I blamed it on the pneumonia bug that took a toll on my health early this year, as the virus attacked me viciously, leaving me bed ridden before flying back to Brissy. Then came the move out of our Carindale townhouse into a new suburb. Like they say... time flies and now, it's mid July!
Grade two has been another stepping stone for the little boy who took some time to get used to his new teacher. He is still his normal self - playful, fun, unpretentious, lively, energetic, witty, hyperactive... definitely not one who will sit quiet for more than 15 minutes unless you give him a good book. This is a blessing indeed. He loves books and that's one thing that can occupy him for a good 15 mins or more.
On the personal side, I have been baking more than before in this new house. Cooking with a 5-stove is great but having an oven that doesn't heat up to the right temperature is a baker's nightmare! I had to sacrifice many cakes and recipes due to the wrong temperature and at one point, I thought I had to give up that baking passion of mine. One thing for sure, I will get a digital oven when we have our own house!
Baking is fun and relaxing still. I had the privilege to attend some cake decorating classes and it was fun to get my hands dirty and exposed myself to a new realm of cake art. These days, I enjoy baking for home groups and friends, they helped to share my calories and allowed me to experiment more. I am looking to my macaron and chocolate making classes next month.
Oh yes, we did Taipei and Singapore during the autumn break and it was good catching up with friends during the trip. I count myself blessed to travel back even though it was a short one. Shopping in Singapore is liberating and very... dangerous!
For the first time in Alex's life, he drove interstate and did a 12 hours road trip to Sydney. I applaud him! Clayton was such a wonderful traveler despite those long hours in the car seat... believe it or not, we don't have one of those DVD players in the car! I broke the rules a little, allowing him to read a bit and play a bit of games... not something he is allowed in the car.
It was a good trip for us and I'm very happy that Alex discovered Home which served one of the most authentic thai food in Australia. Brisbane thai food is pathetically sweet and Home reminds us of Bangkok's homestyle thai cuisine. He said that he would drive 12 hours just for the food... that sounds good to me! But I told him it's better that we fly next time, that would be less stressful.
As for me, Sydney wasn't a nice place for shopping, contrary to what many Aussies told me. Coming from Spore, Sydney shopping is pathetic and I wasn' impressed one bit. I have to say that Darling harbour is still charming, despite the touristy crowd. But I brought home a piece of sweet memory with me... it was something that would linger for a long time.
That's a brief summary of happenings in the last seven months. For anyone who is following my blog, I promise to update more... here are some photos that say the bits and pieces of life in brissy....
A milestone for Clayton:
Sydney collections:
My Passions:
