This past week in Canberra has been freezing.
No, literally, it’s been freezing. The fact that we’re expected to tumble out of our snuggly bed-cocoons on a -6 degree morning has seemed like a cruel trick of the gods. After losing all feeling in my hands one morning while scraping the near-impenetrable frost from my car windows with an American supermarket loyalty card, I have stubbornly decided that, for the rest of winter, I shall no longer participate in such dangerous manual labour. Instead, I shall enjoy fifteen minutes of reading in my car while the engine warms up enough to defrost its own diggity windows. Hah! I win!
However, as if to make up for its icicle mornings, Canberra offers up a wealth of stunningly gorgeous, sunny, crisp-shining winter days. Bitter mornings turn, within hours, into endless blue skies, creating days that beg to be delighted in via market adventures and sunny walks with dear friends.
This past weekend, my wondertastic friend and blogger-extraordinaire Helen had a whirlwind visit to Canberra, and asked for my company during her free time on Sunday. Along with her I-can’t-even-comprehend-their-level-of-kitchen-magic friends Mr and Mrs Pig Flyin’, we met at the Southside Farmers Market for chatting, tasting, and meandering. I rekindled my love of roasted chestnuts, bought many Pink Lady apples, and then had the crikey scared out of me by the largest daikon I’ve ever seen.
Photo courtesy of Helen
(Margaret, I dedicate this photo to you and your desire for more of my nincompoop moments on this blog.)
Later in the morning Helen, Mr and Mrs Pig Flyin’, and I headed to the Old Bus Depot Markets, where I confused my stomach by following up a thousand flavoured nut samples (seaweed and wasabi macadamias, oh yes) with chocolate soy chai tea, honey, blue cheese, and fiery-hot chilli sauce samples. I also convinced the three Sydney-siders to partake in Canberra’s ye olde Mulled Wine, which is delicious.
After farewelling Helen with a hug and much happiness to have seen her face, I picked up my beloved E.Moonbeams for a long-overdue catch-up. I have missed E.Moonbeams with all my soul this past month, and dearly wish that, on some alternate plane, we could forever be making coffee, heart-talking, and cavorting together.
As that alternate plane doesn’t exist (to my knowledge), E.Moonbeams and I must settle for regular rendezvous instead. I would like for these to always happen in places of beauty like the Yarralumla Nursery (top photo), where we can drink coffee while sitting in the sun, and then walk across bridges and lakes and golf courses while talkinglaughing. It is important to have days like this to remember how glorious life can be.
Life is also glorious when you get to experiment with intoxicatingly-perfumed cacao butter (thank you for the gift, dear Margaret!), but that’s a story for another day.
Ahhh I miss the cider at the Bus Depot Markets
The cider and the mulled wine are both so much goodness.
the title of this post made me giggle – but the pic of the the daikon looked like a cute little baby that wouldn’t hurt a fly – I am jealous of your mulled wine and markets – reminds me I haven’t been to our farmers markets for a while – life has been a bit crazy and snuffly. Sounds like you have been having good times
A-ha! The first photo of me with the daikon was indeed of me cradling and smiling at it like a baby, but then Helen said that it wasn’t entertaining enough and I had to act scared instead. Well noticed, Johanna!
It sounds like a gorgeous weekend Hannah! Your cold weather does terrify me a bit (today, I went home an hour early with the sole goal of working on my laptop in front of the heater, and we got up to 15′C which is probably warm in your terms), but those splendid days of clear skies and sunshine do go some way to countering the low temperatures. Or at least, they do here in Perth when we get up to 15′C
Also, when I read your title, I thought it was a daikin heating system that attacked you. I think on reflection it’s fortunate it was a vegetable!
Interestingly enough, the -6 degree mornings have led to 13-14 degree days, whereas the 1 degree mornings have struggled to reach 10 degrees. Oh weather, you confusing beast!
It is probably best not to be attacked by a heating system. Burns are not the greatest thing in the world, even in winter.
Ahhh do want all those hot drinks! And that is certainly an impressively-sized daikon.
I love the Bus Depot Markets. Why don’t I get there more often? Great post as usual Hannah.
You might also enjoy the Southside Farmers Market? The Pink Lady apples I bought there were delicious
P.S. I miss our Christmas shopping Bus Depot Markets trips together.
Thank you for the mentions dearest Hannah!
That is truly an enormous daikon. It would have been quite heavy. With the amount of vegetables I eat, I could easily consume that by myself.
I LOVE exploring produce markets.
I’m confused – aren’t you planning on being in New York and Canada? The winters there are much colder than in Canberra. Consider these days as your training.
I agree the cacao butter smells intoxicating. So far I’ve just been adding some to my smoothies instead of coconut oil. It will be easier to use in summer – everything is so darned hard & stiff in winter, including my fingers!
Thank you for continuing to put posts here, despite how busy you’ve been, along with your current health challenges. I appreciate it. xxxx
You are more than welcome, lovely lady!
It was, indeed, a ridiculously heavy daikon. For some reason I expected it to be light.
Yes indeed, Canada is colder than Canberra (although not Vancouver, actually; Vancouver is warmer in winter because of the ocean or something), but I cannot even count on my hands the number of people I’ve met from Canada/Russia/Scandinavia etc who say that winter in Canberra is so much more unpleasant because our buildings aren’t built for the cold, whereas everything over there is. At least, this is the information I’m clinging to for
I’ve done New York/DC/snowstorms-in-Charlottesville in winter before and survived.
Ooh, do tell, do you melt the cacao butter first or just throw it in in chunks into your blender? It took forever to melt when I used it last weekend!
And thank you, Margaret, that means a lot. I may have to tone down the frequency of posts in coming week; I feel exhausted to my core at present and have so much, so much, to do. Forgive me if I’m quiet!
The buildings in Sydney, Camden and Bowral definitely aren’t built for the cold, but I assumed they would be in Canberra!
I was born in Poland and mum has often remarked how she never felt as cold as she does here – she went straight from a warm house, into a warm jacket, warm public transport, etc.
I’m a strange person, so I use the word “smoothie” to mean several things! I often stir pea protein powder into a very small amount of warm to hot water, along with chia seeds and some coconut oil or cacao butter. I then put chopped fruit on top and eat it like a porridge type thing! So the warm water melts the cacao butter. Being gluten intolerant, oats are the only think I miss – so I use protein powder to create a porridge-like consistency!
Sometimes I also make traditional, yet very thick smoothies like you’ve featured on here.
Of course it’s more than ok if you don’t put new posts here for a while as you get busy…….how selfish of me….
Alas, no, or at least not the older buildings that I live and work in! I think your mother would struggle here, particularly as public transport? Hah! What’s that?!
Oh my gosh, I love your bizarre concoction, because lately I’ve been stirring together coconut flour with vanilla Sunwarrior protein powder, carob powder, and warm water! I’ll have to add the cacao butter to it next time
Not selfish at all, dear Margaret! You have no idea how much it means to know that my writings aren’t perceived with “oh, here she goes again…”
I’ll let you have all the chestnuts you like, including my share.
Here, instead of pens or mouse mats as corporate freebies, they give you windscreen ice scrapers!
I want a windscreen ice scraper! I’ll use to to bash up all my roasted chestnuts!
I had to bite my lip to keep from blurting “but how is it possible not to like chestnuts?!”, because I realised you could simply retort “JAFFAS” at me.
Oh markets. Markets markets markets. How I long for a lovely city market filled with happy shoppers, a baguette under one arm, mulled wine in a to-go cup, and a GIANT DAIKON ON THE ATTACK!
Love mulled wine – we made a lot of it last winter:) Stay warm Hannah!
It’s the next horror movie craze, I’m sure. Zombie were so last decade, daikons are the true nightmare beast these days.
I will! I’m sitting cross-legged on my bed in thermal socks with the heater going right now.
We ate freshly roasted chestnuts in the Piazza Navona in Rome – such a great memory!
-6?! Brrrrr! It’s been getting up to 106F (41C) here lately and I can’t decide which one sounds more intolerable. I’m such a temperature wimp. I will be glad to get back to cooler weather and all my favorite fall foods though – chestnuts being one of them.
Careful around that daikon. It seems…sentient.
I have been known to whimper “it’s too hot to live!” during 43C days, but I think I’ll always choose too-hot over too-cold. My body stops prioritising my extremities (toes? fingers? who needs ‘em! digits are for chumps!) in freezing weather, so it’s all just a hassle, really.
I’m truly terrified I’m going to wake up at 3am one night and see that daikon tapping at my bedroom window.
It was so awesome catching up with you before you go on your big bad adventure around the world! I will treasure that daikon photo always!
SMOOCHIES! It made my heart soar to see you, even if Mr Pig Flyin’ wrestled me away from being able to buy you those tasty nuts! Harrumph!
You have been such an amazing, amazing, incredible friend and support to me this year, Helen. Thank you. xoxo
That market looks great. I wish they served great big kettles of mulled wine at our winter market.
You’re in for a shock if you’re in the US in the winter. -6C? Pshh.. We Wisconsinites scoff at such temperatures, try -40F in mid January when the snow is three feet deep. 
I literally would not be able to survive in -40F. Literally. My doctor told me when I was 12 that I would never be able to live in Antarctica. Seriously, you don’t actually go outside in that weather, do you?! I don’t understand it. I’m in awe.
I’m also cold, just thinking about it. You people deserve TRUCKS of mulled wine!
I just love markets, even in the cold! Something so homey and comforting about them that is warming even if it’s cold. And good thing you are getting used to the cold- it will make your time in North American that much more enjoyable!
Glad you are finding lots of happy moments
Cold is definitely relative. I remember going for a walk in Asheville without a scarf or beanie because the temperature had risen to 4C and it felt positively balmy
I just need to stock up on thermal socks, is all.
Markets are good times!
-6! I hereby vow to never complain about a 4 degree morning ever again … oh who am I kidding, of course I will!
You won’t know what’s hit you when you get to the US, particularly if they’re still sweltering like they are at the moment. (P.S. the phrase “chocolate soy chai tea” just about sent me cross eyed!! 
)
And of course I will permit you to! Cold is cold is cold is cold; I don’t enjoy 4C either
Oh, don’t worry, I’ve been in New York during a heat wave before. Walking outside felt like stepping into a furnace because of the buildings reflecting heat everywhere!
I know, right? I love that they make their samples using soy milk! I think the company is called Real Chai? It’s a Canberran company, I know that.
ooooh i love that mulled wine!!!
Chocolate soy chai sounds just delicious. And these photos from the markets look an awful lot like Switzerland in autumn, what with the cider and the chestnuts. Who knew Canberra was such a romantic place?
I knew. I knew Canberra was magical. It just gets a bad rap because people who come here on quick visits don’t understand/know that all the best places are spread out in the suburbs, not in the centre city
That’s why you’ll need me to be your host when you visit! (Well, visit when I’m here, of course 
)
I have heard about these bitter mornings. Mother-dearest complains dreadfully, but my little siblings don’t seem to feel it; they’re too busy running around I assume.
Stay warm, and I hope the bright blue skies continue to shine (Melbourne is miserable just as an aside).
That’s what I’m doing wrong! Going to work instead of running around all day!
I was just talking to my brother (in Melbourne) on the phone, and he mentioned that you’ve had rain for almost two weeks straight. I shall stay warm, and you must stay dry, okay?
It looks like your nursing a baby
I was totally pretending to in the first shot, then Helen ordered me to try and look horrified instead
So many things from this post!
1) You may as well be in NZ if you are getting -6 in Canberra, ew ew EW the cold makes me mad.
2) You’re Daikon baby is very cute. You’re a good radish-Mama
3) Wasabi/seaweed nuts = yes please.
4) Loving Earth cacao butter is the BEST. Seriously I even just nibble off bits straight from the block. Oh yes.
1) And NZ has peanut butter Whittaker’s, so yes, I should be.
2) I think a radish-Mama is the only Mama I’m likely to be for a good few years yet, so I’ll take that.
3) They also did salt and vinegar macadamias, as well as a myriad toffee/caramel/sesame/etc cashews, almond, and peanuts. So many nut butter ideas!
4) Do you have any advice/recipes for using the cacao butter? I feel like I’ve seen so many all over the place but now I have some, I can’t find them.
http://fridgescrapings.com/2012/06/18/dogs-should-not-wear-tu-tus-or-eat-chocolate/
That’s my basic dark chocolate idea using the cacao butter…. you can just make that and chuck in whatever “bits” you seem fit…. or just eat plain. It’s so addictive!
Ah yes, raw chocolate is the obvious option; thanks for your link. I’m on a mission to find something wackier though, as I have more than enough chocolate on hand at present!
Home made body products? Makes an AWESOME body butter, mmmmmm
Or lip balm!
Lip balm! That sounds wonderful; my lips are dying in this winter dryness!
Mulled wine….my love for wine just got stronger.
I also think you have a very good maternal streak – look how you’re cradling that cute little daikon even though your face is full of horror (most mums maybe??
).
I’m not even going to talk to you about the cold. YOU WIN. (But it still hurts here)
Bahahaha! Love your comment.
Funnily enough, mulled wine is perhaps the only way I enjoy red wine. So delicious. And hey, I completely get that cold is relative. Yours is just as unpleasant, I’m sure!
OHHHH!!! I want to try that pack of Cacao Butter. So hard to believe the weather’s been freezing (but I’m sure it is) because it seems so warm and sunny in your photos! I’ve still yet to pay the big capital a visit one day and would love to have you as my awesome tour guide too…. Maaaaaaaybe if you happen to decide to come back after your BIG move to the US one fine day =)
Oh, don’t worry, I will definitely be back one day (you know I couldn’t be away from my family for too long!
) and would love to play your tour guide! I’d keep you away from all the mediocre restaurants/cafes in the city and take you out to the suburbs where all the real deliciousness lies 
P.S. If I make the big move, it will be to Canada. Where it’s even colder. I’m so silly sometimes.
Oh my gosh! It’s that cold in Canberra?! Yikes!
It would be pretty perfect roasted chestnut weather though. Which reminds me I should get some. And hot spiced apple cider?! Sounds amaaziinng.
Yikes indeed! However, at least we’ve had all of these glorious sunny days; my brother tells me that it’s been raining constantly in Melbourne? Boo!
Hot cider/mulled wine + roasted chestnuts = happy heart.
Was that another use for a Costco card? I’ve been in Canberra on mornings like that and they are beyond cold but like you say, it’s just amazing how they quickly warm up and how the skies are blue and the sun is always shining (if not weakly). A friend recently gave me a daikon radish (not quite as large as yours) and I just didn’t know what to do with it xx
Costco? No Costco here, so I’m slightly confused! But you’ve reminded me that I am out of pecans and dates and need to convince someone to take me to Costco. Or perhaps not, considering how soon I’m leaving. Which, of course, I can’t consider, because it scares the pants off me.
I definitely didn’t take the daikon home. Far, far too large for me to deal with at present! What did you end up doing with yours?
I was in Canberra last October staying with my sister-in-law who’s from Canada so she’s addicted to Costco. She told me I absolutely have to go there so she took me and I bought some things. I haven’t shopped at Costco since because the one in Sydney is too far from where I live. I have a terrible confession to make. That daikon radish sat in my fridge with me looking at it not knowing what to do with it. Then the fridge broke down and it was a few days before the repairman could get out to me so the lonely little daikon radish went a bit floppy and ended up binned! xx
I think we’ve all experienced that floppiness -> bin-ness with carrots in our lives, so you just took that life experience and just took it up a notch
As a single lady who only cooks and buys for herself, Costco doesn’t offer enough value for me to actually have my own membership. But I love tagging along for rare splurges with friends
I miss you already Angle Babe and you haven’t even left the diggidy dang country! Waa waa guitar…*sigh* please don’t forget me.. I know it’s silly and we are online and all that jazz.. but… Waaaaaaaaa
Oh my precious darling Disney unicorn dancer! I could never forget you, and we *will* stay in touch. I’m scared you’ll forget me in your magical newlywed life! It does hurt to think we won’t be a mere hour’s flight apart, but you could always plan a trip to Canada if I decide to stay…
Life definitely is intoxicating when you get cacao butter
And chestnuts. And -6 degree days with sunshine
Sounds like an awesome weekend and another awesome post!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around the idea of icicles at this time of year… I am jealous of chestnuts though, which are hard enough to find even when they’re in season here.
We’ve just moved beyond a record heatwave, and it’s still sweltering around the low 90′s and endless humidity. It sure is going to be jarring once you get off that plane, my dear!
One day you shall visit me as I am about to visit you, and then you will not only be able to wrap your head around, but also experience, icicles in July and/or icypoles at Christmas
My confession is that I’m still too scared to roast my own chestnuts, even though I love them and they’re available in every supermarket. My dad exploded them all over the kitchen once, you see…
I’ve been hearing about this heatwave of yours. Oh dear me I cannot wait to feel warm again! (Though hopefully not 105F-warm. But I’ll take it.)
At least you are getting blue skies, down south in Melbourne town it is grey and gloomy, and gloomy and grey. I barely remember what blue sky looks like.
Funnily enough, I had this conversation with my brother last night! He told me you’ve been having weeks of rain down there lately. However, you have froyo and Lord of the Fries, so I think you still win.
Dear Hannah,
I thought you’re already off to the Big Apple but you’re still here
The size of that daikon looks like a baby you might be carrying but hopefully not with green streaky hair.
Oh no, I’m here throughout July. I have much, much, much organising and moving and paperwork to do before I head off!
There have been far too many comments about the daikon being a baby. It makes me very nervous.
I love the radish pic of you!
I love the idea of reading in the car while the defrost does all the work. Why haven’t I thought of that before. I am going to do it this Winter! You are a genius!
EXACTLY. Genius, not lazy.
OMG i’ve never seen hot apple cider lol
that is the LARGEST daikon i have ever seen in my whole life!!
OOO Cocao butter what can you do with it?
Make chocolate, hurrah! Although I’m yet to do that. I’ve made cookies though!
Final nail in the coffin. I don’t need to see anymore.
PS: I quite like the thought that my comments are probably nonsensical to everyone but you. x
And yet, you’ll keep coming back. (You better keep coming back.)
P.S. Me too. ‘Tis why our friendship shall be everlasting. x