Stomach of iron

As I say to people who bring on the "morning sickness" type questions - I should have been a brood mare because me and this pregnancy thing get on just fine.

In fact, it is a good thing me and Mr Right weren't childhood sweethearts, because this blog would be about the 16 children sending a mother mad, rather than the more constrained version of events I offer.

Only 6 things make me chunder.

1. Seeing another person throwing up. Doesn't always guarantee results, but will create dry retches at the very least. Another good reason I am not a nurse.
2. Food poisoning - although it has to be pretty poisonous food to get me right to the porcelain recepticles door.
3. Gastro - and we aren't talking about that at the moment, because it is visiting the house and I don't want it to think it is welcome to stay.
4. Fried spinach - yes, who would dry fry spinach and then give his pregnant girlfriend not only the visual option but also the full olfactory impact of the dish? That would be P., 'Salina's father.
5. Ulcers - I have only had this phenomenon once, but it was a long six months (but a welcome relief from the extra 15 kilos I lost during the journey - the last 5 after the extras not so much) of extreme hunger and tossing up the decision to eat knowing it was likely going to end in the can, or not to eat for the same calorific ending.
6. Migraines - and the funny thing is, since stopping taking the pill I have not had ONE of these suckers. Coincidence, anyone?

Its funny - everyone is MOST concerned about the chucking aspect of early pregnancy - which I don't get - but they are rather averse to descriptions of any other side-effects.

Someone asked the question the other day and I advised no to the barfing but was as windy as a boatrace - apparently that fell in to the TMI category.

I swear, this is NOT going to turn into a pregnancy blog (well, as much as my brain will alow) but I am hoping to goodness that the headache I awoke with this morning and the reveille I was playing was more to do with not drinking enough water and the cabbage in the salad last night than anything to do with numbers 3 or 6 - because then we will ALL be praying that we were talking about aching breasts and the dearth of maternity clothing options!

Oh what a beautiful morning...

If I was in any way concerned about how V and I would react to having a newborn in the house as an early morning alarm system, Eddie is putting my mind at rest.

For a start, if the squarking begins before sunrise I throw mean looks his way and try to get back to sleep. We all know how well THAT works for me.

V rolls over.

If Eddie's whines and insistences get overpowering, I will try to entice him within arms length to wring his neck pat him into submission.

V rolls over.

If the sun rises OR Eddie starts making threats (i.e. starts laying on the "do you really want me to go and wake up 'Salina because I can, you know" sort of miaows) I will get out of bed, generally muttering about cat stew or orange slippers, and take it to the kitchen with him.

V rolls over.

So I have no illusions. I am going to be a total cow come calving time and will have to perfect my dig in the ribs technique - either that, or get over my "protect my eldest" instinct (heck, she won't be an only then) and let the cat go wake her.

Hmmm, I think I have just found the perfect solution to the whole "where the heck will be put the bassinette" conundrum. Thanks for helping me sort that one.

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In other news, our good friend Gastro has been for a visit.

We thought "psychosomatic" at first when 'Salina complained of a sore tummy (heck, day off mid-week, just finished a playdate, we are boring - all good reasons) however we figured it had to be a fairly deep-rooted aversion to school on Friday when she started - well, I will let you use your imagination on what she started, but it set a few "gee whizz, she might be sick" bells in our heads.

Two days later and she is still off her tucker with above unmentioned side effects - and it is now Saturday, so the whole skiving off school reasoning is out the window.

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Anyway, off to the shops - alone. V gets to be chief nurse for a few hours - he got plenty of practice at that during the last round of lurgy so I know he can handle without too many meltdowns.

I don't think it wise, however, to go and spend time with my friends and their newborn in the hospital today.

The great unwashed - well, I am willing to take their chances that I won't be Gastro Mary for them.

That gorgeous little sweetheart I won't take such chances on.

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Thank you all for the excitement and congratulations. We have a long way to go yet, and as my family will possibly mention, I tend to play the excitement cards pretty close to my chest - but beneath the poker-face, there is indeed joy (mingled with a great deal of "possible use of profanity it has taken me 10 years to get to what I have now and I am starting over again?" and an underlying fiscal quiver) - lots of awe and joy.

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Oh - and Trace wondered why the tag was "parasitic alien life-forms"?

Well, I would show you, but Firefox is having a problem with pop-ups (which is really annoying) so I can't upload an image. And I could go use my arch-nemesis IE except then it would mean I would have to log in, and I can never remember my password so I have to generate another one and - well, the number of steps I would have to go through makes it unviable for this beautiful morning.

Sharing the Secret

I am very good at keeping secrets.

It appears that 'Salina is also very good at keeping secrets because she has known one for 5 weeks and not said anything.

V has been excellent at keeping the secret although he was fairly busting with the news.

Which I will do in December...

Thursday Tidings

Do you know its a public holiday here today?

Apparently the logic is, if you give your local show a "People's Day" public holiday, you have to make sure it is in the middle of the week and not anywhere that could cause the public to think they have a long weekend.

This way, you are meant to be more inclined to go to the show.

'Salina is inclined to go to the show, but there are many wonderfully good reasons not to go. Risk of disease, risk of spreading disease and risk of not having a shirt on our back before we are even half-way through the experience.

The other bit problem I have with "People's Day" at the show is all the darned masses that go there. Not good with crowds AT ALL, and definitely not going to pay for the pleasure.

Bah, humbug.

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Do you know its a public holiday here today?

This is a sort of crimp in my work life, as my clients don't have a public holiday today. Childcare options are available - for school holidays but NOT public holidays - and therefore 'Salina has the joy of spending "quality" time with me while V studies, and spending "quality" time with V while I work.

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The good news is she gets to spend quality time with BOTH of us while we visit a local government office (who are working a half-day today, but still want all sorts of forms TODAY so more time with the great unwashed) - but the BONUS is we get to see my friend's new baby for a quick visit as a reward. 'Salina will be 10 feet away and instructed not to breathe.

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Sounds like I am a grump today, doesn't it? But I am not. Not really.

The sun is shining, my immediate family is fairly healthy and we have many cinnamon rolls in the fridge and freezer.

I think I have it figured - I must like a grumble!!!

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Finally, I pose a question for my next post (yes, I am even anticipating a next post - possibly tomorrow, definitely by the weekend)

"How good are YOU at keeping secrets?"

"On your report card I would give you an F"

out of the mouth of 'Salina.

Here is the back story.

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I try to bake something every weekend for lunchboxes - it means I know the true calibre of the crap my family eats and receive the trade-off of absolute devotion - it works for me.

Anyhow, the true measure of my success is the longevity - or lack - of the snacks during the week.

Due to years of scientific research, I have learned to double my quantities.

I did try making smaller everything, but it didn't really work - my lab rats caught on to me!!

I tend to rotate the favourites, occasionally throw a new recipe into the mix...

Last Friday, we taped 'Salina's second favourite show for her -
Better Homes and Gardens".

(1st favourite is "Merlin", 3rd favourite is "The Zoo" and we are pleased to say that after an abstinence of 2 years, finally "The Simpsons" is out of medal contention!!)

During the replay on Saturday, they showed everything from Chelsea, including making Chelsea Buns.

If I have a bone to pick with BHG is they didn't have the recipe on their website, darn it, and our appetite had been whet.

And then I remembered...

Some of you who visit here also know a relative of mine who posted a cooking experiment we did together recently - so I dutifully went to Pioneer Woman's site, grabbed the Cinnamon Rolls recipe and started concocting.

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We hit our first hurdle early.

Due to my beautiful part-time temp job being cut short (darned woman I was filling in for felt better enough to not want to sit on half-pay any more) I had done the sort of grocery grab that shouts "necessities only" rather than the more indulgent "restock the pantry" variety, and therefore the 92c I had saved on homebrand plain flower came to haunt me. And the recipe calls for flour. Lots of it - I had about 1/2 of the lots available.

If that was the worst the cooking gods could send me, I decided to snicker at the gods - because I knew just how darned many cinnamon rolls the recipe made, and our family could get by on 1/2 this week, surely?

The add a heap of sultanas to the sprinkle level was inspired (I thank the gods for that one - it was my nod to fruit in your diet when trying to appease the inner health nut).

The results - well, except for the "I must save on washing up" therefore use only one - very tightly packed - tray was not a good call when combined with our crappy better-than-completely-non-working hot-at-the-back, no-choice-but-fan-forced guess-your-best temperature oven - they worked fairly well (and a 15 minute rebake of the uncooked centre ones worked).

They worked so well, in fact, that yesterday was Tuesday, and the last of the rolls was sitting rather lonely in the cake tin - its not there any more.

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My parents are going to be in town today, and may drop by for some afternoon tea.

A lobby group has been set up.

"I am sure Nana and Grandpa would LOVE some cinnamon rolls, Mum"

"You know, you do make the BEST ONES and they should try it"

"Most of your meals are CAPITAL C choice. Dinner was CAPITAL C H choice. Your cinnamon rolls are CAPITAL C H O."

"Mum, if I was giving you a report card on your cinnamon rolls, I would give you an F - for FAN-TASTIC".

No photos - use your imagination (and then scrunch the kitchen into a space slightly smaller than cat-swinging dimensions, day-glo yellow your imaginary theme).

Guess what I am doing today?

'Salina Sleepwalks

dd has fairly vivid and full on dreams - we can listen in on occasion - but last night was a doozy!!

I had just made a cuppa and V was on his way to the bathroom when he came back and told me "come and check this out".

I went in and she was sitting on the side of her bed, gibbering away, gesturing around her and referring to something behind her - nothing intelligible.

As I went back to the lounge, she came out of her room and was hightailing it to the kitchen, so I went in pursuit.

She started opening the drawers, and I asked her what she was doing (through giggles I must admit).

"I have to get something" she said, as she rifled through the utensils drawer.

Unfortunately I was laughing too hard for her to get whatever it was, as I got a very dirty look and she sighed deeply and went back through the house to the toilet and then her bed.

She has absolutely no memory of it at all.

We are contemplating bells for her doorway.

Anyone else got sleepwalkers?

Rain on the Parade

'Salina is home again today. Not sick, this time - the teachers think that the system is sick and so are on strike.

I feel for the teachers - truly, I do. They get paid well below stripper rates, get told all the time they are doing crap jobs by their own bosses (who hog-tie them with curriculum that every parent has an opinion about), have to babysit both ferals and minxes and then get compost heaped on them for all the holidays they get.

So yes, I feel for them. But I think they have it wrong this time.

I think they should be more creative. Oh, bad pay, lets do what has always been done, go on strike, march on parliament, etc, etc - Industrial Action 101.

What is Anna to do? If she goes "oh, I didn't realise, here is some more money" she opens the door to every other sector thinking "what ho, we will do the same" and she is poleaxed - and so I really think they will be shooting themselves in the foot.

On top of that, every parent is being told to keep their child home if possible. That works for us - I work half-time from home and presently V isn't working, so we can do that - but there are many who can't - and many who will be taking their children into unprepared workplaces because they have no choice - and so the very people who they want on their side are not too happy.

I think (and they are welcome to use this for their next round of "negotiations") they should have a sit-in, and teach the children jokes and songs for the day - absolutely nothing useful. Perhaps do workshops on great industrial slogans? Get the kids on marching practice on the oval nearest the road. Advise the government that they are going to start teaching the three Rs - revolution, radicalism and anarchy - until they are taken seriously.

Anyhow, its bucketing down here, so I hope they have their umbrellas - and perhaps they could take 'Salina's suggestion and paint a few slogans on the tops? Heck, they could have done that with the kids too!!

Sunday Update

'Salina has not been diagnosed with Whooping Cough!!! Hooray.

Of course, she hasn't been diagnosed with anything, as apparently doctors offices are far to busy to ring you with results to put you out of your misery and so far prefer to waste their time answering your numerous phone calls to get updates as test results become available.

Of course, if she WAS positive, I have to rely that they will be alert enough to get the doctor to tick the box to say he would like to talk to me about results and therefore call me.

At the time of the last phone call, half of the results were in and negative, and as I haven't received any calls I am assuming that she is not Whooping Cough Mary and can be sent back to school and not infect others by Monday.

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I would personally like to give thanks to Dr Antibiotics for inventing such marvellous drugs, because although she apparently does not have the illness that caused the doctor to prescribe them, they (or time or steam or whatever) have fairly well taken the coughing fits and banged them firmly on the head.

We are down to polite coughing fits at wake-up, dusk and bedtime, but compared to the lung-splitting attacks she was having they are but blips.

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I cooked an amazing Indian Feast last night - thought about it on Friday returning from work and the salivation in anticipation of the pastry on the entrees, the sauces and side-dishes with curry, the smells, the tastes.

Firstly I made Samosas. I found a great recipe through Chef Google at Coconut Chutney - except I tweaked a bit!!

I used her Mint Raita (which I will reprint here, as she seems to have disappeared from the blogosphere and I live in fear of the blog disappearing at some point - and this recipe shouldn't disappear!!) She did start a new blog at coconutchutney.org but hasn't posted since 2007 - the mysteries of the internet... Anyhow.

Mint Raita
Recipe:

Blend 1 cup plain yogurt with chopped mint leaves (3/4 cup), chopped onion(1/4 cup) and salt to taste. Refrigerate and serve cold with the samosas.

Her Samosa recipe:

Samosas
Recipe:

For the pastry - Flour(3/4 cup), Semolina(1/4 cup -fine ground), a pinch of salt and Baking Powder (1/4 tsp.) are sifted together. Cut in Butter (2 Tbsp.) with a pastry blender and knead adding few drops of cold water to form a flexible dough. Cover with a damp cloth and keep aside.

For the filling - Heat oil and add finely-chopped ginger(1 inch), green chillies(2), turmeric(1/2 tsp),cumin powder(1/2 tsp) and red chilli powder(1 tsp). Add peeled and chopped potatoes(2). Add salt to taste and cook till the potatoes are done. Take off the heat, mash the potatoes and add 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice.

Roll out the lemon-sized balls of the pastry, cut into semi-circles and make a cone, place the filling inside and crimp the edges to form a triangle shaped samosa. Make sure that the filling doesn't spill out of the pastry. Heat oil and deep-fry the samosas till golden brown. Serve hot or cold.

I doubled the pastry, didn't have semolina so just used all plain flour. I didn't have ginger on hand (I know - gasp), didn't use chillies (wanted 'Salina to eat something), used only 1 potato but added 1 sweet potato, 1/6 pumpkin, 1/2 cup peas instead and a little water. Used lemon instead of lime. They were (and still are - had some for breakfast) divine.

For the curries, I made my palak paneer and Lamb Rogan Josh - except I halved the quantities and by the time I got around to making it, I didn't have 4 hours so used the oven on low - oh, and I used the bits of the side of lamb I didn't recognize and meatied it up with some cut price chops as they were mainly bone.

With brown rice, some chillies V minced and a tomato/onion/coriander raita the feast was fan-tas-tic!!

'Salina wasn't as keen, but the samosas were a smash, the rice was okay and the meat was nice but "spicy".

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Today will be spent planting some seedlings I bought yesterday plus creating a few more and possibly harvesting the grass seed mowing.

So, how is your Sunday?

Nurse Jeanie and her bedside manners

Gee - did you know my kid was sick? You must not live within cooee of here if not, because there is NO VOLUME CONTROL.

Because of blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah (aren't you glad I didn't give you the 3000 word essay?) I dragged her back to the doctor's today to get the referral to get the swab to find out if indeed we have a highly contagious and supposedly immunised for disease.

The doctor thought "silly overbearing mother" when I rang to request (I have super hearing) but, you know, its something you want to find out - especially after consulting Dr Google. (the phrase "even though the 12 year old recovered, he had a recurring cough for 12 months" sort of makes me shudder).

So anyway, after harassing the doctor's I took her to the handy-dandy pathology office here in Paradise - only to find that this is a specialised thing and we had to head to Big Town. Because, you know, I had only planned to fill my morning with work.

Off we trotted to Big Town Pathology Office, and the lady told us to sit in the crowded waiting room with lots of the elderly and frail - I purloined a free mask from her counter because 'Salina likes dress-ups and I had the feeling, in the modern Slime-Flu (that was a typo, but I thought I would leave it in) era, that cute little girl doesn't look quite so cute to the elderly and frail when hacking up half a lung into the waiting room ether.

Whoever read the form second (because the girl at the front counter was sort of in stand-by mode) must have understood the jargon, because she grabbed us from the great unwashed lickety-split and let us wait out our time in a side-room.

There was much to entertain us there. On the wall was a 3D picture - do you remember them? I spent a good 10 minutes trying to teach 'Salina the technique that took me nearly the whole year to "get" when they were in vogue last century, and then I saw the picture was of a shark, mouth open, coming out of the water towards us. 'Salina loves sharks, but does anyone else think that a little strange for the wall of a Pathology Lab?

Anyhow, the other entertainment possibility was eavesdropping on the side-room to the other side of the corridor, where our pathology person was being instructed on what she had to do to get the swabs.

I won't go into details about how the swabs are obtained (because, in 'Salina's words, "a needle would have been much better, Mum") but let me just say that I hope to goodness never to be a mother on the sidelines to a child flinching with two pathology people aiming foreign objects into facial orifices again. I cried.

Anyway, back home again to try and fit in a half an hour of work before driving back in to Big Town for my other job.

The bad news is that V didn't get to leave work at half-time today to tag me in the 'Salina sitting.

The good news is he woke up sick so didn't go to work today.

Really, is it only Wednesday?

Screwed up Tunes-day

With a nod to Misstress B and her Screw-Up Tuesday brigade... (and because we are ALL mightily sick of the tune 'Salina is belting out on the old coughometer)

I present to you an inanimate object and calling it - I have got the c-r-a-p-p-i-e-s-t car stereo in the whole wide world!!

Last year I bought a new car. Well, rather, I got a new car (for me) from family connections (don't ask).

As cars go, it has got some great points. Its green. It goes. (Already waay ahead of its predecessor).

But as cars go, it has got ONE MAJOR drawback, and that is the stereo.

For a start, its not - its a mono, as only one speaker is working. It is the rear-left speaker - therefore to achieve quality sound in the driver's seat, one must blast the passenger-du-rear-left (which would, most often, be 'Salina).

I know, stereo with only one speaker - crappy but liveable.

Ah, but it has dual purpose - not only does it receive radio (if you are directly beneath the transmitter) but it offers a slot for casettes (yeah, like that is SOOO useful). I actually have some old casettes (thanks to my amazing hoarding abilities) but time has left the sort of impression on the tapes that evoke deep voices and intermittent squeals.

It has been built with an anti-theft device. With the push of a button you can remove the front panel. The button is located strategically directly above the drinks holder - this way whenever you take or deposit your water bottle, that button will be pushed. Oh yes, no drink swizzling burglar will ever get past such security.

But the blinding feature that makes this stereo the absolute bane of my driving existence is the volume/tuning control.

There is only one button for the whole function - very mod-con. Apparently the zenith of technology, one push UP should send the volume up, LEFT and it will seek (and seek and seek) the next station down in frequency, DOWN for the volume to decrease and RIGHT for it to seek (and seek and seek) the next station up in frequency - theoretically.

Unfortunately, the UP works sporadically, the RIGHT not at all - but the DOWN will work most effectively EVERY SINGLE TIME - straight down to ZERO.

Do you know what that means, people who read my whining?

That means that on the very occasional moment when the UP works (and generally it is the 50th or 100th time you have cursed at the muted sound from the left rear speaker) you take it to where it will be most comfortable on the station you are listening to. I have three (three tuned in blood and guts) stations preset on the stereo. What is okay on one station will still be mute on another, and blast the third - but you learn to live with that.

What you can't live with is when strangers enter the car (either by invitation or some payment system - say a mechanic) they can't stand the blast and will ever so helpfully turn it down for you.

I had three days of silence (and cursing and pushing that darned thing UP insistently) as a result of that little experiment recently.

Of course, I could have been smart and turned it off before taking it to the mechanic.

Sure, the off button doesn't really work, but if I had flicked the anti-burglar button it would have effected the same result - but I live in hope somewhere out there the stupidest burglar in the world will find this stereo and take it off my hands.

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Oh - and courtesy of the most recent trip to the doctor with 'Salina - she may have Whooping Cough (some call it diagnosis, I call it shooting blindly into the barrel) and all I can say is, if an immunised child has a milder version of this goodness help those who get it bad.

Happy moanersMother's Day

Yay - the batteries and the camera have come to the party that is my moaner's Mother's Day, so I will walk you through the feature of my life at the moment.


Here is the reason I get to wear the Martyr's Crown. This was last week. She was well last week. Well enough to beg me to put curlers in her hair. She has a combination of genetics that lends itself to putting curlers in her hair for absolutely no gain - both she and I occasionally hope that something will take, and we have fun trying. I try not to blame this exercise on her being at death's door current malaise.



Here she is after a bout of the most effective treatment available to her. As mother's (well in my family) have in generations past, I put a bit of eucalyptus in some boiling water, stick my kids head over it and a towel over her head. It does actually cut the coughing - and even when it doesn't, coughing is far more pleasant muffled with several layers of towel and scented with the odour of gums. Sickroom smell sure does permeate the house otherwise!


See, she can put on a happy face - that is what makes this motherhood gig so worthwhile, that she makes an effort.


I make an effort too! See - some SUPER mothers CAN whip up a batch of playdough when their children beg - and look pathetic - for long enough and hard enough.


Because I get the joy of jaunting off to work for several hours a day away from the constant hacking, I felt sorry for her and bought her some flowers. I felt sorry for V too, but he won't be bought by flowers - I made him muesli bars. She loves her flowers.


She actually said to me last night (in her weakened voice with just a trill of pathetic sickly child) "sorry I couldn't get you flowers for your Mother's Day, Mum. Sorry I have been so much trouble." awwwww - I responded it was her job to be annoying and my job to look after her with as little complaining as possible. I didn't mention it is an insurance policy for old age. She is smart. She will work it out.


This is the view from my back window. I call the one on the left "my Birthday present" and the one of the right "my Mother's Day present".

Hey - where do you THINK she gets her ability to generate total pathos from?

By the way - I would actually LOVE it if we had a beautiful Mother's Day and I wasn't moaning TOO! Its just that I do it so well, and it is the only string to my bow after being woken at 5.20am - no sleep-in and breakfast-in-bed option to tick apparently!

The whole world is a better place that I didn't chose nursing as a profession.

I would love to send a shout out to all the Mother's who HAVE done this, either newly or forever - some do it without complaint. If that one is yours, give her an extra special hug - mine will be getting her extra special hug down the phone line now.

The Birthday that just keeps on giving

Sorry guys, I seem to have mislead you.

The party was 10 years ago.

My birthday was 2 weeks ago.

I still have plans (well, not well formed, but wispy ideas) of celebrating the 40th at some unspecified date in the future - hopefully by the time I am 50 I will have done so!!

The day itself was not so crash hot, and with work and 'Salina's current misery I STILL haven't sat down and worked out even a dinner with my family - let alone such excess that I organised in 1999.

However, I HAVE received some great gifts - when I have a day and a non-coughing fashion assistant I have some serious shopping to do with vouchers and greenbacks; we now have a DVD/Video - I know, many of you in technologically advanced centres will go "que?" but given our recent bout of electrical implements having toe-curls, it is extremely welcome, expands our viewing repertoire by a factor of 2 (very handy with a sick child) AND the luxury of thinking "I will tape this" when the television stations stuff up my viewing behaviour by moving programs to 10.30 (the resting place of decent television) is better than shagpile; and my BIG present got delivered yesterday afternoon.

Now, I was going to give you a picture at this point - but the camera OR its batteries have decided to play dirty, so I will give you some clues.

• it is no wonder they were playing dirty
• V has a job ahead of him involving a shovel and a wheelbarrow
• I won't mind it if people give me shit

I am hoping to give you a blow by blow photographic extravaganza on the project, we just have to cross fingers that the technology will work - or I could get Sicky 'Salina to draw it for us!

I know what I was doing 10 years ago

Yes - I may have less than nothing to report on the post-less last few days.

I could summarise - work, work, work, tend to daughter's cough, work, work, tend to daughter's cough, work, work, tend to daughter's cough, work, work, tend to daughter's cough, work, work, tend to daughter's cough - notice the complete lack of housework? - work, work, tend to daughter's cough, create a few fabulous dinners (not catering for childish tastes because she is sick and doesn't want anything, her tummy hurts, her throat hurts, can she play on the computer), work, work, tend to daughter's cough - I could go on for the requisite 1,000 words but I think you have the picture painted. (Oh, and please note - the "work, work" component meant that V had more than a fair share of the "tend to daughter's cough" end of the deal!)

But I do remember exactly what I was doing 10 years ago.

I was cleaning my house, cooking up a storm, organising friends with chairs, tables, crockery, cutlery, salads, ingredients, ovens, menus and getting ready for tomorrow.

Because tomorrow was the celebration of my 30th.

We had 50 of our nearest and dearest come to a sit-down four-course vegetarian feast under our house to help celebrate.

The only set-back to the whole meal was when the non-capsicum version of the spinach gnocchi in roasted red-pepper and blue-cheese sauces was all scoffed before P could grab some.

Still haven't organised my 40th - but I found the invitation to my 30th the other day (and promptly lost it again, otherwise you would have the picture...) and smiled.

That was also the day we announced to the world that we were expecting a 'Salina shaped surprise.

What is your "ten years ago" memory?

My blogging quest

Some time ago, Jen at Semantically Driven offered this challenge - at the time, I had a few challenges (note the silences and occasional posts begging for mercy) and so put it on the backburner.

But here were are - and Jen wants to know the whys, whens and wherefores of the blogging journey.

Waa-ay back when (in late 2006) I had recently moved to a new town where I knew no-one, was forming a new long-distance relationship with a new man, dealing with a child who was incredibly sad about being taken from her best friend to a place where all the kids were mean, with myself who is someone who loves to work and be social where there was very little of both.

In those days, I knew nothing of blogging - in fact, it was not until I googled "diabetic recipes for children" in frustration due to a family visit (that has a whole back history worthy of its own blog post) and found a blog with a recipe.

And when the said blogger very soon after that put up a post about people googling her with strange phrases, such as some weird critter wanting to cook diabetic children, my first ever blog comment was born.

After that, I immersed myself in the world of other people, finding out many who blogged for many different reasons. I finally dipped my toe into the water in December 2006.

I have never had a blogging vision or any idea where I was going with this - it was an outlet when I had none, it is my link (and in some cases lifeline) to a lot of friends, new and old.

I see great potential in blogs used the right way for business or community or purpose - but this blog is a bit like me on a lot of days - sometimes inspired, sometimes tired, occasionally amusing and occasionally very yummy (well, that isn't me, but if you come by for dinner I do try to aspire to yummy) - and a firm believer in saying it in 1000 words as I never have a decent camera to hand!!

So what about you - why, how, what and whatever... If you want to take part in Jen's Challenge, go to this link and learn all about it!