Springsummer.

I’ve just looked at myself in the mirror and I could swear that I look just a little sun kissed.

Or perhaps it’s my dayglo orange Air Pegasus 29s reflecting off the sheen on my face from working that medicine ball.

Have you also been looking positively radiant as you’ve put the washing out (and then taken it down bone dry in the afternoon) this weekend in your backyard somewhere under this glorious Sydney sunshine?

The sun has touched every aspect of my life this weekend and with it has come the promise of my favourite time of the year in this city – springsummer. Month after month of just enough sun and just enough warmth with only a few days here and there of miserable rain or draining humidity. You know, the necessary bad bits that bring you back to earth with a thud and make you feel gratitude.

Toddler SSG and I had our first picnic lunch of the season yesterday. Fruit was used as weight for plastic bags that threatened to fly away down the new road in the new ‘hood.

We staked our territory on the table at the little reserve up the road with all the paraphernalia and meal options peculiar to toddler life.

And I tried to blend in with the …. I’m struggling here to find a term that’s both fit to print and coming from a place of genuine admiration … okay got it: yummy mummies. Everyone’s so smilingly friendly and awfully polite here. And they do it all with such lovely hair and sunglasses. I’m actually going to cancel my InStyle and Who Weekly subscriptions because people watching at Woolies is proving to be even more interesting and soothing to my eyes. But perhaps not those currently well behaved credit cards.

Those Sky Hi’s got paired with my new Next black jeggings (the ones that got added to the basket subconsciously with the couple of pairs that I got for mum because she liked mine so much), a Cotton On chambray shirt that I found during those languid weeks I stayed at my brother’s in Redfern a couple of years back (I still remember wearing the shirt over my bathers poolside at Prince Alfred Park Pool, the sun was glorious at the time too) and a Tiffany key I bought with the financial stimulus cheque Mr Rudd gave me many moons ago. An outfit with so many happy memories attached is a special outfit indeed.

But before we move to the new ‘hood there is the small issue of packing.

And decluttering. A small mound of cardboard has had its foundations laid in the garage this weekend in preparation for the waste and recycling removalists.

The kitchen hasn’t been spared in the count down to moving day. I’ve been sweeping the fridge and pantry for things that need to be used up.

A head of cabbage went into the slow cooker for an adaptation of the many sausage and cabbage casserole recipes on the net. I added a cup of chicken stock, a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, some sea salt and three kransky sausages. You could also add potatoes for added carbs. I cooked on high for 3 hours, stirring at the 2 hour mark. As odd as the recipe may look and sound, it cooks down to a wonderfully nourishing and hearty dish that’s also low carb… it might even be sort of paleo on account of all the kransky in it?

A third of a cup from this bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce went into a batch of this slow cooker bolognese recipe.

No freezer is complete without serves of bolognese ready for a quick mid week microwave.

The recipe makes a smoky, slightly sweet sauce. You can add chilli flakes if you like a bit of heat. It’s also a rich and dense sauce that clings to pasta with aplomb. It’s my new favourite bolognese recipe.

Time is marching on. I’ve set myself a three packing carton per weekend day target. I’ve got one more to do, the laundry to take in and afternoon tea to eat. I’m thinking some comfort carbs like banana bread with heaps of butter.

Have a good one!

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