Twas the night before Christmas

The pav is cooking, lights are flashing, candles are glowing and christmas lillies are filling the room with their fragrant happiness .

I, as expected have eyes wide awake with no intentions of sleep. Could be the chocolate but most likely the anticipation. I am terrible, last year without a child, without family I was still up at 6am to raid the tree.

Tomorrow will be no different.

Happy Anniversary to me

Yesterday was our sixth wedding Anniversary. Traditionally speaking I wonder what the gift should have been. CH bless his cotton socks apologised ahead of time for the gift he purchased. Quite cunning really as I was prepared for much worse. I got a hair straightener. Not a bad present and I have already used it twice. Unfortunately the gift was not solely for my locks.
CH is currently in the throws of a serious Mullet growing competion and felt a hair straightener will give him the edge he needs to secure first place. (huge dramatic sigh on my behalf) Oh there is nothing like running your hands through curling nape locks on a balding bastard.

Oh I am a lucky lucky lady.

Every Anniversary we dine at a fabulous fine dining resturant. This year we went to Tiffany's.
Quite good there was some stars but essentially could have been better. Years in the industry teamed with a love of food has made me a rather harsh critic. We eat so very well at home it is hard to order something that is not what we would consider 'run of the mill'

I ordered

Entree
Three individual dishes,(tasting platter)
Rare Ostrich served on a bed of richly spiced Butternut pumpkin and roated beetroot.
Hot smoked Akaroa salmon, celeriac remoulade, pink peppercorn dressing
Canterbury Pheasant terrine, onion jam, crusty bread, herb marscapone

The entree was fabulous, every morsel glorious, flavours working brilliantly together whilist complimenting the meats flavour not masking. The terrine was OUTSTANDING, next time I would order large portions yes!

Main(tasting platter)
Roast Canterbury Duck breast, Puy lentils, shredded confit of duck leg, sherry vinegar sauce
Saddle of rabbit stuffed with prunes and wrapped in prosciutto, white bean and tomato stew
Beef fillet, boulangere potatoes, garlic green beans, rosemary butter

Sadly the beef was lacking flavour and held up only by the potatoes. The rabbit was very obviously prepared quite sometime earlier and dry beyond recognition.

Sweet
Vanilla bean brulee, apricot and nutmeg biscotti, passionfruit and lemon icecream

My absolute favourite but once again lacking much loved creamy texture. I like to see my brulee riddled with tell tale black spots of a real vanilla bean, there was not many perhaps a indication of why the flavour lacked depth.

The atmosphere was insipid, our waitress was lovely, the Maitre'd was verging on rude and could do with a refresher course on both charisma and etiquette.

The conversation and company was amazing, although verging on pornographic at times hence our glasses were never left wanting. Our unending gratitude to our amazing babysitter. We love our daughter but relished the opportunity to just be alone.

It goes without saying, I looked fabulous.

It is times like this, that I am truly envious of those who have religious conviction. Faith and the ever conquering comfort of their lord Jesus Christ. Do not get me wrong I am no atheist, I guess I am not willing to lend my life solely to something I have no control over. Gone off topic again.

The reason I am blogging tonight, I have just stayed up to finish my last Christmas wrappings and cards and had the misfortune to catch the late news. Murder, children kidnapped, riots, traumatic events. It has put me in a unsuitable frame of mind for slumber.

When I was first pregnant I could not bear to watch the news as I would have floods of tears running down my face for almost the entirety of the bulletins. Blooming up and down emotions. I was hoping with the birth those uncontollable emotions would wane.

No such luck, although my eyes no longer leak(much), I still feel utter dispair with such amazing empathy to those I am hearing about, I am tired. I am anxious. I am fearful. I am worried.

Being very much a beginner parent, I have much to learn. I only hope with time I will get better and more relaxed about lifes eventualities when it comes to our daughter or at least get better at hiding my anxiety. I have never been fretful. This is not a quality I wish to nurture.

I wish I could take comfort in my God. Relax and put my life in his hands. It would be so blissful. Oh well for now I will just breathe. I hope CH or Ella wakes soon as I need a hug. I may have to 'accidently' poke one of them.

I am also finding my programme Six feet under a bit heavy going at the moment. I cannot work out if it is just my silly emotions ruining my love of dark comedies or is Six Feet Under biting a bit?

Feeling like a Girly read?

I am not one for Mills & Boon mushy romance books BUT I had the most wonderful time reading this book. Not wanting to put it down at all, for heavens sake I even read this over watching my beloved Television!!! Now that is saying something.

If you have not read this, then it is a must read, I cannot believe it took me so long to pick up the book. It was recommended years ago by a dear friend and how right she was. The gift of escapism is magical.

Go on treat yourself.

Bring back Corporal Klinger

I caught the news this morning on yet more riots in Cronulla and in response dear old Mr Howard said 'There is no underlying racial problems in Australia' Well cobber you are right about one thing, its not underlying!

Has he even seen Fat Pizza? Have you?

Anyway the poor lebanese seem to be getting much of the blame. I am not qualified to respond to the why's and what's as I have never met anyone from Lebanese decent. How sad is that. However I love Lebanese cheese and who does not love Colporal Klinger? Is he still alive? Perhaps this one star of old could bring the elongated thumb texting youth who are inciting more violence together in TV harmony.

I suppose it is quite modern and fitting, rather that pistols at dawn, it is texting if funds allow. However I would have thought the more modern way of things would have been to send pictures and video as text is so last year.

Well last night it appeared to be Aussie bashing night. Lets be honest about it, who out there has not wanted to bash an Aussie at some point. When we were travelling the Aussie twang loudly booming AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE OI OI OI for what felt like months at a time!

Hospital stay anyone?

Did my ears deceive me, I am sure I just heard that more people die from medical misadventure than die on our roads! Comforting thought. Perhaps we should be parking the booze bus in hospital corridors rather than our highways. Tremendous pressure on our medical heroes, years of study, hellishly long hours not to mention being responsible for human life. Why do they have such long hours? Even our Truckies have loggable hour restrictions and regulations to follow.

Have we set the bar too high for our doctors? Doctors are supposed to be some of our most academically gifted, learning all sorts of clever bugger trivia. Could that be the problem, too busy filling their heads with information they may use one day that there is no room left for common sense?

Enough said

The Op shop

I went shopping today, I had my mind set on a summer dress, some sort of interesting fabric, preferably not reproduction and I left with this. A teeny tiny little sewing machine in quite a state of disrepair. I have no idea what I will do with it. I also have no where to store it. Hmmn

But I like it, surely that is reason enough to make purchase.

I have a problem at present or its about presents, all this gift buying has made the spending of money very appealing and throughly enjoyable. It is a festid Mozzie bite that needs to be itched. I will possibly be bullocked by CH. In fact almost certian.

On reflection above purchase was neither clever or the best use of our meagre funds. It did not end there I also bought ribbon, a sparkly brooch and a wooden toothbrush holder and before you enquire, YES all necesities.

Cucumber sammies anyone?

I remember when wednesday night was date night. You know it was not that long ago when every wednesday we would do something special, even after Ella was born I always made sure I had put whiskey in her milk and off to bed early.

Tonight however I underestimated the pulling power of the Black caps. Here I sit on the couch looking up every now and then and agreeing with whatever crap CH says. Generally if I want to sound like I am really multi tasking I mention the word 'Wicket'. Since in the lordly game of cricket 'Wicket' seems to be used to desribe many different things.

In the creation of the game I can just imagine a bunch of red nose onion eaters discussing the finer points and through warm ale goggles decided there where lots of bits and bobs they had neglected to name, Emmm 'Wicket' now that sounds like Cricket, ah much easier to remember, lets call them all 'Wicket'

So they all hurrahed, dropped their trousers and buggered a sheep.

U2

I feel terrible like Father friggin Christmas just arse raped me without the courtesy of a reach around. You know sometimes when you hardly ever do something like enter a competition or buy a lotto ticket, and when you do you feel like you will win because you are a good person and now would be fantastic timing. You go over many times in your head how you would tell your loved ones and what you would spend any windfills on.

Then complete and utter stomach lurching shock that you of course did not win.

I felt sure we would be off to U2, marvelling over The Edge and his apparent eight arms to play lead and watching Adam's cool calm bass that seems to have magical powers over womenkind, while scoffing at Bono arrogance. U2 have been my utlimate musical obsession since I was young enough to twink their logo on my pencil case, for heavens sake I walked up and down the isle to U2. Infact they were what brought my husband and I together.

I never in a million years thought I would not be going. I still cannot believe it. There must be a way.

Mutter Mutter, buggery bullocks, rhubarb rhubarb.....blooming Ticketmaster........blasted one concert only lazy Mofo's. Feck Feck. I told CH to line up.....curses............blasted internet.......arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Christmas Ahoy

Sorry my old camera does not cope with low light conditions, but who cares as Christmas has officially reached my household.