We went wandering this morning, out in the rather torrid heat, to play with Caitlin and Havana. After a rather delightful time at Smooch, where Havana (my favourite 2 year old) and I mucked around laughing and shooting her porpoise water pistol at the plants (and each other), we headed up to the Fort Greene flea market. If anything spells the “arrival” of our neighbourhood it’s this… the torrents of people wandering up Lafayette St every Sunday making sure that we can never afford to buy here. From the end of July we can’t even afford to rent… but that’s another, sadder, story.

I’d hoped to see and finally meet Jenna and Mark from Sweet fine day but they were nowhere to be found. A very find sandwich from the grumpy guys at Choice and we were back home.

Food – life seems a grand exploration of food and babyness at the moment. Kitchen as relaxation, and the feeling of slightly smug virtue that I’m providing for the “family”. Today it was more Banana bread – mmmm – and this evening a Bouillabaisse; my favourite thing to do with bits and pieces of fish and squid. At yesterday’s farmer’s market I’d got some rather luscious and firm Monkfish and a bunch of fresh squid, so this was the obvious thing to make. Enough to freeze and eat over many a sweet fine day.

Bouillabaisse

_serves 4-6 _

• 2 medium onions, diced fine
• 3 or so carrots, diced fine
• 1 fennel bulb, sliced fine
• small bunch of parsley, including stalks, diced.
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely ground/pounded
• 2 stalks celery
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbs olive oil (or so)
• dab of chili to taste
• 500ml fish stock (I cheated and used water + thai fish sauce + bonito flakes)
• pinch saffron threads
• pinch turmeric
• grated rind of half an orange
• half dozen or so peppercorns
• 14oz (375g?) tin of peeled whole tomatoes
• 1 lb (500g) firm fish – cod, monkfish, almost anything
• 1 lb (500g) squid, sliced into thin rings.

In a dutch oven or similar heavy saucepan saute vegetables, parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns, garlic & fennel seeds for around 40 minutes on low until soft. Keep mostly covered.

When soft turn up head and cook on medium/high until caramelized, stirring regularly to prevent sticking.

Add tomatoes, stock, turmeric, saffron & orange rind and cook at low simmer for around 1 hour, adding squid after 10 min.

Add fish (cut into 2cm chunks) and cook for 10 min or until clearly done. Garnish with parsley and serve with toasted bread rubbed with olive oil.

Wednesday, day 5. Massages for mum and dad, then very nice brick oven pizza and a beer (for dad). Plus a first dose of a bar filled with very loud Michael Jackson. I think she was boogying along inside the car seat stuck under the table.

Hey, I guess this parenting thing ain’t too bad so far.

I’m not sure how much bigger Ms M can get… but I’m liking those Pilates muscles.

The good news is that we’ve found a new place.

It’s in Boerum Hill, another bit of Brooklyn not too far from our current abode, but far enough away that Fort Greene Park is separated from us by a major road crossing (Flatbush Ave) and a massive psychological hurdle. The new apartment is nice, in an old building, but sandwiched between two large “projects”. I guess we’ll find out what it’s like to live there, but I have high hopes. Particularly of the kitchen.

The bad (bad bad bad) news is that this means we’re moving away from my “local” – the wondrous cafe Smooch. I’ll miss the place and people, the food and beer, even discounting the feeling of being a part of the ‘hood, with familiar faces and a chilled space. Not to mention the great conversations – “Nigel, I’ve got a problem – I’m the key witness at this murder trial in Australia.”

Then there’s the coffee. Somehow Basquali gets it just right. Great beans, a passion for making it well and training folks, and a good, regularly cleaned machine. I get sentimental about it – I was walking past the day before Smooch opened, and Bas had the brand new machine up on the bench, freshly connected according to the instruction manual, and was sitting there with a bemused expression on his face.

“Nige, you know how to use one of these things?”

“Do I ever.”

The worst news is that my best hope for a local cafe has unbelievably bad coffee. Perhaps it’s just an aberration, but this morning it definitely tasted like the machine hadn’t been cleaned in days or weeks. And perhaps the temperature of the boiler was wrong.

Personally I blame my coffee fascism on “the Gods” cafe back in Canberra. Seems strange, but Di made me into the coffee lover I am today with years of perfect morning latte’s and short black espresso’s. Good LaVazza beans and the yearly visit from a short Italian gentleman who would run a boot camp of sorts for those of us who worked behind the machine.

Or was it further back? Once upon a time I was 22 and had probably drunk 3 sips of coffee in my life, mostly instant, and spat out every bitter drip. Then I found myself living in Kakadu and heading out into the bush every weekend with my mate Pete, finding secluded waterholes and waterfalls, canyons filled with rainforest and billabongs that, unknowningly, hosed 6m crocs (a story for another time). We made a habit of a cuppa before retreating to our mozzie nets (it was the dry season) – Pete would make his espresso on an old 2 cup Bialetti machinato, and, abusing me for not liking coffee, would condescend to make me a hot chocolate at the same time. After about 2 months I was sipping away one night, perhaps down by Motorcar Falls, and saw him grin.

“What?”

“Your drink. I’ve been adding more and more coffee every night for months. That’s about half espresso.”

“Drug dealing bastard.”

Phew….

Been a bit busy lately, what with the squidge baking nicely (2-5 weeks now to go), a conference in Washington DC (ISCRAM), catching up with old friends there, having to look for a new house (man, that timing sucks doesn’t it – thanks Mr Landlord for kicking us out), and the small thing of building this. Yep, the MSFT team kicked into high gear and I found myself, for possibly the 4th or 5th time, writing the specs and designing an information portal for UN humanitarian response coordination.

Did I say enough already?