penguin stop!

three weeks old

bike

I taught Ella how to ride her bike 'inout training wheels' (as she says).

Harry meets his family

Harry is here

Harry is here. Born 4 September. Very beautiful. Much loved. Used to noise.

I've been away ---><--- I'm back

I took a blog-break - not deliberately. Been busy with a few things. A few pics to tell where we've been:



> at the playground
> at the beach in funky leggings
> in red
> at Phillip Island
> working on sentences
> looking carefully at things
> riding scooters
> eating cakes at the Pirate Park
> being full of joy
> running and jumping (some of us)
> getting into red and green
> singing and dancing in Chinese
> sleeping peacefully
> waiting for the train
> taking the train (how we love the train)

Baking (for Michelle)

I talked to my lovely friend Michelle the other day. We've both been suffering a loss of 'blogging mojo' lately. Anyway Michelle's always been a great baker, one more reason why going to visit her is always a great pleasure. She'd been ovenless for a while but is now baking again - so I thought I would share my latest baking recipe with her:

Choc-chip muffins

220g sr flour

1/2 cup castor sugar

3/4 cup milk or buttermilk

1 egg

3/4 cup of vegetable oil

150g choc (or white) chips

brown sugar

Add the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients, mix it all up. Spoon batter into 12-hole muffin tin (use patty pans to make it really simple). Sprinkle brown sugar on top of muffins. Bake for 20-25 mins @ 180. The oil gives them "a very tender crumb and crisp crust", according to Stephanie Alexander - whose lovely simple recipe this is (The Cooks Companion). You can adapt it and add different things (apple or savoury things - for savoury take out the sugar). These are good for school snacks and very popular "dakes" ('cakes' as Jamie says) in our house.