Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

So, I have successfully read "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to Sabina. But, where did I get the book from? Well, I borrowed it from a trusted friend. Of course, she happened to have the whole set of books in a box, so she lent me the entire box.

Having enjoyed the first book, I quickly moved onto the second book. I ... moved onto the second book - not the entire family. I didn't want to start a trend, so I read the second book in secret. But, of course, inadvertently, at some point, I left it visible. Well, eyes started sparking, and mouths started watering, when the remainder of the family saw the second book lying around, my bookmark clearly somewhat through the book.

One pleading look from Sabina, and I was roped into reading the second book out aloud. We've had an absolutely brilliant time reading the second book as a family. There has been much discussion about every chapter, what happened yesterday, what clues have Harry, Ron and Hermione missed. We also have a good laugh at George and Fred's antics. (Sabina runs down the corridor screaming "Watch out! Heir of Slytherin coming through".)

My favourite moment was when Sabina actually worked out some of the clues, before they were given away in the story.

So ... it appears ... that I have started a trend after all.

Home stretch

It's another treatment day today.

I waltz into my doctor's office thinking that I have three more treatments to go after today. But not so. It turns out that, after today, I only have a mere two treatments left.

I am on the home stretch. In fact a lot further down the home stretch than I thought.

If I was waltzing going into my doctor's office, then I must have been doing a polka on my way out.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

An innocent post on my own blog about Harry Potter has led to a series of chain events, which have culminated in me reading the book to my 6 year old daughter. While reading the book, I especially focussed on the quality of reading, rather than getting through an entire chapter in one sitting. Having watched the movies, I imitated the voices of all the various characters - getting pretty close with most of them, except for Hagrid.

Sabina loved the book from the first sentence. She was totally mesmerised by the story, and plagued me to read not just in the evening, but during our afternoon siesta as well! Towards the end of the book, when Harry, Ron and Hermoine go down the trapdoor guarded by the three headed dog, Sabina was on the edge of the bed, screaming at me "No mama! They can't go down there!", and "Oh mama, what are they doing?", and "No stop! Don't go down there! Oh mama." I could hardly get a word in edgewise.

I would also like to note, that my husband was an avid listener as well. Whenever he missed an official reading session, he would catchup in his own time. (An unusual activity for him, as he is mainly an avid map-reader.)

We all thoroughly enjoyed the book, and found it a fantastic family activity.

Roast Chicken

"Remember Aussie Sundays, when the chook was worth the wait ..."

Yes, that's right, I've taken to roasting chicken. It's become our regular Saturday night dinner. Why is it that when you cook the different bits of chook separately they come out average? But when you roast the whole bird it comes out juicy, tasty and with crispy skin? Finger licking delicious! We fight over every bit - the wings, the drumsticks, the thighs, the breasts and the wishing bone.

It's also a fantastic family meal, as we argue over the different bits, and trade with crispy skin. The interaction is fantastic, and the kids just put it away.

I pulled a very simple recipe off the internet one day. It goes something like this.

Ingredients
1 chook
1 lemon
salt
oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 250 deg C.
2. Wash chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Cut lemon in half, and squeeze some of the juice over the chicken, and some inside the chicken.
4. Sprinkle salt inside the chicken.
5. Put the lemon back together again, and stuff the chicken with the lemon. Tie the legs to hold lemon in place.
6. Sprinkle salt on the chicken.
7. Pour oil on chicken.
8. Rub salt and oil into the chicken.
9. Place chicken in deep, ovenproof dish, uncovered. Chest up. Use bottom shelf in oven.
10. Roast at 250 deg C for 30 minutes.
11. Reduce oven to 180 deg C and roast (uncovered). Roasting time depends on weight of chicken - allow 1 hour of total roasting time for each 1kg of chicken. So if your chicken weighs 1.5kg then you would roast 30 minutes on 250 deg C, and then a further 1 hour on 180 deg C, for a total roasting time of 1.5 hours.

Timing
The best part about roasting chicken is the timing. Here is how it works.

• Sabina and I go for a horse ride, and return tired.
• I leave the little girl with the ponies (she is now old enough for this) and I rush back to the house, preheat the oven, get the chook sorted, and put it in the oven.
• I then rush back to Sabina, crackers and dip in hand.
• Sabina snacks while I unsaddle the ponies.
• I zip back, turn down the oven.
• Then, together, we put the ponies away.
• Then we head back to the house.  I now have one happy child, who has now regained enough energy to play, or help set the table, while I get some veggies ready.

Caveats
Almost forgot. And then we got the electricity bill.

Irritable

Chemo affects your brain function. You experience different problems such as forgetfulness, mind dullness/fogginess, and so on. One of my biggest "brain" issues is irritability.

When I was in the middle of chemo, I was very very irritable for at least two days. I used to bark commands left, right and centre. People around me, usually my closest family, thought their head was about to be bitten off all of a sudden. The irritability came and went, but it was worst just before mealtimes. (No surprises there - mealtimes delivered much needed nutrients. The irritability is just a sign that the brain is low on something).

Now, months after chemo, I still get bouts of irritability. They come at me out of nowhere, make me feel like a very irritated sabre toothed tiger, and I never really know how long they will last. 5 minutes? Half an hour? An hour?

It's really very hard to describe just how irritable I feel, but it's nothing like I've ever felt before I had chemo. Normally when you feel irritated, you feel irritated by something - and if you can remove the source then your irritability goes away. Sometimes you cannot remove the source, but you can remove yourself from the situation. Once again, problem solved.

My chemo irritability is nothing like that. It's not caused by anything. There is no reason for it. I can be in the most peaceful setting, and all of a sudden I just feel very ... very ... very irritated.

At times like these, I usually try and sit in a nice quiet spot, and just think to myself that it's not going to last forever. Sometimes, I have a snack too. But most of the time I feel too irritated to be able to organise a snack. I feel too irritated to be able to ask someone for a snack.