Day 31 - For the time poor

I am forever being caught out by the phrase "marinate overnight" when cooking and yes, I took another hit tonight.  As I scan the recipes for the week I look for all sorts of signs of a late meal such as oven duration, number of ingredients and of course the old marinade chestnut.  To overcome this bump in the road I resort to basting the meat instead which works really well.  This dish is the Sweet Soy Beef with Noodles from this month's Delicious Magazine and apart from the aforementioned gotcha was very easy to make as it has only 7 ingredients and was served up in record time despite my close shave.

Day 30 - Priorities

The first priority when I arrive at work is the coffee. This morning I rounded up Damien and we walked down to Pablo & Rusty's. There are 5 different cafes that I often frequent, I have loyalty cards from each but spread my loyalty thinly. Chris the owner is a friendly guy and remembers my order but they are the furthest away so I don't often go there so much these days. Before I moved buildings I was often spotted here with my good friend Mark chatting about things ranging from flying to politics each morning. They only have outdoor seating, so the photo here has been taken from my floor back in the office - sometimes second priorities cut the first one short.

Day 29 - Sophisticated sandcastles

Seeing a few photos appear on Facebook of these amazing sculptures, Dani and I decided to head over to Windsor to catch the last day of the exhibition. We checked out the markets where Dani bought a Turkish decorated bowl, looked through a bookshop and after lunch headed down to the river. The sculptors certainly showed great imagination with the theme of Mystical Creatures - lots of serpents, mermaids and even a Gremlin! They use yellow sand which is different to what you'd find on the beach; it's actually what you find at a building site. So watch this space if I get all creative next time I visit our construction site.

Day 28 - How hard could it be?

I've long been a fan of Tissot watches, they aren't overly expensive but have a solid construction, are stylish and they did sponsor Sauber in the F1 championship in 1993. Yes that was a few years ago, so after spending many years eying them off I finally bought myself an example. The ownership went well until the battery ran out during our honeymoon in Santorini. I went to a local store to have the battery replaced - all was good until in the shower it fogged up and was on the verge of stopping. Dani and I returned to the store and the shopkeeper, George, couldn't have been more accommodating lending me another watch while mine was sent to Athens for repairs. After a wait of several months the watch returned home and all was good - until it stopped again. Being someone who likes a challenge I read a few websites and thought "how hard could it be?". I ordered a new movement (very cheap at $30) and some tools from EBay and proceeded to crack the case open. This was when it got hard - getting the pinion out of the movement has proven more difficult than the website suggested so this has become part 1 of the watch repair series. Don't try this at home!

Day 27 - The third pensioner

This week on visiting the folks we were earlier than usual which meant that Oscar hadn't gone to bed yet. Oscar has been catching bugs, scratching furniture and shedding hair for 17 years next Tuesday. He has also spent his time trying to make friends with Minnie (my parent's Daschund), providing company to my parents and majestic posing around the house. In his younger years he was a large cat at 8kg and would pack a punch if you dared to play with him. In his pensioner years he has slowed down, enjoys a pat and spends his time begging for food - of which the latter activity is often foiled by an early bed time :-)

Day 26 - A soft Australia Day

With Australia Day upon us there were many ways Dani and I could spend the holiday. We have done most of the typical Australia Day activities in previous years, Darling Harbour fireworks, the classic car display and the ferry race. This year would be different - with the rain falling we felt a bit soft. After brunch we headed off to the cinemas to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. When we got to Castle Towers Shopping Centre we had time for some window shopping and in the theme of Australia Day several shops went to some effort. We felt very patriotic with this display if not tantalised by all that blue icing!

Day 25 - Debating American Idol

Narelle invited Dani and I to a pub trivia night to join a team of her husband Matt, his sister Jenny and his parents, Kadie and Richard.  Always up for some trivia and a night out with fun company (and especially with a team name like "The Ratcats") how could we refuse?  The subjects covered people, food, three letter answers, literature and music.  The first subject was an easy ten points, despite a science fiction bias we knew who Data was from Star Trek and there was no chance we would get Johnny 5 mixed up with Wall-e.  Food started to present a challenge, but we survived the round without knowing what the Scoville scale was for. The three letter round had the odd lucky point - correctly identifying the wok as a cooking implement, but who knew the Germans use them for sport? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wok_racing) Literature was the toughest round and we were all slapping our heads when the answers came in.  The final round was upon us - music.  A debate on when Kelly Clarkson won American Idol resulted in a wrong answer - as Socrates preached, democracy is no guarantee of correctness.  The results were now in as the trivia master read out the results we patiently waited to hear our fate; it turned out that we won!  A great team effort all round and a $50 voucher was in our hands to use for our title defence :-)

Day 24 - The mileage marathon

One thing I think most commuters love about school holidays is the lack of other commuters. With no activity on the building site and therefore little justification to drive to work I decided I would enjoy the marginally quieter roads for a couple more days anyway. Knowing that fuel was marginal when I left this morning, on the way home the situation appeared critical. As I left the car park, the limited fuel range warning sounded; I continued. I then missed my intended turn off at Rosehill - must have been busy avoiding an accident or something (for those non-Sydneysiders they seem to happen to at least a few poor souls most days on the M4). So I kept going, watching the gauge as the little bowser symbol glowed orange. By the time I reached Prospect things weren't looking good - down to the last divisor. I changed my optimistic plan to fill up at the petrol station near home, raised the white flag and pulled into the closest station. I managed to squeeze 69.24L in a 70L tank and by my dodgy calculations the remaining 760ml would have got me another 6.3km when google maps says I still had another 9.2km to go - lucky call!

Day 23 - On show

Always willing to encourage others to follow their passions, an invitation from my mate Damien to come and see a Ducati he's considering was an easy decision.  Damien is not alone as I also admire the Italian make, when buying my Honda VTR250 the Ducati Monster inspired frame was a deal clincher for me.  I don't ride very often as it is a bit of a trial getting the bike out of the garage so it serves more as a display when I drive in the garage than transport.  The bike in the photo is a new 1198 Monster, too much bike for me, however the Monster 698 was much more to my liking.  With other priorities, I suspect my own passion for Ducatis won't be progressing anywhere as far as Damien's - the VTR 250 on show in my garage will suit me just fine.

Day 22 - Do you have a mortgage?

When I first started working I discovered it was possible to determine someone's financial position by their lunch.  The rule of thumb was that if you purchased your lunch you didn't have a home loan.  So for many years I purchased my lunch and could count the times I brought in left overs or a prepared meal on one hand.  These days I bring my lunch.  Dani prepares wraps every night using lots of delicious ingredients like swiss cheese, avocado, tomatoes, relish, spanish onion and roast beef.  It turns out having a mortgage has its benefits.

Day 21 - For sale (again)

Late last year when my phone contract finished I didn't hesitate to get a new iPhone 4S to replace my old 3GS.  I waited a long time before I first got on the iPhone band wagon, but I am now hooked as I use it all the time from satellite navigation to looking up train time tables and Facebook.  It then occurred to me that the old phone was surplus and might be worth something.  I listed it on eBay and waited while others watched.  The action ended well with a nice tidy sum, but it went pear shaped when my winning bidder pulled out - I guess like any sale it isn't an actual sale until the money is in the bank.  So today I re-listed the phone, better luck second time around as I am eying off a neat adapter so I can play my iPhone tunes on the car stereo :-)

Day 20 - A long 30 minutes

With both Dani and I working during the week we look for ways to speed up the meal preparation without compromising on the taste.  So when I'm in a hurry I often use the 30 minute meal collection on www.taste.com.au and this week the Sweet & Sour Sesame Pork appeared in the search results.  There were three main components - the meat and batter, the sweet and sour sauce and rice.  The rice was easy, in the rice cooker, add water, press a few buttons and done.  The meat prepartion wasn't too hard, dicing the meat and adding the batter mix.  The sauce was simple too, throwing all the ingredients in a pot and simmer.  The meat was then deep fried, the food arranged on the plates and ready to eat 60 minutes after starting!  Whatever happened to the timing we'll probably never know, but the meal tasted great!

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/26894/sweet+sour+sesame+pork

Day 19 - With the folks

In what has become a tradition, Dani and I visited my folks for dinner on Thursday night.  It gives us the opportunity to catch up on the week including Dad's latest wood turning project (i.e. bowl) and Mum's technical questions.  The evening culminates with coffee (and tea for Dani), which has improved dramatically with their new coffee machine.  On this night we also had those jam drops from Woolworths which were the perfect accompaniment.  Was three biscuits too much?

Day 18 - Side effects

I suspect my recent chlorine intake earlier in the week also had some extra hidden goodies that were even less beneficial than the chlorine.  Not well enough for work, I spent the day making use of my Apple TV.  It is often proposed that there are two types of Apple technology owners: there are those who would not consider anything without an apple logo and those who aren't particularly tied to the brand but buy them because they work well.  I like to think I am one of the latter category but am often mistaken for the former; and I must admit the Apple TV works well - the menus are simple and the remote could not be accused of having too many buttons either.  In fact it worked so well that I got through 5 movies in my less than optimal state and meant that I was able to avoid being exposed to day time television and all those amazing deals :-)

Day 17 - The walls inside

Our home continues to take shape and with its double brick exterior getting closer to completion it was time to change my focus to the interior walls.  These will be made of conventional pre-fabricated timber frame with the skillion roofs.  When I was at one place I watched a wall frame fabricated in less than 10 minutes which said a lot for having the right tools and workshop for the job rather than an often muddy building site.  So our order is now in, the walls will be delivered on trucks mid-February.  With the interior walls sorted, my focus can now shift to the next task.

Day 16 - Romance on a budget

Dani and I do the shopping for groceries on a weekly basis.  We don't have a particular loyalty for either Coles or Woolworths, it just depends what's on the shopping list.  One item that is always on the shopping list is flowers for Dani and they are the first thing we get when we walk in.  The Tiger Lillies are always popular as they have vibrant colour that lifts the room, not to mention good longevity until they shed their petals on the floor. Dani tells me she loves her Woolies flowers, they may not come from the florist but they are just as pretty and are given with the same sentiments, which also has a side benefit of saving the florist arrangements for those extra special occasions!

Day 15 - Drinking chlorine

This weekend my sister Belinda and her husband Dale came to Sydney with Jenna and Henry in tow for a wedding on the northern beaches. The plan was for my mother and father to babysit as weddings aren't always kid friendly. On the Saturday afternoon after lunch Jenna stated her case why it would be such a great idea for Dani and I to take her to the wave pool at Stanhope Gardens. We weren't busy in the morning so agreed to this plan - and it sounded like fun. The Hawaiian music started indicating surf was up so we entered the pool and with the waves towering over our heads my chlorine intake began. In between the surf Dani showed us how to do synchronized swimming while Jenna started an underwater handstand challenge. Having all downed plenty of chlorine and caught plenty of waves we headed back for some lunch after our action packed morning.

Day 14 - Party on

Tonight we helped celebrate Siya's first birthday, the child of our friends Naresh and Aarti. We arrived at the venue in Concord in time to help with the decorations, there was no plan or directions, so through ordered chaos the room was decorated and ready for a party. The kids lined up for their face painting as the adults made themselves comfortable, catching up with each other, an opportunity that often only occurs at events like these. At the end of the night Siya was out like a light as the guests indulged in their tea and coffee. A great time had by all!

Day 13 - Welcome

The big project this year for Dani and I is the construction of our new home. We have owned the land for over a year now, before we built we got married, designed our home and got through all the council processes. So we have now been building since November and have finished the foundations and are now mid way in the brickwork. Here you can see our entrance on the left, from the inside, this is where we will welcome our guests. As you can see there is a lot still to do, but seeing the shapes of the walls come together shows that our bespoke home is becoming a reality.

Day 12 - Pathways

If there was one area where Dani runs circles around me (but there are many more) it is her walking.  Now that day light saving is back she has resumed her regime, and today I thought I would join her and see some of the local neighbourhood too.  So we changed into our sneakers and shorts and off we set albeit at a slower pace than her usual power walking speed.  We walked through the flood plains behind our house, took a left at the police station and headed past the railway station to the park at the end of the street.  It wasn't over yet, we kept going till we turned around at the 40 minute mark and then made our way back.  Unlike Dani, normally my daily exercise is limited to my walks to and from the railway station - so it was a good feeling to stretch my legs some more.  I know an 80 minute walk is only a small step, but you have to start somewhere.

Day 11 - Delicious

I expect that there will be three frequent themes in my blog: my wife Dani, our new house and my cooking.  When I lived at home my specialty was two minute noodles ... not very appetising.  Ever since I moved out I have taken to cooking from Delicious magazines.  Typically I work my way through the month's edition, so much so that to my family's dismay I very rarely have much opportunity to repeat them.  Tonight I finished making Jamie Oliver's Roasted Pumpkin & Chestnut Risotto Tart.  This one was a bit more involved than the average recipe I attempt, but every now and again it's good to challenge oneself.  Oh and the taste?  My official taste tester Dani said it was devine!

Day 10 - Over the fence

Is this a sign that I am scraping the bottom of the barrel to find topics for my blog this early? Well I had another plan for today's blog that didn't eventuate, so this sunset which is common for us in the summer saved my blog for today. It shows the street over our back fence which often generates some interest. We've seen the boys in blue pull over their fair share of speedsters and witnessed a couple of accidents at the intersection by the cars they missed when they weren't there. The trees have urban wildlife ranging from the bats that come out at night calling out with their squeals to parrots that often feed off the native bushes in the back yard. Sometimes our suburban life may seem quiet, but there is a hive of activity over the back fence.

Day 9 - Working it

Without any activity on our building site this morning, my excuse to drive to work vanished. So I walked down to the station and waited on the platform for my train which is where this photo was captured. Last time I caught up with my sister, Belinda, she put me onto an iPad app called Snapseed, which has assisted in making my morning seem a little more colourful then it actually was!

Day 8 - Stepping out

With the working week about to begin for both Dani and I, we thought we would spend the day shopping in the city.  Needing to fill a gap in her wardrobe Dani was after some new shoes to go with her red dress; I on the other hand was there to provide opinion.  Success came early for Dani and while walking down to the new Westfields shopping centre, we stopped by Aquila to browse.  I had previously bought a few pairs from Aquila - a pair of boots that I loved so much I kept bringing them to the cobbler for life saving repairs until they were declared deceased and also my brown suede boots that I wore the first night I met Dani.  On this occasion I spotted this pair of suede casual dress shoes and when combined with a discount off their normal price I was sold; actually I liked them so much that I switched into them for the rest of the day.  With our retail therapy now complete, we are both ready for the onslaught of work!

Day 7 - Shiny

In November last year my car turned 5 years old.  It was a not a logical choice, but a passionate one, preferring character over the more common practicality and reliability.  It has has done well in both of these latter criteria, however it has excelled in bringing a smile to my  face.   Over the last five years it has collected a few chips on the bonnet, a minor scratch on the rear and a few marks on the rims when my steering hasn't been up to scratch.   When we returned back from Nabiac on Friday it came back very dusty so I thought it was time to give the car a wash.  I then decided why not go the full hog and give it its first wax too?  With some cabana wax and polish for the scratch I set to work.  It is very satisfying seeing the fruits of a little elbow grease and after a couple of hours I had my nice shiny car back again looking almost as good as it did 5 years ago.

Day 6 - Chunky

Our time in Nabiac came to an end, so after a morning tea with Sue and Bob we set off back to Sydney. As the F3 bypasses most towns between Nabiac and Sydney there aren't too many places to stop for food that do not begin with Mc. We found one at Heatherbrae, which sold all sorts of pies... I went for the Jillaroo which had steak chunks, bacon and onion - lots better than a Big Mac!

Day 5 - Further afield

Today Dani and I decided to explore the other beaches near Nabiac and took in Forster and Tuncurry. Due to our previous day's sun exposure we stayed in the shade and off the sand. Instead we took in the walks along the breakwater and dropped into a local restaurant for lunch. It is a beautiful spot and we'll come with our swimmers next time.

Day 4 - Red legs

First time to the beach for the new year where Dani and I went red due to some poorly applied sunscreen. We have some great red streaks and I think we'll be hoping for better coverage tomorrow. In other action the water was a great temperature so we dived in and took turns on our new boogie board. We each got a few good waves and had loads of fun. Later we got some fish and chips and did some people watching from our vista.

Day 3 - Going organic

This morning Dani, her mother Sue and I ventured to Nabiac and took in a morning coffee at the Greenhouse Cottage. The cafe specializes in organic coffee and featured a Balinese decor - this combination proved very popular as it was difficult to find a seat. I can report the coffee while strong along with some thick cinnamon toast was very much to my liking. Sue needed 4-5 sugars in her long black to get it to her own liking! The photo composition doesn't cut the mustard, but we were in a hurry to get back to put the pork roast in the oven for dinner - yum!

Day 2 - Pitstop in Buladelah

We arrived at Nabiac in the early afternoon after a pitstop at Buladelah. Last time we stopped for lunch here we were not choosy and ate at the first place we saw. The meal of hot chips said a lot for not rushing decisions. This time we decided to drive up the main street and found a quaint little cafe. This photo was taken of Dani with her vanilla milkshake and in the foreground is my iced coffee while we waited for a salmon salad for lunch. A little extra effort can pay dividends!

Day 1 - It starts here

I'm not sure that I'll get through to 366 like my sister Belinda who inspired this attempt, but I thought that isn't an excuse for not trying.

So as this has been a late start there are no photos from today's activities.  Instead I have taken a photo of my packing for the week in Nabiac with Danielle and her folks.  I bought this suit case for my trip to Europe in 2009 and when I came back it weighed in at 30kg, right on the limit! We have 4 nights at the Nabiac Retreat this time around so I'll be packing my board shorts for the beach and my Kindle for the relaxing side of the holidays.

As you can see I'm far from finished packing so I'd better get back to it!