Rain games

It was a wet and drizzly Sunday after the "drought" Auckland's been having. I am sorry but I have to say "drought" - three months of sunshine is surely just called summer? 

I think we're in for more wet weekends so it's lucky our school boy is more than happy to play games these days. His little brother  is getting the hang of it too and loves snap although hasn't a clue of course. He demands his own cards, then just yells "Nap, nap" a lot and randomly slaps his hand down.

Of course Uno is a lot more fun when you win and when you rather like winning (and cry when you lose) it's great having a Dad who doesn't mind throwing the game once in a while - even with a dream hand like this...

iPhone, iShould?

I have spoken to three friends this week who have each just bought an iPhone.  I had coffee yesterday at the gym with three women who each pulled out their iPhone. Even my in-laws are thinking of getting one. Like the 14 year old girl desperate for a Canterbury rugby top or two (they were THE thing to wear as a teen in Tasmania) I'm starting to feel the pressure.

How things have changed  - and yes I am wondering if I'm I old enough to be talking like this...

When I went to live in London 12 years ago I'd never had a mobile phone. I got one of course and so did everyone else. From then on we never ever made a firm plan to meet. Just, "I'll call you when I get there".

I remember getting my first text and not knowing what it was. A few years later and still in London we went into one of the many high street mobile phone shops - all looked the same with a crowd of young guys in cheap shiny suits who circled the customers like sharks.

"This new model is what you want," one said to us with glee. "If you and your boyfriend buy one each you can take a photo with the phone and send it... if you're in the same room." Oh, handy. I'll just get the one that makes phone calls, thanks.

The technology's moved on from then but my policy hasn't changed. I very deliberately buy the simplest one - Nokia though because I know how they work.

I am not worthy of a fancy phone. I lose them, drop them and drown them.  (I've learnt that a bucket of rice can dry a phone better than a hairdryer)

Maybe the new Cath Kidston iPhone cover I found here will swing it for me. Love it.
I can't have her in my home (too country and too frou frou) but in my handbag she'd be ok.

I have a sneaking suspicion I'll end up with a fancy phone but only when everyone else has moved on to something better. Mind you if it tidies up and does the dishes, I'll sleep overnight at the Apple store.

Navel gazing...

I have been outing myself... admitting to close friends and even people I don't know at all well that I blog.  When I tell someone I slip it into the conversation and then immediately play it down. "I don't know why I'm doing it really," I'll say. "It's not that great and no one follows me."

Well actually it's not that bad - on some days it's quite good. And I didn't do it for followers although I do get great pleasure from any interest people take - I'm only human!

It certainly makes me question why I blog as if I need to justify it... mostly to myself I think.

The official reason was to get writing and see how it all works on the worldwide web. After years in broadcast media and then a couple more at home while the career died a slow death and my family flourished, I was losing myself. In a new city with no one much to talk to in those first few months I started to explore the net going from blog to blog finding amazing talent. Designers, writers, photographers, artists and a lot of ordinary people with their own little window on the world.  I wanted to have a go.

I've never been really into hobbies.  My hobby was my work which sounds absolutely tragic but I imagine a lot of people spend their twenties and early thirties like that. And in my defence I had an interesting job - different every day and terribly exciting on some. So now no job, no hobby.

I think that's why I am enjoying the blog. It's my hobby. And one that's helped me to feel like the writer I wanted to be before I left law school and fell into a TV career. I've written four magazine articles in the time since I started My Villa Life and should be writing another right now!  That surely makes me a writer... blogging to avoid a deadline. How very 2010.

By the way, the photograph was taken in London's Kew Gardens - my local park when I first swapped the job for motherhood. I seem to have a thing for all things spring this month... must be in denial about the cold weather which seems to have arrived for good.

Still searching

If you put this

And this together.

You get this. A white painted tolix stool. Gorgeous and just the thing for my kitchen. And I can get one here in Auckland from Madder and Rouge (lovely shop - a little like Ici et la if you're a Sydney sider) - although given they're ordered from France I could be waiting a while.

This is Capital Kitchen at Melbourne's Chadstone shopping centre. I found these images here - a rather nice blog to visit.

You may remember that I have been searching for stools.  I think a white tolix stool could be the answer and maybe, just maybe, a bit of inspiration from my other half's favourite city might swing it for him too.

Okay, he loves Melbourne for the sport, his mates and the Collingwood Football Club and definitely not a shopping centre but he should be swayed by this... surely?

Party baking...

We hosted a party for our two year old on Saturday. I made pom poms thanks to Martha Stewart of course.

I have never done anything Martha before and I am not sure she would approve of my rather wonky version but they looked pretty good hanging over the table and I was much much better at it by the fifth one!

I also made lamingtons - partially a nod to the mix of Australian and Kiwi guests but actually mostly because I love them.

I think Australia may have won the argument about who invented the lamington but we once found them in a tiny bakery while on a sailing holiday in Croatia. They were called Cocos and it sparked much lazy discussion on deck about how they'd got there.

They're dead easy to make and they taste fabulous and they look a little bit tricky so it makes you look like a hot home baker.

1. Make two sponge cakes (ie 2 x 20cm square tins) Don't be put off by baking sponge cakes - the bought ones are not great and it's just a lot of beating of eggs and sugar really.
Mine never rise as much as I have seen at country cake shows but as you can see it still gives you a good size lamington.  Let them cool. Cut into squares. Small is good as you get a better icing to cake ratio.

2. The icing - according to Donna Hay in her Simple Essentials series - the Chocolate one of course, given to me in my old life as a chocoholic.

450g icing sugar
90g cocoa powder
250ml boiling water
60ml milk
75g melted butter

Sift in flour and cocoa - add the rest and mix.  It is really runny which made me panic at first but of course it needs to be runny for dipping and dripping.

Dip each square in the icing mix and let the excess drip off - then roll it in a separate bowl of desiccated coconut.   Keep replacing the coconut as it gets lumpy with chocolate.

Put them on a tray lined with baking paper and pop them in the fridge.

That makes about as many as you can see in the photo plus a few more that didn't quite make it to the party!

Breakfast digging

Leave a little boy alone for five minutes with a bowl of soggy weetbix...

Party today. Ten boys aged 6 to 2. Pinata, pass the parcel, sausage rolls, cheezels, lamingtons.... and rain. Wish me luck.

My useful box

The useful box is a very very useful idea. I have had one for a long time in various spots around the house. I bought this battered but much loved builder's chest at a London antique market.

I keep all sorts of things in it, useful things. It has a sliding drawer on the top and the bottom is divided into two halves - perfect for stashing stuff.  Like that drawer in your kitchen but bigger and easier to access.

It holds rolls of wrapping paper, ribbon, scissor, sticky tape, stickers, rubber bands, envelopes and thank you cards.

My sewing kit, which is not terribly big, lives in it - a packet of needles, hemming tape (marvellous stuff for the non-sewer) and cotton. Plus a jar of buttons.

There are also hose attachments, puncture kits, phone chargers, blue tack and a host of stuff which was useful and now isn't - why does Nokia make phones that no longer fit the charger on last year's model?

So as part of the spring clean I sorted it out. Interesting. I discovered that just like my habit of buying cans of tomatoes eight at a time I seem to have over invested in Ikea wrapping ribbon.

I found nine boxes. That's 180 metres of ribbon. 

See? Useful.