house-keeping

I think it's important to regularly invite guests to your home - just so you can do a 'kick-your-butt-into-gear' serious clean every so often. My step-sister and her partner are arriving any moment now so husband and I have worked like maniacs to get the house ready. Not in a weird show home way, just in a 'good lord how on earth did the floorboards in the pavillion get into that state?' kind of way.

So now, front of house looking good. Guest bed made up. Kitchen looking okay - with a big chunk of beef marinating in red wine, thyme and garlic ready for bbqing tonight. The pavillion by the pool is pristine again, the bar fridge in the pavillion packed with beer, french bubbles and wine. Yep. We're ready.

Hopefully this nice weather will hold so we can eat on the newly cleaned back veranda. If not, no worries, I'll simply cook the beef and potatoes inside and we'll eat in here as well.

How about you? What are your plans for the weekend?

this is literally high-lair-ius

Thank you Reality Raver for finding this Uh-Maze-Ing clip. I die. I literally die.

guest posting

See this pretty pic of my gal? You can read more about it over at Corinne's Daze of my Life where I just so happen to be guest posting today. Go on, tell her I said "hi".

friday flowers

If you need a garden shed {as we do} why not make it a wee, pretty one encircled by flowers and shrubs so it's hidden away? Doesn't this look intriguing?

if you'll excuse me...

I've had quite a busy week, gee, wouldn't mind a wee bit of a kip in this...

rachel zoe is pregnant

As soon as I saw this photo over at Crazy Days and Nights I knew. After watching the show last night and seeing Rachel's terrifyingly skinny chest I couldn't imagine how she'd actually be carrying enough weight to menstruate, but she's just confirmed on Twitter that she's pregnant. And look at this shot - no, not the tummy, the chest - not airbrushed and there are no visible bones.

Wow, Rodger must be over the moon and I hope it all goes well for them...

pink peonies: so pretty

My desk is currently overwhelmed with prettiness thanks to my beautiful bunch of peonies. Oh, they are just the most incredible flower. I love their tightly budded heads - so tight that you can't imagine how on earth they possibly hold so much promise inside - and then, when they bloom, oh it's magnificent.

Yesterday I was doing some work, and my gal sat beside me filling out her Christmas cards {all the gals in her class get a card so she wanted to get started early - and actually finished!} and I heard this funny little sound. I looked over and realised it was my peony unfurling!!!!! We actually sat and watched it, like some macro-time-elapsed photography on a wild-life documentary - but in real life. Absolutely magical.

I don't buy flowers often enough, even though they bring me such joy. I think I need to rectify that.

what's cooking wednesday

Busy will be the theme of What's Cooking Wednesday during the silly season. Which is why I'm totally and utterly besotted with the whole concept of meal planning. Knowing I'm going to be busy, and knowing that I have meals planned to prepare for this makes me happy. Here's what we'll eat this week - hopefully!

Tonight: Prawn and broccoli skewers on a lemony, herby rissoni salad.

Thursday: Gal at school disco, husband coming home late from a meeting in the big smoke, me at French lessons. Eep. He can cook himself a t-bone steak and some steamed microwave vegies. I'll have some yoghurt and salad.

Friday: Lamb, spinach and pinenut pies in a filo pastry next {I'm going to line cupcake cases with squares of filo pastry and blind bake them. Then I'll fill them with lamb mince cooked up with onions, garlic, grated carrot and some tinned tomatoes. Some toasted pine-nuts will add a new texture dimension. I'll serve it with a salad - tomato and onion with some fresh mint perhaps.

Saturday: My step-sister and her partner are visiting from Melbourne. We've got a lot of chatting and catching up to do so I'll prepare a couple of salads and do something on the bbq - standing beef rib roast perhaps and carve up a couple of viking cutlets when I serve. Are blood oranges in season? If so I want to make a blood orange tart. Mmmmm.

Sunday: Roast dinner. Chicken perhaps - lots of veg.

Monday: Final Twilight Netball for the year. Home-made pizza when we get home - home-made by husband and child I think.

Tuesday: Pork cutlets with gremolata and panko crust. Apple and red cabbage slaw. Lemon roast potatoes.

Yep, that'll do.

daisy, daisy, daisy

So, you know how Baz Luhrman's working on a remake of The Great Gatsby? Well, excitedly, he's cast Carey Mulligan as Daisy. Perfection.

Now, if only he keeps ol' frozen face out of it I'll be happy {that'll be Nicole Kidman for newer readers, and for older readers - I know - I haven't mentioned her for yonks!}

well read

Hey, do you like a good mag? May I suggest this one? Sure, I may have written the odd article or two in it, but I'm not really biased - it's a fab mag.

Thanks x

excuse me while i rob a bank...

After a six-year hiatus Tom Ford has returned to designing women's wear.

Oh, yeah!

make a new plan, stan

Are you a planner or do you prefer spontaneity? I used to adore being spontaneous, until I realised it also meant disorganised, messy, stressed and unreliable {for me}. So over the years I've established a series of plans to help me try to streamline my life.

My favourite is my weekly meal-planning. Honestly, spending five minutes a week planning what I'm going to cook {probably took me 30 minutes when I started, but it gets easier over time} saves me so much time, stress and energy - and helps us eat healthier.

My Christmas Card list will be a saviour this busy festive season. It's simply a word document with all the names and addresses of everyone I send cards to. Each year I update any details as they come to hand {new babies, change of address} and if I don't receive a card in return, and I'm merely sending them out of obligation - I drop them off the list.

I also make up a master list of gifts: who we're buying for, and options to buy, and where. You know I hate shopping, so this means I can dash in, go to two or three shops and knock over all the shopping in one session. Sweet.

What plans to have set in place to make life easier?

monday, no need for moaning

I don't know what it is about Mondays, but I do believe that reading this poster I found over at Gala Darling will chase your Monday blues away...

sparkly season

Are you starting to feel all festive? I know I am. Not so much as the people around the corner who put their Christmas Tree up two weeks ago {I know!} - but still, festive.

That's why I've chosen this pair of shoes as the Shoe of the Week. A pair of spangly, sparkly Jimmy Choo pretties would be just the thing to trip trap through Christmas parties galore don't you think? As I work from home, I shan't be having a Christmas Party this year. Perhaps I need to plan one for next year though... And wear these shoes...

stop it!

Fabulous with a capital F. A. B. U. L. O. U. S. {underlined, exclamation point, 64 point type}

well seasoned

My favourite flower is currently in season. It's brief, it's fleeting, it's beautiful.

Best find me a florist and a big bunch of peonies asap.

paris v new york, nouveau

The creative genius over at paris v new york has come up with the goods once again.

J'adore.

splish splash

♥ Today I'm grateful that I can walk out my back door into this. Oh yes.

♥ I'm also grateful that I'm well enough to be able to enjoy it.

♥ Playing along with Maxabella x

my hero

I ♥ Helena so.

less than a week...

Squeeeeeee! Look at the cute kids at the London Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 1. Excuse me: Emma Watson: undoubtedly the most gorgeous thing to ever live? I was just over at Lainey Gossip reading all about Harry Potter and co. Lainey's possibly even a bigger Harry Potter fan than I am {she's been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!} and she says that the cast are just so deliciously unaffected by their fame, enthusiastic and just so sweet. Disney could take notes on how to raise child stars couldn't they? Obviously there's also a world of difference between LA and London...

Can. Not. WAIT till next week. Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee!