Food, family, food, fun and more food

I became part of a wonderful extended family 3 years ago when I met my equally wonderful boyfriend. I have grown more fond of them all as the years have progressed.

This family is Maltese, which is really funny considering my late husband was also Maltese (one could say I have a very specific 'type'!)

Part of the beauty of this is that I already know about the nuances that a Maltese family brings. As someone who has been exposed to this from quite a young age, I can almost understand the language!

But perhaps my attraction to this group of people is because I am such a foodie, and the maltese mamas.... gosh can they cook! My boyfriend has a wonderful mama who was a dedicated and loving mum to 4 children, an amazing cook, and a generous and kind soul.

"Mama Gatt", as I call her, threw me a surprise birthday dinner last night with the entire family. It was amazing! As always, we started with soup. Tomato soup. But as always hers had a twist.

Bacon!

Coz Mama Gatt understands that bacon makes everything better :)

Then an amazing dish that I have heard so much about over the last 3 years, Laham Fuq il-Fwar (pronouced lamb fool fwah). Until last night, when I asked how this dish was spelled, the rest of the family thought it was lamb. Nope, it's Maltese steamed beef. And it simply falls apart.

It is served with mashed potatoes and peas, and there are some pretty specific rules around dishing it out, as another "in-law" discovered as he went to cut the meat.... the entire clan of siblings descended on him, shouting instructions over each other in their haste to preserve the structure of the meat, and the "proper way" to eat this dish! Suitably put in our places, we both sat back while Papa Gatt, the patriach of this quirky clan, showed us how it was done - meat, then mash and peas, the pour the gravy over the mash and peas.

The dish was, to put it mildly, succulently delicious!

But wait that was by no means, all!

We had, not one, not two, but THREE desserts!

Mama Gatt had remembered me saying in passing that my favourite sweet dish of hers is apple crumble. This simple dish that I have made plenty of times before, becomes a culinary miracle when made in her kitchen! It is both crunchy and caramel-y all at the same time... and got all the leftovers to myself! ha!

There was also lemon meringue pie, a family favourite, and chocolate cake with cute candles. All in all, the spread was exactly what I call a manifestation of why we have bodies and taste buds. In short, it was utterly satisfying.

But. more satisfying was the feeling that I have been one hundred percent accepted and embraced into their lives, and that is infinitely better than anything you could dish up.

Blessed doesn't begin to cover it :)

ND... phone home

Short post, an easy one to be grateful today. I got a new phone after putting up with my old one for almost 4 years!

I am not one to change phones often, but 2 years ago I did and then promptly dropped the brand spanking new phone into the toilet (don't ask).

So I had to put up with my old one for much longer than most people do these days! It was getting... slow. Like anyone that has passed their prime, it would go into an app, then promptly forget why it was there and shut it down.

Suffice to say it tried my patience. A lot.

So I upgraded, and got a great deal! Shiny new toys do make me happy.

Now, where did I put those instructions!

When it rains, it pours

Literally!

There is a 200 metre walk between my car park and my apartment building. Halfway down this walk tonight, the skies opened up and pelted water at me.... it was fast and furious enough that stopping to retrieve and open my umbrella would have resulted in me getting more drenched than simply picking up the pace, laughing hysterically all the way home at how wet I was suddenly getting!

I had taken a shot of the rain only moments before, you can already see the rain coming down in torrents.

And yet, somehow it got far worse! It felt like I was suddenly wading through a waterfall.

It made me recall my boyfriend's Homeless Challenge earlier this year, and how grateful I am to have a roof over my head, a warm bed to sleep in, and easy access to a shower to clean up after a sudden downfall of rain.

Working to live, no longer living to work

I have a confession to make. I am a recovering workaholic. No sooner had I attained one goal, than another took its place, like weeds in an untended garden. I rarely stopped to smell the roses.... well how could I when they were choked by the rambling debris of discarded achievements, barely tended to?

I made a dramatic decision earlier this year, and left my well-paid, secure, high-level executive position at a large media and content marketing organisation. I took 6 weeks off to do absolutely nothing. Then I took a deep breath and put myself out there.

It has paid off in spades, almost immediately. And I'm not just talking financially. I have never been happier, and more effortlessly chilled. My emotional wellbeing is at an all-time high.

The best part is, I'm still really really busy (I only have one speed, or I get bored).

Plus I get time to do all the really cool things I have been putting off for a long time, like photography courses, and writing my second book, a screenplay, and hanging out with amazingly lovely people.

I am grateful for my work ethic, but I have let go of what no longer serves me - the addiction to my job.

Two-in-one blogpost!

Hmmm looks like I have dropped the gratitude ball already and owe two blog posts for the last couple of days.

Sunday, 18th October, AKA: It's getting hot in here, let's take off all our clothes!
I have been working with my doctor on quite a few health issues, and taking the necessary medicine (with a spoonful of sugar). My doctor is a holistic practitioner, who combines western science-backed medicine with Chinese medicine, nutritional expertise and naturopathy. So sometimes the tests I need to do and treatments I must take can be a combination of pills, meditation and, well, other practices.

One of the most pleasant treatments I have been instructed to take is weekly infrared saunas (to reduce the amount of copper that has built up in my bloodstream and shows no sign of reducing).

While I don't particularly enjoy the traditional sauna experience (I feel like I am going to suffocate) I am not "hating" the infrared sauna experience.

Meanwhile I have found a spa that has a "membership" package (like a gym membership, but one that I actually use) with loads of lovely extras that completely makes up for the sauna experience.

Monday 19th October, AKA: I'd like to praise you like I do
I have always run on praise - rather than money, this is my NUMBER ONE motivation! As I have transitioned from full time corporate monkey to footloose and fancy freelancing, I realise I will be relying on this driver more than ever. So I am ever so thankful to a client who, when I submitted some work at 10pm, wrote back almost immediately with "I couldn't help myself and had to give them a quick read... Love it!"

OH PRAISE THE LORD MY ITCH HAS BEEN SCRATCHED!!!

Friends and cabaret

Two of the greatest things in life: true friends and live music.

My life is overflowing with these blessings :D

Unexpected time

At home sick today. I don't like feeling crappy. But it has given me some unexpected time to work on book launch ideas!

PLUS! WEBSITE LAUNCHED TODAY! YAY!

Beauty in small details

Isn't it lovely how you can get such a thrill from noticing beauty in small things. For example, the tiny milk bottle and teacup holding the teapot. Delightful! Vue Bistro, Melbourne.

Getting shit done

Today's gratitude blog is about changing one's perspective on difficult situations.

Quite often we can find ourselves in uncomfortable surroundings, and feel trapped to change them. It can often be a relationship, or workplace, or simply an afternoon social event that you feel you cannot get out of without sacrificing something you don't want to sacrifice.

The trick is to change your perspective. Rather than suffer through the pain, try to find how that pain is teaching you a new skill.

Today I chatted with an old colleague who I have started working with again at a new workplace. We both agreed that the fast pace (sometimes breakneck speed) of our previous workplace has trained us in super-ninja-work skills.

Our time management is second to none, and we don't waste any time procrastinating in "getting shit done"!

We both laughed - what was once uncomfortable in many ways has been a wonderful lesson.

Book dedications

Today I wrote my book dedication.

Of course, I googled "how to write a book dedication" because, God forbid I should do it wrong!

I stumbled across this, and pissed myself laughing. Ahhhhh laughter; the best medicine!

26 Of The Greatest Book Dedications You Will Ever Read