Family

I just strayed onto this poignant blog post, and it reminded me how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. The post struck a chord, because we lost our first child, stillborn at full term. We went on to have two beautiful children who alternately bring joy and endless madness into our lives, but we wouldn't be without them.

Getting from A to B

This week, my wife and daughter are away on a camp. My son is booked into a day camp for the week. I dropped him off this morning then drove on to work, and had to leave work in time to collect him again.

Timing is everything.

And it's something I've started to take for granted.

And I shouldn't.

On the way up the highway, it suddenly struck me that I was enjoying a luxury that I never used to enjoy. I left work for a 25km journey, and arrived within minutes of when I was expecting to. And that was nothing unusual. Barring the occasional accident on the highway, my daily commute is unbelievably reliable and stress-free. Something to be thankful for!

Home baking

My family & I have enjoyed home-baked bread for many years. I buy buns for the kids but rarely buy a loaf, other than one to keep in the freezer for emergencies. Every weekend I get out the breadmaker and knock up a couple of loaves to see us through the week.

Most of the time, they come out well. Sometimes not. I've no idea what I do differently, but there are so many variables that it's impossible to control them all precisely.

Today I set one going. Came home from walking the dog, opened up the lid. Uh-oh, hasn't risen anywhere near enough. Darn it!

I was pissed for a while, but then I thought: it's still fresh bread. It'll taste OK anyway. Whatever's left will be good for breadcrumbs. And, when I think about it, I'm lucky to be able to enjoy fresh bread at all. How many people in the world would envy me this luxury, even if it didn't come up to my usual standard?