Orange door

We've finally chosen a shade of orange to paint our back door.

Orange door

It's Dulux Bright Delight. I picked up a sample pot the other day and I'm confident that this is the colour.

Dulux Bright Delight orange

The door will need a couple of coats of this colour in an exterior gloss.

Orange is either a "love it or leave it" colour. We clearly love it  - a cheeky burst of colour on the mainly white exterior.


But we are just keeping it to the one door at this stage.

Fun painting vs dull painting

I get all the fun painting jobs in the Sow's Ear.

Like spray painting the boys' letters which hang in their room. Quick, easy and fun.

R is for Son #3 who likes blue

 We were also given two old clip-on bedside lamps from a friend whose children have outgrown them. Love the primary colours. The lamps will look better against the walls when we repaint the room white.

F is for Son #2 who likes "gween"

 And poor Jason gets all the dull painting jobs.

Like painting the newly constructed bookshelves in the study this evening.

And the rest!

Jason has a new painting t-shirt - aka the tent.

The back of the linen cupboard

The things you find when you are cleaning up the linen cupboard...

I had an organising bug and de-cluttered the linen cupboard and some of our wardrobes.

Linen cupboard

And I found this old embroidered lace bedspread I bought on sale from David Jones about 16 years ago. I know. It's so girly and fussy - not something that would be normally associated with this blog!

white on white embroidered bedspread

I've used it about twice in the time that I've owned it and had quite forgotten about it. Yesterday it had an outing.

I left the drab Italian military blanket on the bed and placed the white on white embroidered bedspread on top, tucking in the sides. I really like the look of it in our room. (I didn't ask what Jason thought).

Maybe I'm turning shabby chic?

Maybe the reason the bedspread is never used is because I should iron it...ha!

Weekend warrior injuries

No need to worry. Jason hasn't had an accident or anything this weekend.

The title is inspired by an article in today's Sunday Mail about "hapless do-it-yourself buffs ending up in hospital" while doing repairs or renovating.

Research indicates that the majority of DIY hospital admissions is from ladder falls. That's a whopping 48 per cent of DIYers toppling down every weekend.

This is quite topical for us as Jason is up a ladder every weekend painting the exterior of the Sow's Ear. He hasn't fallen yet...touch wood.

You can read the article here if you are interested.

We have had our share of injuries while working on the Sow's Ear. The worst of it was a visit to emergency with Mr Rooney, our unlucky builder, who sustained an injury to his eye earlier this year. You can read about it here.

Jason's only suffered a few minor bumps and bruises - often self-inflicted.

When he was working on the bookshelf a few weekends ago, he drilled through his hand with his brand spanking new cordless drill. Fortunately, he didn't dig in too deeply and it has healed very well.

It's the hammering the finger routine which Jason has finely tuned. The blackened finger nail testament to his fubars - OPI must do a nail polish colour for those after that Builder's Chic.

Jason's black finger nail

The article was a reminder that we can be too casual about our safety while working around the house. Healthy precautions aren't ever wasted .

Retro pineapple food

Our friends Chris and Susan invited us to a pineapple dinner party a little while ago. We were asked to prepare a dish, however it had to be a recipe from a vintage Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book. (The Golden Circle Cannery is like an institution in sub-tropical Brisbane)

We were all given our own personal copy of the book prior to the dinner party.

Vintage Golden Circle Tropical Recipe Book

The 'pineappley' menu for the evening was an interesting assortment of retrolicious food. And yes, every dish we consumed contained pineapple.

Pineapple dinner party menu

I had the honour of preparing the sweet potato casserole. It was layer upon layer of boiled (but I roasted instead) sweet potato and pineapple topped with fatty pork chops. It was actually kind of good in a heart attack inducing way.

As everyone said on the night, all the food was wholesome - the type of meal your elderly aunty from Queensland would make if you were invited over for tea. The key to success was to use the pineapple in syrup to get that extra sweet taste that some savoury food had back in the old days. Hmmm..syrup....as my fillings quiver in anticipation...

Pineapple in syrup

My favourite meal of the evening was the Pineapple and Lamb Curry that another guest made. She steamed some rice rather than serve it with the suggested egg noodle. I've made a chicken version of it which worked quite well too.

Pineapple and lamb curry recipe

Here is the Pineapple and Lamb Curry recipe:

Ingredients:
15oz can of Pineapple Pieces (in syrup)
2oz butter
2 medium onions sliced
1/2 red capsicum
1/2 green capsicum
1lb lamb, cubed
1 desert spoon curry powder
1 tbsp sultanas
1desert spoon rice flour/corn flour
1 tbsp chutney
1 tbsp coconut
1/2 cup syrup reserved from can
1/2 cup stock or water
salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:
Melt butter,add onions and capsicums (cut in small wedges) and half cup pineapple pieces and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Brown meat in butter, add curry powder, sultanas, rice flour, coconut and chutney. Gradually add pineapple syrup and stock. Season to taste. Return vegetables and pineapple, cover pan and cook slowly for 1 to 2 hours, until meat is tender. Add lemon juice just before serving. Serve with fluffy boiled rice or noodles.

I warn you, this food is not gourmet...it's vintage comfort food at its tropical best.

As an aside, I had the pineapple cook book lying on the kitchen bench while Mr Rooney, our cordon bleu builder, was over having a coffee. He was taking a keen interest, flicking through the book for inspiration.

He emailed me recently to get the recipe for the savoury pineapple sauce for roast pork. Mr Rooney was having guests for dinner and he was cooking. He's a classic.

Also, if you'd like the recipe for the chocolate coconut slice from my previous post, just click here. It is a winner. Thanks again Natasha!