Fin!

Bessie stepped in on day four and was killer at identifying fractures, ridges, rises and other sea features.

And verily, the jigsaw puzzle was crossed off the very long list.

Would we do this again?

Don and Bessie are all Hell To The Yes. But we’re mindful that we need a significant focused block of time, so maybe the easter break, or next Xmas.

And we’re thinking this 3000 piece 1375 world map – just to ramp up the challenge. And because we are all about the maps.

Right now the completed puzzle is taking up all the space on the dining table and needs to be deconstructed at some point. We’re thinking of gifting it to Bessie’s boyfriend, TheFireman, who is a huge puzzle fan. There is a wee piece of me though, that wants to squish it between perspex sheets and mount it to the wall.

Only around 47(ish) things to go!

There has been an unusually-frequent level of eating out over the last few days.

On Boxing Day, Don and I went for lunch to our new favourite local pub:

pigfest platter

Lunch was so filling that we were compelled to have a minimalist dinner. We busted out Felicity Cloake’s highly unattractive, but highly delicious welsh rarebit. First time we’ve used her recipe – definitely won’t be the last.

xxxxxxxxxx

And we actually remembered that it was our wedding anniversary before it happened (though we did have to check how many years it had been – seven, for the record).

We ate at feijai in Potts Point – which was really excellent, brilliant flavours, super-simple, super-fresh – definitely would return.

We were in the neighbourhood because we had to drop in briefly to drinks at a colleague of Don’s – which was the second last social obligation of the year. The last is social drinks/lunch with my inner-westie SML colleagues tomorrow – then I can totally hibernate / get my recluse on until I go back to work.

xxxxxxxxxx

Last night the family (sans Joan and Ajax – who are holidaying in South Australia) headed out for a joint Don/Bessie birthday celebration – to Public House Petersham again. Very good food, a fab beer selection, the wine comes straight from a barrel(!), friendly atmosphere and there’s a really very nice courtyard.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next weeks will be full-to-the-brim of home-cooking, lest we forget how to make our own food. Indeed, at this very moment, I’m cooking a Complicated Curry.

xxxxxxxxxx

And what post would be complete without some gratuitous shots of the ladies:

(genuine) chair – $10 – best bargain ever

so skinny under all that fur