Improvements

It's a good thing to be trying to fix or change the things that either aren't working or could be better in your life. Right??  For a start I'd decided last week that my cooking had sunk to a parlous state of affairs.  I told myself this was surely mostly due to lack of inspiration and confidence rather than a complete lack of ability.  I used to be able to make a reasonable spaghetti sauce for example.  My attempt last weekend was ok.  Not brilliant, but ok.  This evening's effort was I thought pretty ok!  I put more tomatoes and tomato paste in, and I remembered the carrots.  Having said that, as I just ran through my little mental list of what I put in I realised I did NOT put the mushrooms in.  Now I admit that I think that mushrooms are The Devil's Work and under normal circumstances I will not eat them..  Ever...  However in some strange twist of fate they do seem to add flavour to spaghetti sauce.  Where's the logic in this???  I can't find any.   Possibly now though I've just proved to myself that they really are The Devil's Work and my sauce does actually taste better without them, because it was pretty good this evening!

One of my readers suggested a slow cooker.  I did actually buy one of these last winter.  I think I used it once or twice and gave up feeling a little dejected after I managed to cook Pot Roast Soup with an expensive piece of beef.  It did actually taste ok, but the kids both refused to eat it and I had the texture and consistency all wrong so it went back in the box in disgrace and hasn't dared to show it's face again.  It's like gravy.   I've gone back to using Gravox because my other gravy was rubbish.  Heath asks me suspiciously when I ask would he like gravy 'is it your gravy or Gravox gravy??'.  If it's the latter he'll eat it.  I can't say I blame him. 

Yesterday Dan's engine sounded worse than ever and he was noisy, rattly.  When we set off from the park just before dusk yesterday he again sounded dreadful.  His oil light flashed on briefly, causing me to bite my lip anxiously.  The service station was literally just up the road, so I whispered abject apologies to Dan the whole slow way up the main road and we limped in.  His temperature stayed fine and the sinister looking red oil bottle picture only flashed up momentarily another couple of times.  He's way overdue for a service and limping.  Many apologies and 2 litres of oil later we set off home.  Today he sounded significantly healthier but I remained worried about him nonetheless and hope I didn't hurt him.

As our little outing today we traveled to JB HiFi in Frankston this afternoon.  We've still only been to a couple of parts of Frankston and only for specific 'errands' like this.  Dan's speakers have reached the "I can't stand them" stage.  Actually they're much worse than this.  They start off all crackly but legible.  Then they gradually worsen and the sounds starts flickering on and off, almost like strobe lighting for your ears.  Disaster...  

Since this deterioration happened I've been using a little Bluetooth mobile speaker but it's not loud enough.  Ok, ok, so I like driving with my window down and I like the music sort of kind of loud.  And if I have my window down it's noisier and Dan is noisy anyway.  And I'm always saying optimistically each time someone phones me when I'm in the car and I scramble for stupid headphones "my next car will have Bluetooth", usually to a person who is already smugly using a bluetooth system at the other time.  So at JB I bought a new portable Bluetooth speaker to use in the car.  This one also has a built in microphone and a phone answering button so I'm hoping it works pretty well to take phone calls on.  Not that I can use my iPhone too much out and about at present seeing as Dan's charger porty thingy isn't working.  I can't see whether something broke off in there, if it's a fuse, or whether it is just shagged.  Oh and I suppose I must do something about the headlight that is also not working as well.  Sigh..  

I'm also trying to decide which iPad model to buy.  My kids have my old one, and I find it (an iPad2) heavy and cumbersome.  I'd really like a new one but some decisions I seem to take ages to make.  I nearly decided on the iPad Air, then when I realised they didn't have the Apple Smart Case in bright red (only the Smart Cover) I was back to not being able to decide!  Hopeless!  But I've decided that the red one is definitely the cover for me!  Jessica tried to talk me into a black iPad...   'Nooooooooooooooooo' I said, it has to be a white one!!!!  I didn't buy one in the end.   It wasn't a decision that I had to make today, or even tomorrow for that matter.

On our way home I stopped another playground so the kids could have a play.  While I watched them I had a lovely phone conversation with my friend.  He was tired because he went to the football last night.  He was all depressed because his team got walloped (the Demons..  Is that Melbourne????).  Amongst the many subjects we chatted about were the photos I'd taken of his mare and foal.  I like talking to him, and there are a few topics on which I can talk to him about that aren't so easy with other friends.  He can give me the other side to the story.  Does hearing this side help me?  I'm not sure.  But hearing the other side side is usually a good thing because it prevents me from jumping to unnecessary conclusions.  

Finally, at the recommendation of some friends, tonight I registered Heath for AusKick.  This will, I'm told, help him with his football skills, primarily his kicking, catching and handballing.  It will be on a Friday evening and I think this will be great.  He didn't look at me appalled and horrified when I told him either!  Hurrah! The form asked which team he baracks for and how often we watch a game.  I didn't want to say 'none' and 'never'.  So I asked Heath, and he said he liked the Hawks.  Excellent!  I then put down that we watch a game once a week.  I'm trying to get into the AFL spirit.  We are a Melbourne family now after all. 

It grows late and I suddenly remember that I didn't finish the other photographs I was supposed to finish today.  Bugger it...  I will have to do them once I finish working Arche tomorrow morning.  

Late, late, late...  Muzaalem...

Impressive, right????