Montagical

Fun fact: August 2011 I met Rae and Maryanne and August 2012 I went on holiday with them to celebrate Raes Hitchin' Day. It was magic. Really.
But first, the Bridal shower.

Marvel at the many facets of Kitty.

I helped fluff some of these flower poms, you know. The less symmetrical ones, I'm afraid. K organised the shower and it was swell. We played  games like Bridal bingo, which I won! Yay,  how sweet it is to be gifted at listening and list-checking!

Swing.

You'll be disappointed (but not surprised?) to read that Rae is a rather non-compliant bride and refused to wear this fetching sash for long at all. Happily, though, she did answer most of the questions regarding her future husband correctly. YAY/phew! 

Drink optimisation. Bouhouhouhou. Wan' go back to Bali, now!

Steer

Hai! I'm back! Thanks for all the messages you left me about my Dad. It was really special to read them. They helped! Other things which helped: friends! Did you realise that you can meet some really rad people on twitter? It's true. The only downside is that you'll spend the rest of your life telling people you met 'through a mutual friend'. Hehe.

So, anyway, on Sunday it was Fathers Day. My brother organised for us to go out for lunch. He is a good bean.
We ate and drank delicious things and I didn't even cry once. Yay! This not-crying thing was very good.  You'll be displeased to hear that I have been a real bouhou baby and cry too much. A bit out of control, really.  Sometimes I just don't know what to hold onto and it is very confusing and dark and I wonder if it will ever be better. My friends have been awesome. I feel really lucky!  I have begun to practice being happy even when sad. It is a real nifty idea which I am enjoying. Anyway, this is a digression from the theme of food, so I will stop.
This cocktail was called a Twisted Hemingway. Drinker: Beware! this is not a all like our beloved Hemingway Daiquiri. No-no-no! Not at all! It tasted almost savoury, like a Bloody Mary.. Yes. It was good but wouldn't hit it again.

My mumma and brother both had this for their starter. Soft-shell crab w/ ranch dressing on a brioche bun. Darnations! to my faulty immune system at times like this!  And then once again when the onion rings came out.

Fried buffalo ricotta. 

I had these scallops. Love 'em. 

Steak tray. Look upon all the neatly arranged sliced animal corpses! :-/

Cider and cherry woddy. How good are the infused vodkas at Lucky Coq? Good! I want to make some  meyer lemon vodka for summer. Last year I made some mint vodka and it was truly awful. Hope that won't happen again?

This my brother and me. Yay! Basically everyone loathes this angora jumper of mine.  It is so cuddly! But that is how it gets you! At the start it's good but then you're covered in fluff and filled with hug-regret. Sad.  

 I didn't cry on Sunday but I might accidentally cry soon.

What did you do to celebrate with your Daddy(or to remember him)?

Holiday is my favourite.

Souper chicky

Oh, yey!
I made a batch of cosy yet fresh and delicious chicky soup.
You should make it, too!
This recipe is especially for Mrs. G!

For the stock you will need:
1 whole chicken( I always, always, always buy free range chicken. Always).
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, chopped
2 sticks celery and leaves, chopped
Parsley stalks
10 black pepper corns
Fresh Bay leaf from Nanas garden
Add all of this to a large pot (i like my cast iron one, makes me feel olde-timey) and cover with water and simmer gently for around on hour or until cooked. Skim the scum away if any appears.
Drain through a fine sieve lined with paper towel and chill over night.
Shred the chicken and also chill.

Once the stock is chilled you can remove any hard layer of fat - eww! 

NEXT: you will need
1 diced onion
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
big glug of olive oil
3 stalks of rosemary, leaves picked. Use the stalks as well for flavour and discard before serving.
2 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
pumpkin, diced
3 cobs of fresh corn, kernels removed.
1 zucchini, diced
sea salt + pepper (lots)
1 cup of brown rice
cooked and shredded chicken
Parmesan and fresh parsley to serve

Fry onion w/ olive oil and a pinch of salt until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook until soft and fragrant. And then! Add other chopped veggies and stir. At some point add the stock and rice. Once rice is nearly cooked add the chicken and simmer until warmed through. Check for seasoning and add lots of pepper and salt. Sprinkle with loads of fresh parmesan and parsley. Try not to burn your tongue like some silly person may have done. YUM!
This is really good with celery salt.
Of course you can add other veggies if you like.

In cuter news, Popsy is growing up fast. She makes me feel so lucky. Guess what - she can sit and sometimes drop on command. So clever! <3

Daddy.

In February, I lost my Daddy.

I miss him. We all miss him. 

I want him back. I want him to walk into this room and exasperate me with his fondness for starting a conversation in the middle.

 I can't deal with the grief. I can't find the start of it, it is always here all over me. I feel completely blocked up by it and I haven't had a thought or said something that felt right at all since he went away.

[Daddy Holly and Jesse '89]

Sometimes I find that there is nothing to hold onto. Sometimes the remembering of his bravery during extended periods of abject suffering fills me up. When cancer takes your life, it takes it cruelly apart, piece by piece. 

I'm hoping that writing this little bit is somewhere to start and will help me to unblock myself and maybe I can have real thoughts again.

I want to remember him.

Have you ever lost a parent?

Popsy

This is Popsy. She is a (now) 9 week old Cavoodle. She is definitely among the cutest and sweetest treats ever to gambol across the face of this planet.

Known likes: early rising, cuddles,  Nini + Axl.

Known dislikes: peanut butter, bath time, sleep-ins.

Simple Arithmetic.

Happy hour drinks + precious friends = a jolly good time! Simple.

So, I'm home from Canada and the USA. I had a shmarvelous time! Properly wonderful. 

Upon returning, I promptly uploaded my photographs to my MBP only to have lappy flat line on me.. At only 6 months old! Cha!! So anyway, hopefully the Apple 'Geniuses' will unlease their genii on lappy and magically bring her and those pictures back to me.

How annoying is it when your manicure does not dry. Exclamation!

University starts next week. Excited?