jetlagmama

Ballet star

2011-12-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

thrilled?

At the beginning of this year Jack decided he didn't want to do ballet anymore. And then halfway through the year he changed his mind. Just in time for the preparations for the end of year ballet extravaganza. No matter what, it always seems stressful with long essays being sent home about costumes and makeup and rehearsals (though Jack's makeup section was left blank).

lots of pink fairies and Jack

Somehow Jack made it to every rehearsal and S took him to his matinee performance. That night Ganma, Nonno and I attended the evening performance. That was a long night although my dad, due to his hip was given special permission to arrive at half time. The "babies ballet" as they are dubbed were not on until near the end (to stop us all leaving early methinks) and there was Jack twirling tiredly right in the middle of the row. He was thrilled with his medal that he received at the end and is keen to do Ballet again next year.

Busy, busy, busy

2011-12-29T20:44:00.001-08:00

I will breathe a sigh of relief when December is over. Firstly because it has been a very busy month with lots of parties, concerts and get-togethers and all the cooking that entails. It also hasn't been the best year (though I guess the second half was an improvement on the first).

We also went away twice in December before Christmas which S assured me would be relaxing but just made me mindful of my lists of things to do. Yes that's right lists plural. Such a sad, sad Capricorn. It did for the most part work except for not telling one person about the work secret Santa - whoops - and presents nearly not arriving (though that was due to our mailman having a heart attack). Anyway I thought I better do a recap of recent and not so recent events.

beach

2011-11-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

When we visited the 'gong' (aka Wollongong) we stayed at Towradgi, not far from the beach. Jack and I visited it on our first day, after a lengthy play in the playground (mostly him). I mucked around with my camera, while he had a lovely time exploring rockpools.

When S had some free time we visited some other beaches up the coast. Jack had a ball but the water was freezing!

the gong

2011-11-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Someone recently commented on how we'd been away a lot lately. I thought that wasn't right and then I pondered and realised maybe we had. We've visited Sydney a few times for concerts (Gurrumul and the SSO) as well as visiting family.

We also spent a few days in the Gong. S presented a seminar at the Gong Uni and Jack and I had a little holiday. We saw the sights

(which included some awesome playgrounds),

visited the beach and the Buddhist temple - which I have always wanted to do - and ate lots of food that is not readily available around here. Fish and Chips, Vietnamese, Lebanese, real wood fired Pizza and Chinese. We even had yum cha at the temple. Highly recommended.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Lizzie

2011-11-02T18:51:00.000-07:00

hissssssssssssssssssssss!

And we're back....on Tuesday I arrived home to find my way barred by a smallish but very fierce lizard. As I didn't want to squish it with the car I tried to persuade it to move. Even though, quite obviously I was the bigger party and it should have given way to me, it puffed itself up and ran at me. As I was wearing a dress (for Cup day) I took some very hasty backward steps. I didn't fancy those sharp little claws running up my leg.
Yesterday It appeared to have moved in. Not to the driveway, thankfully but not far from there. It had dug a hole and was puffing and carrying on. Jack was not impressed, but the dog was even less so. He varied between treating it with complete disdain (walking over the top of it) to chasing it. Eventually it stalked off in disgust and Lucky Dog, a dog on a mission, covered the hole so he would not be back.

Upgrade

2011-09-06T21:59:00.001-07:00

At the library where I work we have a fair number of eccentric people that brighten our days. From the man who took out his teeth to use the computer then lost them to an alleged war criminal. Some are regulars and who entertain us regularly.
There is one lady who I quite like who likes to give the female staff beauty tips (haemorrhoid cream is great for smoothing wrinkles around the eyes) and brings us chocolate boobs on InternationalWomen's Day. I think she uses one of those association tricks to remember our names by linking us with a celebrity or actor. And instead of just using this as a prompt she actually calls us by the actor's name. I work with a tall, lanky guy with brown hair that she calls Matt Damon which I find hilarious. And what does she call me? Well at first, much to my chagrin she called me Kirstie Alley.

I must have looked shocked the first time she said that because she said," She's on Dancing with the Stars you know!" like that would set my mind at ease. And then last weekend as she was leaving she called out to me "Bye Christy Turlington!" Talk about an upgrade!

Pooped!

2011-08-29T23:50:00.000-07:00

Another flying visit to Sydney. This time to go to see Gurrumul at the Opera House. Jack and I also managed to catch up with Soph, who has been quite unwell, and we also squeezed in a lovely little jaunt to the beach. It was so warm, especially as we are not officially into Spring yet and
Jack couldn't resist a quick paddle in his undies. I wanted to roll up my jeans and join in too but couldn't...damn you skinny jeans!

We also couldn't resist Fish and Chips for lunch....

and Jack finished with every boy's dream, an ice cream as big as his head (well almost).

Happy Birthday S

2011-08-16T20:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was S's birthday. He had a 'relaxing' day at home with Jack (who was sick) and then we met up for dinner at Mudgeegong. Diane made some delicious curries and I made the worst sponge cake of my life. S had had a hankering for a sponge (we should have gone for the echidna ice cream cake that Jack was plumping for) and I made one on Monday night. but it sank in the middle. I used a scone cutter to cut out small sponges so we could all have individual ones with cream and jam or lemon butter. It was not one of my finest culinary moments but Jack still enjoyed blowing out the candles. Probably why he blew them out three times.
Happy Birthday Mr B!

Sydney fun

2011-08-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

About a month ago we visited Sydney. Jack and I went early by plane (Jack was v. excited and even loved the turbulence) and S followed later. The highlight of our trip was a visit to the zoo by Scarlett, Jack, Mum and myself.

After some transport hiccups (the special free mosman whale bus broke down) we finally got to the zoo and Jack and Scarlett were champing at the bit to get going. Scarlett wanted to see the seals but patiently visited the snakes, giraffes, bears, tigers and lions and elephants and the bird show before we finally got to see the seals.

I was worried that the bird show would be a bit lame. My Mum was very keen to see it so we did and it turned out to be amazing. Jack loved the birds swooping down over us to the stage, including an enormous condor with a wingspan of approx 3 metres.

He also liked the bit where he had to hide his morning tea behind his back so the buzzard wouldn't try to take it. Everyone got along very well with any disagreements avoided by Jack and Scarlett having their own maps.
After the seals we made our way to the skyride to take us to the top gate and onto home. We didn't get to see the meerkats because they had 'gone on holidays'. Whoops. Bad parent!
Jack and Scarlett however were reconciled by the purchase of a new meerkat each. Thanks Ganma.

busy busy

2011-08-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the long pause there. Things have been busy. I've been sewing items for a promise auction to raise money for Jack's preschool and attending meetings for the subcommittee of the subcommittee of the auction. And doing some 'visual merchandising' (window dressing) to advertise the auction and well, you get the idea.
The items I made for the Auction were a Mum and Baby pack with a nappy bag with matching changemat, rug, toddler hat, toy elephant and giraffe, a painting of an elephant and giraffe and some board books.

The other pack was for preschoolers and contains a pencil apron, library bag (thanks Mum), a painting of a gorilla and some bath crayons and books.

At the moment they are on display in the chemist but hopefully they will be snapped up on the night. And then it will be worth it, especially going to work with a big lump of stuffing stuck to my hair (Did anyone tell me? no).

mouse menace

2011-06-27T03:58:00.000-07:00

Ah yes, the bucolic idyll in the country continues or as some may say the mouse plague continues. Whilst it does provide moments of humour like this little fellow who reminded me of Winnie the Pooh getting stuck after eating too much honey

or this sight that I saw in camel pose at yoga (It's like a mouse solarium)

the rodents have really worn out their welcome. It's not as if I have woken up with a mouse nibbling on my face like a local woman or caught 200 mice every night like some people. The mice have had a rather unexpected effect on our girls.

I was horrified to learn earlier this year that a chicken will eat a mouse if given the opportunity. If that mouse has eaten enough poison then the chicken is likely to feel 'unwell'. And so one by one the chooks have been struck down. Pop the ducken remains suspiciously unscathed and puzzled by his sudden rise up the pecking order.

a relaxing evening out

2011-06-27T03:03:00.000-07:00

On the Sunday night we went to the club for a Chinese meal. Yes, you guessed it. Prawn toast, spring rolls, sizzling steak and honey prawns, chow mein. Ah, country Chinese food. But before then we had a bit of a wait. It seemed like everyone else in Junee was there for a feed as well. Luckily I had textas for Jack and Scarlett

and Chels had a friend.

When the textas get dull, you can always play with Mum's phone.

bouncing cousins

2011-06-27T03:01:00.000-07:00

Part of Jack and Scarlett's quality cousin time was spent on the trampoline...

...just like last time

Visitors!

2011-06-27T02:34:00.000-07:00

On the June long weekend we had some visitors. We met them at the airport with a sign that Jack and I made. They met us with a ricotta cake from Haberfield (bliss!).

My brother came for a visit with the fam aka Aunty Loulou, Chels and Scarlett. In preparation I visited Smiggle to stock up on art supplies and a late birthday pressie for Chels. I bought these fab liquid chalk pens. Just the thing for writing on cement and glass. And some other craft bits and pieces.

wrong cupcake

2011-06-27T01:38:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday night I went out to dinner and the movies with friends. Such fun! Afterwards we decided to go to Uneke (not a typo) for coffee or hot chocolate as it turned out. I could not help but check out the desserts. And then I saw this cupcake. WTF? And I'm not talking about the price.

I sent a pic to Lorraine, how could I not and she told me that she has seen the molds for them here.Is it just me or is a blue sleeping baby on a cupcake completely wrong?

Cake Pops!

2011-06-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday it was Professor Pant's (aka Jeannie) birthday. I wanted to make her something yummy for a work morning tea but couldn't decide what and then I saw a pic of cake pops and I knew they were perfect. I had seen cakepops on bakerella's blog. Hers are fabulously detailed and very impressive. I was going for something simpler. While I say simpler it did seem to be a long process as I baked cakes, then blitzed them in the blender, added frosting, formed them into balls, 'sticked' them, froze them

nude pops!

and then dipped them in melted chocolate and sprinkles. The dipping was tricky as the chocolate (and I use that term loosely) was quite thick especially after I added the pink colouring. Quite a few pops dropped off into the chocolate or fell apart so I put those aside for us to sample later.

discards - yum

I think I finally got the hang of them by the time I dipped the last four.

freezer pops

Jeans was very excited though so it was worth the effort. The pops were accompanied by honey joys and rice bubble slice and cupcakes. A festival of sugar!

more bermagui

2011-06-08T23:19:00.001-07:00

For all of us shivering away (although today has been beautifully sunny) here are some pics from Bermagui. The wetsuit is still getting a workout at Jack's swimming lessons in the slightly underheated Junee pool.

artwork

2011-06-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

Jack's drawing has really come along in the past few months. I can totally see what he is drawing.
And like his mother, he is a fool for art supplies and loves nothing better than some new paper and a purple texta (except maybe chocolate). Here are some recent drawings.

Humpty Dumpty (looks nervous doesn't he?)

an elephant

a pig

a bear (please note the scary teeth grrr!)

Scarlett (on left) and Jack

and this is um..well...a clock apparently....

supacalacalorific!

2011-06-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

A little while ago I read about these biscuits called Pillow Cookies on Bakerella. They look so unassuming until you realise that the choc chip biscuit is hiding a chocolate brownie. And yes, Bakerella is American. I mentioned them to a friend and she made me promise that I would make them for her birthday. In my defence I have to say I had been doing lots of baking. I made a birthday cake for a friend's daughter, then made two kinds of cupcakes and brownies for a fundraising morning tea. So when it came to making the pillow biscuits I didn't look up the recipe online. I just used a recipe for choc chip biscuits that I happened to have nearby. I moulded what seemed to be extravagant amounts of dough around each brownie and baked them. Due to their size I only manged to make about eight biscuits out of a recipe that usually makes at least twenty biscuits. I checked on their progress as they baked and was dismayed to find something resembling a cowpat instead of gently domed biscuits. They still tasted okay though and the birthday girl was very happy.

nigella's chocolate brownies

the evil (but oh so tasty) marriage of biscuit and brownie

ready to go in the oven - they may look normal
but are actually each the size of a tennis ball

ta-da cowpat biscuits

bermagui

2011-04-28T01:47:00.000-07:00

It's absolutely freezing here at the moment and hard to imagine it was only a month or so ago that we were swimming at Bermagui. Actually S and Jack swam, they had wetsuits. I just paddled a bit.

the blue pool - too cold even with wetsuits

catch up

2011-04-28T01:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's nice to get away from it all and just dag around and relax. I certainly thought that would be the case in Bermagui but we just kept running into people. Luckily they were nice ones so it was okay and we had a good catch up.

I knew beforehand that my friend Annabel would be down there (thanks FB) and arranged to meet at the beach. I'm not sure but I think the last time I saw Annabel was at a writer's festival when an ex boss gushingly greeted me with a "Hi Kate!" much to our amusement.
So lovely to catch up however briefly with the lovely Annabel and so glad she introduced us to Cuttagee.

gelati

2011-04-28T01:42:00.000-07:00

chai gelato (behind) and honey and ginger (front)

When we arrived in Bermagui I breathed a huge sigh of relief. There was the fisherman's co-op of course (fresh fish squeeee!) but there was also a patisserie and a gelati 'clinic'.
We soon became regular visitors and I got to agonise over which flavours I should put together.
This gelato is the real thing, no pretend flavours and every time we went there were new flavours to chose from (not that Jack noticed as he either went with chocolate or stracciatella - choc chip).
I tried nocciola (hazelnut), stracciatella, guinness chocolate, chili chocolate, chocolate, chai and my favourite honey and ginger which was amazing. This was over a week mind you, not just in one sitting. I'm disappointed that I didn't get to try the rhubarb - such a beautiful colour.
We are all looking forward to going back to try more.

Go Fish!

2011-04-28T01:40:00.000-07:00

For some reason it came as a surprise to me that the library would be shut on the Saturday of the Easter weekend (meaning I didn't have to work). With all those days off in a row I suggested to S that maybe we should go away. He didn't seem too enthusiastic and so it was a lovely surprise when he called to say we were going away and that we were going to Bermagui (on the south Coast of NSW). S already had a wetsuit and he promptly ordered one for Jack. I know I eat lots of cake but I wasn't sure I could rely on my reserves to keep me warm.
Anyway S was also keen on getting Jack a fishing rod. I wasn't so sure - my childhood fishing adventures had been abject failures but we went to the shop and Jack selected his own rod and was jumping out of his skin as we got sinkers and bait and hooks.

We went to a spot at Cuttagee that my friend Annabel had shown us that was perfect. Within no time we'd all caught our own little fish which we promptly released (after Jack kissed them goodbye).

party!

2011-03-20T17:03:00.001-07:00

For Jack's party we decided to keep things simple. Barbecue, cake and party games. For some reason I kept thinking about the doughnut game where you tie doughnuts to a clothesline and kids have to try to eat them - without using their hands. There was a whole lot of cheating going on but it was very funny.

We also did pass the parcel with the most enormous parcel (every child gets a prize, though not always the right prize)

and pin the badge on the puppy (ow!)

and a hilarious game where the kids had to let go of blown up balloons and try to get them in a bucket. much harder than you think except for Jack who held onto his balloon as it deflated then dropped it in the bucket!

teddy racers!

It was a pretty successful party even with the birthday boy getting a touch tired and emotional and putting himself to bed at one stage. He also had a teary when someone beat him to the punch blowing out his candles. We relit the candles for take 2 and everyone was happy.

take 1

uh-oh!

take 2 - success

opening presents - so many presents!

Jack's new preschool friends Torah and Tyler

cake!

2011-03-20T16:26:00.000-07:00

I made a whole lot of cakes last week. One for daycare, one for preschool and one for Jack's birthday party. Initially Jack wanted a Peppa Pig cake, then it changed to a Lightning MacQueen cake then a Buzz Lightyear cake. I was worried. Thank goodness for ebay. While S was away for work I found myself looking at things called edible cake toppers at midnight. I ordered a Toy Story one and some smaller ones for cupcakes then crossed my fingers that they would arrive in time.
For daycare I made a Cars cake, but I cheated and used small cars to re-enact a race scene from the movie. And cacti made out of white chocolate I tinted green.

For preschool the cake toppers still hadn't arrived (starting to feel nervous) so I made a Fire Engine Cake from the new AWW birthday cake cookbook. It was a big hit though next time I need to put 25 oreo wheels on so every kid gets one. No one seemed to have any food colouring sensitivities which was lucky as there was another birthday cake that day and it was bright green.
That night Diane made a tennis racquet cake for Jack. We were very impressed with her use of a Terry chocolate orange as the ball. Jack stated that he had eaten enough cake and didn't want any. There was a shocked pause until Jack rallied and decided he could fit some in after all.

The edible cake topper turned up the next day so on the day of Jack's party all I had to do was pop it on top of the icing. It looked pretty fab especially with the purple icing (Jack's fav colour).

All the kids clamoured for a bit of Buzz or Woody and it was a big hit. That night though I heard Jack having a little cry. He was sad because we had eaten Buzz and Woody. I told him that I had saved him some of Woody and Buzz for the next day and strangely this made him feel better.

treasure hunt

2011-03-09T19:14:00.000-08:00

Jack talks about Mollymook quite often. What's not to love about a beach, lots of fish and chips and quality time with your cousins. One of the things we did (my mum's idea) was to have a treasure hunt on the beach.

While we distracted Jack and Scarlett by popping bluebottles with a plastic spade, Mum snuck off into the dunes to bury the loot. After she gave the signal, we consulted a map and then made towards the treasure - where towards means zigzagged to and fro across the beach with us saying, "ooh I think I see pirate footprints over there!"
Jack and Scarlett and Chelsea dug up the 'treasure chest' and were very excited by their loot. Pirates seem to have gone declasse and moved into less traditional forms of treasure but no one seemed to mind.

Coming to an art gallery near you....

2011-03-08T14:18:00.000-08:00

Jack's paintings are really coming along. At the moment he seems to be working on a series called the Mollymook series, inpsired by our chrismas holiday.

mollymook 3

There's lots going on but I think you can see what it is even without my arrows, but then I am biased.

mollymook - the sea

He is also doing a series on tractors including these two which I also think are pretty good.

He painted this just after we got a new seeder (it is that colour too) last year.

And this is a more recent tractor (with eyes!).

Pancake day II

2011-03-07T01:32:00.000-08:00

When I posted about pancake day a couple of weeks ago I had the day wrong. I have been accused of making the mistake on purpose so I can eat more pancakes. Sadly this is not true as I need very little reason to eat pancakes or pikelets.
Happily the correct day for pancake day (or shrove Tuesday) this year is also International Women's Day. As I will be again taking pikelets to work I thought I should celebrate both days together.
I am a fan of the ABC series The Librarians. Some of the people I work with are not fans, not because they are insulted but because they think it is not funny enough. I can sort of see what they mean, funny things do go on. For example, we have a customer who brings us gifts and beauty advice. Like using haemorrhoid cream to firm up the skin around your eyes. Last year she also presented some of the staff (the female ones that she likes) with chocolate boobs. So, inspired by her I have made pikelet boobs for morning tea tomorrow. It took some experimentation with shape and nipples but I think I got there.

But why do I keep thinking of Elle?

the tin hare

2011-03-07T01:30:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was the Rhythm and Rail Festival in Junee. There were markets, chocolate and licorice festivities and rides on a train called the Tin Hare. There was also a concert called the Wind in the Roundhouse, which we didn't go to for fear of giggling inappropriately. S & Jack were going to go on the Tin Hare on Saturday while I was at work but we all decided to go together on the Sunday. After a very healthful breakfast of croissants and pain au chocolat we boarded the train for our trip to Wagga. The carriage wasn't very crowded so Jack chatted away to our fellow passengers.He also got to go into the engine room and press the horn. The trip back was much more crowded and entertaining in another way. A mother was asking us for parenting advice. We must have looked like we had things soooooooo under control. We did manage to avoid Teddy going out the window.

The Tin Hare at Wagga Station

Pressing the horn

Minibreak part 2 Canberra

2011-02-24T15:38:00.000-08:00

After lunch at Grazing we drove into Kingston where we were staying. I had booked an apartment right across the road from Silo bakery so we could go there to purchase bread and various other baked goods and have breakfast. Sadly they are not open on Mondays (due to a previous disappointment I already knew they were closed on Sundays.)
We walked to the Kingston bus markets and and purchased some tea and handmade pasta and then decided that we should make the most of our freedom and go to the movies. The choice of movie was a no brainer (True Grit) and so we had an early dinner at Madam Woo (across the road from our apartment, then walked to Manuka for the movies.

our dining companions at Madam Woo

salt and pepper calamari

The next morning after a brief, puzzling excursion to a direct shopping outlet in search of shoes for S, we went to the National Gallery to see the Ballet Russe exhibition. Let's just say that I was a touch more excited than S but he was very patient even while I looked in not one but two of the gallery gift shops (they just have such good stuff).
The exhibition was amazing, the fabrics and colours were so striking. If you want to read about it go here. In the meantime here are some photos. One of the amazing things about the costumes is that the NGA own them. They were purchased at an auction in the 1970's for 3000 pounds and some still have make up marks and signs of wear. Below is my favourite (the Squid!).

The exhibition is on until the 20th March. Definitely worth a trip and make sure you go on any day but Sunday or Monday so you can also go to Silo.

Pancake day!

2011-02-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Every year I seem to remember Pancake day the day after. Which is sad. I still remember my mum cooking pancakes that we ate hot with lemon and sugar. This year I remembered a week early and decided that pancakes or at least pikelets should be on the menu. We arranged that I would bring gingerbread pikelets with caramel sauce to work and Amy brought along buttermilk and gluten free ones with blueberries and coconut cream. In the lead up I thought I should practise so I made some apple and cinnamon pancakes, adapting a recipe from Belinda Jeffery's new cookbook, the Country Cookbook, which is marvellous like all of her books. I have had trouble with pancakes/pikelets before being too rubbery but these were fluffy and delicious, especially when hot from the pan.
I know pancake day has come and gone but any day can be pikelet day!

Belinda Jeffery's Blueberry Pikelets
Ingredients
1 Cup SR flour
1/2 tsp bicarb
1/4 tsp salt
2 T caster sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
20g unsalted butter melted and cooled plus extra for cooking
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or essence
2/3 cup blueberries fresh or frozen - I replaced this with a grated apple and some cinnamon. You could also use grated pear or whatever takes your fancy.
Tip flour, bicarb, sugar and salt into a medium sized bowl and whisk for 40seconds so they are well mixed.
In a separate bowl or jug, whisk the egg with the buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in liquid ingredients. Whisk into a smoothish batter. Leave to sit for a few minutes then stir in berries or fruit.
Heat a large non stick frying pan over low heat. Melt some butter in the pan and then spread with paper towel.
Drop dessert spoonfuls of mixture into the pan. Cook them gently for about 3 minutes or until bubbles appear on top surface. Flip over and cook for a further 2 minutes.
When cooked place on a plate and cover with foil until ready to eat.

Bruce and Kevin

2011-02-24T15:19:00.001-08:00

Anyone reading my Gundaroo post below may wonder who Bruce and Kevin are and why I know what their wee smells like. Bruce and Kevin (they came with the names) are our steers. Cattle are so expensive at the moment, as are sheep, so we thought we'd start with these two. They are becoming quite tame (is this a good idea?) and yesterday licked Jack's hand (everyone was very brave). They also like to stand quite near the house and moo and do smelly wees. Thanks to the dung beetles the 'pats' are not such a problem!

minibreak part 1 Gundaroo

2011-02-23T21:42:00.001-08:00

Grazing

I am a planner and a maker of lists. In fact if we are going away my favourite thing is to plan eating opportunities and then write them down. On Sunday S and I went to Canberra for the night and I had it all worked out. Lunch at Grazing at Gundaroo, dinner somewhere in Kingston or Manuka, breakfast at Silo bakery then lunch at Chairman and Yip (or as my brother calls it the Ghost and Mrs Mao). If I had a chance to but foods at the Kingston bus markets or chocolate at Koko Black I would be ecstatic.

I rang and made a booking at Grazing. We could only get in at 12 and we had to sit outside. As storms were forecast I asked if we would be undercover. Yes, we would be but we could not sit inside on any condition. We arrived just before twelve and were guided through a maze of rooms (it reminded me of the layout of our old house) and seated...inside. Hmmm. We looked over the menu. I saw the words assiette and tomatoes (Grazing have their own fruit and veg gardens at the rear of the restaurant) and looked no further. I wish I had because S ordered the raviolo which was delicious.

raviolo with pumpkin and herbs

There was a lot going on on my plate and it was nice but not great.

assiette of tomatoes

I had suggested that we go with the local wine by the glass options with our meals. Mine turned out to be okay but the wine that S got was as he described it (to the waitress) a bit rubbish. It had a breathtaking aroma of steer urine (And thanks to Bruce and Kevin I am all to familiar with that smell). S checked with the waitress if it was supposed to taste like that (a bit rubbish) or if it was off and she confirmed that it was. She luckily had a good sense of humour and later confided that she thought it was a bit rubbish too. I guess the tip off should have been that it was from a Vineyard called Capital Hill whose wines were called the senator, the frontbencher or the whip. What is with canberrans and these names - remember there was that restaurant called Fringe Benefits?
For our mains I ordered the Chicken pie with pancetta and green olives but got meal envy again when S had the sirloin with cafe de paris butter and frites. Le sigh. I had just been reading about steak and frites in book called Hundred Foot Journey but my eyes saw pie and my brain stopped functioning.

the pie

My pie was nice but the dominant flavour was not chicken or pancetta or olives but celery.The salad was very simple and very, very good.

The sirloin (because I got to taste it and stole a frite or two) was delicious though S said it wasn't as good as the one he had at our local restaurant Graze.
We finished the meal with a slice of chocolate tart with ground coriander which was very good. Then we took a stroll down the main street, which was pretty quiet just like the local library and literary institute. I wonder who they get for book readings?

February birthdays

2011-02-23T21:32:00.000-08:00

February is a bit lighter on for birthdays. There's Diane, Claire, Nina and Jasper but only one of these required me making a birthday cake or cakes as I decided to do. For Diane's birthday we had Lemon Meringue Cupcakes. I had seen some beautiful ones on Amy's website but my meringue was much more rustic. I somehow managed to have just the right amount of eggs for the cake (I used Garn's lemon cake recipe) and the lemon curd (recipe from CWA preserves cookbook)and the italian meringue on top which was lucky and satisfying. I popped them all on this lovely cake stand that my friend Bly bought us for a wedding present.

Rest and Recuperation

2011-02-10T21:58:00.000-08:00

At times I felt guilty when people were texting asking how we were going with the whooping cough. If we hadn't known what it was we would have thought it was a weird cold indeed but not something worth of quarantine. At the time we still seemed to have plenty of energy to try out Jack's new slide (thanks Ganma) which is very fancy indeed. We just have to do something about making the ground softer here. And Jack needs to work on his sliding technique (the bit where he moves rather than me grabbing him by the wrists and flinging him down the slide).
Weeks after I wrote the above, we are still coughing and are less underwhelmed by whooping cough. And it seems that Junee is in the grips of an epidemic of whooping cough. Please make sure that you are vaccinated.

January Birthdays

2011-02-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

We had a few birthdays in January but due to recent events they were pretty low key affairs. Of course even a low key birthday must have a cake with candles as far as Jack and his cousin Lily are concerned. My friend Elise made mini bunting ('just like a fete' Jack declared) which looked cute with these cupcakes.

And we had a chocolate cake for Noel's birthday (made fresh that day as the birthday boy prefers). He didn't get much of a chance to blow out the candles.

A local cafe did this when I blurted out it was my birthday. The year before they put alcohol in my juice. And this little fairy had a fourth birthday and a fairy party which we couldn't attend due to our being under house arrest. But then Craig couldn't go either due to a broken ankle. Fairy grottoes are notoriously tricky to negotiate with a walking frame.

craftapalooza

2011-02-10T20:45:00.000-08:00

One of the consequences of whooping cough quarantine is that you need to find lots of things to entertain yourself or your three year old son. In January we did a serious amount of craft. And too much baking. And a fair amount of fort building too (though really I just wanted to put this pic in because someone took extra cuteness medicine on the day this photo was taken).

Dino painting I

Dino painting I I

gingerbread using our fancy new cutters from Milton near Mollymook

I think the oven may have been to hot - singed mermaid - ick

robot craft

glass hippo (I made one of these when I was little - loved it!)

smartie biscuits - yum

such concentration

painting

rocket craft - not very aerodynamic but lots of panache!

Gung Hei Fat Choy!

2011-02-02T21:45:00.000-08:00

As we had a less than fantastic start to the year, we are starting again today with the Chinese New Year. Hope the Year of the Rabbit treats us better than 2011 (which I 'finished' by reversing over a tree stump and getting stuck). Gung Hei Fat Choy! or as they say in Vietnam Chuc Mung Namoi!

And so

2011-02-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

life goes on as it inexorably does, even though we have all felt as if we are standing still (and surely being quarantined for whooping cough for two weeks does not help). Grief is a funny thing. It doesn't do this but is more like this or as some might say, you have good days and bad days. As you may have noticed the blog has recently ground to a halt. I haven't had the heart and was also concerned about Andrew's death and my post about him being superseded by our everyday stuff. But then that is life and Andrew really enjoyed the blog (especially when he was in Sydney or Melbourne and wasn't getting his regular dose of family). So very soon I will post lots of photos and stories about what we've been doing (doing craft and eating too much cake - some things never change).

Andrew

2011-01-05T01:36:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday night Simon’s brother Andrew suffered a fatal asthma attack. He was only 34 years old. As his service approaches many people have made contact to offer their condolences and tell us of their intention of coming. It is becoming apparent the large number of people Andrew knew and the lasting impression he made on them.

Andrew was many things, but beige and unforgettable was not one of them. He was cheeky, impulsive, generous and loving. His largesse when it came to gifts was well known, as was his erratic cash flow. He was reckless, with a short fuse (reputed to be inherited from a particular uncle) and did not suffer fools gladly. If he called you big fella or buddy you were okay. If he was unimpressed with you, you would be left in no doubt of the fact.

He loved his Connies, shorts and cardigans and trademark retro shirts or dark bonds t-shirts. His hair, with all its crazy Diffey/Levett curls was instantly recognisable. With those genes there was no way he was ever going to have straight hair. He had the ability to look straight down the lens of the camera while other people looked in the wrong direction or squinted. He was one of those people who always took a ‘good picture’.

Simon introduced me to Andrew when we were at uni. He flirted with me briefly using his blue eyes and long lashes to great effect – at that early stage he’d been an accomplished and compulsive flirt for years. Then he turned his attention to the enormous plate of tuna sushi that he had made which we only ate a fraction of. Over the years I learned that this was the way that Andrew cooked, with lots of enthusiasm and in large quantities. He loved food and loved to cook for his family and friends. At Mudgeegong he had made his own spit to roast lamb and other beasts on and had grand plans for building a brick oven out of a dunny.

Once when he visited he made what was to become a signature dish, exohiko, a greek dish that is made from roasted lamb, vegetables and haloumi. It was delicious but also enough to feed five families. In typical Andrew style the recipe starts with the ingredients “Take three lambs…” It was catering on a grand scale and delicious of course. Andrew, never an early riser (and would give anyone who woke him an earful dressed only in boxer shorts and a look of incandescent fury) eschewed breakfast, instead saving his appetite for dinner, the main event when he would pile his plate high with food and devour it with a satisfied air, accompanied by compliments and groans of pleasure.

Whenever he visited us on holidays, instead of resting he would work on whatever needed to be done, stripping wallpaper, mowing, cleaning with gusto that was impressive and exhausting to watch. At parties he was the one always manning the barbie or playing with the kids.

To us, Andrew really came into his own as an uncle. As a brother to Simon and a brother in law to myself he was always generous and loyal. As an uncle he was awesome and I know that the relationship between Jack and his Uncle Andy was very special. Andrew loved spending time with Jack and bought him the things that every cool dude should own, the first of many pairs of converse sneakers, cool clothes and he always threatened the purchase of Jack’s first motorbike. He would spend hours playing patiently with him, building houses out of duplo or driving the tractor.

And Jack adored his Uncle Andy and loved cuddling him in spite of the ‘scratchies’ he grew when he returned to the farm. It was a game as Andrew would rub his whiskers on Jack’s face and Jack would squirm and squeal with delight.

When he was working in Sydney and Melbourne Andrew hung out for new photos of Jack and his visits to the farm were highly anticipated by both Jack and Andrew. I know that Andrew’s move to the farm brought him so much happiness being closer to his family and the farm that he loved so much.

He embraced country life with enthusiasm that was typically Andrew. Taking up welding, making new friends and acquiring a gun to eradicate rabbits, foxes and feral cats. In the last few weeks of his life he helped family friends with their harvest. At Mudgeegong he drove the tractor, nagged Noel about climbing the silo and looking after himself and worked on any number of projects, including the coolest tractor letterbox you’ve ever seen, even if it did have only three wheels.

They say that children should never predecease their parents, what a tragedy it is. And whoever they are, they happen to be right. But neither should a child be deprived of a loving Uncle like Andrew. We will all miss him.

To make a donation to the asthma foundation please go here.

wikileaks

2010-12-23T11:52:00.000-08:00

no, no political comments today just this funny cartoon by Cathy Wilcox...

Santa photo

2010-12-21T19:39:00.001-08:00

Renee, my very talented friend (she is a fabulous photographer and has a knack for finding great furniture in dusty antique shops and Vinnies and is very entertaining) delivered some photos today. Some are from the photos that she took of Scarlett and Jack last October.
The others were Santa photos and I think they are great. She was so patient as she coerced Jack from his prone position on the floor (I don't want to go near him!) to standing in front of Santa to standing at his side. We decided that sitting on Santa's lap was not essential. No need to push our luck! And here it is. I think it's a cracker, especially compared with this one.

morning tea

2010-12-21T19:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we had our last birthday morning tea for the year. I thought I'd go with something light for Jen's birthday and then I made this instead. Nigella's chocolate fudge cake. I had a small (ish) slice and needed a good liedown afterwards. Couldn't though as the library patrons tend to find this odd.

phew!

2010-12-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

We are celebrating Diffmas tonight and Diane asked me to bring dessert. I hope she wasn't hoping for Christmas pudding or cake (all those dead flies!) because we've gone with a gingerbread house.

Going on past experience this may seem foolish and I don't want to get ahead of myself until we actually get the house there, but I think this one is much sturdier. I hired a new engineer and used a silicone mould (or is it mold?) and it seems like a much more solid structure. But then nothing is perfect and I realised after I had iced the roof in place that I had forgotten to remove the mug that was used to stabilise the walls while they set. oops! Let's hope the roof doesn't collapse with the weight of all that chocolate. And I know that Jack is blurry - that's from all the sugar ingested doing quality control.

ummm?

2010-12-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

You only need to be distracted for a moment and Jack can wreak 100 kinds of havoc or just decide that maybe the furniture needed some clothes. No, I don't understand it either. Do you think it will catch on?

Ganma's gala concert weekend

2010-12-15T20:24:00.000-08:00

Recently my Mum (aka Ganma) flew down for a weekend of festivities. Initially it was just for Jack's first ballet concert performance but then it turned out his preschool concert was on the night before. Dad (aka Nonno) was also due to come but was unable to because of his back surgery - ouch!
Parents were asked to bring a plate and for children to be dressed in red or green (Santa hats were supplied on the night). Due to a delay Mum missed the performances of the Wonky Donkey, The Gruffalo song and Go Santa Go by the Wiggles. Some would suggest (unfairly) that it was a lucky escape as it was not Jack's finest hour (he spent almost one whole song facing the opposite direction) but it was fun and rather gorgeous. Parents were of course madly filming (including myself) but the sound and picture quality would be enough to give David Stratton a migraine.
After the singing it was time for the food or the free for all. It was certainly like a swarm of locusts descending on a myriad of foods in rainbow hues that had nothing to do with Mother Nature. I was pleased to see that the gingerbread trees and stars that Jack and I made

were quickly demolished (by adults and kids).

Jack saw someone doing this trick with cheezels and thought it was the best idea in the world.

In the midst of the feeding frenzy Ganma arrived (her plane had been delayed) and Jack took some quick portraits.

Then Santa made an appearance but Jack could not be convinced to go anywhere near him.

As he was giving out lollies we didn't mind, seeing that Jack had already eaten half his bodyweight in sweets. We bade preschool goodnight.

The next day, due to the planets aligning or possibly Wagga being built on a floodplain I didn't have to work because work was flooded so I got to play instead. We had morning tea at Ajanta in Coolamon and then Mum and I went to the licorice factory for lunch. Jack, obviously suffering from pre-performance jitters was rather 'temperamental'. We got through the day and gathered his costume and accoutrements and made our way to the hall.
When we got there Mum and I dressed Jack and were shooed away by a woman who assured us that he would be fine (I thought that my rotor blades were tucked out of sight).

We then queued to get into the hall. And the performance? Adorable, gorgeous and funny (though whenever we tittered the people in front glared at us - they were very tut-tut). As no cameras were allowed I don't have photos but I am hoping to get the DVD and maybe with some jiggerypokery will be able to put Jack's dance on YouTube (shhh - don't tell anyone). We heard lots of people whisper "look there's a boy!" and I was pleased and worried (that I might get in trouble) when I waved at Jack and he waved back.
After a signal we snuck out (more disapproving whispering) and collected Jack. Well, we had to spring him out really. The door was locked tight and the guardian was not pleased at his and some fellow dancers early removal. I think Jack was not exactly thrilled either as he seemed to be doing a marvellous job at chatting up an older, very pretty girl (yeah, I'm going to the beach for Christmas - what are you doing?). We escaped from the glares and frowns to pick up our retro feast of spring rolls, honey prawns and chicken and cashew nuts for our post dance celebration.
Jack and Ganma, still on a high, played their favourite game which involves poking each other with a feather duster and making a ppppppwt! noise. Hours of fun to be had and now Jack has a little feather duster of his own.

On Ganma's last day we went to the Grower's Markets and then had lovely french bread with scrambled eggs from the girls. Mum still had a while before her flight but with the flood waters rising and the risk of road closure (and an extended stay in Junee) she hotfooted it to the airport.

the crappiest gingerbread house ever

2010-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure what I was thinking at 7am this morning when I decided to make a gingerbread house and take it to playgroup at 10am. Probably something like, "gawd I'm tired and would love to go back to bed," or perhaps "a gingerbread house in two and a half hours - easy".
I believe that's what they call hubris or maybe stupidity.
As it turned out I managed to assemble the house (as long as it was propped up).

On the way a wall fell down but I was confident that I could fix that. As we arrived at playgroup the whole house collapsed in on itself like a black hole and Jack started to cry (it was a very sad sight). And so I walked into playgroup for the christmas party carrying this...

On the upside Jack got his face painted , but didn't want to pose for a photo.

Santa turned up in sandals (it's hot today)

and Jack scored a present...

storm event

2010-12-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

view from gobba bridge

water, water everywhere...

more rain to come?

hallway leading to the art gallery

the pipe pumping water out of the lagoon into the river to avoid another
'storm event' - hope the diameter of the pipe is smaller than a duck

Jen gets the last bit of wet carpet

just in case we get more rain (as forecast)

the new location of the records department - oh dear

Yesterday I went back to work for the first day since the library flooded last week. Luckily not all the sodden carpet had been removed and I was able to rip some up.

wet underlay + inside bra = disgusting

In fact yesterday was my first glimpse of the flood waters. It was pretty impressive. For a moment I thought I was driving towards the ocean with the sun glinting off the water. Traffic moved very slowly indeed as everyone rubbernecked at the swollen waters of the Murrumbidgee (including us).
The library, besides smelling a bit dank was in pretty good shape (although people have been doing lots of clean up work since last thursday). Luckily someone was not far away on the night that the 'storm event' occurred and most books on the bottom shelf were saved. Unfortunately Christmas storytime had to be cancelled and the library is temporarily shut. Some people are quite understanding about this, though they keep on returning books in spite of being asked not to. Others are indignant about the closure. There's something about a public library that inspires a sense of ownership and privilege that sometimes morphs into outrage.
I had a feeling that yesterday was a day for cake so I made Jackie's rhubarb cake. As Amy would say,"it's not a day for a sliver" and that's probably why we had custard too.

pooped! pulling up carpet is hard

rehearsal

2010-11-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

As Jack's ballet concert fast approaches, it seems like we are attending rehearsals every second day. Last Sunday was the dress rehearsal and I would like to say it was organised chaos but that might be an exaggeration (the organised bit, not the chaos bit). We got to the hall right on time because I am a little bit afraid of being told off by Jack's teacher. Then we waited and waited and waited for the 'baby' ballet troupe to go on stage. Girls wearing lots of makeup (a little too JonBenet for my liking) and gowns and ugg boots, flounced around and fought over wings. Jack got some glitter in his hair (nice) and acquired some wings and edged ever so slowly towards the stage. We were also given a long list of rules for this weekend (the concert!) including no cameras to be allowed at the concert. But what about the blog I felt like moaning. So I snuck in a few pics while the teacher was distracted.

As it looks like Dad won't be able to make it this weekend I will be purchasing the DVD for him instead.

waiting

still waiting

any moment now

it's hard work being a fairy

the big fella

2010-11-28T20:29:00.000-08:00

dino lights-dinomite!

We tried. We really did but we just didn't quite make it to December before the tree went up. Considering they've been up in some shops since August I suppose we aren't doing that badly. So yesterday, even though it is still November and I cannot locate all the decorations, we put up teh tree. Jack was SOOOOOO excited. Can you tell?

Everytime we ask him what he wants he always answers Shark waterslide. He saw one in a catalogue months ago. His answer never ever changes. What are we to do? I have managed to get a message from Mr C where he mentions a scooter (and listening to his parents). Do you think this will work? If you want to see the message it is below.

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/guest/gevqcLck3lbiZZRxmwpQ6g

stories

2010-11-23T19:18:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights (for some) of dining at our house is that people are requested (meaning they have no choice) to read a story or two to Jack before bedtime. When Scarlett was here she and Jack both chose stories and we all got a turn. Stories a plenty. As first cab off the rank S held them in thrall with his delivery of Cat in the Hat.

By the time they got to me (lucky last) their attention was wandering (because it couldn't have been my technique surely?)

Sorry mum - know that's not the best pic but your expression says it all.

cousins continued

2010-11-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

It seems like it was months ago that Scarlett visited, when really it was only about a month ago.
Scarlett came to visit with my parents while hers were in China. Jack and Scarlett don't see each other all the time but they just click when they do. They were virtually inseparable while she was here. Even when Craig and Lou called to say hello she handed the phone to Ganma and said, "You be Scarlett." and sat down next to Jack. We were having a family photo done at the time so we scored an extra family member for that one.

woody and jessie

Most of teh photographs were of Jack and Scarlett and taken by my friend Renee. Later Scarlett confided to my Mum, "We enjoyed running away from that photographer lady"

sydney sprint

2010-11-22T01:27:00.001-08:00

On Thursday I flew up to Sydney for a lightning visit. Mainly to see my Dad who was undergoing surgery.

Unfortunately for him he was unable to use his ticket to see the Berlin Philarmoniker performing at the Opera House on Friday night so I got to go in his place. To say I was excited was an understatement. There'd been a buzz on the radio for weeks about the Berlin Phil and its conductor Sir Simon Rattle. I'd even thought about entering a competition to win tickets but thought that was silly seeing as I had to work and the Berlin Phil would not be performing in Wagga.

On Thursday afternoon I met my brother at town hall station for a lightning tour of the new Westfield, Abbeys bookshop and a mini cupcake or two.

We went to a Vietnamese restaurant called Trans for dinner where we ate amongst other things, a delectable prawn curry served in the shell of a young coconut. I finished off the meal with one of my all time favourite desserts, black sticky rice and it was so very good.

The next morning Mum and I visited Dad (who looked very sore indeed) and took him some flowers and a picture or two to cheer him up. After some retail therapy and a nap we put our glad rags on and made our way to Aria for dinner. We had a great table just made for people watching. Mum opined that couples seem to grow alike and we saw some fine examples. We also saw some fine examples of food with the amuse-bouche
(a minty pea soup with prosciutto and yoghurt),

scallops for Mum

and beetroot for me,

a tarte tatin of eschallots for Mum and Salmon for me and I was unable to resist the custard tart with poached pears and gingerbread ice cream.

Mum was unable to resist trying to scoop the last of the truffles into her serviette then into her handbag to take to Dad the next day. Unfortunately a waiter appeared out of nowhere just at that moment and suggested that perhaps madam would like the truffles in a box?

Which of course set us off on a round of giggles. Garn (whose birthday it was) would've been proud, though she probably wouldn't have got caught.

On arrival at the concert hall we purchased a programme and a CD for Dad. (almost as good as the real thing?). The stage was decked out in glorious flowers and the crowd was abuzz. The music was glorious.

Even though some of the pieces weren't quite my thing (I'm so old school you could dip my pigtails in an inkwell) I was still impressed by the creative use of percussion (a gigantic hammer and sheets of tinfoil) and the appearance of a composer. A rare occurrence indeed.
The vibe at interval was festive as ladies chatted as they queued for the loo. One woman said to me (about Simon Rattle) "He's such a spunk!" and tittered. I'm not sure about that but he does have a certain something, particularly his ability to conduct a whole orchestra with one raised eyebrow.
The last piece was a symphony by Brahms that was just beautiful and followed by rapturous applause and an encore piece from The Nutcracker. Apparently so unfashionable but I loved it all the same. And so too does spunky Sir Simon. You could just tell.
After the applause finally stopped and I was told very firmly that I was not allowed to photograph the flowers (not even the peonies) we retired for the evening. The next morning I got up early and made my way to mascot with my hand luggage and a ricotta cake from Haberfield for everyone at work (and S) and flew home (or to the library anyway). Thanks Mum for the wonderful dinner and concert. Hope you're feeling better soon Dad.

The view from Aria was certainly better than the view from Quay that night...

going....

going...

gone.

return of the artiste...

2010-11-22T00:56:00.000-08:00

While Jack continues his prolific output of drawings and piantings he has also tried his hand at another art form. Photography. Here are some examples....

nuts & bolts

blue woody

blind

coupling

tah

no place like home (ruby slippers)

Watchout Annie, Bill and Max. Here comes Jack.

Ouch!

2010-11-22T00:51:00.000-08:00

We are now down to 1 duck and 2 chooks. One of the chooks was just never quite right. She had a gimpy comb that never grew, an extra long beak, she never laid eggs and all of a sudden she started to limp and the she developed quite a noticeable list to starboard. I moved her away from the other birds in case her gimpiness was contagious and expected that she would expire almost immediately. It would seem though that living in a box in our laundry and being fed through a dropper was to her liking and so she malingered for quite a while until S could stand it no longer. When I asked him what he was going to tell Jack he replied that he would say, "Daddy had to euthanise the chicken. I guessed correctly that he only wanted to say this so that Jack would use the word euthanise at preschool.
The remaining poultry continue to do well. They lay eggs and in return receive extravagant praise and a variety of scraps provided not only by us but by workmates (thanks Sarah & Jen) and even the local school canteen. Recently I went to collect the eggs and found this enormous offering (pictured next to a normal egg). As Amy pointed out you can even see the line half way down where the chicken has paused to say, No, that's it I can't do it. Ouch.

More facepainting

2010-11-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

It would seem that being a superhero would be enough for any three and a half year old, but not for Jack. We went to the farmers markets this morning (I was there for the french bread and the veggie man - Jack was there for the dancing pigs).

When we saw Kelly and Renee doing face painting Jack wanted it done again. This time he wanted to be a fish. Hmmm - he always seems to choose the tricky ones. He was pleased with the results and decided to celebrate with a milkshake at the Thomas cafe.

Once there we were joined by Spiderman, aka Jack's friend Flynn. He too was very pleased with his face. (that's a special scary face that he's making for the camera).

And as for the dancing pigs? We saw them when they arrived but somehow missed the dancing.

fairs, fetes and facepainting

2010-11-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we went to a spring fair at a local school. Luckily I had taken out a loan before we got there. There was a ferris wheel, a jumping castle, a cake stall and pony rides and more. Like last time we just had to go on the ferris wheel and I mean we. Jack didn't want to go on it without me, though as I bumped my head and squished into the seat I was aware it was not really built for people over three feet high.

"It's quite high Mum"

After our ride Jack caught a duck and won a prize (not a real duck) then decided to get his face painted. When Kelly asked him what he wanted he said a chicken, much to her consternation. We managed to talk him into getting a superhero mask in purple (his colour du jour).

Who is that masked man?

I think it ended up looking a bit like a butterfly but he was pleased nonetheless. He also decorated a cupcake (which was a very serious business indeed).

The icing (purple of course)

Time for sprinkles

After that we decided to look at the ponies. Normally that is as close as we get ,for even though Jack tells me he wants to buy a horse, when it comes to hopping onto one he is hesitant (and who could blame him?). I think seeing his friend William (who is totally fearless) on a pony certainly helped to persuade him that he should give it a go. After some creative queueing he selected his pony and after a donning a helmet was placed onto the saddle.

Adjusting the stirrups

giddyup

The woman looking after Jack (and the pony) was great. Quietly spoken and patient, I could hear her talking to Jack as they walked around so that eventually he wasn't so scared and he started to relax and enjoy himself.

how could you resist these edible masterpieces?

After purchasing some cupcakes it was time to go (all our funds were depleted) much to Jack's dismay. I had to remind him that tears would make his mask run, which seemed to do the trick. Sort of.

Cup runneth over

2010-11-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of working on Cup Day is looking at the Cup day fashions on the internet (during a break) and having a giggle. Not at the super chic race day clobber but the wacky stuff. There's always a CUB or two sporting something out of the ordinary. Like...

Is it just me or does 'our Jen' look like Minnie mouse?

Brynne and Jeffrey - yellow is soooo his colour

the full package - wonder if their reg grundy's match?

lessons learned from living in the country

2010-11-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

A friend recently acquired a poddy lamb. Her son (who is three) made her look him in the eye and promise they would not be eating the lamb and that they would be giving it a name.

You should never name the animals you plan on eating. And in retrospect you shouldn't name a duck after a beloved children's book and then buy that book only to have that animal die on you.
Yes, sadly Ping died recently. As you may know I am firmly pro duck so I was actually devastated. We don't know why (though people have suggested some interesting theories but we decided against a PM) but he will be missed. Even S who has always liked the chickens better agreed that Ping had a whole lot of personality. He was probably glad that Ping would not be pooing on the verandah anymore.
I wasn't sure whether to whisk Ping away and tell Jack he'd 'gone on holidays' (which is very Chicken Run) or to tell him he had died. S and I decided to tell Jack. We dug a hole, said goodbye and placed Ping in the hole. Jack picked some flowers and put them in and we covered Ping up. I was worried that Jack would be upset (where upset means scarred for life) but he seems to have taken it in his stride. He tells people "Ping died" then proudly shows them where we buried him.
I guess the arrival of two goldfish on the day of Ping's demise probably helped. And yes, they do have names (we certainly aren't going to eat them). Dorothy and Nemo.

Cup Day!

2010-11-02T14:41:00.000-07:00

and they're off!

Every year when the Melbourne Cup rolls around I am invariably working so I have never been trackside with a fascinator and a glass of bubbles. Except of course when I was on maternity leave after Jack was born but somehow I don't think that's a good look taking a baby to the races (after too many bubbles have been imbibed).

As Carol said, "A tiara is not a hat" and neither is a mask.
What a shame I think it's grrrreat

Carol

Years ago I visited Lincraft and purchased the makings of a raceday hat and it has been in service ever since. Dusted off and donned every first Tuesday of November. It's starting to moult. And of course yesterday I was working at the library and not only wore the hat but frocked up as well. I also convinced my fellow library people to don hats (some but not all). We had nibblies and sweet treats and gathered at three for 'the race that stops the nation' clutching our sweep tickets. The race was over in no time and we went back to shelving, collecting our winnings (woohoo $4 for me)and dealing with the general public.

Kelly with her sweep tickets

People react in funny ways to a gal in a hat. One man told me I looked like Gai Waterhouse (a compliment apparently*) and another customer saw my hat and said, "Oh it must be Melbourne Cup Day!" When I looked surprised and said, "is it?" to wind him up he was really phased. So much so that he had to comment about it to other staff. One of whom replied, "yes imagine the odds of not knowing it's Melbourne Cup day and wearing a hat". Indeed.

*Jack told me I looked "handsome" when I put my dress on and gave me a cuddle. Lovely really but why does the word handsome always remind me of Margaret Whitlam?

Family portrait by Jack

2010-10-24T17:54:00.001-07:00

cousin time country style

2010-10-05T02:17:00.000-07:00

We were concerned that Scarlett would be disappointed by the lack of a pig at our place. Apparently she was sure we had one living in our shed. We did briefly toy with the idea (and not just for her but also for the bacon) but the proposed porcine living quarters were too close to the house (And if you've smelt pig poo you would know that you would want some distance). We shouldn't have worried though because she seemed quite happy with the wildlife on offer. One enormous white dog,

three chickens (plus eggs)

and two ducks.

waiting...

2010-10-05T02:12:00.000-07:00

Besides waiting for an egg to appear, more chocolate cake and waiting for the potatoes to grow, last week Jack was waiting for his cousin Scarlett to arrive.We hadn't told him about the visit too soon because time is a relatively elastic concept for a three year old. As it was by the time last Saturday arrived Jack was positively bursting out of his skin and insisted on sitting by the window to wait.Who said a watched kettle never boils (or in his case a watched driveway)?

tada!

2010-10-04T03:35:00.001-07:00

I didn't want to put any pressure on the hens, but where were the eggs?* I had taken to asking the head girl when this would happen (and no she could not come in the house to hang out with S).
On Friday morning we had a lovely surprise when we found this in a nesting box.

S seemed to think it was a tad on the small side but I reminded him that it was early days yet which I may have expressed along the lines of, "well you try and push something like that out your cloaca (not that he has one but you get the idea). I apologised to the BFH (big fat hen) and gave her some lovely grain.
*just to assure you that I will be blogging about the humans and not just poultry.

Ping gets a friend

2010-09-22T21:40:00.000-07:00

I couldn't get a definite answer about whether ducks get lonely or not. People were usually too busy laughing at me. Anyway I found out that one of Ping's siblings was available so Jack and I got another box and went and picked up Pop (Jack's choice of name). Of course my mother suggested we should call the new duck Pong and S didn't even get a look in. Actually he just came home and found that instead of one duck we now have two. That's two very happy ducks.

pods, jude and books galore

2010-09-20T03:37:00.000-07:00

mark dapin and I in the pod

Last tuesday and wednesday at the library we had an outdoor reading room. Well we would have if the weather hadn't been so inclement. So the reading room got moved inside. At 9am on Tuesday morning it looked fab and all we needed was the people.

the reading room ready for readers

Why have a reading room at the library? It's part of a campaign that is run every year to promote literacy in Australia. It was called Books Alive and is now called G et Reading and there's a free booklet that is produced with '50 books that you can't put down'. This always creates some interest/heated discussion amongst readers about the choices, but I'm still not sure if it hooks the non readers. You can also get a free book if you buy one of the fifty and this year they started doing outdoor reading rooms starting in Sydney, Brisvegas and um...Wagga.

the lovely Amy - so clever to match her shoes to the pod

They had bookshelves with the books as well as groovy chairs (love the pod chairs) tables and throw rugs. It's a great idea but sadly not many people turned up (come on people of wagga get off your substantial asses and do something).

some of the books - vampires featured prominently (sigh)

Even an appearance by Judy Nunn, author and actress, failed to attract many people, though one woman upon hearing her on the local ABC (also broadcasting from the reading room) ran the whole way from her house. I'm hoping it was close but am not sure - she was very puffed and just panted at Judy and waved one of her books at her to sign. Judy was very patient, doing interviews on air and posing for photos. Then after our can can lineup photo she took off for another author event.

my t-shirt: get hooked - Amy's get fresh - luckily we didn't score the get comfy one

Even though we didn't get as many members of the public as we would have liked staff made good use of the facilities and the free coffee (mmm...chai).

Jeannie using the RR - pretty sure Barry the Fish with
Fingers was not one of the fifty books but maybe it should be

you can lead a duck to water...

2010-09-20T03:11:00.001-07:00

For anyone worried about Ping's wellbeing, she is fine. She still has all her feathers (because apparently this pecking order stuff can be full on) and even when we let her and the girls out to free range she tends to stick pretty close to them. I'm not sure if she has learnt to speak chicken or if they can speak duck but things are relatively peaceful. Well, except for yesterday when a friend of Jack's pushed a truck at high speed whilst yelling at the top of his lungs (and they are impressive lungs - he gets lots of volume) straight at Ping.

Today she had a quieter day. Sort of. Jack and I filled his clam shell then Jack said he would catch Ping and put her in the water.

Wait! Ping!

come back!

Ping!

Not very successful - ducks (and chickens can walk surprisingly fast). While this doesn't look very relaxing for our birds it's progress for Jack who used to run screaming from the girls if they even poked their heads out the door of their henhouse.
Today I made a sponge cake using duck eggs (not Ping's she's still a tad young I think) and leftover whipped cream and some of Diane's apricot jam. It will be morning tea tomorrow at work. I hope I get a piece this time!

a new addition

2010-09-16T00:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at playgroup someone casually asked if we would like a duck (mmm...a l'orange? Peking? confit?) and after running it by S Jack and I said yes. We went to the shops and got a box and then picked up our new friend. Jack wanted me to drive with her on my lap but I'm glad I didn't. Duck's do very smelly poos.
I was concerned about how she would integrate with the girls. I distracted them with lots of lovely scraps then opened the box. The fattest of the girls immediately flew at her and pecked away in a most inhospitable fashion. I was unsure what to do, especially as Jack was watching and looking worried so I yelled, "Bad Chicken! Bad Chicken!" and flapped my arms which did the trick. Well actually all the chickens and the duck stopped and looked at me as if to say,"what's she on about?" Then there was a bit more pecking and such. I was worried that the duck might not last long but when I went back a little while later an uneasy truce had been declared.
And so we have named her. Well, I call her Ping which she responds to but S is still pushing for Daffy (please!). We haven't named the chickens because they are well, chickens and are just known as the girls. Apparently duck eggs are very good for sponge cakes.

flood

2010-09-14T03:36:00.000-07:00

It's been raining so much this winter. Great deluges of rain and then last week it seemed to only rain a little bit and there was water everywhere. Actually where we are (on top of a hill) wasn't too bad but the Murrumbidgee in Wagga (built on a floodplain) was the highest I have ever seen it. Not Benalla high but impressive enough. Cars were stopped all along the roadside near the river so obviously lots of other people hadn't seen it that high either. Jack and I detoured for a few photos when the novelty wore off.

the chop

2010-09-14T03:22:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Jack had his photos taken at preschool so last Wednesday I booked him in for a haircut. He was pretty excited (though let's be honest more about morning tea afterwards than the actual cut) and was very good at first.

Then he got a bit fidgety,

and itchy from the hair and then he looked like this.

And all I could do was laugh and then I took him for the promised morning tea and he was much happier. He was actually very good. Apparently some kids run screaming from the room as soon as they see the scissors. Maybe they shouldn't have nightmare on elm street playing on the DVD player at the salon. (haha).
Sorry the pics are a bit foggy - they looked much better after I cleaned Jack sized fingerprints off the camera lens.

sewing

2010-09-05T15:42:00.002-07:00

'Jack and Justine'

I've been doing some sewing again recently. Most of my stash is packed away in storage (still) but I managed to keep a few bits and pieces aside in case I felt the need to whip up an owl or a doll. The professor (Jeans) is starting work at the library today so I made her a little owl to make her new desk more welcoming and added a monster drawing from Jack. Jack liked her owl so much he asked me to make him one so I did. For one day they played together till I cruelly separated them taking 'Jack' to the library and leaving 'Justine' behind. (Jack named them).

Jack's new friends

The other thing I made was an Olive doll or another Olive (Jack already has one). Olive II is for Miss Evie, the beautiful daughter of a friend who recently had a christening.

I made Evie some red Mary Jane booties with ladybug buttons so I gave some to Olive too. S told me he thought she looked good (Olive that is) except for a mild case of encephalitis and she does indeed have a wonky head. That just shows that she's handmade or unique or something.

Snot Block

2010-09-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

There's a place in Victoria called Ouyen where they have an annual Vanilla Slice day. Apparently judging is an onerous task as by the end of the day many snot blocks as they are known have been consumed and may not be consumed again for a long while. Maybe about a year.

We don't have a vanilla slice day here, we don't even have a silo kick competition like Mirool though there was talk of erecting a Ray Warren Statue (sigh). We do however now have a grower's market once a month which is tres exciting. I've gone all french because the french baker (who does make french bread but also happens to be french) is there and I make sure I stock up on bread and croissants. Lately his range has expanded (like my waist measurements) to include tarts and yesterday there were some delectable Mille feuille aka Vanilla Slice, though no one would ever dare to call it a snot block.

Jack and I polished one off last night, with Jack eating the icing component and me tidying up what remained (ahhh custard or should I say creme patissiere).

The french baker is also making these little brioche men and Jack was very excited about his, particularly the head.

the zoo

2010-09-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

As soon as Jack knew we were going to Sydney he kept on saying that he wanted to do two things: eat pizza and go to the Zoo. For weeks he made me draw a map showing how we would get from Ganma and Nonno's house to the zoo and specifying our mode of transport. Luckily they live in the same suburb so it wasn't a large map.

Quick Ganma! To the Zoomobile!

Mum and I had discussed just seeing certain animals and seeing the rest another time but we saw the whole lot. Lions, tigers and bears (oh my) as well as gorillas, seals, elephants, meerkats, goats, chickens, turkeys, frogs, lizards, penguins and well you get the idea.

hello down there (don't you just love goats?)

your Highness?

the elephants

and a Fennec Fox (don't tell Paris how adorable
they are she'll want one for her handbag)

The southern oceans animals are always a big hit with Jack (although the seal show despite some preshow excitement was not nearly as fascinating as expected). Actually while I was taking photos of these sea lions playing/fighting/canoodling Jack put on a song and dance show of his own on some very stage like steps.

sea lion ballet ( you may need to enlarge it)

a fairy penguin

the mermaid enclosure

there's a ring in in that police line up

We walked, caught the train and the sky safari which was timed brilliantly so that we got an aerial view of the elephants playing soccer. Jack and Mum were very brave as we took off up into the sky.

We paused for lunch, which was very civilised in spite of some tourists being terrorised by kookaburras and lorikeets (no really). At one stage Jack took off buzzing around in circles yelling out, "Dottywot!SpottyWot!" When my mum looked puzzled by this behaviour I explained that Jack was pretending to be a WotWot. This didn't really make things clearer but it certainly wore him out.

Every time we thought we'd had enough Jack would beg to see another fifteen animals or so and we'd be off again. Finally we staggered back stopping to pick up a cupcake for Jack before our Nana naps.

For anyone who doesn't know what a wotwot is look here

Blast off!

2010-08-30T03:15:00.000-07:00

a rocket so big even the birds are scared

As well as doing lots of gardening, cooking and eating pumpkin scones, Jack and I made some rockets yesterday. We were inspired by Charlie from Charlie and Lola who makes a very impressive rocket only to have Lola break it seconds later. Ours was not as impressive as Charlie's but Jack was still very happy.
Which reminds me of a conversation Jack and I had a while ago.
Jack: I'm going to go in my rocket to the moon.
Me: Really? Who else is going?
J: You and Daddy and William (a friend)....
M: Who else? What about .....?
J: Oh no - he did a poo in his pants.
Harsh, but I guess a rocket is a very confined space.

spuds

2010-08-30T02:59:00.000-07:00

bloomin' marvellous

Following the success of his potato crop a couple of years ago (although you'd think all those potatoes as Rothamsted would've put us off for life), S ordered a mixed lot of seed potatoes from Diggers. We didn't get exactly the same kinds as last time which is a shame because the Ruby lou were very good, but surely a potato variety called lustre will be outstanding? S cleared some nettles and weeds and geraniums (they are everywhere here) and he and Jack did some planting. Jack insisted on delivering the spuds in the ute which slowed things down considerably.

So now we have spuds, assorted herbs, a pear tree (a double grafted beurre bosc - william planted on a very rainy day) and strawberries. What else do we need? Did someone say tomatoes and basil? Hello Summer!

bok bok bok

2010-08-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

the girls

I've had a hankering to own some chickens for a long time now. There was a chook shed in situ when we bought our old place but it looked like Josef Fritzel built it so we demolished it. Then there was the chook tractor that never quite got completed. It was dome made out of white pvc pipe and chickenwire and blue twine. We left that behind. I was pleased when we moved here that there was a spot for chooks that looked ready to go. Well I thought it just needed a bit of work. Apparently it needed lots of work according to S, but he and Andrew set to work and in no time it was looking ship shape and foxyloxy proof (the most important part). Now all we needed was the chickens.

before

after

A friend who was ordering some, kindly got extras for me then minded them until we were ready. Today they arrived, looking a bit stressed, especially when Lucky starting bouncing around on the other side of the wire.

S has just checked on them and they are sitting up on their roosts asleep already. Jack liked the idea of them but seems to find them alarming in the flesh, but we are hoping he will come round. What's not to like?

Preschool

2010-08-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

Jack's version of a cheesy grin

Our local preschool is harder to get into than Studio 54. You have to have your name on the list and even then that's no guarantee you'll get in. Sometimes it's all about who you know so I wasn't above using a Mosman connection but no dice. At least I wasn't as desperate as some people who lie about their (kid's) age to get in.
As Jack's third birthday approached I started talking to him about going and he was excited. Then he couldn't get in so things went quiet on that front. Then about a week ago we got the call saying a place had come up. Maisy goes to Preschool reappeared at storytime and we started talking it up big time. On Monday he packed his bag so he would be ready for preschool on Friday. It contained one Woody doll and one yoghurt. After reading the list of things Jack would need to take I thought he could do with a bigger bag.

I'm trying to smile but this bag is really heavy

ON Wednesday Jack and I went shopping at Jeannie's shop and Jack chose a pirate bag with matching drink bottle. He was so excited that he took it to Mudgeegong to show Diane and they filled it with the following food for Friday:
1 chocolate freddo
1 bertie beetle
2 melting moments
2 saladas with peanut butter
1 apple
3 marshmallows
Jack was thrilled (understandably) but I had a feeling that most of those items would not pass muster with the preschool powers that be. Using the negotiation skills worthy of a UN delegate I managed to persuade him that some of the things couldn't go. As I suspected the peanut butter and chocolates were verboten.
So this morning in his lunch box he had:
1 banana
1 apple
4 (yes 4) corn thingies with Vegemite
the melting moments
1 yoghurt and that was just for morning tea.
He's very hungry at the moment

No wonder his bag looks so heavy. It's all that food.
I was worried there may be tears (his or mine) but we both coped admirably well. Jack had some friends that were there already to show him around and give him hugs (too many hugs he later told me). He went straight to the esky where the drinks are kept to put his drink (they showed him that yesterday) and then he was off. No tears just a quick kiss and that was it. Phew!

Afterwards we went to the Railway cafe for lunch with a few of his friends to celebrate. In retrospect maybe not the best idea but we've learnt that lesson now.
He'll just spend the next couple of days eating what's left in his lunchbox.

I wouldn't normally send him to preschool in a Woody costume (even though that was what he had settled on last Monday) but today was yellow day for daffodil day and it was the only yellow thing he had. He couldn't have been more pleased.

S is quietly excited about Jack's first day

Red Lantern

2010-08-24T03:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we went on a bit of a food adventure to Sydney (try as I might to get excited a roast beef and gravy roll at the wagga marketplace is just not cutting it). As Monday was S's birthday my parents offered to mind Jack so we could go on a hot date. I asked S where he would like to go and he said Red Lantern, which is a Vietnamese resturant in surry hills well known because of its good food, but also because it has produced two cookbooks and one of the owners/chefs did a DVD about eating and travelling through Vietnam. And it's where Callum and Adam and all those masterchef peoples partied on after the final episode.
I booked online, which is so easy for those with phone issues like myself, but our time was not available. I was offered 6pm or 9.30pm. As the parents of a 3 year old who regularly dine at 6 and are ready to hit the hay at 10pm it was not hard picking a time.
The resturant was smaller than I expected, the staff were fabulous (patiently answering many questions about goat, galangal and rice paddy herb) and the food was very good indeed.

My entree of char grilled beef and lemongrass wrapped in betel leaves was smoky and delicious, but the best meal of the night was the goat curry. Apparently it's a speciality and it was tasty and meltingly tender. The crispy skinned chicken that I chose, while nice was just not in the same league.

After all that and feeling absolutely full up to dolly's wax we still managed to share a desset platter. Even though I am not a fan of the 'hot banana' I made an exception for the tapioca pudding with bananas and the banana fritters. I could eat a plateful right now.

the artiste (an update)

2010-08-24T02:49:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I reported on Jack's artistic endeavours, well about a year and a half and that's a bit slack. It's not that there's been nothing to show because his output is impressive - he's a prolific artiste. Lately we've noticed a change in his drawings and sometimes we are pretty impressed by what he produces. He does some pretty good rainbow work and recently he did this spider (or maybe centipede) which we think is rather good (but then we are biased).

And he also drew this face.

new house

2010-08-22T21:14:00.001-07:00

Jack's room

And finally here are some pics of our our new place. We literally moved just up the road (like people who move in Mosman). I used to drive past this house all the time and admire it and now I drive past our old house instead which is weird but okay (this house is ALOT warmer).

the house

the view

After living in an old schoolhouse we decided to go for something much more modern (1907) and smaller. The layout is much better (no one gets lost trying to find the toilet) and I love the old stove in the kitchen. We just need to cap the chimney before we get a visit from a possum. And we need to order the kitchen cupboards. A civilised kitchen at last. I can't wait.

dress ups

2010-08-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Jack gets in touch with his inner tiger

I may have mentioned previously overhearing a little girl leaving our house after a play date saying," and they didn't even have a dress up box!" with such disapproval in her voice that I felt ashamed.
My brother has done his best to remedy this situation supplying Jack with a fireman's outfit and a Woody costume. For awhile they languished in Jack's dress up box until recently when something in his mind clicked and all of a sudden it was dress up a gogo.

Edna?

It is interesting to note that the Woody costume has a holster but no gun. When he asked me what it was for I told him that it's where you keep your banana as a cowboy always carries fresh fruit. Jack thought this a good idea and carried a banana (somewhat bruised) in his holster at all times. Except he called it his Woody fruit. Ahem.

a new sheriff rides into town

A fireman/woody combo - sounds like a reject from the village people

the all singing all dancing fireman - surely a life on the stage awaits?

He also has a fab purple tutu that I bought for him after he asked for one. Inspired by a pug who does ballet in a gorgeous book called "dogs don't do ballet" I wrote a review of the book here.

crop

2010-08-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's a nice sunny day here which is lucky because I have a tonne of washing and apparently it is going to rain all week. Sigh. Luckily I have my technologically advanced clothesline. Fabulous isn't it and totally adjustable.

The thing is it's probably very 'unaustralian' to complain about the rain as it's what the farmers want (that's us now). It always seems that no matter how much rain you get it's usually not enough or too much or it's at the wrong time and will make the weeds grow. I think this season though we've had the most rain for years. There were pics in the Herald yesterday of beaming farmers standing in front of their crops. A very rare sight indeed.
And what of our crop? The oats jumped out of the ground and then the galahs set about eating them. They didn't get all of them though, but the locusts should finish them off nicely.

and we're back

2010-08-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

I may have mentioned having technical difficulties and promising to be back soon. That didn't quite eventuate (although here I am). When we moved we decided to forgo landlines and be purely mobidicular. Ha to you telstra with your pricey line rental and bad service. We both purchased new phones with special features. Mine has a whizz bang camera and Internet connection so I can post those pics on my blog. Well that's the idea anyway.
It is only now weeks after receiving the phone that I have had a breakthrough of sorts. Well I can finally access several months of photos anyway. So there will be lots of pics (of Jack) at last - like this one - yes we keep him in a box now - we find it much easier.

rainmakers

2010-07-18T21:40:00.001-07:00

As some of you may know we are still in drought. Ever since we moved though something funny has been going on. S has been sowing and every time he finishes a paddock it pours with rain. I'm thinking that it's down to him but then it always seems to coincide with me putting washing on my technologically advanced clothesline (pics to follow).

urgent supplies

For anyone who is interested we are sowing oats (a late variety). Jack thinks we are growing oats for porridge (as you can see he's quite involved) but they will be used to make lambs nice and fat. Maybe we should undersow with rosemary?

Farm supervisor arrives on site

tractor picnic

alternative fuel? this tractor powered by chocolate biscuits

I know it looks clear and sunny in these photos, but hours later it was pouring with rain. The gumboots have been getting a real workout.

stove

2010-07-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

One of the things I was worried about when we were selling our old house (besides whether we actually would sell it) was about leaving my stove behind. After five or so years of cooking together, my smeg and I were a team, but S and I decided that the stove would be a 'selling point' in an otherwise revolting kitchen (green!). To cheer me up S suggested that I do some research for our new one and then did most of the research himself. There was a stove here when we moved in but we decided we may need something more modern.

We have however decided to keep the wood fired stove for heating and maybe a loaf or two. wood fired stove - there is a floor there now

We found some amazing stoves on offer and some of them were very expensive. We decided against an Ilve after reading some rather funny stories (not funny for the people whose oven caught fire) on forums. I thought the Bosch looked weird and I wouldn't contemplate a St George because of their taste in spokespersons. In the end we chose a Blanco and it is wonderful. Even better than my last stove, which funnily enough the new people weren't that fussed about. Apparently they bought the house because they liked a tree in the front yard. Wish we'd known that earlier.

first batch of scones from our new oven (lemonade scones!)

lamb

2010-07-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

I noticed recently a rather fab Sydney restaurant had Junee lamb on the menu. We've got some in the freezer courtesy of S's family. Andrew did the honours. Wish he'd taken the foot off before he brought it over.
I can't report on how it tastes yet as it's in the freezer but I'm hoping to slow roast it some day soon. No word from Barry the builder who we gave the leg to, maybe we'll hear when he comes back to install the kitchen cupboards.

Not long after that Jack and I went to the ABC Knit in at Wagga Library. It was bigger than Ben Hur with a crochet hook. The Knit in produces squares and eventually wraps for a charity named wrappedwithlove. Knitters nattered, a brass band from the Kapooka army base was playing, people from the local ABC, Sheep, dogs, a shearer and lots of school kids were all there. Apparently a class from one school was invited and they sent the whole school.

Jack fed the sheep (very brave) then watched the sheep being shorn before heading inside for a lamington (or as Jack calls them Lappingtons). And then another. I was afraid he would consume all the fuel for the knitters so we beat a hasty retreat.

watch this space

2010-06-19T21:47:00.000-07:00

Whoa...my longest absence yet. Did you miss me? do you really feel fonder about me?
We have been crazily busy. We sold our house (after buying a new one with farm) and started packing. Well S did I was in denial or as S suggested I was constipating. Um...pretty sure you mean procrastinating. Either way he was right though. In my classic way I was doing just about anything but packing. I normally bake frequently but I was on a baking frenzy. Was it really necessary to take brownies and a poached pear cake to work (actually with three birthdays it was, perhaps I should have made one more, but I digress). Maybe it was something about not having a designated day to move or a reluctance to leave my stove but I did drag my feet a little. Thankfully at the eleventh hour I started madly throwing items into boxes only stopping for a brief sojourn in sunny (no, really it was) Canberra. I have a million photos to share. The old house, the new house, Jack, Jack and Jack and of course the first thing I baked in my new oven, but first I need to find the cord for the camera. I'm sure I packed it here somewhere.

Gnocchi Gnightmare

2010-05-20T22:08:00.000-07:00

Recently I'd been itching to make gnocchi. It might have started with Masterchef. Then Stefano Manfredi had a recipe in the weekend paper. I bought the right potatoes then used them for something else. This happened a few times till I put my foot down and said, "tonight we shall eat gnocchi!"

I cooked the potatoes and made the gnocchi, boiled the water and just as I was about to cook them I noticed the flame under the pot seemed a little lacklustre. The gas had run out. We use bottles here for gas, and they seem to last a long time. So long that you may be lulled into a false sense of security that they will last forever. They do not.
Before I could utter the words, "I told you this would happen..." S had fired up the barbie (thankfully its bottle was new) and cooked the gnocchi in a rather unothodox manner.
Still the barbecue did the job and we all sat down to a gnocchi dinner. Early the next morning S set off to get a replacemnt bottle of gas.

too much cake

2010-05-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

As it's been getting colder lately we've been eating lots of wintry foods, curries and ragu with lashings of polenta. Warming but my servings meter is out of whack and I'm plating up (thanks masterchef) meals fit for a lumberjack. I guess that would be okay if I hadn't been testing recipes from the new AWW High Tea cookbook.

home made monte carlos

Chocolate macarons

That's meant cake, cake and more cake and when we were over that biscuits. Some have been very successful but some (yes I'm talking to you eclairs)

my midget eclairs

not so much. Jack and S selflessly tested the offerings and gave me feedback. So too did some of the ladies from work who devoured the sponge I made while I was on a desk shift at the library. That is the sponge was consumed while I was on the desk. I did not make it while issuing books. Thankfully the birthday girl Amy for who it was intended, managed to snaffle a slice.
Thank goodness that now I've written that review we can move on to healthier fare. What was it that we had for dinner last night, oh yes roast chicken with pancetta with potatoes cooked in duck fat.

Hoooooooooooooooooooo!

2010-05-20T21:21:00.000-07:00

I love owls. There's something about them that is so captivating. Maybe that's why we had the Owl and the Pussycat as a reading at our wedding. Maybe I just fancy sailing away in a pea green boat. When I saw an owl workshop at the quilt show I attended (was that one or two years ago?) I really wanted to do it. In spite of not being able to book beforehand and turning up really early the classes were full by the time I got there (I'm sure to get over it in another year or two) so I bought the pattern and fabric instead. I wanted to immediately make my owls but life got in the way and the patterns were packed away with a million others until recently. It's amazing what you unearth when you declutter.
So I couldn't resist. I whipped up two little owls for fellow owl fanciers at work. Before I handed them over I made sure I took a pic.I'm tempted to make more in all sizes. Maybe after we move.

oh dear!

2010-05-09T21:46:00.000-07:00

There's a great new(ish) labelling system at the library. Putting the authors initial on the front makes it easy to put away books quickly. Sometimes though the labels cover up some of the words or pictures and sometimes things like this happen. Oops!

Party!

2010-05-09T21:43:00.000-07:00

No, not Jack's party and goodness haven't I been slack with posting on that one? We went to a party yesterday for Jack's friend William. He was turning three and in the definite manner of a three year old decided he wanted a baseball party. Hmmm...small children armed with bats - a recipe for disaster?

I volunteered to make the cake (a baseball cake) which was tricky as there aren't too many baseball related cake thingies (the official term) available. So I improvised. I bought a little German axeman and chopped the end off his axe (Dr Freud! Dr Freud - paging Dr Freud) and whittled away at his pants and voila an old school baseball player. I was going to have two figures on the cake but it started to look crowded.

The cake was a big hit, as was the baseball. All the kids got a souvenir baseball cap (doesn't that put the pressure on the rest of us for future parties)? and raced around on the grass. Well almost all the kids, Jack just wanted to play with William's new toy helicopter.

Then Kelly produced the face paints. Jack asked me to give him a koala face. When I asked why he said "Koalas can do anything!" with such gusto I was convinced (I guess that's where anything means sleep and eat).

Renee gave S a tiger face (little did he realise that Richmond would yet again receive a drubbing) and I got a butterfly.

After the kids (though not Jack - he was still playing with the helicopter) chased a couple of stray dogs and some kangaroos bounced on past it was time to go.

tiny dancer

2010-04-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

A little while ago a friend mentioned dance classes in our local town. As Jack likes to bust a move or two I thought he'd really dig it especially as this class seemed to have all sorts of styles like ballet and hip hop though I'm not sure about krumping.

Yesterday I finally called and the classes were on that afternoon. I was advised to dress him in comfortable dancing clothes like leggings so he wore his groovy mosman Pj's and he kept on running around the house beforehand saying, "My Ballet shoes! My ballet shoes!" As we didn't have any he wore thongs, the local equivalent.

The class turned out to be a ballet class with Miss Liz and Miss Suze (so different from that one lesson I went to with a scary old crone for a teacher when I was little) and he had a ball. I tried to get photos but it was such a blur of activity that this was the best that I could manage.
I asked him if he wanted to keep doing ballet and he said yes, so today I'm off to find some jack sized jiffies.

Treechange anyone?

2010-04-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the pause between posts (actually a month probably falls outside the pause category) but I've been challenging my domestic disability status and whipping our house into shape because we are selling it. And we are selling it because we bought a farm. Just up the road. Goodness.

So it's action stations around here and I'm thinking I should have holsters to carry windex and nifty with me. So here it is - have a look, check it out and hey, why not buy it?

Jack's room (yes the mural comes with the house)

Happy Easter

2010-03-31T23:12:00.000-07:00

Apologies to you all for not posting for awhile. It's crazy busy around here. All shall be revealed soon (and no that does not mean that I am Junee's octomum or anything). We've been baking and buying chocolate for you know what and for you know who. We had a special easter playgroup with an easter hat parade and a sugar fest. These biscuits were a big hit - kids love icing, especially when it's animal shaped.

Happy Birthday Jack!

2010-03-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Jack's third birthday. To say that he was excited was an understatement. I'd been talking it up so much that he could barely sleep the night before and we know what that means - if Jack is awake, everyone is awake. He received numerous musical phone calls to which his response was always a fairly subdued "thank you" (he's not a phone person). And of course there were presents to unwrap and cards to open (not in that order) and we went to playgroup where we ate little chocolate cupcakes that I'd made and everyone sang happy birthday again.

Last night we had a special birthday dinner. I asked him last week what he wanted and he said beans, watermelon and something else that he's not keen on. I chose to disregard his request and we had homemade pizzas followed by chocolate cake - healthy indeed and a big hit with the birthday boy.As I'm going all out making a Shaun the Sheep cake for his party this Saturday I decided to use my horse shaped cake tins (a xmas pressie) to make a horse and foal.

These things never quite work out as I imagine them to but Jack seemed pleased and sadly this morning only one little leg was left. It felt a little Don Corleone slicing up the cake (though I resisted the urge to put a cake horse's head in anyone bed) but this year he wasn't upset. Last year when Diane cut the train I thought he might cry.

Now I'm in prep mode for the party. I've made a gazillion sausage rolls and this afternoon I'm going to fashion some ears out of black fondant.

return of the ute

2010-03-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I was working downstairs at the library. I was so close to the farmers markets I could just about taste them and even closer to the toy library. With only minutes before the toy library shut I dashed in and extracted a ute and a slide and threw money in their direction and ran back to my desk. In spite of what S says I was busy. Then I had to work out how to get everything home in the echo. in the end the slide went in the back and the ute sat upside down on the seat next to me so that every time I turned a corner it fell on me and set off the hazard lights.

Jack was excited to be reunited with the ute and immediately set about giving it a detail with some help from his almost constant companions Gumby and Pokey.

Knickers!

2010-03-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

The other day Jack spent some time with Noel and Diane. Apparently he did this drawing and when Diane asked what it was he said, "Mummy". Sweet huh?
Then he said, "This is her head and her top and her legs (nice and long just how I'd like them to actually be) and these are her knickers around her ankles.
Nice.

porcupine!

2010-03-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

Tuesday did not start well. I lost my mock crock faux vintage handbag, Jack cried when I took him to family day care (though he cries every week when I drop him off - stopping exactly 2.3 seconds after I go) and I left my pink pillbox hat at home. As I was running behind schedule (and that was before I got stuck behind the person driving 20km below the limit and the roadworks) I decided to forget about the hat and forge ahead. I arrived at the library clutching the makings of a porcupine (minus some of the plastic cheese which S had sliced off to put on his sanger) and carrying my handbag which I had found but which broke in the car park. At lunch I purchased a retro platter ($2) to make the most of my porcupine (it had holes drilled in it so someone must have loved it so much they had hung it on their wall) and some sweet treats from another decade.
When I was in the bookshop and we had author events at the library we struggled to get many attendees, sometimes embarrassingly so but over fifty people has rsvp'd for the retro recipes so we rounded up as many chairs as possible and arranged and rearranged and then I prepared to assemble my masterpiece, the porcupine. I wasn't actually sure if this is what it is really called but it seems that it is and I suppose it's rather apt.

work in progress or a sputnik

It does make you wonder who would've thought, "right I've got twenty people coming over for drinks, two jars of red and green pickled onions, tasty cheese, toothpicks and an orange. I know I'll make a porcupine!" Apparently some other versions also had canned pineapple.
After some debate about how it should be put together I created my culinary piece de resistance and it was truly extraordinary. My only problem, how to get the smell of pickled onions off my fingers. Then I touched up my makeup (as all good 50's housewives should) and got to work on the white bread and asparagus rolls and the 'dessert platter'. I'm not sure what was going on back then but surely the prevalence of toothpicks in all forms of food must be the real reason for the depletion of the rainforests and numerous mouth injuries.
The professor arrived and assisted and then it was time for the talks. The room was quite crowded and abuzz with excitement.

Amy, hostess with the mostess, with her apron and pearls
and standing just so (try to ignore the bin behind her)

Amy covered the 50's and 60's with talk of prawn cocktails, party loaves - don't ask - and blancmange (amongst many many exciting food sensations). It was very funny and you could hear the people muttering in agreement as she mentioned things (iceberg! ooh yes. Oh Tripe! Brains cream! mock turtle!). Then Sara from the tafe talked about the 70's which was like a trip through my family's eating habits though no one mentioned fondue related accidents. My father once set fire to a fetching pair of flares when a fondue dinner party went pear shaped.

asparagus and white bread rolls

Then Sara demonstrated Coronation Chicken (originally Jubilee Chicken) which was actually quite tasty with it's celery, mayo, mango chutney and curry powder. There was a stampede for the food and wine (Nanna's love a buffet) and I heard one remark, "oooh there's dessert!" as she eyed off the neenish tarts, iced vovos and lattice biscuits. Not long after I noticed her clutching a tart in a serviette so she didn't miss out.

Dessert (all storebought and yes those tarts are filled with mock cream)

The night was a great success and such fun. It certainly did bring all those memories back (Slices of devon rolled around cold mashed potato which unfortunately is a a more recent memory from fashion forward Junee).

piggy bank

2010-02-28T18:55:00.000-08:00

Keep your mitts off my pig!

Jack has recently acquired a piggy bank and a passbook. He's more excited about the pig, though I'm sure if he could read what his balance is, he'd be quietly chuffed. He hadn't had the piggy bank very long before it was full as he went about the house picking up any loose change that was lying around. He also took on the ownership of the chicken piggy bank and spent lots of time tipping all the coins out and then laboriously putting them back in through the slot.

When we had a free morning we took both PB's into the Bendigo bank in Wagga to make a deposit. We were both a little excited because we knew we'd be using the whizz bang coin counting machine (yes, it doesn't take much to excite us country folk).

Jack stood on a chair and emptied the pig onto the conveyor belt, then pressed the special button that made it all disappear. Then the chicken was also emptied and another button pressed. The machine went to work counting and spitting out all foreign coins and objects (quite a bit of carpet fluff and lucky fur as I found out). We got the receipt

and presented it to the teller who the deposited it in Jack's account. All $54 and twenty cents of it. No wonder those piggy banks were heavy.