Be your own kind of beautiful...

Let me give you a free therapy session...

 but before I begin, I want to set the scene for this post.

Every now and again we bring out some dinner conversation cards at home. 

 I posted about these a while ago (HERE) 

They are a box of gems -just small cards that prompt a discussion. 

The other night one of the cards read 

"The best advice I've received..."

My ten year old pondered for a few minutes and then came out with 

You told me that I need to be my own kind of beautiful..."

We had a wonderful conversation about diversity and acceptance and inner beauty and being yourself.
As every mother will tell their child,  I tell her that she's beautiful. More than that though, I want her to know what her beauty is...what makes her unique and special. Up until this particular evening I don't think I realised that she really got this...

Fast forward to this week and  I was at a work professional development day and one of the speakers showed us a few video clips. She didn't introduce the topic, just let us watch. I particularly loved this one. 

Just give yourself 3 minutes to watch.

Most of us as adults are way too self critical. 

How would you describe yourself....What kind of a person are you?

Now think about how your friends would describe you....

 My ten year old believes that she is beautiful in and out. 

Whilst I definitely don't want her to be precious and vain about it, 

I think this is a lovely quality that children should have.

Happy Friday beautiful people,

be your own kind of beautiful...
photo source
wall canvas purchased from
 http://mccarthydesigns.com.au/

 

Peanut butter and oat slice from 'The Recipe Book'

When I first moved across the seas to Australia it was only for a year... 

Everything was left back in our home for our return 12 month later. We arrived with a suitcase each and a couple of small boxes. After unsuccessfully looking for a furnished home the budget had to stretch to making an empty house livable. Down to one reduced income it gave me an opportunity to concentrate on necessity and to look at purchases in a different way. We were living the dream experiencing life on the other side of the world... albeit on a shoestring budget, but we managed... (thank you Ikea!).

So that year was the year that I got to go back to basics. I was so fortunate to be able to spend time with my then three year old. We had a ball. Walks and picnics along the river, trips to the museum and library, playing in the parks - all free. I relished that precious time and often reflect with a lot of gratitude on how circumstances enabled me to take time away from my career and concentrate wholly on being there for Sibs. 

I think that was the year that I really learnt how to cook and bake. It's not that I didn't know my way around the kitchen before, it's just that I think I had seen cooking as a means of just getting a meal on the table. With the luxury of time on my hands I began to enjoy just making things. 

Instead of the numerous cook books that graced my kitchen shelves back in rural Yorkshire my suitcase contained just one - The Recipe Book. In it I had scribbled some favourite recipes and included a few torn out ones from magazines.

I soon realised that many of the recipes were very British. Not much call for stews and casseroles in the Brisbane heat! So I picked up those free magazines that supermarkets put together now and again and worked my way through them. It wasn't that long ago, but there was no iPhone or iPad and the only laptop we had was used by Neil most of the time so it back to old fashioned print.

Talking of necessity buying we of course bought a barbecue and spent many a balmy evening on the back deck enjoying a meal whilst watching the possums jump around the trees. No real need for any recipes for that.

Over the last year or so I've sourced most new recipes from blogs and websites viewed via the ipad. I have a nifty little stand for it in the kitchen and it's so compact and easy. However, every now and then I'll have a browse through the old recipe book and revisit some old favourites. It takes me back to the kitchen in our first Australian house. If Sibs is with me she will always talk about the time that she was once helping to bake  a cake and managed to tip a full mixing bowl of wet ingredients over the floor. Yes, I remember that day...it was the day we were expecting the agent to do a house inspection and she was due to arrive just at that instant!

The other day  I fancied something with my morning cup of coffee so I went back to the book and found this recipe for peanut butter and oat slice.

I don't always have all the ingredients to hand and I was low on rolled oats  I made it up with some muesli flakes. I also added some cranberries and omitted the sesame seeds. If I keep to the main ingredients then I usually swap and change some things around and it always works ok.

 

These freeze well too. I cut them into muesli bar size and wrap in foil, then they're ready to take straight from the freezer to put into lunch boxes or taken as a snack out and about.  I know they are not the healthiest things but as a treat now and then they taste good - and you know exactly what's in them.

As I was taking some photos of my recipe book look what was hidden amongst the scraps of papers in the back?

Little Sibs in her cot having a nap about 10 years ago. 

Now I wouldn't find that searching for a recipe on the ipad...

Twmff is depressed...

chilling on a sunny afternoon

Meet Twmff. Yes, you read  right it's not a typo - this is Twmff, pronounced Too-mf.

Twmff has a welsh name and in Welsh 'w' is a vowel and 'ff' is pronounced 'f'. Anyhow, this is not a blog post about Welsh lessons, this is a blog post about Twmff.

chilling on another sunny afternoon

Twmff has been part of this family for a little while and will be about 5 1/2 years old by now. He was a rescue cat in pretty bad shape when we got him, and for the first few months of coming to live with us I would be lucky to catch a glimpse of his tail when he ventured from under the sofa to grab some food. He needed lots of medication and a few vet visits and eventually he became stronger and more adventurous  He came to us with a sister....although I have always doubted the family tie and I think the RSPCA lady saw a bit of an opportunity to home 2 cats at once!

I interrupted their play time here hence the stares! 

So Twmff and his 'sister' Modlen soon began to settle with us and over time have brought much amusement, love and a few challenges thrown in. Twmff has always fancied himself as a bit of a dog which has been quite funny over the years. He will come when called, sit and listen to a story, let Sibs dress him up - that kind of thing. He learnt how to open the locked cat flap story here which has necessitated a complex bedtime ritual but overall though they are great little cats and are loved dearly. I think we give them a very comfortable home - they more or less have the run of the house.They can go outside in the daytime and come home for tea. Now Twmff has probably been a little more challenging than Modlen... Nothing extraordinary really, just a few more trips to the vet due to a scratch here and there or a sore paw or leg. He can be pretty vocal and will tell us if things aren't quite right. If you can't find Modlen you just ask Twmff and he will direct you to the shut room where she will be sitting quietly waiting for her brother to rescue her.. Just last night he himself got shut in the under-stairs cupboard by accident and I'm sure his miaow would have been heard down the street!

Just recently though Twmff hasn't been himself. He's been a bit more demanding. His cries for us to open the cat flap in the morning have been a bit louder and longer. He has been spending time in boxes and we have 'lost' him a few times and after a long hunt and calling his name he's been found hiding under a bed or in a cupboard.

hiding

At first I put this down to not liking the rain (there was quite a bit for a few week). Then it would be because we had some visitors staying (there's always quite a bit of that too!) After a while I noticed that he wasn't really eating very much and then he wasn't using his litter tray. He became a bit withdrawn and I rang the vet. She was pretty concerned with this change in behaviour so off we went for a check up.

Some separation anxiety!

After a thorough check and the ruling out of any more serious medical conditions the vet came to the conclusion that Twmff was depressed...

Should I have seen it....?

In hindsight, maybe....

'please don't go without me"

When we went away over Christmas and the New Year Twmff missed us. The housitters mentioned that he took a few weeks to respond to them. Then we were home for a few days before taking off again up the coast. It seems that most weekends since January we have been busy. People staying, us away. Just general life really, but for Twmff...well, little Twmff has felt more than a bit left out. In cat world, one way of showing this is to withdraw (nothing unusual there), but apparently another common sign is refusing to use a litter tray or just to go to the toilet. Due to the male cat anatomy this can be fatal within 3 days! Pretty serious stuff.

So dosed up with an antibiotic and anti inflammatory shot, a special prescription diet to ensure his system keeps working (for all that read having spent $$$ at the vets!) Twmff is at home getting lots of special attention. 

allowed on the bed for a two minute cuddle

We can't stay in forever with him, but we can ensure that he has somewhere safe and secure to hide should he need to. If it happens again the vet told me about a spray that I can buy that mimics feline pheromones that will provide comfort to a distressed cat. Who knew? 

Here's hoping that Twmff feels the love this week!

Happy Monday.

Pear Vanilla and Cinnamon Jam

Once a year I become jam making mama, and each year I tell myself that I should do it more often. 

I've mentioned before how huge the school fete is out here. So huge that I dust off the big pot and make jar upon jar of jam. So huge that it takes over life for the school community for a couple of months. A few years ago Neil helped to convene the fete - now that was extra huge! Anyway, that's all another story, what I wanted to record here was my latest adventure in jam making as I actually think that this is the nicest tasting jam that I have made to date.. 

Let me walk you through Pear, Vanilla and Cinnamon jam.

I don't hold any claim to being an expert jam maker...not by any stretch of the imagination, but I have to admit that if you have enough time on your hands then it's pretty straight forward and easy. 

I chose a Saturday when Neil and Sibs were away camping so I could take over the kitchen, plug in the ipod and make jam to my hearts content.

My choice of jam flavour was entirely spontaneous.....it was whatever fruit was on offer! At $1.50 a kilo, pears became the flavour of choice. So armed with a box of pears, a few kilos of sugar and a coffee I set myself up for a few hours of domesticity.

First step in jam making is to have plenty of empty jars. I gave them a wash in the sink to try and remove as many labels as I could and then put them through the dishwasher before popping them in the oven to sterilise. (more on that later)

It's very satisfying seeing gleaming glass jars all ready for the 'fruits of your labour' (pun intended!)

Whilst the dishwasher was doing its thing I got on with the slightly laborious task of preparing the pears.
First off I peeled them, then used a corer and slicer to cut them. This was pretty easy as the pears were quite soft.

 They look a little like hand cut chips here. I didn't get the weight of them unpeeled and uncut, but 40 average sized pears gave me 3.5 kilos once prepared as above.

I put a couple of centimetres of water in the bottom of a large pan together with the juice of half a lemon and added the pears and cooked them until soft. I made the jam in two batches so put in  2 kilos of pears in the first batch. I added some vanilla at this point. I only had vanilla extract in my pantry so I added a couple of teaspoons. I'm sure you could use vanilla pods or any vanilla flavouring.

Once the pears were soft enough to be mashed you then add warmed sugar. I warmed my sugar in the oven.

I believe that that general rule about jam making is equal quantities of sugar to fruit. So for 2kg of pears, I possibly should have added 2kg of sugar. However, I only added 1.5kg of sugar and it turned out fine.

Then you boil away - vigorously. The first batch that I made was just pear and vanilla and when I tasted it just before decanting into the jars I felt it was a little bland. The sweetness of the vanilla was nice, but it was a touch sickly. I rummaged in the pantry and found some ground cinnamon and added a teaspoon to the pot. This gave the jam a slightly darker colour and a lovely warm flavour.

Once the jam has been boiling for about about 10 mins you need to check if it's setting. I'm sure experienced jam makers will talk about the correct temperature for this, but I just use the cold saucer method.
When you put your jam onto boil put a few saucers in the freezer. To test if your jam is set, just remove a cold saucer, place a teaspoon of jam onto it, leave it a few second and run a knife through the jam. If it separates  then your jam is ready. I had to do this 3 times before my jam separated and didn't run together so the boiling process took closer to 30 minutes.

Once this point has been reached, remove the pot from the heat source and fill your jars. I would recommend the use of a funnel and rubber gloves as the jars can can very hot. Screw the lids on tight and you're done.

A couple of hints and tips.

If the labels on your jars are really sticky, tea tree oil can be effective in removing them.

After dishwashing your jars and lids put them on a tray and place in a cold oven. Switch the oven on to 120c and leave them there until you're ready to use. This will sterilise your jars.You can place your bowl of sugar in the oven to warm through at the same time.

If the jam isn't setting  (different fruits can vary with timing and sugar quantities needed) then you can use pectin/jamsetta. Just follow the instructions on the packet. I have used jamsetta in the past and it's rectified very runny jam.

If you spill any jam whilst filling the jars wipe away as soon as you can - it's much easier than trying to clean it off later.

Fill the jars as close to the top as you can.

Make sure the rims of the jars are clean before sealing with the lids.

My 40 pears (3.5kg peeled and chopped) made 18 medium sized jars.

When I make jam it always reminds me of a mum from the school. She was one of the Jam Stall Conveners for the school fete one year. Sadly and cruelly she passed away a few years ago. She was the one that introduced me to jam making when I told her that it all sounded too tricky.  I have her notes and some recipes that she gave to me and even though they are a little crumpled and splattered I always refer to them when the big pot comes out of the back of the cupboard.
So I'll raise my jam sandwich in your memory F xxx

Pear Vanilla and Cinnamon Jam (Makes 15 -18 jars)

3.5kg of peeled and chopped pears
2.5 kg sugar
Juice of one lemon
Vanilla extract or pods
Ground Cinnamon

Peel and chop pears
Cook in lemon juice, vanilla and a couple of centimtres of water until soft
Add warmed sugar
Add cinnamon  (approx 2 teaspoons).
Dissolve sugar and then boil vigorously.
Check after approx 10 minutes to see if the jam has set. If not continue to boil for 5 - 10 minutes before checking again.
Once done, pour into hot sterilised jars and seal

Go burn that candle...

Sometimes you read something, see something, hear something and it just stays with you.

Early this afternoon in Brisbane city centre there was a dramatic incident. Reports of a gunman, panic and evacuation. Thankfully the situation was under control pretty quickly but all of a sudden that thought of 'wrong place, wrong time' entered my head. I wasn't in any danger but it did make me pause and just for a second think about the unthinkable.

I try and live the moments as much as is practically possible, but it's easy to get sucked into everyday routines and expectations. I need to be reminded of a few things every now and again.

A few years ago I was sent this poem by my sister in law. I was at work so I quickly glanced over it. It wasn't a glancing over poem. If I'm honest, it stopped me in my tracks! It's a poem written by Erma Bombeck called 'If I had my life to live over'. (More information about Erma Bombeck HERE)

There's a line that just stuck in my head...and came to me again today.

"I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage"

I don't really know why this particular line, there are many others that resonated with me too, but this line has kept a voice in my head over time.

Christmas just gone there was a candle under my tree. A really nice candle...

For weeks I kept lifting the lid to catch that gorgeous smell.

The candle sat on the coffee table, it spent a little time on the mantlepiece, it moved on to the little table.

Then that line....

"I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage"

...I LOVE the smell of my candle

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the "good" living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather rambling about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted 

in storage.

I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television, and more 

while watching life.

I would have gone to bed when I was sick, instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I'd have cherished every moment, realizing that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's" and more "I'm sorry's"

. . . but mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute . . . 

look at it and really see it . . . and never give it back. 

Happy Friday,

quick hello

Dipping my toe back into blogworld tonight....

Hello there.

It's been a while, a lot longer than I planned (if I actually planned any time away from here at all?)

I guess I've just been distracted by other things going on in life. There was the big trip overseas in December and January; then there was the cramming of all the things you want to do over the school Summer holidays into two weeks when we returned to Australia; then there was the start of the school year and what do you know it's almost the end of February.

I was fortunate enough to spend some time visiting family and friends over Christmas. It involved travelling up and down the UK and across the channel to France and it was fabulous! Well, when you travel 24+ hours to get from Australia to the UK you just have to make the most of it....

Our trip took us from Brisbane to Singapore and then on to Amsterdam before a last short flight to Cardiff. We left Brisbane in 30+ degree sunshine and landed in Amsterdam in snow! The freezing cold air hit our lungs with force.

24 hours in the air and then freezing weather hits us 

Catching up with close family and friends over the Christmas period was very special to me. Northern hemisphere Christmas and New Year is so different to what we now know here in Australia. I enjoy both, but my childhood traditions were calling me home and I so wanted my little Sibs to experience a cold Christmas.

I 'instagrammed' my way around the UK and I've put the feed of my photos on my sidebar (just over there on the right). There's Amsterdam to South Wales to Paris to Yorkshire, Lancashire and the Lake District. Now that I've found my way back on here I'm sure I'll get back into some routine and have many a tale to share. For now it's just nice to be back.

Off to bed and hoping that this crazy rainy weather eases off soon,

nos da,

Travelling

It's after 1 in the morning and I can't sleep so I've downloaded an app to see if I can blog on my ipad....so we'll see how it goes.

I'm on my travels. Cardiff  has been reassuringly familiar. The city centre is a little grander,but still essentially the same. The walk from my mum's through the park down to the sea front and on to the pier is the same. The beach full of pebbles waiting for Sibs to throw into the brown murky Bristol Channel is the same...

I like that.



Everything about being home feels right. I am loving sitting in my mum's kitchen, drinking coffee and eating Jaffa Cakes. So simple, so familiar.



Sibs is having a ball too. From decorating the (real) Christmas tree to drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate to wearing her new ear warmers everywhere she goes!



Already in a week and a half there's been shopping in the city, a local matinee pantomime show, an evening at the theatre, a couple of days in Bath, a weekend in London and tomorrow we are off to Paris. I haven't got time to be tired!

Looking out of the window at Sydney Place, Bath. It was -3 degrees!

During the planning of this holiday I was the one that more or less came up with the ideas of the 'must do' places and booked the various trains, planes and automobiles. Neil on the other hand was tasked with finding accommodation. He knows that I'm a bit of a Jane Austen fan and whilst in Bath last week we stayed in the house where she actually lived!

His brief for Paris is - "somewhere that feels French...." He has excelled himself and I can't wait.

On our way across the channel to France we have been in London for a few days. Whilst Bath is beautiful, London is truly splendid and magnificent. I had forgotten quite how amazing it is.

Big Ben from the top of the London Eye

We have met up with three lots of lovely friends in London and the years apart have been forgotten in a minute. True friendships are like that. Even ournchildren sense it and became thick as thieves almost immediately.

At the gates of Buckingham Palace

Trafalgar Square where the pigeons were replaced by thousands of Santas!

I have been seeing familiar landmarks through the eyes of a child this week. It has brought back the wonder of the world....

I feel fortunate and happy that we have taken this opportunity to show Sibs some of her history and heritage.



Best get some sleep.... Paris awaits tomorrow

Beth

x

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