MY HERO
Last week was filled with many cupcake-related happenings. My niece and I ventured into Paddington on one of the days, in search for shoes (not cupcakes), and I was so excited when I saw this sign in the distance:
As I got closer, I thought I was going to see a window full of fashionably exquisite cupcakes, but by “cupcake fashion” the owners were seemingly referring to sweet clothes, rather than sugary cakes:
I previously mentioned that I love the amazing city in which I live, Sydney, and that I was committed to exploring it more diligently. So on my cupcake travels, I’ve decided to keep a photo journal of sorts, to record all the adventures I have around the place.
Whenever I go out with family or friends, since I’m a teacher, I like to introduce some art and science into the outing. But in this context, I mean the art and science of food….or a gastronomic adventure….a sophisticated way of saying that I love “pigging out” with the people I love whenever I venture out!
The main purpose of our visit to Paddington was to buy shoes for my niece’s wedding, as I’m going to be her Matron of Honour in April 2011. We left with some Birkenstocks instead and I would like to add, for the record, that I think Birkenstocks are cool and I don’t care what anybody thinks! (Haha!)
We also needed to check out some vintage inspired jewellery for the wedding, (Fletcher & Grace http://www.fletcherandgrace.com.au/index.php), so we decided to go to Rozelle on the way home.
We successfully left with some beautiful earrings for the bride, which I will not reveal before the big day. All of this hard work makes you hungry of course, so when we came across a quaint little cafe called “Hatch”, we thought we’d stop for lunch.
It may look like a simple old chicken burger, but my niece reckons that it’s the best she’s ever tasted. And the girls who served us were lovely, to boot!
I loved that they had their freshly baked wares on display for all to see:
I always love a sweet treat after my meal, so I couldn’t escape the “Hatch” without trying their Chai Latte and a chocolate heart with sprinkles….
I’ll continue to share my gastronomic adventures as time goes on, in the hope that some of them will be cupcake-related and may bring me ever closer to my discovery of that perfect recipe!
To recharge after all my hard work, I treated myself to a facial and massage at Viva le Spa at lovely Homebush Bay, one of Sydney’s hidden gems….
My rejuvenating spa treatment equipped me well for my next adventure of the week, which was a visit to the eclectic Blackamoor Confections at Kingsgrove (http://www.blackamoorconfections.com/), for a friend’s birthday. As soon as I entered, I felt as though I had stepped into another time and place.
It was a wonderland for the eyes……
….and a treasure trove for the tastebuds……
Long after the Blackamoors experience was over though, I continued to stumble upon sweets for the rest of the week.
Cupcakes at Church…..
Cupcakes by my niece……
My clever friend’s Tractor Cake for her son……
You would think that all of this was enough sugar for one week, but I was actually inspired to further my own sweet explorations at home, by baking up a storm over the following few days.
Pancakes using my husband’s secret recipe, which turn out perfect every time (maybe I should get him to bake some cupcakes)………
Honey & Banana Cupcakes……
Butterfly Cupcakes…….
AND FINALLY, Apricot Madeira Cupcakes……
Now, my pancakes got a great rap, but my next two lots of cupcakes didn’t fair so well. It wasn’t until my family took a bite of the Apricot Madeira Cupcakes, that their reaction had me very excited for a moment. The texture, if I must say so myself, was perfect. They were golden, smooth, perfectly sweet and amazingly fluffy. Had I found the perfect recipe???
Unfortunately not!
My bubble was quickly burst when my husband said, “The cupcakes are great, but they’re not perfect”. When I asked why, he answered, “You could have been a bit more creative with the tops!”
There are so many different possibilities for cupcake flavours and toppings.
In fact, the possibilities for different flavours and toppings are almost endless. I’ve tried so many different combinations already, have seen many made by others and still have so many yet to create. But there will only be some that will make an impact, like my Apricot Madeira ones.
This got me thinking about the countless people I’ve come across in my life who have made an impact…..the endless possibilities of people I call “my heroes”.
A hero may be defined as a person distinguished by exceptional courage, bravery, nobility and strength. These are not the only qualities that make a hero though. I believe honesty, selflessness, the will to try, perseverance and resilience are a few of the overlooked qualities of a hero.
We often look at famous people as heroes, and many of them are well-deserving, like the ANZACs or Mother Teresa. And there are many other types of heroes too. For example, when it comes to food, Jamie Oliver, Donna Hay and Paris Cutler are a few of my greatest heroes. In music, it’s singer Norah Jones; sport, Lance Armstrong; women of faith, Holly Wagner, and I could go on.
We can all easily recognise these sorts of heroes. And it goes without saying that the God of the universe is my ultimate hero. But what about the unsung heroes of this world? The everyday heroes?
Like the husband who goes to every single medical appointment with his wife who is fighting cancer, to fight it with her?
Or the child who rubs its mother’s bald head from chemo and says, “I love you Mum”?
Or the technician giving yet another injection for yet another scan to yet another cancer patient, who is a mum of a teen with cancer, who strokes her patient’s arm gently before injecting and says, “It’s going to be okay”?
Or the doctor who reassures a husband that “if it was my wife with cancer, this is what I would do….”?
Over the last couple of years, my life has been impacted by so many heroes….my husband, my children, my mum, my sister who fought cancer at the same time as me, family, friends, doctors, nurses, hospital volunteers, other cancer patients….these are my heroes!
Like the husband who goes to every single medical appointment with his wife who is fighting cancer, to fight it with her?
Or the child who rubs its mother’s bald head from chemo and says, “I love you Mum”?
Or the technician giving yet another injection for yet another scan to yet another cancer patient, who is a mum of a teen with cancer, who strokes her patient’s arm gently before injecting and says, “It’s going to be okay”?
Or the doctor who reassures a husband that “if it was my wife with cancer, this is what I would do….”?
Over the last couple of years, my life has been impacted by so many heroes….my husband, my children, my mum, my sister who fought cancer at the same time as me, family, friends, doctors, nurses, hospital volunteers, other cancer patients….these are my heroes!
Heroes of the human spirit, who were willing to show courage and kindness in a trying situation. Heroes who were committed to instilling hope in me. Heroes who realised how important it was for me to be shown love and tenderness at one of the toughest times in my life. Heroes who chose not to give up on me!
So many heroes….so much to be grateful for!!!
