Dear Florence,

Well the very exciting news from this neck of the woods is that I am pregnant. Tallboy and I are so thrilled - the night before last he was able to feel the baby kick for the first time. I am now over the difficult daily ritual of "morning" sickness (which for me often lasted until dinner time), and only occasionally feel unwell. It's amazing what a difference wellness makes to one's mood! It's now possible to really relish in all the goodwill and wishes that surround us, and to fully appreciate how nice it is when other people are excited about your own good news.

The weather is just beginning to turn, and it won't be much longer until we can leave our coats at home in the cupboard. For the past week or so, it's been possible to catch a glimpse of the sunset when leaving work, rather than walking straight out into the rapidly falling night. I love Autumn and Winter, yet I can't help but fall prey to a sense of hope and openness when the warmer weather begins to appear after months of burrowing down in the cold.

It's almost exactly a year since we moved from the bustle of Potts Point to our little getaway in the burbs, surrounded by trees and birds. It has been a year of immense change, but I must admit I feel settled and content. As I write this, the cat is curled up on my lap, displaying her own sense of contentment, and accentuating mine. It's been lovely writing this, but the real world awaits...

Dear Florence

It’s been a while between blog posts tarted up (in what some might think a rather naff conceit) to look like letters, but I am back! I have a new job, a new laptop, and quite a lot of homemade stock in the freezer, so I am happy.  

Tallboy and I have just had a brief little stay-at-home holiday. It involved a lot of naps, as well as…. Well I will be honest - it was mostly naps. I managed to squeeze in a bit of culture though - I took a solo jaunt into Chippendale to the White Rabbit Gallery. I really enjoyed it, but I found the streetscape outside and on the way just as inspiring as the artwork inside. I would like to go back in a few months and see a different collection of work. There is a hugely tall wall up one side of the staircase that stretches up three floors, and it is covered in what I assume are more permanent elements of the collection. Now that I come to think of it, this is where I found the stuff I really liked, so I suspect a return visit would be worth it.

I have now had a week back at work (exhausting!), followed by another weekend. Sunday was one of those picturesquely perfect Sydney days, where the sun was bright and the weather was mild. We went for a walk and ended up buying lunch from an utterly adorable cafe and taking it to the nearby oval to watch a baseball game. It was an afternoon of quiet little surprises and simple pleasures.

Later in the evening I christened a new cookbook by making osso bucco with green lentils. The whole apartment was filled with delicious, comforting aromas, and it tasted fantastic. I am very keen to cook some more things from the book, and when I have done this I will give it a proper review. I would write the name of the book here but I am writing this in bed and it’s really warm and cosy so I just can’t find the motivation to get up and double check the title. But it’s fabulous, trust me.

Dear Florence
Our old apartment was sold last week. I am two weeks into a new job and Tallboy is about to take on a new role at work. It really is the end of one chapter and the start of another.

One of my biggest stresses at the moment is feeling the crushing weight of too many books to read. I am almost scared that life is so easy, good and nice. For such a very long time life was excruciatingly hard. And then it slowly began to get better, in small but sure steps. I am quietly stunned that the steps have led to this point. I have an exciting job, a beautiful man, and a sweet cat. I live in a a lovely apartment surrounded by trees. My new job is quite a commute but I am finding the train trips an excellent chance to read more so I am very happy with the trade off.

I am writing this by the bedroom window, and glancing up periodically to look at the gorgeous wall of green through the window. It's mid afternoon and the weather is that typically perfect day that Sydney seems to get more than her fair share of- warm and clear and sunny. I am enjoying the tranquility.

GB

Dear Florence,

On Friday night I felt like I had actually, finally, mentally, moved in. I was home alone after work and several unassuming moments over the course of the evening cemented the feeling that I was home rather than in a nice holiday rental that bizarrely had completely identical furniture to my own.

I was unpacking a few more things, and the spare room was starting to look more like a room and less like a laundromat that had been raided by particularly unfeeling mobsters looking for the jacket of which their godfather had accidentally left several thousand dollars and a photograph of his moll in the pocket. I found the radio/ phone dock so I plugged it in and cranked up some of my favourite tunes. I alternated between cooking dinner (my go-to comfort food of chickpeas, tomatoes, rice and feta) and more unpacking, all the while singing loudly. And I was home.

A little later on, Tallboy came home and we had a lovely, laidback Friday night dinner. It seemed like the first chance either of us had had to completely stop and relax for several weeks. On Saturday morning we concluded the unpacking and made the flat Visitor Ready before strolling to Ashfield and eating Chinese dumplings for lunch. We bought up a cornucopia of winter vegetables which I am now going to roast according to the recipe from a cookbook we  are publishing in November... so I'd better get roasting.

Love from Girlbooker

Dear Florence,

All the books are packed up and so is most of the kitchenware. We are moving to Summer Hill in two days and I can hardly believe it. I have never lived so many train stations away from the cbd before. I know it isn't far by Sydney standards but it will be a big change for me. Or maybe I won't even notice. Can't wait to find out either way!

I am looking forward to sharing all my discoveries with you about our new home. For now, life is somewhat chaotic. I will make a final visit to our local Saturday markets this morning but there is no point in buying flowers or anything much that I would do normally, because it will all need to be packed up and moved.

I have noticed more clearly with this move than previous ones how much comfort I derive from hoarding food like a squirrel hoards nuts for Winter. I feel in control of life when I have pre-cooked bolognese and soup in the freezer. Popping a few extra things into the shopping basket to stock up the cupboards is something I have had to stop myself from doing for a few weeks and it's been tough. I think I like the sense of being amongst abundance.

Yesterday I picked up the keys for the new place and did a quick local shop of some non-perishable food. Yes, I did buy Earl Grey tea from France and Tick Tock biscuits because I haven't seen them for years which probably wasn't strictly necessary but I got useful stuff too! I promise! I'm a bit in love with the new local supermarket which is an IGA. I've been getting so sick of Woolies flooding the shelves with their own brands at the expense of all those local (and not so local) companies. Two weeks ago they stopped stocking the rice pasta we like which was just irritating. I hate that feeling that everything is just converging to a bland, uniform averageness of blah.

Having all my cookbooks packed up is more discombobulating than I thought. They represent such a source of nourishment and I didn't realise how much I would miss having that on hand when I needed it. Sometimes just looking at the shelf makes me feel better, without even opening any of the books. Just knowing all the love and thoughtfulness and care that is represented in those books is enough to make me feel lightened. I had a pretty tough week at work so was looking for a bit of serenity more urgently (paradox?) than I normally would. Anyway, I am glad I have found this out about myself. And I am so excited about the moment when I can unpack those books and place them in their new home.

So much to get done today so I'd better go and do it!

Love from Girlbooker