Nice buns

This week I started my first job since leaving Marie Claire on June 1 2010, and I must say it was about 1,000 times more fun.  In spite of all the years I've written and edited copy about restaurants and food, I've never worked in a professional kitchen (apart from one hilarious day on breakfast service in Glenys's restaurant kitchen in Wellington) so it was a completely new experience. It was very busy, fast, hot and tiring with the whole shift spent on my feet, but everyone was really friendly and fun and most importantly patient. Poor Walter, the supremo pastry chef, must have been biting his tongue as he repeatedly showed me how to make his amazing meringue pigs. More than once he scraped my attempts off the baking tray and back into the mix to be redone.  My explanation that mine were not pigs but mythical creatures didn't little to change the fact that they were supposed to be pigs, not unicorns. I also got to glaze bakewell tarts, ice cup cakes, make brownies, bake cookies, ice lemon drizzle cakes, finish bread puddings and best of all - put jam in 150 doughnuts. I spent the second day in the shop kitchen making savoury stuff for the lunchtime rush including scotch eggs (it's all in the wrist), a huge pot of spicy lentil soup and sandwich fillings. I was back in the bakery at 6.30am on Saturday helping Walter finish and ice more cakes and biscuits and got to make macaroons. The smell of all the pastries, croissants and brownies coming out of the oven is almost irresistible so I've discovered it's important for me to remain calm and not stuff everything in my mouth at once if I want to avoid turning into Jabba the Hut. We are allowed to help ourselves to anything for lunch, so I was astonishingly sensible and turned my back on some warm Chelsea buns and instead had a bowl of roast vegetable soup. Such restraint. Here's a small display of some of my wares brought home for afternoon tea. See if you can spot the unicorn.

Let's go Starlets, let's go!

Scarlett's cheerleading team, the South East Allstars, performed at the local shopping centre this evening. They were a vision in pink as they balanced and danced about for 2 hours. We were as proud as can be of our little athlete as she cartwheeled across the floor. My genes I suspect.

Buggy and baking

On Monday I had my first shift as volunteer buggy driver at the nearby National Trust property Bodiam Castle.   It was just as hilarious as it sounds and I loved it. Basically I drive my buggy, with my walkie talkie - oh yes - and ferry old, lazy or disabled people up and down the hill between the car park and the visitors' centre. After a lesson of a full 30 seconds, on how to operate the buggy, I was left with the key and a puzzled expression on my face in regards to the application of the handbrake. But with 150 children on their way, Caroline, my boss, had to rush away to dress in full medieval garb before taking the kids on a castle tour.  I had sooooo much fun, doing wheelies, spinning doughnuts in the car park, occasionally stopping to allow people on board, as I zoomed back and forth. Everyone was incredibly friendly and lovely as they were so thrilled  to get a lift. I can't wait until my next shift.  I also found out this week I have finally got a local job. From Thursday I'll be working part-time at the fantastic Judges. This organic bakery and deli is a bit of a Hastings institution, founded by the owners of Green and Blacks. It turns out bread, cakes, cheese, wine, fruit and veg, and I'm going to be helping in the kitchen and bakery icing cupcakes and gingerbread men, making sausages rolls and generally having a brilliant time. As you know, while I love to cook, I do not enjoy baking, so I'm looking forward to the decorating part plus learning more about how to make bread. Huzzah.
http://www.judgesbakery.com/home.php

 This morning I photographed the rare event of Flo and Scarlett hugging each other while watching a movie on the imac. While they do play together  much better than before, it can sometimes be the smallest thing that kicks off a massive fight when moments before they were totally loved up.

 Finally, in other news, Rob continues with his home baking phase and has today baked a batch of chocolate eclairs for the barbecue we went  to this arvo at Cathy and Doms'. I may add, they were delicious.

Here are our adorable girls, dressed and freshly made up in self-applied make up, finally answering the question "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?".

Dead fish

Feel slightly guilty about not naming that fish as it is now lying dead  among the ocean floor-effect gravel, with an ominous chunk missing from its torso. Suicide?  (because he was nameless). I think not - rather  it (for it has no name) has been the victim of a brutal carnivorous attack by another fish. RIP little fishy.

Scones and fish and friends

I had a lot of trouble motivating my family on Saturday. With another day of sun I was keen to get them out the door for a walk or bike rideas I'm all too aware this weather, glorious as it has been for the last several weeks, will not last forever. Just as the wardrobes of Britain rearrange themselves into colour co-ordinated sundresses and kaftans, it will start to rain, the wind will blow and it won't stop until one Wednesday in August before resuming until next April. However, Rob, Scarlett and Flo decided it would be more fun lolling about in bed giggling. I left them to it and headed out with my sister, so we could fully embrace middle age. We were both giddy with excitement at the mention of a garden centre neither of us had yet explored. As we strolled  around the vine section of the centre, aglow with the pleasure of the purchase of fresh produce from the adjacent farm shop, and with a freshly baked sausage roll in hand, we commented that we had now fully morphed into our Mum and Aunty Elieen. It would only be a matter of time before we contemplated a week together in Majorca, sans husbands and children, just as our ancestors had done.

On Sunday we were much more motivated, transferring my newly purchased fish into their new larger home. As well as the teeny, tiny minnows the girls gave me for my birthday we added a big black fish with googly eyes, we have named Moira, a goldfish, called Goldfinger and a zebra and leopard print fish we can't be bothered to name.

Then it was all hands on deck prepping lunch and the garden for lunch with Maggie, Popi and peggy and Christin and Ruby, a barbecue followed by a fresh batch of scones.

Sydney

Two friends recently sent me this. You've may have already seen it , but I thought it was excruciatingly true. As a proud inner westie, I was more than happy about the labels attributed to me and my kind.

Kendall!!

Following the larks of my birthday party, as if the fun never ends, Kendall arrived for 2 nights. He was in Spain on a press trip and managed to slip away to visit us, unfortunately coming the long way by flying to Luton instead of Gatwick. We waved him off this morning and it felt very weird a) having him visit us in England rather than Sydney and b) having him go back to Oz without us.  Although Flo and I were sick and knackered for his whole stay - her a vomiting/ear infection inducing virus with alarming temperature that caused hallucinations ("Mummy, what are those animals doing with Daddy's clothes.? Get them out of our house!") and me with a rotten cold, we had a brilliant time with him and spent yesterday lying in the grass at Bodiam castle having a picnic before a barbecue at home in the evening, followed by a bout of vigorous gymnastics. The weather continues to doa pretty good impersonation of summer, although last night some rain clouds gathered at sunset creating this incredible rainbow. It was huge spreading from the hill behind the house out to sea. 

Happy Birthday to me

The Festival of Kate began in earnest on Friday morning when I was allowed a tray of tea in bed, listening to Radio 4, without interruption. A lovely pile of presents and cards soon arrived via the girls and I was spoiled with a new IPod, marvellous William and Kate tea towels and a book by my homemaker guru Kirstie Allsop. I dropped Scarlett at school while Flo and Rob disappeared off on a covert birthday operation. On my return I was told I wasn't allowed to go in the kitchen and that I would have to wait until Scarlett got home before I could see this extra gift from the girls.  We then drove to Dad's for a really lovely birthday lunch in the garden. It was another sunny warm day and I was throughly treated to bouillabaisse, fillet steak and chocolate fudge cake washed down with Champagne. Back home, after picking up Scarlett from school, my extra present was revealed - 6 goldfish in a tall vase. Unable to name them all we have decided to call them all Kate. A quiet night in front of the telly ensued in preparation for my party on Saturday. Rob was already beavering away in the kitchen, by the time I came down, glazing hams, barbecuing chicken, prepping salads and making batches of scones. I put up the balloons and the bunting, laid the table and prayed that, despite the gathering storm clouds, the drought of the last month wouldn't break during lunch. It did spit a little (don't you love that expresson?) but by the time all the old London gang had assembled on the deck, the sun was shining and the Champagne was flowing. I had such a great birthday made so special by sharing it with so many old friends. Also I hadn't spent a birthday with my Dad and sister in 13 years. I was chuffed to bit with all the amazing presents I received - not least a spa day at the Hilton, a silver bracelet, fantastic tree-shaped cheese board, paper bag tea light holders, a solar-powered, waving Queen, and two stunning silk kimono cushions made by Cass. Rob was the star of the show delivering delicious food and doing all the clearing up too, allowing me to graefully retire to the couch in the evening to watch Britain's Got Talent (which, as it turns out, it doesn't). Brilliant.

Jack in the Green

On May Day bank holiday weekend we celebrated the end of the cooler months and the arrival of summer with the pagan festival called Jack in the Green. The festival is  a huge day in Hastings and thousands descend on the Old Town from all over the country wearing green. We made garlands of ivy and flowers for our hair and dressed in as many green clothes as we could find before joining Maria, Lol and Lara and the kids on the High Street. Brilliantly positioned along the route but also withing reach of a pub - for loos and drinks - we had a prime spot for the lavish parade. The Jack is marched through the town before being ceremoniously slain to release the spirit of summer. He is accompanied on his final journey of the year by giants, hundreds of drummers, morris dancers (definitely a uniquely British pastime) and buxom ladies. Onlookers are daubed on the face with green paint and winter spirits are scared away during a real party atmosphere. We had a ball at the parade, settling with a group of friends off the main drag for roast pork rolls and Champagne, before heading back to Maggie and Popi's for more drinks in the sun. Wonderful.

 

The Royal Wedding

The reason we came back to the UK finally materialized on Friday. It wasn't for family or friends or a  lifestyle change or the seasons. No we moved 12,000 miles to see William and Catherine get married. Ok, so the slight flaw in that argument is we left Sydney in June and they didn't announce their engagement until  November. No matter - we  had a great day at Helen and George's in Surrey, watching the wedding on a number of large plasma screens, sometimes more than one at a time, while eating cucumber sandwiches, egg salad rolls and scones with clotted cream and jam washed down with Champagne. Lots of their friends joined us to watch the show which we all talked, commented (loved Posh and Becks, oh and Kate's dress, hated the hat on Princess Beatrice and the weird little 3-year-old piggy flower girl in human clothes), laughed, as we took turns making out with the royal couple, and got emotional through the service, before an evening barbecue. Shame about that beef fillet though, George. On Saturday, after a big clear up, we drove into London to have a look at the scene of the crime, Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately about 250,000 others had the same idea so instead we did a drive-by of the abbey and Buckingham Palace before hitting the Tesco on Queensway and having a picnic in Kensington Gardens and a stroll around the gardens at Kensington Palace.