i love ratties

Two years on

2009-04-27T21:16:00.005+10:00

Or, seven years since we first met.Everything and nothing in these numbers,a lifetime wouldn't be enough anyway!Happy Anniversary Bear!Husband of the Year two years running!

Resting up

2009-04-24T23:51:00.004+10:00

This is Milo, sleeping in his hammock during run around time. He's not well at the moment, so he's resting a lot more and running around a lot less. Hopefully he'll feel better soon. He's very special to us.

Passionfruit and raspberry souffles

2009-04-23T23:37:00.005+10:00

Adapted from this recipe by Neil Perry. I doubled it and found that it actually filled three ramekins, so that was a bonus! Unfortunately the flavour was rather muted. Next time I think I'll cook the fruit puree/juice with a bit of cornstarch to thicken it first (like this recipe by Luke Mangan), and see if that makes a difference. I've had Luke Mangan's raspberry souffle and it was totally

Frutti e fiori

2009-04-23T23:18:00.002+10:00

Some pictures in detail of the invading zucchini plant in our backyard. I am always astounded when I see how large the flowers are when open (in the mornings).Tasty tasty flowers. Mmm.

The surprisingly excellent passionfruit cake

2009-04-13T22:27:00.003+10:00

This evening, faced with two bunches of rapidly wrinkling passionfruit, I hunted around for a recipe. I didn't quite feel like a passionfruit tart, and shortbreads didn't use up quite enough at a go. What I really wanted, I suppose, was a passionfruit mousse cake, one of those things that you ever only get at classy bakeries with expensive arty decorations on that cost more than 50 dollars.

Milo in the yellow submarine

2009-04-12T16:52:00.003+10:00

All fuzzy half asleep.

Veggie garden - Summer 2008-9

2009-04-06T00:47:00.010+10:00

This was our veggie garden, many months ago.The climbing beans are in the middle, with dwarf butterbeans at the bottom, and two rows of carrots on the right. Corn is on the left. The zucchini are further away in the background, and there is some of the dill which grew like crazy then went to seed just like that! Tomatoes are all the way to the left, not really in the picture.Here is a closer

Diary of an illness

2009-03-02T16:27:00.004+11:00

Saturday. Big Wet sneezes. General air of low grade misery. Blame it on allergies.Sunday. Mucus mucus everywhere! Require afternoon nap. Use up entire box of aloe vera tissues. Cook up a luscious veggie and bean stew thing. Unable to taste it.Monday. Overnight, the mucus has turned a yellowish-green. Very fashionable. Yellow is very in! Wake up every two hours to dispense of nose gunk. Start

A nice salad

2009-02-08T22:46:00.004+11:00

I just wanted to write the recipe down for the salad I had for lunch today (and yesterday) so that I don't forget it. I didn't take a photo or anything, because I didn't think to do so, but it was really good. So, for posterity:Some cherry and plum tomatoes, from the gardenA small bunch of rocket leaves from the gardenA cucumberRed bullhorn chilli (or capsicum)Small shallot (or half a one)

Return of the bats

2009-01-19T23:42:00.007+11:00

One of the unexpected joys of our new house has been the fig tree, which was surprisingly prolific last summer considering its dead-like scabrous condition during winter when we first moved in. Perhaps it overheard me saying that we should cut it down because of said dead-like appearance, and made a special effort to show us that it was still alive.Anyhow, several very pleased people benefited

Hooray for souffle!

2009-01-17T23:03:00.005+11:00

We made a chocolate souffle!In our saucepan! It was light and luscious, for at least the first serving, and then it became decadent and rich and then finally too much, as we greedily helped ourselves to large seconds, polished off with the aid of strawberries and whipped cream.Yom.

o_O

2009-01-16T13:38:00.006+11:00

Today, I called my literature review stupid. As in, "I have to go back to work now on this stupid literature review".Immediately, I apologised to it. (In my head, not out aloud, I'm not performatively crazy yet!)I think we will all be glad when it is finished.

How to write a literature review

2009-01-12T16:56:00.005+11:00

Writing a literature review for one's phd thesis is not, as it turns out, a matter of finding everything relevant in a fairly narrow topic of study and creating a kind of annotated bibliography (as it was in honours), nor is it the gathering of everything relevant and then evaluating and synthesising the lot in a coherent back history that leads naturally to your study (as it was in masters). So

Fear and cookies

2009-01-10T00:44:00.003+11:00

As my 29th birthday approaches, two things occur to me.1. I have nearly used up all of my twenties, and2. I am running out of youth!For that matter, 29 isn't even really a 'twenty' but so much more an 'almost thirty!' (with forced-cheery exclamation mark)No more am I going to blithely go about exclaiming how much I feel like I am already 30 anyway because of the company I keep. It's actually

Two rats in a hammock - Part II

2008-12-30T03:30:00.004+11:00

Simon makes an excellent pillow for Beans.Doesn't that look so warm and cosy? I swear Simon is the plushest creature ever. It is impossible to resist picking him up and rubbing your face in his flagrantly fluffy fur. Mmmmh!I wish he was my pillow!Oh well. Off to bed now.

Two rats in a hammock

2008-12-30T02:39:00.005+11:00

Hanging out with your mate.The best way to spend your holidays!(P.S. I have so much free time! It's incredible!)

Milo in his house

2008-12-30T01:59:00.005+11:00

Milo sitting on his comfy facecloth rug, looking out of his cardboard house.I love making houses that rats like to hang out in. So satisfying in that deep warm fuzzy happy way. Like baking cherry pie. Hmmmh.Not at all like the self-flagellating prickly drudging falutin that is academia. Some of the time anyway. I'm just sayin'!

We made ravioli

2008-12-30T01:32:00.008+11:00

From scratch! >_

The North Wind Blew South

2008-11-17T15:55:00.001+11:00

Such fun to watch, this video by Keith Loutit, on scenes in Sydney made to look miniature.

Milo vs the mites

2008-10-29T01:24:00.003+11:00

My bright-eyed boy has been battling some itchy mites for a month now, with a horrible red and scrappy looking sore chin. Tonight we did another dose of the treatment and accompanying mad scrub down of everything, and he looks a little happier, maybe? Fingers crossed everyone for my little Milo!

Bear turns 38

2008-10-29T00:54:00.004+11:00

The invitation. The outcome.Happy Birthday Bear!The party was great fun, there were shiny balloons, spelt out candles and ice cream cake, and all our favourite people turned up.(No, there are no photos of the actual party or the excessive amounts of food.)(Because I forgot!)(And was busy cooking all that food, damnit.)

Adrian and Alysha's wedding

2008-10-07T23:51:00.003+11:00

A happy happy day! Gorgeous outfits. Apparently inspired by the very scary clockwork frenchmen Madame Pompadour Dr Who episode. Very very scary episode. Still, they looked great!There was much excitment amongst the under-10s about the throwing of rose petals. This young man on the left wasn't sure if he was allowed to throw them on the couple so tossed them over himself instead.We had a great

Rubble rousers

2008-08-16T16:17:00.005+10:00

Digging up the floor!Now we are so sore.But there are only six rows more!

Alfie opens can of pringles

2008-08-13T00:08:00.006+10:00

I was looking through my rattie pictures and found some old 30 second clips of Alfie, opening a (mostly empty) can of Pringles. His method was basically to make holes in the lid around the edge till he got a strip of it detached, and then pulled on that to take off the lid. Alfie was also the one who figured out how to twist open the yoggie jar and then taught Monty how to do it. The third clip

Introducing Simon

2008-07-24T18:25:00.006+10:00

Hi Simon!Simon came to live with us in March this year. We picked him up from the RSPCA Blue Mountains shelter after seeing his ad on their website.When we first got him home, he was healthy but skinny and surprisingly well-behaved for a rescue rat. He would certainly have been a pet in his previous home, being used to being held and petted, and very generous with licks and cleaning our hands for