It is very nearly November, our renovations are steaming ahead and before too long I will be leaving this beautiful city to return home to days filled with 100% humidity.
The beautiful Brisbane river on my 5.30am run.
I certainly haven't wasted my time in Australia, I have jam packed it! But yet, I still feel like there hasn't been enough hours in each day. If only we didn't need to sleep! Feels like such a waste to spend so much time looking at the backs of our eyelids. All those 'happenings' we might miss.
Now I sound like my son. Well, what I suspect he would sound like if he could articulate his thoughts into words. He finds it most offensive to be put down to bed during the day and as soon as he wakes you can see his little mind start ticking over. "What did I miss?", "What can I get stuck into?" as he squirms and fidgets and launches himself into the next few hours of his day ... until Mummy ships him off for the next nap!
How do you find more time? How do you fit everything you want to into a day while at the same time making sure you take the time to smell the roses? I don't have the magic answer (unfortunately) but I did find this interesting article last week over on Forbes.com by way of this beautiful blog that I follow.
Smelling roses,well ... discovering grass!
I couldn't agree more with what Jennifer Cohen had to say! I can also hear my husband groaning from afar...
I don't know that I am a 'super successful' person as the article is titled, success is subjective anyhow, but I have never been one for a sleep in and I do love those early morning hours when the world (or your portion of it anyway) is slowly waking. Calm, peaceful and the space to breathe.
I do my sport in the morning, I love a good list and I am far more productive in the wee hours. I love the line "And look at it this way, your day will get progressively easier, not the other way around" - perfect! And as Sneh comments, it leaves your evenings free for yourself and your family.
So with that in mind, last week I got up at 5am to make and shoot a spring inspired sponge cake out of Donna Hay's current issue and I didn't feel like a crazy lady doing it. The cake was delicious, enjoyed by all and that to me is super success right there.
Spring has sprung - jacarandas in full bloom
So rise and shine lazy bones, there is a day to be had!
Donna Hay's Classic Sponge
A lovely version of a classic sponge, although I have to say that Andrew's Nanna's is far more fabulous. I will need to seek some special permission to share that one on here!
100g plain flour, sifted three times
1/2 tsp baking powder
4 eggs, room temperature
110g caster sugar
75g unsalted butter, melted and cooled completely
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Lightly grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins and line the base with baking paper.
Beat the eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer for 12-15 minutes or until thick, pale and tripled in volume. Place the 3 times sifted flour back into the sieve and sift it over
the egg mixture. Gently fold through. Lastly, fold through the butter.
To ensure your sponge is light and airy, use a metal spoon to fold the flour and butter through the egg mixture with a gentle 'cut, lift and fold' action. Work quickly.
Pour half the mixture into each tin and bake for 15-20 minutes
or until the cakes are springy to touch and come away from the sides of the
tin. Remove immediately from the tins and cool on wire racks.
Fill with whipped cream and jam of your choice, top with fresh fruit and dust with icing sugar just prior to serving.
Yields: 8-10 slices
