spring?

I saw a few blossoms this weekend, how exciting! Then, I came home from work and it wasn't pitch black, so, it means, winter is almost over, hip, hip hooray!! I don't mind the cold but the short days mean much less excitement...

i ran it - and new apps

yep, I got the hipstamatic app and its sooo fun!!......and I also ran the fun run with my sister last weekend, also a lot of fun......I managed 10km in under 55 mins!!

the run

As a fun activity to do with my sister, I signed up for a fun run. Its 10km. This is far for me but, I have been training during my lunch breaks. Finding myself in the botanical gardens in the middle of the day with the birds and other laughing families has been a beautiful interruption to my madly busy days. My sister is very fit so if she gets bored she can go on, we talked about it, but now I'm not sure if she will sacrifice a good time to leave me....I know I can do it and now its happening it feels very exciting, not that I have ever felt excited about a running race before. I got a number and everything, and a small timing device you put on your shoes. If I can do it in an hour that will be good for me....I got some golden pom poms so Mooey can cheer us on, along with our devoted husbands!!......it shall be fun and even after the race, I will continue the lunchtime meanderings in and around this lovely city.

sunday

This weekend with family at a lovely beach spot...a treasure...fish and chips followed by beach exploration.....

......pose with candy stripes...aren't the kids enjoying themselves?!....

a usual dinner - fish

Here's the steps to a pretty normal dinner in our fish crazy house. For some reason, recently, we have been eating a lot. Life in Japan certainly educates about including a lot of fish and fish products in your diet, and has an amazing availability of options, and cooking and presentation.......endless....maybe we are starting to miss those incredible rows of fish and seafood.....here in Melb, the Vic market has some pretty good choices and good prices too. Above is a mackerel and snapper, 2 mackerel and one snapper was about $12, fresh and beautiful and shiny, no smelly smell and not frozen! Lovely!
Some help to wash and be familiar with fish and what they look like and what they do and where they come from....lots of funny talking.....the fish monger can clean the scales and/or guts if you ask them to.

The snapper is prepared with salt and olive oil rubbed all over and to be steam cooked in a bamboo steamer. These simple toppings of spring onions, ginger, salted soy beans and plum sauce can be put inside and on top of the fish which then goes in the bamboo basket.
While the fish is being steamed, this little bowl of spring onion, soy sauce and sugar rests until just before being served. Added is very hot olive oil to mix and dissolve the sugar and whole lot is poured over the cooked fish.
This is how we steam, with a little bit of water in a wok with the bamboo steamer on top. It takes about 10 to 15 mins to steam that size snapper - about 1kg a - little more.
Finish! Served with snow peas stir fried with lots of garlic and salt. It takes about half an hour to prepare and cook this dish and for 3 people costs about $4 or $5 per person and that includes a bowl of rice. We try to eat fish two or three times a week. Tonight I will cook the mackerel, just coat in oil and roll in salt and grill until crispy. It is eaten directly off the bones, Japanese style! Takes 10 to 15 mins and cost is less then the snapper dinner!

table settings

In an attempt to do some small, fun and creative things at nights, I asked the mooch if he could make some name tags for the dinner table....and also ask that he set it. He did a great job! This was his own name tag, he did a similar one for for both of us with M for Mum and D for Dad. Simple and fun and rewarding.