A few weeks ago my father called to say he & mum would be coming to visit.
We will probably get there on Sunday said Dad.
Oh, great! But can you get here on Monday instead? I am going on a Girls Weekend Away & I won't be home until Sunday, & I will be all hungover & stuff, & I will need time to clean the house & do the laundry & get your bed ready & stuff.
OK, said Dad. Monday or Sunday.
So an hour after I got home on Sunday, guess who turned up? It wasn't that much of a drama, actually. It was lovely of them to drive all the way here, we really enjoyed having them around, & they had fun with the kids.
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| Monkey Boy & his Grandpa bonding over bacon sandwiches. |
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| My mother the Leo. Born performer. Imagine dancing in the supermarket?? I can't imagine doing that..... |
We went op shopping a bit & I bought this $5 stoneware bowl, which I am in love with.
It is very generously sized & the tall sides make it very useful in the kitchen.
I really enjoyed cooking for the extended family, even though Mum & Dad both complained that I was feeding them too well. With so many different mealtime preferences/requirements, I have started to deconstruct meals & serve the components separately, so that everyone can custom make their own dinner. This was pasta, with optional pan fried garlic prawns, oven roasted tomatoes, rocket, avocado, shallots, mozzarella, chili sauce, & crumbly bacon.
I've been doing this alot, & so far it's worked really well with sort of asian (Malay pumpkin curry, Hoisin pork, vegetable noodles, pilaf rice, & a big plate of prawn chips & spring rolls to make it really seem like takeaway) & also a sort of Mexican dinner (nachos with homemade refried beans, spicy baked chook legs, more rice, green salad, avocado, cheese & pico de gallo salsa)
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| Monkey boy checking the curl on the piggy wig's tail |
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| The Gentleman, Goose Master. 'I don't know why you are so scared of geese, Mum, these are just delightful' |
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| Teenage Daughter with her Grandma. Happy to queue but neither would get on the jumping castle. |
I was sad to see the Olds drive off, but guess what?
The day before they left my mother in law arrived for 2 weeks!
Some books I bought at the second hand book stall. Nora Roberts books are a little bit of brain candy for me - soft core romance with a touch of the supernatural. Everyone has been raving to me about Terry Pratchett but I think they meant the Discworld series, oh well. The Gentleman is just getting into Dr Seuss, & this was in pretty decent condition. I bought Jemima Puddle Duck for a laugh because when Teenage Daughter was small, she called it Vagina Puddle Duck. Too funny!
Do you remember this chair?
I still don't like it.
Stay tuned.
xx