Saffie

Kk gratuitous pics of my dog Saffie here. She is a saluki, and is about 4 and a half months old.
I adore her - she is the 6th saluki I have had, it is a breed I think I will always love. We tried to get by with a white fluffball, he is cute, but just did not cut it.

Is it me - or do schools seem to expect more of the parents today than when I went to school? Last week Jack needed a costume so he could be the man who threw Martin Luther out of the church. There was a parents info night which took 2 hours, and I had to fill out forms and sign 2 diaries. Today I made pizzas for Roman day, and whipped up another costume on the janome for Jack. Cait needs to have recounts of her birth ( please... I am still trying to forget that - and trying to fondly recall details best left forgotten is not my idea of fun) and there is a stall she will need to have some money for and another form....

Its out of control. Every trip ( even to the park) has a massive permissions form involved, including medical benefits, and an entire medical history. When I was a kid, we took home one small note which we filled out and begged for our parents signature. Mum paid 40c for me to go on the bus and have a sausage at the other end for lunch.

And am I the most involved parent ?? No way - I may sew costumes, take them to swimming and gym - even teach the year 2 kids to make pasta once ( what a mess) but I don't do canteen or listen at reading. And neither of my kids are on a sports team. I make most info nights but am absent for coffee mornings ( I work). At our school that rates me one level above delinquent.

This weekend, shamefully I will not make the year 3 coffee morning ( I will be interstate) . Can I cope with the guilt? Damn I hope so.

The Market

Sunday is my favourite day of the week, and a big part of that is the growers market just up the road in the Wayville showgrounds.
I love it so much that rain hail or shine I will trot up with my roomy and practical shopping cart ( like the grannies used to have) to get my fix of life.

There is a real feeling of community - a village where the farmers bring in their wares, freshly picked, for you to buy from their stalls. Nods of recognition and smiles are exchanged with the fruit and veg, the real feeling of spending coins and notes ( no plastic thanks) on the freshest produce in town. You can take your time, there are tastings everywhere, and everything is hand made, regional and delicious. Week by week you learn to appreciate the wonderful abundance and sheer variety of fine foods. Venison sausages, hand crafted cheeses, free range eggs, country meat and fresh herbs. Tomatoes which are red all the way through, purple potatoes, apples fresh from the orchard and olives made to an old family recipe. And the cooks are there too - freshly baked portuguese custard tarts, expertly made aoli or veal jus, falafels, pigeon pies and delicate chocolate truffles, all served with warmth and pride.

I pile all the treats high into my cart, and often do not stop until I simply can't carry any more. Every week brings a new revelation, and each visit turns that weeek into a gourmet feast. The pleasure extends to cooking, I remember the purchase fondly and with satisfaction, and the admiration I have for the people who bring me this wonderful food.

It makes me feel just that little bit more connected to the world, and I coudn't be happier.

Lemonade anyone?

OK its hot again. This morning went out to find the lemon tree has decided to give up and drop its fruit... all at once. On the right is the large black bin which was repurposed for emergency lemon storage and distribution.

Thats the way we roll now, you can't WASTE them you have to find some way of using them. So we took half of them to work today and left some with the neighbours, this pic is the ones we have yet to find a home for.

Everyone we know is now planning to do something with a dozen or so lemons tonight. Vern is going to make frozen margaritas, nanou is going to give limoncello a bash, Andrew will clean his barbie and use it for salad dressing etc etc.

Me? I am going to squeeze and freeze because we will probably not have as many lemons as we usually enjoy this summer. I feel adaptable...generous and resilient. Defying the silly weather and making the most of it. Nyah.

feeling good about the chooks - just insulated the coop.

and dragged it into the shade

checked the eggs int he incubator and at least 2 of them have got wriggly little peeps inside!

was in SL istening to the new DJ Hay - great to have another new DJ in the GAP and such a happy crowd in these strange days of our second lives.

Mwahahahah

I have a blog, all mine mine mine!

The thoughts of my alter egos Mahala / Workingmum / Amanda - can all live together here just like they do in real life.

Right now I am at home, there are birdies singing outside and the kids are playing on the trampoline. I picked some broccoli and snow peas from the garden, and chased the white butterflies off my cauliflowers. I smiled at birds bravely swooping cars and putting on showy displays of courtship in the garden, there is a nest outside my window again. We have the promise of baby chicks at home ( fresh from our NEW incubator) and the Jacarandas are out in flower. Spring is happening despite the crazy 43 degrees expected tomorrow, and the signs of life I notice make me feel good.

Trying not to dwell on the fact that we bought the incubator because the broody hen died of heat exhaustion last week, the grass has already started browning off. Despite the fact the eggs had not been covered for several days, when we "candled" them many looked promising, and we could see a little chick moving inside the egg. Yep, despite the heat and the fact he lost his mum before he even hatched, life is still going on for this little peep ( that is what chicks r called apparently). So I am gonna take a hint from that and get on with mine :)