I heart Bumblebee

I'm back from my fabulous holiday overseas, and I promise, there will be many blog posts on each location, Popcorn and I visited, but, for the time being I have this little post that has been buzzing around lately (intended pun ha!)

Alex Monroe I am in love with you and your creative genius.

As most of you are aware, I have a sick obsession with all things Chung, Yes, I know I need to see a doctor for all my obsessions - Moustaches, Clogs, Balayage, Mad Men, Mulberry bags and my most recent and sickening one - definitely the Chung.  I saw her wearing a little bee necklace in a photo one day, and instantly fell in love. 

When Popcorn and I were in London, I bought a knock off version, and was hell bent on tracking the original down. 

Voila! I found the designer, and Boom! they stock the necklaces in one of my favourite stores just 2 hours away from me.

I'm sold. Wrap it up to go!

The Pool is Cool

I completely have a new found respect for the town pool. I used to practically live there when I was young, and now, it's toats bangin' again, y'all....(is that hip talk?)

When I was in Primary School my boyfriend (we were year 7 lovers - which was strictly forced hand holding at lunch, and he would ride his scooter beside me as we walked home) and I used to go to the pool every afternoon, it was the thing to do.  We'd lay on the hill, eat Big Boss sticks and get an ice-cream on the way home. 

When I was in high school, my friends and I would hang there every weekend.  Bird and I were seasonal swimmers, which meant we would go there every weekend (even thought she had a huge pool in her very own backyard), get chips from The Sail Inn and eat Frosty Fruits while we read the new Cosmo.  A mat was $2 to hire out, the music was loud and totally from the new So Fresh cd, and we thought we were all that, and a bag of hot chips with chicken salt and tomato sauce. 

It was cool, and the Town Pool was definitely a big part of my growing up.  I moved away, didn't want to wear a bikini in public and never saw that bad boy again...until, I came home for the holidays this year and have been hangin' back at the ol' pool every afternoon with my sister and her kiddles.

I must say, the pool has been revamped with new paint, new buildings and a new cafe that serves wonderful coffee, cinnamon donuts and curly fries with a side of aioli - very hip. 

We've been relaxing  at the pool a lot,  my sister makes cookies, we take our colourful towels, and we have a swim, a relax and then enjoy a cup of jo with a cookie in tow. The kids enjoy splashing around, chillin' in the baby pool and getting a bag of lollies, just like we did when we were young nippers, hangin' at the pool with our friends.

The town pool you ask? totally cool again. Run! Don't walk there, on the weekends.

A Cup of Jo, please

A few weeks ago, while mum and I were doing some Christmas shopping out of town, we stopped in for a Cup of Jo. I ordered a mocha and mum ordered a cappuccino. We were so pleased when they arrived at our table, and they were decorated in such a lovely fashion – so creative, and they made the coffee taste better, I kid you not. The chocolate syrup draped across the foam spelling out, “mocha”, made me take a moment to marvel at the creativeness of a kitschy little worker who mastered the best mocha I’ve ever had.

I have come to a conclusion about coffee and tea – there are better ways to enjoy a good cup of cof, and they all begin with the mug. Call me high maintenance, but, I cannot drink coffee or tea out of an ugly mug. Yep, it’s all fine china, Starbucks mugs and expensive handmade porcelain for me. I’m sorry but it’s just not the same. If you’re relaxing with a lovely tea cup and saucer, that makes you smile everytime you take a sip, you’ll enjoy that bad boy a whole lot more than if you were drinking it out of a standard white mug, ugggh.

The art of coffee drinking, and tea too also comes down to who makes it. Have you ever heard someone say to you, “it always taste’s better when someone else makes you a cup of coffee or tea?” – well I say this quite a lot, and it’s true. When my mum makes a cup of tea, it’s so much better than when I do. It’s smoother, sweeter and just strong enough. Even if someone else stirs in the instant coffee, it tastes better.

Another fact – Coffee and tea taste better when the weather outside is cold – when it’s raining, snowing, the air cons on, someone is pointing a fan at you or even a fake snow machine – it’s all the same. You’re not sweating, the hot mug (only nice mugs, thank you very much) warms you up, and it’s just common knowledge that you enjoy a hot cuppa when you need a good warmin’ up.

Another fact – takeaway cups. Coffee on the go taste’s so much delish when you take the lid off the paper cup. Try it. Next time you’re at Gloria Jeans, sit down with your best friend Jo and pop the lid. Eat your froth in peace, and think about how much better it is to drink your cof without the lid on, so it’s not sealing in that smell of those roasted, bad boy beans. I’ll take my Cup of Jo to go, thanks

Merry Christmas, Kooks

The Silly Season has come and gone again, and as most of you are aware – we are currently flooded in, in Central Queensland.

But gloom aside, Christmas day was just lovely, and the pouring rain didn’t stop Oskar, Archie and Henry from running amuck, as they always do.

We unwrapped gifts early in the morning with high spirits, and enjoyed coffee, croissants and the usual festivities of the Big Christmas Breakfast. The kids ran around with their gifts, and were more hyped up than a cordial junkie, as they built train sets, played with Harry Potter wands and ate so much chocolate that we got chocolate kisses all morning.

After a lovely day of relaxing in the cool air and spending time with the fam, my mum, sister and I headed downstairs to sit with the kids and drink some Earl Grey, as they sloshed their Tonka’s through the puddles and stripped off their clothes to play in the rain. It was a less traditional Christmas day than usual and we were missing our other sister who was spending the festive day with her husband’s family, but still, the day was full of oodles of presents, bon-bons, ham, chocolates, fruit cake and all that Christmas cheer, that we’ll no doubt bring in the silly season again with next year.

In 2010 I...

· Became obsessed with red lipstick · Made a crochet rug · Started drinking red wine ·  Fell in love with Mad Men · Cut my hair short · Gained another brother in law · Had my heart broken, and then mended again · Became a journalist · Sold clothing at the markets · Went with my best friend to the Finders Keepers · Added another Starbucks mug to my collection · Learnt to cook pies · Bought too much Mt Washi decorative tape · Stopped collecting Russh magazine · Wrapped everything in brown paper with string · Started to wear heels out all the time · Collected clogs · Booked an overseas adventure · Dined out at least once a week  ·  Always greeted with Bonjour · Tweeted movie trailers to my friends · Perfected the art of shortbread · Turned 21 · Made a popcorn birthday cake · Found the perfect vintage floral tea cup · Started wearing a watch · Watched Sharkweek on YouTube · Got given a moustache mug · Watched Nigella and River Cottage with my mum · Said goodbye to beautiful friends · Found my new favourite drink of, vodka, cranberry & lime · Tasted the best mushroom arancini · Embraced shoulder pads · Balayaged my hair · Wore tights as pants · Listened to French music · Got my braces off · Bought a red casserole dish · Met Angus & Julia Stone · Ate fig and mascarpone gelato ·  Won a game of taboo · Started drinking Chai lattes · Lived next door to my best friend · Wished there was such thing as the game, Bamboozled  · Found the perfect spotty cardigan · Wore nude nail polish until it chipped and flaked off · Watched Friends every day · Missed my family a lot · Made batches of gingerbread men · Drank mojitos while listening to jazz · Said I love you, to someone everyday ·

Brollies and Gumboots

Since I've been home for the holidays, it has constantly rained. The creeks have been overflowing, workers have been stopped from getting to work, and we've been cut off from leaving the town. 

I'm seeing the silver lining though, an extra day off work here and there, oodles of time to drink coffee's as I type up new blogs, play with my nephews in the yard, and watch movies as the rain pelts down and cools the blistering summer heat.   The gardens are loving it more than a ginger biscuit likes to be dunked in milk.

Hurrah for the rain, and being able to bust out the brollies.