
Saturday, April 10, 2010
fasten your seatbelt and grab a cocktail

sunny saturday

I'm ready for my reunion. I'm so excited to see how everyone's exceeded all our expectations - I reckon it's going to be a little like speed-dating - how on earth to catch up with nearly 100 people? I plan on doing lots of chatting between the dancing - if they play the music from my youth there aren't shackles strong enough to keep me off the dancefloor {oh hell, who am I kidding - play the music from anyone's youth and you can't keep me off the dancefloor!}
I'll be packing my camera and a bunch of old snapshots I found recently - sharing old memories and creating new ones. Enjoy your weekend lovelies xx
Friday, April 09, 2010
a room of one's own

I don't send off a piece until I know it's the best I can offer. I need it to be easily understood and for people to walk away after reading it knowing they've learned something.
One writer who inspired me was Jodi Picoult. The day that I read that as soon as she finished a book she IMMEDIATELY started on the next switched something on in my brain. I knew that I could work smarter.
Now seeing the space that one of my favourite authors, Siri Husdvedt works in has inspired me to spend more time tidying at the end of the day. My punctuation mark at the end of my day will be to ensure there's nothing superfluous in my line of vision that can distract me from what I need to do. So thanks apieceofmonologue.com for the insight into Siri's world. I'm blessed with plenty of work at the moment - let's see what I can do to ensure it's all excellent.
"A room to write in isn't like other rooms, because most of the time the person in it doesn't see it. My attention is on the page in front of me, on what the people in the book are doing or saying, and my awareness of the things near me is muted, part of the vague sensual information that comes and goes as I mull over the next sentence. I do feel the light in my room, however. My study is on the top floor of our house, which has four storeys, and the windows face south, so the sunshine streams through the panes, and even on a bleak winter day my workplace is luminous.
I usually sit down at my desk around eight o'clock in the morning and write until my brain begins to dim - around two o'clock. My morning mind is far better than the blearier one that arrives in the afternoon so I take advantage of the early hours. I have lots of reference books near me, various kinds of dictionaries - bilingual, medical and psychiatric, 34 volumes of the Grove Dictionary of Art, style manuals and handbooks, the Bible, Gray's Anatomy, some poetry anthologies, and when I'm deep in a project there are often piles of books on the floor to which I refer when needed.
I usually sit down at my desk around eight o'clock in the morning and write until my brain begins to dim - around two o'clock. My morning mind is far better than the blearier one that arrives in the afternoon so I take advantage of the early hours. I have lots of reference books near me, various kinds of dictionaries - bilingual, medical and psychiatric, 34 volumes of the Grove Dictionary of Art, style manuals and handbooks, the Bible, Gray's Anatomy, some poetry anthologies, and when I'm deep in a project there are often piles of books on the floor to which I refer when needed.
rest in peace
getting comfy

I also have to squeeze in a business meeting about some new work, when husband will be dashing home to look after girls while I discuss website copy {I know!}.
Tomorrow I've got to spend the day preparing for my reunion, oh, who am I kidding - I get ready in 15 minutes... We're actually having some friends over for drinks in the afternoon {just the one for me, can't be all "I love YOuuuuuuuuuuuu" as soon as I walk into my reunion...} We've got one of our friends introducing us to the love of his life and I can't wait to meet her. He's such an amazing guy who, despite being a good 10 years younger than us, knows what he wants and where he wants to be. Husband spent the night last night cleaning the pavillion so we'll have drinks and nibbles by the pool before they all go down to the pub by the beach before heading out to dinner.
Sunday I'm off to check out some Roller Derby action {yep MadMother, I am!}, which thankfully will be in the afternoon when any semblance of a hangover has abated. Busy - but fun. You?
Thursday, April 08, 2010
two more sleeps

I've got my outfit sorted - my fave lil' black dress with lots of beads draped around my neck and my highest black patent mary janes. My skunk-line's disappeared thanks to yesterday's hair dying efforts - so fingers crossed that my hair will behave on the night.
I'm genuinely excited and curious to see people and what they've achieved. I can guarantee you that every single one of them has achieved more than any teacher at that school ever believed {very negative people who had no concept of building self-esteem - only shredding it}. I know that plenty of people were like me, left in year 10 after being told their was no point in continuing and then going back to continue their education in their early 20s. I studied my HSC at Tafe when I was 22 and was nurtured by the most exquisite English teacher, Mrs Shirley Smith, who told me I had a talent for writing and suggested I apply to uni and undertake a Communications degree.
More than 20 years later I have an honours degree in communications and now spend my days being paid for writing - bliss. But without this amazing woman I'm not sure whether I would have found this path - I may have been teaching English instead - but nurturing delicate self-esteems and helping children realise their full potential. Gee, no wonder we spent so much time choosing our daughter's school...
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
i'll be needing one of these

I can't believe it's Inside Out's 10th birthday. I still have the first issue sitting amidst my teetering piles of home making mags buckling the shelves in my study. Bless!
dye hard

I briefly dabbled in hairdressing salons, but hairdressers are always reluctant to go with a block colour and their colour never seemed to last long enough to please pernickety me. So I've been home-colouring for years now, but I always seem to forget which hair colour I love. But now, I'm going to defeat my feeble memory and commit the name of my must-love hair colour to my blog. It's Clairol Nice N Easy, in Blue Black natch. Wouldn't you think this name would be easy, nay nice, to remember? Apparently not. Each month I scour the shelves trying to remember which brand has the awful pine-o-clean scented conditioner {um, that'd be Loreal...} and which covers my many, many grey roots and gives a deep, glossy, well-conditioned colour.
Now I know and I have black, glossy hair just in time for my school reunion this Saturday night {I know, finally, haven't I been talking about that FOR YEARS?}
our daily bread
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
drawn for life
garden glory

So, it's tuesday and I've already been to the dentist. Ooh yeah. Thanks to my dentist pointing out my uneven wear on my two front teeth last August I've barely been able to notice anything else. Every day it seemed to get worse and I swear the teeth felt more sensitive. So today I gave in and had them both evened up. Apparently I used to grind my teeth - maybe back when I was in uni - but I've stopped now, so I have two straight front teeth again. Luckily he kept the gap between my two front teeth - I insisted I wanted that to stay and that I didn't want long Bugs Bunny front teeth {fusspot aren't I?}. It feels a little odd, but looks kinda normal - and still like me - so that's got to be a good thing.
Today I promised my gal we'd bake some bread in the KitchenAid, so I'd best pop over to Frills In The Hills and see what Liss has managed to achieve in this area. The brownies I baked for my husband for Easter were a HUGE success. Honestly, when you're going for a sweet recipe always choose Nigella first - has anyone ever had a failure with her recipes?
I'm also counting down the minutes till Survivor tonight. Any promised showdown between Boston Rob and Hobbit-On-Crack Russell is bound to make my day/week/month... oh hell, life. Okay, now I have four articles due this week, two down, two more to go. I will be commenting on your blogs - and replying to your lovely comments on mine, very, very soon. Promise {she says smiling sweetly with her two new teeth x}
Monday, April 05, 2010
monday's shoe is fully fierce

T'is v rainy today. Luckily I've just got a day of sitting in front of the computer, writing, planned. Crazy husband is going to go get himself all muddy outside - he's determined to get bucketloads done in the side yard this long weekend. He's planted more buxus to finalise the box hedge in the garden next to the 'vegie-garden-to-be' {which today is going to be enriched with lots and lots of manure. Mmmmm}.
It's all coming along nicely and we're now ever-so-close to 'finishing' off the house we moved into eight years or so ago.
Enjoy your monday x
Sunday, April 04, 2010
eat your greens

He sliced leeks and set them to saute in some olive oil, before pouring on 1/2 cup of white wine. Then he covered the leeks in the frypan with a 'cartouche' of panchetta to stop the steam escaping and to infuse the leeks with the flavour of the ham. After around thirty minutes, he took off the crispy pancetta to reveal the softly caramelised leeks below. He then chopped up the pancetta and spread it through the leeks. Now, he tossed this through tagliatelle which was then topped with breadcrumbs blitzed with porcini mushrooms {salivating} but I think this will make the perfect green accompaniment when served with roasted potkin pumpkin and my lamb. No?
to market, to market

We're off to the Farmer's Market this morning. My husband's finally coming along to check out the topiary buxus they have on sale {cheaper than at the nursery}. So I'm planning on loading up on seasonal fruit and veg and buying some saltbush lamb for a traditional easter dinner. Mmmmm.
Yesterday's trip to Singleton was a success. We bought two gorgeous jars topped with a wee birdy {pics to come} and found this fabulous iron wall hanging that's perfect for a bare spot on our back verandah. It's just the right size and has places for two pots - that I'm going to plant out with violet odorata. Delish. Once I've got the flowers, I'll post some images. Perfect.
We also had a yummo lunch at Worn Out Wares {so worth the drive to Singleton}. Three of us fell in love with a pumpkin, bacon, feta and pinenut tart. The most delicate, nutty shortcrust-ish pastry {very thin, very browned - but perfect} was filled with layers of sweet, thinly sliced steamed {!} pumpkin, crumbled feta and deliciously browned bacon and pinenuts. Served with a pile of dressed greens this was simply scrumptuous. I would never have thought to have steamed the pumpkin but it was soft, yet held its shape and allowed the natural taste of the pumpkin to shine.
How's easter treating you?
Saturday, April 03, 2010
country roads

We'll be stopping by to collect my husband's parents on the way, and then on the way home a trip to Dan Murphys, and our fave nursery Heritage Gardens is on the cards.
Hope everyone had a fabulously good friday - it was lovely to see all the blue-themed posts for Autism awareness.
Hmmm, hot cross buns for breakfast - dare I?
Friday, April 02, 2010
a whomping good time

You know where I really, really, really, REALLY want to go? Here.
Butterbeer, a lifesize whomping willow, dude, seriously! I always thought New York would be what forced me to go to the US, but now the nerd in me is being called. Best jump on the Hogwarts Express...
bathing beauty
good friday

I'm wearing blue today and have illustrated this post with some blue eggs to help raise awareness for World Autism Day. Parenting sure throws some challenges at us, and for those raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorder a whole new range of challenges are faced daily. I know some of my readers deal with this daily, so I'd just like to let them know my thoughts are with them and those mighty special people they're raising.
Have a lovely easter weekend everyone. Let's all find something to be grateful for, hold it, cherish it and relish it. xx
Thursday, April 01, 2010
eye candy
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