We found ourselves needing somewhere to go at 0800 this morning. The children were up and Elena was raring to go. One of those days where we need to go out or things will really go pear shaped. I really don’t know where Elena gets her energy from (Mum – I’m looking at you!).

We headed out to the Capital Region Farmers Markets and arrived (along with a lot of other people – the crowds were crazy) around 0930. We didn’t realise before we went, but today was the market’s tenth birthday celebration and the mood was jovial. A lovely man accosted us at one point and gave us a farmers markets bag, along with a $5 gift voucher and a voucher for a kilogram of bananas. So sweet.

We used the gift voucher to buy some beetroot (beetroot relish, coming soon!) but we had no need for a kilogram of bananas. We ended up giving the voucher to a lovely looking family with two sweet children. I hope they like bananas – or at least passed the voucher on if they weren’t keen. We also picked up some gorgeous rhubarb, two kilograms of roma tomatoes (they’ll be bottled) and six kilograms of juicing apples. At $1 a kilogram I couldn’t pass the apples up – they’ll be stewed and bottled for the children’s breakfasts.

We had friends come over for afternoon tea this afternoon, so – with good intentions – one bunch of rhubarb was promptly baked into a rhubarb custard cake. I used this BBC Good Food recipe, and just used gluten-free flour and gluten-free custard. I baked it for a good time longer than it called for in the recipe, but I often find that when cooking with gluten-free flour.

It looks as though it sank terribly in the middle, but I’m afraid that’s the plate’s fault. I really need to get myself a nice, flat white plate. It did sink a little – but not horribly.

The cake is sweet and the rhubarb tart – it’s all very moist and moreish. It gets a big tick from me.

My baking was all in vain, however, as we ended up with way too much food for afternoon tea and didn’t end up serving it. We had biscuits from our guests, pikelets and a big plate of fruit – all for four adults and four children ranging from seven months to five years. Such a pity, but I should have thought it all through. I’m the Queen of Over Catering.

I’ve no other exciting news…The chickens are very happy (no eggs yet). The children’s noses are snotty but they are otherwise well. Alex is well. I’ve done something horrible to my left foot. I stubbed it very hard when rushing to catch Hugo (who was heading out the back door) on Thursday morning and it has swollen up…and turned a pretty colour. Hmmm. One of the friends who came over this afternoon is a doctor and (strongly) suggested I get an x-ray. Double hmmm. I guess I know what I’ll be doing tomorrow…and then I have to work out how on earth I’m going to get a shoe onto my foot for work on Monday. Triple hmmm.

I hope you’re having a lovely weekend. We’re planning yum cha with friends tomorrow. I can’t wait. It’s cool and rainy here – a dreary start to autumn. I wonder if it’s going to be a cold winter this year?