The red bowl, Easter and a very grown up boy!

We were walking through our local shopping centre today having gone to get a paper. We couldn't believe the sheer volume of people in the complex- I know the shops were closed yesterday, but that was just ridiculous. We got out of there as soon as we could, but did spot a quote that made us chuckle...

My family is a lot like fudge...

Mostly sweet, but sometimes a little nutty as well.

Don't think it gets any more accurate than that! By the way, I do love them all unconditionally, and without reserve. Just probably don't tell them all enough!

MacK came home from 'school' the other day having spent the day making Easter art. Our little boy makes such a cute bunny, don't you think?

 

A wee nostalgia trip for you... When I started cooking in New Zealand in the early 90's, I always did so with a red plastic bowl on my prep bench. I don't know why it started like that, but it got so that the first thing I would put on the bench was my chopping board, followed by the red bowl. When we sold the hotel to move to Australia, one of our long term team (Marie) asked if she could take the red bowl as a memory/keepsake. Anyway, this was one of the (very few...) stories I have told Jane and she has ever since looked for a red plastic bowl for me. Last week we found it. It is a very much upscale version of the one I had for so long, but I now have a red bowl in the kitchen again. Sometimes it is the (silly) little things that really make a difference!

 My Red Bowl!

MacK is growing up so fast. He has cut another two teeth today, so now has ten. He has more on the way, and is developing so fast. He is somewhere between 79 and 81cm tall (wouldn't sit still on the scale), and weighs in at 12.6 kg. With all that growing, it is no wonder he looks as tired as he does below!

 

He of course would say that he isn't tired, just deep in thought!

 And looking very smart in his first pair of shoes

Today was a baking day. I have fed and refreshed Harriett (my 11 year old sourdough starter) so she was raring to go. I was going to only make a wheat sourdough, but decided to make a special treat for Jane as well. Several years ago I played around with and developed a recipe for a chocolate sourdough bread laced with espresso and fruit. The fruit I used today has been soaking in port, brandy and spices since last April, and is just divine. The breads formed a large part of our diet today, and we are quite keen to start a new family Easter tradition. We think that we will forgo the eggs in future in favour of this fantastic sourdough bread. If there is any left, it also makes a wickedly luscious bread and butter pudding too.... Think I might have to make more if I am to prove that to Jane!

 I thought I should take a photo while there was still some left!

 

 MacK likes it too... it was his first chocolate experience, and we think he will be as addicted as his Mum!

 Didn't touch it... Don't know what you're talking about

 One of our sourdough loaves, showing a nice spring, beautiful caramelised chewy crust and the typical gassy air pockets. It is fantastic, but mildly addictive!

 Our loaves, fresh from the oven and still way too hot to eat!

Our cheese... A couple of weeks ago we made a triple cream brie as a first time experiment. See the photographs below for the surface development after three weeks (and also see the comparison of the cheese in size against an iPhone). We can't wait to try it, and will do so next week when Jane's parents are visiting. It looks right, it certainly smells right, so we are hoping that it will (a) have aged enough to be eaten and (b) just be a bloody good cheese!

 

First Birthday Celebrations

April 2nd. MacK's first birthday. Such a beautiful wee boy! The day dawned bright and clear, which is definitely not what it was a year ago, when MacK arrived with the end of the wet season. The year seems to have both flown by, and taken forever at the same time. He has achieved so many milestones, each of which seemed so incredibly important and brilliant at the time. Right now, our wee boy is growing up before our eyes. The daily interactions are getting more pronounced and his personality is really starting to develop.

So, we started the day with some of his presents, and a rush to get organised for the day. During the day I blew up the jumpolene monstrosity (do you ever wonder how some things fit inside the boxes they come in?), and threw in a bag of balls. He had wonderful gifts, which included a lot of books (I think our friends know us well!) and a couple of noisy toys. So, a big thanks to all for your wishes, and we look forward to catching up in the very near future.

We had a dinner with very good friends up here, and finished up with a Wombat cake. 

 Our vanilla butter wombat cake was lovely - no wonder he looks a bit sad!

MacK in the jumpolene. It is inside for now, but not for long!

 

 Jane, MacK and I with a wombat...

 Someone enjoyed his dinner!

 Do you think he liked it???

Thanks again to all for thoughts and well wishes.

It is hard being so far away from family, but the good news for MacK is that he gets to do it all again in a couple of weeks time. Jane's parents and my Mum will be up here, so we will do another birthday afternoon tea for him. We like birthday month celebrations!

Postprandial Perambulations

Postprandial perambulations... a walk after a meal. For almost every night I have been home since MacK was born, I have had to do just that to help him get to sleep. For some reason, he has yet to learn the art of self settling and sleeping easy. I am not sure where (or if) we went wrong in the early days, or if he just needs to keep proving who really is in charge in this household. In any case, I do get a lot of time to walk the streets and reflect as I do so.

I was thinking as we walked the other night about how incredibly lucky we are as a family. We live in the tropics, far from friends and family, and would rather not be here in the long term. Even though we are isolated by the tyranny of distance and employment, we still have wonderful friends and family who keep in touch, and for that we thank you. 

Jane and I are lucky enough to have a blend of diverse and shared interests that are driving our future ambitions. We have a shared philosophy on the type of home and life we want for our children, and are working hard to make it happen.

Whilst out walking, I have had the time and cause to reflect on some of the decisions/incidents/calamities that I have experienced in life to date. As a part of that reflection I have been able to identify causes and issues, and develop learning processes for myself for future success.

And then when I am not involved in self reflection, I mentally perambulate across the farm, and can see the development we want to create. We have been able to bed down some fairly solid plans, and now just need to be a little closer to be able to put them into practice (hopefully 2013).

I think about how fortunate I am to be able to spend the time with MacK out walking, and look forward to the times we can spend together as he grows. It was funny last Saturday though. MacK had a rough night, so Jane didn't get a lot of sleep. I took MacK out a bit after 6:00 am to hit the jungle that was our back yard and left Jane for a well deserved lie-in.

The photos below show him in the middle of helping me! At one point he cleaned out the lawn mower catcher - by climbing inside it. I think he had a lot of fun, and certainly worked hard enough to have a decent sleep a little later on. I just love the look of concentration on his face.