Imagine, you are a child living in the 1920s and it is the first day of Advent. This year, your Mother has a special surprise for you. She told you she would give it to you in the morning and you can't wait to see what it is. You hope it will be an Advent Calendar, like the ones you saw in the city recently. Sure enough, when you go down for breakfast with your parents, Mother hands you an Advent Calendar. You search for the first window and carefully pull it open, making sure not to crease the paper.
This week, with the weather so wet and rainy, Roy decided it was a perfect day to look through some of the photos from our recent trip to the Upper Hunter. He loved this area, and can't wait to go back. It was a beautiful place, with lots of history and lots of extraordinary scenery to look at. There were wonderful things to discover in so many places, and one which gave Roy a little surprise was the Dingo Gate.
This week, with December just around the corner, Roy was thinking about Christmas. All the decorations are up in the shops, and people are already starting to make gifts. Roy loves Christmas, but he thinks this might be a little early to begin celebrating - Advent, the Church season of preparation for Christmas, hasn't even started yet. That is the one area of Christmas Roy is willing to think about this early - Advent Calendars. He loves getting up to open the little window and see what is behind it. This year, he wanted to try making a really old fashioned one, so he experimented a bit and came up with his own design which he would like to share with you. So this week, Roy Creates An Old Fashioned Advent Calendar.
Imagine, you are an avid collector of the weird and wonderful in the 19th century. Some of your favourite things to collect are fossils. To be able to see creatures from so long ago in such detail is amazing. You have a new specimen arriving today, and you are so excited to see it. It is a trilobite, and apparently it is an amazing specimen. You can even see it's eye lenses! These fossils are truly amazing things!
This week, Roy decided that with such beautiful weather it was time to take his friends for a bushwalk. His grandmother had many years ago told him about a cemetery near the old Prince Henry Hospital. She once worked at the hospital and remembered walking to the cemetery and looking at the old graves. She also remembered being fascinated by the overgrown Chinese burials and suggested Roy and I should our visit from earlier in the year.
This week, Roy had a big bag of dates in the cupboard, and was wondering what to do with them. Then he remembered that a few weeks ago he made a sultana cake (click here for the recipe), which has been very popular with his friends, and they were interested to see what other recipes were made in a similar way. He has an old recipe for Date Loaf, which he thinks comes from The Great Depression as it contains no eggs. It is made in a similar way to his sultana cake and makes two delicious loaf cakes. So this week, Roy Creates Date Loaf.
Imagine, you are a housewife living in the late 1800s. You have to prepare a splendid meal because your husbands parents will be joining you for dinner, and you know your mother in law thinks you can't look after him well enough. Thank-goodness for Mrs Beeton! Your mother taught you to cook, but Mrs Beeton has given you so many splendid recipes, and you are sure you can find something in her book to impress even your mother in law!
This week, Roy decided it was time to visit another of the beautiful old buildings he loves so much. Roy loves the old houses dotted around Sydney, and is always very happy to discover that one is open for him to visit. One he particularly loves is Brush Farm. This house for a long time looked very rundown and unloved, but recently has been beautifully restored and is now open for visits and also for art exhibitions. In fact, the first time we visited, it was open for a quilt show.
Today, November 11th, is a very important day, Remembrance Day. It is the day when we remember war and those who died fighting for what they believed in. Yet usually when we commemorate Remembrance Day we think only of those who died in the First and Second World Wars. Roy thinks this is a shame though, as there are many other conflicts which Australian's have been involved in which should also be remembered. The recipe Roy decided to cook today commemorates the Boer War. Ladysmith was a town which was under seige during the Boer War, and when the seige was over a cake was created to celebrate. The cake was called Ladysmith Celebration Cake and Roy thought it would be a perfect cake for Remembrance Day. So this week Roy Creates Ladysmith Celebration Cake.
Imagine, you are a young man living in 1914. The Great War has begun and Kitchener has called for men to join the war effort. You have decided to answer his call and are now preparing to go on this great adventure. You have packed all the essentials into your kitbag, as well as a couple of personal items. You have also packed the little sketchbook your sister gave you to take - such a thoughtful gift. You have always loved to sketch and will enjoy making drawings of all the amazing things you see. Little do you realise what lies ahead.
