Oooops, I bragged about being on page 3 when in fact, on seeing the paper again, it's page 8, which really kinda looks like 3!!! Anyway I done good, just to get there at all!!!! This is the Ararat newspaper and lady furthest to my left (your right) is Jenny, a dear and wonderful friend who helped me and my family settle into a new neighbourhood more than a decade ago... she lost her father just three short months after I lost mine... the lady closest to myself is Judy (her mum) and the wife to Bill who lost his life to cancer. Judy wanted to raise $5,000 in Bill's honour and I am proud to have been asked to help and proud to say she more than achieved her goal!!!! Not bad considering how hard the country has been hit by draught etc.
The money will go to The Cancer Council for research/and or whatever their needs may be. A plaque will be put up in Bills memory... Both my parents suffered from cancer and I was also doing this very much for them both...
I do so love fresh produce, free range eggs and lovely homemade goods... I really appreciated all my gifts... oh and did I mention I was taken to a lovely lunch in a sweet cafe in Ararat too!! I cannot tell you the number of people that thanked me for my cupcake efforts too, I felt very appreciated and cared for...
Judy held a fashion parade for over 100 people, a morning tea for more than 30 (I went up twice over the last month to help with the food for both), a relay and a garage sale... she worked so hard to show her love and respect of her husband of over 50 years... I met Bill on many occasions and he was a good, honest man... they both were very avid fundraisers in their community and again it was a pleasure to give back to them both...
Thank you to all of you who take the time to share my experiences...
My living room is perfumed with the sweet fragrance of quince... time for sweet dreams and rest... Vida x
6 comments:
Great job Vida. Well done on all that great fundraising work.
What do quinces actually taste like? I don't think I've seen them fresh before. I've tried quince jam but that must have lots of sugar added to it?
Thanh, fresh quince was something I never induldged in. I know in Chile they eat them with a little salt would you believe. They are VERY hard, crunchy and really quite chalky as well as gritty. We always poached them. I had never known it as jam or paste. Paste is the way I love it most. Paste is the most popular way to eat them. They are cut and cooked to a mush with water and sugar then spread in a layer on an oven tray and dried out in a slow oven over night or at least for many hours. I must endeavour to get some of these beauties to you in their fresh states so you can smell them. Their trees are quite stunning in their shape and the way the age so gracefully. They get a liken on them that is stunning. Lesson over! Vida x x x
Oh, oven roasted and superb. Depending on the variety they will turn pink to a deep crimson on cooking. I love them roasted with their skin on, with honey and cinnamon ala Maggie Beer. She bought them back into fashion single handledly! Quince are a huge part of my childhood memories, their fragrance evokes a lot of emotion for me. The truly sybolize the very essence of my mother, sweet and perfumed, mysterious, unique and beautiful... I could go on for ever... Vida x
Last comment I promise, their colour, it just symbolizes sunshine and warmth... Vida x
Well done on the great work, Vida. I was a bit surprised when you mentioned you were on page 3. The first thing I think of when I hear page 3 is this
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Page_Three_girl
I've been trying SO hard to get fresh quinces over here. Am wanting to make quince jelly :-(
Anthony, that was a terrible mistake to make but as I said 3 and 8 look so much alike!!! If you were here I would happily share my bounty and we could share the outcome!! I will add jelly to my list of what to do with my quince and if you EVER venture back down-under we can talk!!! I did struggle in London and Bournemouth to get what I needed when I was there so I know what you mean! Vida x
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