The beauty of William Morris

William Morris was an Englishman born in 1834 and died in 1896. He was a prolific designer of truly beautiful wall papers and fabrics. This year marks the 150th anniversary of his company, Morris & Co. Morris has such a distinctive style. Here are some of his fabulous designs:

Morris had a lifestyle of working hard in the mornings and relaxing and enjoying food and friends in the afternoons. An interesting fact about him is his use of the word Kelmscott. One of his beloved homes was in the region of Kelmscott, and was called Kelmscott Manor. He then went on to call his next home Kelmscott House and he started a printing press and called it Kelmscott Press. I really like how the word Kelmscott, became a word that he associated with everything he did.

Morris was also a prolific writer. He is famous for this wonderful quote: Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

pretty china

I went for a walk through the Queen's Park markets this morning and found this pretty cup, saucer and plate for $10. Of course I couldn't resist it for that price! I will put it in my townhouse for guests to use.

Growing coriander

Coriander is such a delicious herb isn't it? I love to use it in Thai recipes, in salads and sprinkled on top of a curry.

When I first tried to grow coriander, I bought a pot from the markets and planted it in my vegetable garden, but found that it always bolted straight to seed. So I did a bit of reading and discovered that coriander hates to be transplanted due to its tap root.

The best way to grow coriander is from seed. I just sprinkle a hand full of seeds in a sunny spot in my veggie garden and ensure I water it. Before long I have a lush patch of coriander, especially in the warmer months.

Coriander grows a bit slowly here in Toowoomba through the winter, so... roll on summer, and lots of summery Thai recipes that use coriander!

I love herbs!

I love herbs and have just spent several days of my holidays pottering around in the garden and enjoying picking them and cooking with them.

I decided that I would have a go at growing some lush little pots of herbs and maybe sell them at the markets. I also love signs for the garden and have had a go at making some labels to poke into the pots. I will show you my signs in the next blog.

Picking and working with herbs, is so uplifting and refreshing, and they are so  and good for our health. They just add so much interest to our cooking. It really is lovely to be able to pick your own herbs and not have to buy them from the supermarket.