Friday, April 24, 2009

T.V Junkie

G'day,

In my previous post I described Hatchling No.1 as a "Couch Potato". This statement needs correcting. It isn't the couch that is his 'thing', its the television. So when I said "Couch Potato", what I meant was "T.V Junkie". There - much better.

Hang on. What?!

Okay, this isn't something I am proud of, but let me explain. The poor child never stood a chance. Union Jack would watch the test pattern on television if there was nothing else on - he loves watching t.v that much. He just never gets bored of it. I on the other hand only ever half watch most shows, getting distracted by kids, cooking, looking out the window, thinking funny stuff - anything really. I have an aversion to getting too hooked on anything other than Grey's Anatomy. Who knows why Grey's Anatomy gets my total commitment? I'm pretty sure it couldn't have anything at all to do with McDreamy and McSteamy...

Anyway, Hatchling No.1 seems to have inherited his Daddy's t.v gene COMPLETELY. And here are a few pictures to prove it:

Awwww, a teeny weeny Hatchling No.1 keeping up with current affairs. He's so advanced!

Here he is sharing the joy of The Wiggles with his friend Miss Tilly. "Yeah! Murray's the one in the red, but Greg's my favorite."

When Hatchling No.1 went on holidays to the Gold Coast, he liked to start each day with a boogie to the "Jane and the Dragon" theme song.

If its too sunny to watch television - no problem! Just add shades.

Check out all that dribble! Was it caused by the lollipop or Roary the Racing Car? I guess we'll never know.

Do you see what I mean now? There's definitely a 't.v thing' going on with that little person - we've successfully confirmed that much. And who knew I'd taken so many photos of the Hatchling watching television anyway?

Jen x

PS: I think I'd better turn off the television now...

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Green and Purple Hammers

G'day,

I don't know about you, but from time to time I kind of like playing the game where I try to guess what my offspring might become when they grow up. In the quieter moments of our day together I have been known to consider job titles such as Author, Food Critic, or Couch Potato for Hatchling No.1. Today however, Terrorist, Stuntman or WWF Wrestler seemed somehow closer to the mark. But thats a whole other story for another day...

Today I want to tell you about Hatchling No.2. A couple of weekends ago, as his Daddy and Grandpa worked feverishly to lay the floor in our new little extension, Hatchling No.2 provided me with a few clues as to what he might aspire to in future years.

Well, kind of.

Hatchling No.2 hasn't yet become a Bob the Builder zombie (you know in the cartoons when somebody is brainwashed their eyes spiral round and round? I'm sure I've seen that happen at my place). Nevertheless, the louder the hammers banged that day the closer Hatchling No.2 insisted on getting to the action.



Er... I don't think sucking your hammer while you think is the behaviour of a fair dinkum serious builder - is it?

Is it?

Then again, what would I know?

It does look pretty cute. Check out those elephant slippers - why don't they come in adult sizes? And while we're talking about cute:



Guess who discovered he loves Easter eggs?


Sigh. There just aren't enough green and purple hammers with smiley faces in the world.

God bless the little Hatchlings.


Jen x

PS: This is what the floor turned out like. Go Union Jack and Grandpa - it looks just like a bought one!!

Hoo Hoo! Who's there?

G'day,

Amongst what seems to be the ever increasing menagerie around our place is a rather distinguished looking guy who likes to peep through my office window from time to time. Although his face might seem quite menacing to some (particularly furry four-legged types who say "Squeak"), I love it when I spot him outside my window.

This shot isn't that recent, but its the best one I have managed so far. Natural camouflage is perhaps the photographer's enemy? Or maybe just mine, I don't know.



Its fair to say that Mr Owl has had a bit of Photoshop-ing to help combat the camouflage thing. Here's what he looked like before Photoshop:

Even in this un-photoshopped version I had cropped ruthlessly in order to find my little mate among the gum leaves. I wonder how often I walk past him without noticing?

I'm pretty sure he misses nothing.

Wise old owl.

Jen x

PS: Mr Owl seems to be awake a LOT on the days he visits. If he flies and hunts all night, and then sits and watches the world (and me) all day - when do owls sleep exactly?






Monday, April 20, 2009

Still Jenny From The Kitchen #1

G'day!

I cooked an old favorite recipe last night, which the family (including me) seemed to almost inhale, we were enjoying it so much. I was just sitting here thinking about how good it was when the thought crossed my mind, "Let's share this little culinary gem on my blog!" So here it is:

Tip Top Vegetable Biriani

Food photography - who knew how tricky it could be? Forgive me, I will try harder next time!


Ingredients:

1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely diced
2 teaspoons curry powder
200g orange kumara (sweet potato), peeled and diced
200g basmati rice
500ml stock
100g green beans, cut into 2cm lengths
40g sultanas
50g cashew nuts
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

  • Heat a large HEAVY BASED pan over medium heat for 2 minutes.
  • Cook onion in oil until soft but not brown.
  • Add garlic and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
  • Add kumara and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add rice and stock; stir well. Bring back to the boil, cover and reduce to low heat. Cook for 10 minutes.
  • Add beans and sultanas. Cook 5 minutes.
  • Add nuts and parsley. Remove from heat and stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.

Top tip: If you're not vegetarian, add 400g diced pork at the same time as the kumara - deeeelicious!

The Hatchlings love this recipe - not least because they have a thing for fishing out the sultanas first. I think it still blows them away that sultanas are sometimes in your dinner as well as your breakfast!

Happy cooking - and eating!

Jen x

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Visitors with Styling Products

Okay, so you invite friends into your home from time to time - but do you ever check their bags upon entry? No. Of course not - these are your friends and they are entering your home, not a rock concert.
Right?
Yeah right.

Be warned, I say. Sometimes friends bring items into your home that have the potential to make your children look ridiculous. RID-IC-U-LOUS!

Two words - styling products.

Is it punk? Crim? Rockstar?
Whatever, the Hatchlings looooooved the effect.
Jen x

Friday, April 10, 2009

Happy Easter

Its quietly crept up on me this year. And now, suddenly, its Easter this coming weekend. Wow! And we all know what this means, don't we?




CHOCOLATE - fantastic!!


Of course there is a lot more to Easter than an extra long weekend, hot cross buns and a ridiculous level of chocolate consumption - its just that these are the best bits.

So what does Jenny from the Blog have planned for the Easter break? Hmmmm, let me see.

The annual Eliot Easter Egg Hunt on Good Friday. Hosted by nearby friends, this is always great fun. The Easter Bunny makes an appearance, the kids hunt for eggs around a beautiful garden and then everybody eats, drinks and talks a lot. Perfect.

Also planned is a family bike ride - 2 bikes, 2 parents, 2 kids. This event will take place on the best weather day of the weekend, and with any luck our lovely neighbours might join us.

The remaining part of the weekend will be left to chance. We are not known for our forward planning prowess, and I am a firm believer that those occasions that occur spontaneously are often the best. Yep - there's a good chance we'll be doing nothing. But on Sunday, ooooh, we might find a little something like this:


In case you're worried, I didn't tip out some lovely baby birds from their nest in the name of a photo opportunity. This nest was blown out of a tree a few weeks ago in our 'Wild-Weather Fest'. Hatchling No.1 has kept it at our front door since then, in preparation for the Easter Bunny's visit. I can't imagine where he gets this behaviour from...

On that note, may the Easter Bunny leave you as many eggs as you can lift.

Happy Easter everyone.

Jen x

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Phew! That was a close one...

Now, I have heard of cheeky press people sneaking into the Victorian bushfire struck areas to take photos from which they can earn a few $$$. I am NOT one of those people. There is no money to be made from these photos, and they are taken around my Mum's house. They were taken on the road I often walked as a teenager - either home from school or just for a bit of exercise. So I feel I have a connection to these places....



It is by sheer luck and timing that I don't have a photo of Mum's place all burnt down. With a few hundred metres to spare on February 7th the wind changed and blew the fire away from her. Can you believe it?




During the biggest fire Victoria has ever seen my Mum and Dave watched the fire heading straight for their home while they splashed water around to try and protect it. In the following shot you can see where the fire went through. It travelled from left to right across this image, as well as burning back up the mountain to meet the horizon.




Apparently the noise of the fire sounded like a 747 jet engine. Nothing could have stopped the flames that day - except Mother Nature.

And for my Mum, she did.

Gee, we really love Mother Nature sometimes!

Especially because before we know it the road to Mum's will once again look a bit like this.



Get busy Mother Nature. Paint us a bushy green landscape once again.

Jen x

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Introducing Union Jack

He's an international man of mystery. From Monday to Friday he's an engineer and office bod, but on the weekends he's all things outdoors - wood cutter, builder, golfer, cricketer, swing pusher, sand castle builder, Husband, Daddy. He travelled approximately 16,960 kilometres in 2003 to settle in sunny Melbourne. A farmer's son. A rugby union fan. A beer drinking, cricket loving Pom. And I married him - he's Union Jack.



Union Jack is vaguely aware of my new found blogging hobby - the place next to him on the couch of an evening has been oddly cool and unoccupied quite a lot over the past few weeks. However, I don't think he has actually looked at SJFTB (Still Jenny From The Blog) yet. As such I might get away with rather a lot here without Union Jack ever finding out...
But I wont.

Its not right - is it? Hmmm.
I think Its more fun this way. But that's because its me, and he's Union Jack. So here he is:

I snapped Union Jack's Blundstone boots shortly before a wood cutting expedition to Granny Annie's house. More about the recent events at Granny Annie's place will be coming soon. For now all we need to know is that when a bulldozer hastily pushes a fire break through your property as bushfires rage in the vicinity lots of trees come down, and after the bushfire threat is gone there's LOTS of fire wood for winter!
By the way, sorry for the looong gap between posts. I was experiencing a few technical hitches, but that is all I can say about it because I am now trying to block the memories of my utter frustration DEEP in my subconscious. You know how it is...
Thanks for reading,
Jen x