shiver me timbers

Miss Marc by Marc Jacobs pirate watch. Cuteness non?

um, yum

Sorry, my camera had a flat battery {so this isn't my actual meal}, but I had to share the amazing meal we had tonight. Standing rib pork roast on a bed of rhubarb.

Oh, yes, it's as good as it sounds.

I cute two pieces of rhubarb into batons about 10cm long and lay them side-by-side in baking tray. Then I got the pork ready by scoring the crackling and rubbing in lots of olive oil and pink murray river sea salt. The oven was piping hot at 230 degrees celcius when I lay the pork on the bed of rhubarb and put it in the oven for 15 minutes. Then I turned the oven down to around 180 and cooked it for around 45 minutes till medium rare. It rested for 10 minutes then my dear one carved us a cutlet each and some crackle. The rhubarb? Caramelised and infused with a wee bit of pork flavour. The pork? Tender, succulent and the best pork roast I've ever made.

Thanks Jamie Oliver, what an idea. And thanks Farmer's Markets where I saw those lovely bunches of rhubarb that inspired my dinner. And thanks fellow pork lover Beth who also believes that too much pork is barely enough.

Oh, and I had one stick of rhubarb left over, so I stewed it with some vanilla extract and brown sugar. Guess what's gracing my porridge in the morning?

simply sunday

Don't you love a good weekend? The rain finally seems to have cleared so my friend and I are off to the Farmer's Market for breakfast {coffee, bacon and egg rolls. Mmmmm} and then off to check out Raid My Wardrobe - a vintage and pre-loved clothing market. Nice.

Dinner last night considered of perfectly crisp and melty pork belly, pate, puddings, wine and laughter. Nice combo huh?

soggy saturday

It might be pouring down rain at the moment - with no sign of it abating, but do I look like the type of person who lets a little precipitation stand in the way of a good time? Sure, plans might need to be altered, suede shoes left to the side while the patent leather comes out. But it's all about working out what's important isn't it? The sun mightn't be shining, but that doesn't mean we can't have a sunny time?

So, your weekend - what's in store?

in your dreams

I had a dream last night that my house was robbed - but not this house, a combination of our old house in Newtown and a house I saw last night on Property Ladder {you know how things are never as they seem}. In my dream I was thrilled they didn't take my KitchenAid, thrilled they'd stolen the couch I'd quite like replaced, and not even vaguely thrilled that they'd taken my computer. Even in my sleep I felt a cold shot of fear enter my heart when I saw my computer was missing and thought to myself "You know, I really should back up my documents" {this song? why yes I am playing it again...}

So, about 45 minutes ago I was ready to do a phone interview with the second-last subject I need to speak to for a feature. I went to open the document which has the transcriptions of the other interviews I'd done and all the research - and it wasn't there. Anywhere. I frantically searched through all the files, before eventually doing a search and finding them - somewhere. Now they're saved and I'm going to properly look into backing up. Losing something so important, for an article that's due on Monday is not a good idea. Now my heartrate's returned to normal I'm going to open up Google Docs and start moving stuff around.

Phew, sweet dreams...

woo hoo, weekend approaching

So, what excitement's in stall for you this weekend? I have a deliciously girly weekend planned and I just can't wait - from tomorrow afternoon it's all things girly and glorious. Le sigh.

Gal's gone to school today, a little apprehensive after a few days off. Luckily she has a slab of that marble cake to see her through the day. I'm sure she'll be welcomed back with open arms by her friends. Despite my heavy posting and baking yesterday I actually got a fair bit done - leaving only one task on the to-do list today {work-wise - house-wise is another matter, one I'm studiously ignoring...}

My coffee machine is back from the repairers, and oh, I love it so. Really nice, honest repairman over at the Sunbeam store - so much so that I'll consider Sunbeam appliances in the future {just as I swore off Sony after a hideous experience with a very, very rude woman at their repair store - which has now closed down...}.

Now, I've got a few blogs to catch up on, a couple of emails to send, and then I'm going to get showered, out of my jammies and get into work.

Have a fabulous weekend x

bake off

warm up

I know we barely have enough of a winter to justify it, but oh my, is this the most delicious coat you've ever seen in your life? I know I'm in love. Thank you Yves Saint Lauren for creating such a marvelous garment. Oh, the exquisite tailoring...

PS: Will somebody please keep me away from net-a-porter.com - it's a drug!

dita von wow

Love shoes? Love Dita? Love all things glamorous and gorgeous? Then quick, go over here and check out an achingly beautiful couple of minutes.

Need.

Want..

Must have...

j-crew - woo-hoo

It used to drive me crazy checking out cute little bits and bobs on US blogger's sites from J-Crew. Cute, affordable clothing seems to be the go. Now it's available on net-a-porter.com, making it just that little bit more available. These satin ballet flats? I like them very much indeed. Converted from pounds they're $112 Australian dollars, but I think I'd get at least 112 wears out of them - making the cost-per-wear factor a mere $1. Bargain! And the scoop neck jersey tee I spied? Oh, casual chic you're calling my name dude.

planning?

Oh, some weeks everything just flies out the window doesn't it? Today's the third day I've had my gal home from school. She only has a cold, but today's the sports carnival at the world's coldest and windiest sports ground so I'd prefer she stayed home to recover rather than developing a chest infection. So today, I think we'd best bake a cake. My articles are coming along nicely for my deadlines, I've finished tonight's French homework {AND I've done revision - thank you French Film Festival inspiration}.

The house, is a disaster. Floors are spattered with coffee and hot chocolate dribbles - I swear every hot drink this week has been spilt a little. Washing's slowly trying to dry in the pavillion, sheets are in need of washing - as are towels. But it's cold, and rainy, and these things just take time. My saviour is my meal planning. Even though last night I couldn't get to the butcher {bucketing rain} I had the makings for tonight's meal, chorizo pasta bake, so all was well.

It's easy to get all stressed and frantic when things don't go according to plan, but I'm just trying to chill, shrug my shoulders and get on with it. I'm going to wash my hair and let my gal play on the computer - then I'll give the floor a mop {little sickie gal vacuumed yesterday - bless her socks}. Clean hair and clean floors make everything look better don't they?

what's cooking wednesday?

Hello chilly weather and why, yes, I do believe I feel like some comfort food! Last night's meal planning went out the window when it was frosty cold and bucketing down rain. So instead of poor/always-picked-last-salmon we had chicken pot pie and mash. MMmmmmmm. (June last year - damned fine chicken pot pie recipe - easy and delish - try it!)

This week. Hmmmmm.

Tonight: steak and vegies

Thursday: chorizo pasta bake

Friday: Veal goulash with dumplings

Saturday: GIRLS' NIGHT OUT! Pork Belly for moi and my pal I'd imagine - and lotsa champers. Pizza for the boy and the girl left home alone.

Sunday: Roast beef and roasted veg

Monday: Salmon patties, wilted spinach, sweet potato chips and salad

Tuesday: chicken meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce on rice.

whatever wednesday

Oh, hi. How's things? I have my sick child home again today. Poor poppet has a cold that's gone down into her chest, so a day at home may help her recover. That's the best thing about working from home, I don't have to take the day off to look after a poorly child - hopefully I'll still get some work done.

Hey, are you watching MasterChef? There are a few things I just can't understand. Last night's challenge meal {which looked amazing and I'm dying to try} when the original was shown had extremely rare meat. So rare it just looked seared on the outside - which I'm fine with - I'll eat most meat rare, except chicken obviously. But then, in the tasting, the judges complained the contestant's meat was too rare - and it looked more well-done than the sample dish... Huh? I'm finding it hard to follow and really wish they'd show just a tad more cooking in the show.

And Survivor? Let's not even go into how damned STUPID the heroes have been this season. I'm now totally pulling for Sandra to win. Parvati's a genius, and Russell a master Machiavelli, but Sandra's quietly been playing this game all the way.

PS: Colby's poor brother last night? Colby, dude, don't blame others for your problems, be a man and accept responsibility. What happened to the player from Australia? I think he left his skills in the outback.

try a little kindness

I like to do something kind every day. Whether it's a small act like waving a car into the space in front of you, popping a few coins in a soon-to-be-expired metre, chatting and smiling with older people in the supermarket, or calling, emailing or texting a friend in need. I think kind deeds do a body good. My soul would break if I dodged in front of someone to get a carpark. I'll happily stand holding a door while a person walks slowly toward me, I can't imagine letting it swing in their face. But, apart from this blog post, I don't like to talk about my kind deeds. However, this is for Kakka a gorgeous soul who promotes kindness and optimism at her glass half full blog.

See, I used to think big. I'd hear about someone's misfortune and I'd say, "Oh, I'll have to bake them some scones and take to them to cheer them up," then, that'd be it. Grand intentions: zero action. That was a long time ago and now I ensure that no matter how small the deed - I'll act on it as soon as I think about it. This morning a friend's facebook status update said "rain, two sick children and no teabags" so I made up an emergency stock of tea bags: English Breakfast, White Tea and a special French Violette tea bag. I popped them in a zip lock bag and propped them in her screen door after the school drop off and felt much better for knowing that she didn't have to suffer through miserable weather, sick children and no caffeine.

But, apart from today, I don't like talking about good deeds. Did you ever see the episode of Friends where Phoebe swore that she did good just for the kindness and Joey told her she always got something in return - even if it was just that wonderful, warm feeling? Well I'm happy with that warm feeling. Doing something good spreads good feelings - and the good deeds spread too. So really, doing good is selfish - it makes my world a better place to live in!

pretty is

It's so rainy today, and so cold and gloomy, that I needed something pretty to cheer me up. No one does pretty like Dior. BellaMumma pointed me in their direction and it's cheered me no end. Perfectly pretty in pink non?

I was so tempted to go back to bed this morning after the school drop off. Luckily my gal's cold has recovered enough for me to send her back into the germy fray... So now that everything's nice and quiet I'm going to get on with work. I've got some website copy to finish off, two articles to write by Friday, and another that's due next Monday. So best not dillydally.

easily elegant

You'd think that watching three French films in three days would have whetted my appetite, instead, it's increased it voraciously. I'm now utterly besotted after this weekend's festival and am feeling all pouty at the lack of French films in my immediate future {at least the pouting will give me a certain French style non?}

Normally I'm quite on-edge and cranky when I see a film. I loathe those who chatter through the opening credits knowing how much effort the director's put into setting the scene with the opening moments {and for those who actually dare to speak during a film, hmmmphf}. But the crowd at the film festival was just as you'd expect. Older than usual, and younger too. Refined, elegant, with some amazing fashion choices. One woman with a gorgeous steely grey bob had a pair of garnet-framed glasses that were just stunning in their combination. Her friend was dressed predominantly in black, but with a fabulous pair of red suede boots that made the edges of my smile creep skyward. Despite having never attended a film solo I went to all three on my own, and while the first night was odd - by the end I was addicted.

What a weekend. It's made dealing with a sick-at-home child much more bearable.

shoe story

This cold snap's finally enabled me to bring out the winter woolies. And oh, can you imagine these with a grey flannel pencil skirt and a deep ruby pair of tights? Me too. Jimmy Choo - I think I love you!

oh venizia

Everyone's who's known me for five minutes, or opened this blog for 20 seconds knows that I'm a Francophile. Love it. Adore it. But luckily I've just had a reminder of how Italy inspires me. I've just been over at FrankyFiesty's place {in the blog-world} and reading her tale of her Italian and French journey made me fall in love with Italy all over again.

Venice. Oh, how I love Venizia. It's magical. One night my husband and I had dinner in the trattoria you can see pictured on the left of this photo. We sat in a teeny table by the canal and ate Frito Misto and Linguine Vongole and sipped wine. Bliss. The calls of "Gondola, Gondola" were quietened once the crowds had left for the day, but I still heard the swish they made as they glided past, taking their enraptured passengers through this enchanting city.

Sure, a gondola ride costs a damned fortune - but it's a fortune well-spent as I can still remember every moment of our ride - including its conclusion when we went from tiny little residential canals to the expansive and exquisite opening that is the Grand Canal.

Bliss.

Oh, and guess what? I've reached the magical 100 followers! So I'd like to send out a pressie to one lucky follower. Let me know your favourite colours and skin type and I'll send out some beauty booty and other bits and pieces to one follower I'll draw at random from my commenters over the next week. Leave your blog address - because I'm going to check you out to make sure I understand your taste before choosing your goodies.

Bonne chance!

sizzling saturday

My frantic Saturday morning has concluded, and I'm sitting here a little dazed. I was out the door at 8am to get to the netball courts in plenty of time to supervise my young player who had to umpire. She did beautifully. After being abused last time by a horrid mother on the sidelines she stepped up with confidence - I'm so proud of her. The self-assurance she has at 10 is astonishing - I've barely got it over 40!

Then my team played in a very tight match, only losing by one goal. Then I had to sit at a stall to sell tickets for a fundraiser and now I'm home. Phew. Need a nap I think.

Last night's French film at the festival was amazing. It's called Laughing Out Loud (LOL) and was a fabulous insight into teenagers {and somewhat horrifying!} and the mother/daughter relationship. Sophie Marceau played the mother and every single time she came on the screen I wondered at how incredibly beautiful she was. Actually, it was a very beautiful cast - the teenage boys and girls were all exquisite French teens with individual style that was heartbreakingly gorgeous. Oh, and the soundtrack! Lots of Blur, a bit of vintage Stones and the Kinks and Supergrass for a stunning couple of scenes set in London.

It's out on video next month, or July - if you're a Francophile like me look out for it. If only for one of the closing scenes that takes place on the Seine - seriously I'll never get used to sighting the Eiffel Tower, it blows me away every time I see it. Oh, but it's rated MA15+ for a reason - so think twice before sharing it with kids. It'd be great to watch it first, then watch it with your older teen - but it could be confrontational for a first viewing {which is why I hope the couple that attended the screening last night with their under-10-year-old left before the action got really raunchy - honestly, it's a rating - not a loose guideline...}

Another film tonight - The Girl From Monaco, from the director of Coco Avant Chanel. Then finally, sunday afternoon the final film. French bliss.

bloggers without make-up

In honour of Bloggers Without Make-up day here I am as most people see me every day. I tend not to wear make-up during the day - except gloss on my lips, I can't abide dry lips. I love make-up when heading out, but of a day I'm happy to be seen as just me.

However, if there's a Bloggers Without Hair-Product day don't sign me up for that - oh, I'd never be brave enough for that...

Thanks Jodie at MummyMahem for coming up with this idea. I've tended to be pretty incognito on this here blog. No particular reason, I just wanted to keep my blogging and my working separate. However, most of you know who I am now so really, there's no point in hiding is there? Are you playing today?