Reflections 2022

We foolishly had such hope for 2022 after two tough pandemic years.  It was another difficult year.  For me it was tough at work and at home.  There was a lot of uncertainty, tiredness, ill health.  It is one thing to reduce mitigations and another to work out what that means for all sorts of life events.  By the end of the year in Australia, many of us were still working from home at least some of the time, we had 10,734,779 covid cases (up from 395,504 in 2020-2021) and 14,813 deaths (up from 2239 in 2020-2021).  What this will mean in the long term is yet to be seen. For now the only certainty is that we have not returned to precovid life, no matter how much we want to.

View from Manchester Unity Building in city while on a tour.

We were not even over Covid when Russia invaded Ukraine, terrible floods devestated parts of the Australian east coast, airlines were back but not as we remembered them, UK tory politics were a mess, the USA shocked us with the Surpreme Court overruling of Roe vs Wade and I endured two months of terrible asthma.  Queen Elizabeth II died.  Even my sourdough starter died.  Meanwhile interest rate rises made mortgages more painful and the price of everything went up. 

We stayed in Windsor Hotel when seeing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Despite the negatives, we were able to enjoy life a bit more than in the last couple of years.  Vaccines and RATs (Rapid Antigen Tests) helped.  Ash Barty won the Australian Open tennis championship.  Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.  Patricia Piccinini at the Flinders Street Ballroom.  Grey's Anatomy.  My sister and family visited from Ireland.  Geelong won the AFL Grand Final.  Philip Island holiday.  Science Museum Exhibitions.  My new job started in October.  Christmas carols service.  Daylesford Sunday market. More swimming.  Farewell to Scott Morrison and his secret ministries.  And new hope with the new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Rose Market on a visit there and to Fitzroy Market

It was amazing that I was able to keep up my blog during this crazy year.  It was a challenge to blog every month but the monthly In My Kitchen event with Sherry's Pickings was one of the things keeping me going.  My stats were low, which I suspect might have been partly due to Google ceasing its regular updates and me not having time to set up an alternative.  (Thanks to those who emailed to let me know it was harder to follow.)  Maybe next year I will try and set up something.  Or be on my blog more!

My favorites in food:

• Most regular dish  - Stirfry  (I will post in 2023)
  
• Easy dish - One pot pumpkin, cauliflower and lentil spaghetti
• Best lunch recipe - Broccoli and miso pasties
• Best soup - Vegan mushroom and wild rice soup
• Best sweet recipe - The Kitchn's Easy brownies
• Best entertaining dish - A halloween lunch platter
• Favourite kitchen equipment - cast iron frying pan
• Favourite cafe - Wild Timor Cafe, Coburg

My favourite election placard from federal and state elections this year.

More of my 2022 favorites:

• Novel: The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird
  
• Non-fiction book: Good Pop Bad Pop by Jarvis Cocker
  
• New release film: Margrete: Queen of the North
  
• Streamed film: Booksmart
• New release television series: Fisk
• Streamed television series: Grey's Anatomy
• Non-fiction tv show:  The Last Leg
• Comedy sketch: Mark Humphreys 2022 Closing Down Sale 
• Song: Chasing cars by Snow Patrol
• Actor: James Norton
  
• Date: 22/02/2022
  

Wild waters between Coburg Lake and Merri Creek after heavy rains. 

Selection of favourite links:

• COVID Science is Moving Backwards by Benjamin Mazer, the Atlantic, 7/12/2022
• Tim Minchin: ‘Trigger warnings are a bad idea. Don’t be a condescending f**k’ by Helen Brown, inews.co.uk, 23/11/2022
• Omricons in Longjohns, Sammy J, ABC, 1/9/2022
  
• My son doesn't want to eat anymore by Megan Jane de Paulo, Independent Australia, 19/6/2022
  
• Gender bias in student surveys on teaching increased with remote learning. What can unis do to ensure a fair go for female staff? by Kathy Tangalakis et al, The Conversation, 8/3/2022
• Benall Migrant Camp
• The atomic history of Kiritimati – a tiny island where humanity realised its most lethal potential, by Becky Alexis-Martin, 4 July 2019.
• The Cultural Tutor
• Bahaha humbug: the (un)official Christmas cracker jokes for 2022 by Dominic Knight, The Age newspaper, 25/12/2022
  

My pantry after a clean up

My list of draft blog posts has grown recently as I have a bit more energy for cooking,  God willing, I might have time to write up some of it this year.  I have included a few photos from last year that I did not include in posts (top photo is Smith and Deli).  Invariably I start the new year with lots of good intentions for my blog but the reality is that if I can keep it going, there is hope for another year.  People say that life only gives to us what we can cope with.  Really?  I say that we can only do so much in the time we are given.

Crystals at the Victoria Market

So 2022 was not a great year but it had some happy moments.  And blogging is a good part of my life.  Thanks to everyone who read and commented and engaged with my posts, those who have shared meals and given support.  I am glad others out there continue to blog as it is always a joy to visit blogs when I can.  I wish you a happy and healthy 2023 with lots of good food and good company.