Frost on the Pumpkin

We awoke to a second morning of cold temperatures and heavy frost. The weather was forecasted to reach 2 degrees C. As we have the current blessing of no television, I do not know the actual morning low temperature.



We scurried into our thick luxurious robes ($39.00 NZD each) and slipped on the thin piece of Chinese-made crap house shoes we bought at a local market ($5.00 NZD for both pair). [You really do get what you pay for.] Mindy took refuge in the bathroom, which I had pre-warmed for her, as I slaved away in the frigid kitchen making eggs and toast.

We took up our morning dining spots in the bathroom – me on the commode and Mindy balanced precariously on a dresser used for bathroom storage. Being the only room in the house that is assured to get warm quickly and stay that way, the bathroom is well used in the morning and in the late evening for all sorts of activities that normally take place elsewhere. I have yet to cook in the bathroom, but have not ruled out the possibility. I have used the misnomer “bathroom” to describe the room with the toilet, sink and shower. The room is, after-all, sans-bath as Mindy frequently laments. It is more accurate to call ours a personal hygiene and general purpose room.

After some minor set-backs and many circles, Mindy was off to do whatever the hell she does during the day – have morning tea, have afternoon tea, and sit silently in countless boring meetings, from what I can tell. It was back under the wool duvet for me for an hour of reading whilst it warmed (not really) and thawed. I set off for the village yesterday as soon as Mindy left for work and have learned that the sun needs a little more time to find our humble valley.

I was greeted by one of many neighborhood dogs that seem to roam freely. I am struck with the irony of mutts and mongrels running loose throughout Auckland when it takes an Act of Parliament and a king’s ransom to import our pure-bred, leash-trained canines.

I was also greeted by the first rays of sun falling into the valley. The air was brisk and still quite chilled in the shade. It was perfect for walking straight uphill for thirty minutes, which I did.

Arrival at the village after the grueling hike is more anticipated and celebrated than when one arrives by car. Yesterday, I had to navigate the uniform-clad school children scuttling here and there. Today, only the independently-wealthy, the unemployed, and those who dance to beat of their own drum – some a combination of the above – walked the village sidewalks and occupied the outdoor tables of several cafes. It was off to the library for me. Coffee could wait.

The village branch of the greater Waitakere (pronounced ‘y-TOK-aw-REE’) City Library is a modest, but well-stocked building adjacent to the War Memorial Hall. For a generally peace-loving bunch, Kiwis have an inordinate amount of war memoralia.

Internet is free at the Titirangi branch on one computer. Time is limited to 30-minutes and scope is severely limited by some cyber-Nazi security program. I am not even able to access my web-mail, as that URL has been declared a guerilla loyalist and placed on the terrorist watch list. After another frustrating tussle with the lone public internet access point in Titirangi, I retreated to the security of the Hardware Café, a “long black” (long-poured espresso), and orange-apricot scone.

Having been invigorated by the coffee and inspired by the scone, I returned to the library to finish some forgotten internet errands and to secure a recipe for orange-apricot scones. Successful, I started home.

I arrived to dirty dishes, but also to the anticipation of baking. I have now completed the necessities and am about to embark on the scone making. I include the recipe below for those that are interested. The recipe is from the Edmonds Cookbook, which the librarian assured me was second only to the Bible in popularity among Kiwi’s. It is reprinted with variations here without permission.

Apricot and Orange Scones

3 cups standard grade flour
6 teaspoons Edmonds baking powder (the best baking powder in the world – that should make up for failure of permission to print this recipe)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
75 g butter, chopped
1 cup dried apricots (this is my variation as original recipe calls for dates)
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1-1 ½ cups milk
Extra milk to brush

Preheat oven to 220C. Lightly dust a baking tray with flour. Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl. Cut butter into flour until it resembles fine bread crumbs. (Edmond says “This can be done in a food processor,” but since I don’t have one I wouldn’t know). Stir in apricots (or dates) and zest (also put in the orange peel here). Add sufficient milk to mix quickly into a soft dough, using knife. Knead lightly, then transfer to a baking tray. Press into a rectangle about 3 cm thick. Cut into 9 equal-sized pieces. Leave a 2-cm space between scones. Brush tops with milk. Bake for 10 minutes until golden. Makes 9 scones.

I will update you on the results in the comments section.