So I sort of lied when I said that not much was going on a week or so
ago. That’s definitely not true- it’s just that all the stuff that’s
going on is pretty normal, boring stuff. I guess it’s called everyday
life. But there’s so much of it going on that I forgot this is a Sunday
Dinner week and I’m cooking from “Omg, I Can Eat That” by Jane Kennedy.

Don’t worry, it’s not what you think, the recipes are basically
healthier versions of foods that are traditionally really fatty. I made
Dukkah crusted Lamb and spicy pumpkin during the week and it was pretty
good. For Sunday, I’m tossing up between chicken and Leek Piemakins and
Thai Beef Curry.

So what has been going on? The Runner is preparing for his first big
race of the season in Huskisson, in Jervis bay so he’s up running and
biking most mornings. I’m a bit nervous about the race to be honest
since he’s injured himself progressively worse each year that he’s done
it. The first year it was a hamstring, then last year he came off his
bike at speed and wound up bruised and bloodied. He finished the race
though but it looked as though someone had taken a cheese grater to him.
It’s coming up in a few weeks so more on that later. He also did a
VO2max test a few weeks ago- some sort of test of how fit he is. He was
pretty chuffed with the results. I don’t really get it but I read the
report, scratched my head and told him I was proud of him. His
birthday is next week so wish him happy birthday if you happen to see
him. I Love birthdays– my own mainly, but his is always good fun too,
once I sort out the what to get him dilemma. He wants running shoes
(snore!) We’re going to dinner at Universal, a restaurant here in Sydney
which is apparently closing down in April so we figured we should go
sooner rather than later and then celebrating his actual birthday with a
wedding (not ours).

What else? I’m working, and finally into the habit of getting up every
single morning again (even in the rain) and working all day. I wish
someone had told me when I was younger how much better school is than
work– wait, I think my mom did but I didn’t believe her at the time.
Seriously, kids have it made! School from 9-3, then summer vacation,
days off, snow days, recess– what was I thinking growing up???

I made a Chinese New Year resolution (I’m only calling it that because I
made it closer to February 1st than January 1st) to get up and go to the
gym every Thursday morning. I’m not a morning person so wish me luck,
it’s been two weeks in a row, well really only 1 so we’ll see what
happens in the next few weeks. I’ve been struggling to read the book
Les Miserables but have given up (nearly) in favor of Words With Friends
on the bus. And when I say struggling, the stupid book is 1600 pages on
the Kindle and Victor Hugo spends 90 pages explaining the Battle of
Waterloo battlefield and how empty and bare a room is. I love reading,
but seriously this is enough to test my patience. We finally have a
working oven, which I’m getting reacquainted with, and a newly organised
kitchen- so now I have no excuses! I even found all the parts of my
KitchenAid mixer, including the fruit and vegetable strainer that I’ve
never used. Don’t ask but when I bought it, I saw myself making — ok
to be honest I have no idea what. But now, that I’ve found it, so help
me god, I will use it for something — eventually, I hope. So that’s
pretty much it, after everything that’s happened recently, I feel like
things are more or less settling back into normal again.

Happy February everyone!

Ps: please keep my little niece in your thoughts, the poor little
pumpkin is in hospital at the moment and even though she’s full of
smiles it’s no fun and she has her aunt a bit worried!