Bubbling Beamish Boy 2
If I am to be humiliated by being seen in my bathers, Right Foot is too.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Monday, March 07, 2011
Pillow Talk
We went to buy a pillow for Mere who'll be sleeping in our bunk bed come Thursday. I expected to chose from firm, medium and soft a la the three bears. But no, these days pillows come in side-sleeper, tummy-sleeper and back-sleeper then are subdivided by anti-asthma, anti-dust mite, anti-snore (oh yes!), anti-back pain, anti-neck pain,etc.
Having lost track of my first born's sleeping habits I was paralysed by indecision until I spied one simply labelled 'pillow'. So that's what we got. Poor Mere will probably be so tired after spending the previous night on the plane that she won't be too fussy.
We went to buy a pillow for Mere who'll be sleeping in our bunk bed come Thursday. I expected to chose from firm, medium and soft a la the three bears. But no, these days pillows come in side-sleeper, tummy-sleeper and back-sleeper then are subdivided by anti-asthma, anti-dust mite, anti-snore (oh yes!), anti-back pain, anti-neck pain,etc.
Having lost track of my first born's sleeping habits I was paralysed by indecision until I spied one simply labelled 'pillow'. So that's what we got. Poor Mere will probably be so tired after spending the previous night on the plane that she won't be too fussy.
Monday, February 28, 2011
FebFast Finale
Remember that recruit in ‘An officer and a gentleman’ who endured 11 out of 12 brutal weeks of boot camp then dropped out, thereby forfeiting his career and the girl of his dreams? What can be said about a person like that? And what can be said about a pair of FebFasters who endure almost 4 weeks of lemon, lime and bitters only to fall off the wagon on Feb 27?
Here’s how it happened. Entering commitments into my diary I realised with horror that the Big Day, March 1 coincided with my first online tutorial in Open University this year. I take this at 8pm, after dinner. They’re final year students and many are hotshots. I need to have my wits about me so a tipple is out of the question.
March 2 is banjo night for Right Foot and swimming for me. That’s no time to break our fast – we have to do it together. On March 3 I have my second year students and their online tute. That brings us to Friday March 4, practically an extra week of deprivation. Unthinkable.
So last night we settled in with David Attenborough, tarragon chicken and a glass of de Bortoli’s Best Box. Right Foot was asleep within minutes. I struggled on to the end of Miss Marple. Clearly, I’m a long way off match fitness but, unlike the poor devil in the movie, have not lost my job or my squeeze and the charity will still get its money.
The following is an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of sobriety
Pros
Weight loss
Evenings are longer and much more productive
Sounder sleep at night and freedom from the mid-afternoon slump next day
Cons
I have become boring, smug and sanctimonious
I have lost the will to live
Remember that recruit in ‘An officer and a gentleman’ who endured 11 out of 12 brutal weeks of boot camp then dropped out, thereby forfeiting his career and the girl of his dreams? What can be said about a person like that? And what can be said about a pair of FebFasters who endure almost 4 weeks of lemon, lime and bitters only to fall off the wagon on Feb 27?
Here’s how it happened. Entering commitments into my diary I realised with horror that the Big Day, March 1 coincided with my first online tutorial in Open University this year. I take this at 8pm, after dinner. They’re final year students and many are hotshots. I need to have my wits about me so a tipple is out of the question.
March 2 is banjo night for Right Foot and swimming for me. That’s no time to break our fast – we have to do it together. On March 3 I have my second year students and their online tute. That brings us to Friday March 4, practically an extra week of deprivation. Unthinkable.
So last night we settled in with David Attenborough, tarragon chicken and a glass of de Bortoli’s Best Box. Right Foot was asleep within minutes. I struggled on to the end of Miss Marple. Clearly, I’m a long way off match fitness but, unlike the poor devil in the movie, have not lost my job or my squeeze and the charity will still get its money.
The following is an assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of sobriety
Pros
Weight loss
Evenings are longer and much more productive
Sounder sleep at night and freedom from the mid-afternoon slump next day
Cons
I have become boring, smug and sanctimonious
I have lost the will to live
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
FebFast
Right Foot and I along with our fellow faster, Colleen of Hippo, have reached the half way mark in our month without hooch. Neither of them is especially bothered but I am. The only positive is I do now see the beginning, middle and end of TV programs which came in handy watching Poirot last night.
Another 2 weeks of lemon mineral water is not appealing but I am determined not to weaken. I have a vision of sitting up in bed at 12.01 a.m. on 1st March with a glass of chardy. Yeah!
Right Foot and I along with our fellow faster, Colleen of Hippo, have reached the half way mark in our month without hooch. Neither of them is especially bothered but I am. The only positive is I do now see the beginning, middle and end of TV programs which came in handy watching Poirot last night.
Another 2 weeks of lemon mineral water is not appealing but I am determined not to weaken. I have a vision of sitting up in bed at 12.01 a.m. on 1st March with a glass of chardy. Yeah!
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Monday, February 07, 2011
Cyclone Queens Road
We went to the Como on Friday evening, for a meal, movie and coffee only to come out and find the cyclone had struck. We had to wade through muck up to our fetlocks to get to the car. At home the garage was flooded but fortunately Right's Foot's love of putting everything on castors kept a lot of stuff out of harm's way. Some of the ground floor apartments had water inside and the scene in Queens Road was amazing as these pictures from 'The Age' show.
We went to the Como on Friday evening, for a meal, movie and coffee only to come out and find the cyclone had struck. We had to wade through muck up to our fetlocks to get to the car. At home the garage was flooded but fortunately Right's Foot's love of putting everything on castors kept a lot of stuff out of harm's way. Some of the ground floor apartments had water inside and the scene in Queens Road was amazing as these pictures from 'The Age' show.
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
Febfast
I’ve decided to go on the FebFast and Right Foot has volunteered to keep me company. Twenty-eight days without alcohol. It’s going to be very hard.
On my way home I usually start thinking about my first chardy while waiting at the Glen Iris level crossing observing human nature at its worst. Some drivers would rather see you go under a train than let you into the stream of traffic. That’s when I start to feel like a tipple. Half an hour later I am pottering around the kitchen tossing a stir-fry together, sort of watching the news, chatting with RF and sipping that anticipated glass of de Bortoli. It is so relaxing and I am going to miss it so much.
RF has been Googling ‘non-alcoholic drinks’ and trawling the Thomas Dux catalogue in the hope of finding some pretend wine that looks appealing. No luck so far.
On the plus side I’m expecting not to fall asleep on the sofa by 9.00 and maybe even see the end of TV programs as well as the beginning. We’ll see.
I’ve decided to go on the FebFast and Right Foot has volunteered to keep me company. Twenty-eight days without alcohol. It’s going to be very hard.
On my way home I usually start thinking about my first chardy while waiting at the Glen Iris level crossing observing human nature at its worst. Some drivers would rather see you go under a train than let you into the stream of traffic. That’s when I start to feel like a tipple. Half an hour later I am pottering around the kitchen tossing a stir-fry together, sort of watching the news, chatting with RF and sipping that anticipated glass of de Bortoli. It is so relaxing and I am going to miss it so much.
RF has been Googling ‘non-alcoholic drinks’ and trawling the Thomas Dux catalogue in the hope of finding some pretend wine that looks appealing. No luck so far.
On the plus side I’m expecting not to fall asleep on the sofa by 9.00 and maybe even see the end of TV programs as well as the beginning. We’ll see.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Book Learning
This is the week I’ve been dreading for ages. School’s going back and Mads would have been starting had she still been living in Melbourne. I can just see her in a little check dress toddling off to South Melbourne or Albert Park Primary. But Mads is far away and won’t be going to school until the end of next year. People keep assuring me that she is gaining so much – becoming bilingual and having so many enriching cultural and interpersonal experiences. I know it’s true but it’s hard on a granny for whom Education is God. I’ve been sending lots of educational materials to Germany for a spot of home teaching and Mere has thoughtfully put some clips on Youtube of Mads demonstrating her mastery of them. Particularly impressive is Mads’s excellence at what her mother used to call blussing (as in 1 blus 1 equals 2). Mads’s maternal line is useless at blussing but Matt can blus when he want to. And so can Mads thankfully. A virtual elephant stamp from me to her.
A couple of months ago I blogged about women who excelled at the ‘adoring wife gaze’ and awarded first prize to Nancy Reagan. But I’ve just received a late entry pic from Black Fasha, in a clinch with Ross on the Indian Pacific. You can see how near and dear they are.
This is the week I’ve been dreading for ages. School’s going back and Mads would have been starting had she still been living in Melbourne. I can just see her in a little check dress toddling off to South Melbourne or Albert Park Primary. But Mads is far away and won’t be going to school until the end of next year. People keep assuring me that she is gaining so much – becoming bilingual and having so many enriching cultural and interpersonal experiences. I know it’s true but it’s hard on a granny for whom Education is God. I’ve been sending lots of educational materials to Germany for a spot of home teaching and Mere has thoughtfully put some clips on Youtube of Mads demonstrating her mastery of them. Particularly impressive is Mads’s excellence at what her mother used to call blussing (as in 1 blus 1 equals 2). Mads’s maternal line is useless at blussing but Matt can blus when he want to. And so can Mads thankfully. A virtual elephant stamp from me to her.
A couple of months ago I blogged about women who excelled at the ‘adoring wife gaze’ and awarded first prize to Nancy Reagan. But I’ve just received a late entry pic from Black Fasha, in a clinch with Ross on the Indian Pacific. You can see how near and dear they are.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Strayia Day
After the debacle of the cheese straws at Christmas time it’s taken me a month to get back in the kitchen. Lammies for Astrayia Day was my challenge. They turned out perfectly edible and in fact Rob ate two, but I couldn’t work out how to avoid leaving my thumbprint embedded in each one. Right Foot encouraged me by telling me how his PA, that goddess of many talents, would have balanced them between two chopsticks, leaving nary a trace of human contact.
At the end I was left with a dish of coconut with clumps of chocolate icing which looked alarmingly like a tray of kitty litter. Next year Ferguson Plarre.
Caspie is the first boy child in my life and I am conscious that I need to take him to some bloke stuff. So it was off to see the classic cars in King’s Domain but he was more interested in the baby animals and the other kids around. I can understand that. A car is a car is a car
>
After the debacle of the cheese straws at Christmas time it’s taken me a month to get back in the kitchen. Lammies for Astrayia Day was my challenge. They turned out perfectly edible and in fact Rob ate two, but I couldn’t work out how to avoid leaving my thumbprint embedded in each one. Right Foot encouraged me by telling me how his PA, that goddess of many talents, would have balanced them between two chopsticks, leaving nary a trace of human contact.
At the end I was left with a dish of coconut with clumps of chocolate icing which looked alarmingly like a tray of kitty litter. Next year Ferguson Plarre.
Caspie is the first boy child in my life and I am conscious that I need to take him to some bloke stuff. So it was off to see the classic cars in King’s Domain but he was more interested in the baby animals and the other kids around. I can understand that. A car is a car is a car
>
Friday, January 21, 2011
Memory Lane Take 2 - January 28 update
In response to popular demand from my sentimental rellies here's 4 additional pics from our golden past
Memory Lane
Right Foot has been busily converting slides taken in the 70s to digital format for fear that this will eventually become impossible.
Here is a selection of daughters, their cousins and beaches (Narooma/Dalmeny or possibly Victor Harbor - place your bets) and a classic of RF himself in a spiffing 70s jumper
In response to popular demand from my sentimental rellies here's 4 additional pics from our golden past
Memory Lane
Right Foot has been busily converting slides taken in the 70s to digital format for fear that this will eventually become impossible.
Here is a selection of daughters, their cousins and beaches (Narooma/Dalmeny or possibly Victor Harbor - place your bets) and a classic of RF himself in a spiffing 70s jumper
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Midsumma of the 41st crayfish and the 40th ODI
We had a brilliant weekend celebrating 41 years of wedded bliss. “Songs for nobodies”, the musical play written by Joanna Murray-Smith to showcase the talents of Bernadette Robinson was sensational: Right Foot declared it the best night he had ever spent in the theatre.
We always have a crayfish and a few oysters for our anniversary dinner with a nice bottle of wine (as opposed to the usual De Bortoli In A Box). Excellent.
This weekend was also the 40th anniversary of international 50-over cricket. People turned up to the G in reproduced retro gear. If I’d tried hard enough I could have scared up some originals. To get to the cricket from Fed Square I had to negotiate my way through the Midsumma Festival – dozens of partying good looking men (but all “What a waste!”), giant inflatable penises and lots of unusual goodies on sale.
And we won the cricket! And we caught up with Caspie and Mads. Then finished off the weekend with a very posh box of chocs.
We had a brilliant weekend celebrating 41 years of wedded bliss. “Songs for nobodies”, the musical play written by Joanna Murray-Smith to showcase the talents of Bernadette Robinson was sensational: Right Foot declared it the best night he had ever spent in the theatre.
We always have a crayfish and a few oysters for our anniversary dinner with a nice bottle of wine (as opposed to the usual De Bortoli In A Box). Excellent.
This weekend was also the 40th anniversary of international 50-over cricket. People turned up to the G in reproduced retro gear. If I’d tried hard enough I could have scared up some originals. To get to the cricket from Fed Square I had to negotiate my way through the Midsumma Festival – dozens of partying good looking men (but all “What a waste!”), giant inflatable penises and lots of unusual goodies on sale.
And we won the cricket! And we caught up with Caspie and Mads. Then finished off the weekend with a very posh box of chocs.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The rare lacy cheesopod sighted in Queens Road
One of our Christmas traditions has been two packets of cheese straws from Patterson’s Cakes. Patterson’s closed their doors forever a few months ago so I decided to step into the breach and make some. This could be my thing – some people are good at gingerbread, some at plum pudding, others at panforte. There was a window of opportunity for a cheese straw maker.
I chose a simple-looking recipe but was a little surprised that it said to cube the cheese rather than grate it. The dough had large cheese lumps in it and I could see it wasn’t going to turn out like Patterson’s but became quite eager to see what I would get.
The answer is a family of cheese and paprika creatures, like stick insects only tastier.
There’s even a set of twins locked in a lattice of oozy cheese.
I started to trim them but Right Foot loyally declared the lace was the best bit so it's staying on. I'm expecting accolades on Christmas Day
One of our Christmas traditions has been two packets of cheese straws from Patterson’s Cakes. Patterson’s closed their doors forever a few months ago so I decided to step into the breach and make some. This could be my thing – some people are good at gingerbread, some at plum pudding, others at panforte. There was a window of opportunity for a cheese straw maker.
I chose a simple-looking recipe but was a little surprised that it said to cube the cheese rather than grate it. The dough had large cheese lumps in it and I could see it wasn’t going to turn out like Patterson’s but became quite eager to see what I would get.
The answer is a family of cheese and paprika creatures, like stick insects only tastier.
There’s even a set of twins locked in a lattice of oozy cheese.
I started to trim them but Right Foot loyally declared the lace was the best bit so it's staying on. I'm expecting accolades on Christmas Day
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)