The Baynhams

I love this card that arrived in from a friend from Ireland! It was a "no reason" card which is the best kind to get! 

Everyone who grew up in Ireland learned this phrase in school. 

Can you guess what it means?!

Murphy was hanging around my feet today as I did some spring cleaning. I sorted through a few drawers and came across a Valentines card from a few years ago. It was very glittery. I didn't notice it fall to the ground but Murphy did. He was very quiet for the next while and when I turned to look for him he had eaten chunks from each corner and had a fine sprinkling of glitter all over his face and dog bed. 

Later in the afternoon we went for a walk and he stopped by a tree to do his business. As I bent down with plastic bag in hand ready to scoop away the poop I was in for a surprise. It also was sparkly and glittery! You don't hear puppy bragging like that every day... My puppy is so cute he even poops glitter!!!

A big slab of "Kerry Apple Tart" 

I don't know if this cake is known by other names but this is what I grew up calling it in Dublin. It is a simple madeira cake with lots of pieces of tart green apples mixed in and a liberal sprinkling of sugar on top. It is poured into a simple oven tray and cooked until it is firm to the touch. 

This was a great addition to our picnic bag today as we spent the afternoon with a few families at the local park playing until the sun was low in the sky. Making the most of the beautiful warm weather before some very bad storms that are on their way to us tomorrow. 

We heard a big bang one afternoon and found a large bird stunned on the path around our house. After a couple of minutes he recovered and flew away. When we looked at the footage of our security camera we were able to see what happened. 

This bird is a Channel Billed Cuckoo. It is the largest cuckoo in the world and weighs up to a kilo and measures over half a meter from beak to tail. It is a bird that is disliked and chased by birds because the male distracts local birds from their nest and encourages them to swoop on him (as this bird was doing) and in the meantime his female partner throws out the current eggs in the nest and quickly lays her own in their place. 

This cuckoo wasn't planning his escape route very well when he swooped and hit our bedroom window!

A nice bit of shade after a big walk!

Holidays are over. The final school term of the year begins today. In the interest of being "real" let me share with you what I found when I got home from the school run!

A date day with my lovely Mr B! A big walk followed by coffee then lunch. It's good to have a little bit of  "us time" every now and again.

I love seeing my kids be creative. 

Why buy a necklace to match your new dress when you can make one out of polished crystals and thread. 

Add a bit of bling and hey presto. 

Ready to wear!

Rhiannon has been working on some creative craft ideas today. Do you remember when I saw these origami cranes in John Hunter Hospital a few months ago? When we saw these tiny glass bottles in a craft shop yesterday we were inspired to try to make our own versions of them!

Sian thinks Murphy and I are looking more and more alike...

I've no idea what gives her that idea...?!

Back-burning is common in Australia in the lead up to the summer. Firefighters burn areas of bush to clear the dead leaves and scrub so that unplanned fires later in the summer do not sweep out of control because they run out of fuel when they hit a strip of previously burned forest. 

Even though the fires are lit in controlled conditions and are essential it still gave me goosebumps driving through the smoke between work and home today. Seeing multiple fire trucks and dozens of fire-men along the bush near our home made me aware of what a major fire could mean to us as a family if it happened unexpectedly. 

I am grateful for the work being done this week that will protect us over the coming hotter weeks. 

The more I read about healthy lifestyles the more I hear the expression "emotional eater" 

Am I an emotional eater? Today tested that theory. 

I came away from work in a pretty low mood. There were some tears in the car which I wiped away quickly before pulling up the driveway. It's school holidays so the kids were home and a cup of tea was ready for me in the kitchen. 

Today is one of my 5:2 fast days. I was hungry and craving cookies. Had it been a non fast day I'm sure I'd have dived into the fridge or pantry. I had a friend calling in for a cuppa and a chat so I decided to bake. 

Sugar, butter, eggs, flour, coconut. I weighed and measured, sieved and mixed. The messier the kitchen got the calmer I felt. The smell of the cookie dough, the feel of it as I rolled it into balls in my hands. The texture of it as I pressed the balls into disks on to the cookie trays. The smell as they cooked and turned golden brown in the oven. The warmth as I slid each cookie off the tray with a spatula. The satisfaction as I watched my friend and the kids pick them up warm from the cooling rack and tuck in. 

I didn't eat any. Not a crumb. I didn't have to. I felt calm and happy. Yes, I think I know what I am now...  

Not necessarily an emotional eater but definitely an emotional cook!

I made a dinner last night that we hadn't had in a while. Thai chicken basil stir fry. 

Chicken breast, onion, coconut milk, fish sauce, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, chillies, garlic, courgette, mange tout, broccoli.  All stir fried together and served with steamed rice. 

It was good. But somehow not quite as good as I remember it being before. 

It took me until I was halfway through the meal before I realised what was missing...