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Archive for December, 2009

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mixed emotions

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Auckland, New Zealand

What we like about being home…

* books
* space
* having Grandpa with us again
* “it has a homely feel to it, which I like” ~ Kgirl10 
* toys and bikes
* English
* friends
* proper bath towels
* not sharing beds
* knowing where we live
* washing machine
* going out and not feeling disoriented or getting lost
* kitchen (today was the day we started easing back into our foodie routines. We are
   by no means unpacked, but we have started bread baking and yoghurt making….)

“I’m looking forward to getting into my projects that I hadn’t finished before we went away like my quilt, but at the moment it’s kinda sad being home coz you know that it’s finished. It’s strange coz I thought I was looking forward to coming home, and I *was* looking forward to coming home, but now that we’re here I wouldn’t mind being away still.”
This from the girl, who was least keen about embarking on the trip at all (Jgirl15)!

 

BREAD RECIPE: Romanian Potato Bread

1T active yeast
2T sugar
warm water
   Dissolve all together and leave until it becomes frothy

1kg potatoes, cooked and mashed
2kg flour
1T salt
   Add to the above mixture

1-1.5l water
  Mix in and knead until dough is smooth
   (my note: I only needed about 800ml of water)
   Set aside in a covered bowl for an hour – it will rise significantly
   Form into loaves (I did four)
   Bake at 220*C….the recipe said for an hour, but I pulled mine out after only 40 mins.

unpacking

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

Auckland, New Zealand

and the new babysitters:

That about sums up the day – apart from people dropping in and us popping out to do a spot of unbudgetted shopping (things like mattress for the baby-girl, who is now a big girl, vacuum cleaner coz our old one blew up, crock pot for Grandpa coz one of our clan dropped his with a great shattering crash when doing the dishes last night, sheets, towels, journals, undies and Christmas mince pies coz we had only had one between us last year and none this year).

it’s the little things

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009
Auckland, New Zealand The distinctive NZ birdcalls wake us, loud and full and warbly. The morning air is nippy, but it will be nice and warm by midday. We turn on the tap and know that water is potable. Driving to the supermarket ... [Continue reading this entry]

surreal arrival

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Auckland New Zealand

Friends are at the airport to meet us. Little people have grown big. Babies have turned into toddlers. Apart from that, it seems we haven‘t even been away. This feeling of *did it really happen?* will ... [Continue reading this entry]

lost in space

Sunday, December 27th, 2009
sleeping at Dubai airport….onwards towards Auckland We lose most of today somewhere. We left Istanbul yesterday evening and took a four hour flight (just long enough to watch a movie and enjoy dinner) to Dubai, arriving when it was pitch black. ... [Continue reading this entry]

to…..

Saturday, December 26th, 2009
on the plane towards Dubai tonight….and onwards It’s our last day before the homeward flight tonight. Kboy12 talks incessantly – he does that when he’s excited. The bags are packed and stacked in the storage room. We have to confess to taking ... [Continue reading this entry]

seeking Christmas

Friday, December 25th, 2009
Istanbul, Turkey Turkey has had a reputation in recent times of being not particularly friendly to adherents of the Christian religion. We wondered what we’d find. Christmas Day dawns – bright and early….well, early, but barely light. We are staying right ... [Continue reading this entry]

Lest we forget

Thursday, December 24th, 2009
Istanbul, Turkey via the Gallipoli Peninsula

 

Impressions from the peninsula: * the sheer number of cemeteries sprinkled along the coast

[Continue reading this entry]

where are we?

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Eceabat, Turkey (via Pergamum and Canakkale) Immediately after breakfast severe cramps grip my stomach. Could it be the super-salty pickles we just ate with our eggs and tomatoes? Surely not that quickly! Is it perhaps the pide we ate for ... [Continue reading this entry]

those twins again: the big one, Lboy8

Saturday, December 12th, 2009
Brasov, Romania

“I liked Malaysia for the food and iced lemon tea. I liked Mongolia for the ranch, for riding horses and milking cows and herding goats. I liked England for the food like ... [Continue reading this entry]