Kindle Linked

Funny word 'kindle'. I wonder how they decided on it. If this was BOGGLE I'd have come up with: lid, kin, lie, din, like, dine, kind, linked...

I got it last year for Christmas. So, one year on, it's been a gradual appreciation sort of thing. For some reason I took a while to start using it and loading books from Amazon. I started cheap and got some free ones. Noticed a few typos and that put me right off.

Then I bought some from the popular lists. Really enjoyed 'Labor Day' by Joyce Maynard and 'When I Found You' by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Now I'm choosing for myself, only spending a few dollars per book, and loving it! 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn was so good I've bought 'Dark Places' for another dose of tension and cleverness.

So it seems right that Kindle is an anagram of the word 'linked' - because its linked me to the reading world again. I have fresh enthusiasm - especially as it fits so neatly in my travel bag, is light to hold, easy to read at whatever font size I fancy, perfect for lefties like me, and keeps all the books I've read safe for ever.

Lizzie

Plane Sailing hopefully, with Cathay Pacific

Soon we are off again on one of those long two-flight trips from Auckland to London.

When it comes to booking flights I like those 'compare the fare' type sites. First I sort them in order of total trip time. There's nothing worse than a stopover that is between 4 and 12 hours long. Its a limbo sort of period where its not worth exploring or taking a nap, but its too long to just transition smoothly through the stopover. Next I look at price - if I can afford it, and its under 30 hours in total, I then check the travel departure and arrival times. For my body clock its better to leave late at night and arrive early morning at the final destination. The actual plane and airport time is a challenge for me, but I've developed a few coping mechanisms which might be helpful for others:

Mario - travelling light, carry-on only

1. I try not to be too frazzled before the trip begins by getting some early nights beforehand.
2. I travel light, carry-on only. This takes the stress out of mucking about with luggage (checking it on, lugging it around, reclaiming it, having it searched, losing it). Its amazing what you can fit into the 7 kilo carry on limit. Very liberating, and it cuts down airport time on arrival too.
3. Once I've boarded I avoid getting into deep and meaningful conversations with the person next to me.
4. Instead I create my own little mindful world - just one thing at a time. For example I might listen to my i-pod for a couple of songs. Then, when the meal comes, I eat slowly. After that I watch a movie. I take walks now and then, when the flight attendants aren't busy in the aisles. I do some stretching in the stand up area. I keep drinking lots of water. I read a few chapters on my Kindle, then I play an in-flight game. I don't keep checking the time or the flight progress.This stuff runs and reruns slowly until the first flight is over. I don't try to sleep; I just keep going through the sequence.
5. At the stopover I get really active, drink lots of water, and walk as fast as I can around the airport. Once I'm back on the plane I take a half sleeping pill, put on the eye covers, and sleep through most of the second big flight, usually waking up in time for breakfast before we land.
6. Once I land I try to get into some daylight as soon as possible, so my body can register what time I'm in. I try and stay awake most of the first day, then get an early night.
7. Finally, the noise cancelling headphones are a real bonus. We share a pair, so I add some periods of time with them into my first flight when I get my turn.

I'm sure many frequent flyers have their own patterns and methods - I'd love to hear them. Mostly this approach works for me; I've never really had jet lag and I've done heaps of flying. So, this time its going to be Cathay Pacific, via Hong Kong - I'll let you know how it goes...

Lizzie



    

Custard's Last Stand - Home Cooking Beats the Restaurant

I'm over restaurants! The experience is too random for me, sometimes drafty, sometimes expensive and often impersonal. So lately I've become a big fan of the gentle art of dinner parties.

We've got enough new and old friends now, in this little seaside town of Nelson, to lead to invites and returns for dinners at home. Usually the hosts are fifty-somethings, like us, and they both make an effort to prepare the dishes. We often try things made with seasonal produce from our own gardens, or the local market, and we nearly always end up swapping ideas for recipes, good books and films.

TV cooking shows like Masterchef have inspired us all. We are 'plating' not serving, and 'resting' not cooling! And of course we all have recipe books from way back, and more recent purchases, that are being used. Our generation has survived the pressure years of feeding our kids and their friends, and now we can relax and enjoy the process again, and be a bit more experimental.   

It's fun spending a few hours in a warm home with friends and a good bottle of wine or too, especially in winter! It doesn't have to be fancy food, with expensive ingredients, from a designer kitchen - it just takes time to create the basics for a charming, comfortable evening.

There seems to be about five things which we and our friends do to make dinner parties a better experience than a typical restaurant outing:
1. A comfortable pace, not rushed, just eating things as they are ready
2. A dish with a good story attached - 'this recipe is from that funny old book we got at the garage sale... we always make this to use up Aunt Edna's marmalade...'
3. Something homegrown, locally sourced or substituted in a recipe, or maybe the return of a good old comfort food, like custard
4. The table or room - candles, some embroidered linen, retro place mats or an intriguing item from overseas travels

5. Conversation and laughter - sharing stuff

The restaurants that try to capture this atmosphere, and these values, are the ones that will always be more appealing to people like us...

Lizzie

Mission Accomplished - Sydney twin minding

I'm back in NZ now (from my month of babysitting for my son and his wife in Sydney) in a more peaceful household, with very little washing and healthy sleep patterns.  We also have a working oven and dishwasher, so I feel a bit lucky about that. I appreciate that my husband and I can still forage for salad veges in our garden and hang our clothes out in the sun to dry - but it's very chilly at nights here compared to Sydney, and neighbourhood walks are nowhere near as exciting as Kings Cross!

It was sad saying goodbye to little Rose and Mario Junior, but I don't worry about them as they are part of a strong little family and have their dad at home now for the next 11 weeks. And I have a month's worth of cuddles and nice memories to savour, and a good feeling about having helped in some way. It was time I broke up my relationship with the bottle too... the bleach bottle that is. I got a bit obsessive during the days in Sydney, washing the floors and wiping the surfaces the twins could reach!

29 years ago ago, when my boy was 5 months old I returned to work, and my husband Mario stayed home for two years to mind him. For six months of that time we had set up a coffee shop business, and my parents babysat during the days.

In less than three  months the twins other grandmother, Bev, (Nana B) will arrive to take over their daycare; what a lucky pair they are! So it is true, patterns repeat, and many families like ours come up with these ways of caring for children and sharing the load. Each carer brings something a  little different and special to the mix, and I reckon they benefit from this in the long run.

And, in the meantime, Mario Senior and I are already plotting for a time when we can bring the twins over to NZ for a holiday - to run barefoot and forage for berries and tomatoes in the garden, and splash around down at Tahunanui beach, just like their dad used to love doing.  

Lizzie (Nana E)

Day 16 - Sydney, baby clothes review

I'm into my last week now, babysitting the twins. Rose and I have been thinking about baby wear. There are many choices around and lots of brands to choose from, however it seems that some basics are being overlooked by the manufacturers and designers...

Miss Rose suggests:

1. Clothes need to be easy to work with - the less buttons,
zips and snaps the better. Here I am in my Baptism long
gown  - very fancy, but only one button for my Mum to do up. 

2. Fabrics that look grown-up but are stretchy
are more comfy for us to to wear

3. It is physical being a toddler - we need to be able to move easily as we crawl and roll around

4. Plain, no patterns, make a nice change and means
 we can mix and match our separates more easily

5. Dark or strong colours are good as they don't show  little splops (that my brother Mario makes)

6. Anything small and fiddly (hairbands, socks, hats and gloves) is
a nuisance. Built in hoods and feet covers are great, as we can't lose them.

7. And finally, sometimes you just have to let
your Nana jazz up your classic look a little bit!

Day 12 - we've had visitors

Its great when people come to see the babies. Over the last few days we've had visits from another young family and then today, from the twins' grandfather Bruce and his wife Sarndra.

The twins meet Grand-dad Bruce

I enjoy watching the twins drink in the new faces, absorb the voices and sense the changed dynamic in the little apartment. They seem open to these new experiences and enjoy socialising. It makes a nice change for me too - and a chance to choose some special visitor outfits...

Kate and Joseph with their friends Peta and Chris and their daughter Arabella

   

Day 8 - some pics, due to popular demand

Thanks Joseph for doing the night calls

Thanks YouTube for some
 interesting afternoons

I appreciate all the encouragement, comments and feedback I'm getting. (The dog is fine now, thanks!) And I'm chuffed that so many are interested in my posts. Here's some pics of all of us, as requested.

Thanks Kate, for working and 

giving me this turn with the twins

Day 6 - Minding twins; dogged determination required

We started off okay. I popped out early to walk the dog - a complex little pomeranian/chihuahua individual called Calvin. Once the parents had gone to work I gave the twins their breakfast. While they were having their morning nap I had a burst of energy and washed the downstairs floors and stairs. I rummaged in the toy box and brought out some new stuff because I'm bored with the same things every day. About then I realised that the dog was sick. He'd thrown up some sticky yellow stuff, then some brown stuff and similar liquids were coming out the other end as well. Luckily he'd done all this on the balcony. The twins were waking up and I couldn't bear to contaminate their newly hygienic play-space so I tied him up outside until I had time to clean up.

Mario did his best ever attempt at crawling this morning; he got his round tummy off the floor and started going forwards instead of sideways. Unfortunately Calvin barked incessantly while we played; I ducked out and washed down the balcony before setting off for a walk with the twins in the stroller. I guess that's the trouble with apartment living, a sick dog can't just run off into the garden and get over it...

We went all the way up Victoria Street to Oxford Street and explored the Surry Hills area. Mario slept and missed the whole outing, as usual. I stopped at the park opposite the Jewish Museum for a picnic with Rose. I'd bought a lemon and walnut cookie and Rose happily gummed her way through a rice rusk. That little girl just loves her picnics.
When I got home Calvin had produced another round of excretions. I plonked the twins into the high chairs and took him for a quick run around the courtyard then I tied him up outside while I washed down the balcony again. Shut him out there again, with some fresh water (didn't dare feed him). More incessant barking followed.
Mario had woken up grumpy and dribbling excessively. He's just got his first tooth, but it looks like another one  might be coming through. Rose was in a cry-baby kind of mood by then and also dribbling. They didn't seem to notice the interesting different toys or spotlessly clean floor. And poor Calvin was getting on all our nerves. I called up some reggae music on YouTube and luckily my dancing had them both in giggles in no time. By the time Kate got home I'd just managed to get their dinner into them and the dog had stopped leaking. Finished the day off with a large glass of red wine.