Soup for beginners

Tom wanted to do some cooking, but it was the day before food shopping day, so there wasn’t a lot of food in the house. So I suggested that we walk along to the fruit and veg shop as I needed to get some garlic anyway, and he could choose 3 items to buy and bring home to cook with.


When we got to the shop, Tom chose


4 mushrooms


1 red pepper and


1 carrot


And I picked out a head of garlic.


When we got home I peeled the carrot and deseeded the red pepper and then Tom set to work chopping everything up and putting them in a small pot. He had decided that he was making soup and the recipe goes like this:


Tom’s Hotdog Soup


4 mushrooms chopped up


1 clove of garlic squashed up using a garlic crusher


½ red pepper chopped up


1 carrot peeled and chopped up plus a little bit to eat


2 big spoons of tomato puree (and some to lick off your finger)


1 small spoon of herbs


1 vegetable stock cube put inside a jug with hot water - about 1 pint (you have to stir it VERY carefully else you will burn your fingers)


Mix it all up in a pot for as long as you want. Put a lid on and put it on the cooker. A grown up must help with putting the fire on under the pot. Let it bubble for a long time, till everything is soft and then put some frozen hot dog sausages in. They must stay in until the sausages are cooked, then take the sausages out and you need to put all the soup into a food processor and whizz it around until it is all smooth. Chop up the sausage into pieces and then put it all into a bowl and eat it.


That was the theory anyway. Tom was very excited to try a spoon of his made up recipe, even though he had just finished his lunch and we were (again) running late for nursery. He put it in his mouth and looked thoughtful – a little strokey beard moment.


“Mmm” he commented,” that’s good”


When I told him he could have a bowl of his soup when he came home from nursery if he liked, he replied


“nah, it’s okay, Dad and Sam can have it - I don’t really like all the bits”.

"Squashing" the garlic

Chopping the carrot

VERY carefully making the stock

Hotdog Sausage Soup - Delicious!

Jobs, jobs, jobs

I had my first job interview in about 12 years on Sunday and my most pressing concern was "what the hell am I going to wear?!"  I have a wardrobe full of all manner of scruffy jeans, holey cardigans and kiddie craft splattered t-shirts.  I also have some beautiful frocks (quite a lot actually) for those rare nights of high heels, dining and dancing.  In fact now that I think about it, the number of beautiful frocks I own is vastly out of proportion to the number of nights out that require them...


Anyhow, after a lot of faffing about and a number of outfits tried on and discarded, I set off for the interview, throat dry and nervous as anything.  I needn't have been so anxious.  The couple who interviewed me where young, lovely and equally anxious.  They had never interviewed before, and so had her mum and dad in the room for back up!  I really felt like the interview had gone well, and that I had a good chance.  I really wanted to get it, much more so than when first arrived.  The job was part time, minimum wage, general assistant in a new children's centre opening in Whitley Bay, no great shakes, but beggars can't be choosers and it was the first interview in 6 weeks of applying.  But while I was there, they told me that the one of the reason's they had wanted to see me was because of my psychology degree and counselling certificate.  They were interested in running some sort of course or workshop for kids with confidence problems and anxiety issues, and they had thought I might be able to help with that.  Wowser!  Suddenly I WAS really interested.  I came away, buzzing, thinking about the idea, how it could work.

Which was why, when I got the call at the end of the day to say that I had not been successful,  I was so upset. 

 And also because it was so dispiriting.  Poxy minimum wage, less than I've ever earned for any job, no qualifications needed and I can't even convince anyone to hire me for that? 

I've worked through it now; upset, questioning, crossness (MUCH crossness) and now I am stoic.  Resolute. What's for me, won't go by me.  (I hope!)

Welcome baby

My newest nephew, and the latest in the Malan line arrived on the 20th of February 2012.  Daniel Mark Malan was born by Cesarean and weighed 3.7kgs and was greeted by his thrilled parents Anton and Julie (Julie, I think mostly just thrilled to NOT be pregnant anymore!).  He has settled in well and is doing everything that he ought to, feeding well and sleeping well.  I am desperate to meet the little tyke and really rather cross that no one has got that teleportation device up and running yet!  Welcome to the world little man, I hope your world is series of wonderful experiences.

Weighing in