Sue’s sticky date pudding recipe

Yum. Sue the chef from Bake & Brew, next door to Tea Tree Gully Library, has given us her recipe for a winter classic: sticky date pudding with creamy butterscotch sauce.

sticky date pudding

A sweet, gooey classic for winter

This recipe is one of Sue’s faves. She developed the recipe as a young chef working at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney and contributed it to a community cookbook. She has made it for dessert at several weddings and continues to make it for Bake & Brew customers.

Here’s what you need to do to make sticky date pudding ASAP:

Sue’s Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Ingredients

Pudding
170gm pitted dates
300ml water
1 tsp bicarb soda
60gm butter
170gm castor sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
170gm SR flour
60gm walnuts

Sauce
200gm brown sugar
130gm butter
150ml cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
50ml brandy (optional)

Method
Bring dates and water to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add bicarb soda. Leave to cool. (You could do this the day before serving, and keep it in the fridge).

Cream the butter and sugar, add eggs, vanilla and date mix. Fold in the flour and chopped walnuts.

Bake in a 160 degree oven for 40 minutes until firm to touch. A round 20cm cake tin is ideal, and you can also use individual moulds.

For the sauce, bring all ingredients to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes until cool.

If you make a big batch, you can always can reheat the puddings in the microwave for a sweet treat all week.

Jigsaw puzzles: erasing mental cobwebs since 1760

Jigsaws are good for your head. Fact.

When you put together a jigsaw puzzle, you harness both sides of the brain: the left side of the brain which deals with logic and sequence, and the right side of the brain that deals with emotions and performs tasks holistically. When you use both sides of the brain, it intensely exercises your brain cells and increases brain capacity.

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Staff tackling one of the library’s communal jigsaw puzzles.

The process of completing a jigsaw puzzle is also a form of meditation. Focusing on the same image for a long period can induce calmness and peace in your mind, as your concentration eludes everything else around you.

Chipping away at a jigsaw on a regular basis sharpens your memory and improves your clarity of thought, clearing away mental cobwebs. You can really lose yourself in a jigsaw, just like you do when you read a page turning novel.

London cartographer John Splisbury, is credited with commercialising jigsaw puzzles around 1760 and they have been a hit ever since. Not long afterwards they had the approval from the British royal family, being used in geography lessons for their children. The word jigsaw seems to be a misnomer, as they were meant to be named ‘fretsaws’, after the tools that cut the wooden pieces.

Tea Tree Gully Library has in excess of 200 different jigsaw puzzles. They are all available for customers to take home, without having to formally check them out on their card.

Our jigsaw collection features a range of graphics, including foreign cities, nature panoramas, cartoons and more. There are jigsaws with 100 pieces, and some with 3000. Make your selection on the challenge you’re up for!

You can always contribute to the library’s communal jigsaw table, which is right next to the collection.

 

One Library, One Community – A work experience recap

Hello dear Reader, my name is Danielle, and I am from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College. For one week, I used my time to gain knowledge on how a professional and working environment functions and to learn and assist around the Tea Tree Gully Library.

As part of my Work Experience, I have been given the task of writing a blog post for the Library website (which is what you are reading now), and after considering many topics and ideas I have decided to write about the wonderful community here at TTG Library and how much the staff value those who come to visit. I hope you enjoy reading!

So on my first day, I began the week by helping “behind the scenes” of the library, such as in the Chute Room (where books are returned on a daily basis) as well as the Customer Service Desk, however, my first interaction with the public was when I helped Jessica and Natalie during “Toddler Time”. I enjoyed being around the younger audience and I loved how comfortable the kids were around Jess and Natalie. Even just joining in with singing the nursery rhymes was a fun and relaxing way to spend the hour, with two wonderful ladies. Later, I spent time in the Toy Library, which was filled with dozens of toys ready for the children before the holidays.

Next up, we have ‘Cover 2 Cover’, a book club run by Kim where young adults (like those who are teens) can come and be a part of the Library activities once every month. This week in ‘Cover 2 Cover’, the group discussed a recent book that they had been reading named “The Enchanted”. Written from the perspective of a man on death row, the novel followed many complex themes and metaphorical twists. I found it very interesting, seeing the discussion between those who were there and joining in with answering questions that related the topic of the book and to events in the real world. Being in Year 10, I definitely liked being able to spend my time with others close to my age and who also enjoyed my passion of reading. ‘Cover 2 Cover’ is now preparing for the Inky Awards, and so, I would definitely recommend the club to anyone who loves discussion and books and I will definitely try to attend another meeting!

During my time at TTG Library, I also noticed the enormous effort that the staff and those who work here put in to ensure the Library runs smoothly for the public. From hosting introductions about new technology, for those who wish to learn, attending presentations that provide information on new changes with social media (regarding the younger generation) and even just maintaining the library to make certain that anyone is able to easily access what they want.

 

After seeing the positive attitude here at the Library, small gestures such as being able to help with providing assistance to someone on the computer or aiding with the self-checkout machines for borrowing were tasks that I was happy to help with. Towards the end of my week, I was also given the chance to assist Penny with updating the Library website. During this time, I was given a run through of some of the tasks that Penny was assigned to perform and once again, I was amazed with how meticulously she was able to keep the website up-to-date in order to guarantee that any members of the library can definitely find what they need. We also experimented with different software such as Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop and the content management software, Seamless.

I would like to thank the staff who have made my week of Work Experience so enjoyable, especially those who acted as my buddy throughout my time here. I am incredibly grateful to those who helped me, especially on my first day as even though I was slightly nervous, you taught me to adapt to the environment here at the Library, which in turn allowed me to have a very successful week! To Kerry, Heidi, Deborah D, Lyn, Taylor, Nicolle, Sonya, Tegan, Stephen, Adrienne, Michele, Linda, Kim, Tricia, Chris G and of course Bronwyn: THANKS ONCE AGAIN!

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 Signing off,

Danielle Cooke

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Playing ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ on the Library piano

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Climate change can be deadly

David Kilner for blog

Adelaide author David Kilner has been writing crime stories for several years. He will be visiting the Library this month to speak about his first novel The Climate Change Murders and about lots of things ‘literary’.

When: Wednesday 27 July, 6.30pm – 7.30pm.

Venue: Relaxed Reading Area, City of Tea Tree Gully Library.

Cost: Free.  Bookings are essential.

“In this light-hearted talk, David Kilner will discuss crime fiction in its many forms, from its origins 250 years ago, through the years to contemporary fiction. Along the way he’ll look at the impact of film and television on crime writing and ask what does reading or watching crime fiction actually do for us?  Finally he’ll talk about his own books – how they came to be written, some of the challenges of writing and why he chose his characters.”  http://www.davidkilner.com

In The Climate Change Murders you can meet the new cop on the beat, Detective Sergeant Skyla Merrick.  Like all good fictional detectives, Skyla has a troubled past with a bad romance that she would rather forget about.   But of course, those experiences never really go away for our heroine.

“Somebody wanted Edwina Ling dead and it would not be a pleasant death, that was for sure. But who was the villain? The climate change activist? The professional colleague? The fishing industry guru? The ex-lover? The disgruntled employee? Detective Sergeant Skyla Merrick must tackle not only confusing evidence trails and public brawls but also long-buried personal traumas that threaten her objectivity. The only one she can turn to for help is the man who betrayed her.”  http://www.davidkilner.com

David says that he especially loves the British school of crime writing, as these authors explore why criminals act, their psycology and motivation, rather than just ‘whodunnit’.  He especially admires the work of PD James, Ian Rankin, Elizabeth George and Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine.

The Climate Change Murders could be your next good read.  If you would like to come along to meet David, you can book online or telephone: 8397 7333.  A wine and cheese supper will be served. Copies of The Climate Change Murders will be available for sale and signing by the author.

 

 

Creating a Facebook page for your business or community group

Cafe owners with laptop 46982788_ml

When: Monday 18 July from 11:00 am – 12.15pm

Where:  City of Tea Tree Gully Library

Facebook logo It seems that everybody is on Facebook nowadays.

In addition to socialising online with your friends, Facebook can be a very effective vehicle to keep in regular contact with your business’s customers or members of your community group.

You can use your Facebook page to promote products and events, attract a new clientele and build relationships and goodwill with your existing customer or membership base.

If you are you interested in starting a Facebook Page for your business or community group, this free session will teach you the steps involved in creating a Facebook page and how to market to your audience.

Perhaps you have questions you want answered such as:

¨ Can I assign someone else to help manage my page?

¨ What is the best strategy to grow my page?

¨ Should I pay Facebook to advertise my business or community group?

Then this is the course for you!  Bookings are essential and can be made online.  Or telephone 8397 7333.

 

 

Anstey’s Diary – Operation Echidnanaut – Entry II

I got the call!!!

I have been selected as one of four candidates to be the first echidna in space!

I still can’t believe that the Tea Tree Gully Public Library is conducting a space mission, it’s just incredible!

After my initial excitement subsided, I decided I had better head down to the library to do some research on aeronautics, space craft and the like.

Checking out some study material

Checking out some study material

It’s best to be prepared after all.

It turns out that most of the books relating to space travel can be found in the Adult Non Fiction collection at 629.45 while information relating to space and the solar system is held in the 520s.

I selected a DVD on the history of space flight, an encyclopaedia of space craft, a Soyuz capsule service manual and a biography of Neil Armstrong for inspiration.
I wonder what sort of spacecraft I will have the chance at flying? I wish it was the Millennium Falcon! Maybe I could break that 12 parsec record…

Hopefully I will find out more next week when I report for basic training.

Anstey’s Diary – Operation Echidnanaut

Hey everyone,

Now I’m the first to admit that I’m a pretty well-travelled echidna. Just in the last year, I have been to France, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand and Japan. My next travel adventure however, is going to be something special!

Lineup

Some of the hopefuls, waiting for their interview.

Space!
That’s right: Space!

Now I have to admit I was pretty nervous going in to the interview and there were quite a few other hopeful echidna competing against me.

The key to any interview is to project an air of confidence, even if you don’t actually feel it.

Interview

David Brooks and I in the interview room

I did have one advantage in that I had worked with David Brooks (the man conducting the interviews) on several projects in the past.

This helped calm my nerves a lot!

I took my time and thought carefully about my answers, making special effort not to ‘geek out’ over the idea of going into space, but also convey a sense of enthusiasm about the project.

I think I did well, hopefully I will hear something in the next few days.
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