A sense of occasion...

It's not even March and already the stores are winding up for St Patrick's Day. And Easter. And Passover. I saw these beauties in Ralph's today. Mmm mmm. See the creamy ones? They're not even stacked in the fridge. They're all on a table by the Guinness display.
I was hoping there'd be St Pat's Day M&Ms to show you, but no such luck. The Valentine's Day pink and white ones have been replaced with Easter ones, some of which are speckled and egg-shaped. You can always tell what you're supposed to be celebrating by the nature of the M&Ms in the supermarket - or at least by their packaging.

:: While we're thinking of green icing, or, more accurately, green blobs on synthetic cream icing, I want to share with you a recipe I heard recently for a summery dip for strawberries: equal parts of strawberry cream cheese and marshmallow cream. Yep. I had never heard of - or even imagined - either of those ingredients. The second, it was explained to me, is 'like liquified marshmallows'. Bear in mind that the strawberries in this part of the world are sensational - as big as ox hearts and SO delicious and flavoursome. And sweet. All they need is a bowl of REAL cream.

:: Okay - I have turned the heel on sock number one. Aren't you all excited? And that's the pattern for the cardie I'm aiming to knit next. From a Debbie Bliss book.


:: I have a pot of roo paws by the pool and they never cease to amaze me with their gorgeous colours and velvet stems. I had a banksia, but it died - I don't think banksias take kindly to being out of Australia. The kangaroo paws, on the other hand, just love it.


:: The forecast for Wednesday, when I arrive in Chicago, is now a maximum of 6 degrees Celsius, with falling snow! The minimum forecast is zero, and as I get in at 10pm, that's probably what I'll be dealing with. Brrrr! I shall be packing tomorrow and getting out all my old woollies!