victoriana vogue

When my main squeeze {well, my only squeeze} took me out for dinner the other night I wore a long black frock, many beads and a seriously sexay pair of heels. But you know what? I think I was the only gal about town not flashing a serious expanse of thigh - some dresses were totally crotchtacular...

I like a long frock, and this number here by One Vintage is especially droolworthy. Can't you see it with layers of long cream and jet beads a la Coco Chanel?

Le swoooooooooooooon.

terrific tuesday

My gal's at a netball gala day for her school today and I've been down to watch the first two games before ducking home to do a phone interview and finish off

a story.

I love what team sports do for a child, I think they're one of the most important things a child can do - particularly for girls. I wrote an article on boosting self-esteem of teenage girls a while back and the research really pointed to how much playing a team sport into their teens can help. Not only does it increase their self-esteem they end up with a much more positive body image.

Luckily my gal loves the game, and she's got me as a role model - a mum who gets tetchy if she misses her own Monday night match. Now that I'm coaching, hopefully that'll inspire my lass to keep playing into her teens. I'll be there guiding, but not pushing, so fingers crossed!

Oh, and that shot's the Australian Diamonds in action - not me! Similar hair though...

funny that

Funny men are seriously attractive.

party time, excellent

Well, a most excellent weekend was topped off by a fantastic party yesterday afternoon. It was the end-of-season party for my lil netball team and was utterly brilliant. One of the mum's generously hosted it at her spectacular home and her daughter had planned every minute with fun and games for the girls.

They had a lolly hunt, bobbed for apples, had a dance-off, played with glowsticks when the sun went down - it was brilliant. The highlight was the awards they'd devised for all the players - very funny, appropriate and cute! They also gave me the most magnificent coaching pressie - a gift voucher to Newcastle's best restaurant - and one I've been dying to dress up for - Bacchus.

I'm going to do all it takes to get my team back together again and coach them next year. They are a truly special group of girls and I love them all to bits.

Busy monday again today, but I've already got it and achieved the hardest tasks first. I think swallowing my fear and making myself do something first up {before even reading any blogs! Gasp!!} could be the key to success. With one success under my belt I'm feeling positive that the whole day's going to cruise along swimmingly.

baby, it's hot outside

So, we didn't really have a winter in Aus this year, and it looks like our spring's more of a summer. Today it's meant to be 27 degrees, and when I was out giving the trees by the pool a drink, I think I built up a quick tan.

I had a lovely surprise last night. Because our gal was having a sleepover, my dear darling husband booked a harbourside table at one of our favourite restaurants, Silo. It's a gorgeous place on the Newcastle foreshore, with stunning decor, knowledgeable staff, yummy cocktails and great food.

Because I was in a classic mood I went with a cosmopolitan before the meal, you know, to celebrate the fact they're shooting SATC 2... No, I just think that a cosmo is the perfect cocktail.

Then we shared a baguette with dips while we chatted and then I was entranced by the duck confit, with puy lentils and carrot puree (I know, Sara Rose!) while my lovely man had beef cheeks with potato rosti and spinach I do believe.

We rounded off the night with creme brulee and fresh strawberry icecream with pistachio biscotti and wandered on home.

Nice.

Today, Matt's out working in the garden again, and I'm writing in my study until it's time to bake the red velvet cupcakes to take to my gal's netball team party. Should be a fun day - especially if we've got sea breezes to cool us all down.

spring fling

What a weekend. It's hot and the scent of summer's on the breeze. We spent the night at my in-law's last night, had a delish meal of quiche and salad, chatted, slept in, then woke to a damn fine breakfast. We slowly made our way to our favourite nursery, Heritage Gardens at East Maitland, had coffee and flicked through the range of amazing books and mags on offer at The Garden Table cafe, and bought some herbs and lettuce to plant in the window boxes outside the kitchen window. That's my vegie garden, until I have a real one.

We could have gone crazy spending up on spring colour, but were restrained and waited till we came home and worked out exactly what we need to fill each space.

Our gal's gone to her bestie's for another sleepover, I'm working on another story due Tuesday, and husband's out cleaning the side fence ready to paint the palings charcoal. What a fine backdrop that'll provide to a hedge and the vegie garden.

Meanwhile, I leave you with these fabulous parrot tulips - aren't they just delicious? I found them at countryhome.com and could have just dived into my monitor with all the gorgeousness they have on offer...

peaches and cream

This pretty little geranium is bringing a spot of sunny colour to our front veranda at the moment. It's on the table of a 1920s French set we've got sitting between two windows, and as as the cushions on the chairs are the prettiest pale blue and cream toile I think they make quite the perfect vingette.

wisteria's wow factor

My wisteria's nearly completely out - so I thought that rather than just selfishly inhaling its delicate aroma, I'd snap another shot to share with you.

That big ball of foliage is a murraya, and its orange-blossom fleurs are just starting the dot the sphere. To the right of the stairs is a gorgeous gardenia - so as you can imagine, we're surrounded by scents throughout the seasons.

My husband's keen to prune the murraya slightly smaller, so we can have a hedge of lavender around the base which suits me just fine. Lavender grows beautifully in our front yard and seems to flower nearly year-round, so who can complain?

I do have quite a grey and purple theme going on with the house, but don't fret - there's plenty of colour pops. Underneath our baywindow, to the right of the house is the lavender garden with the Graham Thomas rose whose big show-off yellow blooms have just started to burst forth.

Along the front picket fence are alternate roses of pink and red - my all-time favourite combination. All scented, all blowsy, all earning their keep.

Who couldn't love spring when it puts on such a show?

rose tinted attitude

It would be impossible not to feel pretty in such a pink bathroom. Imagine how gorgeous your complexion would look diffused by the rosy hue of these walls...

I'm in a rosy frame of mind - trying to view the world in a more positive slant, and it's working. I'm getting through all the work I need to. I vacuumed my house before I tripped over a dust bunny and broke a hip. My kitchen bench is, well, okay...

Now I'm just psyching myself up to make a few phonecalls. I need two more interview subjects to complete a story, one's organised, the other not. I've got till Tuesday, so it's not like I'm frantic.

So what I'll do is go hang my washing in the spring sunshine. Step out the front and inhale a few breaths of the wonderful wisteria cloaking my veranda, wash my hair and then, boom, pick up that phone and dial and dial until I've got what I need.

Happy Friday everyone x

kiss me kate

That Kate Spade sure is a lady of fine style. Look at these pretties! With the slash of fuschia across the toe they're bound to spin eyes in your direction.

I see them with a citron frock with a very full fifties skirt, but then again, I'm seeing everything like that lately - it's my new obsession...

clutter busting trick

When it comes to ditching the clutter, the hardest part is finding the time and the energy - so it makes sense to always be prepared.

What I like to do is hang a carrybag on the back of all the doors in the house - bedrooms, kitchen, study - and then, when I come across something I don't need {such as clothes that don't fit, kitchenware I no longer use, books I don't want to re-read} I can toss them in the donation bag. Then, when the bag's full, it's ready to go to the salvos.

Of course, when I use a pretty bag like these Cath Kidston numbers, I'll switch all the stuff into a plastic bag for the drop off!

what's cookin' wednesday

Life with a menu plan is a much happier life. Last night we had the delicious red wine and crispy pancetta risotto I posted earlier, and oh boy, was it good.

Here's what we're eating the rest of the week:

Wednesday: skirt steak, broccoli and cashew stir-fry with udon noodles

Thursday: Baked salmon with avocado salsa and salad

Friday: dinner at the in-laws so I'm taking quiche Lorraine and they're supplying the salad

Saturday: prawn, chorizo and potato salad {griddled on the bbq with a sherry vinegar dressing. Oh my}

Sunday: bbq dinner for my gal's netball team - all I need to take are a couple of dozen red velvet cupcakes!

Monday: chicken and pistachio meatloaf with roasted vegies

Tuesday: minted lamb cutlets, smashed peas and mash

i wanna be me

I went to the dentist the other week to pay a fortune to have my teeth cleaned in a rather agonising fashion. So, while the hygenist is chatting away about how I don't brush my teeth correctly, blah, blah, she once again mentions the wear on my front teeth and how I could have them bonded.

Now, I've posted earlier about how I'd never even noticed that one of my teeth had a wee chip and had worn. Never. Until it was brought to my attention. Now apparently both my teeth have worn, but they can fix it.

Then she started rattling on about teeth whitening, two sessions apparently, and they could bond a number of my teeth so they become all the same length.

What?

Yep, for around $1500 I could have a "Hollywood Smile".

Or I could fly to New York for a week.

I don't want a Hollywood Smile. I want my smile. Yes, it's cracked and flawed, but I don't understand why you'd want to look like someone else and if I had a line of perfectly white, straight Hollywood teeth I'd look like someone else.

What does Nicole Kidman think when she looks in the mirror? I just saw shots of her at the tennis, with the most astonishingly inflated top lip and a puffy face that's obviously been stabbed with various fillers and plumpers. She doesn't look like herself, not one jot. And that's not what I want.

Off to brush my teeth now. Badly.

Oh, and guess what? This is my 850th post. Yay me. 1000 here I come.

dream dinner

I've had a craving these past few days for a red wine risotto after watching Giada whip one up the other night, and, oh my, was it worth it.

Here's the recipe

big knob of butter

6 - 8 french shallots, sliced

2 big cloves of garlic, sliced

1 cup of risotto rice

1 cup of red wine

4 cups beef stock

few sprigs of thyme

8 slices pancetta

parmesan to serve

Melt butter in pan and saute shallots and garlic till soft. Pour in rice, stir for two minutes. Then pour over 1 cup of red wine. Then add a ladleful of simmering beef stock, stirring till it's almost absorbed. Throw in your thyme with the risotto.

Meanwhile, fry up your pancetta and break into pieces. When you're one ladleful away from finishing {around 20 mins in} throw in half the crispy pancetta and grate in about 1/2 cup of parmesan. Throw in the rest of the stock, stir, and serve. Break remaining pancetta over the top and throw on some parmesan shavings.

Mmmmmmm.

seamstress dreams

This Zac Posen frock is calling my name {and then it's snickering behind its hands saying, "yeah, as if you can afford me... Rude!} All the more reason why I intend on mastering the skill of sewing.

I could create the perfect frock, in the most just-so fabric and would know that nobody else will be waltzing down the street in said number.

Hmmm, perhaps it really is time to bring out the ol' Singer sewing machine...

feeling better now

Phew, it's amazing what a glass of lemonade and a sausage roll can achieve {do doctor's prescribe such things? They should}. I'm now feeling much, much better - but think my day would be eminently improved with peonies such as these on such a lovely benchtop {and those wee tarts too, mmmmm}. When in doubt, take a spoonful of pretty.

nothing to see here...

I'm not feeling too hot today. Just a lurgy, that's making me feel bleurgh-y...

Not what I need at the moment, but maybe it's a sign to slow down and de-stress. I did sleep in this morning till 10am while my husband and daughter got ready this morning - that helped. And I've washed my hair and got dressed - which nearly always makes a difference - except not today.

Sigh.

Oh well, I'll drink lots of water to flush it from my system and go sit out in the spring sunshine for a bit. Surely that'll make me feel better...

wisteria lane

Our wisteria is in flower at the moment and I thought I'd best stop to appreciate it - and grab a couple of shots so you could too.

Isn't it just gorgeous! Pretty soon the vine will be covered and the delicate scent will waft over me as I walk up the stairs. I really have to thank the former owners for planting this, I don't think I would have considered it.

I have a productive week planned. I'm not as frantic as I was the last two weeks so I'm determined to get back into menu planning and spend some time getting the house in order. We have some leftover chicken provencal from last night's family feast, so that will do us for dinner tonight - and from tomorrow I'll be meal planning like I do it for a living.

I had a coffee catch-up this morning with my best friend from primary and high school - who I haven't seen in 20 years!!!! She hadn't changed, and has just become more lovely over time. Sometimes it's worth revisiting the past.

Hope you've got a lovely week planned.

oh what a night

Twas quite the ball last night. As you can see I cracked open the box and my beautiful Manolos came out to play. They had a lovely time...

I'm proud to say they've come home in pretty fine condition - no heels went through any cracks to get scuffed and scrunched.

We sipped on an amazing champage - Rodier pere et fils - which I shall be tracking down as it was utterly delicious... The food was sublime too. Morsels of duck and salad on spoons, teeny demitasse cups filled with seafood chowder and oysters to nibble while sipping champagne. Smoked salmon parcels first, followed by the most delicious pork belly dish ever {and that's saying something!} with a beef and scampi man. All rounded off with a delicate pavalova that was more like snow eggs in texture. Perfection.

We've just had the father's day pressies and breakfast in bed - with husband now going back to sleep for a tad. I'm about to start cooking provencal chicken for 16 for dinner at my in-laws' tonight. I've never catered for that many, particularly when there are two other hot dishes, oh well, best too much than not enough.

Happy father's day to all those blokes out there enjoying the day.

woo hoo it's the weekend

Who doesn't love seeing a weekend stretched out before them? We've got lots of lovely plans this weekend, including a ball tonight which is ever-so-exciting! It's on the harbour so should be pretty darned magnificent.

Sunday's father's day, so I'll be collecting our gal from her cousins' early sunday morning {after her sleepover Saturday night} and we'll make breakfast in bed and lavish daddy with gifts.

Then I'll be cooking up a storm as we have a family dinner on Sunday night. I'm making a huge pot of chicken provencal and taking baguettes to serve with it. Yum.

My husband's turned into quite the home handyman and has managed to paint lots of the pavilion and the outdoor table and chairs on the back veranda, giving them a gorgeous fresh, white look. We're inspired now to get as much of the garden finished by Christmas - including the side!!

Now I need to pull my dress from the closet for the ball tonight to make sure it still fits after a winter of comfort food. Otherwise I'll be buying a couple of pairs of spanx...

Enjoy your weekend.