Absent

It would appear I have been absent from blogging for a little while. I wish I could say I had an incredibly exciting life which impedes my ability to blog but sadly for me , that is not the case!

I did go for a drive up to Leura in the Blue Mountains last week with T, that was actually a really nice day. Being a public holiday it was twice as nice. 

 I'm turning into my mother. I spent an inordinate amount of time repeating "It's just soooooo beautiful here!" to no one in particular. It's hardly my fault it was such a stunning day.

I mean would you look at that view! I love heading out of the 'burbs and getting a temporary hit of fresh air. So rejuvenating.

BAM! I got my hair cut! Fringe galore! My cowlick is causing all sorts of issues but it's nice to have a change.  

How much do I love MAC Russian Red lipstick by the way? Probably sooooo much.

Moustachio continues to be supremely cute. He also nearly gnawed my leg off as I ate pineapple in front of him the other night. We had a repeat performance this morning. The frantic meowing was kind of hilarious. He didn't seem to want to hear that cats probably aren't fans of tropical fruits. CUTE!

In other news that doesn't require me to add a lame speech bubble, I have a new JOB! I finish my current role in two weeks time and then on to bigger and better things. I am equally excited and nervous! I am also glad I do not have to attend any more interviews any time soon. Although they all went well , I am not a fan of rushing from the city to work all before 9am! I really do need to purchase a few new items for my work wardrobe which leads me to ask......

Where are we all obtaining our work appropriate clothes/shoes these days? Please share!

Delicious Treats

I've been indulging in quite a few yummy things lately!

On the weekend I went out for high tea to celebrate my girlfriends' birthday!

What is it about crustless and cut up sandwiches that makes them so much more delicious? I always wish there were more sandwiches at high tea!

I usually go for the Russian Caravan tea ( I do love a strong brew!) however opted for the traditional Chai and my oh my it was delicious!

A glass of sparkling wine never goes astray! Such a lovely afternoon hanging out with friends and eating to my hearts content!

In fact, I loved it so much that I was equally excited to meet up with Rioters Bloc the very next day for some more scone action! Ohhhhhh they were so delicious! 

We went to The Tea Cosy  at The Rocks and it was great! Big fresh warm scones and lovely thick cream, just as it should be. You could even choose your own jam and I had vanilla and pear which was divine - as was the Madagascan vanilla tea that I paired with my scones. I recommend that you pop in here if you are in the area for perfect scones at a reasonable price.

Sadly I am having to pull back on my scone intake - it was a joy while it lasted!

Who else loves scones? I assume the answer is EVERYBODY!

B.O.N.D.I

What an amazing yesterday was . Sydneysiders would know that the weather recently has been beyond dismal and that we are expected to have only four days where it doesn't rain for the rest of February. May I remind you that it is still summer! I knew when I woke up yesterday morning that I would have to do something REALLY good to make use of the day. 

Well all it took was for a lovely Melbournite Milijana  to post photos on Instragram of the beautiful views of Bondi and it was decided, to Bondi I would go. And by go I mean eventually go after two hours, a train and two buses. One would think I was travelling from Perth, not within Sydney.

I'll let the photos do the talking. 

Bondi Icebergs

Atonement, which I picked up from the markets and read on a grassy hill.

Imagine waking up to these views? So beautiful.

Bondi Pavilion

Looking at the cliffs towards Bronte. 

Love the natural landscape against the sea. 

It is easy to see why Bondi is so iconic. Sure, there are plenty of beaches that surpass it in beauty in Australia but the atmosphere and crowds combined with more blue sky then you could poke a stick at really does give it a special feel.

I had lunch at Ravesi's and continued reading. I ate lychee gelato. I dipped in the water and dug my toes in the sand.

It was completely refreshing and exactly what I needed. Sometimes a girl needs a day alone in a beautiful location to collect her thoughts and regroup. 

I'm sure the lovely Kirryn would agree it was an amazing day!

Where do you like to go to recharge your batteries? Do you enjoy 'me' time by yourself or do you prefer to have company to bounce your thoughts off?

Facing lots of challenges this week, in a good way. Wish me luck xx

Lately...

Hope you all had a great Australia Day!

Due to the weather ( Fake Summer 2011/2012 strikes again) it seemed pointless to organise a BBQ, go swimming or head to the beach. So I had a think and and decided the best course of action was to head to high tea!

As I have a large memory bank of eateries all around Sydney stored in my brain I recalled that the high tea at Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains was meant to be good so I rounded up the girls and away we we went! And by off we went I mean we took a hour and a half drive there battling blinding rains on the freeway and ominous fogs haha. It's a really pretty place though!

YUM! 

Scones with jam and double cream are so good ! My favourite! Sandwiches with the crusts cut off on lovely soft bread! 

Now the sweets were nice but personally I feel quite sickly and one or two is enough for me, I'd prefer more sandwiches!

The area where they hold the high tea is so lovely and with the rain outside it was super cosy.

Love my girls!

Pretty gardens!

Last night I had nothing to do and I was really bored so I took myself down to Woolies for supplies.

 Lychee liqueur with this raspberry lemonade and lemon slices was heavenly!

I will never knock back some camembert with fig paste. Hello dinner. 

I then settled in and watched One Day. Excellent movie! I wish I had read the book first. There were tears.....wah! Loved it!

I took today off work as leave in anticipation of the hang over I thought I would have and then friends I thought would not be working. I WAS WRONG! 

After moping about hating on the rain I decided to get my self together and took myself off to Paddington to the Acne store as I realllllllly wanted to try on some pistol boots for size. 

This is what I wore. 

This rain is wrecking havoc with my hair. I rediscovered NARS Flamenco lipstick. Still not sure about it. 

Bad photo, but I LOVE THEM! I needed a size 38 though as the 39 was a touch too big and they didn't have them in stock. I tried on a suede pair in 38 and there were perfect. Have ordered them in but will search online for a better price in the mean time . YAY! This is the most I will have dropped for any item of apparel ever. To be honest, I think about these shoes every day. 

Had a bite to eat, read some Pride and Prejudice on the Kindle ( not enjoying) and came home. 

Tonight I am going to see Kanye West. My main objectives is to sing like I wrote the songs myself and have a child with Yeezy. Can't wait!

Whats happening with the rest of you? Do you like high tea? Do you agree that the sweet to savoury ratio is out of proportion? Anyone else feel like the rain is ruining their lives? Tell me all!

Beach Trip

Today I did one of my favourite things in the whole world, spent the day at the beach!

I love Freshwater Beach because it is not too hard to get to ( given I live out west!) , it's a beautiful place, it's not toooooo crowded and most importantly, you can actually find a parking space less than 6 suburbs away from the beach ha ha!

Beach trips call for bright nails and salt water friendly accessories!

I love this polish, it is Rimmel 'In Style Coral'. I brought it last summer, it was so cheap. I hope they still have the colour!

So this isn't one hundred percent compliant with 'NoSugarVember' but it was the best I could do. And I enjoyed every single bite. I've been going great, perhaps I should do a post on my sugarless journey as the month progresses. 

It was such a beautiful day, hot but not too hot, sunny, glorious!

There is something about the beach that completely recharges me , nothing beats getting out there in the waves and letting them wash away any worries or stresses. I know I feel completely zen floating on my back in the ocean.

I was appropriately covered in sunscreen at all times and had the hat and sunglasses going. I managed to avoid blinding the whole beach with my intense whiteness by hastily applying some fake tan on Friday night ha ha!

My hair goes so cray cray after a swim, dry and bleh! 

The best thing next to the beach, is coming home and having a cool shower to wash it all off!

Anyone else love the beach as much as me? Wish I could go more often, must try harder this summer!

Also, Sydneysider's hit me with your favourite local beaches please! I hear Balmoral is glorious!

Now and Then

Can't believe it has already been a year since my 21st, how time flies!

I was just looking at this post on my old blog, ah memories! 

With the lovely K on my 21st!

I had a very low key birthday this year, just the way I prefer it really. Took myself out for some pancakes and widow shopping on my lunch break yesterday and spent the evening on the lounge with T watching movies in between stuffing myself with all the delicious food my dear mum cooked up for me!

Pancakes!

Mmmmmm crumble, it was all I could do not to eat some for breakfast this morning.

T is taking me out for a nice dinner at Rockpool Bar & Grill tonight which was my one and only birthday request! I love the dining space , its just beautiful. Last time we went was for our 4 year anniversary, I have such fond memories of having to wait at the bar whilst they got our table ready. Long story short, it was a long wait and we accidently got kind of hammered ha ha!

Yessssssssss!!!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and thank you for your comments on my last post !

City 2 Surf 2011

Yesterday I entered my third City 2 Surf with a group of friends. The City 2 Surf is a annual fun run held in Sydney each year and is a 14km race from the heart of the city to the iconic Bondi Beach. For the last two years the weather had been absolutely stunning but it was very grey and a little rainy yesterday. Luckily we didn't get too wet at all.

85,000 people entered this year! The vibe is a lot of fun with people dressed up ( packs of Starship Troopers and Mario's for example!) and houses and businesses along the streets pumping music and shouting encouragement!

By the time my starting group went over the line, 10,000 people had already finished the whole race!

Even though we only walked it this year, it still felt great to cross the finish line.

Next year I'm going to run the whole thing, no if's and but's! I love fun runs!

A Sweet Saturday

I did something a little different today, I climbed the Harbour Bridge with T!

If you live in Sydney you've probably seen the little figures that are always climbing up the arch, well today I was one! I was worried I'd be doing it in the rain but luckily it was actually quite a nice day. 

OH I WILL CLIMB YOU!

It was pretty fun actually, and surprisingly not scary at all though I am not afraid of heights. The worst part was going up and down the few ladders to get to the arch walkway, banged my skins well and truly and have the bruises to prove it!

I think it's something you should do once if your in Sydney, the views were pretty spectacular. 

They say there is a sucker born every minute, well it must be true or why else would we have paid an exorbitant amount of money for an unflattering photo in a hideous jumpsuit, ha!

Yes, this is a photo of a photo. 

Afterwards we went up to the top of one of the pillons as we has some passes.

We live in a pretty great city, though walking around today I couldn't believe they ripped down such beautifully historic buildings and replaced them with what were essentially brown concrete cubicles. Oh the shame!

Anywho, after the climb we walked around The Rocks for a bit and popped into The Argyle for lunch. 

Despite this photo of shocking quality, the interior is fabulous. It looks like a great place for cocktails on the weekends!

Vodka soda with fresh lime, nectar of the gods!

They have a tapas menu so T ordered some onion rings (?!), and pork belly while I went for some potato dish and grilled polenta. 

I think I'll stick to the drinks next time. Potato dish was awful, half cold and tasted like it had been reheated thrice. 

I tried some port belly, also cold but acceptable. 

I love polenta dishes times a billion, this was OK but the 'salsa' that it came with turned out to be diced tomato. Needed SALSA!

I was pretty disappointed, especially because I could have had the magic that is GOZLEME instead! Who doesn't love gozleme, am I right?!

Never mind, all's well that ends well, and my day certainly ended well when I brought this rock candy which I am obsessed with, YUM!

Hope you all had an equally lovely Saturday. Did you notice I took photos of food in public?! I'm making progress!

Morning Sunshine

This morning was a glorious morning indeed my friends! Instead of slumming it at home making do with some porridge and a distinct lack of coffee my friend E and I headed to Cronulla for a beachside breakfast. YUM!

E told me about HAM ( Harry & Mario) a while back and as we were due for a coffee date I suggested we make a trip and try it out.

I had the most delicious 'deli breaky plate' of sourdough bread, prosciutto ( BE STILL MY BEATING HEART!), avocado, ricotta and fresh tomatoes for around $12.00 plus my coffee staple, a flat white which hit the spot. 

It was so warm and sunny and laid back and how I wish all my mornings could be.

I planned on taking a photo for ya'll but two things happened.....

1. I feel like a tosser taking photos of food in public places.
2. I ATE IT ALL TOO QUICK!

Went for a quick stroll down to the beach and sat in the shade, growing more and more sad about the fact I live in the suburbs as the minutes ticked by. 

If you ever find yourself in Cronulla on a sunny morning I suggest you check it out:-

Harry & Mario

3/17 Gerrale Street

Cronulla NSW 2230

Does anyone else feel like a fool taking photos of things for your blog while out and about? I can't be the only one!