Pickle's Ponderings

I believe that Pickle ponders. He may only be two years old, but he has an amazing recall and I do think that he reflects. I try and spend some time at the end of each day remembering the good things he experienced and his achievements throughout the day. I'm not saying he's amazingly gifted, though perhaps he is (hey, I'm a proud Mummy after all)... and maybe I've been encouraging Systems Thinking without even realising it.

After watching the below video - which is part of my current study materials - perhaps I'm not so barmy after all.  The concepts in this video blew me away, and is well worth the ten minutes of viewing - I honestly do not know anyone who couldn't learn something from it...

Simple concepts, and something I would love to see more involved automatically throughout education, needless to say the wider community (I won't start ranting about Australian politics and the media, promise!).

So what do you think, is it possible for a two year old to ponder? Are there any other ways you can suggest I can include Systems (Reflective) thinking with Pickle?

Cheers, KangaRue :)

Babychinos

One of my guilty pleasures in life is good coffee. As a new mummy, it was great being able to go to coffee shops with Pickle in his pram (ideally napping) while I relaxed over a cafe latte or an iced coffee. Things got a little trickier when he started to crawl, and then to walk... just as well he's cute and a notorious flirt. But now he's old enough, he loves having a babychino, ideally accompanied by a marshmallow - one of his favourite treats.

Back in London, most coffee shops provide babychinos free with an adult purchase; encouraging a family-friendly environment is a great incentive for parents to frequent a venue. I was surprised this wasn't the case in Australia.

One initiative in the Bay I think is great is Creations Cafe, a hospitality

Creations Cafe does a great
banana bread, served hot
with cinnamon butter

training facility. It has good coffee and reasonably priced food options - there's a great $5 coffee and cake offer before 11am. However, I was shocked at the $2.50 charged for a babychino, especially as it doesn't come with any marshmallows. I did query the cost with management and was brushed off with "that's what the local charge is". So I decided to investigate further. Having discovered the disparity in pricing, I again approached management at Creations Cafe and let them know of a few other prices in the Bay. However, they have maintained their pricing and didn't seem open to reviewing their current pricing. For a tiny cup of foam, I think this is a real liberty and I won't be going back if I've got Pickle in tow.

So far, I've only discovered one venue in Hervey Bay, Coffee Club, that offers a free babychino with purchase. Their coffee is good and they have a good selection of cakes, though the main food items are a little on the pricey side. As Pickle has a dairy-protein allergy, he has a soya milk babychino and sometimes Coffee Club charges .80c extra for this, they do come with a marshmallow though.

Not the sour cream and apple,
but delicious nonetheless

One of the most charming coffee shop locations in the bay is the Homemade Cafe, with an eclectic mix of tables and chairs set outside overlooking the water.  While their coffee isn't great, so I'm far more likely to choose tea or another option, their cakes, most notably the sour cream and apple cake are homemade (hence the name) and absolutely delicious. And at $1.00 for a babychino including a marshmallow, with no added charge for soya, it's definitely one of my first options when out and about with Pickle.

One of my favourite coffee shops is Toast. While not on the beach front, they do have really good coffee, along with a good selection of snacks and fresh sushi. They charge $1.50 for a babychino including marshmallows.

A toasted turkish bread sandwich at Toast - note my
fab cargobike in the background!

Lilliana's is definitely my favourite coffee shop, they roast their own beans on site and will grind the beans to your particular type of coffee maker for use at home. Delicious. On the higher end of the range with babychinos costing $1.50 including marshmallows and an additional .50c extra for soya milk, I am more likely to go on my own than with Pickle. Their food is lovely though, and definitely one of the better Eggs Benedict I've had in the Bay (I think reviews of the local Eggs Benedict offerings are an opportunity I can't say no to in the future!).

Creations Cafe definitely comes in at the most expensive babychino so far at $2.50 (and outrageously with no marshmallows included)... I'll continue my investigations and will check out the culinary accompaniments (cake!) and will report back in due course.

So what do you think is a reasonable charge for a babychino? Should soya milk be extra when there's so little milk involved?

Cheers, KangaRue :)

Car-free at last!

It has been a while since I've blogged. Many apologies to my discerning readers... while I doubt many (any?) of you have been waiting with bated breath for my next installment, I do have lots to tell you.

The beautiful bride, Pickle's
Aunty Catherine & his new Uncle

In the interim not only have I been studying, but Pickle and I travelled across the country to see my Outlaws, for a family wedding and so BoyWonder could visit with Pickle too. Pickle was obviously a hit, they were very welcoming, it was good for that side of the family to get to know Pickle more, and was relatively angst free. Sure, there were some *ahem* challenging moments, but considering the situation (divorce, annual visitation etc.), it could have been a lot worse.

I've given up trying to find paid work in the Mental Health industry - the jobs I have applied for have each had 135+ applicants. As a Student Placement is required to do the next few subjects and in order to complete my counselling degree, I decided it would be pertinent to offer myself up as a volunteer. Now, being a hard-working, enthusiastic, engaged advocate for all areas of mental health, with a Distinction average for my subjects, you think I'd be snapped up, right?

There was lots of opportunity
to try out Pickle's "muddy puddle
boots" (I blame Peppa Pig)

Apparently not in Hervey Bay. I've called upward of SIXTY organisations, with no luck so far. Some have seemed promising, then the return phone calls dry up. Frustrating only begins to describe it. I'm pondering whether there is any point even trying to finish my degree.

On a brighter note, I now have my cargo bike. Pickle and I are car-free! Avid readers and my Twitter followers (those I mentioned earlier, hanging on with bated breath, no doubt) will recall my moaning about the disastrous saga that started almost a year ago with the first cargo bike company I dealt with. The Dutch company based in Melbourne was a complete customer service fail. Firstly an incorrect stock count meant none of my first four colour preferences were available, then shipping delays (admittedly out of the distributor's control)...

So the bike that I had hoped to receive in early December, then promised pre-Christmas 2012, eventually arrived on 12th January 2013. Except it wasn't the e-bike I had ordered and paid for. And that's when the somewhat patchy customer service to this point, took an absolute nose-dive; I was talked-over, condescended to and insulted. So it was arranged that this bike would be sent back and I would get the new bike in two to three weeks.  I was promised - in three separate written messages - that the bike would arrive fully assembled, and I would only need to put four bolts in to attach the box to the bike.

And then the bike arrived on 4th February 2013. Not only was it not assembled, it was missing not only the lights, but the entire braking system... a somewhat key element to safe riding, don't you think?

Our first ride on our
Christiania cargobike!

Needless to say, the bike was returned and I went back to the drawing board... and via Twitter, I was recommended the lovely Peter at PSbikes.

You can fit a surprising amount
in the cargobike!

While there was a delay in getting the bike, it was more than made up for by the charming customer service I received with door-to-door delivery, fully assembled and customised! The Christiania bike is made in Denmark, and I believe the Scandinavian engineering is slightly superior. Both Pickle and I love the bike and it's been getting lots of attention on our outings.

Pickle "drumming" with BigTed

On an even brighter note, things are going really well with BigTed, but
more on that later...

Cheers, KangaRue :)

Comparisons (Dating as a Single Parent IV)

Thoughtfulness is a big deal to me. Great wads of money aren't necessary. Taking the time to listen to what someone needs and then helping them find that, means so much more.

I've mentioned before that Pickle is allergic to dairy protein. It's not been anywhere near as difficult as I'd initially imagined. But it does mean I have to read labels constantly as you'd be amazed at some things that dairy can turn up in - I've found it in everything from sausages to hummus.

On an earlier coffee date, BigTed took me to one of the local coffee shops I'd yet to try (brownie points) then led me to a nearby shop called Nana's Kitchen. Just to check if they had dairy-free Easter Eggs for Pickle.

So when Sparky invited Pickle and I out for a picnic, then the day of taking us, asked me to sort Pickle's lunch as there was a specific bread he wanted to buy for lunch and he "didn't want to check if it had milk in it", didn't bode well. I had, in fact, already made Pickle's lunch along with snacks for the day, as this is what a Mummy of a kid with allergies does. But...

So onto the inaugural evening date with BigTed that I'm sure you've all been chaffing-at-the-bit to find out about (of course you're all living vicariously through my dodgy love-life)...

My lovely friend Deb, arrived early to play with Pickle so he knew she was there, and we went through the bedtime routine which fortuitously was a breeze. I madly dashed around doing hair and make-up having previously checked with a *ahem* number of stylish friends on which dress option to go with (thanks Mikey, Katy, Liam and Brett). Accessorised with fabulous jewellery, bag and amazing, ridiculously high and glamorous shoes (of course). I honestly haven't been this nervous about getting ready for a date in yonks.

And then BigTed arrived. With a spray of orchids. Oh. Em. Gee.

I didn't know where we were going for dinner. So I was pleasantly surprised when we pulled up in front of Aegean Waters, Hervey Bay's French restaurant. I love Paris. It's my favourite city in the world, a fact that BigTed had obviously latched onto somewhere during dates one to six.

We ordered escargot to start and mandarin duckling for mains (delicious) and split a chocolate mousse for dessert. I'm a foodie, I eat on dates. No apologies.

The snails and duck were both new discoveries for BigTed, but he happily leapt in (a hugely appealing attribute) and loved them both (ridiculously satisfying for me, especially as it wasn't me cooking).

We went for a drive along the foreshore, stopped at a scenic spot and... Talked. Hah, had you there for a minute didn't I?! Yes, we'd been talking over dinner. But it was more relaxed and since we're not teenagers, it would be a bit contrived to be snogging in a car, surely?

BigTed asked if he could show me his house (don't get ahead of yourself, where did it get you last time?!) where he did eventually kiss me. It was great. I may have wondered - out loud (Freudian slip?) - what had taken him so long... And then he took me home again. Well, maybe not immediately, but that didn't happen, he was an utter gentleman and there was no presumption, which was really nice and terribly appealing.

I may have dissected the date with Deb when I got home. Not least because she was a little surprised I was on my own. There will be an 8th date! I may even stop counting them.

So how do you break-up with someone (Sparky) that you haven't even held hands with?

Cheers, KangaRue :)

A Good Sport

I made a bet that if the NSW Blue lost the State of Origin, that I'd let BigTed's 11-year old, RJ, do my make-up on his day of designation.  For those not from Oz, the State of Origin is an annual rugby grudge series, pitting Queensland and New South Wales against each other.  I'm originally from NSW, but have moved to Queensland having returned from the UK, and continue to cheer for the Blues.  Unfortunately, NSW has now lost eight series in a row.  So this is my forfeit, dutifully published for your humour...

Trust me, when I say, it looks worse in person!

Cheers, KangaRue :)