Comings and Goings In My Kitchen July’15
My life and that of my immediate family is in transition. It all began with the announcement that a new grandchild on the way. Very exciting news!!
2000 kilometres is a long way to go to help out the new Mum and her bub so we reached the momentus decision to relocate for a while. Our Brisbane investment property will become our new home and the funky warehouse apartment in Melbourne’s inner east that we’ve called home for 18 years will be leased. Because we’re moving north, another daughter whose been in fulltime employment has decided to start her own business to allow her extra parenting time. Our grand daughters will learn to fly unaccompanied for the short hop north. We’ll still spend school holidays together. Then there is a wedding to help plan…..
It’s decision time!
Do I pack my stash of beans and rice that I use as pastry weights when I’m baking a tart shell blind? When was the last time they were used? If I apply the principals I use to clearing out the wardrobe, they’ve not been in the oven for more than 2 years so it’s pointless keeping them! 
And should I keep this trangular mold? I bought it with great excitement after doing a cooking school with Philip Searle in 1989. We learned to make an elaborate raspberry and champagne dessert which I recreated once, just once. 
The Mouli Legume I used repeatedly over the years to puree and strain tomato sauce. This hasn’t been used since my kids left home almost 20 yrs ago. It’s in good order……
How many vegetable peelers does a kitchen need? Three can go the kitchen at my grand daughter’s school.
I’ll keep the fish kettle which gets used to poach a whole salmon for heydays and holidays even though it needs a big space in the kitchen cupboard and the storage box of rarely used tart tins , cake tins and cookie cutters, I can’t bear to give them up….. 
The julienne peeler I bought with high hopes can go to the charity shop along with the collapsible funnel which collapses if you use it with hot liquids 
My kitchen souveniers from India need a good home too, the coconut grater, idli steamer and sev extruder seemed like a good idea at the time…. 
The vacuum sealer was invaluable when packing dry goods to carry into the outback. We’ve sold our caravan, now the vacuum sealer is redundant. Five wine bottle sealers seems a bit excessive too….
Anyone in Melbourne who is interested in my cast offs, everything is in good working order, they are free to a good home! Please email me to arrange pick up or to talk more if you’re interested.
The lovely Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial hosts the monthy In My Kitchen forum. Food bloggers from around the world invite you to drop into their kitchens for a peek. I always feel inspired after reading their posts.
I hope to be settled enough to return to IMK in October.
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44 comments on “Comings and Goings In My Kitchen July’15”
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Please Pass the Recipe by Sandra Gay is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Please Pass the Recipe 
We should all move just to clean the closets…and kitchen..and basement…
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Yes, gratifying now it’s done!
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Well, Sandra, I’m a little late to the party. 😮 Lots of good news although moving is somewhat bittersweet not to mention a real pain – it’s one of the 3 most stressful life events. So many decisions. So much work. So much worrying. So much …
Love your kitchen toys. 🙂 I have several items like the triangular mold that has been used once with great intention of being used again but so far the again hasn’t come around. 😮
Congrats on the new grandbaby news. Hope everything goes well for mother and child. 🙂
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Hi Richard, we leave here Sept 1, then we have 3 days drive with our pooch. Hopefully we’ll be moving into our new place the following week, a few minor glitches there that we’re yet to resolve but our daughter has a spare bed thankfully. Very excited about the move, it will be quite different living in a subtropical climate in a smaller city. We’re especially excited about our new grandchild!😀
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lots of interesting things there! how wonderful to move closer to your family for the new baby. brisbane is a great place to live; very active culturally and culinarily (if that’s a word; I stole it from morris gleitzman) hope you have fun up here.
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We’re looking forward to Brisbane Sherry, it will be a big change after a lifetime in Melbourne…
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you have some fascinating equipment! I had to sell almost everything when we moved from Germany (shipping is expensive and takes three months) and buy up again, makes you realise what you use most…Such a good IMK this month
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I loved your tins and gadgets and congrats on your new arrival! How exciting indeed!
Enjoy today and thank you for this month’s kitchen views too!
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Thanks for dropping by Joanne….
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Great news and congratulation… enjoy family time 🙂
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Thanks you Moya, exciting times ahead….
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I brought back a chapati pan, rolling board and pin back from India and I use them all the time. Didn’t see any of your findings there, must have been too busy trying not to bump into people and animals 🙂 I must have sent 3 trailer loads of stuff to the op shop over the last 6 months. Strangely, never see anything I took sitting there still to be sold, its amazing what goes! That vacuum sealer is tempting…..no, I’ll be strong.. We too have just found out we are to become first time grandparents, very early in the New Year. Bit of a strange feeling really. Congratulations! We also have a sons wedding coming up in February, and a nieces in November. And ‘they’ say life slows down as you get older, ‘they’ didn’t read the rule book! Good luck with everything!
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Congrats on the expected grandchild. Life seems to gather pace after retirement, my husband claim she needs staff! We did a big reno five years ago and I’ve kept a lid on the “stuff” since then but there are things that slipped through the sorting net them I now how to confront. The vac sealer has gone to a good home…
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Exciting times Sandra! I hope that the move north goes really smoothly for you and that you’ll enjoy life in Brisbane for the coming year! Impressive little array of kitchenware to sort through – fascinated by the Indian pieces!
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Thanks Margot, I bought the things in India dreaming of freshly grated coconut, chick pea flour noodles and delicious steamed idli, savoury fermented rice and lentil flour “dumplings.” The tools have never been used!!
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What exciting news! And a chance to clear out the cupboards – luckily we move every 4 or so years so it’s a great opportunity to have a big clean out. I’m hoping the next move won’t produce so much detritus but…..I need to apply your 2 years or out rule.
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Thanks Nancy. The 2 yr rule backfires sometimes….
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Wow, Sandra, I can only say I’m cheering you on, and a little bit envious. I love living in Alice but I would SO love to be nearer our daughter in Adelaide. So far we just have a grandpuppy, but one day if there is a grandchild we may have to make the move. I think you are so wise to hang on to your Melbourne digs though. In case it is of any help or interest, here is a book I found very useful when having my big clear out recently: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_34?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=the+life+changing+magic+of+tidying+up+the+japanese+art+of+decluttering+and+organizing&sprefix=The+life+changing+magic+of+tidying%2Cstripbooks%2C495
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I have no idea what happened to make that post spread clear across the page… let me know if you can’t use the link and I’ll send to you again. x
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Thanks Ardys. The tug of the heart strings made it an easy decision. We love Melbourne and could never afford to buy here again, but I have no doubt Brisbane will be an exciting place to live too. The summer humidity will be a challenge. Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out
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It’s amazing what can be gotten rid of once you start going through things. I’m betting the move will be a great one for all.
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Thanks Lulu
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Hi Sandra. Your post makes me think about what I will have to do when, or rather, if, we ever decide on one house. Two full kitchens and two garages is a lot of consolidating 😦
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We went through that last December when we sold our beach house. The local charity shop on the coast benefitted greatly, as did their Men’s Shed. It was a huge job. The caravan sold last week, fortunately the buyer took that kitted out! Fortunately I’m not a hoarder!
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What wonderful news! Have a safe move and I love that you are rehoming what you don’t use 🙂
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Thanks Tandy for your wishes
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Exciting! Lots of congratulations! More so: fingers and toes crossed for good winter health, lots of energy and a cool head during that moving jazz!! Methinks I would find it quite hard to move from ‘a funky warehouse apartment’ in Melbourne . . . thank God you had a place ready to move into! And it won’t be during the Qld summer heat and rainy season!! Difficult to make all these yes/no choices and such won’t just be in the kitchen!!! All the very best . . . .
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Thanks Eha, we’re very excited about the move despite what we’re leaving behind. We live fairly minimally so there’s not too much to pack. Books are the next thing that need to be sorted
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What interesting gadgets you have, and a good idea to share them out. In the future I’ll be looking at consolidating two residences into one, so it’s an idea I will keep in mind. I’m dreading decision time/packing/unpacking so knowing I can move things on to new homes will make it much easier 🙂
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We sold our beach house last December and our caravan last week so I feel I can be firm but fair about deciding what stays, what goes, I’ve had recent practice. Sadly our charity shops are very picky about what they acccept. Good luck with your packing Ella
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Ha! My ceramic beans are already packed for my relocation. Had to laugh at your cooking souvenirs. It’s what I call the muumuu effect – a muumuu is fine summer wear in Hawaii, but when you get it home…well, that’s a different story. We all have “muumuus” in our cupboards and lots of my kitchen stuff has already gone to the charity shops. It’s good to unload now and then. A lot of work, relocating, but exciting, too. You’ll feel great once you get to Brisbane. Plus, the bonus of a new baby!
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I can deal with the kitchen hardware mercilessly, but I can’t bear to discard ingredients. Yesterday I counted thirteen different flours in the pantry. I’d better get baking. Then I have to make decisions about plants in tubs….
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Oh how exciting! A move is always a good time for a clean out and garage sale 😄
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I’m gifting stuff and donating to charity any other unwanted bits, I’m not a garage sale kind of person…
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Exciting times a head. Its so hard to get rid of kitchen items even when they haven’t been used for years. i have this problem too
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It is hard to let kitchen equipment go, especially when it’s so expensive to replace..
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What exciting news. Good luck on the move. I’m sure packing everything won’t be so pleasant though. My parents just moved and it was such an ordeal as they downsized by quite a bit. Of course I was the lucky recipient of several kitchen goodies!
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Thanks Gretchen it is very exciting to be relocating. WE love Melbourne but ther’s plenty of good reasons to relocate.We had a massive clearout a few years ago when we renovated our house, but there is still plenty of stuff that I wonder if I really need.
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New baby on the way, beautiful news Mrs Recipe! Really enjoyed this twist on what’s happening in your kitchen. You are a sweetchops for giving some of that cool stuff away. I am sure it will go to good homes. May your packing be swift and as painless as possible.
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Yes, exciting times Cheery but some hard work first.
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We’d love the vacuum sealer if there’s room in the boxes for the move north :-). Great trip down memory lane seeing some of those things…. A lifetime in the kitchen xxxx
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The vacuum sealer is yours, I should have asked! Some stuff is just taking space! Xxx
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Congratulations on the news of a new grand baby. How wonderful you will be moving closer to be with the family. I adore all the retro goodies in your kitchen and very kind of you to offer to share them with people free of charge.
Have a wonderful day.
🙂 Mandy xo
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Thanks Mandy we’re expecting our first boy baby in the family for a couple of generations, very exciting indeed.
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