cherry bomb

It's a two-shoe day today. The pretty red shoes by Isabel Marant are there for Beth - because it's her birthday. They're the perfect shade of cherry red, with a bow and a rather sexay curve! Elegant, fun and gorgeous - just like she is. And the crazy Lanvin python and mongolian fur numbers? Well, they're just there because they're freakin' fabulous. I would wear those for hilarity's sake as they'd make me, with my long, curly black hair, look somewhat double-ended!

Enjoy your monday my lovelies - I'm off to check out a few blogs and then send off a few story ideas. Oh yes, it's that time of the month... Eek. Wish me luck!

slowly does it sunday

I've discovered that if you drink pretty consistently from 12.30 to 10pm your Sunday morning moves at a very, very slow speed... My catch-up with my old uni paper alumni was fabulous. Lunch and a few beers at the Beach Hotel was perfect - the sky was blue, the ocean magnificent - the ideal spot to chat and enjoy the view. Lunch turned into drinks, which then turned into a meal at the rather lovely Kitchen on Darby Street. A rare steak with bernaise sauce and frites was my way of soaking up just a smidgen of the alcohol. Then it was off to another pub before I had to retire - leaving three die-hard party people on their merry way to yet another pub...

How cute is this window box? We snapped it at an open garden a few years ago and it's what I'd like to include on our shed when we build it. How adorable is the triple-toned glass panelled window?

Off to the Farmer's Markets shortly. Hopefully a chicken golzeme will help me recuperate sufficiently to go for a bike ride this afternoon. Surely if it's combined with a coke zero it'll do the trick. Enjoy your Sunday.

woweeee it's the weekend

Today I'm going to be sitting on the veranda of an Art Deco hotel overlooking a beach. There will be eating, there will be drinking, and there will be chatting. Thankfully it's an utterly glorious day - fingers and toes crossed that we'll see a few whales or dolphins on the horizon. How amazing would that be?

Now, the icecream last night was amazing. Rich, creamy, vanilla-infused and blissful. I'm officially even deeper in love with my KitchenAid - I can't believe I've waited so many years to have one in my life.

Enjoy your weekend x

ooooooh yeah

This here's the french vanilla ice-cream churning in the KitchenAid. 15 minutes of churning and it was done. Now it's in the freezer awaiting its imminent demise...

friday's flowers

Admittedly my last post did feature one very pretty freesia in the image - but I've been saving these lilacs, peonies and roses especially for today. Oh, I wish I lived in the Southern Highlands, or Tasmania, where the climate is ripe for peonies and lilacs. As I don't I'll just have to content myself with holidays during their blooming period. Sounds reasonable doesn't it?

fantastically friday

Hands up if you can believe it's friday... yep, me neither. Excuse me, but where does the week go? I've had a busy morning. My in-laws popped in for a cup of tea and to check out my study {ooohs and aahs were appropriately metered out} and I made up my vanilla custard for my ice-cream. Oh yes, we'll be having fresh French Vanilla Ice-Cream churned in my KitchenAid after dinner tonight.

My gal has a friend staying for a sleepover tonight and I reckon I'll get some serious brownie points for serving fresh ice-cream. So much so that the main course will barely matter.

It's an absolutely beautiful day today. The sky's blue, there's no wind, and my garden's looking fit to burst with spring's promise. I have lanky stalks and white buds on the primula's that are circling the dovecote, my violas have their pretty faces dancing in the sun, the roses are covered in new red shoots - and the jasmine has me squealing in delight at the promise of its sweetly scented display.

Did I tell you that this weekend I'm catching up with my buddies from the Uni Newspaper days? 20 years on we've arranged a catch-up and I can't wait. Funnily enough we've all gone on to work in the media - nice as that was the aim. I'm sure there'll be some hilarious reminiscing going on. If you hear laughter carried down the ocean from Merewether you'll know who's to blame...

testing, testing

Okay, fingers and toes crossed that this post works. I'm just back from a lovely girly lunch to celebrate my birthday - hurrah! I'd written two posts this morning that vanished in a sea of HTML and then crashed Safari so hopefully this'll work.

Now, guess how much my Sushi-lovin' gal would adore these Hello Kitty morsels? Cuteness incorporated or what?

technical glitch

Okay, I'm not sure why - but blogger's refusing to allow me to post pics today.

I'll be back with a regular post as soon as some form of normality's restored!

oh pulease

So, as you may have heard, it's my birthday today... and, as such, I'd decided not to work but to potter. As part of this pottering I thought I'd treat myself to a movie. I know! In the middle of the day!! Well, you can imagine my delight when I spied the name John Corbett {aka: Chris in the morning, aka: Aiden from SATC, aka: Tara's husband in United States of Tara aka: yum} so I settle in to watch I Hate Valentines Day.

I lasted 35 minutes. Now, as much as I love John Corbett, apparently you can double that love and turn it into loathe and you start to get an idea how I felt about Nia Vardalos's character. Damn. That wide-eyed ingenue look works rather well when you're actually a wide-eyed ingenue but I was having trouble accepting it from a grown-woman.

Erk.

Did anyone make it further into the film that I did? Was I just in a mood? Did my advanced age leave me with little or no regard for coy glances and hair flicks that belonged in the swimwear shoot for Australia's Next Top Model {btw: how GOOD is this series becoming...}.

I'm normally pretty forgiving of characters in films. Books I may well fling across the room in frustration {Lady Chatterley's Lover I am referring to you...} but films, I guess because I know they'll be over with soon I give 'em two, three, four, five chances.

How about you? Does your loving or loathing of a character influence your viewing or reading?

what's cooking wednesday

Things are slowing down now. Netball's finished {well, until Twilight Netball starts next month} so that's making my meal planning a little different. Here's what we're eating this week:

Tonight: Well, it's my birthday so we're off to Bistro Tartine. French yumminess shall be consumed - and washed down with French bubbles...

Thursday: French lessons: I didn't make a chicken curry last week, so I'll make it this week. Complete with rice and garlic naan.

Friday: My gal's been begging for salmon so salmon it is. Served with lemon roasted potatoes and garlic greens. For dessert - well I'm glad you asked. My freezer has been rearranged and now the KitchenAid ice cream bowl is freezing in preparation for some vanilla bean icecream. Oh yes.

Saturday: I'm catching up with my old alumni from the Uni Newspaper - so it's only the boy and the girl at home. They can create home-made pizza.

Sunday: Toasty roasty. Last week I bought a divine pork rib roast and roasted it on a bed of rhubarb. This week I might aim for Saltbush Lamb.

Monday: Early game of netball. Chorizo pasta bake and salad.

Tuesday: Ballet: pork and cider casserole with greens.

What's on your plates this week?

oh, i'm dying!

I'm loving this photoshoot that's appearing in the US Harpers. Rachel Zoe in "I Die" - a series of photographs with designers {such as the delish Marc Jacobs} enacting her demise.

Love! {and seriously, Marc Jacobs in a skirt? I die!}

happy birthday to me!

See this very beautiful Black Beauty of a bike? Well it's MINE! Oh yes, my birthday's been celebrated with this gorgeously retro-styled critter. Squeeeee! Can you just SEE a baguette propped in that basket?

Oh, and you know that KitchenAid ice cream maker I posted of yesterday? Also mine! And some pretty new netball trainers - white, silver and purple {bound to make me run faster}. There's also a rather delightful hurricane lamp with grey roses around the base - I'll have to take a shot of it so you can check out its full glory.

An omlette and a bol of coffee later I'm sated - and planning on pottering around enjoying the day. Dinner tonight? Bistro Tartine naturally. Enjoy your day!

neverending story

Okay, time to knuckle down. I currently have the world's cleanest and tidiest study - but every other room in the house looks dreadful. I still have so many boxes of "stuff" and piles of "things" that need to go "somewhere".

Oh my.

I'm determined not to spend my birthday {one more sleep - hurrah!} in a hovel so I'm going to put in a two-hour stretch and blitz through the house from bedroom to kitchen. The recyling bin's empty thanks to yesterday's collection, the boot's ready to be filled with more boxes of books for the Salvos and anything else that's left will be housed - but only if it's totally and utterly deserving of a place in my home.

Okay, ready? Set? Go!

ice, ice baby

In Essential Ingredient yesterday I spied the most covetous object - an icecream making attachment for my KitchenAid. Yep, it's a bowl that you freeze and then you churn the icecream in your KitchenAid. Guess how much I want/need it...

You can guarantee that every dinner party will end with fresh icecream or sorbet. Oooh limoncello and blood orange sorbet. Or lavender and vanilla. Rose petal icecream...

Oh, the possibilities...

bookshelf bliss

Sometimes bigger isn't better. While I adore my massive bookshelf with the ladder, this wee number also holds a place in my heart. My step-father built it for me years ago, and with a coat of paint it fits in beautifully in the study. The pigeon holes are the perfect size for books and also a few knicknacks such as my pretty violette cups - probably totally deserving a close-up of their own.

Now, I know you're keen to check out my desk, but as I don't have a blind and I'm relying on my iPhone for pics it's hard to get a good shot as the desk has a massive window behind it. Perhaps if I shot it at night? I'll try and see what I can come up with.

Anticipation makes everything better don't you think?

oooooh, i absolutely adore the plaza

Excuse me for a moment while I contain myself... I've just found out that Betsey Johnson has designed the Eloise suite in the New York Plaza hotel. Squeeeeeeee! I know one gal who'd just die to spend a night there. It's pricey, but like Eloise, she'd just say "Charge it please".

monday, monday

I'm off to canteen duty this morning - in a pair of shoes that aren't anywhere near as fierce as these Bottega Veneta beauties. After a weekend that just whirled by I'm not surprised that this morning seems to be following suit.

Did you have a good weekend? Delight me with tales of your adventures - pretty please!

film fest

I noticed last night that SBS are holding some kind of French Film Season, so I forced myself to stay up waaaaaay past my bedtime to view La Vie en Rose for the second time. The first viewing is a harrowing adventure - Edith's life took tragic to whole new depths. But oh, the love story between Edith and the married boxer Marcel was just amazing. Looking at this shot of the real couple you realise just how astonishing the casting of this film was. To see the intensely beautiful Marion Cottilard play the extraordinarily aging Piaf was dumbfounding - and oh, did they cast the right sexy kind of beast to play Marcel...

This film will make you hug your children tight, so thankful will you be for their childhood, and it's a film that will stay with you long after the final credits role. Emotional, harrowing, breathtaking and raw, La Vie on Rose doesn't depict a rosy life for the little sparrow - but it does reveal an extraordinary one.

what a day

Well, my girls played beautifully for their last game of the season - they didn't win score-wise, but they really won team-wise. This bunch of girls are just all so beautiful. Their passion and enthusiasm is contagious - I've adored coaching them.

We just had a fabulous party down by the beach with the girls giggling, playing and racing around. If I'm lucky enough to coach them next year I'm going to organise a party at the start of the year too.

The parents gave me a beautiful present - a gift voucher at Essential Ingredient - woo hoo! Oh I'll have fun spending that - and the girls all wrote on a card which was just gorgeous. One of my girls came up to me at the party and handed me a card she'd designed and written which just made me so teary. She told me she loved my positivity and hoped that when she grew up she'd be like me. Higher praise? There is none.

I love the girls I coach. My aim is to make them the best netballer, the best team player and the most self-assured person possible. Some of the skills I'm teaching don't improve their game - but they strengthen their body to avoid injury and when they're older these skills will really come into play. My girls mightn't win every game - but they come off knowing they've done their best and that next week they'll do even better.

What more could you ask for?

time saving tip

Lately I've been feeling bogged down in time-wasting stuff and I've just done the most liberating thing to help save myself. Now, I get a lot of emails, up to 100 is normal, but up to 200 is not unknown. Per day. Checking them, replying, deleting, filing them just takes up time. So here's what I just did - I unsubscribed to about 15 different sites that regularly send me updates - that I really don't use. And oh, the feeling of clicking "Un-subscribe" was just utterly amazing.

I might only receive those emails once or twice a week, but I always feel obligated to read through them just-in-case. Well, now they're not there I needn't worry - out of sight, completely and utterly out of my mind.

friday's flowers

I love Redoute's botanical etchings. His roses always sing out to me. I've got a few vintage prints that are awaiting a hanging either side of my desk with the window separating them - they'll cheer me up no end.

Apparently Napleon's Josephine learned to draw under Redoute's tutelage. Imagine...

phew, friday

Going anywhere fun or doing anything interesting this weekend? My weekend's busy. Tonight we're putting up pictures in the study and bringing in the rest of the books to fill the shelves - squeeeee. Tomorrow morning it's our last game of netball, so we're having a 'party' at the beach afterwards to celebrate the season. My gal's then going to a Mad Hatters birthday party in the afternoon {oh yeah, party central round here...}. We've bought her a hot pink glitter top hat that we're decorating with a pale pink and silver marabou boa and some pale pink fabric roses. She'll be wearing her red pettiskirt to the party so it shall all be totally fabulous. Also found a fabulous pressie in the Disney range at Diva {yep, they had Alice In Wonderland jewels - guess how much I wanted them for myself?}.

Sunday? Who knows. Farmers Markets naturally - I don't feel like it's a weekend without them. Perhaps some baking with my gal - muffins or cupcakes to freeze for the week's school lunches. And lotsa coffee.

You?

girly girly girl

Here's a peek inside my wardrobe. I reorganised it yesterday and thought it was quite amusing that I have, oh, around 100 dresses, 50 skirts and one pair of jeans.

As you can see, I'm also fond of a wrap dress, black and white stripes, green and florals.

i want to ride my bicycle

I'm in love... I think I'll be needing one of these for my birthday - complete with a basket for baguettes at the front.

french chic{k}

Oh, j'adore Emilie Simon. Et tu?

new library

Okay, I know you're dying for it - here's the first peek at my study - with my half-filled library. Oh, it's a tough decision working out what's worthy of inclusion on such a lovely piece of furniture. The salvos are going to LOVE my book donations {after an entire boot-load full on Saturday I'd say there's another boot-load to come: and that's a hatchback boot!}

I am love, love, love, loving my new study. My desk is just beautiful {pictures to come later - remember, I only have my phone for a camera} and I'm so pleased we went with the charcoal carpet {although I may well turn into crazy vacuuming lady...}. The lavender walls are just blissful: pretty, light and soothing yet invigorating - just what I was after.

More shots to come later - maybe I should ask for a camera for my birthday...

trying to control myself

I'm beside myself. My carpet's being laid today and tonight I can get my study in order. Oh, bliss! The whole study renovation's taken place so quickly I barely feel that it's real. Oh, but it is...

As part of my planning for our French holiday next year I follow a few Frenchies on Twitter - including French Vogue {oooh, la LA} which is where I found out about Karl Largerfeld's photography exhibition {that's his work above}. C'est magnifique.

souper douper

The other day I bought a rather bland butternut pumpkin. We had a little of it roasted with our beef on Sunday night, but it was immensely unsatisfying. So today, as I nearly froze to death, I thought I might as well make some pumpkin soup with the stuff.

To up the taste factor I sauteed a brown onion in olive oil until translucent, then I added a diced slice of Spring Hill Free-range bacon {from the farmer's markets - if you ever see Spring Hill meat please buy it - and not just because it's from my favourite holiday house in Burrawang!}. Then I diced the pumpkin and a peeled potato, threw them in for a few minutes then added a litre of chicken stock and a good amount of ground black pepper.

This simmered for around 30 minutes and then I popped in the stick blender to puree it all and that's it. No cream, no milk, but the tastiest, creamiest pumpkin soup ever. {I reckon it's the bacon that made the difference - everything tastes better with bacon...}

what's cooking this week*

Brrrrrrrrrrrr. Well, that was quite the storm we had last night. Wild rain and winds so strong it blew our wheely bin right across the yard and into a rose bush {luckily a very recently pruned rose bush so no real damage}. It's still raining and very frosty, so that's going to influence this week's meals.

For lunch today I'm going to cook up a pot of butternut pumpkin and bacon soup. Mmmmm. For dinner? Well I'm thinking a beef stew with dumplings and herbed potatoes.

Wednesday: my last netball training session for the season: Chicken curry in the slow cooker served with rice, garlic naan and wilted greens {we didn't get around to making this last saturday}

Thursday: French lessons: spaghetti bolognaise will do just nicely

Friday: home-made pizza

Saturday: pork and cider casserole, cauliflower and broccoli au gratin

Sunday: Roast chicken dinner - with roasted parsnips and carrots along with the usual suspects

Monday: Late game of netball - really late - so an early dinner. I'm going to try Maxabella's pasta bake.

Tuesday: Lamb and green bean stew, pumpkin mash and garlic-sodden greens.

What's on your plates this week?

*Thanks Beth for reminding me that, yes, today is tuesday not wednesday...

perfect paint

Having done a fair bit of painting since moving into this house {gal's bedroom once, hall twice, living room twice and study once} I can say that the right paint makes the world of difference. We painted our living room in a deep, rich red and the paint we used was a nightmare. Thick, goopy and yet with little coverage. However, the British Paint we've used in our gal's room, and in the study have been magnificent. The colours are lovely and just a dream to apply. Should you be crazy enough to consider painting your home, may I suggest you give British Paints a go.

lucky numbers

There cannot just be one shoe of the week this week as I've reached quite a milestone post. Guess how many?

One thousand, five hundred*. I know - apparently I never shut up. I think it's because I work from home so I don't have any workmates to turn to and say, "ooooh, guess what?" so you're all effectively my workmates. Want to go grab a coffee?

So, for your viewing pleasure this morning I've selected a range of shoes from net-a-porter - there's "Shiny!", "Lacey", "Bows!" and "Scallops!" {the edging, not the mollusc} for us all to delight over.

Now, I'm off to count down the seconds till Wednesday afternoon when my carpet is laid and my furniture returns, or is placed, in its rightful position. I'm looking forward to actually being able to walk in a straight line and not have to squish between things to find something I need. Oh, and to be able to open my bedroom drawers more than 3cm. OOOOH, and to have a completed study - that's my real dream. Bliss...

*Or, alternatively, it could be 1450. I swear to god that yesterday blogger told me I was up to 1499 but today it's told me a different tale. Oh well, the shoes are cute, and 1450 is still a damned lot of posts...

weekend wonders

Now, for those who've been asking the big reveal of my study will be on Thursday, or maybe Friday of this week. The carpet's getting laid on Wednesday afternoon and then we'll start moving the furniture into the room... I'm a wee bit on the excited side. We painted the hall yesterday, and will spend the morning laying another coat of high gloss on the skirting boards, chair rails and picture rails {so much to paint in a Victorian home!}.

Next thing is we'll need to paint the frames of most of the pictures that go in our hall white, with maybe the odd antique gold mixing it up. We'd love to have a gallery effect in our narrow hallway - don't you just love groupings of images?

parisian delights

As I'm always looking for an excuse to travel to Paris, or extend my stay, so hearing about what must be the most magnificent idea ever has got me hankering to celebrate my birthday in Paris one year. Cinema au clair de lune is an outdoor cinema that travels around arrondissements in Paris in August. Oh yes please!

happy weekend

Hello, how's this for a late post? Sorry! Last night was all about the painting - we've now completely finished the ceiling and cornices and have a coat of lavender on the walls - and I'm sooooooooo glad we've gone with the colour. Oh it's happy, oh it's pretty. Now we've just got one more coat to do on the walls... before we move into the hall... I know, it's addictive stuff this painting business.

Photos to come soon. In the meantime, regale me with what's going on in your world. I'm keen to peak into a weekend that's not sodden with paint fumes.

friday's flowers

If my house weren't in disarray, I'd totally have at least two vase-full's of flowers on display. Until it's back in order I'll have to content myself with this lovely collection I found over at Martha Stewart. Pretty non?

white out

I realised last night, as we put the final coat of white undercoat on the study walls, that while I like the concept of all-white interiors, the reality leaves me a little cold. Thankfully we've decided to go with a coat of Lavender Rose on the walls - a pale lavender with a hint of pink {shhh, don't tell Maxabella and Life In A Pink Fibro - a family that was scarred by the colour lavender if ever I've heard of one}. Combined with my massive white bookcase {in four pieces in my bedroom - and even in bits I'm still besotted with it}, white desk {in a box on the front veranda} and charcoal carpet I think the hint of colour will add a touch of glamour and warm up the room nicely.

Cannot wait to put the first coat on tonight. Squeeeeeeee!

phew, friday

Heya, sorry for my late posting but I've been waiting on deliveries and installing my new wireless modem {all by myself - yay me!}. We now have two new bookcases and one new desk all sitting in odd places awaiting their new homes. Last night we got in and painted. I had a migraine yesterday so spent most of the day sleeping, so by 8.30pm I was awake and ready to work. We've completed one coat on the ceiling and an undercoat which means I'm now in a completely white study. I'd take a photo to show you but, of course, my camera's dead. Typical.

This weekend does, of course, involve much painting. Our first coat of real paint on the walls and another coat on the ceiling and cornices. Tell you what, I do love my nine foot ceilings, except when it comes to climbing up and down a ladder to do the cutting in.

Enjoy your friday, and hope you're revving up for a fabulous weekend.

holidaze

The photos I treasure the most of our daughter are when she's on holiday. She's always so blissfully happy. The only time she looks any happier would be when she's with her cousins. So this photo, taken in a field in London, with her two English cousins, is just about the perfect picture.

I'm playing along with BellaMumma's beauty-full pics. You?

time flies

Oh, much to do, but where's the time to do it? I just started writing out a to-do list for the day but had to stop as it was giving me palpitations. See, much of my day requires me to make phone calls - and I loathe making phone calls. I'll do anything to avoid calling: email, text, dropping in - hell, I'd even write a letter if I thought it would help. All the calls are chase-ups too - my most dreaded kind.

In happy news, my beautiful bookshelf and ladder arrived yesterday. It's in four parts, in two different rooms, but oh my it's delicious. I cannot wait till next week to install it - and to finally pull all my books from boxes and place them on the shelves. Bliss.

Okay, I can't put it off any longer. I'm going to start making phone calls... I'll just make myself a cup of coffee first...

a cinderella moment

I have a black-tie ball to attend in September. Guess how much I'm craving something a little ruffly, something a smokey dove grey... Guess how much I wish I could sew...

what's cooking wednesday

It's a rainy old wednesday today, so much so that I'll cancel netball training if it's still raining at 11am. My gal's staying home for a rest today. She's getting a cold and is all chesty and feverish - so a day spent snuggled up inside is the best solution. She's also shaped tonight's meal:

Today: Chicken noodle soup - heavy on the garlic

Thursday: French lessons: Meatloaf, mash, corn on the cob and peas

Friday: Gal at a sleepover. Steak sandwiches on baguette with caramelised onion and a side salad.

Saturday: Fuel needed for painting: chicken curry in the slow cooker with rice, wilted greens and garlic naan.

Sunday: Probably still painting: Roast beef and all the trimmings.

Monday: Early game of netball for me, so late dinner: burritos it is.

Tuesday: Ballet: lamb shanks, creamy polenta and ratatouille.

perfectly pretty

I'm loving this image of Riley Keough in Vogue - although it does make me feel 900 years old - Elvis's little girl has a little girl this grown-up? Oh my!

Things from this shot I'll be needing? That bike, that garden, that skirt, that cardi, that hairstyle, those eyebrows, that cherry-red pout.

on the shelf

With my bookshelf due to arrive any moment now, I'm in full-on panic mode. Luckily I've sent of the article due today and have nothing pressing on the horizon - except for getting this house in order. I have a new motivation - the mortification index. If I'm trying to consider if something needs doing I consider how mortified I'd be if I didn't, and someone dropped by. At the moment I can safely say I'd be terminally mortified by the state of every single room in the house.

So I'm going to start in the hallway. As I've mentioned, everything that was on the bookshelves in the study is in piles in the hallway so I've been going through them, sorting out, tossing out, recyling, filing... I have managed to find all but one report card, school photo and santa photo {all from the same year mind - what was I doing that year?}. Once the hall's under control and cleared so the bookshelf can come through I'll clear some space in the bedroom for the shelf to sit for the next week - while we paint the study and wait for the carpet to be laid - next Wednesday afternoon. Woo hoo!

Okay, I'm off - wish me buckets of luck.

sweet treat

Oh my. Working when it's frosty really isn't my favourite thing. Because my study's now perfumed with the scent of eau de oil paint I'm keeping the air-con off so the fumes don't go through the whole house.

I'm close to finishing up my story that's due tomorrow - and oh boy, will I give myself a reward at the end. Maybe not a cake as enormous and gorgeous as the one here with Miss Kylie - but something lovely non-the-less. I have managed to pain my nails with a matte lavender shade {Orly Lollipop - love!} which has given me a glimmer of inspiration. Maybe I just need to pop on my iTunes and belt out a few Kylie tunes to get me through the next hour before school pick-up. Reckon that'll help me polish off a first-draft won't it?