Lunch by the Beach

Popped into Noosa on the way home yesterday for lunch and a stroll.  I hadn't been since Hastings Street had been redeveloped so for me this was a treat.  Noosa is so green and lush.  At first I was a little annoyed by the fact that development could occur directly on the beachfront however I do like the fact that the traffic is separated from the beach.  The restaurants and cafes dotted along the beach don't have to compete with the bustle of the main retail strip.  The boardwalk makes them quite accessible and the view so inviting.  We enjoyed fresh mahi mahi with Pimms No.1.

Seaside Weekend

Just back from a long weekend at Rainbow Beach, just south of Fraser Island.  We decided to exchange our busy city apartment for a leafy seaside resort to rest and recharge and to celebrate Helen's Birthday of course. Opening up the doors to palm trees and the ocean definitely felt like a seachange.  Saturday was a particularly beautiful winters day.  We arrived in time for a late lunch of fish and chips enjoyed on our rooftop terrace.  The ocean view and warm sun was perfectly calming and for me a walk along the beach before sunset was a definite highlight... even though my feet were almost numb from the ice cold sand.  The unseasonably warm weather Helen wishfully hoped for didn't quite eventuate but still it was a worthwhile break.

Birthday Dinner

Every time James asks me what I would like to have for dinner on any occasion be it anniversary or birthday or whenever really, I always say Japanese!  I really should leave off the sashimi for a while as I just love to have it and should try to be a bit more adventurous and have something other than Japanese cuisine.  It's just that it's so amazingly good! This was dinner at Sono in the city tonight, chawan mushi and a large platter of sashimi.  James gave me a pair of the cutest Marc Jacobs ballet flats, I can't wait to wear them! I bought myself a gift too, a Canon S90 camera. I'm so looking forwards to taking lots of photos on our trip up the north coast this weekend. Here's hoping for unseasonably warm June weather!

Bar Style

I'm loving the idea of having a bit more of a feature bar area at the moment, even just a small one as per the image from Tom Scheerer.  It's always so inviting seeing all the vibrant colour of liqueurs and spirits in equally jewel like glass bottles.  I find Bombay Sapphire and Noilly Prat bottles so appealing.  All the glassware, reflective bar equipment, trays etc make for an eye-catching corner.

Time To Go

One final post about my beloved Val.  She sold just last week and is already being given a facelift by the new owner.  Thankfully he is in the business of restoring Valiants and was keen to take on my neglected beauty.  I do regret letting her go in some respects.  Fact is though that I don't have the time to fuss over a car, nor the space.  A 1967 VC Valiant, my first car thanks to help from my Dad.

Simple Shelving

It would appear that the very simplest modern shelves are just not accessible enough.  We've been searching for some sleek freestanding modular shelves in gloss white and chrome.  No fuss, strong and functional with a punchy finish.  Helen has set her mind on high shine chrome finish after being inspired by a David Hicks version.  With no local sources we have decided to venture into the realm of custom design.  This is a low res render of the first cut...

Blue & Green Interior

I admit I just can't go past a blue and green interior against all white with hints of black and brass highlights.  I love this interior by Jonathan Adler and I'm seriously lusting after those coffee tables!  I'm not sure I would go for the animal print rug but it looks great in this room in designer Liz Lange's country residence.  It also happens to be the same source for the image of the yellow Chinese chippendale chairs I posted about late last October.

Winter Breakfast

Lately I've been craving oat porridge for breakfast because of the cooling weather.  It's always such a comforting breakfast in winter.  This morning we made a cinnamon version with caramelised banana and honey.  I have to remember to soak the sultanas in clear apple juice next time to make them plump but all in all it was very yummy.

Flowering Zygocactus

This morning I noticed many more flowers on our cactus plant had opened up.  This pink Zygocactus or Crab Claw was given to us by Ron about this time last year and it has thrived on our balcony.  The asymmetric bright pink flowers at the tip are so beautiful.  I'm looking forward to the rest of the buds opening up.

Italian Torte

Morning tea on Sunday featured an Italian torte made by Oi Lai. Reluctantly we then continued with our work.  Task saturated at present and looking forward to a holiday...  and more mahjong!  I'm going to bake cookies apparently...

Continuum

Currently listening to Continuum.  A fluid, uplifting record.  This purchase was inspired by Ben's visit in January.

Winter Wardrobe

Friday night shopping is always a nice treat after a frantic week.  We hadn't been out for a Friday night shop in a long while.  I've had coats on my mind since Dad pointed out a nice one a few weeks back.  This weekend I couldn't pass on purchasing this beautiful coat by my favourite Australian mens fashion label Calibre.


Image source:
www.calibre.com.au

Post Match Scenes

Recently Anton and Oi Lai took us to see the Brisbane Lions play Geelong Cats at the Gabba.  Although the Cats are my favourite team it was a little disappointing to see them win the game so comfortably.  I always like a nail biter.  Anyway, Anton and Oi Lai had obtained great seats though we had to be a bit careful not to upset the local fans.  We were two Cats supporters amongst a whole grandstand of Lions supporters...

Stir-Fried Omelette

Six free range organic eggs direct from "the farm" (Dad's backyard).  Two chickens, a duck, some budgies, a couple of guinea pigs, a family of magpies that frequently visit, two blue tongue lizards, a turtle and the late pup...  I'd call that a farm.  Anyway, this afternoon we decided to try a recipe from Helen's new cookbook du jour Kylie Kwong Simple Chinese Cooking. Needless to say, this stir-fried omelette was tasty!

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...