does anybody here like the human league?

When one of my friends called me to tell me about the Rewind Festival in Wollongong at the end of October I squealed. Hello, a retro festival for old people? I'm on it. The list is awesome, including The Human League! I know!! "Don't you want me?" is one of my fave numbers to croon - can't wait to sing along with it in person. In fact, the last time I went and saw the Human League I looked a little like this...

Yep, that's me on the left {proving why I've had long hair since I was 16}, my bro {who's now a 6 foot three tattoo-covered Harley Riding, non-human-league-listening dude} and my step-sisters {two of whom were my age, yet I was freakishly tall at 13 - and average height now. Sigh.}

I may not wear the electric blue fishnets when I see The Human League this time, but I will be attending with two of my fabulously fun-loving gal-friends - Wollongong had better watch out.

blue by you

If I achieve nothing else this summer, I wish to find a frock in this exact shade of blue. I think Cobie Smulders was one of the prettiest sights on the red carpet - compounded by how much this blue popped on the red.

Actually, I think I need this dress, in cocktail length with a subtle flare to the skirt. Don't you think? I'd wear it with my red wedges and would be blissfully content with the world.

more couples i love

The Emmys also served to remind me of couples I love. Like Seal and Heidi Klum, honestly, how amazing are they? And, ps: I happen to love Seal's slashed to the waist shirt - he's certainly got the pecs for it. And Heidi's dress by Christian Siriano has been roundly criticised but I love it. It's foofy, it's swooshy and it's fun - perfect for an awards ceremony.

Now, my love for Amy Poehler and Will Arnett has verged into obsessive territory. Did you see them on the podium for E! with Ryan? Hysterical. Will took over the interviewing of Amy and it was cute-as-a-bunch-of-buttons. And then when they wouldn't let him cut to Gwyneth? Genius.

Amy also provided me with one of my fave moments of the ceremony when all the actresses nominated raced to the stage to stand there waiting for the award. Comic greatness there.

I wanna be her friend.

Spring...

Arriving home is pretty darned pretty at the moment.

taking the plunge

There's no more dramatic look that a seriously plunging neckline - but you need the right attributes to pull it off. First of all, you've got to be a modest cupsize, Christina Hendricks would look obscene in this number. And also, and this is often ignored, you need to have a well-covered chest area (to avoid the dreaded decolletage ribs a-la Rachel Zoe, Debra Messing and Julie Bowen).

I reckon that Heather Morris ticks all these boxes, and how glorious is this smokey amethyst shade? Also truly, madly, deeply in love with the ruffled skirt.

Love.

award show frocks

I love award season, for the sheer pleasure of frock watching that it affords. I think Jayma Mays frock is just so pretty. Sure, I would have loved to have seen it in a mossy green to set off her hair, but it's a princess frock that looks just gorgeous in this delicate petal pink. Also loving that ribbon sash around her teeny waist.

Loving the silhouette of Rachel Evan Wood's frock - and her hair is just glorious.

Oh, this woman is just perfection. How much does Sophia rock this tangerine frock? It's Vera Wang and is so perfectly fitted to that bod. Also LOVE the jewels. They're Columbian emeralds and the earrings look like the most incredible peacock feathers. Perfect.

Also, Jane Lynch is rocking it as host. I love how The Emmys have openly gay hosts. And Jane sure can wear a frock too. Love her.

meal planning monday

Meal-planning last week flew right out the window. I didn't go shopping and had lots of unexpected last minute plans so hubby and I had toast for dinner one night {we had some ravioli for the gal} and one night I even, {come close, I'll be whispering this... *Ihadacheeseburgerfrommcdonaldsdon'thateme*}

So some of last week's meals will be repeated - as they weren't even cooked. But I did come up with a surprise last night. We had some leftover roast butternut pumpkin in the fridge, so I tipped it into a bowl, added some cooked leftover jasmine rise, a sliced green onion and some frozen corn, sweet chilli sauce and dried, mixed herbs and formed it into little balls. I then baked these in the oven and served it with the fillet steak with balsamic caramelised onion and salad for dinner. Delish! Great for hiding vegies for kidlets too - you could add peas, grated carrot, grated {drained} zucchini - anything!

Monday: I'm doing crusted lamb fillet with roasted chick pea salad {I'll roast vegies such as capscium, zucchini and onion, and then, with 15 minutes to go, I'll toss in some drained and rinsed tinned chickpeas and garlic and let them all brown up. I'll serve with a balsamic glaze and sprinkled with parsley}

Tuesday: Pork schnitzel, mash and greens.

Wednesday: It's my gal's netball presentation from 6.30 and I'll be there early setting up. She'll have a sausage sizzle, I'll see if I can snaffle one too. Hubby can fend for himself.

Thursday: Salmon patties with apple coleslaw.

Friday: I'm going to do a butterflied chicken on the bbq. With a haloumi and beetroot salad.

Saturday: I've got a hankering for scallops - dare I try to cook them?

Sunday: Roast with a twist - leg of lamb on the bbq with a french lentil salad.

sweet, sweet sunday

On days like this you've just got to think to yourself, "you know what? Life is pretty sweet..." We had our first blissful night's sleep on fresh cotton sheets last night {is there anything better than clean sheet night?} and hubby's working like a demon out in that side yard of ours. Before I know it we'll have a sweet little shed out there to store all the stuff that's living on our side veranda since our pool was installed!

Now, tell me, which veranda shall I remove the railing from to install this swinging seat? I'm thinking the side return on our front veranda, that way it's just off the study and my Wi-Fi will reach so I can do a bit of work swinging gently in the balmy breeze. Good idea non?

freshening up for spring

Oh, I love Spring! How utterly glorious is this weather at the moment? After nearly spontaneously combusting last night I'm finally switching to the summer sheets today so all the white cotton sheets are on the line after a wash. Love how the sun bleaches them to crisp white after a winter spent yellowing in the linen closet.

Hubby's also got the pool loaded with salt and looking all sparkly and ready for a swim. I think I might just take the first plunge this weekend...

This is our first weekend since returning from holidays that we've had absolutely nothing planned, and oh my, it's just blissful. Our gal's gone for a sleepover with a friend and all we have to do is potter around the house and garden getting it looking spiffy.

Now all I need are some spring flowers to fill the vases and I'll be set.

{this} made my day

I've always had a bit of a soft-spot for Clint Eastwood. My dad was a fan of his films, so this softly spoken dude was a bit of a soundtrack to my youth.


And today I just read a quote from Clint that seriously needs to be made into a t-shirt: "These people who are making a big deal about gay marriage? I don't give a f*ck about who wants to get married to anybody else! Why not?! We're making a big deal out of things we shouldn't be making a deal out of ... Just give everybody the chance to have the life they want."


Bless him.

flowers for friday

Bringing a smile to my face on this gorgeous spring day is this image of this gorgeous blue pots filled with deep purple flowers {petunias?}. It's certainly one way to up the wow factor on a dull wall.

chicks at the flicks

There was much to love about Crazy, Stupid Love.

It was cute.

It was funny.

Emma stone's hair.

Ryan Gosling in a suit.

Ryan Gosling out of a suit {I think the boys behind me said it best, with a very Eartha Kitt-esque Rrrrrawaor - oh my}

If you're off to a movie with your gal pals, this'll do it. Although, as my friend M said, Ryan is one of those blokes that even other blokes like.

Can't wait till the next Chicks at the Flicks in October - they're screening I Don't Know How She Does It with SJP - who actually looks like she's found the big-screen role to suit. A glass of bubbles, a gift bag, stallholders with fabulous things {cupcakes, french fabulousness from Greg & Audrey's, jewels and other prettiness!} AND a fab film.

Oh, and did I mention Ryan Gosling OUT of a suit...

Oh my.

crazy! stupid! LOVE

Okay, I'm a bit beside-myself excited as TONIGHT I am off to see Crazy, Stupid Love! I KNOW! I've been desperate to see this since it was way back in the filming stage, and then, when I saw the trailer... Hello!

So when I saw that my fave Newcastle store, Greg & Audrey's Garage were giving their customers a chance to win a double pass to the Tower Cinemas, well, obviously I was on that facebook page like. a. shot.

And guess what? I won! {I know, big surprise as I'd already told you I was going...} I shall be frocking up and getting along to do a wee bit of shopping at the fabulous stores who are supporting Chicks At The Flicks and then settling in for some Ryan Gosling action {what? There are other people in this film...}

And I'll probably be doing a wee bit of swooning over Emma Stone's red locks too... Le sigh. I wanna be a redhead...

vegie-licious

I love my husband. Look what he did. In one weekend we went from weed-covered side-yard, to bare, ready-to-plant garden, to wee, pretty vegie garden.

Bless.

Look at my teeny little carrots, beetroot, rocket, lettuce, garlic, basil, tomatoes and corn. LOOK! Aren't they just the sweetest things ever? And yes, hubby did move all those massive convict sandstone slabs into place, oh, about two years ago... Can't rush these things. At least the soil's all nice and nourished - luckily as we have shocking clay soil here {I know, weird, we're only two blocks from the beach - I still think we should have sandy soil...}

Now I just need to get into a watering routine, and then in a month's time we're planting out the other garden bed. Fresh veg here we come!

meal planning monday*

Monday* again, so I need to plot out another week's worth of meals. Here's what we'll be eating this week:
Monday: Filet steak with sauteed mushrooms, garlic broccoli and pumpkin mash
Tuesday: Spanish chicken with a big tossed salad
Wednesday: Slow-roasted beef ribs, green salad and corn on the cob
Thursday: Salmon patties, salad and wilted greens
Friday: Lamb fillet with roasted chickpea salad
Saturday: Chicken schnitzel, mash and green beans

* So tired that I forgot to schedule this - read it tomorrow...

well hello spring!

There's an abundance of purple prettiness in my front garden at the moment. The wisteria's out in full bloom, lavender's out and saying, "hey, remember Provence..." and Irises are all out competing with each other to out-fabulous the other.

We're also FINALLY planting our vegie garden today. Hubby's painting the rest of the front fence charcoal {beautiful backdrop for all our plants} and then, this afternoon we're getting digging. Squeee!

goodness gracious

I've been bemused, and a little saddened, as I've watch a wee bit of drama erupt this week. Apparently it's becoming a bit of a thing to judge and attack. I've seen in happen on one of my favourite blogs, and I've seen it happen over Twitter.

Now, I make no secret of my love of reality tv - and one show I just love {even though I probably shouldn't} is Australia's Next Top Model. I've watched every series with glee. I was watching last week when a model bemoaned her weight gain, then had an extremely unflattering photo shoot in a coffin. I remember thinking that it looked like she just wasn't going to fit in - nothing to do with her supposed weight gain, just her sheer height and gangliness. When Alex Perry quipped that she looked like overstuffed luggage I thought it was a pretty apt simile, nothing to do with her weight - she just didn't fit.

Weirdly, nearly a week later a furore arose over the comment with Alex Perry being derided for his 'fat-hatred'. Um, really? Is this the Alex Perry who has clothing up to a size 16? Alex Perry who so beautifully dressed Robyn Lawley in the above Vogue shoot? The hatred and the vitriol he's receiving over twitter is just quite yucky to witness. It's bad enough when someone's done something worthy of derision - but this is a comment taken completely out of context and I think it's just outrageous that any person should be subjected to that. Especially a designer who clothes do tend to celebrate the female form - have a look - they're all about curves and shapes.

Sigh. Haters gotta hate.

dita's nailed it

Right up high on the People I Love list is Dita Von Teese. Glorious creature that she is. And look - now she's got nails featuring her awesome reverse french manicure for sale. Fabulous aren't they?

meal planning monday

Ahhh, Spring. Damn, I love this season. For a start, at the moment, whenever I walk out my front door I'm suffused in the most delicious scents. My wisteria's out and oh boy, does it smell amazing - and look divine. The days are getting longer too, so I can end my working day with a work on the beach. Bliss. And warmer weather means lighter meals. Hallelujah. This week: here's what's happening:

Monday: I bought some rather fabulous eye fillet at the farmer's market yesterday. I might just fire up the bbq to cook it. Alongside there shall be some simple steamed veg, maybe a wee salad.

Tuesday: Ballet class till late. Garlic roasted chicken, tomato salad and lotsa greens.

Wednesday: no more netball. Phew, back to normal {loved my girls and netball, but a bit of breathing space is fabulous}. I have some pork schnitzel from Aussie Farmers - I might pan fry them and serve them with a fennel and grapefruit salad.

Thursday: Late ballet. Again. Thai beef salad I think.

Friday: I'm in Sydney for meetings, then bringing my bestie, The Divine Ms M back up here. We're off to see a band with old uni friends. Better make some pasta to sustain us. Broccoli, poached chicken and almond oricchiette should do it.

Saturday: Would you believe I'm going out again? Nope, me neither. It's a school reunion so I'll be eating out. Gal and the hubby can have mexican in my absence.

Sunday: Roast chicken and salad - yes?

happy birthday freddie

Love me a bit of Freddie, and to celebrate his birth, here's one of my faves {followed v closely by Fat Bottomed Girls! Oooh, and Crazy Little Thing Called Love... and....}

PS: The Google Doodle to celebrate what would have been Freddie's 65th? Beyond awesome.

let the light in...

The people who renovated our house got it pretty well right - except they obviously ran out of money when it came to the bathroom. Where we've got gorgeous, original windows throughout the whole home, in the bathroom there's a nasty aluminium number {admittedly framed with timber on the exterior - but still...}

When we eventually do our bathroom up {and that's way down our list of priorities - it looks fine} I'd love to pop in a lovely big window that comes down to the bath. Now, as our back veranda will look directly into said bathroom, it'd need to be frosted, but still - imagine the light! Bliss.

Oh, and I'll have that bath too. x

super dooper saturday

Oh my, it's a bit of a whopper of a day for us today. To start - my girls are in the GRAND FINAL. Yep, the netball team I've lovingly been coaching for three years has made it to the top. Eep! Bless their socks, they've won and lost with grace this year - taking to the court with enthusiasm every single game. And leaving the court with a smile on their face. I hope their smiles are mega-wide today. We've made some red and white cheerleader pom poms and I'll be waving them around like crazy today.

Immediately afterwards {actually, kinda during} my gal has to dash to ballet to do her first-ever classical exam. She'll leave before the last quarter to get their on-time - luckily her dad's the ballet-bun person in the family {seriously, eight years on and I still can't get the damned thing to stay put for a whole lesson!}

Then, that afternoon it's a catch-up at the club that sponsors our netball club - drinkies and nibblies for all the players. Bless.

And is that all? Nope. I'm catching up with a fab friend who was in Paris at the same time as us - but our conflicting schedules didn't allow us to have champagne in Paris. So we'll have some champagne and cheese here while sighing over Paris together and plotting our next trip... Then, we're headed off to meet some more friends at Bar Petite. More champagne? Probably.

Sunday's father's day, so not tooooooo much champers on Saturday night. Breakfast in bed for the hubby, then pressies and a bit of a relax. We'll be needing it I think.

How's your weekend panning out?

i want candy*

*{and her hair}

flowers for friday

While I can usually admire orchids from afar, they've never been one of my faves. I think I've always been jealous of their high-maintenance perfection. But on such a glorious spring day I needed a pop of fabulous colour to celebrate, and, really, can you believe these gorgeous colours?

Taken en-masse at the Hampton Court Flower Show. Oh yes, just gorgeous.

i wanna be kate spade's friend....

Oh, I really shouldn't have followed Kate Spade on twitter. I was already besotted with the woman and the most recent series of instagam shots have me longing to be her bestie.

Look. Cocktails! For me?

beauty lust-haves

I'm a sucker for Chanel eyeshadow, and this gorgeous, slick, glittery grey is no exception. I haven't splurged on a new eye colour for yonks. But this little pretty may well need to come home and live in my make-up bag.

I'm still utterly besotted with my new YSL Parisienne Extreme parfum I purchased in Paris, but when I run out of current Tom Ford {Black Orchid - the ultimate nighttime scent} then I may be persuaded to track this down. Hello - gorgeous!

i've said it before...

The best thing about being a celeb would have to be getting to play dress-ups all the time.

And don'tcha just love how SJP seems to enjoy it too? {Wonder if Matthew Broderick got to play the Big Bad Wolf when they got home?}

wee french yoghurt pots

In France you don't have to eat yoghurt from a nasty plastic tub. Oh no, in France they have the most delicious yoghurt in lovely glass jars. I know - glass jars! So this time, I made sure I washed a few and brought them home. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them {aside from popping in a votive candle...}

But here's what I can do. When I popped outside earlier to grab the mail I noticed two of my Pierre de Ronsard roses had gotten a bit damaged while hubby was tying them back. No problem, I snipped them off, brought them in and put them straight into a yoghurt pot.

Perfection.

Now all I have to do is clean my desk to make a more appropriate home for them  {please ignore that weird, crumby thing in the corner of my photo - focus on the roses and the yoghurt pot instead. Thanks}

it's all about contrast

Don't you just love a bit of contrast? I adore the way this lavender pops against this pale green shutter, which co-ordinates just beautifully with the stone wall.

I think I need to bring a little bit of Provence back to my spot in Merewether...

meal planning monday

Okay, getting organised again. Honestly, if I don't meal-plan my whole week seems to fall apart, so here we go.

Tonight: I couldn't be bothered leaving the house so we had a 'pantry meal' of potato, capsicum and chorizo tortilla. Served with a simple green salad. Yum.
Tuesday: The gal and I are taking her cousin to see the Verona Theatre Group's version of Pinocchio and getting a rather fabbo Italian meal with it. Last year this company came out and performed The Little Prince. Half in Italian, half in English - I was fully in tears. Bless.
Wednesday: I think I have to make a risotto as there is some kick-ass home-made chicken stock in my fridge that's begging to be used. Lemon chicken and haloumi risotto you think?
Thursday: My gal's last ballet lesson before her ballet exam on Saturday {why yes, it IS right after her netball grand final... BIG weekend} Best make her happy and make up a Shephard's pie for dinner.
Friday: Now, chances are that I've invited friends for dinner tonight. If so, there will be duck confit, potatoes and green beans. If not, well, why not have duck confit...
Saturday: There's a celebration at the local club for the end of the netball year. Nibbles will be available - so I'll have a curry at home in the slow cooker ready for our return.
Sunday: Roast beef. Yep, with plenty of veg - am LOVING roasted carrots and beetroot alongside my meat. You?

how many?

People, a moment please: this is, wait for it - my 2000st blog post. I KNOW!

I never realised, when I started this blog for a bit of fun a few years back, that I'd still be blogging 2000 posts later. I also had no idea that I'd form such incredible friendships, and discover so many fabulous aussie blogs.

So, woo hoo, here's to 2000 - and the next 2000. Thanks for sticking around x

flowers for friday

Later on I'll be popping out to buy some daffodils for Daffodil Day. But, until I have their pretty yellow faces popping over a pale blue jug, I'll have to fill this space with some provencal lavender.

le bol

A bowl of coffee, in a pretty bol purchased in Menerbes in Provence, my sweet new mousemat {purchased at Typo at Charlestown... doesn't have the same ring... but still - pretty!} and you have the perfect combination for a good morning's work.

Thanks Gourmet Girlfriend for a timely reminder that a big bowl of coffee is sometimes all you need.

here?

Excuse me, but how divine is this? There's a spot on my veranda that's just crying out for one of these babies {and the charcoal boards too - divine!}

colour coded

Should you ever be curious about the next hottest nail colour you only need to look to Chanel. Ever since Uma Thurman's nails in Pulp Fiction set the fashion world alight, Chanel have been the go-to for what's hot on nails.

While Rouge Noir is still one of the highest selling nail colours {what's not to love about a red so deep it's almost black} each season Chanel has fashionistas salivating in anticipation of their newest release.

Now, I didn't go for last season's citron yellow {when you have olive skin, yellows tend to bring out the jaundice effect...} I think I could be inspired to paint on this Coco Blue.

Or Blue Boy...

Blue Rebel?

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to stalk the Chanel counter...

a cameo role

When you have long, black, curly hair that you tend to wear just, you know, hanging, earrings tend to get lost.

But I think I'd be persuaded to wear an up-do for these!

Helloooooooooo lovely {Dolce and Gabbana clip-ons via net-a-porter.com - yum!}

Farewell Harry and friends

So, I finally got to the cinema for the final Harry Potter. Genius.

I was worried I'd feel let down, but once again the team came up trumps and created a fitting finale. I do feel sad that it's over, but thankfully the film did provide some closure.

Now I think it's time to revisit the books, then start all over with the movies again...

sweet saturday

Oh my it's a glorious day in sunny Newcastle today. We had our netball semi final against the top team, we lost, but boy, did we play well. That means that next week we'll play against the winner of the other semi-final and then, hopefully, onto the Grand Final. Woo hoooo!

And tonight I'm off to a Year 6 mums' night out. Yes, Year 6. Goodness. It does mean that I'm missing a fabulous blogger's bash in Sydney tonight to welcome back the BlogHer goddesses Mrs Woog and Eden - but I'm sure they'll have a fabbo time and I can live vicariously through blog posts and twitter feeds.

Now, I'm off to paint my nails - what goes with tapas? I'm thinking grey as I'm wearing a black vintage frock with white piping, red shoes, red lips and probably red bag. Too much red? Sorry, that's just not possible.

You?

eye spy

Because what's funnier than a cat with a "What you talkin' about Willis?" expression.

Nothing.

Thank you Isson Eyewear spring-summer 2012 catalogue. Not only is your eyewear pretty damn fine, you brought a giggle to my grey ol' day.

PS: Beware, link contains not only more rather fabulous shades; but a pug {!!!} and guinea pigs... You've been warned.

PPS: At first I thought that cat was lounging back and wearing a leather jacket. My die...

do you like scary movies?

I used to be a HUGE fan of scary movies. In my teens I swallowed them up: Texas Chainsaw Massacre, all the Nightmare on Elmstreet films, Friday the 13th... But when I fell pregnant, that was it - no more. I couldn't bear anything scary or remotely horrifying.

Of all these films, one sticks in my mind for the serious scare-you-out-of-your-skin factor: The Woman In Black. Scary. Seriously.

And now it's been remade, with a rather dashing Daniel Radcliffe in the lead {seriously, that boy is growing into his looks...}.

Dare I?

a weekend project

We saw this vegie garden at the Hampton Court flower show and fell in luuuurve. That's what I want for our side yard - including a wee bench to sit back and gaze adoringly at the produce.

back in the real world...

Well, I think the post-holiday glow's officially worn off now. I'm back to normal sleeping patterns, back to boring old shopping in Australian supermarkets {where's the 4 euro bottles of rosé people?} and cooking in my kitchen - which is nowhere near as glamorous as cooking in Provence...

Luckily I have a new job that I LOVE, and the weather's looking mighty fine in this neck of the woods. Yep, life back in Aus isn't too shabby at all really...

wearing red for daniel

It's been hard not to be touched by the story of Daniel Morcombe who disappeared all those years ago in 2003. Thinking of his family, and what they've been through, is just heart-wrenching. Losing a family member must be indescribably difficult, but when you don't know what happened, or where they are, the pain must be magnified.

With the arrest of a person of interest, hopefully the Morcombe family are closer to closure.

In honour of Daniel's memory, the Morcombe family have called for people to wear red in his memory. After reading the call from Nikki from Styling You on Twitter I knew I'd be able to find something red.

For you, Daniel, and your family, may you finally have some peace.

sunday suppers

Okay, another week, another meal plan. Let's get into it shall we?

Sunday: tonight we've been invited to drinks at our dear friends' house. I've made some canapes of caramelised onions with thyme and red-wine poached pears on little rounds of puff pastry {ah, the things you can create from very little} and they're supplying French cheese and champagne. Yum. When we get home I've got some chilli prawns from Aussie Farmer's Direct in the fridge - I'll cook them up and serve them with spaghetti with garlic breadcrumbs, lemon zest and parsley.
Monday: there's a cyber-bullying workshop at my gal's school. Early dinner of chorizo and potato tortilla with green salad I think.
Tuesday: I didn't make a roasted chicken last week - best do it tonight. I do have a hankering...
Wednesday: Netball training - pork curry!
Thursday: I think I'd best make a risotto - bacon and mushroom perhaps.
Friday: I'm off to Sydney for a meeting, so when I get home I'm hoping hubby and the gal will make me a Mexican feast.
Saturday: I'm off to a mum's night for school - my last mum's night out at this school {sob!} We're having tapas - and perhaps a drink or two...

You?

they need to change the title...

To capital F for fabulous. LOVE this look on Kristen Stewart. Young Liz Taylor anyone?