welcome back

I stayed up waaaaaay past my usual nana-bedtime last night because - finally - channel 10 are screening the US-version of The Biggest Loser. Now, don't get me wrong, I love me a little Michelle and Shannan, but Jillian and Bob won my heart with the first series of the US progam, and first-love never dies.

I was very lucky in my previous job because I used to regularly write about The Biggest Loser so not only did I get to visit The White House {in Aus} I also got to interview the contestants and trainers. {I know!} I'll never forget the first interview I did with Jillian - who's exactly like she is on the show. We were discussing the first round of Aussie contestants, what surprised her about them... When she said, in her distinctive drawl.... "You know, you'll talk with them, and they'll tell you about how, this is it, they're really going to change, nothing's going to stop them, they're on their journey... Then, you give them the choice of going forward and eating a cupcake, and whadda they do? They eat the f***n cupcake!" It still rings in my ears - bless her.

So of course, I'm addicted to the show, and get more than a little bit excited every time Jillian comes on the screen - let's hope nobody reaches for a cupcake...

Still on reality, MasterChef is helping me realise how ridiculously fickle I am - and how loving can turn to meh in an instant. See, I started off sure than Sam and Kate were two of the front-runners. They seemed to know food and how to put it together. But now? Oh, honey, what's happened. Sam's once again in the bottom three and my love for Chris is reaching a new high. I've also realised that while I love, love, love to cook - there's no way in hell I'd survive an episode of that show - 30 minutes to prepare and cook a dish from mystery ingredients? Hell no, I'd still be slicing and sauteeing 29 minutes in.

So tonight - who's leaving? Surely not Tom after that fabulous snapper dish. And Trevor? I've got a bit of a soft spot for ol' Trev. Maybe Sam -  at least he can get started on that honeymoon.

weekend - woo hoo

Who doesn't love a weekend, particularly one with NO engagements... Well, apart from the assignation I have with the backyard. Our daughter's just headed out for a playdate, so I'm off to scrub the waterline tiles in the pool, while hubby's laying down pavers in the courtyard for the pots to sit on. Then, we're going to summon superhuman strength and pot up the 45 litre magnolias into pots that come up to around my waist... Best go eat some spinach...

fiercely frugal friday

After my mis-step this week with the ATM fees my frugality really kicked in. I'm trying to work out ways to save money in every aspect of our life. One area where our hair-bear-bunch of a family can look to cutback is with hair care. Luckily, I spoke to a celebrity hairstylist earlier this year who gave me some top tips on washing your hair - that also help save money!

* Start by brushing your hair well to get rid of any surface dirt and excess hair product - doing this now will mean you don't have to shampoo twice!

* Then wet your hair well and pour a little shampoo into a bowl, and mix it with water to help it spread {I know what you're thinking, but considering the first ingredient in most shampoos is "Aqua" we're not ruining it - just making it go further}. Apply to the top of your hair and gently massage into your scalp, going down about halfway down the length of your hair. The ends of your hair are usually dry and the residual shampoo when you rinse it out will usually cleanse them enough.

* Rinse it really, really well, using your fingers to lift sections of your hair so that all your scalp is free from shampoo. Then rinse again.

Use conditioner from the ends of your hair and only work about halfway up the shaft - it'll only flatten your head if you apply it too close to your scalp. Comb through with a rubber paddle brush or a wide tooth comb, leave to soak in, then rinse. Gently squeeze the moisture from your hair with a towel, and before applying any product, rub it between your hands to allow it to head up and spread.

These days I tend to use a supermarket brand shampoo and conditioner and alternate every second wash with my expensive Joico leave-in conditioner {cos it gives me better curls}. I'm also using about half the amount of product I used to and am pretty chufffed that I'm still getting similar results. 

I'm also mixing my moisturiser with a little water in the palm of my hand before applying - it spreads a lot easier and moisturises just as effectively.

Food-wise, frugality still has a lot to do with creative uses of leftovers. I made a delish beef and guinness stew in the crockpot on wednesday, so tonight we're having beef and guinness pies with the leftovers. I'm going to pop the mix in a ramekin each, top them with puff pastry and bake them till hot and golden. Yummy.

I also picked up a fancy-schmancy cooking tip on Come Dine With Me last night. You know how, on cooking shows, they're always using funky little metal moulds to form interesting stacks of vegies, or meats? Well, I checked some out at The Essential Ingredient the other day, and realised I just couldn't justify the price. But, you know what this women on CDWM did? She went to the supermarket, bought tins of fruit that were just the right height and diameter and CUT THE TOPS AND BOTTOMS OFF. Brilliant! Combine that with Shannan Lush's hint for soaking labels off jars and tins {fill them with hot water, let them rest, and then they'll just peel off - with any residual stickiness easily banished with a wipe of lavender or eucalyptus oil. I always prefer to reuse rather than recycle, so that little tip has made my week!

How's your week going?

so sweet

Nearly forgot! But here's my shoe of the week, by Dolce & Gabbana. A t-bar, two-toned Mary Jane? Magnifico...

snack attack

I am a food fascist, I'm happy to admit it. Why serve something out of a packet when it's just as easy, and about a gazzilion times more tasty, to make it from scratch? I saw an ad for two-minute noodles today, touting them as the perfect after-school snack... but I reckon this little plateful here is perfect for apres-school munchies. {And two minutes, ha! Boil them, microwave them, stir them, rest them... adds up to more than two minutes in my book}

I always keep a pack of wholemeal muffins in the fridge, with a pack on standby in the freezer. Sitting alongside them is the shredded cheese, frozen and always ready for action. In the fridge is the tomato sauce and sliced ham.

Making mini pizzas is as simple as splitting the muffins and toasting the underside. While they're browing, slicing up the ham, then take them out, spreading them with sauce on the soft inside, layering on shards of ham and topping with the cheese. Back under the grill for a tick to brown, and hello, a yummy snack rich with protein, wholegrain, calcium and vitamins and minerals - in around two minutes. Yes, you could pop vegies on them, but ham and cheese have won my gal's heart.

Noodles, schmoodles...

bed head

My ancient Laura Ashley bed linen is looking more shabby than chic and I've yet to find anything to replace it - until now... Eau de nil, roses and polka dots, a few of my favourite things combined into one perfect package. Best of all, it'd give me the perfect excuse to paint my bedroom walls lilac {cos while I love their current eau de nil shade, even I admit there's such a thing as too much green...}

up the garden path

Our next big task is completing our side garden. When it was an overgrown jungle it looked like your typical side yard, but now it's cleared, we realise what a massive space we have to work with. From the side of the house to the fence is around three metres wide, and from the pavillion down to the current box hedge garden is probably around 8 metres. Hugeness.

We're planning on a wee garden shed and vegie gardens with old brick paths edged with lavender leading their way through. Somewhere we'll be using the massive convict sandstone blocks that formed the previous retaining walls - possibly as drystone retaining walls or to raise my vegie gardens. We'll see... Pretty gardens like these serve me with endless inspiration - as do the blogs that house them! I can't wait to get my fingers dirty...

eyes of a stranger

Sometimes I think it's important to step back and look at your home through the eyes of a stranger. When you live somewhere it's easy to miss finer details that mar its beauty.

This weekend we've got a huge working bee planned. We're going to get stuck into the backyard, give the pool a good clean, plant the new magnolias in their pots, fertilise all the plants, and just generally clean up. So I'm going to start the to-do list by standing here, in front of my fence, and seeing what stands out as needing to be done. 

There'll be weeding, scrubbing of the front steps, and probably deadheading those roses - as the blooms have now metamorphosed into rose hips. Coming home every day I'm immune to those little things, but I want to step back and see the little tweaks I can make to allow my home to shine inside and out.

paper chase

The one thing that causes me most grief, in the never-ending quest for a tidy home is paper. Piles and piles of the stuff. From bills, cards, school paraphenalia, magazines with articles I want to refer back to... it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I've been trying to deal with it as it comes, but I've still fallen back on my old, 'make a series of small piles, sort them, alternate them, move them...' mistakes.

But my in-laws, just back from the UK, told me a tale about my brother-in-law, Philip. As soon as he walks in the door, he sits down with the mail, a diary and the recycling bin. He opens the mail, notes anything of interest {such as bills to be paid} in his diary and then immediately throws the paper in the bin. If there's a magazine, he'll take it, read it after dinner, then, again, it's in the bin.

I'm inspired. So yesterday started my new habit of "deal with it, then ditch it". I have an exercise book where I write all my bills, including their statement numbers, due date and amount due, then I'll also put the date due on the calender. After reading through any statements and ensuring they're correct I can then shred them, and toss them straight in the recyling - saving any envelopes for notetaking.

With magazines, I'll give myself a week to read it, and if not - how important can it be? I now have a box in the study where magazines will go to be taken to the Salvos, and this, along with the clothing bag in the bedroom {for ditching clothes I don't wear, or that don't make me feel fabulous} will help streamline my home - and help the Salvos raise funds.

Baby steps - but I'm getting there...

fluffy love

My gal and Mulberry sure do share a special bond. Every moment we're blessed with our pets is precious, and as a dear friend had to say farewell to one of her closest feline friends today - I thought I'd best give the boofy boy some extra special love.

my favourite obsession

Allow me to introduce the coffee I made at lunch - a macchiato for my hubby and a frothy latte for moi. Double shots - naturally.

Damn, they were fine.

lavender love

Here's the little glass jug filled with my lavender, freshly picked from the garden. My desk is now beautifully pristine, and I even dusted the skirting boards and doors in the study - blissful. A couple of hours work in here and the room will be a zen-like oasis...

All I need on my desk now is a big glass of water on my pretty vintage rose coaster {one of a set of six that I bought for a few dollars from the Salvos a few years back}.

Now I just need to wait for the rain to abate, before picking up my gal and her bestie from school. We were meant to have netball training today, but the rain's rained on that little parade. I'll feed 'em up, set them in front of the wii - and will hopefully get a couple of hours work in before I need to boil up some potatoes to mash and serve with my beef and guinness stew that's been bubbling in the slow cooker since 11am.

desperately seeking inspiration

Oh my. It's yet another grey ol' day here and with the sun has gone my inspiration. I could barely drag myself from bed this morning, and if the threat of my daughter being late to school wasn't there - I'd still be snuggled in my sheets. I've tried all my usual tricks to bust the blues: my hair's freshly washed, I've read many a blog, rooms are tidied, dinner's bubbling in the slow cooker...

I need to bring some sunshine back into my day and banish my seasonally-affected blues.

I think I'll start by clearing my desk, wiping it down with some rose oil, picking a posy of lavender and placing it just so in a teeny little vase and making myself a cup of violet tea in my very best tea cup. Maybe painting my nails with my mother's day red Chanel nailpolish could do it... 

I'll let you know how I get on.

lazy dollars

It's not difficult to be thrify - but it can be too easy to be a spendthrift. Take me, thirty minutes ago for example. I was doing well, I'd waited an extra day to go shopping {with the aim to increase it by one day each week, multiplying the savings over weeks!} and had my list with everything on it in hand. I decided to call in at the Bottle Shop to buy my can of guinness for my guinness and beef casserole, when I noticed that the Australian-brand dark ale was half the price. Bargain. So I picked it up, headed to the counter, and realised I only had 35 cents in my wallet - $2.15 short. Damn.

Red-faced I muttered my "I'll be back{s}" and shuffled out to go to Coles. Now, as I had minimal money in my savings account I was planning on shopping with my credit card - so I couldn't withdraw money at the checkout for free - so I dashed to the ATM. As it wasn't my bank's ATM I knew I'd be hit with a $2 fee, but justified it as I was in a hurry, and it was raining so I didn't wash to dash outside the confines of the shopping centre. Hurridly punching in the numbers a notice popped up telling me I'd be charged $2 for using the ATM, which I quickly agreed to - and then realised that THEY were charging me $2, and then my own bank will charge me again, which means I just paid $4 for that $20 withdrawal.

Lessons: I could've bought the Guinness and paid an extra $2. I should've read the statement in full before blindly agreeing. And I would've walked outside in the rain to save $4. That's the price you pay for learning from your mistakes...

I'd best do something pretty dramatic for frugal friday now...

i think i love you

My loathing for blandness and cookie-cutter-sameness probably explains my love for Helena Bonham-Carter. Generally, when it comes to the Best and Worst Dressed lists, I'll tend to err on the side of the eccentrics {but never the scantily-clad attention seekers}. I'm also rather fond of Bill Nighy - I'm loving the cut of this coat - and those shades accentuate his glorious jawline magnificently... But back to Helena. She looks happy and content in her skin - and what she's clothed it in - and I adore it whenever I see a pic of her with Tim Burton, proof that soulmates can come together. 

Managing to look comfortably fabulous, when you've obviously made a helluv-an-effort, is a skill. Imagine how long it's taken to button, lace and layer that outfit. 

I reckon that this photo has made my day - and has inspired me to frock up for my trip to the supermarket. Now, where's my crinoline...

lest we forget

Some things stay imprinted on my memory forever - particularly when a visual sensation is accompanied by a tickling of my tastebuds. My first-ever ladurée macaron is the perfect example. Gazing in wonder at the divine array of pretty little morsels in the cabinet of the pretty store, it was tough to choose my premiere bite. Until I saw the word 'violette' - that sold it. 

One weekend, when I have plenty of time, I'm determined to master macarons. Surely it's a sin not to...

I think my memory needs a double whammy for it to work. I'm trying to improve it, but sometimes, no matter how much I say "Oh, I'll remember this" I just don't. Blogs are the perfect example. I'll stumble upon one, or a friend will send me a link {thanks Nikki} and I'll love on it, visit it for a while, then completely forget its name. I think it's made worse because my Mac will remember things for me. I only need type in a letter or two, and my most-visited sites will pop up. But sometimes, I think my Mac takes it upon itself to edit my sites - and forgets. 

That's why I've finally popped a few more links on the side. Not many, I was exhausted just typing in those few - and I'm determined to actually start work by 10am. But it's a start. Maybe I need to accompany my blog viewing with a few mouthfuls of delicious - or a spritz of my favourite scent {obviously I'm hankering for Chanel number 5 at the moment, and luckily, I have a bottle on my dresser...}

numero cinque

Oh my. I've just viewed the new 'film' for Chanel number 5, starring Audrey Tatou and, whew, one steamy French boy. Please check it out. http://www.chaneln5.com/en-gb/?x=0&y=119&width=1345&height=592#/the-film

bare necessities

There are some foodstuffs I can't imagine being without. I can't conceive of a dish without some type of allium - whether it's onions, shallots, leeks or garlic. As soon as I slice, dice or grate these little beauties and set them to sauté in a pan of butter or oil I know that dinner's begun. And the scent... mmmmm... that's what cooking's all about.

I'm also partial to a wee sprinkle of salt - the pink flakes from Murray River are currently sitting in an antique glass pickle jar next to my stove, and I can't imagine enlivening a dish without crushing the flakes between my fingertips and allowing their bittersweet tang to coerce any recalcitrant flavours from a meal. Similarly with peppercorns - a find grind is the punctuation point that concludes my preparations.

Lately I've been using nuts, just a few, in salads and on veg - I love their yielding crunch. Whether raw, dry roasted or baked with herbs and spices, nuts add vitamins, minerals and that certain something to a dish.

When it comes to citrus I just can't get enough. Grating zest or finely slicing slivers, squeezing the juice - that bittersweet tang works well with any meat - or veg for that matter. 

I get itchy and twitchy if I don't have the essentials on hand - lots of 'em. Flours, vinegars, oils, mustards, sugars, syrups, spices, herbs... No wonder I have more shelving space in my pantry than in my entire kitchen... Ah variety, you spice up my life.

whistling while you work

We had a superb weekend, with lots of cooking and family entertaining. It was my mother-in-law's 70th birthday on Saturday, so we had them over for a big bowl of split pea and bacon hock soup followed by a birthday rhubarb and yoghurt cake. Just right.

Then, on Sunday, it was a family bbq at my sister-in-law's home, so I made a roasted vegie and couscous salad and gratin dauphinoise {much posher-sounding than potato bake}. With garlic-infused cream layering thinly sliced potatoes this was a decadent side-dish just perfect for a family gathering. To top the roasted pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini and spanish onions on the couscous I poured a little more oil into the harrisa-infused pan I'd roasted the vegies in and quickly crisped up some pistachios and cashews. Then I dressed the couscous with lemon zest, lemon juice, coriander, mint, chilli and some top shelf olive oil. It was devoured.

But all that cooking and family-bonding meant that today, my house looked neglected and untidy. There were a few soaking pots and dishes that needed to be handwashed, a grotty kitchen and living room floor and a living room that needed a good tidy. So I leapt in at 11am and washed up, quickly tidied, vacuumed all the floors and then filled a bucket with hot water and lavender oil and mopped all the floors. Because I concentrated my tidying on the living room and kitchen, all this was achieved in an hour. Bliss. Now I have a tidy house, love in my heart from such a lovely weekend - and am ready to settle down to earn some money!

soooooo sleepy

Another grey old monday made sleeping in seem ever-so-attractive. But instead, I climbed on out, had breakfast, dropped the gal at school - and came home to make her lunch to drop off before 11am {whoopsies = no food in house!}

So now, chorizo and potato frittatas are bubbling away in the oven and I'm preparing to write up my menu plan and shop for the week. Any ideas...

musical magnifico

I'm a sucker for a good musical, so I have just avidly viewed the trailer for Nine and am in raptures. I can even forgive the presence of Nicole Kidman's frozen face as the worst of it seems to be covered by a long, thick fringe... But as for the rest of the stars - bella, bella, bella... Dame Judi, Sophia, Daniel Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz looking divine and, of course Marion Cotillard - my all-time favourite. It looks sexy, hot and utterly delicious - the perfect way to round off a good film year. With Coco avant Chanel, Harry Potter and now Nine, I could break my usual non-filmgoing record and attend more than one film this year. In two weeks there's a French Film Festival weekend - so I could possibly even reach double figures. Oh my!

neat, sweet, petite

Excuse me, but how precious are these French Endearment pendants? Le swoon...  You can find them on-line at supermarkethq.com/product/french-endearment-necklace

frugal friday is having a fashion moment

Why yes, it is somewhat odd to have images of Chanel's Autumn collection to illustrate my frugal friday post, but hear me out. I honestly think it's possible to look fashion forward merely by accessorising and choosing your colours wisely. For example, I've got plenty of black classics in my winter wardrobe, so unlike last winter when I jazzed the outfits up with accents of red, I'll use pale pink, pond green and cream. Layering will also serve double the purpose by keeping me warm, and looking like Karl's muse.

Keeping an eye on the beauty trends also helps keep your look fresh. Now, it's important not to take them too literally {such as  the Amanda de Lepore lips seen on modules at Alexander McQueen...} it's more a matter of assuming the essence. For my Chanel face I'd go for a pale face, pale eyeshadow {rose or cream} and lashings of black mascara and black eyeliner. As for the messy hair that's highly favoured on so many catwalks - easy peasy - I've already got that!

All I have to do now is weed through my wardrobe and work out how a visit to a haberdashery store might help me update some knitwear - and get ready to pile on my beads. Oh, and what I'd give for a funky bit of knitwear to perch upon my barnet - how cute are those hats!

penny pinching for paris

I must return to Paris - within the next three years. It's essential - so here's what I'm going to do:

Bust a move on my budget: I'm going to keep track of all my spending for the next two weeks, and ask hubby to do the same. Then we'll sit down together go through all the essentials {mortgage, utility bills, up-coming birthdays/holidays, events} and then work out where we can painlessly shave a little off each. I'd like to keep the phone bill down by using email as much as humanly possible. If I can interview subjects for my features by email or skype - rather than conducting costly mobile phone interviews, I'll save a bundle. 

Home-made with love: Every Sunday night I whip up a batch of chorizo and potato frittata's for my gal's school lunch. Single-serve frittatas made in a muffin tin are just the right size for a nine-year-old's appetite - I usually give her three per day, for the first few days of the week. From now on I'm also going to whip up a batch of muffins - oat and honey would be her faves - to round out the lunchbox - rather than filling her up with bought crackers. Of course, the rest of the space is already filled with carrot sticks and fruit - so I can't make that any cheaper or more nutritious. Luckily my hubby's also into eating fresh, so we're snacking on seasonal fruit - rather than his old fave of expensive muesli bars.

Frugal food: We rarely eat out, but sometimes I really can't even bear to think about what to cook - let alone do the actual cooking. Luckily the weekly menu planning is helping enormously with that. My next plan is to clean out some space in the freezer so I can freeze a couple of meals, ready to defrost in the afternoon and serve up for dinner that night. If we do eat out, we'll make it a good one - using Entertainment Book 'buy one main meal, get one free' vouchers and choosing a meal that'd be costly, or time-consuming to make at home.

Eco-economy: I'm already a fanatic about turning out lights when they're not in use, and all appliances not in use are turned off and un-plugged - but there's got to be more I can do. I'll get busy with the broom again, rather than using the vacuum and only use the drier in an absolute emergency - there are only three of us in the house - we really don't have that much laundry! And I'm going to pretend I don't have a car. Apart from the weekly grocery shop and the trips to netball, I'll be on foot - or on my bike - all I need is a fancy parisian basket to fill with baguettes.

kiss me kate

Oh Mrs Spade, you do fill me with joy. Look at these shoes - an interesting heel, a lowline, sexy curvaceous side, and bows - BOWS! I love the way the shoe curves around the heel too. A gal can never have too many pairs of black satin shoes...

persistence pays

Hey, guess what was delivered to my door this morning? A new crockpot inset for my slowcooker. A sad, yet firm email to customer service payed off and even though I was 12 months out of warranty, they agreed with me and sent me a free bowl free of charge. See, that's what customer service is all about. Yay Breville! Now, I'm onto Testra about the $200 they owe me!!

wacky wednesday

Okay, seriously, what is going on with time? It's zooming on by. I can't believe it's nearly lunchtime on a wednesday already! I guess that's because of my 4am start to drive to Sydney to pick up my in-laws from the airport yesterday. I now feel like I've got the jetlag - but without any of the joys of travel {apart from seeing their smiles and hearing their tales!} Oh, I have the travel bug something fierce at the moment. Driving down a street lined with plane trees made me crave Paris with an urgency usually reserved for champagne-o'clock on a Friday afternoon...

So here's what I'm going to do - secretly {well, not totally, as I've just put it on my blog...} I'm going to plan for our next OS trip. I'll be working my butt off {not totally, I'll still need some padding when I'm sitting in front of my computer} and saving with serious intent. Frugal Friday will now become Fiercely Frugal Friday - that's how hard I'll be saving! I'll set a date in my head to have paid off the backyard renovation and then I'll save enough to enjoy a good six to eight weeks OS. It won't be for a couple of years - but by then I'll be totally fluent in French, will have an itinerary planned and will be raring to go. 

Next step: find two more sources of income. I'm giving myself a week to work on this, so by next Wednesday I'll have pitches ready, contacts sourced and a kick-butt attitude. Woo hoo.

win win win

There's no point in cleaning out your clutter, if it's left in boxes and bags waiting for the right time to drop it off at a donation location. For the past few weeks I've had six boxes of magazines, a couple of bags of toys, and a bag of CDs that I meant to sell, all cluttering up my study. So today, when my hubby came home for lunch, we lugged all the boxes and bags down and filled the boot of my car. I then leapt straight in my car and drove to the salvos where a passing good samaritan helped me unload - making it only four trips each, rather than what would have been more like a dozen for me.

And wow, do I feel good. My study floor is now freshly vacuumed, and it feels like I have twice the space. I know that the Salvos will have no trouble selling the recent mags {plenty of House and Garden mags} and the CDs will make some indie retro teen very happy indeed {who needs CDs when you've got them on iTunes and your iPod. So it's a three-way win situation - and you've gotta be happy with that.

I'm still slowly working my way through the decluttering. I've now got to go through five years worth of my daughter's school books - the school sends them all home at the end of the year - and work out what to keep, and what to {sob} pitch. Next weekend's the Council Clean-up, so I'm determined to have all my clutter totally cleansed by then, surrounding myself only with beautiful or really useful stuff. Bliss.

frugal friday {on a monday...}

Whew, I'm over the bugs and banes of last week, and thanks to three double shots of caffeine before 10am am ready to blog for my life. I spent all of Friday in bed, hence my lack of post, however, I was still thinking frugal. Here's how.

I used the first of my frozen wine iceblocks in a minestrone soup - and it worked superbly. Homemade soup must be one of the most satisfying and frugal meals around. I threw in some basic veg {onion, garlic, celery, carrots}, diced up around 200g of speck {bacon on steroids, mmmmm}, threw in a handful of lentils du puy, a tin of tomatoes and some chicken stock and simmered for a couple of hours with nothing but a few bay leaves and sprigs of thyme adding flavour. Nearing the end of cooking I tossed in a cup of risoni and simmered for 10 minutes before serving. This fed four of us that night, and me for lunch on Saturday and Sunday - cost per serve - around $1. Nutritional value - enormous!

Making your own ingredients is the best way to jazz up a meal for little cost. I have a few different oil bottles so now have regular olive oil, garlic oil and lemon oil on the go. The garlic oil is simply a couple of cloves sliced up and infused in the olive oil, while the lemon is just a few slices of lemon rind {no erky white bits - just the vibrant yellow skin} in olive oil. It costs next to nothing, but adds a bit of an edge when drizzled over any food.

Letting nothing go to waste is the best mode of frugality. Leftover stale bread can be grated and frozen in small portions in a ziplock bag - or, if you're short of time,  just throw the pieces in the freezer and grate when you need them - frozen bread is a lot easier to grate by hand than fresh bread. If you have any leftover herbs, why not finely dice them up with some leftover breadcrumbs and a little garlic and lemon zest and freeze to have the tastiest crumbing mixture for pork cutlets or salmon cakes ever. 

This week my aim is zero food waste. If it's in my fridge it's going to be eaten - even if I have to think outside the square. So before making up my menu for this week, I'm going to see what's in the fridge, freezer and pantry - I reckon I'll have the basis for a couple of meals hanging around in there - saving me a motza at the supermarket.

happy mother's day

This was the delicious mother's day breakfast that was presented to me this morning {I had to crop myself out - seriously, first-thing-in-the-morning photos, not attractive - particularly after a few days of feeling distinctly poorly!}

My hubby was inspired by the thick batons of 'eggy bread' they made on MasterChef this week, and oh-my-lord, they were delish. One-inch-thick, a couple of inches long, perfectly soaked in an egg, sugar, milk and lemon zest batter and caramelised to crispy perfection on the outside, soft and melding on the inside. Yumarama.

I was also spoiled with many pressies - including a fabbo pizza cooking stone and mega spatula for pizzas on the bbq, a little blowtorch for the perfect creme brulee, Chanel nailpolish, two beautiful french cheese knives, and other foodie-related goodies. All wrapped up with home-made cards from my gal. Sweet.

We're headed out for afternoon tea now. A baguette with butter and smoked ham barely dented my appetite at the moment {three days of chicken soup will fuel a voracious hunger!} then I think it's quattro formaggio and pancetta and egg pizza for dinner. With a glass or two of wine...

it's shoe time

This week's shoe is brought to you by Maison Martin Margiela. They have a pale blue lining and stitching which is the perfect foil for that shocking shade of patent. I also like that bit of quirk, turn this way, they're a cute little bootie, about face, they're sweet sandals. Just what I needed today.

After sending my daughter off to school I crawled back into bed, wrapping the bedding up around my very sore throat. It worked. After waking at 11.30 my throat feels like it's in the recovery position. Handy. I feel like I've been consistently ill with silly little niggles for weeks now - probably because I have. 

Oh well, I'm making up a big pot of minestrone today - with bucketloads of garlic, made on chicken stock - surely that will totally revive me!

when i'm feeling bleu

I'd quite like to hide away from the world cocooned in these dreamy colours. I think I need my very own copy of Marie Antoinette - just to bring a little beauty into every corner of my life...

that's better

I've been feeling a bit blah today. No real reason. I've had a niggly sore throat for a few weeks, off and on, and other annoying, yet trifling, niggles that are just irksome. But these flamingos cheered me up! How can a person be glum when flamingos exist?

My autumn cleaning's also coming along nicely. I've blitzed all the annoying bits and pieces that have cluttered up my home for ages and now I'm ready to do the actual clean. Surely I'll feel healthier when that's complete.

fabulously frugal

For tonight's dinner I'm jazzing up the leftover risotto from last night's meal. I've oiled a mini muffin tin and scooped in a little of the saffron risotto - just enough to cover the bottom. Then, I've popped a teeny square of mozarella in the centre, covered it all up to fill the muffin tin and I'm baking them in a hot oven for around 15 minutes. I'm hoping they're brown and crispy on the top, but moist inside.

I'm serving them with chicken kebabs, sliced rounds of sweet potato 'chips' {baking on a tray, drizzled with garlic-infused olive oil}, broccolini {boiled for 10 mins in salted water, then tossed in salted, peppered olive oil to serve} and a green salad.  

I love leftovers...

tutu cute

Oh Karl... These limited edition shoes have a removable tutu - a novelty I'm finding darned endearing. And isn't crisp black on white such a classic? So Chanel...

I, of course, would have to have the black heels - but I'm finding the cuteness of the flats damned enchanting. 

oh coco

There is a rumour {yes, you're right, I'm spreading it...} that Coco avant Chanel opens June 25 in Australia. Oh, please, please, please let it be true...

And, um, hello, the prettiness of these pics? From French Elle, naturellement...

finishing touches

Surprising little bits and pieces are what completes a home. I'd love to pop a dovecote in the box-hedge bordered garden. On one side we have the bird bath with its little stone birdy, in the centre is a gorgeous blossom tree {we didn't plant it and I'm still trying to identify it!} so I think a pretty painted dovecote could look just gorgeous before we start the vegie and herb gardens.

I'm trying to keep stock of what I use the most of when I'm cooking and am now positive I need thyme, garlic, french shallots, Italian parsley, rosemary, basil, many types of lettuce, some spinach, teeny tomatoes, tarragon, a bay tree, lemon or lime {ooooh, I'd love both!} as just the bare essentials. I'm really keen to plant things I'll use on a near-to-daily basis. If we can espalier the lemon and limes against the fence then I'll have even more room for other bits and pieces. 

It's a grey, drizzly day here today. I'm attempting some work and am soon to resume scrubbing the pot that cooked the osso buco - which was, delish! Then at 1pm I'm hitting a restaurant with a friend for lunch. We've got a 'buy one get one free' voucher so although it seems an extravagance, really, it's verging on a bargain. Now... what to wear...

birthday boy

It's my hubby's birthday today so we started off with a breakfast omelette {his new fave} and he's having the day off to 

1. Improve his golf game on the Wii

2. Go for a run and time himself with his new sports watch.

Tonight, for dinner, he's requested Osso buco Milanese, so I'm off to the butcher soon to buy some veal shanks, canaroli rice and saffron for the risotto. 

Birthday's are bliss.

Osso Buco Milanese *

serves 6

6 3cm-thick centre-cut milk-fed veal shin

plain flour, seasoned to taste

60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil

20gm butter

2 sticks of celery, finely diced

1 onion, finely chopped

250ml (1 cup) dry white wine

500ml (2 cups) beef stock

3 fresh bay leaves

3 sprigs of thyme

2 pieces of lemon rind

gremolata

1 cup firmly packed flat-leaf parsley

Rind of 1 lemon

2 cloves of garlic

Milanese risotto

50gm butter

100gm beef marrow

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups canaroli rice

1 pinch saffron

1 litre (four cups) chicken stock

40gm grana Padano, finely grated

1. Dust the veal shin with flour, removing excess. Heat half the olive oil in a large casserole, and cook veal in batches over medium heat until browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining olive oil and butter to same pan. When butter has melted, add celery and onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add wine, stock, bay leaves, thyme and lemon rind. Bring to boil and simmer for five minutes. Return osso buco to pan. Cover and cook at 180 degrees celcius for 90 minutes, or until tender.

2. For gremolata, place all ingredients on a chopping board and finely chop. Place in a bowl and season to taste, then cover and refrigerate until required.

3. For risotto, heat half the butter in a heavy based pan, add marrow and cook for five minutes or until browned and almost dissolved. Add onion and garlic and cook for five minutes or until softened but not coloured. Stir in rice and cook for another two minutes, then add saffron and 1/2 cup of stock at a time, stirring until stock is absorbed before adding more. Stir through remaining buttr and grana Padano and season to taste. Divide risotto among bowls, top with osso buco and pan juices and serve with gremolata on the side.

* recipe from Gourmet Traveller 

seasonal cleaning

Well, it's not Spring in the Southern Hemisphere, but we're getting into the spirit with Simple Mom's Spring {Autumn} Cleaning Party. My husband's getting stuck into the guest room, I worked on the pantry today and cleaned a particularly pesky corner, and from next week I'm going through room-by-room. Bliss.

kid stuff

We had the most delicious breakfast this morning - prepared by two nine-year-olds! Our daughter had a friend for a sleepover, and upon awakening, they googled for breakfast inspiration and decided upon omelettes. After taking our orders they proceeded to whip up very tasty omelettes indeed. For each person they separated yolks and whites from two eggs and whipped up the whites till fluffy. They they folded in the yolks and two tablespoons of water. Throwing in some salt and pepper I heated the pan and let some butter brown. Then, I poured in the eggs and each girl took turns bringing the filling to the middle and pouring the top bits to the side. When it was nearly set they popped on the fillings (ranging from grilled, diced bacon, ham, cheese, olives and tomatoes) and pulled one side onto the other. I helped them remove it from the pan and then we ate the best omelettes ever.

the garden at grey gardens

I've just been on The New York Times website checking out some before and after shots of Grey Gardens. I utterly adore what they've done here. Absolute bliss.

frugal friday

Here's a weekly post for you - premiering today. Ta da, it's Frugal Friday. Each week I'll be trying something new to save money - and letting you in on the secret. Today, it's cunning ways with leftovers...

Because there are only three of us in our household {the cat doesn't really count in this instance} I tend to have leftovers from most meals. Often, because my hubby works nearby, he'll come home and we'll have a hot lunch together. But I'd like to jazz things up a little, so today we're having leftover coq au vin - soup! Because I cooked the dish in the slow cooker all the meat fell into tender shreds, and it was much more liquid than if I'd cooked it in the oven, so what I'm planning on doing is adding some extra chicken stock {in fridge!} seasoning it with more salt and pepper and simmering it for 30 minutes before serving.

Another frugal tip is with leftover wine {shut up, sometimes I have some... well, cooking wine anyway...} If it's left in the bottle it oxidises and is only suitable to make salad dressing {use it in place of vinegar}. Of course, it's an option to decant it into a smaller bottle, but who has those? The best option is to freeze it in portions, well I don't know about you, but my ice cube tray is always filled with ice cubes for spontaneous vodka tonic moments - I don't have any spares for wine. But what I do have is frozen ice block makers - you know, to make ice blocks (or ice lollies) for kids. A six pack of those is just the right size for three quarters of a bottle of red, and once it's frozen, I'll slide them out and store them in a zip lock bag so I'll have 1/2 cup red wine frozen and ready to go... Just label them so your child doesn't think you've whipped up some apple and blackcurrent ice blocks!

an ode to masterchef

As you probably know, I adore cooking shows. Coming late to the meat-cooking game, after years as a vegetarian, I'm constantly picking up new ideas. Now, one of my favourite shows is a British one {surprise} Masterchef. I la la love that show. When I heard they were making an Australian version I worried - would it be a cringe-inducing version like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy or Top Gear - or would it succeed, like Biggest Loser? Well, I reckon we have a winner.

It may have only started on Monday night but I'm already in love with the three judges - and the host? Don't get me started on her. When I heard a former magazine editor was to host I quickly put on my judgement pants - I know her as former Cosmo-editor, not a foodie journo - but within moments I was charmed. Sarah Wilson is a total delight and totally makes the transformation to telly. She's utterly scrumptious to look at, seems to have a real empathy with the contestants - and manages to read her lines eloquently {I shouldn't have to comment on that - but man, so few people can work their way around a script these days!}

The traditional format's changed to reflect a more dynamic program and I can't wait to see what the contestants come up with. So far I've yet to see a great deal of genius - in the most recent UK Masterchef I was able to pick the final three in their first round. 

Of course I'm kicking myself for not following my friend Victoria's suggestion to enter, but I still don't think I'm there. I'm a slow-cooking, long-marinating gal and have yet to devise myself a menu I could manage to complete in 30 to 90 minutes... but maybe next year...

a few of my favourite things

A swoon-worthy pantry idea if ever I've seen one - candy striped tins perfect for filling with sweet somethings...

Oh my.

perfection in pink

I needed cheering up {really bad sinus is blocking my ears making me deaf and cranky} so Mr McQueen was happy to come to the party. With such a purdy pair of electric pink pumps to carry you around, every step would have to be bliss. I hope these bring a little bit of sparkle to your day too!

They've inspired me to slick my lips with an electric shade of pink for my luncheon. I might be dressed all in black - but my lips will scream siren.

home work

Working from home it's easy to be distracted, so I'm aiming to set up my perfect home/work life. One of the things I realised that I really, really miss is regular contact with others. Just sharing a morning coffee or lunch and chatting with a friend really makes the day complete. While I get the usual "hi" and "bye" when I drop off and pick up my daughter on the school run, I miss the one-on-one time, so now I'm scheduling a regular Ladies Who Lunch catch-up with a friend. Today's our first date, so I'm hunting down a suitable café {preferably not the same one where our husbands are having their regular boy-zone!}

I'm also trying to catch up, once a week, with lovely friends for a coffee. Inviting them here, firing up the espresso machine and sitting in the autumnal sun in the pavillion is the ideal way to start off a working day. This catch-up serves two purposes: I get to stave off loneliness and feed my friendships, and I make sure the house is relatively tidy the night before so that housework doesn't distract me from paid work. Good huh!

Now, onto today's bargains... I just dropped off my gal's pile of games and puzzles at the salvos and bought myself two great working from home tops - one a pretty cream marle {does that exist? It's kinda like grey marle pattern-wise, but in cream} and the other a gorgeous rich blue. Then I saw the perfect winter working dress. Long, black, cotton/jersey. Ideal with a pair of tights and a cardi - and if I sling on some beads and slick on some lipstick I'll look tres professional. But, bargain of all bargains was a silver cocktail shaker for $3. Hello Margaritaville...

sweet dreams

How gorgeous is this bedroom? Sweet dreams must be created in such stunning surrounds. The nights have developed a chill these past few weeks, and it's almost time to bring out the cozy flannelette sheets. Mmmmmm. Is there any more joyous moment than when you first snuggle into your bed? I think not!

this

Hey, you know how earlier today I said I wanted to make a slipcover for my ugh-ly black office chair? Well I reckon this kind of thing would be perfect - except in a floral, or toille. Taking it down almost to the ground, with a bit of lace could almost make it appear as though it has these nice claw and ball feet, rather than casters... Happy!

a room of one's own

Oh my + sigh...

clutter busted

Home from her first day at school, after completing her week's worth of homework and eating a gazillion snacks, my daughter was 'bored'. So I told her to clean out her toy room - and oh boy - did she. We now have two teetering piles of games and puzzles, plus a big bag of toys, to give to the salvos. Along with bucketloads of rubbish to go in the bin and recycling. 

The toy room {effectively just a closet off the living room - not as grand as it sounds...} is now organised, clean and looks damned tidy. And hopefully, because Miss A did it herself, it'll stay that way.

My hubby's also gone through all our mags and I have a stack the height of a small child to take to the salvos as well. Any decorators in the Newcastle area should head to the Salvos in the next few days as there will be plenty of recent pickings on offer. 

I'm longing for a bit of minimalist bliss {in my more maximalist manner}. I've also decided to put redecorating the study firmly on the agenda. I want to rip up the carpets and paint the floor boards white, look into a cheap, vintage desk that I can paint white, and, eventually, have floor to ceiling bookshelves covering the walls. Now I work from home full-time I need a lovely space to create.

what a crock

Very disappointed! As I was checking on dinner's progress at lunch I discovered my bowl for the slow-cooker has developed two cracks on the outside edges - not happy Jan! When I called customer service to ask after the cost of a replacement I was informed that it would cost $49.83 for a new bowl. Considering that the whole slow cooker cost $55 on sale less than two years ago I think NOT! 

I've been careful with it, mind. It's not that cracks have developed due to my lackadaisical level of care. This is planned obsolescence of the highest order. 

So I've got my fingers crossed that the cracks don't lengthen into the bowl in this cooking - and then I'm going to think about how I can patch it until I buy a new slow-cooker - a different brand with a better bowl!

frugal foodie

My menu plan's still going along swimmingly - yay. Today, after running alongside my daughter who rode to school, I came home and chopped up food for the slow-cooker. On the menu tonight is veal ragu {because veal steaks were super-reduced - cheaper than chuck steak!}. This recipe is based on a wild boar ragu Jamie Oliver cooked on his Italian Adventure. Using white wine gives it a milder flavour than the traditional red wine - I reckon that veal and white wine are perfectly married {I used chardonnay because there was a bottle in the fridge with a glass left in it. Yeah, I don't know how that happened either...}

Veal Ragu in the slow cooker:

600 grams of veal steak, diced

2 sticks celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

4 cloves garlic, sliced

3 bay leaves

4 slices of bacon or pancetta, diced or cubed

700g passata

1 cup white wine

Throw all the meat and veg into your slow cooker and then brown bacon in a pan. Throw bacon on top of meat and veg, and deglaze the pan with the wine. Pour in passata and then wine over the top and give it a stir. Cover tightly with a sheet of baking paper, pop on the lid and cook on low for around 6 - 8 hours. Feel like the best cook ever.

Serve over strips of pasta topped with parmesan shavings. 

eye of the beholder

I've finally got to acknowledge that I'm a bit of a princess {surprise!}. I now totally put my hand up to the fact that I need to be surrounded by pretty things - if not, I become despondent. I don't care if it's useful, or practical - I need it to look good at the same time. I went to a tupperware party recently and while I know that the products are fabulous, I couldn't buy anything because the retro-themed colours {avocado green, dark brown, mustard yellow} don't float my boat. It's why I work on a pretty iMac rather than a staid PC. I'm a pretty-ist - I might as well admit it.

However, with people, oh, with people I accept the quirks and differences {but not ugly fashion - I won't go there}. I can't abide sameness or anything bland. To me, beauty that stands out offers up a difference. Look at the editor of French Vogue - she's stunning and yet in no way a typical, pretty woman. 

On our weekend talk turned to plastic surgery. One of the women is ready for her breast reduction - which I totally understand. She's not trying to conform to a norm, just wants a life free from back and shoulder pain. However, when people start wanting to shave a little off their nose, or liposuction their thighs... that's where I have my issues. I used to loathe the bump on my nose, for years I despised it. But now, I reckon it gives me character, and balances out my features. It's my nose. I'm always sad when I see gorgeous roman noses given the ski-jump treatment - people's faces never look the same when parts of their septum are shaved away. It's the same with thighs - some of us have thin thighs, others are more generously proportioned - vive la difference...

So here's to beauty, in all its guises.

life is sweet

You know what? Life's better as an optimist. I'm not unrealistic, I'd just prefer to look on the sweeter side of life. A glass half-full is much more appealing than one that's half-empty. So even though today's monday, possibly my least favourite day of the week, I'm going to think happy thoughts {such as these pretty cupcakes - how spesh!}, get on with the unpacking from our camping, muddle through the tidying and prepare myself for my daughter's return to school tomorrow!

My hubby's taken the day off work to spend with our gal today, so I can get some work done. They're just about to start giving their bikes a wash before going for a ride. I'm loving how our camping holiday has given our daughter the riding bug.

back on track

Whew, we're back from what may quite possibly be the best family holiday. While we may have totally mis-read the accommodation information and actually requested the cabin that we'd said "Who'd stay in that?" {um, der-brains like us apparently} we still had a fabuloso time. Staying with four other fab families, we parents spent the day idling away, reading mags and books, wandering the grounds, lolling on couches... while our children spent the daylight hours either racing around on their push bikes, swimming {oh, yes, sometimes we lolled on sun lounges by the pool - supervising} or taking part in kids' club activities. We only saw our daughter a few times as various children {there were 12 children amongst us} called in for water, food or sunscreen. It was fabulous to see the kids just running free, doing the kind of random activities that we'd been able to do in our neighbourhood when we were young. Our lass is now keen to ride her bike to school, so on Tuesday we'll strap on the helmet and I'll run alongside her on the trip - benefits for two!

I'm just back from shopping after vowing to get back into the menu planning and once-per-week grocery shop. We're having roast pork {with extra crackling} and veg for dinner tonight, grilled t-bone steaks {on special} with veg and salad tomorrow night, veal ragu in the slow-cooker on tuesday {veal steaks on special}, coq-au-vin in the slow cooker wednesday, meatloaf and veg thursday and caramel chicken with rice and steamed greens on friday. I feel organised just thinking about it!

Having all my meals planned and organised also means I'll get back into my regular, daily walk - I'm thinking about just tacking it on to the end of the school run {if I'm not too exhausted keeping pace with the cycling gal}. After a weekend spent drinking, nibbling and lolling, I am keen to get a move on!

 

anzac day

It's Anzac Day tomorrow, so I'll be nibbling a biscuit or two in honour of the diggers. Last Anzac Day I had to work {newspapers only recognise Christmas Day and Easter!} and as I was walking from Central Station to my office, I saw a very old digger being wheeled down the road by his family. Bless. Next thing, I saw this utterly gorgeous bloke come running down the road and for a second, was a bit concerned that he was going to be an anti-war protester {which is admirable} and say something mean to the digger {not admirable at all}. So I hovered, just in case. 

As gorgeous young bloke came up beside digger, he bent down and said "I just wanted to say thanks Mate, thanks for all you've done." Double bless. I got very teary, and still well up thinking about it.

Now, I'm very anti-violence, and you can't get much more violent than war, but I think we need to show our elders respect - and to respect their opinions. So happy Anzac Day to all the diggers. Bless your little socks.

the great escape

See this? This is the expression of unmitigated joy and glee on my cat's face when he escaped down the side of the house today {can we pretend that the verdant weed situation is some kind of freestyle native garden?}

Mulberry is meant to be an indoor cat, but lately he's been apoplectic about that title and would prefer to be known as The Happy Wanderer. Now, if British Shorthairs weren't such good hunters I'd probably be okay with that, but the lizard population in my garden would beg to differ. After pouncing on them for about an hour, my husband came home and coaxed this recalcitrant kitty into his arms. Maybe I need to create a little kitty run for him in the courtyard - or pop him on a leash...

define camping

My husband objects to my using the word "camping" in relation to this weekend's visit to an eco-resort. I still stand by my theory that it's not in a house - but a cabin, there's a bunch of similar accommodations - with communal swimming pools etc - ergo: camping.

halston, we have no problems

Ooooh, me likey. I'm having a bit of a Halston moment - at the moment. After watching Gok's Fashion Fix, and seeing a few deeevine Halston frocks I'm harkening back to the Studio 54 era. Now, while I'm not a boot gal {I have calves and calves + boots = no} my heart stopped upon spying these. I adore the heel height, the buckles, the cutouts, the suede, the colour - delicious. I think my divine friend Ms M would look perfecto in these - particularly with her grey tulle skirt...

two much?

The whole size-ism debate has reared its lollypop head again in the US. Last year I was at first thrilled when I read Jennifer Love Hewitt's impassioned plea against size-ism, appreciating women for their variety, loving curves, or straight lines... until she said "A size two is not fat" and I did the classic quadruple take {you know, like a double take, to the max}. While some aspects of society may worship at the altar of size zero* of course they're not saying size two is huge - that's crazy! And then of course came all the calls that if JLH is a size two then her stylist has been seriously cutting out labels and replacing them with those of a size two.

Now, of course, Kim Kardassian, in what is for once, not just a bid for relevancy, has chimed in. After being featured in a mag with a caption stating she was a Forever 21 fan {a company who've now released plus sizes} she took to her blog, singing the praises of plus sizes, curvy girls... before stating that she's a size 2 - um, maybe one of her arms is... Honestly, why chime in with something like that? Why not just leave it with the praise? Why state that you're a specific size, when, really, those breasts and butt cheeks would suffocate in a size two. I have no idea what size she really is, maybe a six {I'm thinking Australian size 10 - 12} nor did I care. Once again the point becomes obfuscated by vanity.

I can't imagine a time when we'll just appreciate the wide variety of body shapes. Whether you're thin, curvy, pear-shaped, muscular, voluptuous... if you're healthy and happy shouldn't that be the ultimate, not the number on a label?

* Okay, this whole size zero thing is repellent, and I'm so glad that our sizings in Australia preclude it. What does it mean? You're so teeny that there's nothing of you! Even naturally skinny gals would be pressed to fit into a zero - instead you have the increasingly scarily thin Lindsay Lohan embodying {sic} the size zero - and with it the whole 3 Cs of the celeb diet world {caffeine, cigs, crack...} Soapbox removed.

ode to a nana nap

Oh, I do so adore an afternoon nap. I have them very rarely, say every month or two, but when I do, oh bliss. Today I finally dropped my daughter at her cousins' house for a sleepover, came back home to do some work and realised that my time would be much better spent napping - and so to bed. I slept for a little over 90 minutes and feel ever-so-refreshed.

We're off to dinner tonight, and have decided to walk down to a local favourite - Lime, a great restaurant at The Junction. I'm hoping that there's pork belly on the menu as the last few days have helped satiate my duck cravings {or at least stifle them for a week or two}. Tomorrow I'm going to sit down and work like crazy so we can head off camping on Friday morning with a clear conscience. 

I think I've also decided to re-decorate my home office. I'd love a girly, ornate white desk, to rip up the carpet and paint the floorboards white, to make a floral slip-cover to hide my ugly black office chair and to finally install a wall of white bookshelves. I think it'd make me work better - don't you?

weather tis nobler

We've had the wildest few days of weather here later. Torrential downpours that had far too many of us thinking back to the floods just a few years back. Then, when it wasn't bucketing, we had wild winds which sent our already crazy kitty into a frenzy of naughtiness. Today, however, the sky is blue and I was able to wash the most enormous amount of dark clothes - five day's worth. They're all blowing in the wind and drying nicely. Just like you can only appreciate happiness if you've experienced sadness, I believe that crazy, awful weather really helps you welcome back the good. 

Hopefully the weather will hold as we're off camping on the weekend with a few other families. Oh, and by camping I mean staying at an eco resort in cabins - I'm so not a tent gal. Actually, I'm not a shower block or long-drop toilet girl to be really specific. However, we will gather around some sort of communal camp-fire at night {even if it's only a bbq} and it's on lots of land for the kids to ride their bikes around - so really, that's camping. It's all in the definition: am I staying off-site, in a wooded area, in relatively primitive lodgings? Yes? Then it's camping.

Tonight our daughter's off to her cousin's for a sleepover, so hubby and I shall frock up {well, I'll frock up, he'll just put on a nice shirt and stuff} and hit one of Newcastle's restaurants. I'm tossing up between Bacchus and Silo, both perfect - and, excitingly, Manolo-worthy. Yes, if the weather holds my black satin Manolos will be removed from their box - not just to be gazed at adoringly, but to be worn, what all Manolos ache to do.

woo hoo drew

I caught Drew on Ellen last night, and oh, I adore that girl. I love how she's thrown herself into her character for Grey Gardens {which I will DIE if I can't find on-line - or if they don't screen it in Australia asap!} The dedication and respect she's shown to Little Edie is humbling. 

She's also a rare performer, one who's giving of themselves in order to help her film perform. Her frocks, hair and make-up during the press tour for Grey Gardens have been sublime. I can't imagine myself wearing them, but they've worked as pieces of art and the strength of her personality allows them to shine.

Drew's Oscar de la Renta frock on Ellen last night though, oh my. Delicious. Apparently they're auctioning it on ebay to raise funds for the American Humane Society - it's got to raise a bucketload of cash for prettiness sake.

study in contrast

This is one of the magnolia Little Gems that we've added to our courtyard - don't they look gorgeous against the charcoal fence? I love the rusty underside of the leaves, which is the perfect foil for the antique garden bench they both flank. Oh, and that massive white bloom? Smells like lemon sherbet...

karl's creations

Oh

My

pretty little things

We've planted the prettiest cream and lilac violas in our front garden and they brighten my life with their lovely little faces. If only I had some scented violets to create little nosegays... oh, what a life that would be.