What do I want to call it? How do I want it to look? Do I want a post slider? One or two columns? Oh I like her blog, I wonder how she did that. Man I’ve been doing this for hours and I still can’t work out how to create a menu. Oh wow, this theme is fabulous. Continue reading
At 6am this morning, my brother and I were woken by the thud of our Grandmother’s footsteps stomping down the passage. Eventually we rose and greeted our Grandma. She was sitting at the kitchen table in her dressing gown, with the radio on. Her hair was set in rollers, tied with a blue and orange patterned scarf. She had a cigarette in one hand, and a pen in the other. A half drunken cup of tea, white with no sugar, lay beside her opened puzzle book. She likes the puzzles that look like a crossword but you just put different numbers in instead. I don’t remember what they are called, but I like them too.
She said good morning, and opened her right arm for a cuddle. She promptly got up and made us breakfast. Toast. Country split white bread (you know, the one with the holes in it) with melted butter and just a smidge of vegemite. For herself she gathered weet-bix, topped with all bran and nutri grain. We all sat down with our puzzle books, eating our breakfast and drinking milos out of bone-coloured plastic mugs.
After breakfast, Grandma headed out to the sewing room. For there were quilts to be made and slacks to be hemmed. Ben and I busied ourselves with colouring books, and fought over who got to play Theme Park world on Grandma’s Windows XP computer. A sewing friend popped in for a visit, and Grandma promptly baked a batch of scones. She makes the best date scones. She bragged about how good we were doing at school, and topped the scones with butter so thick that it almost resembled cheese.
For lunch we headed down to a local cafe. I enjoyed a sprite spider and Grandma ordered fish and chips, with extra chips ofcourse. If Grandma hadn’t had time today, we probably would have just had ham & cheese sandwiches, or toasted those frozen McCains ham & pineapple pizzas. Although if we were really lucky, the old fashioned skillet would have been on the stove cooking a batch of pikelets.
After lunch we went for a drive to Cavendish. We generally go random places like that. We haven’t done that for a long time though, Grandma has been busy preparing for Sheepvention. So just the other day, whilst the sewing ladies were putting the final touches on this years quilt, Lisa and I went and played in the pines. We raided the pantry hoping for some chocolate royals or chocolate-coated teddy bear biscuits, but ended up with some malt-o-malt biscuits and out of date Le Snaks. We spent the afternoon exploring, making wishes in toadstool rings and somehow convinced ourselves that there were black bras hanging in the trees, and someone was actually living in there. We can be so silly sometimes.
Tonight we’re having a family dinner. A roast. You should smell it. Grandma is busy peeling potatoes and chopping pumpkin. I can’t see any jelly though, so the peas must be coming boiled. Thank god, they’re bad enough as they are. Mum and Dad will arrive soon, and my uncle, aunty and cousins will too. The long green stool will be fetched from the middle bedroom, and the table extended. The camping set of white knives and forks will be retrieved from the top cupboard, and promptly placed next to the plastic salt and pepper shakers. James will probably do something naughty, and grandma will go after him with a fly swat. Ben, on the other hand, will just be being the golden child he is.
For dessert we are having bread and butter pudding. I’m not sure if I like it, but it sure is a change from the vanilla ice cream topped with sprinkles and chocolate topping we normally have.
But here’s the thing.
We aren’t having a family dinner tonight.
I’m not spending the day with my Grandma,
and I definitely didn’t have a sprite spider for lunch.
This is just a tribute.
For one year ago today, we said goodbye and let the angels take our dear old Grandma Marie to heaven.
I know she is up there enjoying a cup of tea with Gwen, and no doubt bossing everyone around. There will be salads with no cucumber, and two thermos’ filled ready to take to hockey. I’m sure there is a quilt being made for Layla too, and she’s probably not happy with Ben’s unwashed hair or dad’s ripped work pants.
But most of all, I’m sure she is up there with a smile on her face, proud as punch and wiggling her fore finger at us through the clouds.
Rest in peace Grandma Marie.
The world is definitely not the same without you.
Emma xo
So yesterday I handed in my last ever uni assignment. Cue applause. While that is fabulously exciting, I also handed back the whole I-know-what-I’m-doing-for-the-next-few-years-safety-blanket thing, and in return, received this whole graduating dietitian thing.
Reality has hit and it’s time to accept that a life of working, living and weekend breakfasts in Melbourne’s inner suburbs one month after graduation is possibly a dream. But that’s fine, dreams do come true – I wouldn’t be who or where I am today if they didn’t.
To let you all get to know a little bit more about me and celebrate the beginning of my journey as a graduating dietitian, I am going to do what’s essential to dietetic practice and reflect. Reflect on the past four and a half years of my life.
So, what has happened?
On February 24, 2010 I left my home in Western Victoria and moved to Melbourne to start my university degree. Since then I have lived in three suburbs (Burwood, Chadstone and Chadstone Shopping Centre), at four addresses, with nine very different people, two rabbits, and a cat. Ah, student life.
I commenced the Bachelor of Food Science and Nutrition at Deakin with the aim of getting into the Master of Dietetics program. I soon learnt how competitive the latter course was. I remember sitting in my first nutrition lecture with 120 other first-year students – the lecturer (I think it was Tim Crowe) asked who was aiming to get one of 45 spots in the Masters program after graduation. I swear about 100 people put their hand up.So I worked hard. I achieved great results, volunteered with Nutrition Australia, became a Jump Rope for Heart student ambassador and emailed countless dietitians for work experience.
During this time my housemates and I hosted a glitter party in our apartment (I don’t recommend doing this at all), helped each other procrastinate, house trained rabbits and most importantly, became great friends.
The final Harry Potter movie was released, and my heart was stolen by Patrick from Offspring and Chobani greek yoghurt. I tried to sell surf life saving merchandise in shopping centres (I don’t recommend this either), and I stood beside my cousin as she married her high school sweetheart. I had stints at the gym, tried Zumba for a while (and never got the body they advertised), and a love for HIIT treadmill sessions came and went.
And I was accepted into the Master of Dietetics program.
Suddenly, spending weekends in the Deakin Library with my fellow APD2be’s was as social as my life got. I learnt how to get a good parking spot at uni, documented every single food product in the supermarket (tedious 220 page assignment – hope this years students realise how lucky they are) and formed friendships that will last a lifetime.
I started running. Not the scream-at-myself-to-run-more-than-100m running, but real running. I even participated in my first ever fun run, the 15km Run for the Kids, and have since completed the MS Fun run twice.
I became obsessed with all things peanut butter, breakfast, Urbanspoon and Instagram.
I also said goodbye to my dear grandmother.
A grandmother who made the best date scones, always asked for extra cream and if she could hear anything without her hearing aids, it was the sound of her liquorice all-sorts jar being raided. From the other end of her house.
Late last year, I hopped on a plane and flew 22 hours and 20 minutes to the other side of the world. Solo. For five weeks I climbed wonderful things, enjoyed mindblowingly good food, met amazing people and learnt so much about European history & culture. I celebrated the New Year in Paris and my dream of going to Hogwarts finally came true.
This year I have started enjoying long walks, and spent seven weeks living at my brother’s house, or should I say, zoo. Two snakes, a bearded dragon, two rats and four fish tanks. Oh, and Stumpy the footless budgie. Enough said.
I still smash out the occasional 10km run (just to remind myself I can still do it) and a few weeks ago I bought a bike.
Isn’t it beautiful?
I’ve seen the nutrition world evolve with ‘clean eating’ and coconut oil. Sugar became poison, and gluten free has become a way of life for many, even those without Coeliac disease. We began to eat quinoa, chia seeds and acai berry smoothie bowls, and everyone started hailing kale. Obesity rates in Australia rose to their highest and we were shocked to hear that a majority of Aussie kids don’t know bananas grow on trees.
My own views of food and nutrition have evolved too. Melbourne and foodie friends have expanded my palate, and I find myself doing crazy things like buying brussels sprouts. I no longer categorise foods as good or bad, and I believe it’s okay to indulge in the wonderful foods in life.
Just make sure it tastes good. Eat it slowly and savour the flavour. Don’t do it every day and try move a little more.
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So really, life has been pretty good. The past eighteen months completing dietetics has been an emotional rollercoaster, but I’ve loved it and I wouldn’t change a thing.
Clinical placement was a ball-breaking (it’s the only way to explain it) ten weeks of my life, it really tested me. Goodness it was hard. Some days I just wanted to crawl under my patient’s bed and cry. But I pushed through, I learnt what my strengths were, personally and professionally, and I learnt my weaknesses. I loved it and I really can see myself as a clinical dietitian.
Taking on Europe solo was probably the scariest thing I’ve ever done, for both me and my mother. I don’t think she slept for five weeks. But that feeling when you finally get off the plane and realise you’re actually on the other side of the world, wow. The first time you see a red telephone booth, a black taxi, a double decker bus, Big Ben or realise you’re exploring the Monopoly board, wow. And that’s just London.
The whole five weeks exploring Europe was wow.
I absolutely loved it and came home with a new appreciation of how lucky we are to live in Australia.
Overall, I’ve really learnt a lot about myself and who I want to be.
I’ve learnt that I need to experience difficult times because they challenge me, teach me appreciation and make me who I am today.
I’ve learnt to appreciate the little things in life.
Being able to move to Melbourne, attend university, travel the world.
Being able to run, eat home grown broccoli and spend time with my family.
I’m really lucky.
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So, where to from here?
I don’t know. Whilst that scares the shit out of me, it’s all a bit exciting.
But for now, I hope you join me in my love affair with food.
Emma xo
Broccoli & blueberries 