Food Glorious Food

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Food is a huge focus in most folks lives.
It’s a pretty important thing.
And everyone has a view point about food.
Some don’t care, they just eat anything and everything.
Some care fixatedly and are extremely particular.
Some have deadly allergies
Some have intolerances
Some are just plain picky and ride on the back of those who have those allergies.

Me, well I just like food.
But I am very particular as well.
My food has to be good.
Really good!
I won’t pay for crappy fast food unless that is the absolute last option and I am at deaths door!

I have cooked and baked nutritious delicious food all my married life.
I have literally fed armies, fed the multitudes.
But when Tim was killed, my spirit to cook died too.
My confidence disappeared.
I relied on the kids to produce many of our meals.
It’s take me a while to get back on the planet in that regards.
Now we are off the farm and usually only 2-4 of us at home our meals have changed, simplified.
I use a lot of vegetables and not a lot of meat.
Because one of us is vegetarian, I tend to cook around her and then add meat according to what rest of us want or need.
And actually, I am finding that I don’t need or want a lot of meat any more.
I am ‘fussy’ in some respects which makes it so easy when I go out.
I don’t eat pork or venison because I don’t like it and I don’t eat mutton or lamb because no-one can cook it like Tim did 😉
I also try and keep my food as unprocessed as possible.
And I keep my sugar intake to a minimum.
I’m not religious about it, I have done being a slave to it.
Food is to be enjoyed, but in that enjoyment I try and make wise choices.

In our city house we have an oven which I am not familiar with, I hate using it, and can only usually succeed to get it operating if Mahalia is here to operate the switches!
So I cook mainly using the mini bench oven, the slow cookers, the rice cooker and heavy cast iron cookware on the gas stove.
We live on salads and stir fries of varying combinations depending on the seasons, combining them with potatoes in many disguises, noodles, rice, buns, etc.
The slow cooker is also a brilliant stand by, I can prepare a nutritious economical meal which can often last us for more than several days, once again combining with whichever carb you choose to make each meal different & interesting.

I don’t need to turn out great quantities of baking anymore so 6 muffins cook nicely in the mini oven.
These were made to Mahalia’s request using pumpkin puree, halloumi cheese and toasted seeds.
They tasted really good!
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And when you have roast veggies left over what better way to use them up than bubble and squeak with some organic farm eggs lovingly squeezed from Marah’s chooks by my gorgeous little grand daughters 🙂
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But being in the city also has another benefit.
We can eat other peoples cooking more often!
There are some wonderful cafes & restaurants here.
I especially love the cafe culture, the diverse range, the outdoor & street seating that our climate allows us to enjoy.
The thing I love about eating out is sharing.
Sharing time with friends.
Taking time out of the busyness of life and just stopping.
I love nothing better than to meet with a friend and spend time enjoying their company along with good food and great coffees.
I love exploring and finding new treasure troves, and returning to old favourites.
There’s one or three I have frequented recently deserve a mention –

The Baker’s Coffee Shop makes excellent coffees & exquisite pastries onsite.
Mahalia and I treated ourselves the other day, it is probably not a place I need to go too often because the pastries are just wickedly wonderful and self restraint is extremely difficult 😉
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7010 Your Local is another fav.
The cool thing here is that the food is different every day.
But each time it is just so good.
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I have to make particular mention of the relatively new La Capilla Restaurant.
Owners by head chef Takeshi, one of the best chefs in our region.
I recently took my lad out there for a special lunch.
He said it was absolutely the best meal ever as he pretty much licked his plate clean 🙂
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And of course, being a special lunch we couldn’t leave without sampling one of Takeshi’s delicious deserts each.
SO good!
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The other absolute fav place of ours is East Street Vegetarian Cafe & Bar.
If I want to keep Mahalia happy I just suggest going there for lunch, or dinner, or dessert, or…….. any excuse really and she is very happy 🙂
It has the reputation of being the best vegetarian restaurant in NZ and I agree whole heartedly.
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The ambience is retro and funky, the staff are super cool and the food is awesome.
Double thumbs up to this place.
Mains are exceptional and desserts are pretty darned good too.img_9824img_9825

A cafe that I don’t get too that often as it is on the other side of town is Blackbird Eatery.
It is tucked away inside a local gym and as it is only a couple of minutes further to the airport it is worth leaving a bit earlier for your flight so you can fuel up on the way.
It focuses on raw and fresh foods.
I was heading to the airport so enjoyed a get together with two of my girls here last week.
We did the afternoon tea sweet thing, the brownies were made from gf, df ingredients and were divine but we shoulda divided two among three of us as one each was a bit much for our relatively sugar free bodies.
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I popped down to Christchurch this week.
It was a very impromptu visit so I didn’t rush about catching up with everyone like I often do.
Pretty much focused on the business to hand and getting some much needed rest.
But I did manage to share a couple of meals out whilst there.
A pre show snack at Rendezvous Hotel’s Junction Bar before going to Evita.
Everyone else was eating platters of deep fried bar food.
As I said further back, I am personally trying to make good choices and too much deep fried or sugary food is not a good choice for me right now.
This beetroot salad was wonderful, the buffalo yoghurt and hazel nuts mixed with roast onion and beetroot was just perfect.
What I really liked was that they were willing to accomodate my preferences and swap some ingredients for another.
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I do have a couple of concessions which include the occasional glass of cider and a mocha.
The cider must not be apple, anything but apple!
And the mocha has got to be good – very hot, not lukewarm and milky -eeewk!
I walked on the Wildside with Nathan and enjoyed a Mandarin & Lime Cider while had had an Asahi beer.
He tried to convert me, but no, beers for me.
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Joe’s Garage in Rangiora was our second choice for dinner.
But as the first choice was closed for staff training we opted for Joe’s.
It was a good choice.
Not too crowded while we were there so fairly peaceful, staff were great and the food was pretty darned good.
Nathan proclaimed the steak to be perfectly to his liking and my salmon was delectable.
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I could not leave Joe’s without having a Killer Smoothie so had that for dessert.
My goodness, they are the absolute best smoothies.
Ever since my first one at the Sumner Joe’s Garage many years ago it is top of my menu choice whenever I have the fortune to find myself there.
It is basically yoghurt with black doris plums & honey.img_0155

Basically when it comes down to it, there is really nothing that surpasses sharing good food with good friends.
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East West Design

We were cruising up the street searching for interesting places to go when I spotted this building and called for a fast halt to the vehicle so I could zip out and take some photos of these amazing murals that spanned the whole front and round one side.
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We soon discovered that this humungous building houses 2 acres of the most wonderful treasure trove.
East West Design is the largest retail outlet in the southern hemisphere.
We disappeared into the belly of the proverbial whale and were soon drooling with desire and gasping with delight.
These photo do not do it justice.
I was scheming and dreaming as to how I could afford to fill a shipping container with all the wonderful items I was falling in love with.
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I could only partially see this hunky door but was absolutely certain it would look fantabulous set into my back door 😉
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It was a veritable paradise filled with objects of desire.
Just as well the Tasman is between there and home!!

Shopping with Sam

Sam took me shopping today.
I found a swimwear shop I wanted to go to so off we went to find Luce Del Sol.
It is a lovely wee shop full of wonderful swimwear and a very helpful owner.
I walked in and said I don’t wear black, and Sam added that I don’t do Nana either!
So that said she found me everything that was colourful.
I spent ages trying on every swimsuit in the shop – well it felt like every one!
But nothing was really rocking my boat.
So I began looking at the black suits.
And guess what?
They looked great.
And I found the one I loved and felt so good in.
Once I had that nailed I then started trying on two pieces.
Then I found a bikini – yes a bikini!!
Haven’t worn one since I was in my teens.
Never ever thought I would or could again.
I love it 🙂

I was telling my girls recently that after watching a few TV shows like Botched and Beauty & the Beach I have finally decided that at my age and stage in life I am finally perfectly happy with my body.
I’ve had 11 pregnancies, birthed 10 babies – and none too small either!
I’ve breast fed them all – each of them for quite some time.
I don’t have any stretch marks, my boobs aren’t hitting my ankles.
The excess flab around the middle is being dealt to gradually, and I am not getting too hung up about the lack of abdominal muscle tone anymore because my babies made short work of destroying that!
So I am now going to totally get my Queen on this coming summer in my new beach attire 🙂
And maybe, just maybe, I might get a photo up sometime 😉

After the marathon we were both famished so wandered up the street and found Roots & Greens smoothie and juice bar.
Got some wonderfully energising smoothies full of beetroot and stuff to kick us into the afternoon.
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I love the quaint old buildings around Fremantle.
These ones were just across the road.
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We found another shop which had a sale on.
It was a hellishly expensive place but I fell in love with this scarf.
Dithered muchly and then decided I would really regret not getting it.
So I did and I am happy 🙂
It is very different to any other scarf I have.img_9441img_9459

Jesika met us at Sam’s and then she and I went off for a massage.
It was so good.
The guy worked wonders on my shoulders and also my calves, especially the right one which has really knotted up since my altercation with a tow bar a few months ago.
I am going to have to get some on going treatment once I return home.
Sam arrived for her massage just as we had finished.
Then it was back to Jesika & Evan’s for dinner and bed.

Ev’s 40th – Party Time

Saturday night was party time.
The All Blacks had just beaten the Wallabies in the Bledisloe Cup for the 2nd time in two weeks so all was well in Evan’s world and he was ready to party by the time the full time whistle was blown 🙂

Jesika had made a fantastic photo board for him.IMG_9339 IMG_9340 IMG_9341 IMG_9343
He was sporting the satin shorts from Shoshannah and the flashing lit up horns & jandles that Marah sent.
Perfect party attire.
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I presented Evan with a celebratory picture that I had painted on my way over.
It’s carrying my main present – which was too big for me to bring in the flesh, so he has to come home and get it 😉
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The other main man was also suitable attired to attend the Kiwi themed party.
Welcome Fred Dagg 🙂
He was really rocking those gumboots.
Fred Dagg aka John Clarke has always been a favourite of our family.
One skit in particular always made Tim laugh and he was always commenting that ‘the front fell off’ when things didn’t go to plan 🙂IMG_9309
Jesika went all out as did her Chilean friends Jacqui & Javier.
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Me and my girlIMG_9330
Jesika & Sam getting the cake finished IMG_9335
Cheeky cousins 🙂
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There was quite a storm blowing outside the marque so lighting candles took skillIMG_9345
Evan with workmate Tracey and her daughter
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Ev with Sam’s present – yes he drinks tea 😉
The ulteria motive was to stop him drinking her cups of tea when he visits!!IMG_9356 IMG_9361
Ev with ‘old’ school mate Tracey.
There were 3 Tracey’s at the party so we had to differentiate with clarification nicknames.IMG_9365 IMG_9366 (1) IMG_9367
A major amount of drunken hilarity occurred of course.
Measure biceps at this point…..IMG_9372

Wal lost his wig later in the evening – somehow looked a lot better on Bud methinks 😉IMG_9373
I love this last photo – it was the last one I actually took that night and it shows the birthday boy in full swing.
He was really enjoying himself 🙂IMG_9374

Meeting Constance

Saturday morning it was wet.
Perth has been experiencing the coldest winter in 20 years and it is also very wet.
So I didn’t need to pack any sunscreen!
Just the same old winter stuff I’ve been wearing for past months back home.
I went with Jesika to the Manning Farmers Market.
The rain was heavy and then it would clear, and then down she’d come again Trev!
It was a lovely market, Jesika has her favourite vege and fruit stalls so we wandered between them and the others that I was interested in.
Like food and coffee and crafts etc.
The crepe stall did really really good avocado wraps with spinach.
The coffee cart next door looked better than it tasted :-/
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On the way home I checked into Facebook, as you do.
And saw to my delight that Constance was signing her books ‘Like a Queen’ at Subiaco today!
Jesika wasn’t going to take me, no way, not ever 😉
All good – she had a party to prepare for.
So I called Sam, pretty sure she’d be keen and yes she was.
So we drove up to Subiaco and discovered Constance is a one very popular lady.
We already knew that she has a world wide following on her blog ‘Queens of Constance’ and Facebook but seeing so many local women queuing cemented that.
In fact the line of women and the occasional husband/partner & children went for miles up the stairs and though the hallways of the Subiaco Hotel.
So long in fact that we were queuing for around 2 hours!
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Was it worth the wait.
You bet it was!
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Loved this sculpture – I thought is was representing all the queens floating out of the hotel after having our books signed and our few moments with Constance.
The best thing along the way though was meeting and chatting with other women who were there from all walks, ages & stages of life.
Her blunt honest way of communicating about the reality of life in the fast lane of motherhood has broken through so many barriers because we all identify with her in some way or other.
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Afterwards we were right hungry we were, so headed home asap, stopping at a supermarket along the way to find food.

Surprise x 2

I had inside information because I had been pumping Jesika for several months.
I knew that unbeknownst to Evan she was taking Friday off work to pick up his best friend from the airport and to prepare for his party.
So Jacqui and I rocked up at the house early arvo to surprise Jesika only to find the place all locked up.
I unloaded and waited around the back, thinking they wouldn’t be long.
After about half an hour I messaged her asking how the party plans were going and I received this photo.
She and Bud were out lunching!
Great ;-/IMG_9191
Soon after Evan arrived and on hearing me knocking on the back door got the surprise of his life to find his favourite mother-in-law on the step.
We had a cuppa and a catch up, then he told me that Jesika was on her way home from work.
Mmmm, I agreed, knowing the other side of the secret 😉
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She messaged him saying she was going straight to Sam’s to do party prep  & for him to come there, to which he responded ‘Come home now! The marquee has been put in the wrong place and I am not happy about it’!
Unbeknownst to us his caused a major meltdown at the other end 🙁

So we hopped in his car and drove round to Sam’s and on the way passed Sam heading our way.
Ev commented to me that there was a guy in the passengers seat and that it was ‘probably her other husband’, as he refers to her best mate Blair as!
I knew exactly who it was!!
So we ended up at Sam’s with me giving Jesika the surprise of her life – she was shell shocked to see me so I got lots of hugs and tears.
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Then Sam returned with Bud so there were man hugs and tears when Ev saw him.
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We couldn’t have bettered the plan if we’d tried!!IMG_9198

Jesika was making the birthday cake and vodka jelly shots so I helped where I could and the guys retreated to the living room with their beers to talk guy talk.
IMG_9204IMG_9203As it was Evan’s actual birthday I took the opportunity to unpack and unload the excess from my bag.
He loved the tee-shirtsIMG_9207  IMG_9209
As did Jesika.
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Her birthday was a week back so I had bought her over a bone carving made by our friend Fumio.
It represents & symbolises the paua, fern leaf, waves and fishhook.
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To celebrate we put on our glad rags and braved the torrential rain.
Took an Uber ride to Tony Roma’s for dinner.
Happy Birthday ole fella 🙂
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We had a great night.
Food was really good.
Our waiter was excellent, so good in fact that the guys made sure we all tipped him extra.
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The place is a carnivores dream.
I had the chicken salad.
It was excellent.
Perfect balance of salad and not too much meat.
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The desserts were not only very good, but they were very generous servings.
I danced with chance and on the young waiters recommendation ordered Tiramisu.
I am very particular with this dessert so normally do not risk it.
It didn’t fail – for once it was nailed.
Sam had to sample Blair’s sundae with some help from Evan’s finger!
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Torrential rain again as we ran to the Uber car.
Great night but we were all too tired to go clubbing so headed back home for some sleep.

It’s time…….

 

I’m finding it incredible at the timeliness of Becca Lees poetry coming to my attention and speaking the words that my heart is trying to say.

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These rings are such an integral part of me. They represent the binding of two hearts. The constancy and love Tim & I had.

I have worn my engagement ring for near on 39 years and my wedding ring for coming up 38 years.

I have continued to wear them because I haven’t been ready to let him go, I’ve worn them to hold connection and also for protection. image

But yesterday my heart was ready. image

The years of wear have left their mark. A mark which will fade in time but never the memories they represent.

I’m not ready to release them entirely.

They are not being relegated to the top drawer.

I’m not a big jewelry wearer, I wear only what I really love

And I really love these rings.

Just as I loved the giver.

So they are now adorning my right hand. Still connected directly to my heart.

But not in a way that shouts ‘No Vacancy’!

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I’m exonerating my heart, laying aside the burdens, making peace with the past.

Venturing forward to discover & embrace a future that is waiting to greet me with open arms.

 

Do more of what makes you happy

Tiki-touring on the way home took us to the end of a road.

Going down is fine – but every step down has to be reclimbed in an upwards manner 😉
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Hey Sibylle! Where are your shoes?
Wet!
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Obstacles do not block the path,
they are the path.
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You can shake the sand from your shoes,
But not from your soul.
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Take me to the beach and I will show you joy 🙂
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Taming a prehistoric beast!
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Cave creatures
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Looking back from whence we came.IMG_9093

Hello world!

After 10 years of blogging about life in the fast lane of motherhood, ménage, motivation, marriage, and mourning, I have decided to begin anew.
So welcome to my new blog.
I’m not too sure how this will develop but knowing me it will be at times deep and meaningful and at others, light and fripperous 🙂
Don’t you just love that word – fripperous?
It is so fun and happy and carefree.
In setting up this new site I have stumbled upon the works of Becca Lee.
I am a lover of words.
They move me, they speak to me and and feed my soul.
They nurture, they soothe, they help me process.
When I discovered her Instagram site my heart leapt.
I fell upon her words like a starving ravenous wretch.
As I begin walking toward the light after so long in the darkness this quote fuels my soul tonight.
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