There are souls in this world who have the gift of finding joy everywhere, and leaving it behind them when they go.
―
Hey, Lovelies.
I received a delightful gift in the mail yesterday. The author Mary-Lou Stephens had a give-away for readers of her newsletter, and I was fortunate enough to win a copy of her latest book The Last Of The Apple Blossom. It’s actually a fortuitous replacement for me – I loaned my own copy of the book to someone, and forgotten who took it. (If this was you, please keep it – I have another copy now, and this one is signed by the author!).
The Last Of The Apple Blossom is a great read. It’s set in Tasmania, Australia, and weaves history, family, love and friendship into a tale of hope and resilience – it’s about women who stitch lives and families and communities together after loss, and you will keep thinking about Mary-Lou’s characters long after you turn the last page.
Mary-Lou was also kind enough to include a recipe book she had used for her research into the Tasmanian Apple industry, titled The Australian Apple Recipe Book. I decided to open the book at random, and make a recipe from those pages.
This is what I will be baking today. I’ll let you know how it goes!
It sounds yummy, and very old-fashioned, which is how I like things. I have all the ingredients to hand, and I love trying new recipes. I think this will go very well with a cup of tea. I’ll just have to approximate how big to make the baking tin!
If you love books you may also enjoy Mary-Lou’s memoir Sex, Drugs and Meditation, which I reviewed in a blog post here back in 2013.
May today bless you with kindness too, and something tasty to go with a cup of tea.
Love, hugs and the crispy sweetness of good apples, Nicole xx
