Where did the good old days go?

Oh western boiled aubergines! What is the world coming to? Life used to be so uncomplicated. And food used to be just plain and simple.

Joanna stayed with us a couple of weeks ago and she cooked some of the meals while she was here. I’m not sure who taught her to cook but I don’t think it was Mummy. Mummy cooks things like crumbed fish fillets (the ones that come in a box), oven fries and peas, Joanna on the other hand cooks homemade crumbed fish with a splash of lemon accompanied by kumera chips and coleslaw on a bed of spinach.

And get this, on the Saturday she cooked roast cauliflower quinoa with haloumi kababs.

Now don’t get me wrong. Joanna is an absolutely fantastic cook and the meals she makes not only taste yummy, they look yummy too. The problem is that Mummy has been trying to follow in Joanna’s footsteps. BADLY! She’s been trying out new recipes and the worst thing is, she’s been trying them out on me!

I mean honestly, what’s wrong with the cucumber sandwiches Mummy used to make me? But Mummy got it into her head that they can be improved and she’s gone and made me cucumber sandwiches with dill and creme fraiche. Not only do they taste uncucumber-sandwich-like, they don’t even look like proper cucumber sandwiches.

I hope this phase isn’t going to last very long or the next thing Mummy will be doing is serving me up carob mice instead of chocolate ones.

And I’m not sure I would be able to cope with that.

Close encounters of the Owl Kind

Oh fluttering chocolate mice! What an adventure.

It all started the other night. Me and Mr Smiley Face Sunshine were trying to hit Oxford with rubber bands while Mummy was working on her computer, when we all heard a most glorious noise coming from outside.

A morepork was moreporking and he sounded so very very close.

We all stopped what we were doing (much to the relief of Oxford I think) and we listened hard. Yes, it was definitely a morepork and yes, he was definitely close. So very very close. Like in next door’s garden close.

I begged and I pleaded with Mummy to take me outside so I could introduce myself but Mummy said she wouldn’t because the morepork would get frightened. So I promised so very very hard to be a very very quiet little owl and eventually Mummy agreed.

Oh and I was so very excited. This was the closest I had ever got to a morepork. Just the walls and windows separating us, and now I had the chance to get even closer.

Mummy picked me up and very very quietly opened the ranch slider door and we ever so silently stepped outside on to the deck and listened.

And do you know what? Oh do you know what? Oh chocolate mice beyond imagination. The morepork must have known we were there because he stopped moreporking and flew over our heads and over the roof of our house. He was so very very close.

We could see his outline against the night sky. He glided past ever so silently and gracefully and all we heard was a “whoosh”. I had tingles all over my feathers for ages and ages.

And then suddenly it was all over. Mummy carried me back inside and told me to tidy up and then get ready for bed.

I was sad that it was bed time and I had to pick all the rubber bands up but do you know what? It really didn’t matter very much because nothing could destroy my happiness right at that moment.

I had seen a real live morepork .