Order from Chaos

Winner for 5 DECEMBER 2011 - Eirwen due to Lesley being a lovely sweetheart. Next draw will now be in January.
Win my new Socktopus book, and enter a draw to win a pair of socks, custom fit and hand knit by yours truly. Help out Hong Kong Dog Rescue by donating to help them rescue, rehabilitate and rehome abandoned dogs. More details here.

Friday was a real treat – I met up with Irmgard and went to pick Sophia up from nursery.  The walk there, though short, was pretty treacherous… the sidewalks were slick with ice, and Irmgard and I held on to each other in a slightly futile attempt to prevent either of us falling down.  We decided to ditch the sidewalk and walk on the road, where the heat of the cars had mostly melted away any ice.  A lady in a wheelchair was trying to go up the corner to buy some milk – we eased her down from the sidewalk into the street where her wheels could get some purchase on the road.

Sophia’s school is much larger than I imagined – I had thought it to be a standalone nursery, but it actually has a number of years pre grade school – i think up to 6 years old.  The place was a riot of children, carers and parents.  Despite the chaotic impression, there was order to it – each year had a separate exit door, meaning parents could wait at the designated spot and keep an eye out for their kid.  Sophia’s door was right around the corner, away from the ‘big kids’ in the nursery’s own enclosed yard with separate exit.  She was one of the first out, and I got a huge running leap hug, and then a tour of her class.  She showed me their ‘shop’ – a miniature version of a small grocers with teeny veggies and baskets and till (I jokingly asked her if that was where she worked, and she, in all seriousness, replied ‘yes’), the library, the reading corner with huge cushions.  It looked like a cozy place for a nap!  We skidded back through the ice back home, Irgmard stopping for some candles.  The afternoon was spent chatting, reading Horrid Henry, making frogs, tiaras, and Sophia calling her papa on her pretend-phone, and even putting him on speaker phone.  B came back, and we (Irmgard, me then Sophia, in turn) related the afternoon to her. David called, sounding horrible – he’d had to leave work early and was home in bed.  I left the happy trio promising to come back next week, and headed home to sick hubby.

There is snow still on the ground, and more expected. I figure the cold snap probably wasn’t great for DH as the commuter boat he takes to work isn’t heated, and he really doesn’t wear quite enough to keep properly warm.  Hopefully a good two days of rest in bed will get him over the worst.

And thanks for the comments about the mantou and huajuan!  I’m going to try making baozi (meat filled buns) as it uses the same dough.  Perfect for lunch!  Haha am turning into my grandpa – when I was growing up, for lunch he always had the same thing (he was an admiral in the marines and was quite regimented that way!) –  a cup of coffee, and 2 baozi.  He always shared a wee bit of his coffee with our dogs, and a wee bit of baozi.  I could totally eat baozi every day for lunch – they iz yummy!  Though Deuce won’t get any coffee (he’s wired enough around food as it is), he loved the mantou and I know would love the baozi even more.

Eg – you gotta come! I promise will make lots and lots of Chinese food for you!