Here we are again, ready to pack up and leave for our summer holiday. Our girls are super excited about going on the plane , seeing Mamie and Papie and our house for the very first time.
I on the other hand dread flying. Its so long and being cramped in a cylinder with lots of other people is not my idea of fun - but it is for my girls.
For them it all starts with packing the suitcases, they want to take everything and anything. I let them do it, its their little bit of excitement and way of 'helping'. I just take it out afterwards.
Then its bye-bye Bel Air. We cross Hong Kong and go on the beautiful Tsing Ma bridge to get to Lantau Island where you'll find the airport.
Olivia loves this bridge, must be from all the civil work talk she hears from her papa.
At the airport they are psyched. All the planes makes the fact they are leaving so much more real. Here, Alex always spoils them silly and the chocolates are flowing a gogo, this lasts all of a whole 10 minutes!!
Then its running wild time in the airport and playing on and the flat, moving walkways!
I'm trying to steer them clear of all the coughing an suspicious looking people.
Pee pee time - yes my girls love using the bathrooms here in Hong Kong. Everything is atomated, which is so much more hygenic. From the atomatic door that senses your arrival, the flushing of the loo (very common , even have it in Carcasonne), the sensor soap dispensor and again to the door that opens for you on the way out!!
Our flight is very late and they'll be hyped. Once in the plane, they inspect everything. Its slippers, kiddie bags,mini toothbrush and toothpaste, little pillows and blankets, not to forget the screen remote!!
By now, I'm wishing them asleep to dodo land, but no such luck. Luckily for us they have always travelled well. Since they were wee tots, we've always moved around and done many long and short- haul flights and they are always great.
Things I always take along are :
Snacks and water.
Paracetemol - for girls and us.
Wet wipes and hand sanitizer
Books (only a few) and be prepared to read and re-read.
Pencils, paper, stickers, portable dvd player.
Zip lock bags to seal up any soiled clothes .
Olivia now takes her ipod and dsi. Whatever keeps them quiet I say!
Mathilde also loves the music, so she has Beethovens 5th symphony, as its 'just like on little einsteins' and they both love abba!
So we have them singing anything from dadada daaaa to mama mia!
Socks and a jumper, as it get chilly.
Lipbalm - cabin air is dry and nasty.
A favorite blanket, because the ones they give you on the aircraft are skimpy and thin. Mathildes takes her pink blanket everywhere.
Their doodoo or favourite soft toy.
A change for both of them as drinks usually get spilt!!
And always remember that when anyone travels with kids, we DO have to take everything but the kitchen sink.
Olivia always wants to take her own bag. One lesson I've learnt is as cute as it is seeing them pulling their Trunki, we always end up with it. So now she has a back pack and carries it from A to B.
Remember to reserve their child menu as there's nothing worse than having them nag about how the other kids have 'fun food' and they have no goodies.
Once they nodd off, sit back and enjoy a glass of wine or two!
6 July 2011
Old fashioned english custard tart
Any food that I make with the word 'english' in it, has my husband running for the hills!!!
Mabe, thats because he is French and I am English
French and English go way back and not in a good way. Luckily for us, it works.
He was brought up drinking his morning hot chocolate from a bowl and dipping in his baguette spread with butter and jam.
I was brought up with a cup of tea and toast - no dipping for me!!
Ok, back to the tart.
I find myself craving good old English food. Yorkshire pudding, mash, gravy and all the vegetables to go with it. Even though its 32°C, I know its not exactly your cool salads and light meals but sometimes, I just give in to the cravings.
So today I fancied a custard tart.
A tart known as milk tart is also made in South Africa and is a delicious anytime treat . Milk tart is topped with cinnamon and custartd tart is topped with nutneg.
Milk tart seems to have a thicker, creamier filling , I think this comes from adding cornflour to the egg mixture and cooking it until it thickens. While the custard has a 'dare I say' lighter feel to it and a wobbly look to it.
Like I say Alex is always kind of reluctant to try any English food.
This is from his earlier years. He was about 14 years old and he done the usual trip to London where you stay with a family for a week.So many French kids used to do it. I don't know if we'd be so keen now to ship our kids off to a family we know nothing about!!
At the time they said it was to learn English. I can only laugh at this as its not in one week that you learn to speak English. More like introduce them to the English language, English people and some of our weird and wonderful ways.
And lets just say that when I met my hubby, his english was good but not that good.
So off he went to stay with a family and it was one culture shock after another.
Firstly, only tea or coffee for breakfast and out of a proper cup with a handle. Followed by cereal OR toast.
She would send him off with a packed lunch. One half of a peanut butter sandwich and one half of cheese, ham or cucumber sandwich. Don't ask me why only half of each?? Those were always binned. Here, he was introduced to peanut butter - you either love it or loathe it. I really don't like the stuff and him neither , so another shocker for him.
Beans on toast - same again, you either love or loathe!! and him.....no suprise, loath and me too!!
Then came the dreaded steak and kidney pie. He still has the shivers when he talks about how she cut it open and the odour from it sent him gasping for air.Apparently everything she cooked was store bought and frozen so I guess the quality wasn't so great.
Him and his friends became regulars at the neibourhood restaurant.
So his first encounter with british cuisine wasn't that at all. So when we're at his house and they all laugh about british food, I do stick up for 'real' English cooking, because we do have some cracking good food and produce!!
He said that when I first cooked for him he was worried and then suprised that I made normal food - cheecky bugger!! It was roast chicken - easy peesy - roast potatoes and a salad!! Bingo!!
I was less impressed when he cooked for me. Mind you he cooked once in from work so made do with the groceries he had on hand.
Pasta - good. Vegetable macadonia - but veg from a tin - no, no, no! And fois gras but....from a tin.
I wasn't a big 'paté' fan.
All seved with a sauternes sweet wine. And fresh fruit for dessert.
When I think about it now, its wasn't too shabby, except for the macadonia thingy!
I have a Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management that I got from my dad and love it. Recipes of patés, potted meats,how to cure meats and the real traditional, country style cooking.
So anyway long story short.... he didn't like the custard tart. But we did!!!
Mabe, thats because he is French and I am English
French and English go way back and not in a good way. Luckily for us, it works.
He was brought up drinking his morning hot chocolate from a bowl and dipping in his baguette spread with butter and jam.
I was brought up with a cup of tea and toast - no dipping for me!!
Ok, back to the tart.
I find myself craving good old English food. Yorkshire pudding, mash, gravy and all the vegetables to go with it. Even though its 32°C, I know its not exactly your cool salads and light meals but sometimes, I just give in to the cravings.
So today I fancied a custard tart.
A tart known as milk tart is also made in South Africa and is a delicious anytime treat . Milk tart is topped with cinnamon and custartd tart is topped with nutneg.
Milk tart seems to have a thicker, creamier filling , I think this comes from adding cornflour to the egg mixture and cooking it until it thickens. While the custard has a 'dare I say' lighter feel to it and a wobbly look to it.
Like I say Alex is always kind of reluctant to try any English food.
This is from his earlier years. He was about 14 years old and he done the usual trip to London where you stay with a family for a week.So many French kids used to do it. I don't know if we'd be so keen now to ship our kids off to a family we know nothing about!!
At the time they said it was to learn English. I can only laugh at this as its not in one week that you learn to speak English. More like introduce them to the English language, English people and some of our weird and wonderful ways.
And lets just say that when I met my hubby, his english was good but not that good.
So off he went to stay with a family and it was one culture shock after another.
Firstly, only tea or coffee for breakfast and out of a proper cup with a handle. Followed by cereal OR toast.
She would send him off with a packed lunch. One half of a peanut butter sandwich and one half of cheese, ham or cucumber sandwich. Don't ask me why only half of each?? Those were always binned. Here, he was introduced to peanut butter - you either love it or loathe it. I really don't like the stuff and him neither , so another shocker for him.
Beans on toast - same again, you either love or loathe!! and him.....no suprise, loath and me too!!
Then came the dreaded steak and kidney pie. He still has the shivers when he talks about how she cut it open and the odour from it sent him gasping for air.Apparently everything she cooked was store bought and frozen so I guess the quality wasn't so great.
Him and his friends became regulars at the neibourhood restaurant.
So his first encounter with british cuisine wasn't that at all. So when we're at his house and they all laugh about british food, I do stick up for 'real' English cooking, because we do have some cracking good food and produce!!
He said that when I first cooked for him he was worried and then suprised that I made normal food - cheecky bugger!! It was roast chicken - easy peesy - roast potatoes and a salad!! Bingo!!
I was less impressed when he cooked for me. Mind you he cooked once in from work so made do with the groceries he had on hand.
Pasta - good. Vegetable macadonia - but veg from a tin - no, no, no! And fois gras but....from a tin.
I wasn't a big 'paté' fan.
All seved with a sauternes sweet wine. And fresh fruit for dessert.
When I think about it now, its wasn't too shabby, except for the macadonia thingy!
I have a Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management that I got from my dad and love it. Recipes of patés, potted meats,how to cure meats and the real traditional, country style cooking.
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