Saturday 28 February 2015

Manhattan, KS, in the snow...

Or at least the parts we see regularly... 

Last Monday we woke up to snow. That Tuesday we woke up to even more snow and then in the afternoon there was the most amazing snow drifting and swirling and dancing around. You can tell I'm from a part of the world where it doesn't snow, right?

Well, after a few failed attempts to get out and take photos of the snow covered landscape, Jimmy and I did it! On Wednesday we had a lunch date to keep, a DVD from the library to return, so with the promise of going on a noisy bus I convinced Jimmy that all the fuss was going to be worth it.

This post is fairly photo heavy, so you'll need to press the "read more" link after another photo or two...
With Jimmy all rugged up and in the Manduca ("du-a" as Jimmy says), we were off and taking photos of the snow covered landscape!

Friday 27 February 2015

"No News Week"


I'm taking the "No News Week" challenge, put forward by Womankind, a fairly new womens magazine published in Australia.

As we don't have a TV or buy newspapers this challenge would seems fairly simple, except that most of the news I read pops up on Facebook, thanks to ABC, SBS, and other news broadcasters having pages to like, oh and friends who share news items... This means that I have to limit my Facebook time, zoom past news posts, not read anything on a newspapers website, and not check the weather forecast. Yes, the weather forecast counts as news...

It started Thursday. Today. It felt a little like coffee withdrawal...

At least Jimmy was equally cranky with me as I was with him, so we are even - even if his case of the crankies came from testing boundaries, wanting independence, and a little bit of cabin fever... Be gone cold weather!

Thursday 26 February 2015

A tale of three trees... Part 2


When we first arrived in Manhattan, KS, this tree was covered in red seed pods, the sort that look like blades of a fan. It was quite a sight - like the crab apple. And then it turned green...


And before the grass gave any hint that winter was coming, this tree started going red again...


There are two interesting things about this tree: 1) it is one of four trees of this species, all planted in a row; 2) the leaves on the south face of all these trees stayed green the longest.


The leaves were so pretty as they changed from green to red-brown...


Jimmy and I had had fun collecting leaves. I even pressed some and then used a US equivalent of blutac to stick them to the walls, along with other leaves from other trees, mostly pressed, and in varying states of green and brown.


The north wind helped remove the leaves on the north side of the tree...




I know that this isn't a photo of the main tree in this post, but this is what we see: bare trees, with the oaks hanging on the the last of their leaves, and the pines and cedars living up to their status as evergreens.

Wednesday 25 February 2015

The Currawongs Playground turns one!

We're one today! It's been a whole year since I posted this. Can you believe it? It's a little crazy.

It's also a little scary because it means that we are moving closer and closer to our departure date, unless Michael is offered another year here... I am looking forward to going home, it is just a little nerve-wracking to have no work lined up, and a little mouth with a big belly... Anyway...


The whole reason I started this blog was so that I could share our adventures (and misadventures) with family and friends back home, plus have a nice record of Jimmy's first year(s). I know I haven't shared absolutely every (this blogging thing takes time and energy), there is one story that needs to be here, but it just hasn't made it: Jimmy's birth story.


I've been thinking about sharing it for some time, but didn't manage to during the week of his birthday - I think I ran out of energy. Not long after he was born I wrote 2-3 versions of Jimmy's birth. Writing it was very theraputic at the time, sharing it was even more so, and hearing other birth stories also helped put things in perspective. I now have over 18 months of perspective and look back at those heady, hormonal days fondly, although I'll be the first to admit that birth hormones play tricks on birthing mothers minds...


Please be aware that I might get into some medical detail that will either a) gross you out or b) make you cranky because I've related some medical thingy wrong. If it's the latter, I should point out that I'm an ecologist, not a doctor, and this was my experience, my perception (with some details filled in by Michael and our midwife), and things might be different in your part of the world.

Oh and there may be a picture or two with blood in it - this is a birth story! And if you want a bit of a spoiler, check out this photo...

This is the birth story of Jimmy-bubba. 


Tuesday 24 February 2015

Washing the dishes...


We ran out of soap for the dishwasher on Saturday night... There may have been an attempt at using regular dishwashing liquid, with mixed results, on Sunday night - it's not something I recommend...

So, in a bid to reduce the amount of washing up to do after dinner, I washed the breakfast and lunch dishes, along with anything that wasn't clean after going through the dishwasher. I was hesitant to do it because the last time I did any serious dishwashing, Jimmy asked for a hug about 2 minutes in and by the time I got back to the dishes the water was cold.

Granted it's been 8 months since then, and Jimmy has become more independent. This meant that while I washed the dishes, Jimmy mucked around in the kitchen, and was happy to just hang out. The whole thing was relaxing: happy boy, warm water, clean dishes...

It was soothing, almost meditative. Possibly because of the novelty of the whole thing, but it was calming.

You see, we're not the happiest bunch at the moment. We're in a state of limbo... Michael's contract finishes soon, but there is a possibility that it will be extended. We just don't know how long that extension will be. But staying here for another year is better than going back to Australia and being unemployed. Only there are basically no jobs for requiring the skills Michael and I have.

It's depressing.

Other than applying for lots of jobs there is little we can do. Just wait it out and hope that something good comes up. Ideally in Australia. A few weeks after we return. Fingers crossed.

In the meantime, there is chocolate.


This particular "bar" of chocolate suffered during its adventures to our place, all the way from Australia, in the Christmas package from Grandma. There was little that could be done other than turning it into a chocolate cake.


There is also talking to loved ones back in Australia. Poor Jimmy is so used to Facetime and Skype that he doesn't really know what to do with a phone and a voice. Daddy did a good job trying to get Jimmy to chat to Grandma, but the poor tired possum dug his heels in and wouldn't talk. One day he'll work it out...


Chocolate cake... Using milk chocolate, with a little cocoa, instead of dark chocolate, and icing sugar instead of caster sugar, I turned the previously mentioned chocolate into a lovely cake - thanks for the chocolate Grandma!


Yes, there is chocolate cake in the house. Ok, there is about 3/4 of a chocolate cake, and it's 10:45 pm...


And when there is no chocolate cake, and no loved ones to call (because they live on the other side of the world), there is a cupboard to hide in, doonas to crawl under, and tea to drink, all in an effort to forget about uncertainties, insecurities, and the prospect of packing up everything and flying back across the Pacific ocean.

It's all a bit daunting. A bit like a big pile of dirty dishes. Only getting through this patch is less meditative than having my hands immersed in warm soapy water,

Sunday 22 February 2015

8/52


a portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015

Jimmy: Splash!

There was snow at the start of the week. Photos soon, I promise. And the snow started to melt on Friday and was all gone by the end of Saturday. The water that was the snow is still around, running off roofs and collecting in gutters, which is perfect for jumping in, naturally.


Wednesday 18 February 2015

On the needles: socks...


Just in time for the latest snow falls (3 times in 48 hours!!), I finished darning some holes in a pair of Michaels' woollen socks, and I finished making a pair of woollen socks for Jimmy. Michaels' socks will last a few more years, while Jimmy will outgrow his before May this year.

Darning Michaels' socks was made easier by using an old baseball inside the toe. It worked like a darning mushroom, only it didn't cost us anything as we have found a few baseballs while out and about. The work was quicker with the baseball in the toe and I'll use it again when I get around to darning a few more pairs of socks. While not the funnest of needlework projects, darning saves otherwise good socks from going to waste, and saves the replacement cost, which can be at least $15 per pair of knee-high woollen socks.


Jimmy's not-so-little socks were knitted using a Patons sock yarn, on 3 mm circular needles, based on the classic rib socks in Cute Knits for Baby Feet. I say "based on" because the pattern was a little unclear and odd in places, so I winged it when it came to the heel and then just checked the pattern to get an idea of how long to make the foot before starting the toe. Having knitted a few pairs of socks over the years, using really good patterns with really clear instructions, the socks turned out fairly well. They could be longer, but winter will be over soon and one way or another there will be no need for them.

This is what I did for a pair of socks that will fit a 12-18 month old who wears size 4-6 shoes:

  • Using sock yarn and 3 mm needles (circular or double pointed) cast on 36 stitches (I used the Old Norwegian cast on), join for working in the round, place stitch marker at the beginning of the round;
  • Start a 2x2 rib, work for 33 rounds;
  • Heel: knit 9 stitches, turn, slip first stitch, purl 17 stitches, turn, slip first stitch and begin working short rows until there are 6 stitches between the two sets of wrapped stitches, knit across the wrapped stitches (as for short rows) until there are no more wrapped or slipped stitches, ending with a knit row.
  • Foot: continue the 2x2 rib for 26 rounds*
  • Toe: knit 6 stitches, slip-slip-knit the next 2 stitches, knit 2, knit-together the next 2 stitches, knit 12, slip-slip-knit the next 2 stitches, knit 2, knit-together the next 2 stitches, knit 6, knit one round. Continue decreasing, alternating with knit round, until there are 16 stitches on the needles. Graft stitches and weave in ends.
  • Knit a second (or third or fourth sock).
Done!


*I would actually make the feet 28 rounds long, possibly 30, because Jimmy is wearing size 6 and size 6.5 shoes and the socks are a little short for his feet.

Monday 16 February 2015

7/52

a portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015

Jimmy: Pasta! Cheese! Vroom!

Yes... I have resorted to making car noises to get Jimmy's attention so that he will eat most, if not all, his breakfast, lunch, and dinner... It's not that Jimmy doesn't like his food - he loves it - it's just that lately he gets to a point in the meal where he stops eating but is happy to be fed. This usually happens around the time when Michael has finished his meal. Once upon a time I would have just let Jimmy play with his food and that would be that, but he needs more than breastmilk and I am encouraging Jimmy to eat more solids in the hope that he will rely less and less on breastmilk during the day (so days this works better than others). So, vroom!

If you hadn't already guessed, Michael took this photo while I was feeding Jimmy his lunch. Jimmy had already fed himself quite a bit of the pasta, although some of it made it to his ear before it found its way into his mouth...


Saturday 14 February 2015

Quick reads...


Jimmy is still snotty, yet boisterous. My shoulder/side have been sore for most of the week and I'm still not convinced that it's the result of doing 1-2-3-weee a few too many times over the weekend - at least it's not mastitis. The weather has turned cold again, and we're starting to look into the realities of moving back to Australia. How's your week been?

It might be Valentines on Saturday, but you might want to reconsider those dinner plans.

Activities for young ones while it's too cold or too hot to play outside.

Some crazy things about Australia.

Some stunning photos of Australia.

What's in a name? Most people mispronounce my name, let alone start spelling it with the right letter.

As I think about packing and what to leave behind, I'm reminded of this closet cleanout.

These photos of the Kazakh eagle-hunting festival are just stunning.

Hope you have some nice plans and some nice weather to go with them. We'll be catching up with some friends, checking out the new exhibits at the Discovery Center, drinking lots of warm drinks, and eating lots of warming soups and breads - it's going to be a cold one! Happy weekend!

Friday 13 February 2015

A tale of three trees... Part 1

My intention was to photograph as many trees as possible over the entire Autumn Fall, capturing them all once a week until they were completely bare. 

Yeah...

No...

So I focused on a few trees, ones that were easy and accessible. This is the tale of the crab apple tree, right outside our apartment.


September saw the first leaves go...


Just a few, and then more and more...


With so many leaves it was easy to forget what was actually happening...


Until we looked up and saw the top of the tree going red...


Lower leaves followed...


And then they started to fall...


I made sure to collect as many as possible and ended up sticking them to our bedroom wall...


Then the first snow came in mid November, telling the crap apple leaves to hurry up and go...


And go they did, and gone they were in December...



There is no longer any snow, but there are buds of new growth waiting for Spring. In the meantime, the old fruit is feeding a wonderful array of birds. Hopefully the blossoms come out in time for our departure.

Tuesday 10 February 2015

Snot...

After a lovely warm weekend, filled with running around Manhattan and lots of time spent playing outside, Jimmy has a snotty nose. I think he's coming down with a cold, which sucks, because I hate seeing him sick. I was also promising myself that I would get my morning act together and get us to playgroup, for the first time since I was sick in December...

So, while I have worried-mother-writers-block, I thought I'd share some photos that haven't made it to the blog yet. They are mostly iPhone photos... and they are a little bit grainy but fun nonetheless... and from our trip to KC.

 

 Actual sourdough on the Saturday night... Jimmy playing with Daddy's phone...


Consumed coffees at Quay... Holding Jimmy's hand while he slept on the couch at Quay...


Just mucking about as it had been a while since I took a selfie with Jimmy... Jimmy playing with dough...


No really, the pizza makers gave Jimmy some pizza dough to play with and he had lots of fun...


And made a lovely mess too...


Fingers crossed Jimmy is just snotty and teething, but if he is actually sick there will be more posts of mostly photos.


Monday 9 February 2015

6/52

a portrait of my son, once a week, every week in 2015

Jimmy: in the sandpit at the local school's playground, at dusk - no beanie or mittens required.

Michael and Jimmy were playing in the sand while I was getting some things for dinner, so yes, Michael took this photo. I still can't get over this week's weather, but it has ended in a weekend of t-shirt weather, and today it was warm enough to leave the windows open until 9 pm. 

Needless to say, we have been enjoying the warmer weather, much like Brisbane's "winter", and have been heading out without gloves or beanies, and only 2-3 layers. The locals are also enjoying the mild winter, and Manhattan has been buzzing with activity as people emerge from hibernation.


We went back to the playground and sandpit today, and Michael took this lovely photo. Jimmy is pretty taken with the sandpit and finds the whole experience fascinating. Clearly we have to go more often, in what little time we have left here.