26th January 2010
Oh hello! Is it really the end of January already?
Summer has been good to us this year. More rain than usual, a good Solstice, Christmas and New Year full of fun and warmth and love and delicious food. We took a week long holiday in Sydney to stay with my brother’s family. It was so humid all week that we swam in the pool every day until we were waterlogged and slept all night soundly under the fans. We visited the beach to feel the warm sand and marvel at the Blue of the Bondi surf and sky. We saw inner-city spiders as big as our hands hanging in intricate webs which we had to duck under (screaming, of course) to continue on our way. We saw the Tom-Tom Crew at the Sydney Opera House and beat-boxed our way all the way home. We celebrated my gorgeous nephew’s 7th birthday in tepanyaki style (see him catch a raw egg in a bowl on his head? See my girls thrill at the spectacle?). I love Sydney. It seems to me that it is a wonderfully physical city and you experience it with your senses.
And there were movies (Fantastic Mr Fox is indeed fantastic, Bright Star made me cry mascara down my cheeks, Avatar made me fall in love with a beautiful blue cgi version of Sam Worthington) and there have been late nights, sleep-ins, heat waves, thunderstorms and experimental pavlova making,
With school starting next week, and Lily starting kindergarten, I feel as though I am about to enter the next phase of my life. I am quite excited about this prospect but am yet to work out what the exact focus of that will be. I have an inkling that there will be lots of writing, and illustration and art. There may also be some cooking and some crafting and some watching of movies. There might also be a little home renovation and a garden overhaul. I haven’t made any resolutions for the first time in forever and instead I have wandered into the new year trying to remember how it felt to be 10 – when life was full of possibilities and excitement and boundless enthusiasm blanketed in a sense of love and security. 10 was good. 38’s going to be better.
23rd December 2009
This is a bit late today as I have spent the morning searching high and low for the cable to transfer photos from my camera to the computer. I finally found it in amongst all the christmas chaos.
The how:
To play along, it’s as easy as writing up your own hot/not list on your blog and then linking back to me here at loobylu.com and then adding your url to the widget below.
Hot
Solstice is hot: – We had lots of guests last night and our Midsummer feast this year consisted of roast chicken and vegetables, pavlova, Paul’s Christmas pud and chocolates. We drank pimms and lemonade, sparkling champagne and sparkling red. After dinner the children made fairy rings and then Phil took them out way past their bedtime to see the christmas lights in the streets nearby (which apparently was the “most awesome thing ever”) followed by a new Tove Jansson book read by Nan for bedtime stories. Everything was a little bit sparkly last night.
Pavlova cooking: – Something that went just right. My first trial pav was you classic pav laden with cream and berries. It was so good. For Solstice I tried Jamie O’s version with some lime juice and coconut stirred through the mixture. I found it just a little too sweet but still successful.
I made a scrap fabric wreath! Inspired completely by Nan and her easy to follow instructions.
Paper snowflakes: – I can’t stop making them. There is that wonderful moment of surprise when you unfold the snowflake and discover what the delicate cuts have made. I use this image as inspiration (via @Maggie) and here are some instructions.
Aunty Cookie’s kind loan of her wizz bang badge making machine: – Don’t slow down near me or I might whip you up and turn you into a badge. It’s too much fun.
Christmas carols on my ipod: – Our little music box in the kitchen is blasting out the christmasy tunes – we have Charlie Brown’s Christmas, Sufjan Stephens, Vintage carols with the likes of Bing Cosby and Doris Day, Christmas in Sweden (from Anna’s kind gift over at Dos Family)
Alma: – (above) the beautiful (but creepy) animated short is available to watch online for a short time this Christmas. It is so hot. She is an exquisite character.
This set of stacking drawers.
Not
Food fail: – Tears and a bashed head while meringue cooking. Failed dips (too much garlic in the beetroot, too much smoke in the baba ghanouj) and a slightly dried out solstice chicken. Argh. never mind. It’s the company & conversation that counts.
Last Monday: – Monday was a bad day. I don’t need to go into it really, but it consisted of tired, tantruming children, tired parents, awkward (awful) social moments and failed culinary plans.
I didn’t take a single photo of our Solstice party! So not hot. I guess we were living in the moment.
So how about you?
18th October 2009
We’ve been back from Byron Bay for two days now, and I can hardly even believe we were actually ever there. It was a completely perfect break and hard to drag ourselves away on Friday. I was pleased to find that while Byron has changed a lot in the 12 years since we were last there, it still manages to hang on to its essential Byron-ness. We have loads of photos but most involve me in my bathers so quite obviously not blog-appropriate.
Top to bottom: Australia’s Eastern most point, where we stood and peered out at the ocean, hoping to catch a glimpse of a whale.
And glimpse we did. I know it’s pretty slight – but it made my day (holiday, even).
Poolside, lying back on my banana lounge looking up into the trees. This is probably my “happy place”… the place I close my eyes and imagine when the girls start shouting at each other, or someone is stamping their three year old foot and shouting at me.
Thank goodness for blogs – all I need to do is visit Megan’s blog The Byron Life and I am right back there.
14th October 2009
Hello – There is a phantom publishing this post, as I am some miles away hopefully lying on a beach or sipping a cocktail. What – no internet for 5 days? CRAZY. But here’s my What’s Hot + What’s Not Wednesday – it was great to hop about the place last week and find out what’s hot and what’s not elsewhere, so please feel free to post the link to your url below if you take part.
HOT
Fake tan! I got a fake tan – oh so funny. Amelia couldn’t look at me without saying “I want the real you back!”. I have never, ever had a tan in my whole life so it was really very novel. I was surprised at how good all my clothes looked. Now I get why people like to look brown. The actual spray tan process was not nearly as humiliating as I imagined and I am not even orange. Amazing! It’s too bad I discovered this in an era when it is completely dangerous to get out in the sun and get the natural version of this.
Migaloo: (above) An albino humpback whale. He was sighted off Byron Bay on the 28th of September. He’s probably well and truly gone by now, but I hope to see some whales (and maybe their calves) on their way home from their migration south. I am also packing binoculars because imagine how many new birds there will be to add to my list! The place we are staying even has a downloadable bird walk brochure. Awesome. (Tag: bird nerd)
Paul’s chocolates. Our good friend Paul did a chocolate making class last week and he gave us a box of his beautiful goodies. I am so impressed with how beautiful and interesting they are, and how good they taste. We spent quite a lot of time trying to convince Paul to try out for Master Chef for next season… but then we all wondered if there is anyone who needs that amount of stress in life.
Upgrading iTunes and sharing all Phil’s music. So much good listening going on around here.
NOT
Pale people (but not pale whales – ha ha!)
The little barky dog next door, right outside our bedroom window. We had a peek at him over the fence and he’s insanely cute but he does have a tendency to need to express himself at all the wrong times.
A small child with post-viral asthma: Phil and I were running on stress for two days. She’s getting better but I am no good at sleeping while wondering if we are going to be leaping into an ambulance at any moment.
Survivor Samoa. I dunno. We watched the first episode and there a couple of characters who are so mean I didn’t feel compelled to tune in again. I *know* they are probably actors, I *know* they need bad guys… but it left me with such a bad taste in my mouth.
Hot or Not? Alexander McQueen’s 10 inch stiletto pod shoes — I can’t stop looking at these. Surely influenced by the Alien films – but amazing and creepy and dangerous! What do you think?
30th September 2009
Two weeks ago I did a personal What’s Hot and What’s Not. It was fun and I think I might try it every Wednesday or so. Join me if you like. A few folks did last time and it was fun to click around to get a little snapshot-glimpse into lives around the world. Leave me a comment if you do so I can come and visit.
HOT
Sitting by the fire in the evening – whether it’s to watch 30Rock, roast marshmallows or to read Harry Potter out loud to a gathered, enthused crowd. I look forward to our nights by the open fire all day.
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz. I finished Chris Tsiolkas’ The Slap and went into Yass to find something else to fill the void. I found A Fraction of the Whole and am devouring it. It’s great. I also found a nice bookshop – The Little Dog Bookshop – 155 Comur Street, Yass. It’s Carbon Neutral! How about that.
Whittaker’s coconut chocolate – we have been having two little pieces of this deliciousness every evening after the children go to bed. I had some Rum and Raisin last night but far prefer the coconut. There are 24 different varieties in block form and it seems like one of the nearby supermarkets stocks quite a few of those. Mum is keen to try Kiwifruit just for the bizarreness factor.
The Quilt Project viewing at the Abbotsford Convent – October 23rd! Can’t wait to see it. Kirsty’s pretty darn cool.
Open Studios Event from Studio Magazine: “Crafters and artists around the world are invited to participate in this global open studios event – deadline for participation is Friday, October 2. Door Prizes available.” I can’t take part because I am here and a million miles away from my studio but this looks like fun. (thanks Kylie for the tip-off)
NOT Hot
Writing paralysis – I have gotten up a couple of mornings to write while we’ve been here. I huddle under a smelly old rug covered in dog hair in the sitting room, imagining (and only imagining) that the coals from the last night’s fire are warming the room. Unfortunately the writing has been nothing but stilted and silly. I’m not sure why. Usually I find this place is a kind of creative hot-spot. Right before a fierce thunderstorm here in 2004, when the air was crackling with creative electricity and inspiration, I came up with the sketches for my favourite pictures ever which went on to be the body of the work for an exhibition. I know two years ago I was having an awful shower in the awfullest shower in NSW (which is now happily fixed) and as it swung from searing hot to piercingly cold every two minutes as the pump kicked in and out, I had the idea for my novel about the girl moving home to the country and blah blah blah (the one I have been working on but is momentarily on hold). I guess it’s a case of taking your brain out of your every day commitments and routines and let it go into a vacuum for a while. But not so this time. You know? I think I blame The Slap. It totally occupied all my mind and imagination while I was reading it. It was worth it though.
‘Tis the season for swooping magpies. Maybe all those owl signs Phil saw the other day were actually the angry eyes of the kamikaze magpies which have started up around here.
A full meat diet. The butcher near here is so good. Great sausages, delicious chops and steaks and roasts… it’s an easy way to cook up here, as the kitchen is a little prehistoric and the bbq is often so much easier. Don’t get me wrong, it’s tasty – but I am starting to feel *ridiculously* full all the time. It’s enough to make me turn vegetarian on our return to Melbourne. Hilariously, as I typed this Mum asked “who wants bacon for breakfast? There’s a lot here! We can have bacon… with um… bacon!”. It’s a good thing I forgot to take photos of several of the dinners up here, because it would have been downright embarrassing to record the full-meat diet for all to see.
28th September 2009
Sadly I have missed a couple of days, so close to the end of my month of posting every day. I also completely forgot to take photos of my last three dinners to upload to Once Daily (have you visited Once Daily? Come join us! – Start a project with a vague theme such as daily dinners, kitchen benches, breakfast, views etc. And take a photo every day, upload it and watch a story of your life slowly unfold). Our weekend was busy with family and lots of laughs. Tonight we are off to a bbq with a country football team so I can only imagine what kind of craziness will insue.
Just now Phil has finished his morning coffee (look, he’s uploading them everyday to Once Daily), and this is the formation the coffee grounds made in the bottom of his cup. BIZARRO! I, of course, immediately read it to mean that we will spotting that elusive Barn Owl that lives around here… but perhaps, according to Turkish coffee ground fortune telling, it means something more ominous? Scandal! Oh dear. Let’s hope it has nothing to do with tonight’s bbq and all those footballers. I have seen enough of them on facebook to know that there’s a strong possibility. I would far prefer to see that Barn Owl.
** Terrifying update! Phil has just got back from his morning run… and look what he saw on a log! What can it mean? **
25th September 2009
I’m afraid to say that I have caught the birding bug. It’s pretty hard to avoid around here… today we saw a Black Fronted Dotterel and my day was made. But now my brother and sister-in-law have just arrived and we’ve cracked open a block of coconut chocolate, the kettle is on, the fire is crackling and the playful insults are already flying so I better go and join in the fun.
24th September 2009
Too exciting – I’m loving doing all the voices. I do a very good Ron, and a passable Hagrid. Off to watch multiple episodes of 30 Rock. Did I mention we are having a great holiday?
23rd September 2009
The rain fell all evening and all night and woke us at 6am. It’s an indoor kind of morning – with the prospect of wading in mud this afternoon. So I am still in my PJs and my ugg boots and have taken some photos of the floor. There’s some very worn out old carpets in this house – my favourite is the one with pink roses.
22nd September 2009
Top to bottom: Amelia’s bird list, Totoro playing to itself in the sitting room (there’s too much else to do to be sitting around watching tv - nice for a change), a cup of tea and a slice of mum’s boiled fruit cake. Wanna know how to cook it? Straight from Mum who is sitting next to me on the couch listening to the rain while my Dad reads the girls their bedtime story:
My Mum’s Boiled Fruit Cake
Soak 4 cups of mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants and mixed peel etc) in 1/2 cup of brandy overnight.
Next day put 125g of butter, the soaked mixed fruit, 2 tablespoons of treacle and 1 cup of water in a big saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Let it simmer for a minute or so. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Beat 2 eggs together and add to the mixture with 1 cup of sifted self-raising flour and 1 cup of plain flour. Mix it all around and pour into a square tin lined with baking paper.
Cook at 150°c on the bottom shelf for at least a couple of hours. Test with a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake. When it comes out clean, it’s ready. Let it cool in the tin. Eat with cups of tea or glasses of milk in the middle of the night (at least, that’s what my Dad recommends).
