Sweet like candy

Remember these.......

I do. I remember my dad, driving my sister and myself (and quite often friends too)  to the sweet shop and buying us a bag full of sweeties. Inside we'd have the above in necklaces,  watches and bracelets. I didn't really care for them, but I loved wearing them. But then again what little girl doesn't?
Then they were always  fireballs and sourballs and those toffees where at the time I was a little girl, you'd get a packet full for next to nothing, I think they were called wilson toffees or something like that . I loved them. Not forgetting the popping candy and a few bags of ghostpops and kriels.

The highlight of sweetie shopping would be in Jo'burg when we'd go to the english sweetie shop and stock up on all the goodies that we were 'deprived' of after moving to South Africa.

When we were in France, Olivia spotted these candy necklaces in a boulangerie and we just had to have them. Not only do the two of my little girls look super cute sporting their necklaces, it makes them smell even sweeter!! We really depleted the boulangeries stock of these babies!

Funny how the smell of something can totally transport you to a different place.  I recently bought them some popping candy. I don't normally buy them crap like that but I figure once in a while won't harm them and then they can have there own sweetie memories. Nothing like seeing their faces when the candy pops and blasts inside their little mouths!

Whats your favourite childhood candy?

France snapshots JULY 2011

Hot from the oven!

Lately, I've been craving 'healthy' foods!

So last week, we ate maily steamed vegetables  drizzled with this amazing olive oil we always bring back from France and a sprinkling of Maldon. Fish, quinoa and uhumm more quinoa.

Today I made this amazing seed bread and its invaded my kitchen with an earthy , seedy aroma. Mind you it does weigh a ton what with all the whole wheat flour, flax, sunflower, poppy, pumkin seeds, yogurt and honey that went into it. But its bursting with goodness!!

When we lived in South Africa and stayed at lodges and game reserves, quite often these kind of loaves featured on the menu. Great for breakfast slathered with butter , fresh fruit preserves or honey.Or seved after a meal with matured cheeses and homemade chutneys.

DVT and flying!!

At some point or other, I'm sure quite a few of us have stared blankly at the 'what to do in an emergency' and  how to twiddle your feet and bend your knees security video that is shown on your flight just before take off.
For kids, it always arouses another 100 questions that always go something along the lines of....
What do you mean, no air? We'll die if there's no air! with panic written all over their face.
Only when the plane lands on the water can we slide down the slides?
Where's the life jacket can I see it?
What about our suitcases and all my things?
When all you want  after trekking through customs and sitting in an aeroport is a bit of peace and quiet.

I know you should walk around inflight and I know its better if you wear your compression stockings. I know all that stuff but like so many other things , I never do it!!
The compression stocking do nothing for me confort wise. Feeling like I'm stuffed in sausage casings is not my idea of fun. Add that on to flying 12 hours with 2 girls in tow, is definately not my idea of fun. Luckily it's soon forgotton once we touch down and the holiday begins.
Only to rear its ugly head 3 weeks later. Somehow things seem even worse on the flight back!!

While on the flight back from Paris to Hong Kong, I felt an aching , dull pain in the back of my left calf. I rubbed it and tried to forget about it.
We got off the plane and I could hardly walk, I kid you not!!
And because I hadn't run a marathon the day before, I knew something was not right.
Alex said straight away the mabe its a clot, but as he's always so dramatic is his diagnosis, I brushed it off but it kept creeping back into my head!

I could hardly walk and spent the next day limping hopelessly, trying to get the shopping done, the washing on and seeing to my 2 jet lagged girls. Monday night hubby got home and said something along the lines of ' you have your 2 girls to think of, you should have gone to the dr'.

That hit me and I felt sick. 'What if?' kept racing through my head. I couldn't stop thinking about it and how 'it' just didn't feel right. So at 9 pm I took the taxi to the hospital to see if they could find anything, something and mabe just put my mind to rest! It sounds stupid but I didn't want to go to sleep without knowing what was wrong.

While waiting to see the dr, an airhostess or flight attendant  came in with a sore ear, a man who really didn't look good was just waiting with his wife - I steered clear of him and me, the limper!!
I felt nervous, sick and just wanted to get it all over with!
Finally dr sees me and I explain how we just got back from a France and how the cramp started in the plane. He feels my leg and can see by squeezing that I'm in pain, but for him, its not hard and not swollen so no need for concern tonight. He assures me that I can go and see a dr in the morning and that way, I won't have to pay the 1900HKD call out fee.
Like I said before  I wasn't going to sleep without knowing so I told him that I didn't mind and that I want to do the doppler. Me thinking, I'm here now, get it done that way tomorrow I don't have to drag the girls around with me and hopefully we'll get some answers tonight.
So 30 minutes later, radiologist is there and starts checking out my veins!!
Don't you just hate it when they sit there and pull their faces while looking at the screen, then press some more. They have you wondering, 'what the hell is wrong with me, am I dying?' So about 30 minutes later he gets to the sore spot and voila....DVT.

And not just in one but  2 different places. I'm holding it together. I feel even more sick. I need to phone Alex and don't have my phone because the one time he forgets his phone at work, I need to go to  hospital.
 Again a reminder that I must phone the landlord to fix the phone line. So I left him my phone, I guess deep down I knew I'd be staying, hell I even put my PJ's in my handbag before I left home.
The Dr see's me again and explains that its worse than he thought.  He tells me to stop taking my Yasmin and that I'll have to stay in hospital tonight and proberly the rest of the week. I need to have a heparin injection daily along with oral anticoagulant meds and because of these meds, they need to keep a close eye on me and my bloodwork.

Ok, that all taken in, I have to phone Alex and let him know. I don't want him to panic but how not to panic when you here this kind of news. I ask at the reception if the have a phone that I can use? They did and you don't even have to pay. This is Hong Kong for you, just another 'small' geste that makes being in hospital or not, just a a little bit easier.
I tell him and reassure him all ok but that I'll be admitted for about 5 days! I want to cry, but I know that will freak him out and just make him worry even more. I keep it short.
What?? 5 days!! I knew that would stress him. What about the girls ,what about work?Then he said, its Ok, family comes first!!

I fill in the forms to be admitted. It feels strange being alone because normally I come rushing to this hospital with Mathilde pucking all over and asking for puke bags, but not this time.

Got to still laugh at the first class room booking even in the state I'm in!!
Its now 1am and a nice lady sees me to my room. While in the lift she asks me if my family will be coming? I think what at 1am? I smile and say no and blink back the tears and swallow the lump in my throat.
So up in my room, meds, injection and blood all done and dusted within 15 minutes.

And then I'm alone and so not tired and I'm thinking even if I was, I don't want to sleep as I've heard so many stories about blood clots going to the lungs or brain then .....
I know I'm in for a long, very long week and this is just the beginning.

So hubby is now off work and taking care of the girls. He brings them in first thing to visit me. They are worried, well Olivia is. Mathilde just keeps asking when I'll be comming home. Then its time for them to go home for lunch, but Mathilde won't have it. She's screaming and crying that she wants her mama. I could even hear her wails as they were waiting for the lift, it really broke my heart and make me feel even crappier!!

So after the week of heparin injections daily and oral meds, I ask the dr if I can leave? He tells me that my blood levels are not where he wants them to be so he wants me to stay a few more days!! What the hell??
I tell him that I really need to get home to take care of my girls and that I can come back daily for my blood tests. Ok, yippee, I'm so happy but still panicky as somehow being in hospital and knowing that everything was there if something went wrong was quite reassuring.

But I don't want to stay here another night. So I pack my bags, pay my bill , collect my anticouagulant meds and hop in a taxi. It feels so good to be 'free' even if we are surrounded by skyscrapers.
And I'm starving! I can't wait to have some decent food. Even though, I must say, the food wasn't that bad. A dietician came to see me and planned my meals around food that I like and don't like. They really made an effort and the presentaion was beautiful for the desserts, Mathilde loved them. But it still remained 'hospital food'.

Well its been almost a month with so many backwards and forwards to the hospital. Olivia was sick inbetween with brochiolitis, so I just let her see one of the Drs while I went for my blood test. Call it killing two birds (poor things) with one stone. But after all the time we've spent here over the last month, they are at ease here and know the place like the back of their little hands and especially how to get to the vending machine.
They know the drill, get in take a surgical mask and KEEP IT ON!!! Olivia keeps it on, but little Mathilde, well lets just say, she has a mind of her own. She pushes it up onto her head and uses it as a hair band making many a sick patient laugh!!

There has been tons of inappropriate staring and even more inappropriate and loud questions ' blush'.
But they are kids and as we all know, kids ask one hell of a lot of questions especially in those times when we wish they wouldn't!!

So last scan was yesterday and all is clear, I'm so relieved.

Just one word of advice.

Get up, walk around, wear those 'sexy' stockings that make you feel like a sausage and twiddle those ankles on your next flight!

Surviving a flight with your lil' monsters

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!

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!!!

Homemade pizza

My girls love pizza. I don't know if its due to the fact that they help make it from A to Z but one thing for sure is that getting them involved makes them more excited about eating it.

I've been making this same pizza base since we lived in China in 1997... yikes, now I feel a whole lot older.

Its so simple and so good. It makes 3 pizzas depending on the thickness you want and  freezes well.

Toppings are kept simple for my girls.

A homemade tomato sauce, ham for Olivia, none for Mathilde and mozarella and parmasan cheese with a sprinkling of oregano and fresh basil leaves.

Pizza dough

3 and a half cups of plain flour
1 cup of warm water
1 packet of yeast
pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar
A good drizzle of olive oil

Mix all the ingredients until a dough is formed. If its too dry, add a little more water.Turn onto a floured surface and knead. I must be honest, I don't knead for too long and it always comes out good. If you have a kitchen aid or other mixer with a paddle attachment, feel free to use it.
Place the dough back in the bowl, cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and leave to rise for 3 hours.
And voila , you have it , homemade pizza dough.

Preheat oven to 180° C and bake until bubbly and golden.

You can also substitute the plain flour with wholewheat for a healthier version.

I found these cool kitchen goodies. I love cooking gadgets and in Hong Kong there is no shortage.

Love this silicone sunflower cake mould, I so love sunflowers!!!
And these bright and quirky kiddie or adult, if your a duh like me, chopsticks. The fact that they are attached makes them a whole lot easier to use. My girls loved them. Olivia managed to do it but Mathilde is still too young. She still had fun though, picking up her noodles with her brightly coloured sticks.
These items I picked up at a shop called Pantry Magic here in Hong Kong.

This is why Mathilde loves Pantry Magic soo much... she gets carried around in one of their enormous bags.

Bon appetit.

Aberdeen

No, I'm not referring to the Aberdeen in bonnie old Scotland. We have our own, right here in Hong Kong.
Sure, they are worlds apart in every sense of the word and I guess the only thing they have in common is that they both have the sea.

Abedeen is a short 5 minutes bus ride from our house. I often go just to buy some of the wierd and wonderful fruits they have to offer.
Alex hates going. So I normally prod along alone or with one or two little girls in tow. They love going. There's a stationery shop where Olivia stocks up on glitter, pens, stickers and Mathilde adds to her ever expanding collection of mini Hong Kong buses. All in all everyone walks along happy and I rarely have nagging girls in Aberdeen.

I love their fruit displays. Ok, almost everything is flown in from somewhere but thats how it is here.  I always buy locally where possible but here, its just different. Hong Kong Island is a small island cram-packed with people, buildings and even more people. So the luxury of being able to grow and produce there own fresh produce is limited, if not inexistant.

I picked up these little babies. 3 lucious pineapples for 20 hong kong dollars , just under 2 euros. They are so full of flavour and really sweet. Our whole dining room was filled with a sweet pineapple smell.  

The fruit stalls look ever so pretty. Baskets are hung over head as the locals love giving gift baskets beaming with fruit.

Aberdeen is also famous for its Jumbo Floating Restaurant. It looks like an ancient chinese imperial palace floating on water. Very bright and gaudy with lots of gold. Tourists and locals flock to it.

The little red box, Tiger balm

This is what I picked up today. A tiny, hexagonal jar filled with a herbal smelling pommade. It dates back to the times of Chinese emperors and is now used and sold all over the world - well almost.

I couldn't resist the cute box and thought I'd give it a go considering mosquito and some kind of tiny black bug that bites the living daylights out of me everytime I wait for the bus are on the prowl.

It smells of methol with undertones of clove.

Is good for everything from insect bites, muscular aches and pains, headaches, stuffy nose and...... flatulence!!!!

I kid you not. I laughed out loud to myself when I read it and Olivia asked me why I was laughing? I told her that this could be used for flatulence. She asked what that was? So I said , when you have gas or need to prout - they use that french word. She looked at me puzzled and asked 'yeah, but then where do you rub it?' With a funny grin on her face!!!

And I guess that is a really good question!!!