dealing with melancholia

How can we help but be melancholic at the moment?  In the last 12 months, we have had natural disaster after natural disaster, with countless people being killed around the world from Pakistan to New Zealand and Japan, others whose homes and livelihood have been destroyed and our understanding of the devastation that can be wreaked has been brought home to us.  It gives me a sense of impermanence, a deep underlying anxiety about what else is in store for us to deal with and a frustration that people cannot understand that we cannot keep tinkering with the earth and pulling gas and oil from the core without suffering consequences.

So, it's even more important to celebrate the goodness that is in the world, while we also acknowledge the suffering.  My mission here today is to share with you some of  the moments of goodness that have sustained me over the last month or so.

The first is of course the joy I find whenever I walk along the ocean coastline on the Mornington Peninsula and swim in my favourite ocean pool at the Sorrento back beach.  Particularly when the tide is up, but the pool is still demarcated, the sheer pleasure of swimming in a reasonably placid but deep pool of clean ocean water, while watching the power of the surf coming in and out is a wonderful way to be reminded of the goodness and power of nature and the joys it can provide as well as the devastation.

Some of my mum's great grandchildren at the family gathering at McLelland Sculpture Park

 The second is my family, we had an extended family get together with my mother who now has little idea of who we are, often thinks I am her sister, but clearly loves being surrounded by her children and grandchildren.  While we have the usual family tensions, it is good to get beyond them and find the joy in the connections, particularly with my own family and the nieces and great nieces and nephews. And it has been good for my soul to have Em, one of my daughters over here and having time with her, her sister Beci  and the always so delightful grandchildren.  It does seem, (rather strangely, given I was not a particulalry good cook when they were small, although food was always an important part of our being together) that we make our best connections over food.  This time we went to DOC in Carlton for the most delicious ever Mozzarella and pizzas and celebrated the launch of my son in laws new venture the Taco Truck.

Continuing on that theme, this weekend I had the opportunity to take the two grandsons down to the beach house and had a most magical evening while the sun was setting, swimming in the bay, Tyke showing me how well he can snorkel and Ari having the loveliest time on the boogie board.  Being able to share my love of the water is certainly a high point and the best nourishment for my soul.  Though Ari reminded me of the constant signs of the fragility of life when he sought reassurance that his little friends in Tokyo who he visited with his family last year were 'safe'. 

So the lesson I think is to be with the ones you love, celebrate the good things that happen while grieving with the people effected the bad things that can happen.  Live for the moment and live simply so we tread lightly on this earth.



A berry clafoutis made by the other half on our new blog



Finally of course the goodness of food carefully prepared by friends and family always helps to bring a smile to my heart.  On that note, I am starting a new blog with a friend so watch this space for a link.  It will focus on the food and alcohol we need to help us survive those moments in life that seem unsurvivable and to celebrate the good things in our life.  Luckily my friend is an excellent cook (unlike me) and also has the most amazing ability to grow vegetables and eggs courtesy of her chickens. 

Christmas and beach holidays

Great grandmother

The feast cooked by Bec

The choir in action

Well, after all the trepidation, anticipations, build up, trying to pretend it's not happening Christmas is over for another year. And what were the good things about it? Quite a few, however still thinking of doing something completely different next year.

First so far things have apparently got no worse between the two Koreas, so we can all breathe easier for a little while.

Second, my niece brought her daughters along with some friends and their music teacher, to my mother's nursing home to sing for them. What a delightful thing to do and the people their who are capable of showing emotion seemed to enjoy it. Mum appeared to be quite pleased and loved having the kids there. So good to see the girls enjoyed it too and had such confidence in performing and doing something to add pleasure to someone else's day, true spirit of Christmas I would say!

Third, started off Christmas day with a scrumptious breakfast cooked by Raph, and had a lovely beginning to the day at their place, with the kids. Then went to my mates for a delicious lot of crackling which the lovely Norm had cooked on his barbecue, yes it was around pork, but it was the crackling that got to me - cooked to perfection. And...... I cooked my first and second Pav, trialling it with the doona stealing weasel's daughter and family on Friday night then again for A and N on Christmas Day, and, even if I say so myself, it was pretty lovely, forgot to take a photo so will have to make another for a photo opportunity! Thanks to the lovely Stephanie Alexander and her recipe! Is that what Christmas is about sharing good food that has been cooked with thought and care, with people we love and spending time with them?

Then a little downer as Mum was unwell, so went to see her instead of taking her out, she was quite tired and found it hard to even stir from her bed. However, after helping her shower and getting her back to bed with clean PJs, A and I sang to her, dredging our memories for the old songs and she seemed to enjoy that (despite our relatively tuneless voices). Or maybe that's what it's about - remembering the people who are lonely or ill and thinking about what we can do for them?

Fourth the beginning of a whole 7 days down at Rye - what bliss! And even blissfuller is that bec and the kids are sharing it. So we've been down to the beach several times, T went into the water fully clothed despite the cool weather and A ended up taking all his clothes off to go in the water and then made sand angels several times so I ended up with a car full of sand. We all spoke to E on the phone and she sounded like her day was good, so all is well with the world! A has been carrying around the 'rainbow' dinosaur with him that his lovely aunty sent over. In Australia, christmas and the beach can be synonymous - seafood, games on the sand, kids in the water - is that what Christmas is about and making connections with people we love who are far away?

Drank much Australian sparkling wine, bit of red because it's been so cold and have a lovely glass of Cool Woods Eden Valley Pinot sitting by the laptop at this minute. Now that is definitely part of Christmas!

Fifth B cooked us a most delicious meal last night - see pictures, slow cooked lamb shoulder with a zucchini and tomato dish, salad with dill and yoghurt dressing all quite yummy. Then tonight went to my favourite pizza place on the Peninsula, Pizza D'oh who make the best seafood pizza I have ever had - prawns, scallops, calamari and fish with fetta - washed down with a local Pinot Gris. so maybe it just all comes down to food, sharing time with family and friends we love, connecting with people we can't be with and finding time to do the things we enjoy because we have a holiday.

So it would be hard for life to get better, the boys are sleeping peacefully on the loungeroom floor, having decided they wanted to watch Harry Potter, picked up a children's bike for $10.00 at a garage sale and after T's first remark of 'Grandma why did you buy a girl's bike?' he has found he can ride it and says it's a bit like a BMX bike because it has fat wheels.Loved the gregarious ans trusting natureof kids when T decided he wanted to make friends with some boys he saw playing on the street (another great Australian tradition) And, to top it all off, have an excellent book waiting on my bedside table.

Peace and good wishes, may you all find a sanctuary to share with your loved ones and loved ones to share your sanctuary.

Food and Sth Korea

I realise that, despite the title of the blog, I have had very little focus on drinking and eating, so thought I would remedy that today. Recently I visited my daughter http://jorpins.blogspot.com/ who lives in Sth Korea and discovered that the country has the most delicious food.

My favourite I think was Bibimbap, a dish with rice at the bottom with a slightly tangy sauce then a mix of fresh chopped vegetables, or chicken etc, mushrooms, whatever. It is very healthy and absolutely delicious. The other favourite was the dumplings, in soup or just on their own with a sauce. When I came home I so much missed the food that I tried my own version of bibimbap, after I found a great Korean supermarket where I could buy the sauce and (joy or joy) frozen dumplings.

So I tried my hand at Bibimbap. Had the rice in the bowl, added the sauce, some julienned lightly cooked carrots and snow peas, cooked some spinach in sesame oil with garlic and pine nuts and added that and some chopped spring onion. It was not as brilliant as the ones I had in Sth Korea but was pretty good.

And, of course our meals in Sth Korea were always accompanied by beer, or Soju, a sort of rice wine that is eminently drinkable.