Have you been enjoying the lovely Melbourne sunshine?
We have!
Playing Wordless Wednesday over at My Little Drummer Boys!
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Thursday, December 29, 2011
And so this is Christmas
I woke up unintentionally early at 6:45am on Christmas morning - must have been excited! I tried to lay in bed quietly for a little while, but I'm not very good at this patience thing. After a while Liam became aware of my fidgeting and fussing and woke up not too long after. By the time we got out of bed and emerged for the day, my Aunt had arrived and her and mum were already getting down to business in the kitchen.
Mum had set the table with candles, and a cute little Christmas napkin for each place setting. My Uncle, who has worked in restaurants for years, decided to take each napkin and fold them so that they fanned out across the plate. I busied myself chilling all the bottles of champagne, and mixing cocktails in the cute little drinks dispenser which Liam had bought me earlier in the week. Turns out most of my cousins were driving, and the one who wasn't had a little announcement to make upon arrival, which meant she couldn't drink. How exciting!!
So then, it was time to EAT!!!!
My mother is never one to under-cater. Instead, we end up with mountains of food leftover after any event. I'm not complaining though! Whatever she makes is always delish, and I can be sure that I will be craving for more!
The food... oh, the food! We had turkey, ham (of course, must-haves for Christmas!), rosemary lamb, tender roast pork, a green salad with mangoes & nectarines tossed through, tangy tomato chutney, asparagus & snowpea salad with artichoke hearts and a balsamic glaze, roasted vegetable & couscous salad, crunchy coleslaw, creamy potato salad with lots of crispy bacon bits, and last but not least, crusty bread rolls slathered liberally with butter.
The whole time we were eating, Mitzi planted herself firmly by my feet, willing me to share tasty morsels with her. Let's just say she enjoyed Christmas lunch too - I can't say no to those puppy dog eyes!
Really - could you resist?Now, if we weren't full after lunch (believe me, I was!) there was a vast range of desserts to choose from to end the meal with.
Mum's homemade boozy fruitcake, a log of mango pudding, plum pudding with brandy custard, hummingbird cake slathered in passionfruit frosting, black forest cake, an assorted fruit platter, and bowls full of cherries & strawberries perhaps for the more health-conscious!
I could not eat another bite. Lucky for me, meal time was over which meant there were PRESENTS to be opened!
My little cousin, Adeline, wasted no time in ripping into them! She also took it upon herself to "help" open her baby brother's gifts also. He didn't seem too fussed though! He was quite happy helping Liam put his Christmas gifts to good use.
Here he shows us how to play the Atari! He's such a happy smiley baby. <3
Adeline on the other hand is an absolute live wire! She never seems to run out of steam and is just go go go all the time! She discovered my brother's drum set and decided she'd give it a crack, true rock star style!
I do adore Christmas.
I can't wait to do it all again next year!
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Feelin' Hot Hot Hot!
So it's starting to warm up in Melbourne, and it looks like summer might finally be here! Which means, it's time to shop for bikinis! Looking around there are plenty of gorgeous options, but it's quite easy to go overboard and empty your wallet on all the different colours/patterns/styles!
Considering Melbourne weather is very unpredictable, and summer will be over before we know it (sadface) I wondered whether it would be worthwhile researching some budget options to last me the next couple of months.
Apple Pie Halter [$19.95] Sundowner Bikini Bottom [$19.95]
Long Island Bandeau Top [$19.95] Sombrero Bikini Bottom [$19.95]
Long Island Bandeau Top [$19.95] Summer Punch Bikini Bottom [$19.95]
B* Rainbow Stripe Halter Bikini [$25]
B* Santorini Loop Front Bikini [$25]
B* Twist Bandeau Bikini [$25]
Love it! Time to hit the shops... at these prices, I may consider getting one for each weekend of summer!
Now... if only I could find one of those picture perfect bodies to go with my new bikinis!!!
Now... if only I could find one of those picture perfect bodies to go with my new bikinis!!!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Food Diaries: The Penny Black
Sundays... they're synonymous with suffering and hangovers, but are also the last day of the glorious weekend where you have to fit in as much enjoyment and relaxation before it's all over and dreaded Monday is here again!
I have a love-hate relationship with Sundays. Saturdays are usually hectic busy trying to fit in everything that needs to be done... but on Sunday the weekend rush is over and you can usually kick-back and relax. However it also means that Monday is lurking just around the corner, and it will be over all too soon! If nothing else though, it is a good day to enjoy a nice greasy hangover breakfast, or if you've been well-behaved the night before then a gorgeous leisurely brunch.
We decided The Penny Black was our Sunday option for brunch. We initially were craving the traditional egg and bacon fare, but The Penny Black menu drew us in and we decided to get a few items from to share. The day was overcast but the weather was quite mild so we decided to sit out in the beer garden. Disappointingly there was a large marquee set up, so it was just like being inside. Necessary I suppose, because of all the rain Melbourne has been seeing lately - but it would have been nice to be able to sit in the open air.
It was fairly isolated when we first arrived around midday, but it filled up rapidly and many of the tables were booked for parties. As two of the main tables had been booked already, there were patrons trying to re-arrange the existing tables to accommodate their needs and the staff were very helpful.
We placed our order at the bar, then pottered outside to sit back and wait for our food to arrive. I decided to try the new Bulmers blackcurrant cider, which was nice, but I far prefer the Rekorderlig Apple & Blackcurrant if we're comparing!
The fried chicken came out piping hot temperature-wise, but there was no trace of "spicy" as the name lead to believe. You can tell it had been served fresh out of the fryer, and was nice and moist on the inside but every single bite oozed with oil.
The rest of the food must have been sitting around for a little while and as a result was soggy. The thin-base pizza had a nice spicy kick to it and went down well with a beer, but would have been improved vastly if it were slightly crispier.
I have a love-hate relationship with Sundays. Saturdays are usually hectic busy trying to fit in everything that needs to be done... but on Sunday the weekend rush is over and you can usually kick-back and relax. However it also means that Monday is lurking just around the corner, and it will be over all too soon! If nothing else though, it is a good day to enjoy a nice greasy hangover breakfast, or if you've been well-behaved the night before then a gorgeous leisurely brunch.
We decided The Penny Black was our Sunday option for brunch. We initially were craving the traditional egg and bacon fare, but The Penny Black menu drew us in and we decided to get a few items from to share. The day was overcast but the weather was quite mild so we decided to sit out in the beer garden. Disappointingly there was a large marquee set up, so it was just like being inside. Necessary I suppose, because of all the rain Melbourne has been seeing lately - but it would have been nice to be able to sit in the open air.
It was fairly isolated when we first arrived around midday, but it filled up rapidly and many of the tables were booked for parties. As two of the main tables had been booked already, there were patrons trying to re-arrange the existing tables to accommodate their needs and the staff were very helpful.
We placed our order at the bar, then pottered outside to sit back and wait for our food to arrive. I decided to try the new Bulmers blackcurrant cider, which was nice, but I far prefer the Rekorderlig Apple & Blackcurrant if we're comparing!
Salami Pizza [$7.90] Penny's Spicy Fried Chicken
w/ house made BBQ sauce [$7.90]
The fried chicken came out piping hot temperature-wise, but there was no trace of "spicy" as the name lead to believe. You can tell it had been served fresh out of the fryer, and was nice and moist on the inside but every single bite oozed with oil.
The rest of the food must have been sitting around for a little while and as a result was soggy. The thin-base pizza had a nice spicy kick to it and went down well with a beer, but would have been improved vastly if it were slightly crispier.
Sweet Corn Fritters Sweet Potato Chips
w/ spicy green salsa [$5.90] w/cinnamon yoghurt dipping sauce [$5.90]
The sweet potato chips were fluffy paired well with the cinnamon yoghurt but did not retain any crunch.
The corn fritters were not what I expected at all. What I had envisaged when I read the menu were the floury cakes filled with bursty little kernels, but what greeted me instead were balls of batter surrounding the pieces of corn. This was a very blokey kind of dish, and with a little less oil content could have been the perfect (albeit unhealthy!) beer snack. As it was, I was glad I had my cider to wash down the oil.
One thing all these dishes had in common was the oil factor. Everything was tasty, but by the end of the meal I had a layer of grease coating my fingers and lips, and a pile of napkins in front of me that were translucent from the grease!
Whilst The Penny Black is great place to come for a few drinks, whether it be pre-drinks before a night out or a good day time session, I am not sold on the food yet. I am keen to come back and try their shredded chipotle beef tacos [$8.90] or to give their 100% Wagyu beef burger [$17.90] a go before I make up my mind.
I will definitely keep The Penny Black in mind as a destination for Sunday afternoon drinks this summer though!
The corn fritters were not what I expected at all. What I had envisaged when I read the menu were the floury cakes filled with bursty little kernels, but what greeted me instead were balls of batter surrounding the pieces of corn. This was a very blokey kind of dish, and with a little less oil content could have been the perfect (albeit unhealthy!) beer snack. As it was, I was glad I had my cider to wash down the oil.
One thing all these dishes had in common was the oil factor. Everything was tasty, but by the end of the meal I had a layer of grease coating my fingers and lips, and a pile of napkins in front of me that were translucent from the grease!
Whilst The Penny Black is great place to come for a few drinks, whether it be pre-drinks before a night out or a good day time session, I am not sold on the food yet. I am keen to come back and try their shredded chipotle beef tacos [$8.90] or to give their 100% Wagyu beef burger [$17.90] a go before I make up my mind.
I will definitely keep The Penny Black in mind as a destination for Sunday afternoon drinks this summer though!
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