Edition 15
On my mind this week:
For a myriad of reasons gloom and general misery have been following me around this week like a bloke in a bar who wants to buy you a drink but just hasn’t got the message that you are categorically uninterested, even when you and your pals perform the customary close the circle move on the dance floor. (Side note if this is ever you remember best to let the poor woman alone. No means no thank you, she’s not playing hard to get. And your lone wolf, slightly unsteady hip swaying dance moves are not going to change her mind).
So I’ve decided to list every tiny skerrick of joy I can muster this week below for you, and as a reminder to me, that even when you’re stuck at home with a bad back and bad a case of missing your best friend’s wedding-itis, love and giggs can be russled up in a jiffy if you look hard enough and ignore the jumble of kids toys piled up in every corner of your house.
This sequin covered, sparkly, fluffy rainbow unicorn hat that James found in our local supermarket. He wore it last night when we had Japanese take away for dinner and he looked simultaneously ridiculous and adorable. Also my daughter loves it with a fervent delight. Here is Kid Sunday modelling it for me with his favourite ninja turtles tee.
My one year old daughter and her toothy grin. She is currently pushing her walker around the house with reckless abandon and zero fear for consequences. If I didn’t know better I’d breathalyse her as she is careering all over the place, her steering abilities are definitely limited.
My five year old who has decided that for the week we are no longer an ordinary suburban family but members of the Avengers. He is Antman, James is Falcon, I am Captain Marvel and baby is Baby Groot (obviously). We have periodically saved the world multiple times this week and are all required to pretend we can’t see him a lot of the day as he has shrunk down (Antman’s major superpower in case you weren’t aware) and is riding a flying ant around our house. Good luck to anyone who talks to him when this is happening, the fury is real.
Deeply dark, seeded bread, toasted with real butter and my all time favourite ridiculously delicious peanut butter (no sugar, loads of peanuts, salty, creamy, crunchy goodness).
Creaming butter and sugar, pouring in cocoa whisked with boiling water, flour, eggs and all the things to create a chocolate birthday cake of dreams for Pa. The best bit of joy though is watching my 5 year old lick the wooden spoon. What is better? Cake batter or the actual cake? I feel this answer is personal. You don’t have to tell me I’ll just let you think about it. Life is mysterious and entirely subjective.
Most mornings we tend to have a pancake making, dance party where we each choose a song while mixing batter and flipping hot cakes on the stove. 5 year old is only ever going to choose the Avengers theme but I’ve recently entered into a Beatles renaissance quickly followed by George Michael’s Freedom and Redbone’s Come and Get your Love.
This last one isn’t a skerrick of joy but rather a huge dollop of happiness and good fortune. I bought a magic painting and it arrived wrapped in brown paper on our doorstep this week. Its our family’s first piece of original art and we all love it. Painted by two wonderful indigenous women from Byron Bay Miimi and Jiinda I really recommend following them on Instagram and having a look at their pieces. Their story telling proudly represents indigenous womanhood, connection to country and custodianship. Melissa and Lauren hail from the Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti, and Bundjalung tribes of Australia’s East Coast, often referred to as “Saltwater Country.”
"My strongest inspiration for my art comes from my Country. The land we live on is everything; the earth is our greatest teacher, our knowledge holder and our divine authority. We are traditional owners and Native Title holders, and my Nanny fought very hard for that right to protect our country and its history. My matriarchs, my Nan (Mum’s Mother), Mrs Jarrett née Dotti from Bowraville, and my Great-Grandmother (Mum's Gran), Mrs Jarrett née Taylor from Corindi Red Rock, are our guiding inspirations. My Great-Gran was a cultural midwife and delivered many Goori babies in our family and across the Nambucca Valley. My birthing caves art is inspired by her. We were raised to always show the deepest respect to our Elders. They taught us that everything is living and interconnected which is a primary concept that we explore through our paintings.” - Lauren Jarrett and Melissa Greenwood.
The painting we chose represents the healing power of waterfalls and waterholes and every time I look at it, it feels me up with healing energy. James would call this ‘woo woo’ except that even he admitted it made him feel calmer. Big words from a perpetually cynical human.
Something to watch:
This week on Suggestible James and I talk about the new Cruella Movie starring Emma Stone. It’s such a hard movie to categorise as it’s not really appropriate for kids, maybe more for tweens? It’s dark and funny and Stone’s Cruella develops into a feminist icon, creative, tortured and funny and I loved it. The music and the fashion are well worth a look as is the indomitable Emma Thompson who stars as an Anna Wintour/Meryl Streep in a Devil Wears Prada-esque character. My favourite bit of joy from this venture into film is that you can rent it from Disney Plus so it's lockdown appropriate. I also loved that both women look like they are just having a ball. Also the costumes and sets are wildly expensive. This article from Sarah Bahr on the evolution of Cruella as a feminist dream is a good light read.
Something to listen to:
Glennon Doyle who’s books and writings I quote from incessantly has started a podcast with her sister and it’s everything I hoped it would be. In this week’s episode her wife Abby Wambach joins in the discussion to talk about fun and why many women of a particular generation (generalisation here) seem to not know how to have fun. By fun we’re talking an activity purely for the joy or playfulness it brings rather than for a dual purpose/self-improvement/satisfaction/growth/learning/supporting their partner or kids/working on their appearance etc. The pod is called We Can Do Hard Things and it’s a hard recommend from me.
Something to cook:
The Sunday Household Disco Pancakes
To be made in the morning wearing pajamas and an excellent selection of tunes.
Serves 2 (multiply for appropriate number of humans and always allow for extras. People who think they don’t want pancakes always do have at least one)
Ingredients:
110 grams of self-raising white flour
Pinch of salt
2 free range eggs
Fresh whole milk approx. 200 mls depending on how thick you like your pancakes
Butter for frying
Preferred toppings. Kid Sunday loves these plain and I have to say they are pretty great el naturale though a squeeze of lemon juice with sugar or sliced banana/fresh berries with some Greek yogurt wouldn’t go astray. Nutella or jam if that’s your jam with ice cream would also be lipsmackingly good but this is breakfast and might be too much for the wee hours.
Method:
In a large, sturdy ceramic mixing bowl sift in flour. We use a kitchen scale for this which makes life incredibly joyful. Was sceptical until James purchased one and now I couldn’t live without it. Pop your bowl on top, zero it and then tip in said ingredient. Move on. No guessing. Accuracy 100%. This one is genius as you can also easily read the dial with a bowl popped on top.
Make a crater in the centre of the flour, shake in your salt, break in your eggs into the well and then whisk a little until you have a paste with some flour around the eggs. Slowly whisk in the milk until you have a nice consistency. No lumps please! Whisk until satisfied. Now. It can take a little while to figure out your preferred pancake thickness. If you like crepes add around 300mls of milk. If you prefer them thicker and fluffier (me) around 200mls should do.
Take a large, non-stick pan and turn on the hob. Heat it for a few minutes then tip in some butter (around 1 tps at least) let it melt and begin to sizzle. I spread it around the pan with some scrunched up paper towel, but you do you.
Ladle in one ladlefull? of mixture and tip pan appropriately to reach a lovely thin circle. Wait until bubbles form on top (approx. 30 seconds) and then flip* over for around 5 seconds. You should then pop it out onto a plate and the whole thing should be buttery, golden and a little fluffy. Joy.
Eat with gusto while standing up cooking the next batch. Particularly good with a baby watching in a high chair and a 5 year old rolling his up with relish dancing to the Avengers.
*After many, many pancake disco sessions I have started flipping them in the air with my fry pan and catching them. Disclaimer. Do not attempt this until you have mastered your pancake making and feel very sure of yourself. You can definitely achieve this goal though. No doubters live here. A spatula however will absolutely work. Also perfectly timing this move while George Michael serenades you with Freedom!! I won’t let you down… is, well, the stuff of life.
Sending you all the love this week. Steadfast joy to you.
Love,
Tonts x
I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which I write today, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, and pay my respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.
