a day off spent in sunshine is a soul-good thing

Oh my- what a shiny house and serious looking garden I now have.
I must have realized some time ago that the first brighter days would have me just gagging to Spring clean, cause I’d booked myself a day off sans Finn.

I have been Goddess of hard domestic graft today. My house is shiny thanks to Valerie Vac and her hard-working dust-brush attachment.

My garden is edged, mowed and looking surprisingly cared for thanks to two hulking (and handsome) Samoan men who came and conquered courtesy of Jim’s gardening services. Now that’s money well spent: brawn to work and brawn to watch.

One self-satisfied mistress of the house right here, I’ll post photos later!

A really very hard weekend.

Sometimes I long for baths with candles and oils. For afternoons where I work my way through a bottle of wine and reminisce with my man about stomping our feet to drumbeats or playing pool with travellers where three countries meet.
These days any bath I have involves a little plumply pale wiggle of boy-flesh called Finn. Fun but not exactly sensuous. My bath has squirty toys instead of ‘products’.
My man and I reminisce about sleep…

All this weekend our son has been battling sickness to try and walk. And more power to him-. It’s a Herculean effort and one I have full respect for. I feel extreme pride in watching his tenacity. But oh the misery that in applying it he’s cried every half hour for ten minutes for the last 72 hours. During which time he also wouldn’t eat.

I’ve always remembered the stress felt when my cats haven’t eaten as it’s seemed a precursor to Very Bad Things (like feline aids or cancer).
So add that to the fact that at 4 days old my son was near-starving without me understanding just how poorly breast-feeding was going for us and you might start to have an impression of how horrible it has been to watch my baby go without food for days.
People and ‘experts’ say a baby or child won’t starve himself or herself if food is offered. To them I say FUCK OFF AND WATCH MY SON DO A GOOD IMPERSONATION OF ANOREXIA.
Finally today, at 4pm after much crying from parents and bub there was some respite: a tired baby taken out for a very long walk, then bathed with some drops of lavender, then made to watch his fave TV shows, then sat down to eat.
And he ate- rice and stew then fruit and yoghurt. Then a cracker to top it all off. With every bite my shoulders dropped by an inch. Now he sleeps and I am having gin-tonics and nibbling olives. I have never been more deserving.

And I JUST DON’T CARE that I thought my next blog would be more interesting.
Next stop: reality, population 23, no camping, no fires, no dogs off-leash.

'Simple Pleasures at the Duchess of Spotswood'

As a local keen to support new ventures in Hudson's road I've been haunting this lovely new restaurant/cafe since its inception. The owners are earnest in their big dreams for the place and I don't doubt they'll bring them to realization. They work long and hard and treat foood with real respect and passion. The venue, an old block-fronted terrace, is loaded with potential and at present just charming with its glittery chandelier, old wood fittings and milk-white paint. I don't always get to eat there, but last Friday decided to do some 'work from home' which means getting away from the bootiful bub to work in a cafe. I was in luck.
Was there something new? yes. I asked for it, and lo, here was one chef-Andy had just prepared: a plate of typically English 'simple pelasures' brought together for their party in the mouth- a genteel but sophisticated house-party of the kind we might see some minor aristocracy at. A mouth-party 'Tattler' would photograph for its fashion pages: crispy fluffy diced potato, a generous mound of delicate lemony goats curd, soft but fleshy globe artichoke lifted with a briny pucker on the palate and then oh joy, darkly sweet segmemts of chesnut. Served with their beautiful toasted sourdough any of these treats would have pleased alone, but on Andy's advice I merged a few flavours for best effect- comforting, salty, heavy, lemony, sweet, crunch. yum.
Topped off with a coffee made to perfection by the glowing hostess Bobby.
Get over the bridge, it's worth it.