Caleb had chicken for the first time last night. And except for having to keep chasing Biscuit away from him, it went pretty well. He ate most of the first bit Darrin gave him, then came back for more. And the bonus is, if he drops any, we don't have to clean it up!
Yeah, so I decided to get Darrin a street directory for Christmas, because he likes them. So I had a look in his office to see which ones he didn't have yet. And then last Tuesday I went to a Christmas lunch at the school with Darrin & some of his workmates. After this I took the car and went to the RAA office. Caleb, of course, fell asleep on the way there. It's about a 10 minute trip from the school to there. And it was about 32 degrees and humid as a humid thing, and I'm thinking, oh great, he's JUST fallen asleep and I'm going to have to get him out of the seat and into the yucky outdoor air again.
But luckily he slept through me getting him out of the seat, into the shop, out of the shop, and back into the seat. Anyway. I'm in the shop, and I see a Melway street directory and a Sydway street directory. And I was pretty sure I remembered he already had the Melway, so I picked the Sydway, and paid for it, and went back to the car with a sleeping 10 kilogram baby on my shoulder. Got him back into the car, got the aircon back on, and drove off to Hollywood Plaza to do some other shopping (where he woke up when I got him into the pram).
And by the time I finished there it was time to go get Darrin at work. So I packed the Sydway in the bottom of the nappy bag and went off to pick him up. Then we came home, and I shut myself in the bedroom to wrap all the presents I'd purchased that day. And I decided I'd just double check the office and make sure I'd grabbed the right street directory.
Yep, you guessed it. He already had the Sydway.
So conveniently I had a chiro appointment the next afternoon, so I needed the car anyway. So we got up early-ish and dropped Darrin off at work, then off to the RAA AGAIN to exchange the gift. But of course the lady at the counter doesn't do exchanges very often, so it had to be a refund and then a new purchase.
But anyway, he got his Melway in the end, so it's all good.
Just in the middle of uploading a bunch of new Caleb pictures.
Too late and too tired right at the moment, but in the next few days I'll try to find time to tell you the funny story I mentioned, and tell you all about Caleb's first Christmas.
Had a router problem yesterday. Nobody could get in, and we couldn't get out either. So we just spent the day playing Open TTD at each other and entertaining Caleb.
So I think my veggie garden is pretty much kaput. Or at least till we get some decent rain. Don't know if any of the things I've planted will just sit dormant till then or if they're just dead. I guess we'll find out eventually.
And unfortunately, all the fruit on our peach tree is shriveling up, and the leaves are all wilted. I'm hoping it's just lack of water and it comes good again, but it's been that way for a week even after we've watered it, so this year may be a lost cause. I just hope the tree itself survives to next year. I really liked those peaches.
But on a happier note, I picked about 3.5 kilograms (7.5 pounds) of apricots this morning, and there's still more intact ones within reach, which I'll go out and grab later. So if you're one of our friends in Adelaide, and you'd like some free apricots, yell out. Or, you know, just post a comment or something.
So Caleb had his first taste of apricot this week. He made a face and a "bleah" noise, so I don't think they're quite his thing at the moment. I ate the rest of the apricot and it was a bit strong, so I can understand why he didn't like it. It wasn't one from our tree, although our tree does have a lot of ripe ones. Should get out there and pick them when it gets cooler tomorrow....
He also tasted watermelon for the first time yesterday. Had a funny look on his face at first, but he went straight back into it, and got REALLY upset with me when I took it away to get the rest of the seeds out (it was a seedless melon, but you know how those are, they still have those thin white immature seeds in them). So I think we have a winner there. Of course his white shirt ended up pink, but that's nothing that a wash and a day in the sun won't fix.
And today I had a banana, and he took a strong interest in it when he saw me with it. So I let him have a bite or two, and he thanked me by smearing it all over my shirt.
They don't do this in the US, at least not that I've ever heard of, but down under, Christmas is the time for hampers. You order them in December, for NEXT December, and pay it off over the coming year. So I just had a look at a few of the hamper companies, and actually found a few hampers that we might use. I thought they were mostly pantry stuff that we don't really use much of, but they have some meat hampers as well.
And then I counted up the kilograms, and did some maths, and worked out how much per kilogram. And once I picked myself up off the floor, I decided I won't be ordering a hamper this year. Or any year, till they get a lot cheaper anyway.
Because I tend to buy meat that's on sale, for around $6-$7/kilogram. If I know it's good meat, or it's something special, I'll go as high as $10/kilogram. But this meat in the hampers is anywhere from $15-$16/kilogram. Um, yeah, ouch. I mean, I like a good steak as much as the next person, but I like a good bargain too. And I'm afraid that ain't it.