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Category: My Tasmanian Backyard

Spirit of Tasmania versus flying: Which do you prefer?

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Right now, as I write this, I’m looking out the window at the Spirit of Tasmania sitting out on the Mersey River. It’s such an awesome sight on a still night.

It’s one of the reasons we first bought his house. You never tire of watching the Spirit sailing in and out of the mouth of the Mersey.

I’m going to be honest and say it’s been a while since we last sailed on the Spirit. Pre kids actually. I remember doing a day sailing over and getting to explore the ship, while on the way back we opted for a night trip with a cabin.

A few years back, just before one of our previous trips to Melbourne, Julian was talking to Ella’s child carer. Ella repeated her usual “yes, we’re going to Melbourne to see Uncle Rick, aren’t we Dad?’’.

“We hear so much about Uncle Rick. Apparently he has a really big boat?’’ the child carer said.

Julian then had to explain that the “big boat’’ is actually the Spirit. The child carer had more than a little chuckle at that.

Due to the boat being so visible, there’s been repeated requests we go to Melbourne on “Uncle Rick’s big boat’’ since instead of the plane.

Watching this video I’m questioning why on earth we don’t go on the Spirit more often. Especially with trying to organise kids. I know they would think it was such an adventure.

Tell me: do you prefer to fly or sail?

DISCLAIMER: I was paid to write this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

June 2, 2014
When Cradle Mountain turns on the snow

For two winters now we’ve been promising Ella we’d take her to the snow. And for two winters, someone in the house always seems to get sick. Or it rains. Or someone pops out a baby.

Finally, on the weekend, the rain stopped, the snow settled and no one was sick. So we headed for Cradle Mountain and all that glorious snow.

You should have heard the squeals when they caught sight of it out the window.

Ella asked me whether I was excited about seeing the snow. I wasn’t really.

Mainly because as a kid I spent nearly every weekend during winter at our shack up the Great Lakes, in Tasmania’s Central Highlands. My most vivid memory was of mum having to get out, mid snow storm, and sit on one corner of the boot of the car because the wheel was spinning frantically. We weren’t going anywhere until it touched the ground again.

Of course, as kids, we just wanted to get stuck in the snow so we didn’t have to go to school the next day.

But, while I wasn’t excited about going to the snow, I was excited about seeing the girls experience it for the first time.

There was a bit of snowball throwing.

Ella tasted snow for the first time. And wasn’t impressed.

Julian attempted a snowman – not his finest work.

And Holly tried to feed Molly Golly some snow.

When the wind got up, we knew it was time to go.

Holly had to have one last play in the snow before we went though. She hasn’t stopped talking about it since. While it’s always been Ella who wanted to see the snow, I think it was Holly who enjoyed it the most.

Are your kids snow bunnies or are they yet to experience the white stuff?

August 7, 2013
My Tasmanian Backyard 2013 Calendar and Diary

As a gift for your support throughout last year, I offered the My Tasmanian Backyard 2012 free downloadable calendar. For some bizarre reason, 100 of you downloaded it. Or one of you downloaded it 100 times. One of the two.

So, in light of that, I’m launching the:

My Tasmanian Backyard 2013 free downloadable calendar

Once again, it features family friendly Tasmanian events by month, public holidays, school terms and photography from our family “backyard’’ adventures around Tasmania. It’s ideal to give to family as a gift. Just download it for free here or by clicking the cover image, then print it out.

However, there’s more this year. Yes, brace yourselves.

We’re also launching the:

My Tasmanian Backyard 2013 diary

I’ve been looking at all the bookmaking services for a while. Then Blurb offered me a $50 voucher to create my own book, so I jumped at the chance. I contemplated a photo book, cookbook, wedding book and business books. Then I had a mini meltdown because I couldn’t decide which I wanted to create first.

I thought the diary was too good to pass up and complements the calendar so well. Plus, I’m a huge list person – I even make lists of my lists. So diaries are right up my alley.

While you can make a book for as little as $2.95, I will caution you about adding colour, because it can increase the price of your book. The type of paper, size of the book and number of pages will also dictate how much your book will cost to make. Of course, using all black and white in your book can be effective too. The beauty of Blurb for me was how incredibly easy it was to use – and that you can have a book in your hand within a couple of weeks.

The Backyard diary features weekly parenting quotes for inspiration, a full week to a double page and colour photography of Tasmanian family friendly locations. You can buy it in three formats – soft cover, hard cover with dust jacket, and hardcover with Imagewrap. I wish I could give this one away free, but unfortunately there is a cost if you’d like one. I’ve kept it down as much as possible – and it is a beautiful diary. Of course! You can buy a copy here.

Guess what my family are getting for Christmas?

Do you live by an old-fashioned diary or are you more up with it than me and prefer the electronic versions?

December 12, 2012
Household tips and recipes – Nan’s mothers’ group recipe book
Visiting my nan on Sunday, I started asking her if she still had some of the old recipes she cooked us as kids. Nan was renowned for her biscuits and I thought some of them would make a perfect addition to Ella’s school lunch box as a treat.

What I got was far beyond what I imagined. I came home with a shopping bag full of recipes to look through. Some were even from my great grandmother. Among them was this treasure:

Now Wondrous Ultra Special Sensational Mouthwatering Cookery

This is nan’s mother’s group recipe book. Nan is in her mid 80s. It’s a yellow cardboard covered book with three simple staples in it. Nothing fancy. In the back it says “The North West Union of State School’s Mothers’ Clubs. Donation…. 30 cents’’.

Throughout there are old fashioned recipes typed up neatly, like Chocolate Sponge Cake, Five Minute Cake and Steamed Pudding. There’s also some obscure treats like Apricot Festival Cream, Weetbix Cake and my all-time favourites – Nameless 1 and Nameless 2. There’s a note underneath saying “both are scrumptious – ask Mrs Dodd for the names”. I’m wondering if anyone ever asked Mrs Dodd.

The book even has a couple of pages of “hints’’, like:
- To sharpen scissors, cut on the neck of a sauce bottle or similar as if you were cutting the neck off.
- When requiring a small quantity of lemon juice, pierce with knitting needle and squeeze out the required amount.
- Bunches of mint placed about the kitchen discourage flies.
And so many more.

Over the next couple of weeks I thought I’d share some of the recipes from the book and from her shopping bag full of treasures she’s given me to look through. I might throw in a few of the handy hints too.

To end, here’s the first page in the book. Timeless comedy.

Recipe for Happy Home

1lb of good temper
2lbs forbearance
1lb patience
1.5 lbs contentment
3 lbs unselfishness
1lb fun
2lbs cheerfulness
Method: Mix well with 2 quarts of milk of human kindness.
Dose: 1 wine glass full the first thing in the morning. To be repeated as the effect wears off.

To Preserve A Husband:

Be careful in your selection. Do not choose too young. When once selected give your entire thought to preparation for domestic use. Some insist on keeping them in pickle. Others are constantly keeping them in hot water. This makes them sour, hard and sometimes bitter. Even poor varieties may be made sweet, tender and good by garnishing them with patience, well sweetened with love and seasoned with kisses. Wrap them in a mantle of charity. Keep warm with a steady fire of domestic devotion and serve with peaches and cream. Thus prepared, they will keep for years.

We mums have come a long way in how we go about sharing recipes today!

Do you have anything from your grandparents you treasure? What about an old recipe that you still cook today?

Make sure you subscribe to the eNewsletter to see Nan’s recipes.
November 1, 2012
Aussie Giveaway Linkup #73: Decadent Dessert Edition

We went out for dinner last night as a special treat. Julian and I indulged in three sharing plates of pork belly, wagyu beef and scallops. We ended with two super indulgent desserts of Moo Brew Vanilla Panna Cotta with Brandy Snaps, and a Caramel Brick.

After their kids meals, Holly had ice cream with caramel topping and sprinkles. Ella had a pre-packaged tasteless jelly cup.

Everyone tried a little of everyone else’s dessert. Julian and I tried Holly’s mushed up ice cream, followed by Ella’s wobbly red jelly, oohing and aahhing as if it they were the most devine foodie experiences ever.

Ella, quite thoughtfully, finally piped up with: “mine is by far the best dessert here’’, looking at us with pity in her eyes. That’s kids’ tastebuds for you.

It was a win in her book.

OK, onto some more wins.

If you’re a blogger or business wanting to take part in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup:
1. Only link directly to the giveaway post/s and include the prize and end date in the linky tool below. Link each giveaway separately. If you need to delete it, hover over your link, wait until the red “x’’ appears and click.
2. Giveaways must be open to Australian residents and be run by Australian-based bloggers or businesses.
3. Grab the button below to add to your post.
4. A new list is added each Sunday so bloggers need to add their links weekly.
5. Start entering the giveaways! Entry is at your own risk. We do not take responsibility for unfulfilled prizes or a blogger/business not abiding by their own terms and conditions.

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October 28, 2012
How do you toilet train a toddler? (potty training)
Potty training sends some people… well, a little potty. When we toilet trained Princess Ella just before her second birthday it took all of a week and she was trained. So you can imagine I have these incredibly unrealistic expectations for Li’l Holly, who has started repeating the words “nappies are yuck” and pulling her nappy off to do a nudie run up the hallway at every opportunity.

The real challenge is she doesn’t like the turtle potty and only wants the “big girl toilet”. This means it’s hard to tell if she’s actually done a wee on there yet. She has made some lovely facial expressions though as if she’s squeezing something out. She is also highly fascinated with wiping her own bottom, even though she hasn’t done anything.

So, how are we going to tackle this one?
- Dress her in big girl pants when she’s around the house so she can literally see when she’s done a wee. Then take her to the toilet straight after and give her praise.
- Dress her in training nappy pants when out so she can feel she’s done a wee, but not make a mess in public.
- Put her in proper nappies of a night till she starts to have dry night nappies (although, she’s already having dry night nappies – but I’m not taking any chances).
- Keep up the praise around her asking to go to the toilet. I’ll buy her a unicorn when she finally does that first wee on the loo, I swear.
- Taking the fold-up Dora potty seat in my handbag with us everywhere.
When we went hard with this strategy for Ella we had wee spots everywhere for three or four days. Then nothing. Sure, there was still the odd accident – and the smell of urine in the air for weeks afterwards until we got the carpet cleaner in.

I will be honest and say that No. 2s were a whole other story. That did take a while. One of the tips we were given by a child carer was to sit her on the potty and read her a book. Surpringly, this worked. Whether it was allowing her to relax or just simply slowed her down to give her time to “do her business”, I don’t know. But I’ll be adopting that method again, complete with an appropriately titled Pooh Bear book.

What are your toilet training tips or favourite toilet training products?
August 30, 2012