Progress and perfection

Perfection, often elusive, visited this weekend in the form of a desert. Both of us were completely pooped when we arrived after a full week. I had left Wellington at 1.00 hoping to stop at the Greytown art shop, before a consult at 3.00 pm with Graeme M on a water system and septic tank systems for the shearers quarters. I'd left my house key behind so had to wait for David to arrive around 6pm. Hmmmm! Meanwhile, had a great meeting with Graeme measured the land, lasered the levels, tested the soil, (and found yet another of those elusive pipes,) to his horror and my delight). He is drawing up a design to submit to the council for a tank to be between the gate and the shearers quarters, and we will collect the water off the barn and pump it over. How cool is that. David later said we will put the pipe inside the barn as it will cross the long side of the barn. Progress. And David has a viticulturalist who we will consult in June. She says it will be two years before our grapes will be productive, this year we will prune, and next year, train them. Great. Meanwhile the autumn colours are gold and red and gorgeous. Big things of the weekend, David has now piped (dug a 45m trench, laid a 25 mm water pipe to the fence, covered it over with soil and returfed, put on a tap, fantastic, and, re-installed the weather system). My jobs were to sand the front door, and finally took all the original undercoat off (3 hours, phew), then sealed it then today put on two coats of dark burnt orange. It looks great, and the door needs one or two more coats. I also weeded the house garden, and planted some miniature blue irises, yes, more dreams coming true.

OK, so now the perfection bit. Friday night, pooped, and I decided we would have desert. Take one Ernest Adams flakey puff frozen sheet and leave in air for 5 mins. Take from your well stocked freezer, four halved frozen omega plums without their stones) Omega plums are the best in the world, dark red, luscious and full plummy taste and from the Greytown orchard and ripe in February/March. Cut the pastry into four equal squares. Score 1cm inside each edge, don't cut right through. Using a sharp zester, zest a ripe orange and put 4 -5 longs strips of zest on each pastry square. Place the unfreezing plum on top of the zest, and one cube or 1/2 tsp brown sugar, and place in 215 oven for 15 mins or until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Serve with vanilla icecream. Fantastic, quick and superb.