macramé anyone?

As a child of the 70s I have very strong visions of the fashions of the time. From the olive green and burnt orange kitchens {ours was a rather fabbo red and white} to the flares, mateus rosé bottles with candles inserted for the romantic ambience to macramé hanging pot holders.

So these gave me quite the giggle. However, will I be shelling out one thousand, four hundred and thirty pounds {and fifty five pence} for these Proenza Shouler numbers?

Um, think not.

{Also, do you think that funny brush thingy at the back would tickle your calves while you walk?}

sunday suppers

Okay, I'm pretty sure that my best day for meal planning is a Sunday. That way I get to the shops and buy everything I need for the week ahead. Here's what's cooking this week:

Tonight: I have some mince in the fridge that hubby bought on friday on a two for $10 special. As I also have some white corn chips in the pantry, and loads of ripe tomatoes, I'll be making nachos for dinner. As I also have a cob of corn and some coriander, best serve it with a corn salsa...

Monday: My father-in-law dropped off a bag of lemons on friday - best make baked lemon chicken don't you think?

Tuesday: I have a standing rib roast that needs cooking. Complete with baked chats and roasted pumpkin and sweet potato and some greens.

Wednesday: I feel like making calzone. Should I? Salami should be one of the ingredients don't you think?

Thursday: Turkish lamb meatballs, salad and couscous.

Friday: Hubby's at a golf day all day - he'll need serious sustenance when he gets home - I'll do a chorizo pasta bake.

Saturday: I enjoyed last Saturday's bbq so much that I think I'd best do it again.

sweet, sweet saturday

Well, we were up-and-at-'em early this morning. My gal had her first tennis lesson at 9am, which now means we've got the whole day spread out before us. I'm trying to think of an excuse to head to Bunnings, due to an inexplicable sausage sandwich craving. Perhaps we need some more herbs to fill out the herb garden...

I do know that there will be some house cleaning in my future - those darned cleaning fairies have flown off to greener pastures apparently.

So, whatcha doin' this weekend?

blossoms for friday

Sorry I'm late with my post, I drove down to Sydney at 6am for a meeting, and got home around 6pm... Tired. So here's a shot through my blossom tree, with the dovecote in the background. Pretty isn't it?

Hope you have a lovely weekend x

nailed it

My hot-coral nails from Saturday night are looking a little worse for wear, so I'll need to update them. If only I had this gorgeous pearly white nail as seen at Chanel - touted to be next season's hot colour. {Oh, and the bag would just highlight it nicely wouldn't it?}

Love it when my email pings me with a message from Chanel - a bit of beauty always makes a day seem brighter don't you think?

Are you a toe or finger painter? My toes never, ever, EVER go naked, but my constant typing - and handwashing of vintage kitchen items {seriously, my 50s egg lift can't go in the dishwasher...} plays havoc with fingertips.

love is...

Another couple I love is Ellen Degeneres and Portia. Just look at this shot of their shoe closet taken from a series of images from their home featured in Architectural Digest.

Doesn't it just bring out the awwww bless!

just because...

It's always a good time for a little Audrey...

meal planning monday

Back to school - woooooo hoooooooooooooo! And don't worry, it's not just me doing a happy dance - it's my school-loving gal too. To celebrate, let's eat well this week shall we?

Monday: I've got some dory fillets that are begging to be served with oven fries and a green salad.

Tuesday: Ballet's back: so I should do pickled pork with mash, leftover cauliflower gratin from Sunday's roast dinner and wilted greens.

Wednesday: I have a big jar of fresh chicken stock thanks to Sunday night's roast chicken dinner {seriously, simmering the leftover chicken with onions, carrots and herbs for two hours results in the most amazing stock} so I'd best make a risotto. Chicken and crispy pancetta perhaps.

Thursday: Another night of late ballet - followed by tennis shoe shopping. Dinner at the shopping mall {I'm going to plug for Charlestown so I can see dumplings in my future}

Friday: My gal's been asking for salmon patties - best oblige. So simple, so healthy, so tasty.

Saturday: I really am going to bring out the bbq this weekend - I swear. Steaks - big, fat juicy ones and lotsa salad.

Sunday: Roast lamb this week, with the usual vegie suspects.

sweet sunday

Don't you love the morning after a great night out? We caught up with a fab group of friends last night in one of our friends' amazing new house {it's just perfection - I plan on sneaking over and moving into their sun-room - don't think they'll notice...} We had gorgeous food, lotsa champagne and lots of laughs. Don't you just love that?

So we're taking it slowly this morning {well, hubby's not - he's been up since 5am and ridden far too many kilometres - craziness}. My gal and I slept in, and now we're off to Coles to buy a few essentials and check out the new clothing range some of my fave bloggers have been raving about.

This afternoon will involve leisurely bike riding down to the tennis courts so the gal can have a few practice hits before she starts tennis lessons next weekend. A bit of gardening might also be involved. Bliss.

How's your weekend panning out?

delightfully dita

David Jones is launching the Dita Von Teese muse range in November. Squeeee!

Can you imagine? This divine collection is available in sizes 8 - 20 and contains in-built corsetry to get a Dita-esque waist.

Love!

Thanks to my friend Nikki for sending me the link xx

flowers for friday

Who doesn't need a bit of prettiness?

in memorium

I was hit hard by the news on twitter of Steve Jobs' passing.

I've been a Mac fan since the days of these little beauties above, and I've never wavered in my devotion. iPhone, iMac, MacBookAir, iPod, iPad, iPod Touch - all of these share our house. And then, if the creativity behind Apple weren't enough, Steve Jobs shared his genius with Pixar.

Innovative, excellent and a true genius. Steve Jobs you are missed and I'm shedding many tears in your memory. I may not have known you, but damn, do I admire you. Rest in peace.

ps: I saw a nice idea on Twitter: donate to research for pancreatic cancer in Steve Jobs' memory.

midnight in paris je t'aime

Not only did our travel agent get us a great price on our tickets OS {and that much-needed 32 kilo luggage allowance!} he also gave us a double pass to see Midnight In Paris. This new Woody Allen film is a love letter to my favourite city. The opening montage subtly caresses every beautiful centimetre of the city - and each shot is an homage to the city of lights.

I knew I'd walk out of it wanting to visit again, but watching it on the big screen had me aching to spend some more time there.

Great film, with the most exquisite cinematography I've seen in a while.

Besotted? Moi? Mais oui, oui, OUI.

how does your garden grow?

What's not to love about a spring garden? At the moment, you walk past our white picket fence to be greeted by alternate red and pink roses. The scent? Heady. The pink Duchess de Brabant has the most incredible musk-lolly rose fragrance, with these gorgeous nodding blooms.

And, oh my, is there anything more magnificent than a red rose in full bloom?

Up the side we've got purple sage under the dovecote, along with a few wee foxgloves peeping over, and some scabiosa and iris. It's a purple rein.

Continue walking up the side where you'll see my squee-inducing vegie garden. Look at those lettuce! In just a few weeks they're all grown up. And see that self-sown tomato behind? It has wee roma tomatoes growing on it. Woo hoo!

Carrot and beetroot anyone? I have no idea of knowing when these little critters are ready for harvest, but for the time being their foliage is making me happy.

completely covetable

Do you love a bit of purse porn? Well head on over to Sarah Conners where you'll find the most delightfully delicious items to feast your eyes on. I'm more than a bit in love with this gorgeous green python purse - couldn't you just take it anywhere?

Anything by this fabulously talented Aussie designer will be a wardrobe classic, while still looking on-trend. Score!

I know what I'm adding to my "Santa, please" list this year...

meal-planning monday

People, this weather's driving me slightly loopy. Best laid plans are waylaid by outrageous amounts of rain and wind. Grrrrr. So this week's menu won't be featuring a spring-theme - more like beating off the cold meals.

Monday: Shephard's pie, roasted veg and greeens

Tuesday: My gal's at her grandparents for a couple of days, so just hubby and me. Steak and veg/salad will do.

Wednesday: Hubby and I are off to see Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris - woo hoo! Guess whether I'll walk out planning our next trip... We might just have to have a late dinner at the new Japanese spot that's opened next door to the cinema in King Street.

Thursday: Hubby's off to pick up our gal, so I'll have one of her faves planned for when she gets home: chicken pot pie with mash and steamed greens.

Friday: I might try cooking up sole goujons, with oven baked fries and a salad as my gal has a friend over for a sleepover. We might make some ice-cream for pudding.

Saturday: We're off with a bunch of friends to check out another friends' gorgeous new home. I've only seen it on-line and fell in love with it, so can't wait to see what it looks like with all their fabulous things adding personality.

Sunday: Seven hour roast lamb on french lentils with roasted vegies will round out the week nicely don't you think? I'll also have to get cooking to have some lunchbox treats ready for school again!

sweet saturday {on a long weekend!}

Three.

Whole.

Days.

OFF!

Love, love, love a long weekend. We've got plans to relax, and get things done. I'm getting out in the vegie garden to pluck out wee little weeds that have popped up amidst the rapidly growing veg {seriously, I think I can see them growing second-by-second} We're going to finish off a few jobs: hang the pictures we bought for our gal in Provence, measure our living room windows and order blinds - and get the backyard looking fabulous.

We're going to the Olive Tree Markets today, I want to start looking for cute Christmas pressies. Then tomorrow we've got a 40th birthday to attend. That'll be fun - there's a lot of friends I'm really looking forward to catching up with.

Hopefully we'll manage to combine the ultimate mix of fun, relaxation and achievement.

How about you? Are you getting a long-weekend and how do you plan to spend it?

Oh, I'm also going to spend the weekend fighting my new-found urge for a tattoo. The Divine Ms M came back from the tattoo parlour today with the most amazing vintage roses on her arm - which look absolutely beautiful. I think I'll just live vicariously through her...

flowers for friday

It's too windy out there for me to take a photo of the gorgeous lil foxgloves that are gracing our garden {pink, cream and white - divine!} so I thought I'd share this shot from the Hampton Court Palace flower show.

Isn't the speckled throat on this divine? When you get up close and look at the amazing variety and beauty in flowers it's quite astonishing. Love.

PS: I'm guest posting today over at the utterly gorgeous Alice Becomes. I'm so honoured to share such a glorious space with two gals who always offer up the most delightful posts that put a song in my heart. Please go visit here.

step back in time

I am stepping back in time tonight. My pal, The Divine Ms M, is up in Newcastle to get inked tomorrow so tonight we're headed back to our old Uni haunt, The Great Northern. It's the launch of This Is Not Art festival so it should be fun.

Hopefully we won't be the oldest people there. Did I tell you about the last time I went there with some old uni pals? We were reminiscing with the barman about how we used to hang at the East Room in our uni days and he said, "Oh yeah, my mum used to go there."

I'll let you sit with that for a moment.

His.

Mum.

I'll get over that one day.

Oh, if only the East Room were refurbished so we could lounge on some gorgeous old velvet couches just like in the olden days...

taking away the grey

Oh it's grey and dark here today. Not exactly the sunny school holidays filled with swimming that I'd imagined. Oh well. Luckily my gal had Monday and Tuesday with a friend, and is off to a dance camp tomorrow. Friday she has a friend over, so hopefully the weather will clear up. If not we've stocked up on flour, sugar, butter and eggs - so the KitchenAid will get a workout.

In the meantime I'm going to this place above in my head. Have you ever seen anything more divine?