In Sickness and In Health

Over the past 6 weeks David and I have had a little taste of that aspect of our vows.
To his credit David has been amazing, and I’m sure it has been frustrating at times! Having broken my foot at a friend’s house ( I slipped and fell, landing on a bike with my foot beneath me!) I have been very much out of action.

I suffered a lot of pain with 3 broken bones and have been unable to work, walk, and pretty much do anything for myself. To get as far as the bathroom or the lounge I’d hobble on crutches, to go out anywhere we made use of a wheelchair.

I am lucky enough to have a husband who works from home and was able to care for me. During this time I was obviously not bringing in an income for most of it, reminding us also of the words ‘For richer, for poorer’!.

It has been a tricky experience, during which we have realized just how small our shower is (it is not built for a chair!) and I have become very familiar with the sponge bath. We have spent almost a full 6 weeks no more than a room apart with him pretty much having to do everything for me, while also trying to keep on top of his workload.

We have realized just how unfriendly the world can be when you’re disabled – every cracked and sloped pavement is a hurdle and every store and restaurant seems to have at least a couple of stairs to get in the door.

I have been pretty wowed by David’s love and care for me as he has pushed me around outside when I just can’t take another moment cooped up in the lounge, cooked and cleaned around me, brought me books movies and craft to try to keep me amused and take my mind off what I should be doing now at work, and during the worst of my pain and medication haze even helped me wash and dress. He has been endlessly patient, tirelessly helpful, and constantly loving. It is good to know that whatever happens, I can count on him and he will be there for me. My commitment to him is just as strong, and although I hope I never have to, if he was injured and needed my care I would devote myself to him fully. Compassion is such an uplifting thing when you are hurt. David showed me how much he cared, nearly in tears himself when I was in the worst of the pain.

I am so thankful. If you think we’ve had it rough recently, see the article on a couple that contracted swine flu just before their wedding. They still got married!

Special Days & Special Nights

Oops! Another long break between posts! Ahh well, I suspect this blog is for me more than anyone else. We have had such a long lovely holiday which is sadly at its end. The time we have spent together has been so relaxed – lots of reading, picnics, movie nights at home, barbeques with friends, the odd visit to an art gallery and even some camping in the tent my parents gave us for Christmas!But we started our holiday together with a real highlight – a mini anniversary. Though only 8 months into our marriage, the 23^rd of December marked a special date for us as the evening we first met 6 years ago, as well as a year since David proposed to me. Celebrating the anniversary of your wedding is a nice way to reflect and honour your commitment, as well as acknowledge all the highs and lows you have had and are still here. It may be a little greedy for us to have celebrated December 23^rd – after all, we have April 4^th to look forward to as one year since we walked down the aisle, but I like to acknowledge all of our time together, with it’s highs, lows, and the commitment that was there even long before we signed anything or exchanged any rings. I like to look back on it all – 6 years and here we are, still together and still so in love.

During the day we went for Yum Cha, strolled through Hyde Park, drank bubble tea, visited the art gallery to view the terracotta warriors and looked at the Christmas displays in David Jones’ windows.As if that wasn’t enough, we had an extra special dinner booked which I have been meaning to rave about since that evening. By ‘friending’ Savichees Café, Bar & Tapas on facebook I entered a competition to win a free meal for two – and won! I’d known about it for a while but had a feeling it would be special so we saved it for this night. The atmosphere was just gorgeous – water views, a light breeze, ships in the harbor and a wander through a little park just by the restaurant. We were seated outside but sheltered from the slightly graying, moody sky reflected in the silver water. Our drinks were wonderful – David enjoyed a dark ale from New Zealand and I picked the Henschke Peggy Hill Riesling, recommended to accompany the ceviche, which was something I’d been really looking forward to. It was delicious. The wooden tables were candlelit and the music was soft and pleasant. As for the food – I can’t even begin to say how fantastic it was! I am not much of a food blogger but I will try.

The generous serve of ceviche was meaty - not the slimy little morsels of unidentifiable fishy mush I’ve had before. Ceviche is raw fish, cooked not by heat but by the acid of lemon juice. These pieces were firm enough to hold together on the fork yet tender enough to fall apart in the mouth. It really tasted as though it had just been caught. With plain fresh parsley and lemon juice this dish was fresh, simple, and just absolutely yum.
The seared tin can bay sea scallop salad was a great contrast of textures and flavours – crisp radish and mint, soft scallops, juicy orange pieces and a light oil dressing. Lovely.
The goats cheese, smoked eggplant and roast capsicum was such a beautiful dish – it looked like a fancy dessert. As someone who doesn’t usually like either eggplant or capsicum, it was exceptional! The vegetable components were soft and sweet, while the cheese was mild and creamy – I think even goat-phobes could enjoy this wonderfully delicate chevre.
Morcilla sausage was not something we had tried before. It was served as medallions on a bed of citrus cabbage. I had expected something like chorizo but found that it was more like black pudding. It is in fact a blood sausage! We are not squeamish about that though – it was rich and heavy and tasty, and we savoured every last bite.

The pork belly was phenomenal in both taste and presentation. Served with tiny rounds of caramelised apple and a morsel of crunchy crackling on each piece, it was as exciting in the mouth as it was to look at. The meat was as tender as if it had been cooking for days despite sitting in such perfect little cubes on the plate. It could only be surpassed by one last dish…

The out of this world, to die for, incredible, perfect duck. To be precise, seared duck breast with a star anise, cinnamon and orange reduction. Now I really wish I had the skills of a food writer – this was the best duck we have ever had, and good duck is damn hard to beat. The flavours in the reduction captured a real Chinatown feel – lingering cinnamon, sweet orange and the incomparable permeating essence of real star anise. The flavours were present right through the meat which was soft and rich without being fatty. The skin was crisp, salty and absolutely indulgent – almost like eating paper thin pieces of crisp crackling rather than the skin of a bird. And again the dish was presented so prettily I thought it would have looked at home on the cover of a magazine. Just spectacular.
The end to our feast was a very unusual dessert. We decided to order the pannacotta - a fitting choice as it was what we served at our wedding and a highlight of that meal. This particular pannacotta was vanilla bean infused with charcoal, served with champagne marinated strawberries and Swedish cider jelly. We expected perhaps a light smoky flavour and a grayish colour to the pudding. It was quite a surprise to be served a completely black dessert! Rather than altering the taste of the vanilla the charcoal added a light, silky texture. Imagine an incredibly fine sand sliding over your tongue! It enhanced the rich, creamy taste of the vanilla and was broken up by the slight sharpness of tart berries and jelly. At first I wasn’t sure I was going to like it but it was a total culinary experience, one to savour and one that I would definitely try again. We had no trouble polishing it off.
It was such a romantic evening. After meeting and complimenting the chef who was extremely kind and gracious we took a walk through the park. We highly recommend Savichees at Pyrmont to big groups, little ones, families, friends and especially couples who want a special night. It was a beautiful way to celebrate 6 years of being together.