The Kitchen Playground

Is this, or is this not, a very clever gift indeed for someone who likes to cook, entertain and eat outside? Clever SIL (and brother and nevvy but SIL gets shopping credit) gave me this wonderful idea as a birthday gift. My head was instantly overflowing with ways to use it. Cut up veg ready [...]

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I really need a more comprehensive bread book. In the meantime, I did a quick library dash yesterday and grabbed a few to tide me over until I decide which one I want. One of them I read form cover to cover last night. It’s a great book for anyone who wants to try making [...]

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The Bread Winner and I have run away to Sydney for a long weekend. The Ankle Biters are on their very best behaviour at their Grandparent’s. And if they’re not, they should be. The purpose behind  this trip is that some months ago, I won a competition, which entails spending somone else’s money in Sydney. [...]

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The Ankle Biters and I stoped at Westfield Doncaster today to pick up supplies for an impromptu picnic at the park. At the deli counter of Colonial Fresh Markets, we got a conainer of ‘pastelli’, a sesame seed slice. I read the label before purchasing (as I do) and the listed ingredients were sesame, honey, [...]

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Ah the bliss that is a child free existence. It’s quiet. It’s neat. It’s quiet. Its free of constant demands. Did I mention that it’s quiet?
Friday, the Bread Winner and I shipped the Ankle Biters off to the Grandparents and we bolted to the airport for a weekend in Sydney. Things didn’t start incredibly smoothly [...]

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Indoor play centres suck. The food is ridden with chemical preservatives and colours, the children are feral, visibility bad and there is always some unsupervised brat beating up on at least one of my children. Just to top it all off, you’re lucky to escape under $30. So it’s a long time since I’ve been [...]

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Saturday night was my 20 year high school reunion. Great fun to get out and see how people have turned out and what they’ve done with themselves over the last twenty years. The reunion was held at Canvas Restaurant in Hawthorn.
According to the invitation it was to be a standing dinner and it was held [...]

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Some girlfriends and I ventured out to Barr’d wine and tapas bar in East Ivanhoe last night. It’s always exciting to get out without the Ankle Biters. It was probably about quarter to eight when we arrived. Tables and seating are out the front for fine weather and nicotine addicts. We were greeted by the [...]

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Obviously, one of the best breakfasts a mother of young Ankle Biters can have is one eaten in the absence of Ankle Biters. So on Sunday, in celebration of my lovely SIL Karen’s birthday, 8 such mothers descended on Apte for a leisurely breakfast.
Not the first time I have breakfasted there and I have mentioned [...]

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There is a building that has had three incarnations since I became aware of it. Lasted night, with much trepidation, I experienced the third.
The building is 735 Heidelberg Road, Alphington. When I was first told about it, it was called TJ’s. It was described to me as a restaurant with a kids playroom that had [...]

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