Our Red House

Hot and Grumpy

2009-11-12T15:49:00.004+10:30

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin

Can I just say, here and now, that Mr John Ruskin obviously never lived through an Adelaide heatwave. A week of temperatures over 38 degrees celsius in spring is no joke and is far from delicious. Especially when your car air-conditioner dies after the car has spent 7 hours in the sun. And your house is hot. And your children are fretting, irritable and squabbling. And especially when the adults begin squabbling too because they are so, so hot.

Signed,

Grumpy in Adelaide

Spring Barbecue

2009-11-05T22:03:00.004+10:30

Our friends in the hills invited us for a barbecue and bonfire before the total fireban season began.

There were hot sausages and marshmallows, chickens to chase and a grumpy goat to avoid.

And a night time game of hide-and-seek in the long grass lit only by firelight. Thank goodness it was too cold for snakes.

Too, Too Yummy Halloween Cupcakes

2009-11-03T20:16:00.006+10:30

I made these cupcakes for Halloween and they were oh, so good.

Think home-made chocolate cupcakes covered with orange buttercream made from icing sugar, freshly squeezed orange juice and pure, unsalted butter (and a few drops of food colouring, of course).

Mmmm. I almost wish it were Halloween every day.

(For those who have been asking here is the recipe, from Halloween last year.)

My First Halloween

2009-10-30T21:48:00.003+10:30

Do you remember the first time you celebrated Halloween? I do.

It was October of 1981 and I had just turned 12. Immersed in the world of books, as usual, I had read all about Halloween. I knew what fun American children had trick-or-treating, bobbing for apples and joining in scavenger hunts.

Naively thinking that I could share in such experiences, I invited Tracy and Natalie from school to go trick-or-treating with me.

Big mistake.

We knocked on a few doors but nobody had heard of Halloween. We were told in no uncertain terms to go away.

***

Only in the past few years has Halloween started to take off in Australia. Trick-or-treating has become quite popular if on a much smaller scale than in the States. Halloween parties have become quite common too.

We will be attending one that will involve sausages on the barbie, ice cream cones and plenty of cold beer.

Not exactly spooky, but very, very Australian.

I Got My Job!

2009-10-26T16:13:00.007+10:30

As many of you know, for almost six months I have been working four days a week in a local university. I work in the business side of the university, not as an academic.

Until now I have worked on a casual contract. However, after a certain period of time these kinds of jobs have to be advertised and offered more permanently.

Last week I sent off an application, this morning I was interviewed and this afternoon I was offered the job.

I am going to work from 8 until 5 on Mondays and Tuesdays and 8 until 3 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I will have every Friday off, which is wonderful.

Gold Against Blue

2009-10-23T20:21:00.002+10:30

No matter how stressful the day has been, the colours of spring bring joy to my heart.

What is your favourite season?

We Love to Read

2009-10-21T18:59:00.009+10:30

After school and on weekends I often come upon scenes like this,

and this.

All my children are avid readers.

And I know where they get their love of books from - I was an extreme bookworm as a child. I carried books with me everywhere, even into the shower (cleanliness wasn't much of a priority when I was 8). I even had a book under my arm when I was drying the dishes. Chances are, if I didn't have a book with me I would be daydreaming about books.

While I am not so obsessive now, I do often read during the half hour I have for lunch at work.

Thanks to the generosity of one of the school mums who loaned it to me, I am currently reading Mao's Last Dancer, and I am loving it. I hope I get the opportunity to see the movie.

My friend will be pleased to know that I no longer take books with me into the shower.

What are you reading at the moment?

On Ironing

2009-10-19T15:38:00.000+10:30

'Yeah, Mum's always wishing we had a house-elf to do the ironing,' said George. 'But all we've got is a lousy old ghoul in the attic and gnomes all over the garden.'

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I think that ironing is one of things that you either love or loathe, and I definitely don't love it.

Because my husband and I both work and our eldest son goes to a school where he has to wear a shirt and trousers each day, we have quite a lot of ironing to do.

The only way I can endure it is by doing in front of the television. This usually happens on a Sunday night.

The problem is that while ironing is fairly rewarding, in that you end up with beautiful, smooth, sweet-smelling clothes, I find the act of ironing unbearably repetitive and tedious.

Do you iron? Do you have any tips to make ironing less dreary? Or less time-consuming?

Please provide me with some inspiration!

No More Training Wheels

2009-10-18T15:19:00.009+10:30

From a parent's point of view there are lots of important milestones in a child's life - learning to walk, those treasured first words; learning to read - to name but a few.

However, from a child's point of view few events are more memorable than the day they first learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels.

Our older children learned to ride a bike at around age five but we have waited longer with our youngest, mostly because we just haven't got around to it. However, this sunny spring weekend seemed the perfect time for this special event.

All four of our children have learned to ride on the same blue bike which is now rather creaky and rusty, but it has been a loyal friend and has served its purpose well.

Here is our little boy getting ready to ride.

Ready...

Steady...

Go!

And off he went ... after a few falls and crashes, of course.

Afterwards he said, "Mum, I am so happy. I am very proud of myself."

I'm very proud of him too.

Going on a Bear Hunt

2009-10-17T15:33:00.012+10:30

I went on a bear hunt and look what I found:

a picnic ground,

some rugged cliffs,

children in a tree,

a waterfall,

and finally, a fat bear looking down at me.

(These pictures were taken at Morialta Conservation Park here in Adelaide.)

A Tangle of Limbs

2009-10-10T08:17:00.001+10:30

This tangle of limbs belongs to two of my children and my three nieces, who are visiting from Sydney with their mother.

As you can see, they are enjoying their time together. We live so far apart that any time spent together is treasured greatly.

Mind you, a minute or two after this shot was taken my littlest niece got squashed and began to cry. Our little love-in didn't last for long!

Idiosyncrasies

2009-10-09T16:30:00.005+10:30

Tell me, why can I not go to bed at night unless the bed is made? For example, if my husband has a siesta and the sheets are ruffled, I have to remake the bed before getting in, even though I know I am about to muss it up again.

Also, why do I feel the need to clean the kitchen before I start cooking the dinner? I can't work unless the benches are clear and the dishwasher stacked. However, I never really feel like doing the dishes after dinner.

When I have breakfast in the morning I like to have a clean table. I will wipe up any spilt milk or other messes left by the kids so that I can have an aesthetically pleasing space for my own breakfast -- even though it means having to clean up again after myself.

I'm nuts, I know.

Do you have any idiosyncrasies? Please tell me I am not alone!

The Queen of the Family

2009-10-05T20:02:00.010+10:30

When I arrived home on Friday I was treated like a queen. My husband and the kids had been scheming and planning for days.

There was a balloon and streamer-bedecked throne for me to sit on,

a table beautifully set by my daughter,

an entree of prawn cocktails made with South Australian king prawns,

a roasted rack of spring lamb for the main course,

and a beautiful chocolate and berry cake from a local pattiserie for dessert.

For drinks they had purchased my current faves, lemon ruskis for the adults and Coke Zero for the kids. And after the meal freshly ground coffee and chocolates were served.

Don't you think that was a fabulous effort?

The thoughtfulness and kindness of my sweet family brought me to tears.

I felt deeply honoured. I am so proud of them all.

A Bowl of Flowers...

2009-10-04T20:28:00.001+10:30

... Sent by my brothers and their families in Sydney for my birthday.

Thank you so much guys! I love you all.

Life in Adelaide, One Year On

2009-09-30T17:22:00.005+09:30

John Lennon once wrote that "life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans".

A little over one year after moving to Adelaide life has changed in more ways than I could have dreamed 18 months ago, yet it also feels to be in hiatus.

There is much indeed for which to be thankful: the children are well settled into their schools; I am working outside the home for the first time in many years in a four-day-a-week job; we are attending a church that we like; and my husband's position has proved to be well-chosen. It would be selfish for me to resent the changes that life has wrought.

Why then do I sometimes feel that I am camping, that I am not living my real life, or the life I want to have?

There is still so much uncertainty. We have not bought a home yet. My job is still not permanent after 5 months. My books are still in boxes in the shed.

And some days I simply ache for my old life, the life that I loved so much. I miss my friends intensely. If only I could go back in time, how much would I value what I had!

In the dark of night I often walk through our old, dear, red house in my head. I can see every piece of furniture, I can feel every surface; the texture of the bricks; the bubbly rustiness of the stair rail outside the laundry, the smoothness of the polished banister in the hall. I can remember how the sunlight moved through each room throughout the day. I remember each little fruit tree and rose bush I planted so lovingly and wonder whether the new owners are taking care of them or have ripped them out.

The biggest mistake I made back then was thinking that the life I had built for myself could be permanent. I know better now.

Yet I think it is only human to desire to put down roots, to make plans and bring them to fruition.

How have you coped with major changes in your life?

The Death of a Microwave

2009-09-23T19:42:00.006+09:30

Today my 10 year old microwave oven died.

Yet rather than mourning its loss, I am quite pleased.

We have all heard the horror stories of carcinogenic plastics entering our food when we heat things in the microwave, and while I am not certain of their truth, I am happy to try old ways of heating my food for a while.

I thought my husband would insist that I buy a new one immediately, but he too is happy to try going without. Our goal is to buy a new home fairly soon and it would be silly to buy a new microwave now only to have it not fit in our next kitchen.

I remember when my mother bought her first microwave in the 1980s. She held off for a while because she was concerned about radiation entering her food, but eventually she succumbed and bought one. A teenager at the time, I scorned her fears and was pleased that she was entering the modern era. Mum soon bought a Women's Weekly microwave cookbook and even attended microwave cooking classes at the local high school.

Like most people these days we mostly use our microwave for reheating drinks and warming up meals. I have never baked a cake in the microwave and I rarely even cook vegetables in it.

Yet I wonder how I'll manage without one? I've never been microwaveless before. In a week or two I'll let you know how this experiment is going.

Netball Champions

2009-09-21T20:08:00.005+09:30

I knew my daughter's netball grand final would be a more serious event than an ordinary schoolgirl netball game, I just didn't know how much more serious.

It wasn't just that the audience was larger, although siblings, fathers and grandparents who had never before attended a game came to watch. Certainly, the players were more nervous than usual. And in contrast to the normal chattiness, the scorers and timekeepers sat in hushed isolation together.

When the national anthem began to play on the loudspeakers just before the game began, then I knew something was really different.

Even the umpiring was more serious. There were three umpires instead of the usual one.

The picture above is of a goal scored by my daughter. She was privileged to be selected to play her two favourite positions, goal shooter and wing attack.

This has been a wonderful season for our girls. Their coach was inspiring; tough but fair. She taught them to lose with grace and to win without gloating.

The icing on the cake: they won the grand final 22-9.

I am a proud mother.

Cupcakes for School

2009-09-20T13:05:00.003+09:30

Do all primary school aged children around the world take a treat to share with their classmates on their birthday?

While this was not a common practice back in the dark ages when I was at school, today it seems to be the norm.

My children are not shy at requesting exactly what they want. My newly-turned 11 year old wanted chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing - and got them.

The icing was made very simply by melting a little butter, adding about 1 1/2 cups of icing sugar and a heaped spoonful of sifted cocoa. I then added a little milk until the desired consistency was achieved.

'Flat' icing is much easier to transport than the whipped types of frosting that are so gloriously decorative but easily squashable. And transportability is an important factor when the cupcakes are being carried by a young boy.

A time to blog

2009-09-17T21:08:00.005+09:30

I read somewhere - probably on another blog - that around 90% of blog posts are explanations or apologies about why the blogger hasn't been blogging much lately.

Whether that statistic is true or not, I am afraid that this post belongs in that category.

Between the demands of work and a busy season at home, house-hunting and housework, and the mere fact that with four computer literate kids it is often difficult to get near a keyboard when the urge to blog hits, I know I haven't written much lately.

Please accept my apology; I will try to write more frequently in future.

On a positive note, we are optimistic that we will buy a house in the near future. More properties are coming on the market now that spring is here. And once I have my own home again I will have so much more blog material, material that has lacked since we moved to Adelaide and began renting. There will be vegetables to grow and flowers to cultivate, renovations to consider if we buy a fixer-upper, rooms to decorate and maybe even a pet or two for the kids.

I'll keep you posted!

Quilts, Cupcakes and Costumes

2009-09-09T19:52:00.017+09:30

Sunday saw us up bright and early and off to visit the Royal Adelaide Show.

While the rides, showbags and free food samples appeal to my children, my favourite parts of the show are the baking and craft displays and the animals.

Today's post is mostly pictures taken of quilts and cupcakes (of course), with some fabulous costumes to close.

Every time I see displays like these cupcakes I think that they don't look all that difficult and I should enter the next year, but I never do anything about it.

Finally, the costumes. Like everyone who sees them, I was stunned by the beauty and detail of the Jenny Gillies' costumes on display. Gillies, a New Zealand costume and fabric artist makes exquisite costumes designed to look like flowers. My pictures really don't do justice to them.

Watching beautiful, elegant young women parade in these costumes is truly a sight to behold. I was assured by a horticulturalist that the flowers are anatomically correct as well as lovely.

Big Mac Clones and Other Menus For This Week

2009-09-05T20:01:00.005+09:30

Spring has sprung, and with it comes such delights as fresh strawberries, new potatoes and asparagus (although I have not yet seen fresh asparagus in the shops). Citrus fruits are in season, as are spring onions and broccoli. So many wonderful things with which to create a seasonal menu!

This week we are experimenting with something that is hardly seasonal but that should be fun: my eldest son has found an online video and recipe for making home-made Big Mac hamburgers, and I have agreed to let him give them a try. We'll have to make some substitutions -- American cheese is not available in Australian stores -- but I figure, if a kid wants to cook, then let him (or her).

How to Clone a Big Mac - with Todd Wilbur

The recipe for home-made Big Macs can be found here.

Menus

pan-fried fish (dipped in a little flour and lemon pepper seasoning)

lemon wedges, tartare sauce

green salad

fresh strawberries

***

Big Mac clones

oven fries

orange wedges

***

chicken, broccoli, bok choi and green onion stir-fry

rice

fresh fruit

***

chicken breasts wrapped in bacon

green beans

mashed potatoes

***

marinated lamb wraps (lamb marinated in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and rosemary with salad, hommus or tzatziki in pitas)
ice cream

***

roast chicken with roast potatoes, pumpkin and onions

green beans

apple crisp with custard

Baking: marbled choc-caramel cupcakes

What will you be eating this week?

Expensive Activities

2009-09-04T06:30:00.009+09:30

Today my children's primary school is shut for Show Day. It is the first day of the Royal Adelaide Show and parents are encouraged to take their children.

We're going on Sunday instead when all the family will be home, so today it's just me and my youngest three.

I have been considering various activities that I could do with them to make this a special day.

Here are some of the possibilities:

If we go to the Adelaide Zoo it will cost $68.00. If we buy lunch it will be much more expensive. Season tickets would make the zoo cheaper, but we really don't go to the zoo enough to make them worthwhile.

If we go to a movie it will cost around $60.00, just for the tickets.

If we go ten-pin bowling and bowl one game it will cost $55.00.

If we have lunch at MacDonalds we will spend around $22.00.

If we walk to the bakery for milkshakes we will spend $15.20 ($3.80 each).

The park and the library are free, but are not really special, as we go there all the time.

While my thrifty self wants to spend as little as possible, another part of me also wants to fill my children's lives with fun and new experiences that will give them lasting memories. Unfortunately, these things usually cost lots of money. Australia seems to be particularly expensive for family-type activities.

Striking a balance between saving money and having fun can be very difficult!

Image is courtesy of www.zazzle.com.au

Dragonfly Cupcakes

2009-08-30T19:41:00.006+09:30

The first cupcakes we made out of our new cupcake cookbook were dragonfly cupcakes.

You can tell that it's a dragonfly, can't you?

This was my daughter's choice, which gave her decorating rights, although she did have some 'help' from her younger brothers.

The dragonfly's body is made out of white Nestle choc bits, with shredded coconut 'feelers' and chocolate freckle 'wings'.

I am very happy to hand over fiddly food preparation tasks like this to my children. And they think I am doing them the favour!

Little brother's proud creation (I love his new dark blue shoelaces too, don't you?)

Easy Cupcakes by Colour

2009-08-28T21:20:00.009+09:30

For months, every time I have wandered down the magazine aisle of the supermarket I have been tempted by the Australian Women's Weekly's Easy Cupcakes By Colour cookbook. Many a time have I leafed through this book without buying. That is, until today.

I couldn't hold off any longer. Spring is just around the corner and with it comes the desire to bake pretty, spring-like cupcakes. Lacking inspiration of my own, I knew this cookbook would provide ideas. And it does, in abundance.

Easy Cupcakes By Colour is divided into five chapters based on colour: pink, white, yellow, blue and green, and chocolate. There are over 100 pages of scrumptious pictures of cupcakes and descriptions of how to decorate them. Pictures of the various decorations, along with cake and frosting recipes, are at the back of the book. Included are dairy and gluten-free cupcake recipes for those with restricted diets.

Mind you, I have had very little opportunity to look at the book since I arrived home as the kids keep disappearing with it. I can see that cupcakes are going to feature heavily in next week's menu.

Let the baking begin!

Perfect Drying Weather

2009-08-23T15:31:00.001+09:30

Especially in winter, when it's least expected, perfect drying weather makes me smile.