22 months

Dear Lily

Today you turned 22 months old. Yes, I am finally on time for the first time in a while.*

This last month could be summed up with the following words: Christmas, Sydney, Beach, Summer, Hot & PhD. However, that doesn't really reflect just what a full-on month it has been.

We were inundated with guests and family over the Christmas period and by and large you took the enormous disruption in your stride. You love being around lots of people - especially 'your people'. Christmas day was probably a bit too full-on, but even that you handled admirably - preferring to give than receive and taking time out by requesting milk whenever you needed to recollect yourself and recharge.


Despite your preference for giving, you actually got a pretty amazing amount of cool toys, books and craft supplies for Christmas. In fact, you were thoroughly spoiled. We are going to have to manage this better in future years in order to stem the inundation of things into your life.


After Christmas we spent a week up in Sydney with Grandpa David and Grandma Sarah - and Midnight and Freya (dominant household members of the canine and feline variety). Oh how you love being up there.

You woke crazy-early (well far earlier than your usual 7:30-8:30am) in order to go for a walk with Midnight (and Grandma and Grandpa), while Papa and I returned to a blissful morning sleep-in, followed by a lovely peaceful breakfast. After you often crashed for an early nap - exhausted from running around after all the puppies in the dog park and getting up stupidly early. This is when Papa and I continued with our relaxation by reading or wandering down the street for a coffee. It was a hard life.

Post-nap we generally headed to the beach for a picnic and play. The water really wasn't that warm and so we tended to dig a 'pool' in the sand for you to play in and took it in turns to go and fetch water to keep it full of water. (Of course, in reality we let most of this burden fall to your willing servant - Grandpa).

Fortunately when we returned home it was to a house full of wonderful new things to play with. You have had so much fun with everything, but have been particularly enjoying your new dolls' house, painting easel and musical instruments.




Once home I also had to launch myself into Operation PhD Blitz, which has meant lots of Papa time for you - and time with other lovely family members who have been coming over to look after you. I am so proud of the way that you have adjusted to this and am loving the fact that it is really increasing the already close bond that you have with your Papa.


Other than that, it has been hot hot hot. Sometimes we deal with this by filling up your clam shell with a little bit of precious water (which we then put on the tomatoes in the evening). At other times we have made use of the lovely local pool in order to cool off and to have somewhere bearable to eat dinner in the steamy evenings. It isn't the beach, but it has still been pretty good to us.




On a far sadder note, my baby girl, these last few weeks have been darkened by harrowing daily news reports from the Gaza strip, where over 1000 Palestinians, including 315 children, have been killed in a horrible war. Though far away, the death of so many innocent people has seemed awfully close to your mama of late - especially the death of so many children and the orphaning of so many more. While holding you tight at night, I have been praying for them and for peace in their homeland. I can only hope that when you are old enough to read this letter that this time will be a footnote in a just and lasting peaceful settlement.

love
mama
xo


*Of course, then I got interrupted before finishing this letter and had to finish it today and so it is late after all...

Gaza

COHRE Statement on Gaza crisis - 12 January 2009

European governments and citizens hold the key to imposing accountability on Israel

Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian situation caused by Israel’s 18 month long blockade of the Gaza Strip. The invasion of Gaza has violently forced an estimated 80,000-90,000 people from their homes. 75% of Gazans are currently without electricity and over half a million residents have no water supply. There are severe shortages of food and essential medicines. Sewage from non-functioning treatment plants is flooding into residential areas. Israel’s excessive and indiscriminate use of military force has been disproportionate to the threat posed by rocket fire by armed Palestinian groups in Gaza. Israel has targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure, including the destruction of homes, mosques and schools. So far around 900 Palestinians have been killed including 250 children. Israel has wilfully impeded humanitarian aid and aid workers from reaching the residents of the Gaza Strip. These actions constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law as set out in the Geneva Conventions and serious violations of international human rights law as set out in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other human rights treaties...

Download the full statement here [Word Doc].

I realise that it is very controversial (and complicated), but I think that Naomi Klein makes a good point: "Enough. It's time for a boycott".

Marble cupcakes

We made some marble cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World) because P. has to take something in tomorrow for a section meeting.


I love the way that they turned out. They were very yummy - especially when topped with chocolate ganache.

Lily liked them... quite a lot.

Words fail me

This is just so horrific. It makes me want to scream and cry. How could they?

This report (pdf) is pretty awful too. I think that I am going to use it an a case study in my thesis.

Happy New Year

I hope that you all had a lovely NYE.

We spent yesterday morning at the zoo and the afternoon at the beach. It was such a lovely sunny day. Lily ran around like a 'mad fool' (as she now calls herself) and paddled about in the water, while we ate yummy hot chips and drank soy lattes. I love Balmoral.

In the evening, Lily shocked us all by staying awake for the 9pm fireworks (she had had an early sleep and a huge day) and so we wandered down to the harbour to watch them. She enjoyed the lights in the sky at first (although she kept asking to see the bangs), but quickly got very tired and told us "I don't want to see them anymore. They're a bit scary." So we wandered home to bed.

I heard the midnight fireworks, but couldn't even be bothered lifting my head to watch them out the window (my Dad's guest bedroom actually had a pretty good view of them - as I have found out in year's past by making a habit of watching them from bed... oh I am so lazy). Cuddles with Lily was quite celebratory enough for me.

This morning P and I wandered up to Milson's Point in search of coffee and found a gorgeous little french cafe that we had never noticed before. It lead us back to our ongoing reverie about running our own little cafe somewhere and then on to other (possibly more realistic) schemes about what we might do when we grow up. I love those mornings when the world seems so full of delicious possibilities...

This is also why I love New Year's Day. The new year is such a clean slate and life feels full of delicious possibilities. What are your schemes and dreams for 2009?

I think that I might...

• Start baking pastries and new kinds of bread
• Do more walking (maybe in the evenings with our little night owl)
• Stop buying juice from the supermarket
• Sew myself a new wrap around skirt (or two...)
• Take more photos & video
• Send more handwritten letters and cards
• Come ridiculously close to finish off my annoying PhD and move on with my life
• Start handmaking Christmas presents a little earlier in the year

I'd add that I plan to do more yoga, but that one is getting a little repetitive these days and so I'd better just leave it off...

Merry Christmas

I hope that you all had a lovely Christmas (or Hanuka, or other special family time...). Ours was great, but also a little intense.



In the lead-up to Christmas I set myself too much work - sewing lots of presents (like the clutches pictured above - from Bend the Rules Sewing); printing canvas for wrapping paper (also pictured); baking and wrapping gingerbread; and cooking more food than would fit in our fridge.


On Christmas Eve, we hosted drinks for 30 people (my Mum's family). The photos above are of the calm before the storm (so to speak). It was so lovely to see everyone and Lily loved having her cousins over the play with (and to exchange gifts with). Also everyone came loaded down with food and drinks, and we had many hands to help with the clean up at the end. However, this was only the beginning...


On Christmas morning we hosted breakfast for 9. We sat outside in the sun and it was a beautiful morning - lots of fresh fruit (mangoes and cherries always make me think of Christmas); mushrooms on toast, muffins, and (of course) coffee. More gifts were exchanged, but by now Lily was getting tired and said "Goodbye everyone" and lead me off to a quiet place where she could feed to sleep.
During her nap, more cleaning and cooking was done by all... and then we hosted a lunch for 11 (some of my Dad and my Sister-in-law's families). We had enough food for 20, at least, and it was a lovely long lingering lunch. Still more gifts were exchanged, more beautiful fruit, chocolates and coffee was consumed, and still more cleaning was done by many helping hands.

At 6:30pm we finished off the last load of dishes and then quickly made a couple of roast vegetables salads & a fruit platter and drove out to P's parents place for the Mega-family dinner. There were at least 50 people at P's parents' place and yet more gifts were exchanged... We asked Lily if she wanted to open her presents. "No," was her firm reply. Instead she wanted to play outside with her cousins. (We ended up having to open about half of Lily's gifts this morning - on her behalf - It was crazy-talk.)

We got home at 10:15pm, exhausted.

It was truly lovely to catch up with all of our families and to share food & gifts with the people that we love. However, it was also pretty overwhelming to see (and host) so many people in such a short space of time. If only we could spread Christmas out over a few weeks...

99 things meme

I saw this on Blue Milk the other day; Pea Soup yesterday; and then today on Still Life with Cat and decided that I had to join in the fun...

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. Started your own blog. (Several)

2. Slept under the stars. (Many times)

3. Played in a band.

4. Visited Hawaii. (The camping and hiking is supposed to be gorgeous.)

5. Watched a meteor shower.

6. Given more than you can afford to charity.

7. Been to Disneyland/world. (Disneyworld, 1995?)

8. Climbed a mountain. (Gokyo Ri - got to see Everest, amongst other impressive peaks.)

9. Held a praying mantis.

10. Sang a solo. (As a child)

11. Bungee jumped. (There is just no way. I have been hang gliding though, which I thought was far more civilized.)

12. Visited Paris. (January 1997?)

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea. (I think so. I have a memory of this, but cannot place it. Perhaps I made it up?)

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch. (Sewing? Although I did have some help.)

15. Adopted a child. (Although I have contemplated it.)

16. Had food poisoning. (Oh yes.)

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty. (No, I stood at the bottom waiting for my Dad and brother, in the freezing cold snow, because I had a torn hamstring.)

18. Grown your own vegetables.

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France. (I looked at the line for the Louvre and decided against it. I figured that I would be back to Paris...)

20. Slept on an overnight train. (Several: Bangkok to Nong Khai and back several times; Hanoi to Huie; Beijing toPingyao; Pingyoa to Xian; Xian to Shoalin; Shanghai to Beijing... I think that is all. I love trains.)

21. Had a pillow fight.

22. Hitch hiked. (Just between Fernie and the ski slopes and Roslyn and Red Mountain.)

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not (physically) ill.

24. Built a snow fort.

25. Held a lamb.

26. Gone skinny dipping. (Each time it was dark out. I can't imagine doing it during the day.)

27. Run a marathon. (I contemplated it, briefly, while running - and loving - the City2Surf, but have not run a single step since...)

28. Ridden a gondola in Venice. (Similarly to Suse: I rode the water taxis in Venice and looked at the gondolas - not longingly though. It was utterly freezing and I really didn't want to be outside anymore.)

29. Seen a total eclipse. (I always seem to miss them.)

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset. (Come on! Even Lily has done this.)

31. Hit a home run. (I am not sporty.)

32. Been on a cruise. (In Halong Bay.)

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person. (Not something that I can really recommend. The falls are spectacular, but the town is not.)

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors. (Which one? I have been the England, Ireland, the USA and Australia, but not Scotland or Wales. Does that count?)

35. Seen an Amish community. (Several)

36. Taught yourself a new language. (Lao. Although I did have some help and only learned a little. I have also been taught French, German and Japanese, but can only speak French.)

37.Had enough money to be truly satisfied. (Satisfied with what? I have always had enough money.)

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person.

39. Gone rock climbing. (Many times. However, I recently acknowledged that I really don't enjoy it.)

40. Seen Michelangelo's David in person. (It is incredible. I was blown away.)

41. Sung Karaoke. (And loved it! I even sung Ice Ice Baby. Ha!)

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.

43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant. (In Mexico City. He had been mugged - or claimed to have been. My brother and I bought him dinner and gave him enough money to get a bus home to Chiapas. I'll never know if he was telling us the truth, and don't really care.)

44. Visited Africa. (South Africa and Lesotho. I want to go to Tanzania though...)

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.

46. Been transported in an ambulance. (Why would I want to do this?)

47. Had your portrait painted.

48. Gone deep sea fishing.

49. Seen the Sistine chapel in person. (Stunning.)

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkelling. (Tahiti, Vanuatu, NSW Coast, Lord Howe Island...)

52. Kissed in the rain.

53. Played in the mud.

54. Gone to a drive-in theatre.

55. Been in a movie. (P. has - a Bollywood movie, no less!)

56. Visited the Great Wall of China.

57. Started a business. (Sometimes I want to, but the idea also completely terrifies me.)

58. Taken a martial arts class. (Jujitsu; Kung Fu; Kick Boxing & Aikido - I have a short attention span...)

59. Visited Russia. (I really really want to do this.)

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout cookies. (Biscuits at least.)

62. Gone whale watching. (Been dolphin watching though...)

63. Gotten flowers for no reason.

64. Donated blood. (Have never been heavy enough, except while pregnant and then you can't anyway... Not that this stresses me out.)

65. Gone sky diving.

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp.

67. Bounced a cheque. (Well, I had to pay a dishonor fee.)

68. Flown in a helicopter.

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy. (Mostly books)

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt. (I am sooo intimidated by quilting.)

73. Stood in Times Square. (Many times)

74. Toured the Everglades. (We went to Florida to do this, but then the Parks staff went on strike for the duration of our stay...)

75. Been fired from a job.

76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London.

77. Broken a bone.

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle. (Thailand, Lao, Vietnam, Cambodia...)

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.

80. Published a book. (Do they mean: written a book that someone else publishes? That I would like to do. Although I don't actually expect that I will.)

81. Visited the Vatican.

82. Bought a brand new car.

83. Walked in Jerusalem. (Although not right now, thanks.)

84. Had your picture in the newspaper. (This is easy to do in Canberra! and Tahiti...)

85. Read the entire Bible. (Does the children's bible count?)

86. Visited the White House.

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.

88. Had chickenpox.

89. Saved someone’s life.

90. Sat on a jury. (I don't think that I can. Lawyers are not allowed to in Australia.)

91. Met someone famous. (Gael García Bernal. I even got my photo taken with him, like a real dork - during an anti-WTO protest in Hong Kong.)

92. Joined a book club. (I started one and it died a rapid and sad death...)

93. Lost a loved one.

94. Had a baby.

95. Seen the Alamo in person.

96. Swum in the Great Salt Lake.

97. Been involved in a law suit. (I was the solicitor though, not the litigant.)

98. Owned a cell phone.

99. Been stung by a bee.

21 months

Dear Lily

Last Sunday you turned 21 months old. Sorry about the lateness of this letter and for the lack of photos. I am writing it from Sydney. We made a last-minute, somewhat nutty trip up here last night so that you could audition for a breast-cancer-awareness commercial and (more importantly) see several of your grandparents. (The commercial is a long and odd story that I will tell you about later, but for now I'll just let you know that you were incredible - you charmed the socks of them).

This month I have been continually confronted with just how much you are growing up. I keep thinking about your last Christmas and how little you were. While you were still very alert and engaged in the world, you were such a different little person. You weren't quite walking. You had no idea what Christmas meant. You took no notice of the trees or decorations. Your presents held only a passing level of interest.

In contrast, this year you are all about Christmas.

"Let's make decorations," you suggest to me several times a day.

"I want a Santa."

"Look: a Christmas tree!"

"Santa has a big white beard."

"I'd like to read a Christmas book."

"I love this one. This one's my favourite."

This year you are all about Christmas and I am just loving it.

We have been trying to make decorations, but you still are more into the process than the product. We have quite a number of artistic yellow previously-star-shaped paper mush piles.

We did decorate our baby Christmas tree, but removing the decorations was a little too tempting for you. (It is now up high). You were desperate to make gingerbread (and even remembered what molasses was for three days after I first told you we needed it), but when faced with the choice between icing the biscuits and eating the icing, well... I think you can imagine the outcome.

Still, it has been so much fun getting to experience the lead-up to Christmas with you. You have made me see everything with fresh eyes and given me a wonderful excuse to indulge in all the glitz and tinsle.

I simply cannot wait for Christmas day itself. Hopefully it is not too overwhelming for you (and, hopefully, I can actually finish making your felt food...).

Merry Christmas beautiful girl.

love
mama
xox

Veg*n Meal Plan Monday

I am finding it hard to feel inspired this week. However, here is our (possible) meal plan for the week:

M: Moroccan chickpeas & couscous
T: Ginger stir-fry with tofu & Asian greens with soba noodles
W: Tempeh burritos with guacamole and salsa (Feeding the Whole Family)
T: Spinach triangles with salad (Vegan with a Vengeance)
F: Pizza

I have also been making gingerbread - one of my favourite Christmas traditions. Photos of Lily 'decorating' said-gingerbread to come tomorrow...

Summer is here!

The other day I picked this bowl of delicious blackberries from our garden. I have to admit that they started their lives on the other side of the fence (i.e. they are from my neighbour's blackberry plant). However, these particularly berries were totally growing on our side of the fence and their roots were planted in 'our' soil and so I thought that picking a few of them would be OK... (P. tells me that I am wicked).

Oh I love blackberries so much! They positively sing of summer.

The rhubarb, strawberries and (almost invisible) asparagus spear are not quite as morally dubious.

Another totally summer moment was eating this bagel yesterday - topped with homemade pesto and fresh tomato (from the farmers market, not our poor struggling seedlings). How good are fresh summer tomatoes and basil?



The stone fruit are out too now and we have been guzzling them. I am putting in a order for a tray of peaches and a tray of nectarines for the Christmas period. Now I just have to plan the cooked part of the meals...