currently obsessed with anything he can pull- string, scarves, cords- calix was recently sporting two little bruises just below his eyebrow representing the positive and negative prongs from the vacuum-cleaner's plug. a day later he added another bruise to the collection by diving and rolling down the concrete steps. after watching his best buddy tip himself out of his high-chair in the company of his mama and i (he bumped his head and cut his lip with his teeth) i asked myself: do i take care of my son? do i really take good care?
he's a wee boy. and boys, apparently, are prone to climbing, jumping, banging and anything else they can come up with to test the limits of themselves, their environments and their mamas.
[he's just come into the room, towing a length of speaker cable, tried climbing a set of tin trunks which proved too difficult and so now he's settled on the task of dismantling the printer or making an overseas call using the fax machine...]
we do the best we can. that's all we can do; we try and gently reinforce 'that's not for you' while we explain why not- saving the big 'NO' for when it's really necessary. but that's all we can do.
that and kiss better the lumps, bumps, bruises and grazes.
the world is filled with educational toys: bright colourful (mostly plastic) things that have been designed by experts to help our children become better, more intelligent adults. but calix, given the choice, will take the real hammer, or the pot plant, or press the buttons on the stereo instead of the baby computer. what ever the choice, his is, invariably, the most inappropriate.
as i recall, i think i was the same (still am?).
ok, best i be off as he's just managed to haul a set of plugs out of the 'childproof corner'.
is it too early for wine yet?
xx
mama b
(eyes in the back of her head!)
30.3.09
26.3.09
bottling
i blame the 60s.
while chairman mao was busy revolutionising culture, women worldwide were liberating themselves- burning bras (so the story goes) left and right. once emancipated from their womanly rolls of cooking and cleaning and catering to their families they were free to join workforces and earn money as freely as their fellow men. mao, seeing the rise in potential capital from the two salary families took advantage of our newfound equality to turn us from creators into consumers.
thus ends the very short 'modern history of everything' lesson from me.
actually, it is relevant.
i've just last night finished my second lesson in a two part series of bottling and preserving classes. the lessons were run by a man. an englishman with a welsh name. the class was filled with middle aged ladies (who, amongst other things, quite probably were regretting buring their bras). the teacher, rhys, also ran classes on sustainability and although this subject would logically be a part of those lessons it was not.
so my grey haired team and i chopped and measured. we poured and boiled, sterilised and gossipped and, whilst supervised, were taught how to preserve food grown in our gardens (or those of our neighbours) to give to our families in the colder months.
me, capitalising on the generosity of my neighbour and her heavily laden peach tree, and my love of pickles, i created some (spicy) peach chutney.
so what did i really learn? of course, i learnt the importance of sterilising my bottles. i learnt how to avoid buring myself while doing this. i learnt the names and faces of a few people who live within my city (but not within my community); we also exchanged recipes (but not phone numbers). however, within my community, i have made the classic gardener's exchange- an excess in peaches for a jar of chutney.
these lessons that in the 50s would have been given to us by our mothers, in the home. in our eagerness to be equal we forgot something. we were busy learning new skills previously only known to men.
since calix was born i've traipsed all over the city searching the information and the skills to use within the new home i was creating, how to sew, how to knit, how to bottle and preserve. hopefully he'll be interested and i'll be able to teach him, at home. in the spirit of new feminism i'll teach my son how to be a home-maker.
xx
mama b
while chairman mao was busy revolutionising culture, women worldwide were liberating themselves- burning bras (so the story goes) left and right. once emancipated from their womanly rolls of cooking and cleaning and catering to their families they were free to join workforces and earn money as freely as their fellow men. mao, seeing the rise in potential capital from the two salary families took advantage of our newfound equality to turn us from creators into consumers.
thus ends the very short 'modern history of everything' lesson from me.
actually, it is relevant.
i've just last night finished my second lesson in a two part series of bottling and preserving classes. the lessons were run by a man. an englishman with a welsh name. the class was filled with middle aged ladies (who, amongst other things, quite probably were regretting buring their bras). the teacher, rhys, also ran classes on sustainability and although this subject would logically be a part of those lessons it was not.
so my grey haired team and i chopped and measured. we poured and boiled, sterilised and gossipped and, whilst supervised, were taught how to preserve food grown in our gardens (or those of our neighbours) to give to our families in the colder months.
me, capitalising on the generosity of my neighbour and her heavily laden peach tree, and my love of pickles, i created some (spicy) peach chutney.
so what did i really learn? of course, i learnt the importance of sterilising my bottles. i learnt how to avoid buring myself while doing this. i learnt the names and faces of a few people who live within my city (but not within my community); we also exchanged recipes (but not phone numbers). however, within my community, i have made the classic gardener's exchange- an excess in peaches for a jar of chutney.
these lessons that in the 50s would have been given to us by our mothers, in the home. in our eagerness to be equal we forgot something. we were busy learning new skills previously only known to men.
since calix was born i've traipsed all over the city searching the information and the skills to use within the new home i was creating, how to sew, how to knit, how to bottle and preserve. hopefully he'll be interested and i'll be able to teach him, at home. in the spirit of new feminism i'll teach my son how to be a home-maker.
xx
mama b
24.3.09
the man and his machine
hats off and raise your glass to the man who worked v hard in restoring the heart rimu floor to its former glory. with a machine that created a violent storm of dust and noise he walked up and down, up and down, patiently peeling back the layers to reveal the beautiful timber beneath.
and the months of work, of dreaming, of demolition, of sweat, blisters and tears came to this: the creation of a new heart for our home.
tis v difficult to photograph, to capture the colours correctly, to reveal the smell and the warmth... the colour (of the walls shown) is called summer green- a crisp, refreshing bluegreen. the facing wall is aubergine. deep, dramatic, purple (that in some lights is chocolate).
anyway, you're just going to have to come and see for yourself!
xx
mama b
they call it an indian summer; when the sun loiters, its heat lingering, you'd be forgiven for in fact believing it was still summer. until you spot a deciduous tree looking all forlorn. and then you noticed that the sun was buggering off early. the mornings are crisp (but mostly i'm still in bed so this is only a rumour) but once the sun clears the roof tops it's balmy, beach going weather. but better. cos the light is subdued- not the burn you to a crisp intensity of midsummer, but a somewhat gentler, more refined light. filtered.
but we're still so busy!
i said i'd be in the garden by autumn. well, i went out and mowed the cursed lawn, again, today. but that's not what i mean by being in the garden. i dug a hole the day before and that just depressed me.
when we moved in i noticed a bunch of yellow buttercups, ranunculus repens, growing in a patch down the bottom of the garden. and it was, down the bottom. it made sense that they would be there. because these golden treasures like moisture, they tend to hang about where it's wet. my neighbour said- when it's high tide in the winter your garden gets a bit inundated... so i thought, i'll dig me a hole and make a soakaway pit. by alleviating compaction you can sometimes do away with problem wet areas: dig yourself a hole (actually, not just talking about potentially offensive topics, for a change!) usually to at least 1.5m (taking care to support the sides once you get beyond 1.2m) and then put some rocks, rubble and other bits in there. these larger bits tend to create greater spaces between particles and therefore allow water to drain away more freely...
unless you live between a river and the deep blue sea.
i dug 60cm down and got water. i dug another 20 cm and the hole began to fill up to my ankles. i've taken to visiting my hole at various times of the day to see what happens. like at high tide, for example. or low tide.
not a lot.
so, i can still fill my hole up with various rocks and other bits of debris. but really, i need to just come to terms with my watery garden. plant more trees (they'll drink the water & thus lessen the soil's need to percolate so much water). redirect water that may potentially drain there (like capturing the water off the roof before it runs to the bottom of the garden). or make a water feature.
but with a stunt baby who has discovered he is a fish, making a water feature at the bottom of my garden is just plain asking for trouble.
on the rest of the diy front, we've had a bit of a rest. more like resting on laurels. other than hole digging (and mowing lawns and cleaning up after chickens and baking and washing and being a mama) i haven't really done a lot these last coupla days. and i feel awfully naughty.
cos we've still got so much to do!
putting some photos on is one of them!
(usual story)
xx
mama b
but we're still so busy!
i said i'd be in the garden by autumn. well, i went out and mowed the cursed lawn, again, today. but that's not what i mean by being in the garden. i dug a hole the day before and that just depressed me.
when we moved in i noticed a bunch of yellow buttercups, ranunculus repens, growing in a patch down the bottom of the garden. and it was, down the bottom. it made sense that they would be there. because these golden treasures like moisture, they tend to hang about where it's wet. my neighbour said- when it's high tide in the winter your garden gets a bit inundated... so i thought, i'll dig me a hole and make a soakaway pit. by alleviating compaction you can sometimes do away with problem wet areas: dig yourself a hole (actually, not just talking about potentially offensive topics, for a change!) usually to at least 1.5m (taking care to support the sides once you get beyond 1.2m) and then put some rocks, rubble and other bits in there. these larger bits tend to create greater spaces between particles and therefore allow water to drain away more freely...
unless you live between a river and the deep blue sea.
i dug 60cm down and got water. i dug another 20 cm and the hole began to fill up to my ankles. i've taken to visiting my hole at various times of the day to see what happens. like at high tide, for example. or low tide.
not a lot.
so, i can still fill my hole up with various rocks and other bits of debris. but really, i need to just come to terms with my watery garden. plant more trees (they'll drink the water & thus lessen the soil's need to percolate so much water). redirect water that may potentially drain there (like capturing the water off the roof before it runs to the bottom of the garden). or make a water feature.
but with a stunt baby who has discovered he is a fish, making a water feature at the bottom of my garden is just plain asking for trouble.
on the rest of the diy front, we've had a bit of a rest. more like resting on laurels. other than hole digging (and mowing lawns and cleaning up after chickens and baking and washing and being a mama) i haven't really done a lot these last coupla days. and i feel awfully naughty.
cos we've still got so much to do!
putting some photos on is one of them!
(usual story)
xx
mama b
20.3.09
run out
we're within $150 of the budget's end.
you know what this means?
well, i'm not sure either. other than the end maybe isn't so nigh. the important things have been done; kitchen in, insulation & heating done. it just means that we've got to narrow down on the pretty. and the funds for landscaping, well we'll have to search the freecycle pages for our bricks and continue hunting in the hedgerows for our plants. which is ok. cos we were fancying a garden that evolved naturally. but for the finishing details- the 'pretty'- i guess we'll have to wait a bit for them.
but that's not too bad- good things come to those who wait!
i know, i know. i promise to put photos on- next time i'll do a special.
xx
mama b
you know what this means?
well, i'm not sure either. other than the end maybe isn't so nigh. the important things have been done; kitchen in, insulation & heating done. it just means that we've got to narrow down on the pretty. and the funds for landscaping, well we'll have to search the freecycle pages for our bricks and continue hunting in the hedgerows for our plants. which is ok. cos we were fancying a garden that evolved naturally. but for the finishing details- the 'pretty'- i guess we'll have to wait a bit for them.
but that's not too bad- good things come to those who wait!
i know, i know. i promise to put photos on- next time i'll do a special.
xx
mama b
last of the summer & wine
well, when we begun we said 'we better have it finished before the end of summer.'
today, this night, being the eve of the summer's end, we ate our first meal prepared from our new kitchen; in the garden.
my kitchen 'triangle' (you know the one- the one that all designers refer to- ergonomics and all that) previously consisted of: a (former) laundry door performing as a kitchen bench in the lounge, the fridge in the office and the sink in the laundry (which is in the bathroom)...
this evening, even though i still had to march small roman miles in search of the ingredients, housed in other parts of our home, my seamless kitchen gave me everything i needed without the need to run a sub4 minute mile.
we ate sweet roasted veges in the garden
and tomorrow, while papa works, we're going to celebrate the end of summer within the community at the family fishing day- where me and c will practice our first day fishing on old rods- that of my grandad's, calix' great-grandad.
xx
mama b
(gone fishin')
today, this night, being the eve of the summer's end, we ate our first meal prepared from our new kitchen; in the garden.
my kitchen 'triangle' (you know the one- the one that all designers refer to- ergonomics and all that) previously consisted of: a (former) laundry door performing as a kitchen bench in the lounge, the fridge in the office and the sink in the laundry (which is in the bathroom)...
this evening, even though i still had to march small roman miles in search of the ingredients, housed in other parts of our home, my seamless kitchen gave me everything i needed without the need to run a sub4 minute mile.
we ate sweet roasted veges in the garden
and tomorrow, while papa works, we're going to celebrate the end of summer within the community at the family fishing day- where me and c will practice our first day fishing on old rods- that of my grandad's, calix' great-grandad.
xx
mama b
(gone fishin')
milk!
calix has taken to the bottle like a duck to water. which is nice, cos i was really rather caught up about it. of course, like any breastfeeding mother, i spent a lot of my time wondering whether or not he was getting enough. but with every weigh-in with the local child-health nurse i was reassured that he was following his growth curve and therefore 'getting enough'.
no formula for this baby.
but now, firmly on 2 feet, he is no longer a baby. he is a toddler. and he no longer needs breast milk- he loves his breakfast/lunch/dinner and the boob was just a comfort. to us both.
on his first birthday he was introduced, via a bottle, to cow's milk. it wasn't terribly successful. but with a little perserverance, from both papa and mama, he learned to love the bottle and the grown-up independance that came along with it.
now that he is fully 'weened' he is more than happy to have a bottle of milk alongside me while i have my coffee.
me, i've been gently trying to catch up on caffeine (etc) that i've missed out on on the last year and a half... don't get me wrong, i've not gone without. it's just i've done everything in moderation.
now, somewhat the naughty mama, my days are filled with umpteen cups of coffee and almost as many glasses of wine.
v naughty. indeed.
xx
mama b
(not even wobbly)
no formula for this baby.
but now, firmly on 2 feet, he is no longer a baby. he is a toddler. and he no longer needs breast milk- he loves his breakfast/lunch/dinner and the boob was just a comfort. to us both.
on his first birthday he was introduced, via a bottle, to cow's milk. it wasn't terribly successful. but with a little perserverance, from both papa and mama, he learned to love the bottle and the grown-up independance that came along with it.
now that he is fully 'weened' he is more than happy to have a bottle of milk alongside me while i have my coffee.
me, i've been gently trying to catch up on caffeine (etc) that i've missed out on on the last year and a half... don't get me wrong, i've not gone without. it's just i've done everything in moderation.
now, somewhat the naughty mama, my days are filled with umpteen cups of coffee and almost as many glasses of wine.
v naughty. indeed.
xx
mama b
(not even wobbly)
15.3.09
COLOUR ME
we have so much work to do. the new kitchen arrives thursday and before the kitchen arrives we have to have the polish on the floor down for (the tin says 72 hours) at least a day for it to dry and harden. before that we must of course sand and prepare the floor- it's what p is doing just now- the slow rhythmic bang of him poking nails down into the timber fills the neighbourhood. but before we can sand the floor we must finish the painting (i don't want paint being dripped over our new shiny floor).
and that's where we mention colour
oh colour.
i am so happy to see you, colour.
it's like a little reward, the bounty for all the hard work we've put in. colour.
but being as i have yet to do the second wall coat; sand, prime and paint the window frames; sand and polish the floors before , well, tomorrow night, i haven't got time to put any photos on.
all will be revealed in a coupla days!
best i be off!
xx
mama b
and that's where we mention colour
oh colour.
i am so happy to see you, colour.
it's like a little reward, the bounty for all the hard work we've put in. colour.
but being as i have yet to do the second wall coat; sand, prime and paint the window frames; sand and polish the floors before , well, tomorrow night, i haven't got time to put any photos on.
all will be revealed in a coupla days!
best i be off!
xx
mama b
12.3.09
shades of orange
today is definately autumn.
quite frankly i think i've been in denial for a couple of weeks now. - i'm not letting go of my summer. i'm sorry northern hemisphere folk- i just don't know how we're going to work this either.
but the nights are drawing in & often, when calix wakes at 6 am in the morning i try to erge him back to sleep believing it's still the middle of the night.
yesterday's wind blew the leaves from a neighbouring tree, dressed in autumn.
but i've still got so much to do!
i was planning on having the renovations finished by summer's end so i could then put my efforts into the garden.
the kitchen's coming next week. we're frantically sanding and painting and lifting and relaying floors and a zillion other things we need to do before our shiny new cuisine rocks up. today i've ordered knobs and sourced quotes for splashbacks. there are so many details to consider!
but meanwhile, autumn is lurking. i haven't yet seen its vibrant firey hues-yet- so there's life for the summer-girl yet, and beach visits, and chances to finish the inside before we step out... but each day a day closer to equinox, a day closer to the tip on the axis....
and beyond the deep philosophical questions that surround the summer's end what i really want to know is how do i tell when my corn is ready?
xx
mama b
quite frankly i think i've been in denial for a couple of weeks now. - i'm not letting go of my summer. i'm sorry northern hemisphere folk- i just don't know how we're going to work this either.
but the nights are drawing in & often, when calix wakes at 6 am in the morning i try to erge him back to sleep believing it's still the middle of the night.
yesterday's wind blew the leaves from a neighbouring tree, dressed in autumn.
but i've still got so much to do!
i was planning on having the renovations finished by summer's end so i could then put my efforts into the garden.
the kitchen's coming next week. we're frantically sanding and painting and lifting and relaying floors and a zillion other things we need to do before our shiny new cuisine rocks up. today i've ordered knobs and sourced quotes for splashbacks. there are so many details to consider!
but meanwhile, autumn is lurking. i haven't yet seen its vibrant firey hues-yet- so there's life for the summer-girl yet, and beach visits, and chances to finish the inside before we step out... but each day a day closer to equinox, a day closer to the tip on the axis....
and beyond the deep philosophical questions that surround the summer's end what i really want to know is how do i tell when my corn is ready?
xx
mama b
6.3.09
shades of green
i've been researching quinoa.
"Quinoa was so vital a food for the Incas that it was referred to as chisiiya mama or "mother grain" in the Quechua language. The grain was so sacred that each season the first seed was planted by the Inca king using a golden spade. Today, quinoa is still a staple crop grown by farmers throughout the highlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. For the people of this region, quinoa is an important source of protein–a protein of such high quality from a nutritional standpoint, that it often takes the place of meat in their diets." (source http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_38/quinoa.asp )
i've been pouring over internet pages on all things green. on how to save energy in the home, how to grow quinoa, how to make bio-diesel...
so far we're walking the good path- we've replaced a north-facing wall with a set of windows allowing for passive solar heating; we've insulated the walls, the ceiling and under the floors; we've installed instant gas hot water with flow reducer on the shower & with the idea of building a solar hot water system later on (we've saved the ancient hot water cylinder); we've saved nearly every piece of timber from within the house for use later as a bookshelf, as a table, as flooring (and in fact nearly every piece of building material has a secondary use: the old shower tray can be a solar oven, the old bath can be the new outdoor bath, the old kitchen cupboards are now the new shed and garage cupboards); we're designing and installing a water saving system (we could secretly do a water re-use system too); we've built a compost system that takes what the chickens won't; and we've designed a permaculture garden that references ancient french gardens and local maori mythology as a fusion of the essences of our times.
the point of quinoa was ot try and find a nutritious grain with a high yield that would be suitable to replace our front lawn with. apparently, here in aotearoa it is possible to get 2 crops in a season, with 7kg/9m2.
hmm, that's a lot!
so, plans (there's always a plan!) include sometime next winter diggin up the front lawn (who needs a lawn mower) to prepare the space for out super incan garden. watch this space!
xx
mama b
"Quinoa was so vital a food for the Incas that it was referred to as chisiiya mama or "mother grain" in the Quechua language. The grain was so sacred that each season the first seed was planted by the Inca king using a golden spade. Today, quinoa is still a staple crop grown by farmers throughout the highlands of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. For the people of this region, quinoa is an important source of protein–a protein of such high quality from a nutritional standpoint, that it often takes the place of meat in their diets." (source http://www.seedsofchange.com/enewsletter/issue_38/quinoa.asp )
i've been pouring over internet pages on all things green. on how to save energy in the home, how to grow quinoa, how to make bio-diesel...
so far we're walking the good path- we've replaced a north-facing wall with a set of windows allowing for passive solar heating; we've insulated the walls, the ceiling and under the floors; we've installed instant gas hot water with flow reducer on the shower & with the idea of building a solar hot water system later on (we've saved the ancient hot water cylinder); we've saved nearly every piece of timber from within the house for use later as a bookshelf, as a table, as flooring (and in fact nearly every piece of building material has a secondary use: the old shower tray can be a solar oven, the old bath can be the new outdoor bath, the old kitchen cupboards are now the new shed and garage cupboards); we're designing and installing a water saving system (we could secretly do a water re-use system too); we've built a compost system that takes what the chickens won't; and we've designed a permaculture garden that references ancient french gardens and local maori mythology as a fusion of the essences of our times.
the point of quinoa was ot try and find a nutritious grain with a high yield that would be suitable to replace our front lawn with. apparently, here in aotearoa it is possible to get 2 crops in a season, with 7kg/9m2.
hmm, that's a lot!
so, plans (there's always a plan!) include sometime next winter diggin up the front lawn (who needs a lawn mower) to prepare the space for out super incan garden. watch this space!
xx
mama b
5.3.09
il y a un an
the time passes by swiftly, summer fading to autumn, slipping to winter, jumping to spring and back again to summer. and thus the master c has experienced his full turn of the seasons ...
and his first birthday.
the night before the big day we left his pressies out in the lounge for him to 'discover' naturally. however, the wee chef preferred to play with the old favourites- forks, chopsticks, anything out of the cupboards... ignoring the toys designed by experts who understand our children.and his first birthday.
things he's mastered this week include: how clothes pegs work (we quite often use them to keep bags of flour and sugar shut); how to get the lid off pens (and draw all over his face); how to climb up on the couch, the stereo and the underneath of the table- in true mountaineering style; and finally, rightfoot, leftfoot: our wee man has taken his first steps (in the right direction). like an extra in a zombie film calix, the future orchestra-conductorchefprofessional climberartistsocialistsocialiteloverfriendhigh-speed- stunt- baby, put his right foot forward first. which in the world of snowboarding means he's goofy... just like his ma and pa.
xxx
mama b (proud as)
[previous reports of him putting his left foot forward first were wrong- it was my left...]
1.3.09
do you remember?
well, imagine no longer.
ladies and gentlemen
(drum roll) (open champagne/beer/sparkly stuff to toast the builder)
the wall is gone.
the curtain: gone
the loo- recycled.
the end wall cut out (not using the force)
and using a team of medium strength people the french door was lifted into place.
may i present to you:
zee french doors.
north facing winter sun worshipping lovely french doors!!!!
progress, you betcha!
xxx
(muscular) mama b
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