"Crab" Cakes, Metamorphosing & WTF is with Reformer Pilates ?
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Hey Honeybunches, I've just got back from getting my covid booster & flu shot. One in each arm, stab - stab. Combined with trying Reformer pilates for the first time last night (that is a worrrrld, I did not know existed!), I'm tip-tapitee typing fast before my arms feel like lead!
While the days still feel so long & difficult for my brain, these newsletters do cause for healing reflection. I've kept cooking, pitching, parenting my dog in a loving secure-attachment way (or re-parenting myself through the act ha!), gone to therapy, studio-hopped to so many yoga classes, voice messaged friends like it's a daily journaling practice, learnt new things & kept metamorphosing - which is the vibe of the era!
But first a word on Reformer pilates - I mean this with love, but what in the world is that wOrLD?! On a whim (and wanting to try it!) I went to a beginner class at a KX studio last night & it felt like a cult! The combination of blaring music, clanging/banging machines and a cohort of attendees I felt like a raging weirdo amongst (not pilates fault), I didn't have the bestest of times. Also for someone who thought they were reasonably fit, that ruled that right out of the park! I felt like my arms were so wobbly I was a safety risk on the drive home! But all shits on it aside, I will probably give it another go (at a different studio). I can see it would be a smoother experience with a little practice & it could truly help with my pitiful arm strength situation. Anyhoo, venty review over !
*the right-photo above is - yes, a terry-toweling poncho for children (swim accessory) that I did buy, and have incorporated into my pErSoNaL sTyLe. I love it so much ahh!
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I redeemed an adult sewing class voucher this week @ the Recycled Sewing Studio in Hampton (where I had all my microbakery pop-ups), and I made a vest out of the middle panel of an old dusty blue cable jumper, adding peek-a-boo patchwork strips down each side. As I take my sensory needs seriously (following my psychologist & GP agreeing it's highly likely I'm autistic), I'm trying to lean into my wacky-wonky fashion, food, everything-preferences. Point being, this piece is warm, but I like that it resembles a tea-cosy, in that my limbs are freeeee - so I wont feel increasingly claustrophobic wearing it.
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We had the wildest of thunderstorms yesterday morning (felt like the world woke up and chose violence... or the apocalypse lol) & with that I think Autumn has marked it's arrival. Anyway, this all means Easter is around the corner (yes, yes - it's not in Spring for us southern-hemisphere-ers) & this display of Australiana chocolates I saw at our local IGA the other day truly swelled my heart. Marsupials really do make for bonny bunny substitutes!
WRITING.
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My ABC Everyday piece came out last Monday! It was such a special day omg. People actually read it! They took the time out of their day to comment & message me about how they related, some searched me out to email me with heartfelt gratitude. It was a very validating, warm fuzzy response-filled day. I don't think I've ever been that candid in pAiD oNLiNe wOrK - so I'm still riding the gratitude felt for having been granted the space to write it.
KITCHEN.
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I'm so proud of how many new things I've made in the kitchen over the last couple of weeks. I've really pushed & "taken my cooking medicine" so to speak - lovingly submitting myself to the initial discomfort, for the nervous system pay-off, self-satisfaction and everything else that cooking brings, every, single, tiiiime (how novel?!). It's all headed for my new YouTube series - but above we have an udon noodle soup, ruby noodles & buttered miso noodles.
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Buttered quinoa cinnamon porridge, banana split with hot chocolate fudge sauce & herb flecked crêpes I later stuffed with a spinach and mushroom crème.
READ.
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Lessons in Chemistry, By Bonnie Garmus | My neighbour lent me this one to read, which I happily accepted as it's everywhere (plus Nigella approved!). It's a very rEaL feeling fictitious story about a gifted (autistically coded) female chemist in the 60s dealing with sexism, the patriarchy, misogyny, having a child out of wedlock & being a single parent. It has a stunningly healthy (if probably unrealistic) romance at the heart of it, as well as a cooking show which felt very Julia Child - but also entirely original. I don't think I was the target audience, to find it as page turning as all of my mum's friends have done - but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It's visceral, very human & manages to include a talking (kinda) dog, seamlessly.
Late Bloomer: How An Autism Diagnosis Changed My Life, By Clem Bastow | I'd been meaning to read this memoir for ages, only I'd been put off by the loud glittery-ness of the cover & not being familiar with the author prior. Clem Bastow grew up in east-Melbourne and is a script writer, journalist & teacher. They were diagnosed (I think I'm remembering this correctly) at 35 and this book is about their life with the *tism, when they knew that's what it was & when they didn't. It's beautiful. I learn more about autism from first person perspectives than more official sources (although they are obviously very important). The Melbourne suburban-ness of this was delightfully relatable & as I edge closer to pursuing my own autism assessment (more on that, another day) this felt like a warm hug.
RECIPE.
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I'm sharing my recipe for Artichoke "Crab" Cakes with you today! These are morishly crunchy, fresh & gently reminiscent of the sea. They can be made into teeni-tiny versions for an appetizer or as larger patties for a midweek dinner - which will keep reliably for lunches in the following days. They're surprisingly filling (I think from the chickpea flour) & I often crave them just wrapped in an iceburg leaf dunked in garlicky dill aioli. So good!
Thank you for being here as always (even in the darker times),
Phoebe & Merlin x
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