sweet saturday

Oh my it's a glorious day in sunny Newcastle today. We had our netball semi final against the top team, we lost, but boy, did we play well. That means that next week we'll play against the winner of the other semi-final and then, hopefully, onto the Grand Final. Woo hoooo!

And tonight I'm off to a Year 6 mums' night out. Yes, Year 6. Goodness. It does mean that I'm missing a fabulous blogger's bash in Sydney tonight to welcome back the BlogHer goddesses Mrs Woog and Eden - but I'm sure they'll have a fabbo time and I can live vicariously through blog posts and twitter feeds.

Now, I'm off to paint my nails - what goes with tapas? I'm thinking grey as I'm wearing a black vintage frock with white piping, red shoes, red lips and probably red bag. Too much red? Sorry, that's just not possible.

You?

and relax...

Okay, so I may be feeling a tad on the seedy side today - just a tad... We had friends for dinner last night and a fair amount of champagne washed down the french cheese, duck confit, pear, pecan and rocket salad {with a yummy dressing: apple cider vinegar, olive oil, seeded mustard, cinnamon, lime juice and honey - shaken and yum}. For afters our friends brought along a Apple in Wonderland cake - which was divine! It was quite the perfect night, except my friend's sister came along and I spent the whole night coveting her hair {yep, you guessed it, she's a gorgeous redhead}. I did have to explain to her my love of a titan hue so she didn't get too creeped out by my constant wistful gazing in her head's general direction.

I would quite like to be lying on this hammock today - but that shan't be happening. I have two gals to entertain this morning, then this afternoon my french study-buddy is coming over so we can do our french homework together {hopefully - it's already really difficult and we're only in week one!}

Tonight the gal's at a pal's for a sleepover so it's just me and hubby. We might even find ourselves something to do as we have free babysitting. Movies perhaps?

So, tell me all about you. What are your plans for this fabulous february weekend?

sooooo sleeeeeeepy

Oh my - I seem to be having one of those "can't seem to wake-up" days. Best get some coffee in my system - stat!

a good drying day

Well the weather mightn't be what we'd expect for this time of year, but today was what is known in the trade as "A Good Drying Day". Bright blue sky, a little warmth - and winds - lots of wind.

A good drying day makes me happy. I love hanging out clothes and towels knowing they're going to be lovingly dried by the wind. Ideally I'd have done some sheets - but that wasn't to be. Is it too much to ask for another Good Drying Day tomorrow?

{and another thing I'd like to ask for is this laundry - prettiness!}

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?

sunshine always makes me smile

Oh, we have blue, blue skies today and these make me so happy. Yesterday's gardening was a great success, despite the drizzles. My dear husband spent the whole day pruning the lilly pillies and guess what we found? A dove nesting on three cute little eggs in the midst of the trees {that one didn't get so much of a prune...}. Bless!

I also managed to fit in a visit to the Olive Tree Markets down the street. Amazing. So many gorgeously crafted creations - including 50s style and pin-up-esque clothing and swimsuits. Squeee! I bought a pressie for a friend's new baby and plan on buying as many Christmas gifts for my nieces there as possible - you've got to support local creative types!

Today we have more gardening and a trip to the Farmer's Markets on the cards. Can we do turkish gozleme two days in a row for lunch? Um, yep, probably, it's damned addictive stuff.

I'd also like to spend a wee spot of time relaxing somewhere like this. Mmmmm.

a sunny saturday

Shhhh, don't tell anyone but we currently have sunshine. I know! So we're about to dash into the garden to do some work while the sun shines. Hubby needs to prune the outrageous growth on the lilly pillies around the pool and I'll take bags of the trimmings to the green waste site to get mulched up. Then I'd like to weed the front gardens, after all that rain surely the weeds will almost leap into my hands...

bigger isn't always better

I think it's easy to put off doing a kind deed because you want to make it special. A friend's sick and you think to yourself, 'Oh, I'll have to take them around a meal' and then you spend so long worrying about what to cook, whether they'll like it, whether it's special enough that before you know it she's well again.

That's where I think the small gestures come in handy.

I was chatting to my mother-in-law the other day and I mentioned how I like to try to live by the maxim "The smallest gesture is better than the grandest intention" - and it's true. So often we'll think about all the things we 'should' do that'll make a difference, but because we're so busy and life gets in the way we just don't get around to it. Then we feel guilty and often the friend we hoped to make feel better just feels neglected.

Instead of coming up with a beautifully made card to send to someone - it's best to send off a quick email or text to say, "Hi, thanks!" or "Thinking of you x". Obviously a phone call's better - but a fill in text can be like a smile, just to let them know they're in your mind.

What small gesture can you make today?

aaaaand, back to bed

Ouch. Have a migraine. Developed last night, and has refused to abate despite drugs and sleep - so more drugs and sleep it is.

See you tomorrow x

gratitude is...

I'm playing along with Maxabella today and taking note of all the things I'm grateful for.

♥ I'm grateful that my gal has some beautiful friends who bring out her kind, happy and gentle side. She's had a friend over for a sleepover and they've swum, written letters to fairies, made vanilla hotcakes and been so adorable my heart's swollen to bursting point.

♥ I'm grateful for a garden that encourages visits from fairies who flit between the flowers {the girls have spied quite a few flower fairies in the wisteria this morning}.

♥ That I have an inviting pool to dive into today when the temperature's set to reach 29 degrees.

♥ My holiday that I'm heading off to tomorrow. Ahhhhhhhhh.

♥ That I'm part of a blogging community so embracing - love you guys!

bbbbbbbbbb busy

Just a quickie this morning as I'm uber-busy and a wee bit concerned I may drown in deadlines... And, as these things go, I also have a sick child home from school. Luckily I'd already packed her lunch so I might just have to pop her lunchbox by the sofa {yes, I had written coach - damn - where's my brain? I shall be needing it today...}

Enjoy your wednesday x

easy entertaining

I started off my morning earlier than I have in a long time. I had to drive 20 minutes to my 7am appointment for my MRI on my knee. Yep, SEVEN A. M. Thankfully it's over and done with now, and hopefully tomorrow I'll take the film and report to my physio and find out what's actually wrong with my knee.

We've got guests today. Mum's best friend from way back is popping in for afternoon tea, so I'm going to whip up some madelines as a sweet treat. These little French shell-shaped treats are so simple and delicious, and because they're teeny tiny only take around 3 minutes to bake. I'll make a double batch so my gal can take some to school for the rest of the week. I'll make some regular, some rose petal and a few lemon I think. Mmmmmmm.

PS: my squeal-worth moment today? My email saying "Don Draper is following you on Twitter!" Yeah baby!

friday, on my mind

So, spring came in, popped its head around the corner to say "hi" and then quickly nicked off - what's all that about? Today's grey, drizzly and just a bit blerk - not what I'm after in a start to the weekend.

I'm off to see the surgeon this afternoon, where he'll hopefully tell me I can be treated conservatively and without reconstructive surgery on my knee. I really am dead over it. I did make it to French last night, to sit at a table mouth agape while I realised how much I missed in just one lesson. Past participles = eeep! Luckily my friend also missed last week's lesson, so we could pull faces and shrug our shoulders at each other whenever something new and scary and unintelligible was mentioned {um, that'd be every single word out of our teacher's mouth}.

Father's day and my mother's birthday on Sunday - guess how organised I am for it? Ouch. I'm going to go shopping with my mum and daughter to buy a surprise pressie for hubby - and let mum choose her own present for her birthday, that's the best option.

So, tell me all about your plans for the weekend. Let me live vicariously x

something special

A hammock, a green, lush lawn... is there a more perfect spot to while away an afternoon? My perfect afternoon involves lying somewhere slightly shaded, but with enough warmth from the sun for comfort, with a great book and then a quick nap.

Bliss.

What's your idea of bliss?

monday {no moaning required}

I've just returned from the physio and the good news is that I'm not a hypochondriac. The bad news is that I have torn cartliage and probably have snapped my ACL - a rather important ligament whose job seems to be to hold the top half of your leg and the bottom half together. The physios were talking operations, I'm thinking slow recovery.

The other good news is that I can walk, with just one crutch now just in case. I'm also allowed to ride my bike when the weather clears {mainly because I put my left foot down, rather than my right}.

It's the same injury my husband suffered with a few years back so I know what to expect. Considering that he had the operation and doesn't have 100 per cent use of his knee I'm erring on the 'do what you can to recover and strengthen side'. I won't play netball again - but I was ready to give up playing anyway. Cycling's perfect - as is swimming - so it just means rethinking what I'm capable of doing and finding something new.

How was your weeekend?

fantastically friday

Hands up if you can believe it's friday... yep, me neither. Excuse me, but where does the week go? I've had a busy morning. My in-laws popped in for a cup of tea and to check out my study {ooohs and aahs were appropriately metered out} and I made up my vanilla custard for my ice-cream. Oh yes, we'll be having fresh French Vanilla Ice-Cream churned in my KitchenAid after dinner tonight.

My gal has a friend staying for a sleepover tonight and I reckon I'll get some serious brownie points for serving fresh ice-cream. So much so that the main course will barely matter.

It's an absolutely beautiful day today. The sky's blue, there's no wind, and my garden's looking fit to burst with spring's promise. I have lanky stalks and white buds on the primula's that are circling the dovecote, my violas have their pretty faces dancing in the sun, the roses are covered in new red shoots - and the jasmine has me squealing in delight at the promise of its sweetly scented display.

Did I tell you that this weekend I'm catching up with my buddies from the Uni Newspaper days? 20 years on we've arranged a catch-up and I can't wait. Funnily enough we've all gone on to work in the media - nice as that was the aim. I'm sure there'll be some hilarious reminiscing going on. If you hear laughter carried down the ocean from Merewether you'll know who's to blame...

happy weekend

Hello, how's this for a late post? Sorry! Last night was all about the painting - we've now completely finished the ceiling and cornices and have a coat of lavender on the walls - and I'm sooooooooo glad we've gone with the colour. Oh it's happy, oh it's pretty. Now we've just got one more coat to do on the walls... before we move into the hall... I know, it's addictive stuff this painting business.

Photos to come soon. In the meantime, regale me with what's going on in your world. I'm keen to peak into a weekend that's not sodden with paint fumes.

a little ray of sunshine

Sigh. Will it ever stop raining? I know that I shouldn't care as I'm just sitting at my desk working, but, well, it's noisy. Rain on a tin roof sounds romantic when the drought first breaks, but after a few days it's just another distraction.

Husband's having time off today to spend with the girl. They're off to see Toy Story 3. I'm a tad jealous, but after the whole watching-how-to-tame-your-dragon-in-the-front-row-in-3D I don't really mind. I think my eyes are forever traumatised by the too-close viewing.

Have I told you that I've developed a bit of a crush on Louis Ghost chairs? I was considering having one as an office chair, but these last few days of 12hour+ working days {and my friend Anne's OT advice...} have made me realise that I really do need an ergonomic office chair. Surely I can find a pretty one out there somewhere...

Back to work then.

knuckling down

There's nothing that I like more than being busy - so today, I'm positively blissful. Lots on, plenty to keep my mind occupied and a few challenges thrown in there as well.

Oh, we won our semi final at netball last night. I sat there with my injury cheering my team on. We had a close game with the final, but ended up losing by a respectable 5 goals. It's a novel concept just watching from the sidelines - one that I'd prefer to just do the once. Hopefully this crazy knee injury of mine will heal soon and I'll be back on the court next week {yep, straight into the new competition - indoor netball allows no rest}.

Finally, three words I never want to hear in the same sentence again: macaron, olive and beetroot. Zumbo might be considered a genius, but I swear I felt a little sick every single time olive macarons were mentioned {and boy, were they mentioned a lot last night on MasterChef}.

far out folks it's friday

Hands up if your week absolutely sped by? Yep, mine too. Today's the last day of school so we're about to have two weeks of holidays to contend with. Wish me luck...

Tomorrow we're headed down to Sydney to check out furniture for my study. Now we've finalised our choice of the charcoal carpet for the study, we just need to choose a desk, chair, light-fitting and bookshelves. We think we've found most of them in our home-town, but we'd just like to confirm that there's nothing else out there that'd suit the purpose more.

Sunday night we have friends coming to dinner, we had to swap from the Saturday because we'd forgotten about the shopping trip {I swear, the things I've forgotten lately because they haven't been written down...}. I'm still undecided on the menu - best get in and look at some cookbooks for inspiration.

Finally, what's with the MasterChef contestants being unable to identify Coq au Vin? What on earth do these people eat normally? Seriously, the limited food knowledge of these contestants is starting to drive me batty. My 10-year-old has a broader food knowledge, and probably has a better palate, than some of these amateur cooks. "I've never cooked or eaten risotto/mashed potato/veal..." the list goes on. Regardless of your speciality a good cook needs an understanding of a wide range of foods - not just their chosen area. The right pastry can make a savoury dish sing and understanding how certain ingredients react to cooking is one of the basics in being able to experiment and create an amazing meal.

I'm pretty sure the contestants on MasterChef Jr will have a broader food knowledge than some of these people. Honestly, dumbing a show down to meet the lowest common denominator is tragic - but I guess the ratings keep climbing, and presumably sales of Handee Wipes and Campbells real stock will increase thanks to the increasingly prominent positioning. Sheesh.

What's on your weekend agenda?