Easter Show 2010

We have made our pilgrimage to the Royal Easter Agricultural Show here in Sydney and spent most of the morning watching the animals. We managed to find healthy food for lunch and lots of samples in the Food Hall. A few showbags later and we headed home for tea. We saw the tallest horse- Noddy- and fell in love with piglets, lambs, alpacas and cattle dog pups. On my list of animals I need to get to know are: chickens, Jersey cows and alpacas (their wool is silky and light.)

Old friends

Last week we had tea with some old Singapore friends. My son and her daughter were at playgroup together from the age of 2- 4 years. Now they are at neighboring schools, both in Form 1. We sat around the kitchen table, eating Portuguese tarts and drinking cups of tea, happily reminiscing.

Karma

I am hoping that I'll have a place in Pet Heaven once I have left this planet- yet again we have opened our home up to another orphan animal- this time a Russian Blue cat who needed a place to chill for a while. She has captured the heart of my husband and therefore has just about sealed her fate. Our other cats have continued to give her the cold shoulder as only cats can and have moved out of the kitchen and onto the front verandah. We can only hope that winter will bring them all back inside. However if another friendlier home appears it may be her Forever Home.........

Slightly emptier nest

Our Number two daughter has left home for University. The house is slightly emptier, but thanks to the other three being well and truly still at home the fridge is still emptying, the washing basket still filling rapidly and there is still a large pile of shoes at the front door.
Now we have two daughters forging ahead along their chosen career paths, the other two not far behind them. We are certainly entering a new phase in parenting.

Memory Lane

We visited the lovely suburb of Belmore last week- Grandma was born there and lived there until she was married. The old house still stands- a grand old dame, Federation style; owned by her father, the local baker. It is truly the best house on the street. Dad and his brothers (all in their 50's) remembered the front porch and the green tiles on the steps, and their grandma's Christmas puddings with sixpences baked in. Now Belmore is Italian/Greek, bursting with coffee shops full of old men, delicatessens selling olives, coffee beans and olive oil. We bought Greek cakes from the baker- cream puffs and a fruity slice. The coffee was dreamy.
We took the photos and a laptop to Grandma's when we visited her at the Retirement Home- she was thrilled to see the house in such good condition, and amazed at the technology too.

Lasagna anyone?

We had eight people for supper- a mix of vegetarians and the just plain hungry. Most of them under 20. Lasagna ticked all the boxes. Eight fitted easily around my new-ish kitchen table; no leftovers. Fruit salad for pudding. No leftovers there either. Lots of washing up.........

New eyes

We have some visitors staying from Hong Kong- friends of one of my daughters. They have visited some of the iconic beaches around town and all the usual sites- Opera House etc. Today we took them on a tour of the south Sydney beaches. The tide was very high and so was the surf- not good for a swim but made good photos. We stopped for coffee at Bronte, fish and chips at La Perouse and an ice cream at Clovelly Kiosk. It is good to see Sydney from another perspective.

Gazpacho!

It's hot, humid and the skies are dark. I don't feel like cooking, but the kids are beginning to circle the kitchen, prowling through the pantry. Check the fridge- we have sourdough, tomatoes and fresh herbs. I feel a Gazpacho coming on!
Chop 6 ripe tomatoes, one cucumber, a handful of olives, add a splash of olive oil, a dribble of balsamic, a handful of both parsley and mint, a little basil, a garlic clove or two.
Grind some black pepper to taste.
Grab the Bamix and whizz.
Pop in the fridge for an hour if you can wait that long.
Serve with warm sourdough and some plain yoghurt to plop on top. Add some ice cubes if it is a really hot day.

New Year's Resolutions

We do not usually try too hard with Resolutions. Most of them are fleeting attempts at self improvement. However this year we are moving into a very busy year so we are all trying to become good flatmates- of the house, of our community and our planet.
Stacking and emptying the dishwasher, cooking family meals, volunteering and supporting local charities, slashing our electricity bill, shortening showers.......watch this space to see how we get on.

Christmas 09

Christmas is a time for Karma: thinking of other people for a change, loving relatives despite their foibles, giving thanks for their love and concern over the last year, watching some of that love flowing back towards you. All mixed up in the guise of eating, drinking and pressie exchanges. It must be fun because we keep coming back for more. This year was a particularly good one for us, with lots of visits from Aunts and Uncles, and a Special Guest Appearance by Grandma.

Alec turns 12!

My youngest child and only son turned 12 today. He spent the day with School friends at Camp, went to the beach for a brisk swim in the surf, then had dinner at his top choice Italian restaurant Bill and Tony's in Darlinghurst. Home for Nigella Lawson's Awesome Brownies as dessert. Then he asked for some antacids! Oh to be twelve again.

Home at Last

After 25 years away from Sydney we have finally returned- via Vietnam and Laos (more later...). Having left Australia with a couple of backpacks, we have re-entered with a 40 foot container, 4 kids, 3 cats and a large dog. We have moved in to a rambling house near the city, found places for the kids in Universities and schools, and a great Job for the MOTH. (Man of the House). The kids a enjoying discovering Sydney, and we are revisiting old haunts and friends, and delighting in new ones. Summer is here and life is good!

Movin' Out

We are sadly leaving Hong Kong for good. We will not see our 'stuff' for several weeks. I am reminded that one can do with so very little- toothbrush, passport, a few clothes and a good book are all you really need.

It is a hot and steamy June in HK. We cooled off last Sunday by spending some time in a Stanley supermarket. Alec took some photos of things that caught his eye.

Busy Hong Kong

Wherever you look in Hong Kong there is colour, traffic, excitement, people, signs- these photos were taken on a Sunday morning as we headed out for dimsum. Imagine what it is like on a monday at peak hour......

Helen has her Ballet exam next week. I went along to get some of those pre-exam, sweaty, adrenaline filled moments on the camera. I think she'll do well in the exam- but I'm biased......

Landmark Birthdays

Here in our house we have celebrated a lot of Big Milestones- two of them being a 16th and an 18th Birthday. Catie turned 18 in March, Helen 16 in May. In between we had two High School Graduations and two formal Balls.
Here are the beautiful Birthday Girls!

I've finally bought myself a laptop!!!!!
I've worked a lot of extra hours as a childbirth teacher and stashed the money away. Once my bills had been paid there was enough left over for my very first, my very own laptop. No more shoving grumpy teenagers off the family computer, no more strange downloads clogging up the works- and if anyone so much as breathes near it they are in trouble- except when I need help!
So here are some photos I took last weekend in HK with my new-ish camera. I feel like a New Woman.

Proud player

Alec's final season with his HK rugby club has come to an end. He was very proud to receive a Special Player Award last weekend for his achievements and commitment.
A huge round of applause..........

24 Hour Sail

Alec joined the sailing club team to sail for 24 hours for charity one weekend in October. All the kids took turn sailing all through the night, from 2pm Saturday to 2pm Sunday. Alec's shifts were 4-6 pm, 9-11 pm and 4-6 am. Tough going especially in the dead of night when the wind died off completely. However he saw the sunrise over the bay, ate a huge breakfast and stayed awake long enough to find his team had won by 4 seconds and collect the prize. We helped raise $30,000 which gave the team a real sense of purpose. Their average age was 9 years old- a great achievement for them all. Oh, yeah- the adult teams did well too!