Housesitting, work update, and next year's plans

Woops! I blinked and suddenly it's June. If anyone out there is still bothering to check this thing, you'll be pleased to know that I really do intend to start blogging again properly now.

After a month of house-sitting for Nic & Amy, looking after the one and only Ace, and with a few days back at my flat, I am now residing in Rozelle for the next three weeks. New friends Jen and Dave are in Vancouver, so I am here hanging with their two cats, Monty and Mocha. I get to play house, have a whole fridge to myself, and spend the day on sofa if I choose to. I like my flat and my flatmates, but it is nice to get away from them for a little while. Andrea is subletting to a sweet American student who loves to eat bacon and sausages, and the smell of the meat was just making me very unhappy. By the time I move back to Newtown, the house will be meat-free again.

Work continues busily, although I have to start looking for something as the girl on maternity leave whose position I am in is coming back early. Who does that? Coming back early from paid vacation with your new little baby? Pah! So from September I will only have two days a week at MSF. Alas, two days of work a week does not pay rent and buy me food. I've been pretending it was happening for the last few months, but September is now not that far away.

September will have something else big happening: submitting my application to study nursing next year here in Sydney. Nursing has been at the back of my mind for the last three years, so I'm finally taking the plunge, as scary as it is. More on that in a later post, I think.

As much as I moan about winter, I do love winter food. When I was house-sitting for N&A, I took with me almost my whole pantry: my two boxes of spices, my obscure sauce collection (agave nectar, veg. worcestshire sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar etc.) as well as my own knives and chopping boards. It was all a little bit much, but at the time, I was sure I would need it all. This time around I've brought nothing from the kitchen at all. I'm going to eat simple, nutritious beany soups for the whole three weeks. Tonight I've already made Dreena's delicious Cocoa-Coconut Chili, and I've got Black Bean and Kale Soup on the burner as we speak. I do love kale. Someone should make a t-shirt that says "all hail kale". I would buy five, all in different colours. I planted kale at home yesterday, but since I'm not home I have to rely on the girls to water them. I think I've left it a little too late, but oh well, it's worth a try.

Okay, time for some updates in the form of pictures

February
I turned 28 (gasp!) in February and celebrated with a few friends at a fantastic pizza joint in Newtown. That's Amy there next to me, fellow Kiwi, she also did time in Dunedin, and we like to hang out, cook, and go out for brunch.


I cooked some good food in February, but the pinacle were the tofu benny's I made when Amy came around for brunch. I love brunch. While you can't see them very well, there are HOME-BAKED English muffins in there somewhere.


Hm. I thought I had more photos. Will investigate and put them on here when I find them. Highlights include the April/May bake-sale, my visit to Monika's Doggie Rescue, and pictures of Ace. I'm sure you're very excited.