Unwell

I've been unwell for a few days, wasn't clear what it was - been to the doctor today and she thinks it is a virus, but having some blood tests done.

Motherhood as teamwork

I happen to live on a street with lots of children. It is also a wonderfully friendly neighbourhood.

One great thing about my street is the support between the mums. This is not as evident up my end of the street, where we all have husbands around more and also do some paid work. Though the mums are lovely up my end too, just busy!

The other end of the street, there are a row of defence forces houses. This group of mums deal with husbands who are often away for work. (They are all dads in the defences, I guess it could be the other way around, but so far we haven't seen any families there where the mum is the one in the forces). These mums support each other during these times. Also down that end are a couple of single mothers who have become part of this group of supportive mums. I have got to know this group of women through going for walks, and they often include me in as well.

All these women could have been doing it tough without each other, but with each other they have made our street a place of warmth and care. This is how motherhood should work. Teamwork. And I would hope that if we got any primary carer dads or grandparents in the neighbourhood, they might be included too.

photo from freefoto

Baking not blogging

I've been baking a little recently (not blogging so much had an internet problem). The latest things made have been a bready gingerbread (yes, I owe the recipe to some of you, haven't typed it up yet), a lemon yogurt cake, and today for my mum in law for mother's day dinner,a pear and maple syrup crumble. Let me share that with you because it is really free and easy and strict measuring really isn't important - I made it tonight by chucking in handfuls of things pretty much at whim. Serves 4.

fruit filling:
4 pears roughly chopped, leave skin on. Put in baking dish, chuck in brown sugar, maple syrup and raisins to taste. I could forgo the raisins, but Bhaer likes them.

topping:
almond meal, rolled oats, brown sugar, maple syrup and softened butter. Make enough to cover top, and mix ingredients to taste. I personally love a brown sugar heavy top.

oven: preheat 180C. put in well about 30-40 mins, but look just check it, top must be browned and pears soft.

Very adaptable to what you have at hand. Also very calorific - but hey! It was mother's day!

No photo. Is in my tum.

ditto

Do you keep buying the same item of clothing over and over? I do. Sometimes intentionally, but often unintentionally. I get it home and think, hmmm, I've bought that before.

Pictured is the black turtleneck I bought from Saba recently with birthday money (under the cardi). I seem to always have a black turtleneck on the go. And then there are the other colour turtlenecks....I also have a thing for cardis, especially grey ones ("what? another cardi???" is a frequent refrain of Bhaer's). Talking about which, that cardi in the picture is quite nice...

Very high back heels, black knee high boots also figure in my repertoire. I like to think of it as refining my style ;)

Light and Dark

You might have noticed that since Easter I haven't really done any serious posts. After our Easter sickness, I have been tired and busy.

Not that I haven't been thinking seriously - or writing seriously - I have been thinking, writing and teaching for church. With small children, housework and working part time in a mind heavy job, as well as doing some distance teaching, by the time I come to my blog I'm relaxing.

Perhaps that's why I don't mention my work much on this blog. Another reason is that my work often needs to be confidential. As it involves people, I also must be very careful in what I say.

But I could upload sermons for instance. This would involve very little extra work for me! (might have to spellcheck them then...) I never have. Many men I know in ministry do. I'm a little afraid I would bore you all - I've built up a small audience of friends and use my blog to enrich my friendships - to suddenly start putting up teaching material doesn't seem right relationally. I do read blogs which are more serious and less domestic than mine, and I enjoy them. But I'm not sure I want to take my blog there. But I would like to have more energy to put in more thoughtful pieces.

Funnily enough a male friend of mine has been thinking in the opposite direction - wanting to go more domestic with his blog, but afraid to take that step. I suspect there are some gender factors at work here, about what face we feel confident to present to the world.

What do you most like about my blog? what would you like to see more of? And with your own blog, do you ever think about what direction to take it?