Wednesday 31 May 2006

yellow roses



And they smell pretty!

no fun be had here

After the recent hullabaloo (great word) about kids not being allowed to play ball games in parks thanks to whinging residents complaining about stray balls landing in their backyards, I checked at the 5 parks I walk past to get to a friends house. All of them have "under no circumstances is fun to be had here' signs up. It really is unfortunate that while kids are getting fatter and lazier, people are getting stupider and more annoying.
I live next to a school. Between the oval and my house is another house and a really high fence. Despite this I still get random balls in my backyard.
Do I go storming over to the school and complain? No.
Do I write to Today Tonight or A Current Affair whinging about my rights as a citizen and how the youth of today have no respect for adults? No.
And why do I not do any of these things? Because I like to believe that I am a reasonable human being who understands that the school oval was there when I moved in and that kids should be outdoors playing whatever games will get them up and moving about. And I'm not a arrogant useless twat!

Tuesday 30 May 2006

oh my wordy lordy

Torby just rolled over. I think looking after him just got harder.

Monday 29 May 2006

tee hee

I've just spent a painful hour reading posts over at Threadbared.
Why painful?
Because the computer is in the same room as the sleeping baby and I don't want to laugh in case I wake him up. Do you know how painful it is to not laugh for that long. I practically wet myself!

a fabulous weekend was had by all.

Friday night we had some lovely friends around for dinner and I even made Nigella Lawsons Rasberry and Lemongrass trifle using lemongrass out of our backyard. So very organic. Mind you I do need to find a new vegetarian recipe to make for my vego friend. As delicious and nutricious as penne with pumpkin, peas, pinenuts and parmesan (add fried proscuitto for the carnivores) is, I probably need to move on.

Saturday night was the Family favourites dinner. Go to ForBattle for pictures courtesy of the lovely Coz. Soo much childhood wrongness in one place.
It did feel cheaty-pants to make the spaghetti bolognaise especially to refry it and have it on buttered toast with barbecue sauce and a googy egg.
Our family was quite good at yummy and differnt foods but we (especially dad and I) excelled at leftovers. My other favourite is leftover roast chicken and vegies that you refry with the ravy and have on toast. Or if you are in a more Asian mood, you add noodles and soy sacue (don't add the gravy)

Sunday morning we visited Meg, Jamie and the always cute Isobel (sister and brotherinlaw and niece) for an entertaining morning tea time. Isobel excelled herself at being cute and amused me no end.
However the highlight was seeing X-Men 3. So actiony and wolveriney and stormy and everything! Unfortunately MrNw didn't get to watch it as Torby got hysterical during the previews. He'd had a loong weekend and hadn't slept very well and the loud noise was enough to tip him over the edge. So the two lad went home and I got to watch a whole movie by myself. luckily Mouse and Tops gave me a lift home. I did miss out on having dinner with the Hunnyyydddd and Charlie and the rest. D'oh.

Now it's Monday and we are having a day at home to rest and recover (mainly for Torby) and this is what I have to type around.

Friday 26 May 2006

solid gold craziness

Little Torby is now on solids. He's been chowing down on delicious and nutricious rice cereal for three days now and today I livened up the proceedings by adding in some carrot and swede puree.
The rice cereal (actually a blend of a plain one and an apple and banana one) looks really gross and grey and lumpy, with the vegeies added to it it goes a really grey/orange mix. Mmmmm nice.

Anyhoo. I was in the supermarket today buying a different vegie sachet for him (It's all organic and nothing but vegies and the cooking water, just like you'd make at home if you weren't too lazy) when a crazy woman stopped me and informed me that I shouldn't buy precooked foods for my baby and if I was going to do that why did I have a baby in the first place as I obviously didn't love him and he's probably crying because he's sick because I'd poisoned him (that or he was just tired) and mothers weren't so lazy in her day and there's nothing wrong with home cooked foods and so on and so forth.
I just said "excuse me" and walked away.

Would like to claim I did that because I didn't want to create a scene but in truth, I just couldn't be bothered dealing with a crazy person AND a crying baby at the same time. Sigh!

Thursday 25 May 2006

a recommendation

I've just fifnished reading a book called 'Banquet: 10 Courses to Harmony' by Annette Shun Wah and Greg Aitken.
It's kind of about the development of Chinese food in Australia and the people involved and why. It's also got recipes and a section on etiquette. It's really quite fascinating.
It reminds me of the days when sweet and sour pork was a bit exotic and my parents were really quite progressive in that we made food out of the Womens Weekly Chinese Cooking Class Cookery book. It's amazing how far we have developed in our palates and cooking styles. Meat and three veg is no longer strictly that. Often it will be a stir fry or curry (without the sultanas) even in the most whitey households. We now regularly use 'asian greens' in our cooking. Not to mention the spices and flavour combinations. I'm interested to see where we'll go to next.

Monday 22 May 2006

Poor Torbenspang

See Flickr and ForBattle for more embarrasing photos of the poor baby!

This will teach him to make us go to the hospital thinking he's half dead from dehydration becasue he's been chucking and pooing like there's no tomorrow only for him to perk up the minute a doctor lays eyes on him.

ha ha!

I finally found the poem that contains the lines that have been in my head for months (at the 'net a wonderful thang!)


WARNING

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other peoples' gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Jenny Joseph (1932-)

A complaint about not being able to complain

Almost everything I read in magazines, newspapers, books, tv (okay i don't read the tv but you get my drift) that deals with males and females and particularly husbands and wives and children, moans about the fact that men don't help enough around the house and if the wife gets sick she's supposed to deal with it and get better because the man is useless and the kiddie-winkles need her and (once again) men are useless. It's such a good whinge and I'm upset that I can't use it!!!

Having just had a delightful bout of gastro that lasted from Thursday night till Sunday morning, I can unhappily say that MrNw was very useful and looked after me on my deathbed whilst also attending to Torby who was also a little bit vomity and wobbly-bottomed and required a visit to hopsital (more about that later)

Yes, the horridly supportive and clever husband manged to ensure I had lots of naps and and rehydrating beverages and even some nice vegetarian sushi when I felt like it and attended to the little one in his sickness (little feeds every hour or so) and do the washing up and clothes washing and newspaper buying and everything.

And it's not the first time he's done stuff like this either

The bastard!

Thursday 18 May 2006

one word and word only

Generate Your Own Glitter Graphics @ GlitterYourWay.com

Thanks Coz

Wednesday 17 May 2006

week of mostly Yays! (so far)

It's been an interesting couple of days at casa de dv. Monday saw a lot of packages being delivered (yay for the new box of wine) and tradesmen doing things. No more leaky taps and doors that don't close properly .David at Raine and Horne Burwood is fabulous. He inspected the house on Friday, got my list of things that needed fixing and on Monday, they get fixed, YAY.

Tuesday was the day of vomit. Torby projectiled on me twice. We're talking the full exorcist thing. So many showers in just one day. Decided to go to the doctor because he was looking abit floppy and unwell that afternoon. Of course the minute we get to the doctors office, the little bastard perks right up and is all smiley and happy. Doctor thinks I'm completely paranoid.

Today was Mothers Group day. Always lovely to catch up with the lasses and find out what's happening and confirm that Torby is still the bestest baby ever ;-)

Tomorrow I meet with the woman who will hopefully be looking after the little one when I'm cruelly forced back to the salt mines. Yay for Spyder for networking for me.

only happy Koreans allowed

I walk past it a lot at Strathfield and finally remembered to take a photo of my favourite sign
Then when i got home I noticed our sentry cat.

mmmmmm, drool

just to let everyone know how hard it is to concentrate on paying bills on line when you have baby drool running down your other hand and i do mean running.

Tuesday 16 May 2006

last night

There's something endlessly amusing about watching my son try a rusk for the first time. The look of wonder, the slobber, the drool, the gagging himself with it, the extra drool. I can't wait to try it again.

Monday 15 May 2006

oh the thrill of it all.

I am currently in a bidding war on ebay. only 3minutes and 33secs to go.

I'll let you know what happens.

Update - It's mine all mine. A lovely (I hope) portable cot thingy for Torbenspang. At the ridiculously low price of 48.00.
yay for me

my first mothers day

I had a mothers day yesterday and it was lovely!

MrNw bought me breakfast in bed and then Torbenspang baought in the presented he had hand selected for me including a card that he had signed and everything.


I received the lovely slippers that were spotted in DJ's a few weeks ago and they are so snuggy warm with ribbons and sequins and everything!
.


There is a photo of him bring me his present but as it was morning and I have nothing but a singlet on, it's deemed a bit too bossom-y for public consumption. It's very cute though!

Husband and child then ran away to Stigs house to crush grapes to kake wine (hmmmm home brew wine, how could anyone resist) which meant I got to laze around the house, watching Futurama and eating chocolates (3 coffee creams in the box of Darrell Lea chocolates, woo-hoo!!!)

We then went to Epping to have dinner with MrNw's parents, his brother and his lovely girlfriend. Went to the lovely Thai place down the road and ate own body wait in yummy food. Only had to ask 4times for water. It's a new record for them.

Came home, watched X-Men2 and went to sleep. What more could a girl ask for.

To any mother out there who read this, I hope you had as good a day!

Thursday 11 May 2006

why can't a woman be more like a man?

I've just watched 'My Fair Lady' again and had a lovely time and I reallyshould watch it more often. The costumes, the sets, the wittiness, the songs, the... oh the everything.

Even Torbenspang enjoyed it.

Wednesday 10 May 2006

stuff what I saw yesterday

During my trek to the early childhood centre yesterday in Croydon, I actually remembered to take photos of the cunning things I see such as;

This really funky mailbox

The Appian Way Recreation Centre. The Appian Way is a street in Burwood full of lovely, old, ginormous houses and in the centre of it is the Rec Centre. How much do you wnat to play a game of cricket there?

A cunning bit of fenciness on Burwood Road. So pretty and secret garden-esque.

an update

For those of you who witnessed the "I'm so not very sleepy at all, no really I'm not I don't know what your talking about and my pram is lined with razor blades" baby yesterday - you'll be pleased to know that he fell asleep in the car and stayed that way until 7:30 this morning. Yay!

Let's see what happens today.

Tuesday 9 May 2006

me, me, me

From What I Cooked Last Night

THE 'ME' MEME.


I AM: mostly contented

I WANT: everything and more!

I WISH: that I never had to go back to work

I HATE: stupidity and meanness

I MISS: wine o'clock in my sister's backyard

I HEAR: My baby making litle grunty and snuffly noises as he sleeps

I WONDER: about a lot of things

I REGRET: some of the things I've said without thinking.

I AM NOT: Tolerant of stupid people.

I DANCE: enthusiastically!!!

I SING: badly but a lot.

I CRY: A lot at really dumb things.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: this slack

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: food, frocks, dumb little craft-y projects

I WRITE: not as well as I'd like to

I CONFUSE: other people

I NEED: to take more photos of those that I love.

I SHOULD: kiss my husband when he gets home tonight.

I START: getting upset when I'm tired

I FINISH: packets of chips.

In his tradition, consider yourself tagged. Let me know the answers!

my son the author

bv c waaaaaaaad wqe5fv we 33333zx w sgfrt r s r r 6etgr g mnd4 4sy yfcty 4 vc


This post was going to be about something else until my Torbenspang decided that it was his turn to write (whilst also trying to eat the keyboard)

I think a celebration is in order.

One of my lovely friends invited me to cellebrate the fact that 12 months to the day yesterday she "lost an excess 80kilos in the shape of a boy" I call this Man-Ditchin' day. A jolly good time was had by all with much laughter and frivolity.

I was thinking about it today on my walk to the Childhood Centre today to attend a talk on Solids when I realised that I love celebrations of any sort. Particulaly the unusual ones (such as man-ditchin' day) I like the fact that there are so many reasons to celebrate out there. I like the fact that you can celebrate in so many different ways. Wether it be a nice glass of wine because you haven't smoked in 2 years or a slap up dinner with friends because you cleaned the house or a new bottle of nice alcohol for your partner when you get a raise Or eating way too many pancakes because you made a good life decision. All these are fabulous ways and reasons.

I guess what I'm trying to say is Yay for celebrations and may there be a whole lot more in your lives.

Monday 8 May 2006

ta-da!!!

Yay, I've got most of my links back (I think) and am working on changing coloury-ness as we speak. I like the pink but not that much. We'll see.

Thanks to Miss Krin for the Colour Match 8k link on her blog. I do love to change colours.

I'm also being entertained by watching Torby spin around in his cot and laugh at himself in the mirror.

Sunday 7 May 2006

aaaarghh!!!

Okay I'm not that clever sometimes and this is one of those times. Decided to redocorate and this of course wiped all my links etc. Yes it warned me, I just chose not to believe them.
D'oh

Thursday 4 May 2006

a revelation of sorts

I've always said that I would never die for someone. It just alwys seemed like a poiintless thing and that it was demeaning to yourself as it has the implication that you are not as worthy to live as the other person. Don't get me wrong, i would cheerfully give a kidney or whatever for those taht I love, but death is another matter.

The yesterday MrNw, Torbenspang and I were out shopping and I stepped into the carpark in front of the pram. Basically so any car that was going to hit us would get me instead of Torby. I did this without thinking of the consequences or what it means. It wasn't until I got in the car that I actually thought about. MrNw pointed out that it probably has something to do with keeping my genes alive. I like to think that it has a lot to do with defending something so very dear to me that can't defend itself.

And the genetics thing.

Monday 1 May 2006

When Mr Nw grows up....

.....he wants to be just like Robyn!

At the aforementioned wedding, Robyn got her finger cut open by her very new husband in a nasty present opening tragedy.

At about midday today, Mr Nw got his finger cut open in a nasty window fixing tragedy.

Coincedence? I think not!!!!

I think he just wants to be like Robyn and who could blame him.

Anyway, after interrupting my important blog writing (hence the last post was published 8 hours after it written) with his subtle and manly 'oh fuck......honey can you give me a hand?' we went to the doctors only to be told that we should go to the hospital instead. 3 stitches lots of blood and a tetanus jab later, we got to come home.

I was going to point out to him that it's a good thing he has a week off before starting the new job only to then figure out that if he wasn't home, he wouldn't have cut himself. D'oh!

my weekend by DV aged 29 and 2 and a bit months

This weekend saw me doing a lovely road trip to Canberra for a fabulous wedding at the last moment (the road trip, not the wedding!) due to some confusion with invites, we didn't know that we were invited until Thursday! D'oh! So, the decision was made to ditch the husband and child and travel down with Tops and Mouse and stay with the ever lovely John & Sharen. The wedding was sweet and short and beautiful. Got to catch up with chums I haven't seen in a while, particularly Andrew and got to meet the lovely Morgan

John and Sharen have the loveliest dog who I swear is Hairy Maclary come to life.


On Sunday we decided to make our way to the National Gallery of Art to see the big naked pregnant lady by Ron Mueck that was talked about on ForBattle!

She was absolutely amazing. The level of detail was mind blowing. It really did look as though she was about to open her eyes and continue her stretch. The skin was scarily real looking with little moles and discolourations and creases and everything! So very startling. There was lots of other good art there although disapointed that no medieval/ rennaisance stuff was out (or if it was it was hiding). One particular 'installation' was by Fiona Hall called Paradisus Terrestris

They are these fabulous sardine tins that have trees at the top and rude bits at the bottom. Okay it's a crap explanation but it'll have to do. They were marvellous.

We got to the gallery before it opened so wandered around the sculpture garden. Im not normally a fan of sculpure. don't ask me why 'cause I can't explain it. However a lot of what I saw was so beautiful or intriguing I was quite taken by it. I took photos of stuff I liked and it's on my flickr account. (or will be when I finish uploading it)

Even took this arty photo of the three of us looking so tall and slim.



I must say though, the best bit of Sunday was coming home and seeing my little Torbenspang and having him smile at me despite the abandonment. Also fairly nice to see MrNw again :)