A belated Easter Sunday Lunch

As usual, an Easter Sunday Lunch had been planned at our house last week.

However, due to a 'not-very-nice-person' leaving my mum without staff over her busiest time of the year, I have been working some odd hours to help her out. So Easter Sunday lunch was postponed a week, to yesterday.

Since every child in our street, has their own cubbie house in my backyard, yes, it's like a cubbie village! (I must take some pictures) We decided to move the lunch to mum's house. It made the most sense, as she lives on a gorgeous canal, a much better view than my backyard.

We kept up our french theme for the lunch. Mum had laid the table beautifully with a Provencal tablecloth she had bought on her travels and blousey blooms of white roses.

I had originally intended to make this a longer lunch, one of those long french lunches that stretch over several courses and many hours, one of those long french lunches where there is way too much food and way too much wine. I had imagined a lazy afternoon nap under an olive tree. But... back in the real world, and in Australia, three of us had to go to work last night, so we did what we could.

Platters: Salmon Rillettes, Brie, Olives, Fruit, Nuts and Crusty Bread

Provencal Lamb stuffed with Figs, Goats Cheese and Walnuts

French Roasted Chicken

Roasted Vegetables

Green Garden Salad

Tarte Belle Helene (Chocolate and Pear Tart)

These roses on the table are reminding me of my time in Orange, I still have heaps of pictures of F.O.O.D Week to share. Maybe tomorrow? I have a few days off work and while I do have floors to clean and about 7 loads of washing to fold, lets get our priorities right! 

17/52

 

(a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014 inspired by Jodi's 52 Project)

By chance

Look what jumped into my hands at the library today. They were just there. Just waiting.

Quelle coincidence!

'Vintage' toys

Ever since my son could read, he has been staring at two boxes on a high shelf in our garage labelled: DADDY'S TRAIN SET.

For reasons I could not, and never will understand, Mr Moo, would not get it down and let him look at them. Really? This was torture for my boy. But on Easter Sunday, I could stand it no more and intervened.

"He is nine years old, not three!"

So the boxes came down...and were spread out over two tables. I have never seen my son so excited. In fact, he it was like he was someone else, so in his element, so grown up and knowledgeable. Explaining to me all about the different types of trains, what was older and why. Hours of hours of pure joy.

I don't understand it.

My children have been playing with my toys and reading my childhood books since they were born. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see them enjoying the exact same things that I loved a a child.

So what if one or two of my stuffed animals have needed mending, it was no bother. As I sat and stitched a split bottom or torn ear, I felt nothing but love. I would remember my own fond memories of that particular toy and smile. Thirty-five years on, and a favourite toy had been a comfort for my own children. This is a good thing.



My daughter's favourite doll is my Wendy doll. The very same Wendy doll, that lay in her wooden dolls bed, next to mine, from the age of five. It doesn't matter that her hair is bit wild and that one eye is little dodgy or that when our little cousins came to play, her leg fell off. Miss Moo Moo loves her just the same.

When I was about 8 or 9, I was desperate for a Rainbow Bright doll. I was told "no". I was just short of the amount to buy her with my birthday money. So one day, when my mum was still at work and I was suppose to be at my cousin's house, I took $5 from 'the jar' and rode my bike downtown to the toy store. I was scared to death the whole way. I was scared, because I had never ridden my bike downtown before, in fact, I had never been downtown, by myself before. All the while, I knew that what I was doing; was very wrong. It was an old fashioned toy store, with dark narrow aisles and purple scratchy carpet. The toys were lined up on shelves that reached the ceiling, I had to stand on tip-toes to get Rainbow Bright down. I nervously took her to the counter and handed over my money, in small bills and coins, with shaking hands.

I hid Rainbow Bright in my room for a days before telling the truth to my parents. I got into a lot of trouble and I never did anything like that ever again. I looooved that doll. I took her everywhere with me for years and years to come. When I was I little older I started making clothes for her, as her original dress had become threadbare. Miss Moo Moo loves that story and has loved Rainbow Bright just as much as me. She has played with, and slept with, Rainbow Bright for nearly as many years as I. It was only recently that she has been 'shelved'.  She is about to lose her head and I am stumped as to how to fix it. But every now and again I find her up and about, enjoying company with my girl.

How about you?

Did you save your childhood toys?

Do you let your kids lay with them, or do you keep them on the shelf?

Dawn Service

ANZAC Day. A dawn service by the beach. Bacon and egg burgers at Mum's house after.

The rest of the day has been spent in my kitchen cooking up a storm and surrounded by dirty dishes, now I'm off to my mum's restaurant to cook up a storm and be surrounded by dirty dishes! 

I hope you have had a good day and had a chance to make some ANZAC biscuits too!

"Lest We Forget"

Easter

Rabbits and chickens and chocolate eggs. Hat parades and hot cross buns and a carrot 

for the Easter Bunny.

Traditionally fish (seafood) for Good Friday. Eggs in the salad, naturally. 

Old-fashioned Easter Ducks, like the kind I got when I was a child.

Chocolate cake and morning tea with friends. Easter egg hunting.

Hot cross bun baking and a bunny book (well, a white hare really) - How did the Easter Bunny know that we were learning about France this month!?

I can't believe that Easter and the school holidays are over already. 

Some things did not go to plan, but... the Easter Bunny came and he/she brought chocolate and gifts. The kids were happy and that is all that really matters.

I hope that you and your family had a happy Easter too.

16/52

Playing with daddy's vintage train - finally!

My wonderful little kitchen helper - hot cross buns for Easter.

 

(a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014 inspired by Jodi's 52 Project)

Food on the farm

I have just spent a wonderful week at my cousin's farm.

I went (all alone!) to attend some of the F.O.O.D week events. This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time and with my favourite person living on F.O.O.D week's doorstep, it seemed like the perfect time to go. It was a great excuse for us to catch up and have some quality time together.

Local food and wine, farm tours, real* autumn weather, country drives, bric brac and wonderful new discoveries - together - that ticks all the boxes for a perfect week. But, hang on, these are not pictures of F.O.O.D week. This what we ate on the farm. These are photos of our last lunch together.

Our dinner on my first night.

An antipasto platter and red wine.

Homemade feta, blue cheese, olive hommus, tomato and basil from the neighbours garden, marinated olives, artichokes, rocket, salami - hot and mild, brie, crackers, homemade plumbrillo (made from the bountiful plum tree during summer) and figs from the farm.

But wait there's more... we definitely did a lot of eating this week.

We ate Karen's famous tandoori chicken pizza with mango, coriander and yoghurt dressing and the best-ever homemade sausage rolls. The last of the homegrown walnuts and persimmons were tasted, along with, out-of-this-world stewed apricots and tangy homemade yoghurt. Too many of my cold weather favourites - ham and cheese toasties were eaten (both at the farm and out) and too many cappuccinos were consumed (both at the farm and out). I loved eating Karen's homemade fig and vanilla jam on toast for breakfast, so good, that two jars of it came home with me.

This girl knows how to cook!

Maybe, we didn't need to leave the farm at all.


*In Queensland we do not get what I call 'real' autumn weather, we don't get the four seasons. Autumn is my favourite season, but I did not get to experience it for myself, until I was 22 and moved to England. Now, I miss autumn and the seasons. Every. Single. Day.

15/52

I have just slept 12 hours straight. It's been a big week (for me). 

I woke this morning to find Spunky Monkey playing with his remote control cars - in the rain!

And Miss Moo Moo snuggled up in Spunky Monkey's bed watching The Muppet Movie.

I guess I will make some breakfast soon... I love school holidays, especially the rainy days!

 

 

(a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014 inspired by Jodi's 52 Project)

April is all about France!

When my children were just babies, I had an idea.

I knew that it would be a very long time before I would be jetting off to any far away destinations. So, I thought, that when they are old enough, I would do something like this: Each month we could learn about another country. About other cultures: the people, the food, the landscape. We would cook regional specialities in our very own kitchen and maybe even learn a few foreign words. You get the idea.

Well, with a little prompting...

In April we are learning about France!



We have started a special "Countries Around the World" notebook and have been cutting and pasting and colouring and writing.




Miss Moo Moo is really into it (she loves to learn) She has been grabbing her book at random and writing away, like this above. When I explained to her that the French words aren't written how they sound in English, we hit 'google translate' together and printed off the correct spelling of the words in French. She has even written out a 'procedure' for making wine. Tres mignon!

As for Spunky Monkey, he can take it or leave it, often announcing that he is far to busy for colouring in, when there is lego to be built. And more often than not, prefering to do any writing... later.

The coffee table has been piled high with French themed library books and dvd's.

Last Monday night, I helped out at my Mum's restaurant, she was hosting a 50th birthday party for a French friend, it was a weird coincidence.

 
We have started watching 'My France with Manu', already eaten way to many croissants,

and watched Monte Carlo more than four times! I secretly love this movie.

Again... Spunky Monkey, not so into this either.

This Sunday

A lovely morning spent at mum's. 

A magical sunshiny Sunday morning. 

Croissants and black cherry jam and homemade cappuccino's and raspberry cordial 

and melt-in-your-mouth shortbread. 

Drawing, colouring and looking at foreign coins. Gossip and french cookbooks. Playing with Nanny's dolls house furniture and 'American Pickers' for my boy. A new hair colour for me, brown, not grey.

Oh...lazy day, Oh... happy holidays!

Last Sunday

Late last Sunday afternoon: a beach walk. 

Dark and moody, wild wind and tiny drops of rain. Sticks and logs and foam and baby jellyfish, upon the shoreline. Fishermen. Usually my most favourite kind of beach day... however on this day, Spunky Monkey discovered a needle syringe on the edge of the dunes. On the edge of the dunes, where he and Miss Moo Moo play, where all the children play, where mum's and dad's and grandma's and grandad's sit to rest 

their weary legs. 

It left me quiet unsettled.

We have asked Spunky Monkey not to play in the dunes, his most favourite place to be. 

This makes me sad.

14/52

Miss Moo Moo - ready for the annual Easter Hat Parade.

Spunky Monkey - laying on his unmade bed with a mouthful of cheese and vegemite sandwich. I had been chasing this boy around all week trying to get just one photo!

(a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014 inspired by Jodi's 52 Project)