Zonked, Zambia
On Thursday nights I kind of fall apart. Not as in not cope but as in just too exhausted to do anything. A good Thursday is a day without any bought food. I managed that for lunches but got fish and chips for dinner. But by the end of Thursday I have finished my paid work for the week and can get back into home mode on Friday.
Last night was totally wonderful as Favourite Handyman and I went out for dinner to celebrate being married for an even longer time than last year.
The night before we had a guest from Zambia for dinner. Our friend Cheryl fundraised for months to visit Zambia and work in a school there for two weeks and now Kafuko, from Cheryl's Zambian school, is in New Zealand for two weeks. We enjoyed the evening and I loved seeing my children learn about somewhere else in a mutual learning setting. The photo book which my sister in law made for Brighid about the animals in South Africa on their South African holiday was a central point of discussion for Kafuko and the children. Tomorrow I am gathering a stash of stickers to send back with Kafuko for the new entrants teacher, as that is one thing she had hoped Kafuko could bring back.
Useless useless with the camera. After having it operational and found for just two days, it went funny on me when Brighid and I were walking on the beach on Monday. So no chance to take photos of anything until either Favourite Handyman solves the mysterious camera problem or we buy a new one.
The children and I went garden shopping after school. I am too impatient to leave my lovely new soil vacant until some seeds germinate (so far one has in the punga raised bed). We bought celery, beetroot and lettuces. I've planted the lettuces and left the others until tomorrow. We also bought red poppies and Fionn chose white chrysanthemums. He was quite excited by the daisy picture. I haven 't succeeded with growing red (Flanders) poppies from seed but have wanted some in the garden ever since my cousin Lou (WW2, POW veteran) died.
On Monday when I wasn't bemoaning my bad luck with the camera, Brighid and I gathered seaweed from our local beach, rinsed it at home and piled it on the old chook run garden. Which Brighid has decided is her garden. I can see she has an affinity with it when she wanders through it with a bucket on her arm, collecting kale and celery leaves. The heavy spring rain, or so I plan, will wash the seaweed nutrients into the soil. I will top it with pea straw at some point to keep it moist and help it break down.
Four eggs from the chooks today. One with a broken shell though. At least I now know from last time that thin shells, thick shells and general egg oddities are quite normal when they begin to lay. I've been putting supplying grit and the other eggs are nice and strong.
I'm still slowly reading Tristram Stuart's book on waste and I can see that there is more I could do to make efficient use of all foods the everyday norm. I forgot to clear the bench after our romantic night out so the leftovers were not hygienic for further use from the children's dinner. Then I was too exhausted to cook tonight and now I have realised that my plans for turning leftover risotto from Tuesday into a kind of fried/reheated rice with black pudding don't really fit into the celebratory mode of hosting more guests for dinner tomorrow night, guests who are related to FH and have not seen Brighid ever and not seen Fionn since he was four months old. And anyway maybe I'm not supposed to keep cooked rice beyond 24 hours? Though I certainly have done so before. At least chooks love rice. I see a visit to Jonesy (the butcher) on the horizon. And a very eggy luscious dessert as I have 13 eggs waiting for my culinary experimentation and more eggs likely to come inside tomorrow. Must send some to the food bank in the morning, as per the plans when I ordered five chooks instead of three.
How about black pudding and poached eggs for a Friday breakfast? Make up for the poor food showing at dinnertime tonight and boost our jaded bodies ready for one more day of work/school for the males. Perhaps it will give me the energy to clean. ha de ha ha.
Off to show my kefir grains some love...
Last night was totally wonderful as Favourite Handyman and I went out for dinner to celebrate being married for an even longer time than last year.
The night before we had a guest from Zambia for dinner. Our friend Cheryl fundraised for months to visit Zambia and work in a school there for two weeks and now Kafuko, from Cheryl's Zambian school, is in New Zealand for two weeks. We enjoyed the evening and I loved seeing my children learn about somewhere else in a mutual learning setting. The photo book which my sister in law made for Brighid about the animals in South Africa on their South African holiday was a central point of discussion for Kafuko and the children. Tomorrow I am gathering a stash of stickers to send back with Kafuko for the new entrants teacher, as that is one thing she had hoped Kafuko could bring back.
Useless useless with the camera. After having it operational and found for just two days, it went funny on me when Brighid and I were walking on the beach on Monday. So no chance to take photos of anything until either Favourite Handyman solves the mysterious camera problem or we buy a new one.
The children and I went garden shopping after school. I am too impatient to leave my lovely new soil vacant until some seeds germinate (so far one has in the punga raised bed). We bought celery, beetroot and lettuces. I've planted the lettuces and left the others until tomorrow. We also bought red poppies and Fionn chose white chrysanthemums. He was quite excited by the daisy picture. I haven 't succeeded with growing red (Flanders) poppies from seed but have wanted some in the garden ever since my cousin Lou (WW2, POW veteran) died.
On Monday when I wasn't bemoaning my bad luck with the camera, Brighid and I gathered seaweed from our local beach, rinsed it at home and piled it on the old chook run garden. Which Brighid has decided is her garden. I can see she has an affinity with it when she wanders through it with a bucket on her arm, collecting kale and celery leaves. The heavy spring rain, or so I plan, will wash the seaweed nutrients into the soil. I will top it with pea straw at some point to keep it moist and help it break down.
Four eggs from the chooks today. One with a broken shell though. At least I now know from last time that thin shells, thick shells and general egg oddities are quite normal when they begin to lay. I've been putting supplying grit and the other eggs are nice and strong.
I'm still slowly reading Tristram Stuart's book on waste and I can see that there is more I could do to make efficient use of all foods the everyday norm. I forgot to clear the bench after our romantic night out so the leftovers were not hygienic for further use from the children's dinner. Then I was too exhausted to cook tonight and now I have realised that my plans for turning leftover risotto from Tuesday into a kind of fried/reheated rice with black pudding don't really fit into the celebratory mode of hosting more guests for dinner tomorrow night, guests who are related to FH and have not seen Brighid ever and not seen Fionn since he was four months old. And anyway maybe I'm not supposed to keep cooked rice beyond 24 hours? Though I certainly have done so before. At least chooks love rice. I see a visit to Jonesy (the butcher) on the horizon. And a very eggy luscious dessert as I have 13 eggs waiting for my culinary experimentation and more eggs likely to come inside tomorrow. Must send some to the food bank in the morning, as per the plans when I ordered five chooks instead of three.
How about black pudding and poached eggs for a Friday breakfast? Make up for the poor food showing at dinnertime tonight and boost our jaded bodies ready for one more day of work/school for the males. Perhaps it will give me the energy to clean. ha de ha ha.
Off to show my kefir grains some love...
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