Wordless Wednesday : Happy Herbs

Rocket is pretty pleased with our haul of parsley from the garden! :-D

Wordless Wednesday : Forty Winks

Rocket loves an afternoon nap.

I wonder what he's dreaming about?

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Wordless Wednesday : Settling In

Rocket is loving his new home.

We're settling in nicely! :)

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Wordless Wednesday : It's Moving Day ...

... and Rocket is keen to go!

Ready for our new home.

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Happy Weekend!

My favorite time of the week is finally here... WEEKEND!

It's chilly outside in old Melbourne town. 

I'm trying to build up the courage to get up out of bed to start my day.  

But in the mean time...

I've got my beautiful boy snuggled up keeping me warm while Liam is at work.

On second thoughts, I think I'll stay here a while... this is a perfect start to the day!

I hope you all have a Happy Weekend! xx

Grateful For A Little Winter Reprieve!

If you live in Melbourne, you'd be accustomed to the cold weather it has been bestowing upon us lately!

However, I'm looking out the window right now and it is a beautifully sunny day!

We were fortunate enough to have a lovely uncharacterisically warm day on Saturday too.

It was such a gorgeous day, and it's making me so excited for Spring. 

Liam made the most of the good weather and attacked our overgrown lawn for the last time ever!  We only have the tiniest patch of grass in our new house.  I will miss the vast expanse of lush green grass in the backyard, but one thing I will definitely not miss is the hours of maintenance it required!

Rocket spent the afternoon supervising the work, and soaking in the rays.

I hope the sunshine is here to stay!

Wordless Wednesday : Three Musketeers!

A rare moment of calm.

They're hard to come by whenever these three are together!

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Country Getaway

As part of Liam's birthday present, I decided to arrange a weekend escape to the country to spend a little bit of quality time together.  Just the two of us, and Rocket dog!

We finished up work early on Friday, and headed off to the country town of Trawool.

Upon arriving, we were shown to our cute little cottage.  The property is just off the main highway and is home to two gorgeous little guest cottages, as well as the owner's residence and a restaurant/cafe.

The two guest cottages are situated side by side, surrounded by lovely gardens and an sprawling open yard that is perfect for the dog! And not far away is the cafe where the owner's spend most of their time and are always available should you need anything. 

We let them know roughly what time we expected to arrive, so by the time we got there the fire was roaring and the cottage was so lovely, warm and cosy!

Rocket found his spot by the warmth of the fire!  Liam, the self-professed "Master of the Fire" made sure that the fire kept roaring all weekend long, keeping the cottage the perfect warm place to stay in the cold weather. 

By the time we ran into town for supplies and take away for dinner it was getting cold and dark so it was a perfect place to settle for the night.  We ordered some Indian takeaway in town, and spent the evening cuddled up on the couch watching a fantastic Hawthorn victory.

I managed to get a fantastic deal and as a result breakfast was included both mornings of our stay. 

Nothing like a nice pot of tea and a delicious hot cooked breakfast to start your day off right!  Liam ordered a full breakfast, whilst I opted for an omelette with mushrooms, bacon and cheese.  YUM

After breakfast, we decided to go for a quick wander into one of the near by towns. 

We had a little jacket for Rocket to wear so he didn't feel too cold in the back of the ute.  I feel that it emasculated him somewhat, but have to admit that he did look kind of cute! The above photo makes it look like he is wearing a cape, and for some reason reminds me of Sherlock Holmes.  All he needs is a hat and a pipe! Anybody else agree, or am I just insane?

Speaking of insane, Liam looks slightly loopy in this photo! Aww, my boys <3

Wandering through town, it was bitterly cold and windy so we decided to head back to our cottage.  Rocket must have had enough, and promptly crashed out!

We left him there and made our back back to the cafe, where we sat out on the balcony and  feasted on a lovely cheese platter, which was also included in our package! It was divine, and I would have happily paid oodles for it.  Totally worth it!  We enjoyed a lovely bottle of moscato to accompany the cheese and basked in the sunshine which would intermittently break through the clouds. 

What a perfect way to spend the afternoon!

Not content with just a perfect afternoon though, I was determined to make it a double, and follow it up with the perfect evening too!

The big West Coast vs Essendon game was on and we planned to stay in by the fire again to watch another fantastic victory.  This time I was feeling a little more adventurous than just take away and wanted to prepare some warming winter comfort food to enjoy whilst we watched the football. 



I set to work in the "kitchen" whilst Liam prepared some baked potatoes using the coals.

Et voila, here is our cottage feast!

Potatoes baked on the coals topped with garlic butter, tasty cheese, coleslaw and copious amounts of sour cream! Accompanied by pork pepper and mustard sausages with caramelized onions. YUM

I'm not sure you can get any more perfect!

A tasty meal,  the company of my wonderful man and our cheeky pup, cuddled by the fire in front of the TV watching a victorious game of football! I was a very happy camper.

Day two started out with another pot of tea with breakfast! This time I chose bacon and eggs for my meal and an English Breakfast tea, whilst also stealing sips of Liam's pot of chai. 

After breakfast, we went for a wander around the property :

I love that garden and chair set! It's looks like it's been thereforever, and the area around it has become mossy and overgrown, but that only seems to add to the charm.  We met this curious Alpaca who came bounding over to say hello, but was very wary of the dog.  So cute!  I marvelled in the gorgeous colours of the area.  The grass was just so lush and green, whilst the leaves on the trees had turned the most stunning array of earthy Autumn shades. 

Rocket was very patient with me as I set him to work as my little model...

Unfortunately all good things come to an end, and after a fabulous weekend away it was time to head home! :( As you can see, Rocket did not want to leave.

Here he is, staring sadly at the ute while we packed everything up ready to go.  I can't blame him though... I did not want to leave either! It was such a nice relaxing weekend away. 

Liam is now looking up land an property in the country, as he has always wanted to move out that way and away from the big smoke!  He is now determined that after purchasing a little house in the suburbs, the next step is to buy a piece of land in the country as a holiday destination/investment piece.  Ever since we got back, he's been trying his best to convince me and show me properties for sale to win me over!

Well... I think I can safely say that he enjoyed his birthday trip...

Perhaps a little too much!

My Ginger Cousin...

On Saturday morning, Liam headed off to work whilst I skipped gym class in favour of a lie in.  It's not my fault!  Bed is so comfy, it's near impossible to leave. 

I had booked a vet appointment though, so I eventually had to drag my oversized bottom out of bed and rouse the furries from their slumber. 

Mitzi was due for her vaccinations, and since we were heading along I decided to bring little Peanut in tow to get her tail checked out.  My cousin, Megan, who has recently come back to Australia for a 5 month stay, decided to accompany us and take care of Peanut.  I'm sure she regretted it fairly soon, as her now urine-soaked cardigan will attest to! What can I say? Peanut is not quite as fond of adventures as Bruce was!

Megan is, as our family kindly puts, of a very special kind...  Although she is a seemingly bright, Oxford-educated young lady, there are many occasions where she (self-admittedly!) fails at life.

This is one of those occasions! 

So, here's how the story goes... Megan is deathly afraid of blood and needles.  Miraculously, she soldiered on through Mitzi's vaccination like a trooper (it was just your standard injection, and the dog didn't even flinch).  Peanut's consultation comes and goes, and in my mind all is fine and dandy!

Not so.  I pay the exhorbitant vet bill, and turn to walk out of the clinic.  Half way out, I turn around to make sure Megs is behind me, and I see her steadying herself on the door.  A meek "I don't feel so good" escapes her lips and she scurries to sit down on one of the waiting room chairs.  I head off in search of a sugary drink and some food to help her.  It seems to do the trick, and we leave the vet, leaving the episode behind us.  Right?

Wrong.  Once we reach the car, I put Mitzi in the back seat and Megan climbs into the front with Peanut.  Clever Megan places her can of Coke onto the dashboard, and forgets all about it. Forgotten, that is, until it comes sliding off the dashboard and crashing down in a huge puddle of fizz on her lap!

WHOOPS!

Photobomber!

I originally took this photo for a NOTD... however the little photobomber in the background stole my thunder, looking all cute and content while basking in the sunshine!

I kind of wish my pesky hand wasn't in the way - it's such a funny photo of him in amongst the dandelions! But, there you have it...  

NOTD with a difference! :)

 

Christmas in November

Guess what everyone... there's only one month til Christmas!!! YAY!!!

So as you probably know, the holiday season is one of the busiest times of the year.  We thought we'd get in early before everyone was too busy with family and work events, and have out Christmas shindig last weekend. 

I love Christmas!  In preparation for the party, we decked out the backyard bar in tinsel and lots of little fairy lights, set up a little Christmas tree next to the couches, and scattered Christmas crackers around the place.

Of course, Melbourne being Melbourne, the weather was as unpredictable as ever. We had some gorgeous days during the week, but the night and morning before the party decided it wanted to storm and rain its little heart out! The boys set to work putting a tarp up next to the bar, so we managed to waterproof the place fairly well. Take THAT, Mother Nature! You can't spoil our fun! :)

By the time people started arriving, the rain had cleared but as the clouds started rolling back in and the rain started falling again, it turned a little chilly.  The boys decided to light a fire, and how else would be achieve this but with PETROL of course?!

 

 

Notice how they managed to get the fire not just IN the brazier, but all around it as well?! Men!! It did keep us all nice and toasty though! :)

After this stage, I got so busy entertaining (read eating and drinking!) that I forgot to take photos! :( It was such a fun afternoon/night having all our friends there, cooking up a BBQ feast, drinking far too many alcoholic beverages, and just catching up by the fire.  It did continue to pour down for much of the afternoon, but thanks to the wonderful tarp we managed to stay cosy and dry! Rocket enjoyed the socialising as much as we did, and towards the end of the party he just gave up and passed out by the warmth of the fire!

Excuse the shocking photo quality! As you can probably see, we'd consumed a few drinks by this stage and co-ordination was not quite as good as it should be! Poor little boy was so pooped that when it was finally time for bed, he went straight to sleep and did not stir, which is a big deal as he's usually an endless ball of energy!

He was right back to his usual self when we arose the next day though! It was gloriously sunny outside (thanks, Melbourne weather!) and we still had a bunch of meat and beer leftover so a few friends decided to join us for round 2.

Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like this after a great weekend?!