Sunday Lunch

It's been a mad busy week with a busier one ahead.  We decided to take some time out for lunch today and took the opportunity to pay the recently opened South Bank Surf Club a visit.  South Bank was packed with weekend revellers.  We were able to grab a table on the river side deck and enjoyed a relaxed lunch overlooking the Sunday markets and riverside pool areas. We picked up some chocolate from Max Brenner afterwards which also opened recently. There was certainly an endless queue for tables.  Churros from the market was a much shorter wait and very delicious!

Image source:
http://www.loveisaroundtheworld.com/
http://local.my247.com.au/

Mirror Balls

Anton pointed me to these Tom Dixon mirror ball lights the other day.  They are fantastic!  They look good individually, in a row or even better, in clusters.  This installation is pretty cool.  We like the contrast of the super crisp mirror balls against an industrial backdrop.  The backrop is almost too busy for me, it almost overpowers the installation.  Still cool though.  They would look great suspended over an expansive staircase.


Image source:
www.dedece.com

Bamboo Style

This morning I browsed through Perfect Porches by Paula S. Wallace over toast and coffee and was inspired by all the breezy outdoor living spaces depicted within its pages full of gorgeous outdoor settings.  I hopped on to eBay to see what I could discover in the way of similar vintage settings and came across these lounges. Blue and white, natural cane and bamboo, what's not to love?! Beautiful... now we just need that beach house! If anyone wants to snap them up they are an absolute bargain.

More Jazz...

While on the jazz theme I thought I'd mention this Herbie Hancock/Joni Mitchell album.  We've been listen through a number of my jazz records today.  I picked up River shortly after it's release and of course it is another of my favourite albums.  I first heard Herbie as a kid and played his stuff in jazz combos in my teens.  The second track Edith and the Kingpin with Tina Turner is a particular favourite.  It gets me grooving every time I hear it.  If Tina was to come to Brisbane performing an all jazz set I'd be there in a shot.

Kurt Elling Plays the Powerhouse

From the first note this evening we knew we were in for a treat.  Kurt and his rhythm section put on a solid and fun show.  One vocal solo sounded as if here were playing a saxophone.  Gob smacking good if you ask me!  Definitely worth all the excitement.

Dedicated to You

With Kurt Elling performing in Brisbane tonight it's no coincidence that I'm currently listening to Kurt's album Dedicated to You.  I am soo looking forward to this gig.

Mt Cootha Sunset

Photos taken yesterday at Mt Cootha lookout.  Just a slight detour on the way home from the bay.  It was unusually chilly up there for mid October.

Rock Wall

Here's some rocks down at Wellington Point... and Helen's foot...

Seashells by the Seashore

While wondering about the sandy shores at Wellington Point I found a number of beautifully weathered seashells and just loved their faded colour.  Examining their structure is always such an amazing thing.  I love a bit of beachcombing...

Sunday Bayside

After a couple weeks of rainy weather the clouds passed and beautiful sunny weather came our way.  Just in time for the weekend.  This afternoon we decided to make a dash for Wellington Point and see if we could walk across the sandbar to King Island.  Unfortunately we arrived with the tide coming in and while some decided to wade toward the disappearing sandbar we decided to go for a stroll amongst the mangroves.  Though the point was full of humanity we had the mangroves all to ourselves.

Adore Home

All the local shelter blogs are enamoured with this new online home interiors magazine and I must admit it's great to have a local e-zine featuring local design and products.  I guess it's like having our own Australian version of a Lonny style magazine.  These are some of my favourite pages from the first issue of Adore Home featuring a home in Dubai full of natural light, orchids, and chinoiserie.  We spotted a pair of similar Chinese lamps in an antique store's window on Logan Road last weekend but at something like $550.00 each they weren't exactly a steal! 

http://www.adoremagazine.com/ 

Alila Villas Uluwatu

Well I think it's pretty obvious that this post says "I'm thinking about an overseas holiday."  With our most recent trip abroad being Japan in February 2009 it's time to start planning the next adventure.  All year we have been tempted by photos of beautiful destinations.  Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali is certainly on our must do list.  We first saw this resort in Vogue Living and by coincidence it was only a few weeks back that Helen sat in on a lecture by the architect discussing this project amongst others.


Image sources:
http://www.blogalila.com/
http://www.alilahotels.com/uluwatu/

Bicycle Restoration

The latest progress photo of Grandpa's bicycle.  Here it is hanging out in Anton's garage with the restoration nearly complete.  I especially love the newly finished bright blue body and retro yellow tyres. Very exciting! I'm looking forward to leisurely rides along the river although I'll have to start thinking about buying Helen a bike.  She might get a little jealous otherwise...

Pony Rider Cushions

Last night after dinner we went for a wander past the lit up store windows and I spotted the Pony Rider range of cushions in one of them.  I've been reading about this young Australian homewares label in numerous magazines and really like their graphic prints. Hence, I braved the rain this afternoon and headed back to pick up a couple for the apartment. Love the birdy print of course!


http://pony-rider.blogspot.com/

Happy Birthday Anton!

Yesterday we celebrated Anton's birthday with an indulgent dinner at the Crosstown Eating House. We ordered starters to share followed by mains and dessert with plenty of wine. The food was delicious! The restaurant is across the river in Woolloongabba along Logan Road. This area has recently been revived with an inviting mix of restaurants and retail while maintaining the charm of the older style buildings.  A while back we had dinner at Enoteca 1889 and we're looking forwards to visiting Pearl Cafe again soon.

http://www.thecrosstown.com.au/

Kuan Yin Tea House

Kuan Yin Tea House has been in Fortitude Valley for about ten years and is one of the few vegetarian restaurants around town.  I used to grab lunch there quite often with Tammy when we were at QCA together.  I stopped going for a while until recently when James and I rediscovered the restaurant and started going there for dinner.  The place really does not have much of a fitout and the entrance is a little quirky and adhoc but the food is very tasty, fresh and excellent value.  Service is also prompt and friendly.  My favourites tend to be the rice dishes which come in bento style boxes with various condiments.  James had a wonton noodle soup on Friday night and we also ordered a side of dumplings and a savoury pancake to share.  If anyone is considering opting out of meat even if it's just for a brief change and want to try the food, Kuan Yin is directly across from the entrance to Chinatown on Wickam Street.

Brisbane Riverside AM

This week I had a number of early starts at work to squeeze more hours into my day.  I usually find it a struggle to get out of bed in the morning but this week not so.  I really enjoyed my early starts.  Yesterday I took a little extra time on my way to work waiting for the sun to rise so that I could capture our Brisbane backdrop at its best.  It was the beginning of a picture perfect spring day.

Pictured: Brisbane Polo Club, Harry Seidler's Riparian Plaza and the Story Bridge

Korban/Flaubert Drum Tables

We've been searching for these stainless steel drum tables for days trying to remember who makes them.  A little more searching through magazines and now we have it.  Helen wants to purchase one of the larger ones for our office reception.  Now I've got my heart set on them there's no going back... fingers crossed.


Image source:
www.korbanflaubert.com.au