Practically perfect pudding

Just wanted to stop by to wish of of you a very lovely Christmas and to share with you my "Practically perfect in every way" vegan pudding recipe (my mum came up with the name haha) because it is perfect.

Anyway, I kinda celebrated Christmas two days early with my family because they were all going away, and so today is being spent very quietly, sleeping in and reading ( I was given the book of Marilyn Monroe's writings Fragments by my friend - Thank you again Steph! - and it is my favourite gift of all. Can't stop reading it).

So here is the recipe - it was adapted from an old and ancient (well 60s/70s?) recipe by Margaret Fulton.

It sounds like a lot of work but it's actually surprisingly easy! 

Practically Perfect In Every Way Vegan Christmas Pudding

(makes a large pudding you can halve or quarter recipe if you want a small pudding like mine)

Ingredients:

810g worth of sultanas, raisins, currants mixed together

3 tbsp rum or brandy

250g vegan margarine (Earth Balance, Nuttelex)

250g brown sugar

grated rind of 1 orange & 1 lemon

4 eggs worth of egg replacer mix (Organ egg replacer or Ener-G egg replacer)

1 cup sifted plain flour

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

1 cup almond or nut meal (or you can use another cup of breadcrumbs)

1/2 tsp each of salt, mixed spice, nutmeg, ground ginger, cinnamon and bicarbonate soda
extra rum or brandy

Method:

1. The day before place dried fruit in bowl, sprinkle with rum/brandy and leave overnight
2. The next day cream margarine (using mixer) fruit rinds and sugar until light and fluffy
3. Mix together 4 eggs worth of egg replacer powder with water and add to the sugar mix a little at a time.
4. Mix all dry ingredients together in another bowl
5. Stir the fruit and dry ingredients into the sugar mix alternatively, a little at a time until it is all mixed in.
6. Put mix into a large 6 cup pudding basin that has a circle of greaseproof paper covering the very base of the bowl. Cover with another round of greaseproof paper (on top of pudding basin).
7. Then cover the top of the basin in a double layer of tin foil or a pudding cloth and tie it firmly around the rim of the basin with string.
8. Steam the pudding in a saucepan of boiling water (with water reaching halfway up the basin) covered with a lid for 6 hours. Add more boiling water as necessary.

Serve hot or reheat the pudding on the day by re boiling it until hot or placing it on a plate and warming in the microwave.

Served with vanilla soy ice cream.

 Merry Christmas

Blue Jeans

I'm house and dog sitting at the moment, in the lovely (uber hipster *rolling eyes*) suburb of Brunswick. This is a big deal for me because a) I usually live in the outer suburbs about an hours journey from the inner city and b) I am not used to living alone and having total responsibility for my life! 

And so far I'd have to say, having soul responsibility for myself is pretty sweet. I think I am a very introverted person anyway, so it's nice to have my own space for a little while.

In other news I bought a pair of high waisted 70s jeans on etsy which came in the mail last week. I have been wearing them almost everyday. Today I managed to get a snap of them on in the changing rooms with my Runaways t-shirt.

I think I really like wearing them so much because they make me feel super hot and alternative amongst all the hipsters and their skinny jeans ("I mean seriously, that is like, so last year") haha I know. Mean!....And because I like to pretend I'm Joan Jett haha

Anyway, going to the supermarket for food has also made me realise how true this song is:

Apologies for this erratic post!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Sunday 60s Juke-box

Thankyou for all the lovely birthday wishes!

Just a few favourite hits for this Sunday evening.

Happy Sunday!

White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

As Tears Go By - Marianne Faithfull

You Can't Always Get What You Want - Rolling Stones

Williamstown Vintage Fair

Yesterday I went out with my mum to visit the bi-annual Williamstown vintage fair The Way We Wear. I'd been there once before a few years ago and just remember being blown away by the array and quality of (sadly uber expensive) but dazzling vintage clothing. There were dealers selling stuff ranging from I'd guess Edwardian/1920s through to 1980s and lots and lots of 50s and 60s frocks in between. I took a few snaps while I was there (though I'm not the greatest photographer) to remember the occasion:

My personal favourite is this pink flamingo brooch.

I bought a little knitted sailor hat at the fair, with a pom pom on top.

Hope you had a lovely weekend too.

Sunday inspiration

Today the winter sunshine is making me happy.

I love you by the wild one featuring chain bracelets

1. I am in love with the jeans and sneakers look at the moment.

2. Red, the greatest colour in the world in my opinion.

3. Grace Coddington on the cover of Vogue 1962. Ever since I saw The September issue I have loved this woman because she seems very down to earth dispite working for US Vogue, not not snobbish or model-like at all.

4. No-pants Ringo. How I wish I was these ladies.

Happy Sunday!

images: 1, 2, 3

Tomboy - Tomgirl

Todays outfit is first and formost warm and comfy!

As you've probably guessed I am very fond of these red jeans and I've only had these shoes for about two weeks but I've found I can wear them with almost anything - so I have been! haha I love them. They are like a cross between King Louis & pirate shoes!! Which is why they are girly but tomboy at the same time - sorry I know my outfit analogys are very strange!!

Outfit: jeans & shoes thrifted, cardi is "fake" vintage, scarf and were socks gifts

And cos The Clash rock jeans to max & would have to be one of my fav tomboy style & music icons here's a song for your Sunday night....

Peaceful dreaming

Today was such a beautiful day in Melbourne and I was lucky enough to spend it in the company of friends. We went to the beach and looked out at the water sparkling up from the cliffs and ate hot chips in the sun. And then we went back home and played games all afternoon haha, such big kids! We dressed up and played ware-wolves and villagers, out of control (this funny board game), four square which I haven't played for at least ten years! and spud and we ate soup out of one big pot. It was the best.

Hope you had a lovely Saturday too

images from here & here

Back to the city...

Hey there, I'm back from my hibernation weekend away at the "alternative living festival" Confest in southern NSW. I felt very alive and refreshed when I got home. Confest is basically a big hippie festival where people have the freedom to express themselves in whatever way they like ie. wear strange out there clothing, go naked, openly express their sexuality, practice alternative medicine/healing etc.
At first when I arrived I felt a bit over whelmed because I'd never experienced such an open, alternative atmosphere - being from the city I thought "Oh my gosh I do not fit in here" - I actually felt like I stood out because I looked too straight edged or something - not that people were judgemental though. But then the next day I just said to myself "ok I'm gonna try and enjoy myself and be open minded" and then I started to really enjoy and appreciate the atmosphere.

I got to do and see some awesome things while I was there like:

• I tried chanting meditation and outdoor yoga
• went to sleep to the sound of drums 
• had a naked spa and shower out in the open with other people
• went in a big grey mud puddle
• painted my body
• saw people doing naked yoga!
• and opened my mind to new ways of being

just to name a few. I also saw a funnel web spider right outside where I was camped, but surprisingly I wasn't scared - I thought it must have been far more scared of all the noise than I was of it.

Anyway, I feel a bit sad to be back in the city rat-race again - I was really starting to embrace my inner hippy haha plus that kind of inner and outer freedom is really hard to find. In the city people are rude and grumpy and self centered and judge mental. Oh well I guess the city does have it's benefits and it's luxuries too eh.

Bring it on city! I can take you!
x L

Going away to be free

Hey there, so the Bob concert was great, Bob is quite a dancer!  Wearing my new Bob Dylan t-shirt today - represent haha.

Anyway this is just a quick post to say I'm going away for a few days to a festival so I won't be able to post, but in the meantime you should definately check out these amazing photographs from Life Magazine of High School fashion 1969 via Miss Moss. Seriously they are blowing my mind (thanks to Char for the link) look at her hair!

Hope you have a lovely Easter weekend.

Autumn skirts and Victorian ruffles

Afraid I don't have alot to say today other than that my essay is almost finished hooray!

Today was nice and cool, so the time was ripe to whip out my Victorian boots. I was trying to do 70s but when I tried on this blouse the puff sleaves turned out to be larger than expected, but I can't say I minded I also really like Victorian styling. 

Hope your Sunday was delightful.

Outfit: ruffled blouse gift, 70s skirt vintage, boots vintage

Think kind thoughts...

 

 Images: via here and here

peace x

My weekend

I made it back from duck rescue. Thanks to all of you for your support and well wishes regarding this issue :) It was quite an experience - very surreal. This kind of contrast between the serene beauty of the wetlands at dawn and these terrible gut shots echoing all around you. It was also nice being around so many like minded people.

Unfortunately there was an accident on Saturday and one of our duck rescuers was shot in the face. Very shocking and scary - and it was all over the news. Luckily she was ok as the shot guns only scatter small pellets- just in shock as you can imagine. The media seems to have taken our side in this incident so hopefully this will increase the chances of having duck shooting banned. I also (like many people) got fined on Saturday (boo boo boo!) because what we were doing was illegal. And I nearly got fined again on Sunday except I ran like hell through the water and mud to get away from the officers!!

Anyway we managed to save some ducks but sadly alot of the injured ducks we did rescue died of shock soon afterwards. Also, because of heavy rainfall there were alot of baby ducks around and this meant that baby ducks were killed. Our rescuers collected their tiny bodies as evidence. Even if they weren't killed by bullets they will die of starvation if their mother's get shot.

Sorry to end on such a sour note. I promise future posts will be nice and positive!

x L

Duck weekend

This weekend is the start of duck shooting season in Victoria and I am off to duck rescue! It will be my first time there. It basically involves the duck rescuers wading into the wetlands with wistles and bright coloured jackets and trying to scare the ducks away before they can be shot at and rescuaing injured ducks. I think it is going to be intense.

In the meantime, I hope you have a great weekend!

x L

image

From the highlands to the lowlands

Today I went op shopping at some places I'd never been to before and came home with a few new items. One of them (my favourite) was a below the knee length tartan skirt. To me it is gorgeous - it is a small tartan with narrow pleats and two very nice buckles on the left hip. On Monday I also stumbled upon a beautiful little red, pleated 60s-like tartan mini that fit perfectly. So this week has turned out to be very tartan indeed.

Here is a little collection of favourite tartan moments that will inspire my own tartan outfits...

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Winter is looking up.

x L

Sunshine. Blues.

Today it is raining like a proper winter day in Melbourne and I am feeling a tad under the weather; two good excuses to stay indoors and blog. In winter I like rain and cold, I even harbour secret desires to move to London and spend my days traversing the concrete in black victorian boots, woolen over coats and tartan scarves. But as it happens it is supposed to be summer here at the moment and I was rather enjoying the unusually mild, sunny sping days we've been having.

Brisbane, aside from the weather, remainds me alot of London for some reason. I think it is the wide river, and the open scale view you get of the city from the water.

Here are a few holiday snaps from my Brisbane holiday, at the Southbank galleries...

This is the shift dress I mentioned in the previous post.

Inside GOMA.

Rivane Neuenschwander’s interactive installation, I wish your wish at GOMA.

 (Thankyou to Char for taking these nice outfit pics!)

I also made a new friend while I was there...

Hope you have a nice Sunday.