Keeping myself busy over the holidays

With the unique combination of lots of free time and lots of help with bubba I've felt the desire to be productive with my spare time. Do things to better myself, and perhaps better the world as well. What could I do? Volunteer my services to a worthwhile cause? Take a correspondence course in quantum physics? Even work on my CV so I can actually get a job when we get to Australia?

No... instead I perfected the art of making a gingerbread house. This included carefully cutting out and building several cardboard models, baking a half size prototype a week before Christmas and then creating the final product as unveiled during our BBQ on boxing day.

If you're interested this is the recipe I settled on

And here's the finished product, I even roped Haydn in to do some decorating and uncle Adam to do some structural consulting when the roof wouldn't sit on the foundation...

The final product of my Christmas baking efforts

Showing his loyalty

Yesterday in a fit of enthusiasm I attempted to bake some healthy scones, all wholemeal flour and no sugar etc. etc. Let's just say they didn't quite work out, unless you were looking for a small wholemeal weapon or an unattractive paperweight.

This morning at breakfast I discovered the true loyalty of our 7 month old baby boy. Disinterested in his strawberry and banana breakfast I thought I'd see if he fancied a nibble on one of the aforementioned rocks... i mean scones, soaked in tea to be slightly edible. Well, the enthusiasm was enormous, in fact when he discovered his piece of scone had fallen from his hand he was visibly upset. My heart did swell.

The video below shows a dedication to him mother's cooking well beyond the call of duty!