recipe of the week - spiced ginger and caramel bites

These are just delicious! Easy to make, fun for kids and a lovely addition to Christmas hampers for friends and family.

 Australian Women's Day picture.

deck the zoo

Visit London Zoo from now until Christmas Eve to enjoy their 'Christmas Carnival'! There's plenty of things to keep kids entertained - they can even be a Keeper's Little Helper for the day. Tickets are £16.50 for each adult, £13.50 for children 3-5 years, and free for children under 3 years. Concession and family options also available.

Photograph from ABC News Australia, Meerkat at London Zoo, Carl de Souza.

caramel icecream

Another fab and fun idea for a (last minute!) Christmas gift is this pair of 'caramel icecream' earrings from the always delightful V&A shop. They're designed by Tadaaki Wakamatsu and cost £50. Delivery is £5.95 UK, £8.95 EU and £14.95 international.

recipe of the week - rum balls

Recipe of the Week is becoming more like Recipe of the Month, sorry! This month week let's enjoy another simple, classic and delicious recipe from Exclusively Food: rum balls.

Instead of sultanas I use fresh (pitted and sliced) cherries, and I double (or triple) the rum. Extra rum and the moist cherries means you'll have to omit some liquid, so it helps to hold back some of the condensed milk. Frozen rum balls taste great, too!

Exclusively Food's image.

pass the pigs

Pass The Pigs: another terrific stocking filler...

Photo: Heidi Adnum

skate

Once again, Tiffany & Co. sponsors the delightful ice skating at Somerset House this Christmas. Book tickets now to skate until 24 January 2010.

Somerset Skating © Heidi Adnum 2007-09

december's best

Thanks E for the link to Eat Seasonably, a fab site designed to help us eat what's in season and plant things at the right time (in the UK). I'm pleased to report that they have selected the cabbage as this month's best, and that this one below was delicious.

Cabbage © Heidi Adnum 2009

au christmas charity ideas ($0 - $129)

Your time or money could buy:

Sign up for Mentor-One with Boystown to help young people with education and training $0;

Donate clothing, toys or household items to Lifeline $0;

Help someone in crisis and buy an echidna Christmas ornament from the Australian Red Cross $9.50;

Help fund the Royal Flying Doctor Service's emergency efforts by buying a cookbook and tea-towel set $17;

More fab tea-towels! Buy these running pups and help train a guide dog $24.95;

Feed and care for a dog for one day at RSPCA NSW $30;

A microscope set sent directly to a disadvantaged child, from you and The Smith Family $41;

Buy Christmas dinner for a homeless family through Mission Australia $50;

Help CareFlight reach someone in danger by buying a bear $60;

Help beyondblue fund a telephone call or reach a person affected by depression $70;

Provide clean-up bags for a remote community with Clean Up Australia $100;

Loads of Fun Therapy for kids living with cancer by buying a case of wine from Shaw Vineyards $129 ($50 of which is donated to Camp Quality).

Careflight Jackaroo Bear.

uk christmas charity ideas (£0 - £52)

Your time or money could buy:

Life-changing advice and support for a single homeless person by volunteering for Crisis £0;

An answered telephone call to the NSPCC by ordering a Letter From Santa £5;

One Christmas dinner for a homeless young person through Centrepoint £7;

A Big Night Out for a child carer through the Children's Society £10;

New and updated Mind resources on topics including anxiety and post-natal depression by purchasing five 2010 calendars £15;

Forty meals for neglected animals through the RSPCA £20;

A home-visit for parents whose baby has been diagnosed with a learning difficulty by entering the Mencap Snowball Raffle £25;

One week's worth of groceries for someone living with HIV and unable to shop for themselves via The Foodchain £36;

A garden tool to support the National Trust £40;

Food, training and medical care for Chad at the Dogs Trust £52.

Chad. Photograph by Andy Catterall

baby hank vintage

Take a look at Liz Stanley's Etsy shop Baby Hank Vintage selling lovely vintage baby clothes in excellent condition. Liz ships to anywhere in the world for $8US. All you need to do is sign up to Etsy (free) and pay using the seller's preferred method.

Liz runs Say Yes To Hoboken a fab blog packed full of design ideas and beautiful things to make life and home even sweeter.

Vintage Yellow Flower Romper, $10US.

back to camp

My multi-talented friend Ann enjoys watercolour painting and she also loves 'Back To Camp', the final image in my very first exhibition at Riverside Studios. Ann kindly send me a picture of her Back To Camp watercolour - isn't it gorgeous!

 

There's a few nice write-ups about the exhibition. Here's a link to 'What's On' in h&f News, 1 December 2009, featuring moi.

Visit Riverside on Crisp Street, Hammersmith, until 3 January 2010 to take a look - I'd love for you to come along! All prints are for sale, with 10% of proceeds to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.