oh my

Triple perfection here on the red carpet in Venice.

My desire to view A Single Man is fast reaching obsessive levels...

ma vie en roses

I do love a pretty rose, and a pretty pink rose, on a pearl chain - with ribbons would have to steal my heart. This Lanvin necklace set my heart-a-flutter when I spied it over at net-a-porter, so I had to share...

perfectly pretty

Despite the fact that her clothing sizes are out of whack, and that since moving production off-shore the quality tends to be less than it used to be, I've swooningly fallen in love with the new Alannah Hill collection. Seriously, how beautiful is this image? From the candy floss pink hair, the bed of blowsy roses, the combo of purple and red, those gloves, those frills, those lips, that headpiece...

Excuse me while I sit in a corner and have a total smitten-fashion moment...

i shoe, i shoe, i shoe

If I were getting married {like, say, Kellyansapansa} I would use the event as an excuse to buy myself a damned fine pair of shoes. Like, say, these. I'd love to see a pair of scarlet shoes paired with a wedding frock - but the next best option would be scarlet soles...

We organised our wedding in six weeks. We already had our house, and our daughter, and just wanted to commit to each other. So we had a very small wedding with just our parents and our daughter, then, a month later we had the big reception party at our house. It was bucketloads of fun and I'd do it all again... in these shoes...

ice, ice, baby

The girls and I have had quite a lovely weekend so far. Yesterday we went to a pool party that a new mum at school put on for some of the girls in the class - such a good idea to introduce yourself in this way. The girls swam and a few mums sat and chatted over a glass of bubbles - ah, good times.

Last night we watched Coraline - a gorgeous film, but damned scary! My gal's inherited my wussy gene - I don't do scary films, or books, although I devoured them when I was a teen. The girls sat hugging each other on the couch and I had to read them a book about kittens to help them go to sleep!

Today we've just made herbe omelettes for breakfast and the girls are off ice skating later this morning. We haven't watched ANY of the Olympics so far - damned if I'm paying extra for my pay TV subscription and double-damned if I'm going to stay up late to watch the over-exposed Eddie McGuire on free-to-air. It'll be interesting to see if the screening of the winter olympics has inspired many mini-ice-skaters today. I'll be staying off the ice this time and may well take along the book I'm reading to skim in-between waves, nods and spontaneous bursts of applause...

You?

for my dressing table...

When you have an obsession with make-up and are besotted with Alice in Wonderland how on earth is it possible not to covet such an object of desire? This Urban Decay palette would give me hours of fun - I could play and create for hours without boredom. There are also divine Paul & Jo options featuring the original Disney Alice that are so cute I could explode, and amazing shades in O.P.I. that just scream Tim Burton.

Be still my heart...

blue hues

Well, I enjoyed my girly night at home, although, as expected I did wake a few times to strange "oh my god, is someone breaking in?" noises. {Which were, of course, possums, wind, branches scraping across the tin roof - the usual...}

I ended up getting malaysian takeaway for dinner, in a wee box - things taste better in wee boxes don't you think? The DVD store nearly did my head in. I found Marie Antoinette - but every single other film I wanted to see was out {No Colin Firth - NONE}. So instead I hired Julie & Julia and still adored it on second viewing.

Now I'm waiting for my gal and her bestie to be dropped home. We'll have a girly day today and may do some baking {perhaps that cake I featured a few days ago hmmmmm?} My gal's bestie's parents are off to AC/DC tonight so I jumped at the option to have her stay with us {I'd adopt her if I could - such a sweet child}.

I've also got a few chores to potter on to. You know, washing etc. We might make a trip into the new markets in the mall today - apparently one of the stalls is selling goat meat - surely I could make a curry from that? I also have a bucketload of French homework to get on with {PS do you know that I now cannot look at any word without giving it a French pronunciation! Luckily I'm just doing it in my head...}

Enjoy your weekend. I hope you're being blessed with skies as blue as the ones I spy from my window.

* Lordy, just realised that this is my 100th post for this year. Do I ever shut up?

rouge chaud

One of my earliest red-headed loves was, of course, Lucille Ball. She was so hysterical that it was easy to overlook how completely and utterly beautiful she was.

Now, guess how much I'm coveting this frock? Seriously, I'd FIND an event to wear it {probably a summer one so I could justify the fan...}

I'll be off now to finish some work... Gotta justify that violette martini later on somehow!

frill seeking

Ah, Julianne Moore, so exquisite. My adoration of gals with titian locks is almost becoming obsessive...

Am desperate to go see her and Colin Firth in the Tom Ford flick - desperate I tell you. A couple of gals and I were discussing the appeal of Colin Firth today and I do believe that he can do no wrong {unless he steps out on that adorable wife of his...} He's charming, funny and was Mr Darcy. Oh, and as my friend R reminded me today, there was also the hysterical fight scene in Bridget Jones. The man's perfect...

But this wasn't a post about Colin {damn man highjacking my Julianne Moore love-fest}, no, it's about this frock and my love for it. Simple, elegant, sexy and swooshy. I'm not sure if that's feathers or a fringe, but either way, I'm deeply smitten. A little black dress never looked so red-carpet worthy. {Now, personally, I would have worn coloured shoes - I love a basic black accessorised with a shot of bold colour}.

Oh, and guess what? Nine has concluded its run at my local cinema. Pretty sure it only ran for a week and for that I'd like to blame Nicole Kidman's face {I tend to blame her face for a lot of things...} So instead, I'm going to stay home and be girly. I'm hiring Marie Antoinette for purely visual purposes and will get into some secret girls business {no, just pedis, manis, face masks, hair masks... you know}.

Hey, can you do me a favour? Because I'll be home alone would you mind sharing a drink with me around 6pm? I'll be having a violette martini as it will co-ordinate nicely with Marie Antoinette and my grey fingernails - but you feel free to have whatever you like. Salut x

brain train

A few months ago I was researching a story on keeping your brain young. One of the leading researchers in the field said that one of the best ways to ward off dementia was to learn a language. Apparently, when we learn a new language we engage parts of the brain that have previously lay dormant.

Actually, that's not 'apparently' it's "Damn, parts of my brain that've really remained inactive have been poked, prodded and shocked into action!" Yes, after week three of my French lessons my brain's still spinning. Last week's homework was damned difficult - took me ages - but I did get 100 per cent {yay me!}. This week's lesson? Hellacious. Our teacher expects us to learn something, take it in, and utilise it - but my brain? Not content to work in that way. There are a lot of rules with French words and pronunciation and my single-minded brain likes to work on one thing at a time. If I'm concentrating on how to pronounce symphonie {sah/fo/na} then I'm probably not paying attention to whether the word preceding it is la or le - but I should be - oh yes I should be...

While I got a few "parfait" in my direction last night, I also nearly had a breakdown answering the teacher when she asked me what time it was and I had to answer 6.20. Yes, I was required to remember how to say those numbers in French as well as how to say that it was twenty past... So hard, I nearly cried, and I did eventually get it right - after making everyone else in the class sigh in relief that they'd have to do better than me.

But, while it's hard, it's also utterly fabulous. My pronunciation is really rocketing and my understanding is already massively improved. I feel more than confident that when we're in France next year I'll be able to converse and understand native French speakers.

Parfait!

all by myself

My husband's off on a golfing weekend with his buddies this weekend. A bunch of blokes who've known each other since school will spend time golfing, drinking and reminiscing. Bless.

He leaves tomorrow morning and tomorrow night my gal's been invited to her bestie's house for a camping sleepover with two other gals. Yep, glad I'm not hosting that one! But you know what that means? I'll be spending my first night alone in what must be about 15 years. Goodness!

So I'm going to take advantage of it and take myself off to the movies. Yep, alone. I'm going to see Nine and hope that if I squint through my eyelashes every time Nicole Kidman comes on screen I'll enjoy it.

Who am I kidding - I'll come out all drenched in the urge to be Italian...

greased lightening

When my husband and I met, nearly 17 years ago, we both had very cool vintage cars. He had a cute-as-a-box-of-buttons Morris Minor in British Racing Green and I had a grey and white Vauxhaul Kresta {just like this one with fins, whitewall tyres, red leather interior and hydromatic transmission...}. Such. A. Damned. Cool. Car.

We moved in together after six months and, as we were both at Uni, decided we only needed one car. Sadly, my car needed extensive work so the Morris won. It was a great little car - so damned cute. No seatbelts though so when we moved to Sydney and would regularly drive the Sydney-Newcastle freeway we were totally putting our lives out there.

When I fell pregnant we had to get a sensible car. One with seat belts. So we had to sell our little Morris. Luckily it went to a good home and we sometimes see it tootling around Morpeth up in the Hunter Valley. Nice home.

Now we've both got a craving for another vintage car. A vintage ute to be exact. I saw a gorgeous powder-blue Holden the other day that set my heart-a-fluttering. If our first car's a sensible modern option surely we can have a funky second car?

calling my name

Today I had to go to an outer suburb to buy a part for my car. I had a general idea where it was, but then totally managed to drive past it. So I pulled over, ready to do a u-turn, when I realised that I was directly outside a Lifeline store. Now, I'm not sure if you know this about me, but I think that when a serendipitous event causes me to stop outside an op-shop that's because something inside is calling my name.

And oh boy, was I called.

First of all I found two of these pretty lil cake stands. They're cream, hand-painted with roses and rimmed with gold. Perfect. I'm in love.

So then, I place them on the glass counter, stare below and am socked in the eye with, wait for it, VINTAGE EIFFEL TOWER CUFF LINKS. Yeah baby. And they were only $5. So I hand over $3 each for my cake stands, repress my squeals and hand over $5 for the cuff links and walk out on a cloud of delight.

PS: Husband is utterly chuffed to bits at the cuff links - and now I'm kinda wishing I'd saved them till his birthday, but as if I could keep a buy like that to myself till May. C'mon...

let them eat cake

I think that for my next dinner party I just need to serve up stonking big slices of a pretty cake instead of pudding. Seriously. This pretty, with its lemon curd interior and angel-pillow icing is the type of creation my cream Kitchen Aid mixer will do justice to.

Only thing I need now is a gorgeous milk glass cake stand. Donna Hay General Store - is that you calling my name?

fait accompli

Ha! When you have as many nail polishes as I there's bound to be the shade you desire. I found this - a delicious kit nail polish that goes by the name of switch on. Not only is it a gloriously gunmetalic grey - it's got sparkles and you know what makes me happier than sparkles? Not much! Please ignore my painted-over cuticles - I was in too much of a hurry to push them back and I'm never particular when I paint my nails - so long as the nails are covered I can just run my fingernail around the edges in the shower and any excess comes off.

So happy right now. A spot of colour therapy always puts me in a good mood. And as Sara Rose would agree - one of the quickest routes to a pick-me-up is purdy coloured nails...

colourways

I have an addictive personality - particularly when it comes to nailpolish. See, I'll hear about a shade or a new nail trend and I just must have. So, just now, I'm checking out twitter and hearing about how Marc Jacobs was working backstage offering suggestions on custom-mixed nail colours and mentioned grey.

Guess how much I now need grey nail polish?

I'm now off to rummage in my nail polish basket {oh yes i do} just in case there's a shade of grey in there. If not, I can feel a shopping expedition coming on...

coverlust

I so need this magazine for so many reasons. First of all for putting this utterly glorious woman on its cover, secondly, for Marc Jacobs' wedding story {by his husband - bless}, thirdly, Kate and Andy Spade. It'll probably set me back about 9 million dollars at Borders {if they've got it} but I reckon it's worth it.

Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to comment when someone outside the regular model mold was featured. You know, when you expected to see someone unexpected on a cover. You'd think that with the trend for celebrity covers we'd be seeing a bit more variety, but no, it's always variations on a theme...

No wonder blogs are so popular. On blogs there's a celebration of a wide range of diversity. We bloggers get to share images that we love - without worrying that it'll affect the popularity of our blog.

Having worked on magazines I was part of some pretty intense conversations "Not green - green doesn't sell." or "She's got a wonky eye, can we swap it?" {and yes would be the answer to that one...}. Each year a big wig from the UK would come out and address the company with new pronouncements on what worked and what didn't work {green on a cover was always unanimously loathed - which I never understood - I love green}.

Blogging's fabulous because you can share a lot with such an intimate audience and connect in ways you never could in publications. We have the immediacy of comments too which I love. Checking back to see who's said what keeps on driving me through the day. I also love checking out comments on other's blogs - to find new blogs to read {people who give good comment tend to give good blog don't you think?}.

put a smile on your dial

These guys are so freakin' funny.

red hot

I had to feature a pair of Alexander McQueen shoes this week to honour the talent of the man. I adore how the zipper opens to feature a peep toe - and look at the shape of that heel - perfection. The man had a singular eye for unique design and his legacy shall live on in his utterly fabulous creations.

oh coco

Isn't this image totally and utterly parfait? J'adore Audrey Tatou and think she made the ideal Gabrielle Chanel.

my funny valentine

It's Valentines Day, so share the love around. Give a sweet smile, a loving hug, do a good deed and treat yourself nice. Love is all we need x

happy weekend

Happy Saturday! We're off to the nursery soon. I've found that they sell a variety of Hydrangea that blooms all-year-long. It's called Endless Summer and comes in both the traditional mophead and lace cap forms. I'm thinking that the blue will look prettiest against the grey and violet of our house - but we can always change it to pink later if we feel the need.

We're also buying some French lavender to hedge around the garden to the left of our front stairs. We've got a massive murraya in there and my husband's extended the garden so we can fit lavender across the front. Behind it I'm thinking of tall annuals such as foxgloves, cosmos or delphiniums... We'll see what's on offer. It'd be nice to have something pretty to look at while you're walking up the stairs.

What are you up to today? Oh, while I've got you - send out some best wishes to Beth at BabyMac who's having a birthday baking cake-off against her husband - may the best woman win!

l'heure cocktail

The Cointreau Teese

1 ½ oz. Cointreau
¾ oz. apple juice
½ oz. Monin violet syrup
½ oz. fresh lemon juice

words, don't come easy

This image of the shopfront of Repetto in Paris has a tenuous link to the following post - but it's so pretty! I'll be stopping by that store to buy a keepsake for my pretty ballerina when we're in Paris next year... {and now for the segue...} where I shall be speaking fluently thanks to my Alliance Francais lessons.

Ha!

Last night was my second lesson and while I'm still bamboozled by how much is crammed into two hours, I'm starting to gain more of an understanding of the French language. In the past I've tried to learn French for travellers - through books, tapes and most recently, my iPod. But the problem here is that French for Travellers requires rote learning - not one of my special skills. However, with the Alliance Francais I'm learning to speak French - not translate English words and phrases to French - huge difference!

The beginner's course will run for a year, over four terms, and then next year it's onto continuing beginners, then intermediate, then advanced. Long-term commitment huh. But I'm excited by the challenge. I'm starting to understand the vowel sound and where they appear. I now understand how to break up words into syllables and think I've already grasped a few of the basics. Show me a french word now and I'll have a pretty good shot at pronouncing it.

Last night the teacher even directed two "Parfait" in my direction at my pronunciation {perfect, obviously being the highest level of praise!} but I also got a few "non, non, NON!" and corrections with a wry chuckle and a shake of the head. So far my brain's remembering around 80 per cent of the rules - which is an astonishing achievement for someone who hasn't studied for such a long time. But our teacher's aiming for 100 per cent - so I'll do my best.

We have homework every day which I'm devouring like the girly swat I am. And I'm listening to French music such as the parfait Emilie Simon. Better watch out, I'll be checking out the French News before long...

vale

Mr Alexander McQueen, may you rest in peace.

one thousand one hundred and eleven

I am v excited as this is my 1111th post. How cool is that number? So to celebrate, here are some glorious David Austin roses. If you love roses, please, please, please buy yourself a David Austin for your garden. They're gorgeous, they're usually beautifully scented and the range is incredible.

We've got quite a few in our garden: the rich, yellow Graham Thomas {with the lavender border in front}, a delicate peachy pink Heritage {two of those flank our front gate}, rich red Tess of the D'Urbervilles and the gloriously blowsy pink Gertrude Jeckyl.

These are balanced with a very old rose - Duchess de Brabant - the most delicate pink blooms you'll ever see and a bush that never needs trimming {and even thought I'm two blocks from the beach it's never seen a touch of black spot!}. We've only got one traditional hybrid tea - the stunning red Mr Lincoln - so deep that its blossoms almost appear black and with a perfume so heady it makes you swoon as you brush by.

Oh, and I should also be celebrating my blogiversary - which fell on Monday - and I forgot. Damn, such a slack blogger... Anyway, happy blogiversary to me! Two years huh? That's gone quickly...

not want, NEED

This is not my bathroom, but can anyone give me a damned fine reason as to why it shouldn't be?

prom pretties

Ahhh, who doesn't love a fluffy frock? These pretties are going to help me get through the day - hopefully. My gal had her netball grading day yesterday and I foolishly put my hand up to umpire the games while they were grading. An hour and a half later I finally had a chance to rest. Being the sole umpire is tough, there's a lot of running up and down the court and behind the goals. But doing so when you're wearing a skirt and an old pair of havaianas is torture. Today I'm hobbling around like a 90-year-old. Remind me to sit on my hand the next time they call for volunteers...

excitement's building

Of course I'll use any excuse to post a pic of this gorgeous woman, but guess what I just found out? Apparently Christian Siriano is working on costume design on Eloise in Paris. I KNOW!

I loved him soooooooo much in Project Runway, loved what he did with this magnificent frock for Christina - and can't wait to see his creations for this film.

By the way, when I told my daughter the news about the film there was squeeling, little claps, a dance of joy and some tears. That's my girl...

j'adore

This afternoon I shall be making my child's day by informing her that a filmic version of Eloise in Paris is to be released this year. Squeeeeeee. We love the stories of Eloise - a girl who lives in the New York Plaza with her Nahnee and pets Weenee and Skiperdee. Her favourite food is Filet Mignon and her clothing Dior and she's always utterly fabulous. Two years ago for bookweek my gal donned a pressed white blouse, pinafore, scruffled her hair and slipped on long socks and mary janes in homage to this sweet gal...

Now, the thing that's got me confused is that the eternally glamorous Uma Thurman is playing Nahnee {a role previously assumed by the more squishy Julie Andrews...}. Now, Uma as the ever-absent, always-uber-chic Mother, that I get - but the Nanny? We'll see. C'mon, the film's set in Paris what's not to love?

belle fleurs

We have a wee space to fill in our garden at the moment and I'm leading the call for a hydrangea. These extravagant blooms look fabulous when they're out, adorable when they fade and also offer rich, verdant foliage - that ticks enough boxes for me! And don't these ones look divine spilling over and through the fence? Perfection.

minimalist? moi?

No matter how much I declutter, tidy, clean and purge I'll never be a minimalist. I need something to show a room's lived-in. This room here is pretty, but it makes me kinda nervous. I'd need to shower before sitting on those pristine white covers, and then I'm sure I'd leave grotty wrinkles when I stood up... For me, minimalist doesn't equal zen - it just makes me think of cleaning. And I've got far more important things to think about than cleaning...

floral fabulosity

Sun protection would be positively covetable with a hat like this would it not? I'm a sucker for blowsy blooms and floppy hats - combined? C'est magnifique!

mmmmm miu miu

Luckily, no matter how bizarre the fashion, there are always a pretty pair of shoes to delight my senses. I always fall hard for a bow, particularly when it's combined with a peep-toe, so no wonder these shoes easily won the title of shoe of the week.

Enjoy your Monday my lovelies x

snap happy sunday

Every photograph I've ever seen by Tim Walker makes me smile. His eye for colour and the ridiculous takes his work into another realm. I need to do a little spring cleaning today, so I'm going to hold this pretty image in my head and whistle while I work...

here piggy piggy

Last night's dinner was beyond sublime. We chose the degustation menu at Bacchus, Newcastle's most gorgeous restaurant, and were both enraptured. We started with a seared tuna amuse bouche, moved onto a poached quail egg with mushrooms a la greche, then it was local snapper, followed by a sublime duck breast on a bed of puy lentils and lentil puree.

I was pretty sure that the meal reached its zenith at that point. Honestly, the duck breast was cooked sous vide which made it achingly tender and beautifully rare. The lentils were spicy and added the perfect accompaniment - oh, and I can't forget the duck 'oysters' {remember that scene in Amelie where the guy shows that the chicken oysters are the best part? Well, same goes for duck}. Mmmmm.

Then our palate was cleansed with pineapple sorbet with baby coriander. Mmmmmmm.

Well, so as I was sitting there, sipping wine, chatting with my beloved and feeling pretty positive that I'd reached the peak of culinary excellence the pork plate came out. Excuse me while I take a second to compose myself... Oh my. There was an amazing pile of ham hock, so exquisitely spiced and flavoured that it took my breath away, a piece of pork shoulder so rich and deep that my mouth was pretty sure it'd died and gone to heaven. Think that's the peak? No way. There was the pork pie. Good lord, the pork pie. Pastry so thin, so light and so dense with flavours encased the most delicious pork meat I've ever eaten... Divine. Accompanied by a white bean puree, white bean foam {not that silly light fluff - but light, exquisite essence of beans} and a pork scratching that snapped in my mouth and filled it with porky deliciousness. I nearly cried while eating it as it was just so damned delicious.

I can still taste it...

Then a muscat creme brulee came out and set my heart a-fluttering. Creme brulee is my favourite pudding and I was worried that the muscat would overpower the delicate custard. Which, as the chef is obviously a genius, it didn't. It enriched and infused the custard with the most extraordinary flavour - so much so that I finished every last mouthful, expecting to be rolled out.

Then, a tray of six petit fours were placed beside us. A wee chocolate truffle, a rich butterscotch caramel and a perfect lemon meringue pie. Divine.

It was a complete dining experience from the surroundings in an old theatre, exquisitely reworked as a restaurant to the professional, friendly and attentive staff.

It didn't come cheap - but it was worth every single cent.

happy weekend

With the minute-hand creeping ever-closer to champagne o'clock it really feels like the weekend doesn't it? I'd like to spend a little time tidying my study this weekend. This year I'd love to have some floor-to-ceiling bookshelves installed, but until that beloved moment arrives I might settle for a good tidy and throw out.

I've spent the day cleansing in preparation for tonight's dinner - tuna salad sandwich for lunch, a ramekin of watermelon for afternoon tea... I want myself to be prepared for a real gastronomic experience. Please let there be pork or duck on the menu - or should I go for something completely different? You know me, always up for a new experience.

How about you and what you've got on for the weekend?

wooo hue

Those who've known me for a while will realise that I love colour combos that provide a sharp contrast. Today I have deep purple toenails and scarlet fingernails - and it's making me happy. That's why I love what Lauren Conrad is wearing. For a start, that coat is quite possibly the prettiest thing I've ever seen and winter-wear in a summery hue is always a fabulous statement. When it's combined with a slash of scarlet lips it topples over into seriously delicious status. And let's not even start about the scarlet soles on those black Louboutin pumps...

Well, I had my first Alliance Francais lesson last night and let me tell you how glad I am that I went with beginners rather than continuing beginners class. I learned bucketloads in two hours - including how to break french words into syllables {after the verb!} and how to pronounce every sound. It was a mixed bag of a class - with only one annoying woman who chose to pronounce every word as the teacher was saying rather than afterwards {you know, cos she knew how...} Distracting, but I concentrated on watching the teacher's mouth and tried to block this woman out.

I feel mighty confident that my pronunciation is going to be kick-ass - now if only I can get my befuddled brain to remember new things I'll be fine.

Tonight we're off to snazzy restaurant. It keeps raining off and on so I'm a little scared to bust my Manolos out of the box. Maybe my husband can do some kind of gallant plastic carpet laying in a path to the restaurant for me...

I'll be missing Come Dine With Me tonight so I'll need to record it. If James Brown comes last I'll cry - seriously, that man needs to become my best friend stat. Love him! This weekend's stretching out without a huge amount of plans again. I'm going to get back into entertaining soon - I've got one gorgeous family I really owe an invitation to but she's such an amazing cook I need to find a menu I know will delight her... Maybe I could get out the cookbooks to search for inspiration this weekend!

dangerous curves

I really never thought I'd see the day when a curvy woman wore a Victoria Beckham design. But Jennifer Hudson not only carries this look off - she positively steals the show. I adore her high pony tail and that fringe that deserves the title of bangs. Oh, and her pumps - I do so covet...

tea time

As I'm cutting down on coffee, I'm going to be increasing my tea... The caffeine's not the issue {sleep problems? Moi?} it's more that I'm drinking too much milk with my double-shot lattes.

So now mid-morning and mid-afternoon are tea time. I'm going to use one of my pretty antique tea cups and saucers and make a damned fine cup of tea to enjoy. I'm pretty sure that with my collection I won't be drinking from the same cup twice for a few months...

je parle francais

Tonight's the start of my French lessons at Alliance Francais - guess how excited I am?!?!? Exactement! I hope my brain's ready for this - it's been slumbering the last few days. Each morning I'm waking more groggy than the day before. I'm blaming staying up late to watch Come Down With Me on Lifestyle +2 {how do I love that show... And how do I love James Brown - gorgeous man that he is - and he's decorating his home 1930s Paris Burlesque tonight, be still my heart}.

I have been walking each evening which is my saviour. So many times I've felt too tired, or too busy, but I'm putting my health first and making sure that I take 30 minutes a day for a walk. I'm also cutting my coffee consumption down to two cups a day {eek - at least they're both double shots - shhhhh}.

Hopefully this French course will be just the exercise my brain needs. I can't abide Cryptic Crosswords and can't even begin to understand what Sudoko's all about so using my brain to learn a language could be just what it needs.

Okay, time to do a phone interview - and then I'll need to paint my nails in readiness for my class. Chanel red? Oui!

snap happy

I've always had a love for photography - so much so that my major at Uni was actually photography {with a minor in journalism...} However, three years of bickering lecturers with their own agendas almost put me off photography for life. Now, I'm keen to get behind the lens again.

With a long-ish OS trip planned next year I'm keen to get the shots I want - so a bit of research was in order. Luckily one of my friends is an exceptionally talented photographer who's sharing his skills over here.

One article I found particularly relevant was about getting up close to your subject - I'm always far too tentative and tend to stand so far back and pretend I'm not shooting the subject - and end up with a whole lot of superfluous background with a dim spec of a subject in the distance.

If you're interested in photography {and I know so many of you are} check out photographyfortravellers.com - it's mighty inspirational...

order in the house

When you work from home the toughest thing is ignoring the state of the house and settling in to do work without distractions. Ordinarily I can achieve that, but today, erk. I can hear next door's cleaner working away getting their house all clean and shiny and even though I'm locked in the study I can feel how messy my own house is. Hubby's working on a project so has piles of paper around the living room, rainy days have meant the washing's in teetering mountain-like structures and too much relaxing on the weekend means that stuff that needed to get done just didn't.

So rather than sitting here letting it bug me, I'm going to get up and put in 55 minutes-worth of serious cleaning and tidying. Then I can sit down and revel in my clean workspace and get stuff done.

lookin' good

This gal's red carpet looks having me going "Sqeeeeeee!" with Glee {and seriously kicking myself for missing that show - which I'd love - because it's on free-to-air which I always forget about - must rectify that NOW}.

Anyhow, I adored Lea Michele in a plunging emerald green frock at the Golden Globes {and was seriously concerned as to whether her hollywood tape would hold out - it did} - but now she's upped it a notch and is wearing FEATHERS. I love me a fluffy frock. I have naught outfits containing feathers in my wardrobe, but in my imagination there are tons.

This, I'm loving. Seriously my fave Grammy frock.

in the swim

It's the school swimming carnival today an even I used to love, but my daughter tends to loathe. The competitive gene seems to have skipped a generation where my gal is concerned - or maybe it was the Montessori pre-schooling combined with being an only child that does it. But anyway, despite years of swimming lessons and the fact that she'll happily swim for hours in our pool she's not quite sure if she wants to enter any races.

So I'm off to do some gentle encouraging so that she at least has a go at backstroke - and maybe her age race. Surely she will - if only to show off her snazzy polka-dotted swimsuit {blue - not that one above that I really, really, really need!}.

PS: TV-wise I'm not sure what I'm thinking of the contestants on this week's Come Dine With Me {aside from James Brown who I luuurve!}. Oh, and we taped My Kitchen Rules last night as I was busy flinging my poor old body around a netball court {feeling very sore and on the verge of death today - but we won!}.

food of angels

Taking a bite of an angel food cupcake is like nibbling on a cloud. These pure-white pretties were flecked with vanilla beans and topped with a wee bit of buttercream icing were rather sublime. I'd love to make little butterfly cakes next time with whipped cream and butterfly wings made from strawberries. Cuteness!

I had a few un-iced cupcakes leftover from the party so they're in the freezer awaiting a reinvention as raspberry and pink champagne jelly trifle. I really shouldn't keep them waiting too long should I?

mmmmmmm marc

Some designers I just adore: crazy Karl, John Galiano, Tom Ford... and Marc Jacobs. Their individual style infuses the pieces they create with a something that just brings out the covetous gene in my body. Like these pretty Marc Jacobs shoes. Look at 'em. How cute is that heel and the two-toned bow? With another designer this could have been heavy-handed or twee - but Mr Jacobs and his magic touch have created a positively drool-worthy shoes that really should be living in my closet.

Now, what are your plans for this week? I'm easing into it after a lovely relaxing, yet productive, weekend. On friday night the boy and I are out to dinner at a restaurant I've been dying to frock up for - Bacchus. Oh, it's lush alright.

I also want to send out love and hugs to Megs who's due to have a wee babe tomorrow. Naughty blogger wouldn't let me comment on her blog - so here's my best wishes here. Good luck for tomorrow and can't wait to hear all about your bundle of joy.

simply sunday

The last two nights we've had torrential downpours while we've slept - which means that today, a mild, sunny 25 degrees, is the perfect gardening day. We're going to top up some soil in the planter boxes out by the pool, mulch and fertilise.

What have you got planned for this summery sunday?