This time last year by Amy Andrews

This time last year, I was in Frace, with my family. My extended family too - my brother and his family and my dad was there as well. 

We went for the 100th anniversary of the battle for Villers Bretonneux fought by the Australian army which just happens to fall on another very important day for Australians and NZ'ers - 25th of April or Anazac day. 

We spent 3 weeks in rural France travelling all around the old Western Front as well as Normandy and went to the dawn service at the war memorial at Villers which was very moving (also freezing and rainy..)

After that we spent 2 weeks in a tiny village in the Loire valley in a gorgeous old house where 2 sets of friends joined us over the course of that time. It was wonderful and relaxing. The weather was lovely and we drank French wine and ate French cheese in the lovely gardens and visted all the nearby markets and several of the chateaus that make the area famous.

It was the first time we'd really explored rural France and I cant recommend it highly enough! And I can't wait to go back.

So, what about you? What were you doing this time last year?

Are you living your dream? – Kandy Shepherd

Recently, my younger brother died suddenly and unexpectedly. It was sad, distressing and I don’t know when I’ll get over the shock and loss. However the upside of the tragedy was I was able to spend significant time with my middle brother. He lives on the other side of the country, and before that in Europe, so I haven’t seen much of him at all in recent years. It was amazing the details of shared lives that siblings seem to remember. He reminded me of all sorts of things I’d forgotten.

 

During our most recent conversation I observed we are quite an eccentric family. He laughed as he agreed but said we have all achieved our dreams, one way or another. “You always wanted to be a romance writer,” he pointed out. Our deceased younger brother became a rock musician later in life, not on a large scale but known and loved in the area where he lived—living the dream of singing and playing guitar on stage. Another has a string of non-fiction books in his area of expertise to his name. The other has the lifestyle he dreamed of and knows he has made a difference through activism.

It got me thinking. Yes, I am living the dream of being a romance writer—and very happy about it too! But I’m also living the dream of being happily married and the mother of a wonderful daughter. How fortunate I am!

Other friends are living the dream of seeing the world now they’re retired. Another is totally caught up in her longed for first baby. Yet another is taking art classes for the first time and discovering her talent. My husband, in middle age, has achieved his dream of cycling across some of the highest alps in Europe. My daughter has her own horse—a dream since she was tiny. Another young person is delighted to have a job and be able to pay rent on her own place. 

So many different dreams motivating and inspiring us!

PS. My other oft-stated dream when I was a kid? To live in a lovely house and have lots of cats. As I live in a nice house with four much-loved cats, I think I can check that one off the dream list too! (Don’t mention to my husband that I’d like to foster homeless cats one day—because that’s definitely not his dream as he fears I wouldn’t be able to part with them!)

What about you? Have you achieved a dream of some kind that pleases you? Do you still aspire to a dream? Is there a dream you had to give up on? Please share your story with us. I’d love to hear it!

Other people's recipes – Kandy Shepherd

Do you have his/hers/theirs recipes in your house? I love cooking, it’s a hobby as much as a household necessity. My husband is a good cook. He says that’s only because he can read a recipe but it’s more than that. When I was in my day job, often working long hours, he did more cooking than I did. Husband tends to specialise in stir-fries and omelettes. He never, ever bakes—wouldn’t dare, he says. I love baking probably best of all!

I like baking and trying new recipes! This decadent treat is German Chocolate Cake from the Joy of Baking website

My daughter, the dietitian-in-training, enjoys cooking too. Her specialities tend to be very healthy and often vegetarian. She surprises us with the deliciousness of dishes I would never have thought of cooking. Her salads are supreme. And she keeps us healthy with fresh vegetable juices.

Fresh green juice courtesy of my daughter

The thing is, none of us in the family cooks what the others cook. The dish and the glory that goes with it belongs to the person who cooks it. We enjoy it all the more because of that.  And it feels strange if we veer away from that. It’s like a form of infidelity.

Yesterday, my husband was scheduled to cook. Suddenly there was a minor emergency with his work. This meant I had to cook his planned dinner. This had never been done before. But the ingredients had been purchased. Nothing else was planned. I had to tackle his specialty of Japanese Chicken With Brown Rice—more commonly known as Dad’s Japanese chicken and a real favourite. The recipe comes from a wonderful Weight Watchers cookbook, published in Australia. I can’t find the book at the moment or I’d give you the name of it! We work from a photocopy we made to save the cookbook from kitchen spills.

It’s a flavoursome dish made with chicken, baby eggplant (aubergine), baby (Dutch) carrots and ingredients like Tamari (Japanese soy sauce) and Mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine). Was I up for it? I went into the kitchen with some trepidation.

My attempt at Dad's Japanese chicken (those are not dead bananas in there but baby eggplant/aubergine!)

Cooking hubby’s favourite recipe was like wearing someone else’s clothes that didn’t quite fit. I did my best. However I couldn’t resist tinkering. I added some sesame oil to the peanut oil. Snuck in a fat clove of garlic. He hadn’t bought gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli) to serve with it. I used ordinary broccoli I had in the fridge. Fried the eggplant first as I think eggplant tastes better that way (thus using a bit more oil than the Weight Watchers allowance.) And didn’t have any green onions to garnish it with.

My husband graciously told me my version tasted better than his. I didn’t agree. It tasted good. Very good. But it wasn’t the same as when he made it. I like it so much better when it’s Dad’s dish. (And, okay, when I don’t have to cook it!)

I’ve found the recipe online, as well as being tasty, it’s also easy! Here it is: Weight Watchers Japanese Chicken with Brown Rice.

Do you have any family favourite dishes? Maybe one that is jealously guarded? A favourite that you like to make? I’d love to see your comments!