I really do (and did) like photographing dinners (such as with the eatin’365 project) but attempting to capture everything was becoming way, way too tedious.

My brief re-flirtation with the project has made me very mindful of what I am stuffing in my gob and when (little to nothing during day / stuff self after dinner).

So while I am not photographing, I am going all analogue and writing down in my hipster notebook – just to keep myself honest.

hipster notebook

hipster notebook entries

Sometimes the olde ways are a good deal simpler.

Since moving to The Palace (Of Love) we’ve been quite dissatisfied with our cheapo ikea dining table. While it was adequate in OldHaus, it was way too small in our new accomodations.

before: tiny / squishy

So I dragged Don out on Saturday afternoon to check out tables at OzDesign. I had noticed a couple of contenders when I was out at Moore Park buying the amazing hotplate and was keen to get his feedback.

Don was the driverer and took an alternate route and as we passed a different OzDesign store suggested we stop there. Once inside we discovered this store had the benefit of being about double the size of Moore Park and had a large-ish clearance section.

I could not find the table I’d spied previously, but, in the clearance section we happened upon a table which met all of our requirements at HALF PRICE ($1K down to $499), we negotiated $50 off for being banged up and scuffy floorstock, AND the manager offered to drop it off on his way home that afternoon.

after: awesome!

We rubbed the scuffs with a walnut and the became instantly less visibly scuffy – like magic!

Though now we probably need new chairs – BUT MUST STOP SPENDING $$

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While on the way to check out tables we passed a food truck!. Truly, in terms of hipsterness, we have arrived.

Of course Don and I resolved to check it out as soon as we could.

It turned out that as-soon-as-we-could meant the next day – we decided to take the 3+ km walk and get our bbq on.

And as an aside, Petersham/Marrickville has some super-interesting architecture, some GIANT old homes – is evident this was orginally not quite the working class area that Glebe was. Must go on photo expedition.

ZOMG! So utterly and amazingly wonderful. Don says best bbq he has experienced since he has been in Australia. FIFTEEN HOUR SMOKED PULLED PORK!

If you are in any sort of getting-to distance (james? jano? flashman? smallstakes? Anyone else I’ve forgotten?), you should totes do yourself a favour before it moves on.

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And on our way home, we swung by Addison Road markets and picked up a fabulous (and organic) lamb leg to make Donna Hay’s garlic rosé lamb.

I was a trifle underwhelmed, but Don and Joe/Frank were pretty down with it.

The vegies should make for bubble and squeak.

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Oh, and did I mention the ever-excellent Homesick Texan’s smoky tortilla soup from Saturday night?

Words cannot describe the excellence. Go! Make it now!

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But today in the check-out queue at Coles Leichhardt (I know. On the rare occasion I shop there I come away feeling so dirty) while Don was loading the conveyor (he has a system with which I do not mess), I was compelled to pick up one of those horrifically bogan magazines with a teensy “save money” supplement wrapped around it.

And, dear reader, amongst the yawn-inducing tips we’ve all seen so many times before, I struck frugal gold.

Keep tomato sauce sachets from cafes in the freezer. They make great cold packs for kids’ injuries and are cheaper than buying fancy ones from the chemist.

Magnificent!

We’d reconnected via linkedin (so perfect for finding lost colleagues) and he happened to be in town for a meeting. It was just utterly wonderful to see him, to discover what he’d been up to and learn more about the radical things he was doing in the sector.

Made me realise how very insular I now am and that I should try to rectify that.

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Meanwhile, in tedium…..

Bleating: 290812

1. coffee
2. sustain
3. coffee
4. raspberry, strawberry + loganberry infusion
5. raspberry, strawberry + loganberry infusion
6. vietnamese roll
7. flat white
8. flat white
9. wine
10. wine
11. wine
12. wine (1/5 glass)
13. shepherds pie

So I am attempting to scare myself straight by photographing everything (except water) that I consume. Primarily because I am terribly honest and because it did seem to work last time I tried it.

It might take me a while to get into the swing of things as you might note from the substitute photographs.

NotReallyTweating: 270812

1. coffee
2. coffee
3. raspberry, strawberry + loganberry infusion
4. raspberry, strawberry + loganberry infusion
5. pasta bake
6. flat white
7. apple
8. rose infusion
9. slice cheese (chili pecorino) + 1 cracker
10. rose infusion
11. harissa lamb cutlets + cous cous + leaves

NotReallyTweating: 280812

1. coffee
2. sustain
3. coffee
4. raspberry, strawberry + loganberry infusion
5. raspberry, strawberry + loganberry infusion
6. flat white
7. pasta bake
8. wine
9. wine
10. wine
11. wine (1/6 glass)
12. bangers + mash
13. peppermint tea (x2)

Do not cook until August 2012

Yes, we really have to force ourselves not to repeat delicious meals too much, because we have a horrible habit of flogging them into the ground and eventually become dreadfully tired of them. WOCIC was truly the (most excellent) pinnacle of our food experimentation – many of the meals we discovered during that time are still on regular rotation and we adored the challenge of discovering new things and extending our repertoire.

After prompting by this post I’m thinking we should put the name of every country into a hat and bust out one a week.

A Project!

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And A kitty!

Holy!Goodness! So bitey but so snuggly and adorable.

I decided it was time to replace this spice box (which by now was looking infinitely less tidy):

With this sleek number, originally designed to store wooden spoons and such:

Works a treat, fits perfectly in the cupboard and looks rather better than the original bodgied box with cardboard divider.

The cooktop is on the smallish side and has the two larger burners side-by-side which makes simmering in a large pot nigh on impossible, mostly because the pot can’t fit on the smaller burners without either banging against the back wall or hanging precariously over the bench (A Danger! to kitty). Also difficult is cooking more than one thing at once, because multiple pots / pans have difficulty squeezing in.

And while some day we hope to remodel the kitchen and get ourselves a Giant Stove (something along the lines of this would be peachy), such a large and expensive project will remain on the back-burner (you see what I did there) for a good while.

Last weekend I’d planned to stock the freezer with loads of meals (is so nice to come home after a hard day at SaltMinesLimited to a freezer well-stocked with tasty dinners – the long-time longing for a freezer was totally warranted) and we’d exhausted our supply of chicken stock, so Don was compelled to make another batch. But there was not enough room for the necessary equipment to cook everything.

So I engaged my not-inconsiderable brain and decided we should acquire a portable hot plate.

Don was not entirely on board with this excellent plan (where are we going to keep it?), but I was convinced that it would go some way to resolving our not-enough-burners dilemma without spending huge amounts.

And only $60 later:

After starting the stock on a larger burner and bringing it to an almost boil, we transferred to the hotplate and were able to keep it to a perfect simmer for several hours – the result was a clarity of stock that we’d never before achieved!

Don, of course, had the good grace to admit I was right (as I almost always am).

¹I am not at all surprised the company went into liquidation.

The illness and inability to shake it has reinforced that I really need to claw my health back. No more excessive boozing, no more excessive snacking and embracing that wee little thing known as exercise.

And so, in the spirit of no boozing, no snacking, I bought myself some treats:

Just Rose, Relax, Rocking Raspberry, Razzle Dazzle – By!Golly! I adore an infusion!

I may also need to bust out the tweating again because worked fabulously when I invented it (book deal plz) & I am strangely truthful on the InformationSuperHighway.

But tonight I am relaxing with a wine or four. Don is away golfing, Bessie is in situ and we planned for sloth.

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Unfortunately earlier this evening we received news that the babies step-mother’s mum just died – she’s been much more of a grandparently presence in their lives than their grandparents (who are either disinterested, disinherited or dead) and there was much sadness.

Such news, as I am sure you are all more than aware, is extremely confronting and very much makes you ponder what the hell you are doing with yourself in the grand scheme of things.

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Coincidentally, I attended a “personal effectiveness” training course on Monday morning and it really brought home how much I have subsumed myself and my needs and goals in favour of the all-encompassing thrall of SML.

The course was chock-full of the stuff we all know, but to have it wrapped in a nice package combined with time away from the office really brought home my utter enslavement. And so I came away with goals:

1. make personal goals
2. cease procrastinating about personal administrivia
3. continue postive vibe at SML
4. make time for me during the work-day: re-energise/renew/revitilise

Just how I will do this will require some planning and action items! Fortunately there is a webinar on Monday to hold me accountable.

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Meanwhile, I will leave you with quite the strangest pet accoutrement(s) I have ever come across (from one of my bargainz! emails)

What the hell? Just. No.

VHPVNPE (henceforth Vern-Percy) was a cast-off from RHH. Vern-Percy was gifted to my team because I “really turned MsCranky around” (utterly hilarious in light of the Bratson experience – what? Now I’m magically so good I get to manage the problem staff?).¹

After taking many, many deep breaths I had to man-up and have the performance management conversation – which went astoundingly, amazingly well (though I reserve judgement on the stick-to-it-iveness). But holy!goodness! the manning-up took a good deal of intestinal fortutide – holy!goodness! they’ll make a manager of me yet.

So all bets were off in terms of the abstinence project (I know – totes non-achiever).

Vino for Everyone!

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But on the upside, despite the challenges of SML, it is really quite excellent to come home to this:

Even if I bear the scars from her roughhausing (so bitey!).

BabyKitty (not her Real Name) rarely strays from our sides, but get too affectionate and she will Attack! Really, we should have named her BabyJoan.

Am trying to convince Don that we need a companion kitty because we are away for so long each day – so far he remains unmoved.