Every time I'm on a long haul flight I feel like the world is big, but also small. GM/GN Nostriches 🌞🌝

I will miss many things about #Madeira, and one of those things will be the very healthy scobys I grew from the dregs of a bottle we bought at the Expo Agricola market 🥲 #foodstr #kombucha #momstr (because I feel like a proud foster mom to these scobys!)

Took an elevator with my stroller (and kid) at @Bitcoin Atlantis, and a couple of younger guys were in it. Our conversation went like this: Guy: "I'm not a dad, but I really like the family vibes at this conference" Me: "Yeah, more Bitcoin conferences should welcome kids!" Guy: "If they want to be high signal, they really should" Hope all future conferences get the memo. The next generation of Bitcoiners is here and raring to go! #momstr

Great little library at the @Bitcoin Atlantis kids' area! 📖 #momstr #madeira

They don't take Bitcoin yet, but go in and ask for a pack of Guilherminas, you won't regret it (unless you're diabetic or celiac). #Madeira #foodstr

For my money, the best meat you can buy is Rubia Gallega, grass-fed ex-dairy cows from Galicia, Spain. Devbro maxi carnivores please note: if you're eating grain-fed beef (that includes corn-fed), you're just perpetuating the Monsanto-Central Bank incest/atrocity — don't do it. Also, for thick cuts, reverse sear has got to be my favourite way of cooking steak — consistent internal temperature (like sous vide but without the equipment). Here's how you do it: 120-130°C oven (conventional, 100°C for fan-forced), 40 mins per 500g straight out of the fridge, then hard sear all sides on a pan to finish, rest 10 mins. Note that this is only good for bigger pieces, at least 3.5cm thickness. #foodstr #carnivore #recipe

Madeira with kids — a quick start guide Everywhere I travel, I end up writing a little guide, whether I'm paid to do so or just for fun — I love sharing these knowing they might come in handy for other people. When I found myself travelling for a few months to the semi-autonomous Portuguese island of Madeira with a child in tow, I knew I'd end up putting together something like this, and as always, it's a combination of recommendations and tips from other people in the know alongside stuff I find out myself. As the title suggests, this is just a brief guide and not meant to be comprehensive, so I apologise if I've left something out, but hey — just make your additions in the messages below! Overview: Portugal is exceedingly kid-friendly; people in general absolutely love kids. In Madeira, there are parks with playgrounds everywhere, 99% of restaurants will welcome children with open arms and most have high chairs. My only complaint would be using a stroller in old town Funchal — alas, cobblestone streets were laid long before strollers were invented. Outside of old town, I haven't had (m)any stroller issues, unsurprising, given how many babies and stroller there are on the island. Car seat laws: An age- and weight-appropriate car seat or booster seat is required for all children up to 135cm tall or 12 years of age, whichever happens first. The child must be irn the car seat/booster in a back seat. This doesn't apply to taxis, where car seats/restraints are not required at all. BUT it does apply to Bolts (ie. Madeira's version of Uber), if you're going by the book. (I don't know if a Bolt driver would necessarily reject you if you didn't have one though...) Btw if you're staying for longer, I personally do think you should get a car. Food: I'm more or less a "granola mom", so this section pertains mostly to organic and direct-from-farm produce. The larger supermarkets in Madeira (Pingo Doce, Continente) don't tend to stock much organic (Continente is slightly better in that there is a dedicated aisle/area for organic items, but it's mostly dry pantry goods). For baby/kid specific organic food, Celeiro (an organic/health food chain) is your best bet. If you need formula, they stock Holle (supermarkets and pharmacies sadly only stock industrial brands like Nestle). Celeiro is located right in the centre of old town Funchal opposite the main cathedral, at Rua do Aljube 15. Some pharmacies stock a small selection of Holle baby food, including some Wells, the pharmacy attached to most Continente supermarkets. For fresh produce, I've tried ordering/buying from growers these two ways: 1) Quinta Pedagogica da Camacha — farmer Bruno takes orders via WhatsApp, DM me if you want his number. 2) Expo do Agricola Ponta do Sol — weekly farmers' stand, and you can register on their website to order online beforehand to pickup every Saturday: (you can join their WhatsApp/Telegram/Signal from their website). expoagricola.pt Diapers, wipes etc.: Major supermarkets and pharmacies will have everything you need, unless you need a specific brand. However, if you need replacements/accessories for reusable diapers, you'll need to bring your own because I haven't seen much of those. Gear: Major kid's stores like Zippy and Chicco will have most things you need, from clothes to high chairs to car seats. They're both in old town Funchal (Zippy in Plaza Madeira shopping mall; Chicco on Rua do Bpo 20), and both in the shopping mall MadeiraShopping. Leroy Merlin, the hardware/home improvement store has a small section of baby proofing items lime gates and electrical outlet covers. Address : Rua do Engenho Velho 4, Funchal. Kid to Kid near Forum shopping mall is an excellent little shop for mostly second-hand kids' clothes, as well as new and used toys, furniture, and general kids' stuff. Address: Rua do Vale da Ajuda N23, Funchal. Origem is a fancier baby store (and pre- and postpartum centre and baby spa) in Ajuda (Funchal) if you're looking for higher-end clothes, utensils, strollers etc. Address: Avenida do Amparo 20, Funchal. Healthcare: Fortunately, I've not had much experience in this regard, but from what I've read, Hospital Particular da Madeira (a private hospital) has paediatricians and 24-hour A&E. Address: Avenida Mário Soares 143, Saõ Martinho, Funchal. EU citizens can use the public system like locals (free or low cost), but depending on the issue, wait times are said to be long. The emergency number is 112 (fire, ambulance, police). Community resources: Unfortunately, but for good reason, I'm going to ask you to fire up your defunct Facebook account and join the English Mom's Club in Madeira group. It's the most active easily-accessed moms' group for any questions before and during your time in Madeira, and listings like playgroups and hobby classes. The search tool can also be helpful for past responses.

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If you're interested in Alternative Education (unschooling), get in touch with A Place To Be and join their community for meetups and more (at time of writing, the project is in soft launch)

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Schooling/education: I don't have any first-hand info on schools — at time of writing my kid(s) aren't school aged, but I've seen some posts on English Mom's Club about it, so have a search there to get you started. Parks: There is no shortage of parks in Madeira, and I've barely scraped the surface — I'm pretty sure that wherever you choose to stay, there'll be a good park nearby. Some to start you off: Santa Caterina near the centre of town, big grassy area and swings that face the harbour — best seats in the house! Decent duck pond and cafes (one at the duck pond and another out further on the edge near the cruise terminal). Nazaré, a more modern urban park with its own parking and a neat little cafe overlooking the play area. Ajuda, basketball courts, kids play area, grass, and a dog park all in a neat package. Garajau, out east in Caniço, with giant slippery slides for big kids (and adults!) as well as the usual kids stuff and a cafe too. Got more? Comment away! #momstr #madeira #portugal #SovEng @Gigi @Niel Liesmons @PABLOF7z

Until today when I looked it up, I'd actually never associated "Mardi Gras" with pancake day (Shrove Tuesday), even as a (sort of, erstwhile) French speaker. But of course — Fat Tuesday, duh! To me it had always been about parades of flamboyantly dressed people 😂

A Portuguese pastry appreciation post! This is a travesseiro de Sintra, which Google translate tells me means "pillow" of Sintra. (Sintra is a city about 40 mins outside of Lisbon with lots of historic palaces). This travesseiro is from Casa Piriquita, which I'm told is the inventor of this pastry, which has a rough puff kinda dough (or like a stronger filo, layered) and an eggy almond custard filling that's slightly runny, perhaps because we got them fresh out of the oven. The whole thing is dusted in caster sugar. It's glorious, and dare I say I like it even more than the iconic pastéis de nata/Belém. It's very hard to find outside of Sintra, even within Portugal, which will make it extra delicious in mind, LOL. #foodstr #Portugal #pastry https://image.nostr.build/e4fb2be1c20266c0c0fe47945ccb7c8d8af7e027b9d54db2a77520a49e4bd7f0.jpg#m=image%2Fjpeg&dim=1080x1920&blurhash=%5DIG8s0tTt6nNoL.TXUxVM_xZF4Iqs%2BRkWCmknNX9IqozMcobX9s%3BofIpoes.WXoIoes%3AWBWCj%5B%25Lj%5Bnhs%3AW%3DoIV%40WXs%3As%3A&x=fb8bf05c12b73191383646ddf4b5f77a9dba13b3ed20c22af73bdb2f52ff5907

Espada, black scabbardfish. Viscious looking thing — can't say I much loved the texture either, but they did their best with it. #foodstr https://image.nostr.build/106c2fae109b788830e84790c1003083674898d4a39a6dfd2b9c2d60bd19f532.jpg#m=image%2Fjpeg&dim=1920x1080&blurhash=i5KAf*00_M9ENL%3Fv%7EWxbIr7P%3Dx00IUD%24%25hoft7M%7B00%25hD*E2JB9ZNyITM%7B00-o.TNFMxWB%3Fa%25NSi009ZR-w%5B%24z%251-o-%3Btl&x=8799cb383d241100de7d0b6bdf9670960477770445c9208c41950b41eb610889

Dappled sunlight making everything look better (this was pretty good though). https://image.nostr.build/5515d21f1be516f1e2e2f89b3f50bc9d18ae45e27aa4b06d170854bbe6c5421e.jpg#m=image%2Fjpeg&dim=1080x1920&blurhash=%5DCGRxG%7EW9G01IA_M%7EWIC01IBJW-qICD*RQR%3At7RRn%2BaLD%25s%3A%25Moze%3AV%40oK-pxat7%25LWBxaxaof%251NHNaoyV%40t6bHIVV%40WB&x=74f75eda53a57700148205d4f759967cd18653e143b61e5c6aab593f23915e42

This makes me feel very rich #foodstr https://image.nostr.build/88b80eb4037418ecf11006f1758861a59e500a5201974c2b238b3372b2268434.jpg#m=image%2Fjpeg&dim=1080x1920&blurhash=%5DeJtP2IAo%7EIoj%5Db%5ExaIUayRk%7EVt6WAxbRjxuNGbFjbWU%251ayWWoyofS3aexaoKofRkWWofo0oenit6baR%2BoeNbofs.WBj%5B&x=a236cab6e4331cfafed6fdc2d9dc7baf1e10ebc318c450c712e8e1d689c9afb0

This is self care #shakennostrrd #foodstr

My idea of self-care is to go to an excellent bar alone, where I won't be bothered, and have a dry martini with an olive (with gin — it must be gin, you savages) in relative silence. #foodstr

The idea of wanting to stay home with a child is not anti-feminist. Feminism is about choice — that women can choose to be anything they want, which includes bring the primary caregiver of their own child. #momstr

Recently spoke to a white person about regenerative farming, carbon and so on, and they had convinced themselves that local farming is a moot point because transport is a very small part of the carbon equation. While that is true, food is also heritage and culture — I guess one way to think about it is that "terroir" is not just about flavour, but about knowledge and idiosyncrasies that are passed down through the cultural acts around food — farming, eating, cooking... What this all means is that I dislike char siu made sous vide with iberico pork. 😂 #foodstr