Archives for January 2012

Spaghetti with Meatballs and…Some Parents Are Just So Negligent!

While we’re on the subject of broken toes, Alfie did actually break his own toe and I had nothing to do with it. It was right before Christmas and Alfie was three and it was a year since my own toe had been snapped in Far North Queensland. I was organising a Christmas Production with […]

Chicken with Chilli, Paprika and Lemon and…Toes, Goannas and Wait-A-Whiles

Sometimes children don’t injure themselves.  Sometimes they injure their mothers. When Alfie was two we went on a family holiday to tropical Far North Queensland where our plan was to go snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef. To get there we had to fly to Cairns.  Alfie couldn’t remember being on a plane before and […]

Vanilla Pavlova with Berries and…Window Cleaners

I honestly do like tradesmen.  I don’t have an issue with any of them it’s just, I’ve had a few difficulties with window cleaners and tried finding move in cleaning service from Fresh Maids, and I’m sure they’re not all hard to deal with, I just think I’ve had the misfortune to run into a few […]

Humpty Dumpty South Pole Expedition

My great uncle, Douglas Stewart, was a writer.  He wrote a radio play called The Fire on the Snow about Scott’s tragic journey to Antarctica.  I grew up knowing all about this story that had the worst possible outcome but I didn’t ever think I would have a friend, one hundred years later, make that […]

Australia Day Re-Cap

Yesterday was Australia Day and wonderfully, also a public holiday.  Don’t you just love a mid-week public holiday! With a forced day away from the office we were in the mood to celebrate.  Fortunately we were invited to our friends’ home for their annual Australia Day get-together.  The teenagers didn’t join us of course, having […]

Slow-Roasted Lamb Shanks and…’Lazarus, Come Forth’

Keeping children alive is not that easy.  Especially if they are born with a huge amount of belief that they are indestructible and totally invincible.  And my two boys were born with that gene and have made sure my greatest achievement has been keeping them alive. When Alfie was three we were out doing that […]

Vanilla Meringues with Passionfruit Curd and Entertaining Perils

I love entertaining and inviting friends to a dinner party is one of my most favourite things to do.  But sometimes the night doesn’t go as planned. I’ve had people arrive early.  The doorbell rings and you get that immediate panic attack.  I’ll turn to Carl and say, ‘That can’t be them can it?’  And […]

Charlie’s Carbonara and…We’ve Been Robbed

Yes, we’ve been robbed. It’s probably our own fault though because we didn’t leave the item securely locked up.  We left it out on the nature strip so I suppose when you choose to live life recklessly you can’t expect plain sailing. You see, it was bin night.  And the night before I had taken […]

Sweet Potato Salad and…’Wanna Be Friends on Facie?’

A couple of years ago, Arabella went to a ‘gathering’ (under 18’s word for ‘party’).  I wasn’t too keen on the idea because I didn’t know the host’s mother very well but acquiesced when I realised the gathering was being held close to home so if anything untoward happened I would at least be close […]

Braised Beef with Cassia and Star Anise and…Formally Drained

Next week Arabella will start her final year of school.  And while she’s whingeing and moaning about what a tough year it will be, I’m buoyed by the fact that with Arabella being in her final year that must mean we only need to survive one more formal. Formals give me a feeling of dread. […]