Hoppy New Year of the Rabbit!

Wishing you all good health, good wealth and sweetness in everything you attempt this New Year of the Rabbit!

First duty of the New Year is to take a walk in my grand aunt's most auspicious garden.

The peach tree laden with ripening peaches, signifying long life and good health.

A Cereus flower bud getting ready to bloom.  This is a very very auspicious occasion, as poets, emperors and concubines throughout China's imperial history lament how this precious flower blooms only for a few hours by moonlight and then dies as the sun rises.  It is said that concubines would lure the emperor to their imperial residences with the promise of a cereus flower ready to bloom.

 ©Lela Bouse-McCracken
The Cereus flower shortly after full bloom.

And what is this I wonder......

 

Ripening and flowering wolfberries!!  Otherwise known as the wonderfruit Goji Berry!

All this garden wandering, before the tea ceremony too!

When the unmarried people and children are given red packets for luck. 
Then onto lunch......

Lunch at my favourite aunt's is our family's tradition.  This year with a spread that included pork rib noodles, roast pork with the most amazing crackling and for dessert some toffee pudding - which wishes us promotions and success in the new year.  *phew*  and there is more eating for the next 10 days!

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Back onto the caking!

This cribbage board cake for Paul.  Commissioned by Paul's best mate Scott, and naturally, Cribbage opponent I assume.  I had a great time making this cake....researching it, made me almost want to learn how to play the game correctly!

I heard the cake was a great hit and after being a perfect model for photos, it also is floating around online somewhere being cut and eaten!   It just gives me such a nice fuzzy feeling when you get rave feedback like that!  I hope Paul had a marvellous birthday!!

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And a sneak peak at Cake Love's photo shoot last weekend

Touching up our gorgeous show cake.

 

Sometimes, you just can't take yourself too seriously!  Glenda and I had a blast!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend too!!