Bamboo Style

I am still thinking about this vintage bamboo Chippendale style desk and chair...darn it, if it wasn't for interstate courier fees being a bit off-putting and just not wanting it enough at the time!  It was all in original never refurbished perfect condition with such lovely details.  Some lucky person managed to nab this on eBay for all of $122.00, what a bargain! Must admit I am feeling a bit of regret about this one...I'm such a sucker for bamboo Chippendale anything!

Tianjin in Foam

I spent all last weekend with a couple of others attempting to build a scale model of a portion of Tianjin city.  Of all the cities in the world, the Chinese city of Tianjin was assigned to us for studying in context of its urban planning.  We tried to be tricky and have the buildings laser cut from acrylic using a CAD drawing fed through the laser cutter's software only to fail dismally with the machine refusing to oblige us! So, back to good old foam and a couple of hot wire cutters. After excruciatingly cutting out the teeny tiny blocks, here's a few work in progress pics of our foam city coming together in the workshop.  I have to admit I would be happy to never have to repeat this exercise again.

Vintage Vase Lamps

Ok, I admit I am a bit of an eBay addict.  I guess it's the feeling of being able to go "vintage shopping" at the click of a button.  Dangerous for the bank account and very addictive, I totally advise against it!  However, feelings of guilt with regards to my constant online trawling occasionally turn into feelings of satisfaction when I manage to find the perfect thing at a happy price.  This weekend I picked up this lovely pair of blue and white porcelain lamp bases from the seller for a steal and popped past a lighting store on the way back to grab a couple of plain white lampshades and voila...new(ish) lamps for our cosy apartment.  I figured it was about time I retired my pair of pink and white floral beaded lamps from my chintz-y phase!

Shelving shelving

On the hunt for modular shelving...or have been on and off for about a year really.  Is it just me or is it quite a task to source simple yet well designed and inexpensive locally produced shelving?!  Except for the X System from Planex, everything I've been considering seems to be either out of production or has to be imported from Sweden or Italy which is fine but it renders my desire for instant gratification difficult to fulfill!  Above are various systems from String, vintage Tomado and Piero Lissoni's Porro Bibliotech.

JS Bach: Jazz Versions

I've been meaning to purchase this album for over ten years.  My sister Cathryn once gave me a jazz sampler CD which included the final track 'Ave', a beautiful rendition of a Bach prelude arranged by Kevin Hunt for his jazz trio.  Finally I remembered to seek out this album and while it came at a price, I have not been disappointed.

Inside Out

I came across this image in my files and remembered how much I just love this room.  I can't quite remember the website I found it from but it does refer to Elle Decor.  I think it must be the lovely feeling of the outside being brought in with all that lush foliage and the natural timber tones not to mention the amazing light in the space.  Plus, those cushions are so beautiful.  It all has such a relaxed feeling of earthy easiness without any pretension.

Macarons and Jasper Conran

It's been a busy few weeks and I must admit I haven't been a very dedicated blogger of late.  James brought home these yummy macarons from Kenchington Patisserie tonight.  They are making them better and better over there! They are the best value macarons in town I think, and also the best kept secret.  The Chocolate, Rose Water and Caramel almond pastries came in a cute little pack of three. The standout was definitely the Caramel this time around.  I made myself a cup of my favourite Tea Forte Oolong tea that come in silky mesh triangles. It all looked so inviting on my Jasper Conran Chinoiserie set.  I'm collecting pieces from this Wedgewood range, I'm totally in love with all of it!

Stop Over Sunset

The last few weeks have been particularly busy.  Time for a short break... Over the weekend I also rediscovered this photograph taken a few years ago while visiting Jo in Caloundra.  A fiery red sun was setting behind the Glass House Mountains, the light from which had changed the appearance of this sign.  Although it is just a photo of a sign I am drawn to the contrast of light and shade brought about by the accentuated bend, scratches and imperfections.

Saturday Dumplings

Last Saturday over the Anzac Day long weekend I visited Tammy for dinner and made vegetarian dumplings together.  We combined sugar loaf cabbage, carrot, tofu, shiitake mushroom, wood ear fungus and coriander to make the filling.  We did cheat with the pastry though as it was so easy for me to pick up a couple of packets from the great little asian supermarket downstairs.  The dumplings browned nicely in the pan and tasted great dipped in soy and sweet chili sauce.  I was inspired to make them again the following Monday night as a snack when Angela unexpectedly came to visit.

Highway 13

A roadside of cinematic appeal.  Also taken near Mount Lindesay in 2006 this is one of my favourite black-and-white stills taken to date.

Rural Escape

Digging through my old photo library this morning I found some pictures which I took on Kate's farm near Mount Lindesay in 2006.  Kate's family had owned the farm for many years.  The living room in the house was particularly classic as if unchanged for around fifty years.
threeminorgroove visited on a couple of occasions to let our hair down, jam and write music.  These photos were taken on one such visit.  All were taken on the farm except for the first picture which was taken nearby.

Dinner on Onslow Road

During my trip over to Perth last week I visited Galileo Buona Cucina for dinner one evening with work colleagues from our Perth office.  This is a great little Italian restaurant situated on Onslow Road in Shenton Park.  It has a simple warm decor and serves great food.  I'm also keen to try the much lauded restaurant Star Anise next door when I'm over there again.

Anzac Day at the Beach

Last weekend we visited Geoff and Kate for the first time since the birth of little Aidan six months ago.  It was a great opportunity to catch up following Geoff's recent birthday and also to meet Aidan.  He is a cutie and looks remarkably like Geoff.  We picked up Anton and Oi Lai and made for the Gold Coast, first stopping in at Geoff and Kate's home and then onto Northcliffe Surf Club for lunch.  While there we managed to squeeze in a dip.  With winter approaching the ocean was cool and refreshing, not yet at the point of being too cold for swimming.  It was also Aidan's first sand experience and there was a bit of commotion around his attempts to eat the sand.  Not a pleasant experience I'm sure...

Lemons!

This morning Dad sent me this photo of his new Mandevilla Parfait climber and his fruit bearing lemon tree.  Our lemon tree purchased at the same time is a sorry sight compared with his!

Bangalow Breakfast

I love Bangalow for its cute shops and great little eateries.  We stopped in first thing Easter Sunday for breakfast at Ate.  It's simple wood toned interior littered with my current fave CH24 Wishbone chairs appealed to me immediately and it happened that I had recently read in Map magazine about its highly commended sister restaurant Satiate co-located upstairs.  We only managed to try Ate but it was well worth the early morning queue for the most perfectly poached eggs on sourdough.  James had sausages which sparked a week long craving.

My Val

Currently searching for parts...  These are some more photos (taken a few years back) which really appeal to me.  I like the grit factor.

Up All Night

Today I rediscovered Up All Night,  an album which has sat in my CD stack for six years or so.  I had forgotten how much I really like this album.  A well balanced modern jazz fusion record.  This would have been my first Scofield purchase having been introduced to his music by Dave during our threeminorgroove days.

Simple Pasta

Helen popped down to the Powerhouse markets with Caroline this morning to stock up on some fresh produce.  Meanwhile I caught up on some sleep... We had been out until the wee hours last night to see Andy Cato's DJ set at The Met...  Tonight's dinner featured my favourite fettuccine pasta.  We dressed the pasta with today's basil, tomato, zucchini, red onion, garlic and a touch of cream.

Byron Getaway

Easter long weekend had us planning a quiet few days relaxing at home and catching up with friends.  However, all that went out the window on Saturday when Caroline suggested we catch up in Byron Bay where her and Vini were staying for the duration.  Hence at the last minute we booked in to the Summerhouse and headed off first thing Sunday morning.  Breakfast at Bangalow at Ate and a wander through the cute boutiques was followed by a side trip to Lennox Head for lunch and a walk along the beach.  The afternoon was spent lazing about on the daybed by the pool overlooking the beautiful view across the hinterland and the bay with Easter eggs and bubbly.  Sunday cloudy weather cleared up and  we awoke to perfect beach weather.  We made our way over to Wategos Beach for the day to visit Caroline and Vini at their family beach house and spent the afternoon in the sun and surf.  It's amazing how a couple of days by the ocean is always so invigorating.

Brazilian Chocolates

My favourite Brazilian chocolates!  Caroline and Vini brought us back a large assortment of these on their recent trip to Brazil.  They have praline centres with a wafer shell covered in chocolate and fantastic fun packaging.  Very tasty!

Easter Treats

Ange popped in this morning for another of our delectable morning teas.  Today's treats included hot crossed buns, easter themed cupcakes, rocky road, chocolate eclairs, easter eggs and easter bunnies accompanied by stockholm blend tea.  Although we didn't get a chance to touch the bunnies for having sampled all of the other delicious items.  Catching up with an overly indulgent morning tea has become a bit of a tradition with Ange over the past year.  Hopefully a tradition that will continue!