The Tingle Factor Box

Roy Creates Gem Scones

This week, Roy decided it was time to share a recipe which had been requested some time ago. Roy and I had been discussing food we remembered from when we were little with some family friends, and I mentioned Gem Scones, hot out of the oven when visitors arrived or on a cold day for afternoon tea after school. These friends loved the sound of gem scones and wanted to try them, and when they tried them, immediately wanted the recipe. So this week, Roy Creates Gem Scones.

Note: gem scones are best made in an old cast iron gem scone mould like the ones in the pictures. You can buy more modern aluminum ones, but the old ones just seem to work better.They are usually readily available for a reasonable cost in second hand or antique shops.

You will need:

• 240 grams of self raising flour
• 60 grams of butter
• 60 grams of sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup of milk
• Vanilla essence to taste

Variation: You can add some sultanas to the mix or drop a dollop of jam into each gem scone before cooking if you like.

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and put the irons into the oven to preheat. They must be hot when you put the batter in.

• Cream the butter and sugar and then beat in the vanilla essence. You can do this by hand with a wooden spoon - no need for electric beaters.

• Beat in the egg

• Stir in the flour and milk, alternating between the two (some flour, some milk, some flour, some milk etc)

• Carefully remove the gem scone irons from the oven and put a small dollop of butter or margarine into each. It should melt and sizzle.

• Fill the irons 2/3rds of the way with the batter and put them in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the gem scones have puffed, golden and smell delicious.
• Serve hot with a bit of butter or cold sprinkled with a little icing sugar
• Enjoy!

What's So Special? Turtle

Imagine you are on a trip to China. You are visiting all sorts of wonderful places, and seeing all kinds of wonderful things. One thing you notice in particular though. There are turtles all over the place – statues, paintings, and the real thing, living in ponds in parks and gardens. Why so many turtles you wonder. There must be something significant about these creatures, and you have to find out what it could be.

When I took these little Chinese carved turtles (one jade, one made of Camel Bone) to show the children, they thought they were very sweet, but wondered what was so significant about them. The children are used to seeing little animal figurines, but turtles usually don’t feature highly. They were surprised when I told them how important and common turtles were in China, and wondered why this was the case. They were amazed to discover that the animal actually was a symbol of something important and special, longevity, and were curious to find out more.

In Western culture, turtles and tortoises are not particularly important. We all recognise them, and of course know the story of the Tortoise and The Hare. We generally think of these animals as slow, patient, easygoing and even wise, but only when we bother to think of them at all. Yet in many cultures, including the Chinese culture, turtles and tortoises are much more significant. In China, the long lifespan of turtles, their slow movement, and sturdy appearing body make them a symbol of longevity and stability. In fact, according to Chinese legend, the creator Goddess, Nu Gua, cut the legs off a sea turtle and used them to prop up the sky after Gong Gong destroyed the mountain which had previously supported it. This legend is based around the idea that a turtles shell resembles the way Chinese people used to think of the world as shaped – a flat Earth with a domed sky.

Tortoises in China hold a similar position of importance, being one of the ‘Four Fabulous Animals’, and thus one of the most important animals in China, ruling the North and representing the water element. The other three animals are from mythology, the dragon, phoenix and unicorn, and as such the tortoise is the only one of the four to definitely exist. However, when the tortoise is represented in art it often has supernatural features, with a hairy tail, dragon ears and flaming tentacles. Being such strong symbols of longevity, turtles and tortoises were traditionally often used in burial rituals, with a carved turtle used as a plinth to support burial tablets for important people in the Sui Dynasty, and some burial mounds even shaped like turtles (grave turtles). This importance to Chinese culture means that turtles and tortoises are commonly depicted, including as carved figures, like the ones I showed the children.

Roaming Roy Goes Gardening - Edogawa/Gosford Japanese Garden

This week, Roy decided that he wanted to enjoy the last of the Autumn weather by visiting a garden. Roy loves gardens, and when he discovered that there was a well known garden in Gosford which he had not visited, decided it was the perfect time to rectify this. Not only was the garden beautiful, but there was a wonderful restaurant where Roy, Roy's Grandmother and I enjoyed lunch. Roy will tell you about the restaurant next week.

If you would like to visit the Edogawa Japanese Gardens in Gosford, they are located on the shore of Caroline Bay in East Gosford. They are at 36 Webb Street, and there is plenty of parking available in Webb Street and George Street. The gardens are a pleasant walk, and there is a lovely restaurant, shop and even the Regional Gallery to see.

The Japanese Gardens in Gosford are called the Gosford/Edogawa Japanese Gardens and were a gift from Gosford's sister city, Edogawa, to the people of Gosford. The gardens were opened in 1994 and since then they have grown and blossomed. There is a Koi pond, tea house, Koi pavilion, raked rock garden and meandering paths winding between the plants and water features. If you are visiting with children though, make sure you supervise them closely as the ponds are not fenced.

The garden is designed in the Shoyu, or wandering style, so that the paths wind gently and comfortably. Edogawa garden is also designed in the Heian period style, a style which dates to 800 ad. It was about this period that the nobility of Japan began to build palaces and lay out gardens in the Kyoto area, and this style of garden is the oldest in Japan. There was, at this time, similarities between the gardens of China and Japan, with Chinese gardens being very influential in the design of Japanese gardens. The purpose of the design was to have lake, plantings, rocks, pavilions and some sort of hut feature visible in one landscape, as opposed to having specific garden 'rooms'. This design principle is very evident at the Edogawa garden, where there are beautiful vistas including buildings, plants, paths and water features.