Marmalade days

We have had a lot of rain. It is wonderful for the garden at this time of year; our fig tree will love it. Last year we had lots of spring rain and the tree had it's best year since we have been here - I made fig jam with some of the fruit. In fact there are still a couple of jars in the fridge. I used a bit much sugar so it is a bit honeyish, but very tasty nevertheless and I am sure that if we are hit by famine it will be welcome! 

I made marmalade again today. My favourite recipe is one from Taste.com. I wonder if people in the future will bother with buying cookery books. There are so many fab recipes to try on the net. I have tried about three different marmalade recipes over the last couple of years, all off the net, and have found the perfect one. I adore marmalade and prefer to mix my citrus these days. Today I used three ruby grapefruit, two oranges (navels) and a lemon. The resultant jam is delicious and set to perfection, if I don't mind saying so myself. If you could eat sunshine I think it would smell and taste like marmalade. Actually I baked bread this week too, so am feel very domesticated. Does that make me a domestic goddess? Hmmm.

The days are suddenly much longer and the daphne is blooming and hanging out the washing (an activity I enjoy - outdoors, silent, clean) is a fragrant experience. I know the houses along the street that also have daphne bushes because I can smell them as I walk along. There must be some reason that daphne is so popular here in Canberra, I had never noticed them before moving here. Colleagues arriving at work with little bunches of daphne is one of the heralds of spring. I notice that the first lot of magpie younguns are already fledged and sitting under the trees in the morning waiting for their parents to return with breakfast. More heralds of spring.