Quilt de Camisas :: Shirts Quilt

De todos os quilts que a minha mãe já fez, este é o meu preferido até à data. Foi feito com camisas de quatro homens da família e sei a quem pertenceu cada bocado de tecido. Como os algodões das camisas são sempre óptimos, e visto que as camisas foram lavadas tantas vezes, o quilt é ultra suave e confortável. E porque a minha mãe ficou impressionada com o frio inglês, usou um enchimento 100% lã (Hobbs Heirloom Wool, comprado na dotQuilts em Lisboa). O quilt foi feito para o Tiago (eu também tive direito a um, que mostrarei assim que lhe coser o binding), mas acho que quem o vai usar sou eu...

Of all the quilts my mother has sewn so far, this one is my favourite. It's made with shirts that used to belong to four men of our family and I know exactly who owned which bit of fabric. Since shirting cotton tends to be of high quality and because the shirts were washed so many times the quilt is extremely soft and cosy. And due to the rigours of English winters, my mother used 100% wool batting (Hobbs Heirloom Wool, bought at dotQuilts in Lisbon). The quilt was made for Tiago (I also got one, which I'll show you as soon as I finish binding it) but I think I'm the one who's going to use it...

(images: Constança Cabral)

Reutilizar :: Reusing

Melhor ainda do que pô-los no ecoponto é reutilizar os despojos do dia-a-dia. No caso destes rebentos de verbena bonariensis, rolos de papel higiénico fazem óptimos vasos (ainda por cima são biodegradáveis, o que significa que podem ser plantados directamente na terra sem perturbar as raízes), e, em vez de tabuleiros, por que não usar aquelas irritantes caixas de plástico que vêm com a maior parte dos legumes comprados no supermercado? E, quando se acabam os rolos, papel pardo enrolado faz o mesmo efeito.

Even better than going to the recycling centre is reusing your everyday waste. As far as these verbena bonariensis seedlings are concerned, instead of pots you can use loo rolls (which are biodegradable, meaning that you can plant them directly in the soil avoiding root disturbance) and those annoying plastic boxes that come along with the vegetables you buy at the supermarket make brilliant trays. And if  you run out of loo rools, just use brown paper for a similar effect.

(images: Constança Cabral)

Tarde de Domingo :: Sunday Afternoon

Hoje passei uma óptima tarde no jardim, a lixar móveis, semear flores e coser o debrum no quilt (feito com camisas) que a minha mãe trouxe para o Tiago. Viva o Verão inglês!

Today I spent a lovely afternoon in the garden sanding furniture, sowing seeds and hand-sewing the binding on Tiago's new quilt (made by my mother using old shirts). Hurrah for English summer!

(images: Constança Cabral)

Flores da Semana :: This Week's Flowers

(images: Constança Cabral)

Baking Day

Tarte de maçã, bolo de limão, pão... e o fim-de-semana à porta!

Apple pie, lemon cake, a loaf of bread... and the weekend is nearly here!

Classic Apple Pie (Martha Stewart)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1 recipe Pâte Brisée

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon heavy cream

3 pounds assorted apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one disc of dough into a 13-inch round about 1/8 inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out remaining disc in the same manner. Place in refrigerator until firm.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and heavy cream; set aside. In a large bowl, toss the apples with the lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Remove pie shell from freezer, and fill with apple mixture. Dot with butter.

Lightly brush edge of pie with a wet pastry brush. Place dough round on top of pie. Trim edges flush with rim; press to seal. Crimp edges as desired. Make four 1/2-inch slits in center of pie. Brush top with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Place pie plate on a baking sheet, and bake until crust just begins to brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 35 to 45 minutes. If the crust begins to get too dark, drape a piece of aluminum foil over the top. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Lemon-Syrup Loaf Cake (Nigella Lawson)

Cake:
125g unsalted butter
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
175g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons milk

Syrup:  
Juice of 1/5 lemons (about 4 tablespoons)
100g of icing sugar

23 x 13 x 7 cm loaf tin, buttered and lined, preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add eggs and lemon zest, beat in well.

Add the sieved flour and salt, folding in gently but thoroughly.

Add the milk, mix in.

Spoon into loaf tin and put cake in oven for 45 mins, or until golden and a cake tester comes out clean.

While it's cooking, dissolve the sugar in the lemon juice, over a low heat

As soon as you take the cake out, puncture holes all over the top and pour the syrup on to let it soak in. Make sure there are lots of holes in the top so it doesn't all go down the sides.

Wait until it's completely cold to take it out of the tin.

(images: Constança Cabral)

Retro Flowers Beach Bag

Fiz um novo saco de praia, desta vez com um tecido que comprei na Dinamarca e que parece dos anos 60. Usei este modelo de saco na nossa recente viagem a França e posso assegurar-vos de que é ideal não só para a praia, como para ir a mercados, passear na cidade ou passar um dia no campo. Está disponível na loja (e por falar em loja, estive a actualizar a conversão dos preços).

I've made a new beach bag, this time with a piece of retro fabric I bought in Denmark last year. I carried a bag like this in our recent trip to France and I can assure you that it is not only great as a beach bag, it's also perfect for visiting markets, strolling in the city centre or spending a day in the country. The bag is available in the shop (and since I mention the shop, I've just updated the currency rates).

Entretanto os nossos novos vizinhos (vitelos com 14-18 meses) acharam graça à sessão fotográfica e vieram espreitar...

Whilst we were photographing the bag, our new neighbours (14-18 months old calves) were intrigued and came to see what was going on...

(images: 1, 2- Tiago Cabral; 3- Constança Cabral)

Flea Market Finds

No sábado fomos à melhor feira de velharias até agora. Para mim, uma boa feira é aquela que consegue conjugar diversidade em termos de oferta com preços decentes (= baixos). Vimos o Bargain Hunt a ser filmado e encontrei coisas que procurava há uns meses: um regador antigo de zinco (exactamente como eu queria), umas tinas também de zinco (que vou usar para plantar flores e legumes), uma mesa de cabeceira para o Tiago (por £5!!) e um toucador (será o termo certo?) para o quarto de hóspedes (por £10!!). A lista de móveis para pintar de branco não acaba...

On Saturday we went to the best antiques fair so far. I find that the best fairs are the ones that combine a vast array of things for sale with decent (= cheap) prices. We saw Bargain Hunt being filmed and I found some items I've been searching for months: an old galvanised watering can (exactly like I'd pictured it), a couple of old tin tubs (which I'm going to use to plant flowers and vegetables), a bedside table for Tiago (for £5!!) and a dressing table for the guest bedroom (for €10!!). Our list of furniture awaiting to be painted white is endless...

(images: Constança Cabral)

Flores da Semana :: This Week's Flowers

(images: Constança Cabral)

English Country Life :: Summer Evenings

Jantar cá fora e aproveitar a luz do fim da tarde para escrever cartas, ver a vista, apanhar flores... quem me dera que fosse Verão o ano inteiro.

Eating supper outside and making the best of the evening light to write letters, enjoy the view, pick some flowers... I wish it was summer all year round.

(images: Constança Cabral)

Guest Blog @ Indie Fixx

Hoje há um post no Indie Fixx sobre a minha mais recente obsessão: arranjos florais. Podem ler o que escrevi aqui.

Today there's a post on Indie Fixx about my most recent obsession: cut flowers. You can read it over here.

(images: Constança Cabral)

WIP

Tenho tido saudades de escrever sobre a decoração da nossa casa. A verdade é que, para além de o orçamento ser bastante limitado, ando à procura das peças ideais para cada sítio. E isso leva tempo... daí a falta de posts sobre o assunto.

I miss blogging about decorating our home. Truth is we're on a tight budger and I'm looking for the ideal pieces for each corner, which naturally takes time... hence the lack of posts on the subject.

A entrada de uma casa não costuma merecer muita atenção, apesar de ser uma divisão essencial ao bom funcionamento do dia-a-dia. Uma mesa dá sempre jeito (encontrei a nossa num canto do jardim e limitei-me a tapá-la com um lençol antigo de linho), luz é essencial (substituimos o candeeiro do tecto por um comprado no Habitat; o que está na mesa veio connosco de Lisboa), assim como um sítio para deixar os casacos e carteiras (continuo à procura do tal banco).

The hallway tends to be an underrated room although it plays a vital function in everyday life. A table comes in handy (ours was found in the back of the garden and I simply covered it with an antique linen sheet), light is an essential item (we've replaced the existing lamp with one we bought at Habitat; the lamp on the table came with us from Lisbon), as well as a place where to drop your coat and bag (I'm still looking for that bench).

A primeira coisa que cosi cá para casa foi um cortinado para a porta, algo impensável em Lisboa, mas absolutamente essencial nesta casa gelada. O tecido foi comprado em saldos mas não havia suficiente... com a ajuda da minha mãe (que estava cá de visita), fiz um acrescento num tecido complementar que tenciono usar para a janela. E talvez um dia pintemos as paredes de branco (espero que sim!).

The first thing I sewed for our new home was a curtain for the front door, something I would have never done in Lisbon but which proved to be an absolute necessity in this freezing house. I bought the fabric on sale but it wasn't enough... so with my mother's help (who happened to be visiting us) I added a contrasting fabric on the bottom. I'm going to use that fabric to make a blind for the window. And I hope to paint the walls white someday soon!

(images: Constança Cabral)

Flores da Semana :: This Week's Flowers

São todas do jardim à excepção dos malmequeres, que foram apanhados à beira da estrada. Gosto mais dumas do que doutras mas, ao contrário dos verdadeiros jardineiros que não apanham flores para não estragar o jardim, eu não as consigo deixar morrer lá fora. Estes são os arranjos que fui fazendo ao longo da semana.

They all come from the garden except for the daisies, which were picked at the side of a road. I prefer some to others but, unlike proper gardeners who can't bear to cut flowers for fear of spoiling the garden, I just can't let them die outside. These are the arrangements I made this week.

(images: Constança Cabral)

English Country Living :: June Roses

As roseiras estão finalmente em flor! Temos tido surpresas diárias em termos de cores: no Inverno foi-nos dito que as rosas seriam todas brancas e afinal são amarelas, cor-de-rosa, encarnadas... Tenho pena que não sejam mais gordas (as que vi em França eram bem mais carnudas... seriam rosas antigas?) mas claro que não me posso queixar de barriga cheia! (PS. aquilo por cima da minha cabeça é um ninho de andorinha... há um em cada janela!)

The climbing roses are finally in flower! We've been surprised by their colours: last winter we were told they'd all be white but turns out that they're yellow, pink, red... I'm a bit disappointed in terms of  shapes... I was hoping for fatter buds (the ones I saw in France were a lot plumper... I wonder if they were old garden roses?) but of course I can't complain! (PS. that thing above my head is a swallow's nest... there's one on every window!)

(images: Tiago Cabral)

Cor-de-Rosa :: Pink

(image: Constança Cabral)

Les Potagers des Châteaux

Nunca tinha visto hortas tão extraordinárias como as dos castelos do Loire (há que dizer que nunca tinha visto um potager francês antes desta viagem...). Para além de legumes (plantados em função das suas cores e formas), estão cheias de flores e de ervas aromáticas. São fora de série.

I had never seen such extraordinary kitchen gardens as the ones I found in the castles of the Loire (I must say I had never seen a French potager prior to this trip). In addition to vegetables (planted according to their shapes and colours), they're filled with flowers and herbs. They are amazing.

(images: Tiago Cabral)