all other ingredients, then store in an airtight container.

USE: Add half of the sherbet to 1 litre of warm water. Stir and drink freely.
STORAGE: Provided it is completely dry, this will keep in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.