Day 2 - Sydney, minding twins

I asked their mum, Kate, to leave me some notes, with rough times for naps and meals.  The morning went well - mushy breakfast, nap, playtime. I even managed to pop upstairs and get a load of washing through. I was aware of their big eyes following my moves, watching me carefully. They giggled and glanced at each other occasionally, and seemed relaxed and happy playing on the floor. For seven months old both Mario and Rose are good with their hands and move around well, although not really crawling yet.

We lost the plot a bit after lunch with some fierce resistance to the afternoon nap. Rose definitely wasn't going to sleep, then Mario starting sobbing melodramatically. After an hour of angst I got them back up from their hell-no-definitely-not-nap and tried the stroller. The rain had stopped so we went out for a long walk around Potts Point and Kings Cross. They slept the whole time.

Rose and Mario taking a nap

I'm not sure the stroller and I are going to be friends. Its a big clumsy thing and while the twins are well cushioned in it I think I may need to read the manual. Anyway, by the time their parents got home I'd managed to get through the list; just not quite in the right order. And, I'd learnt a few things:
1. You can't get upstairs carrying both babies at the same time
2. People stare at twins
3. Supermarket trolleys and strollers have dysfunctional front wheels in common
4. You have to pre-empt hunger and tiredness (theirs and yours)
5. You can't give them bottles at the same time, so you have to feed one and sing to the other


















 






  

4 weeks, 2 babies, 1 nana

I arrived in Sydney last night and my son Joseph met me at the airport. I mentioned my anxiety about doing a good job over the next month - I'm here to mind their 7 month old twins. He said just don't talk too much - he knows me well! The twins were still awake and Rose was definitely a bit suspicious.

Today, Sunday, got off to a great start. I heard them cooing and grizzling away intermittently from about 5am. The twins, that is. I had a quick shower then popped in at 6am - greeted by big smiles of delight. Kate came and showed me how they change them - its all really well set-up in their little 2-cot bedroom. They sleep in cute sleeping bag things. We went downstairs and made up a lovely mush of weetbix, blueberries and yoghurt. I spooned most of it into the babies - its great having two, no time is wasted between mouthfuls.

    
The rest of the day was spent in a happy whirl of play, stories, a brief walk (to make sure I could manage the double stroller thing and the various keys into the apartment). Oh, and not much daytime sleep. Maybe that's my fault. I think I talked to them too much!

How to Choose a Book (by its cover)

I'm all for grabbing random books from the recently returned shelves of the Nelson library. This time it was:

'A Beginners Guide to Acting English' by Shappi Khorsandi

Described as a comedy, it had a good cover; predominantly blue and white with the title word 'acting' emphasized in yellow. (Yes, I admit it, I judge books by their covers, not by their subject matter or by the author's name). I like first-time authors, and I'm always attracted to bright or unusual covers. Sometimes I like them to be true stories as well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginners-Guide-Acting-English/dp/0091922925

It was a great choice - about an Iranian family and their move to London as experienced by the author Shaparak (now known as Shappi, because English people kept getting it wrong and calling her Shit Attack). I liked the evocative descriptions - her impressions as a young girl growing up in a cultured and eccentric family, in difficult times. A spicy slice of life.

I'm proud to say I now know a bit about Iran, and I will never confuse it with Iraq again... And, the big bonus for me was it turns out I have actually seen Shappi perform a few years ago in Guildford, Surrey, as a stand up comic. I got to the end of the book before I realised this. A coincidence, and a story I won't forget in a hurry.

So next time you're choosing a book don't bother going for big name authors, or the recommendations of others. Just scan the shelves and be a magpie - pick a shiny interesting one.

Lizzie

How we survived (20 days - no supermarket)

How we Survived 20 days with no Supermarket

Is wasn't as challenging as we thought, I reckon we could have lasted another week.

The whole impulsive idea was driven by the feeling that we were spending too much time at the supermarket. We hadn't planned it and therefore hadn't stocked up beforehand - but we had lots of pasta, rice, oil, chicken and rolled oats on hand. The tomatoes and other garden produce kept us going. I received many nice messages and comments - but I had to keep explaining it wasn't  because we had run out of money, or due to some new diet or frugality measure.

Porridge topped with a dollop of homemade boysenberry syrup become our preferred breakfast. We had to share the remaining deodorant spray, and Mario confessed he used Draino on the berry stains on my white T-shirt! Our dog Vito made it through the last few days on a pasta meal, a can of sardines and some free beef bones from the local butcher. He couldn't believe his luck; we've decided to cut back on the canned food for him in future.

But the best part was the 'swaps'. We traded grapefruits, babysitting, house-minding and berry jam for cheese, milk, eggs, apples and a banana. Our last meal was a wonderful if slightly unusual 3-course feast which we enjoyed as we watched that disturbing documentary about supermarkets and the food industry in USA: FOOD, INC

Day 20: Silver beet fritters with
tomato, red onion, cucumber salad 

Now we have almost cleared our pantry  we are going to limit our buying to a fortnightly $100 online supermarket order, and support the farmers markets, local butcher, and roadside grower stalls more. Nelson is a perfect place for this. Also, this way we can keep up the fun times with the swaps, foraging and barters.

Anyone out there want to swap some good cheese for grapefruit marmalade?


Lizzie

The 20 day no-supermarket challenge - Day 12

Well, we are up to day twelve, and its getting interesting.

Following a berry-picking escapade we made boysenberry jam and syrup with the last of the sugar. It was a clever move as now we can trade with pots of jam, as well as the grapefruits from our prolific grapefruit tree. We got three fresh eggs tonight for five grapefruit. Prior to that we've managed swaps for a bottle of cream, some plums and some lemons.

Milk has moved to the top of our 'wanted' list - might have to offer some jam-for-milk options around at work tomorrow or I could offer baby-sitting services as there are some young parents in our team. No-one we know has a cow we could visit.

As I write the delicious smell of homemade bread is wafting around the house. He used the last of the flour though, so these three small loaves will have to last us through.

The garden has been a great help. We have feasted on rhubarb, butter beans, silver beet, fennel, lettuce and the slowly ripening tomatoes. There's still a few tins at the back of the cupboard, and a huge bag of rolled oats - so it should be possible to get through to 20 days. He says he'd kill for a banana though...

The 20 day no-supermarket challenge

You know what it's like. You pop in for bread and come out with 7 items. You never got around to writing a list so have to go back the next day for milk, and you come out with another 6 items, and a magazine...

New Year's Day - toothpicks galore

We did a lot of that over the Christmas and New Year holiday. First we had a big gathering and kept needing obscure things like tooth picks and Tabasco sauce. Then it became a habit; something to get on the way to the beach, or because chicken was on special. We both did that one, and ended up with lots in the freezer. Oh, and I had such fun with the online order and delivery service.

We put a sudden and determined stop to it abruptly on the morning of the 4 January.

'Let's see if we can survive without the daily supermarket visit?' he suggested.
'Of course we can,' I snorted.'We have heaps of supplies. It'll be a game - we can barter and forage, and cook up things from those obscure packets and tins at the back of the pantry.After all half the world doesn't have supermarkets!'

We are up to day 7 now and its just getting interesting. Last night we had chicken, couscous and peas. At least I think it was couscous, it was in an unmarked bag behind the wholemeal flour. Then we ate a rather old  dessert thing we found in the freezer.

Hopefully the lettuces in the garden will flourish soon so we can make a big salad. The emergency milk carton is out of the freezer now - we have watered it down to halves. The only bread left is some rolls, frozen. Hubby's making bread tomorrow. Someone at work says she will swap me plums for grapefruit. Our last tomato in the bowl is over-ripe (waiting for the lettuce), but the ones on the plants in the garden are still a bit green... its going to be tough bridging that gap. As the freezer empties we will become more inventive with the dry stores. At least we still have lots of rice and pasta.

After 7 days abstinence it seems possible to leave the supermarket and food buying out of life. Sort of a pantry detox experience. I don't miss it - the music, the announcements about Richard Till's latest recipe, the mood lighting, the free samples of wine, the trolley, the nice checkout lady, the new product displays...oh hell, maybe I do!

13 days to go, and counting.

Lizzie



  

Launching my very own Christmas Cake recipe

Came over all domesticated this morning and made a bit of a culinary effort for Christmas. I found an old fruit cake recipe of my mother's and with a few changes, and not much preparation time, it worked out really well.

If anyone wants to try it here is the recipe:

Gently boil the following ingredients in a saucepan for 3-5 minutes:
100g brown sugar
100g butter
1 cup hot water
2 cups dried fruit (I used cranberries and raisins)
1/2 cup marmalade (or berry jam)
3 tsp spices (I used ginger, mixed and cinnamon)
1 tsp salt

Once the fruit mixture is cool, mix in the following ingredients:
1 whole apple (including skin and core) blended into a mush
1/2 cup Frangelico liqueur (or sherry, or port - anything sweet and with alcohol)
200g plain flour
100g almond meal
3tsp baking powder

Bake 50 minutes at 180deg C in a large pan that is lined with foil then baking paper.(You don't need to grease the pan or the paper, it lifts off easily)

I decorated mine with walnuts and red glace cherries stuck on with a little bit of icing - but I think Mum used to press whole almonds into her version.

Lizzie

5 good things about the dog

I've never owned a dog before; so I thought it was time as I now live near a great beach, with a dog section, in Tahuna. So, Vito and I have been together for 16 months, and my training has been going very well. He's a Sydney Silky - but I keep his hair cut quite short so he doesn't have that overgrown mop look. I'm getting better at the haircuts and he looks less punk now.

I reckon there's a few good reasons to own a lively little dog:

1. He will drag you out for walks on a regular basis; or drive you to distraction or chew your shoes
2. You'll end up meeting other people with dogs that you would normally never speak to; some of them are quite nice, some of them you just wish he'd walk past without creating a conversation
3. Kitchen scraps, like cooked rice, apple cores or chop bones, will never go to waste again
4. You will learn a second language - one that includes sniffs, squeaks, growls and animal body language. This helped me deal better with other people's dogs. (I'm much less of a wus now.)
5. Keeping the upper hand, or the mystical 'top dog' status is tricky, but you'll learn to be consistent

Vito

Of course, if you start talking silly, buying dog outfits, or looking like your dog its probably time to call it quits.

Lizzie