Stars. Doosh (Josh). Fish. Oosh (Shoe). I want that. Anass. This. Jesus. Muuum. Wigglesh.
I love listening to Ezekiel talk. And his vocabulary is expanding so quickly! I especially love that when we sing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” he sings the last word of the line “star, are, high, sky” etc.
I love Anastasia’s questions. “Why’s that Mum?”, “Are we going to x,y,z today”, “That be fantastic, ok?”, “That’s ezgusting”. She comes out with some hilarious phrases. Like calling to her brother “Let’s go, monkey boy”.
I don’t really appreciate, nor can I comprehend, their fascination with pouring liquid from one vessel to another. I just caught Ezekiel tipping milk between a Tupperware cup and an ACF tulip! I do appreciate though that if I hand him a tea towel, he wipes it all up himself.
… but I eat it.
It’s never been my most favourite meal, and it’s often pretty uninspiring. I usually have fruit-free museli everyday - I’ve found a great one that has loads of nuts and seeds, but no fruit and I really like it.
But this morning, Drew and Anastasia decided to have bacon, eggs and sausages, as well as pancakes. So Drew cooked up the most awesome batch of raspberry and buttermilk pancakes! So yummy! So thick and fluffy, and the raspberry tartness just worked so nicely. Had a syphon brew of Hazel’s Gossamer Gold blend with it. Mmm. Very nice!
Let Elise carry the flag!
Is she 16 or not? I actually find it kind of funny that there’s an age limit in the Olympics. It’s not like 10 and 12 year old girls aren’t right now being trained 30-40 hours a week in preparation for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics! Why make them sit out one week?! Sorry, that’s the cynical ex-gymnast in me. My mum’s a gymnastics coach and even she dreads the thought of any of her gymnasts going elite - it’s just insanity. Still at least in Rhythmic Gymnastics we can always find a president to date after our career’s over 
Pic from here.
We cupped this at Flint & Steel on Saturday, but I thought I’d have another go at it this afternoon. However, Ezekiel decided to wake up just as I was pouring water on to the grounds, so my notes are a bit distracted.
From the moment the beans hit the grinder, until I tipped the dregs into the sink, grapefruit was a dominant force. The dry fragrance also revealed apple, citrus and a sweet complexity. Both the grapefruit and this sweet complexity were there also as the crust was broken, as was a heady, ’round’ fruity sweetness that could possibly have resembled blackcurrant cordial. Sipping revealed more grapefruit, a green apple-like crispness, and a veritable cornucopia of succulent fruits. There was a nice citrusy acidity, and the body was a little creamy, but became a pleasant dryness once swallowed. The aftertaste also had a bit of that sweet roasted garlic I noticed in the espresso I had the other day.
I like! I’m about to go pull out the syphon so Drew and I can share a brew. Mmm …
Funny name for a café. Well, it’s because it’s actually a nursery - that has a café in the grounds. I’ve heard a few people say that they’ve enjoyed coffee there, so I took the kids and ‘Andad for a look this morning.
They are serving a Rainforest Alliance Certified blend from Morgan’s Coffee - so it’s South and Central American beans - and the espresso I grabbed this morning was quite a clean cup, nice acidity, nice balance, with a lingering caramel sweetness. Milk coffees looked to be served with silky smooth micro-foam. The menu looks quite appealing as well. They were super-kid-friendly, which always makes my life easier.
On the way out we bought some lemon thyme, oregano and sage for our herb garden, as well as some broccoli, strawberry and rainbow beetroot I’m going to plant when the kids are asleep this afternoon. Yum!
Will definitely be back; it’s such a lovely, peaceful atmosphere nestled away in there.
Coffee Alchemy has opened it’s doors to the very lucky coffee drinkers of the Inner-West, with their new shop-front espresso bar Flint & Steel.
At Flint & Steel it truly is all about the coffee. Don’t go there expecting a café where you can order breakfast; you won’t find any food offerings, and neither tea nor hot chocolate are available. And there’s no skim milk!
What you will find, however, are Coffee Alchemy’s exquisitely constructed blends, alongside some truly exceptional Single Estate specialty coffees, all roasted with Hazel’s expert craftmanship. You will find a La Marzocco Linea with gorgeous espresso shots dripping from the portafilter spouts. You will find skillfully brewed pour-over coffees; the perfect way to appreciate the stunning beauty and subtle nuances of whichever single origins are being offered (and a dégustation option should be on offer soon!).
You will also find monthly(ish) cupping sessions being held - a brilliant opportunity to educate your palate and experience some truly sensational coffees.
Flint & Steel is located at 24 Addison St, Marrickville, and is open Fridays and Saturdays from 9am til 2pm. Cuppings are free but you do need to book. Details about future cuppings should go up here.
I’ve been meaning to post about Skins for ages now, but just never got around to it. Pic from here.
The first two seasons of Skins aired on SBS, and Drew and I stumbled on to it quite by accident. Episode 1 of Season 1 is absolute rubbish, so I’ve no idea why we watched it the next week. (Oh, and I absolutely don’t recommend watching Skins if you’re a young’un!). The gang is a group of eight British teenagers who swear profusely, consume ridiculous quantities of drugs and alcohol, and yes, there’s also a fair bit of sex.
So if you know me, you know it’s not at all my kind of show. But for some reason Drew and I were transfixed by it.
Skins is described “an offbeat comedy/drama series about a group of teenagers who push boundaries, both at home and abroad. The action is enhanced by an irreverent comedic approach, which in no way reduces its emotional impact.”
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about Skins, and I think we are agreed that the thing that drew us to the show was the raw, confronting and challenging realism of it all. Some incredibly complex issues are raised throughout the show; teen pregnancy, death, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, eating disorders, drug use, dealing with a disability; to name just a few.
But these issues don’t get the usual glossy, sugar-coated, happily-ever-after Hollywood treatment. Skins is gritty and it’s rough, and things don’t always end well. Life is dealt with irreverently, but there’s an honesty, and a depth of insight that I think is quite rare in television aimed at young people.
I had my first migraine today - couldn’t see properly, couldn’t focus or concentrate, my hand went numb, big head/neck pain. It sucked!
I’ve never had one before. Both Drew and his sister get them quite routinely - think I married into it! Hoping it was a one off, although the doc assures me I can expect more of them. :( Brilliant!
Ok. I’m just a bit excited.
Today Sarah and I decided to have coffee at Kookaburra Express before Anastasia’s swimming lesson. I wanted to confirm that they were as good as I thought two weeks ago.
So, as we wandered up to the counter to order, I saw a silver-haired chap working the espresso machine - he looked vaguely familiar but I couldn’t work out why. And then it clicked. OH MY GOODNESS!
Instaurator was there, serving espresso to the good people of Kincumber! Yes, world barista championship judge and trainer, master roaster, doyen of the coffee industry, Instaurator! They sell copies of The Espresso Quest at the café, so as I placed my order (short black for me, doppio flat white for Sarah), I quickly bought one and got it signed. I’ve been meaning to grab a copy for ages but how glad I am that I’d put it off! Yes, I am an utter coffee nerd through and through!
Oh, the espresso was simply delightful; fruity, syrupy sweet, incredible retro-nasal aromatics. So I had two.
I’ll post a bit of a review of The Espresso Quest once I’ve had time to read it thoroughly
No detailed cupping notes - blasted cold won’t go away.
Still, through the syphon it was floral, rose petals, chocolate, caramel, white-winey acidity and totally awesome … and of course, I’ve now run out of it as greens. As ’spro, the acidity was just delightful, plus a ‘front’ of sweetness that was beautiful. Really nicely balanced.
Got some El Salvador El Angel resting and smelling good.
Hoping my head cold racks off in time for the big opening and cupping at ‘Flint & Steel’. I might cry if my nose is still blocked Saturday morning!
Wow. Well, that only happens, what, once a year for the first twelve years of the century.
This post would’ve been waaay cooler if I’d posted it at 08:08 this morning.
