Sixty Six

A lot of Kid 1's school friends are Jewish and they're all turning 13 over the next year. Today we got our first Bar Mitzvah invitation.

Kid 1 wishes to wear a yarmulke to the synagogue. He is also strangely excited about getting his first suit. I think he half wishes he could have a bar mitzvah also ...

I realise that the main criterion for Kid 2 and myself, being female, is modesty. So I won't be doing my Amy Winehouse interpretation. In fact, it might be an excellent excuse to buy a (modest) new dress and shoes.

Saturday Night Fever

It's been a long weekend here, and one in which I seem to have been cooking and/or eating almost non-stop, but nothing I cooked stands out enough to mention (although I did cook my first chocolate souffle). And I successfully made yoghurt (something that I've always failed at in the past) and I have a sourdough starter fermenting happily away ... you see, if I didn't live in the inner city and work as a corporate copywriter, I'd be a PERFECT farmer's wife. Hmm. Shame I married a journalist.

And speaking of food, as I generally am, we are planning a few days in Melbourne during the kids' school holidays, so I have to find places to eat. I'm rather excited about it, as there is an amazing exhibition on at the National Gallery of Victoria, plus Melbourne is the fashion capital of Australia (Sydney is a) too hot; b) too casual; c) too, um, flashy); AND there is fabulous food down there too. We're planning to fly down, then drive back via my family in country New South Wales. A modest and rather parochial little holiday, but it will be fun to hang out with the kids, and we've always enjoyed the driving - you end up talking about things that simply never get a look-in during the usual domestic chaos.

CHiPS

To me, this story says so much about what is wrong with people's attitudes to food ...

The Piano Teacher

Kid 1 hates learning music, although it's a big deal at his school. He has opted for percussion - drumkit and Latin - which suits his need to be constantly fiddling, jiggling and making repetitive noises that annoy me. He's not what you'd call musical, although his sense of rhythm is good. He can't sing.

Kid 2, on the other hand, LOVES music. When she was fresh home from hospital, all 2kg of her, she used to lie in her cot and shout at her musical mobile. At first I thought it upset her, then I realised that she was happy - so they were either noises of delight, or attempts to sing! She hasn't changed much since then, always singing, humming, listening to music, etc.

And finally, many years too late, I have organised proper piano lessons for her. She has an electronic keyboard, but I'm hoping get a little upright piano for the library ... We begin next Monday. Now, to the 'have you done your homework?' nagging, I can add 'time for your piano practice, young lady'.

Saturday Night Fever

The other day, apropos of not very much at all, Spouse said 'I think we should buy more art'. I agreed wholeheartedly, but had to point out that, what with mortgages, school fees, braces, too many pets and a trip to NYC in November, it was probably low-ish on the list of financial priorities.

But obviously art got stuck in my brain. Yesterday I went to a couple of exhibitions with a friend of mine - at the second, instead of buying any of the paintings (done by a friend), I just HAD TO buy this small steel sculpture.


And on Friday I pre-ordered a book of Cressida Campbell's woodblock paintings (because I couldn't possbily afford to buy the real thing ... ever). I don't speak 'art', so all I can say is that I utterly love her work.


[Image from www.cressidacampbell.com]

And I found this painting from a South Australian artist whose still life work I really like ... it's not my favourite of her quince paintings, but it's on the market.


Anyway, back to regular programming. Because I was going to an opening at 5pm, I had to get dinner done largely in advance; because my vegetarian SIL was coming, I had to cook vegetarian. So I cheated and cooked things I know are foolproof - fresh tomato soup and a Persian vegetable omelette with walnuts (served with yoghurt). For dessert I did cook something I hadn't cooked before, which was pecan pie. As I made the soup during the day, pre-baked my pie crust and kept the main simple, it was easy to get back from the show at six thirty and have dinner on the table at seven thirty ...

An Education

Yesterday, Kid 1 and I had harsh words about his education. Well, I had harsh words AT Kid 1 regarding his perceived lack of effort at school.

Later, I apologised for my delivery; not for my opinion, which I maintain, but the way I expressed it. Kid 1 said, equably, 'That's OK. It's like Scout [the dog]'. I must have looked mystified. 'Sometimes', explained Kid 1, 'you really have to shout at him for him to understand that what he is doing is wrong.'

I didn't mean to treat him like the dog.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

A couple of weeks ago I posted a few comments on a book I'd read and been disappointed by. Interestingly enough, VERY soon after I'd posted it, I received a comment that: a) misunderstood/misread what I'd written; b) told me I had read the book incorrectly; c) was from someone who claimed to 'usually like your reviews' although I don't actually make a habit of reviewing books; and d) had a name but no identity (ie was not a blogger).

I declined to publish the comment, but it did occur to me that there might be media monitoring at work - thus the prompt (and inaccurate) response to my mild criticism.

I had largely forgotten about it, then I read this article in The Guardian. Interestingly enough, the pseudo-philosopher's aversion to any criticism is mentioned more than once in the comments. And as for his attitude to food, well, I wouldn't be inviting him to dinner at my place any time soon ...