Sunrise, sunset.... rinse, repeat

So in the routine of the daily grind, it's amazing how much can pass us by. Days, weeks, months even. So after leaving at a 'decent hour' (and thanks to daylight savings and the ever longer 'day') I managed to catch a glimpse of this amazing skyline on the way home from the train station earlier this week. Makes me wonder how many of these moments have passed me by in recent times. Another reminder to slow down and smell the roses.

Cakes

So, I've been doing the wedding planner thing for a few months, and through all the dresses and flowers, canapés and fourth courses, there is something that, regardless of the wedding, always catches my attention. The cakes! They say so much about the wedding and I can remember which cake belonged to which couple, long after the entrée and dessert selections have long merged in to a fuzzy mess in my head. Each one is so unique and I think that is what helps it be that defining piece of the puzzle. I have a small few to share with you here now (it seems all of the photos on my phone these days are cakes, room set ups and food.... but I promise I'm not complete obsessed and absorbed by my job!!)

Kat's Cakes

Chocolate, vanilla, caramel mud, traditional fruit, you can't really tell what's hidden in side these little works of art until after dessert (unless your the couple or the wedding planner!). Fake tiers, fresh flowers, sugar flowers, bride and groom cake toppers, the list goes on. Each cake different from the last and with a short life span of just a day! It baffles me to think that these cakes take longer to design and create than they do to eat. 


Let them have their cake.... and eat it too! 

Atlantic Group

The house that Ben and Mel built

Ok, so its ALMOST finished, there are tiles now, so half the house has flooring - and said tiles are VERY slippery! They're just waiting to be grouted tomorrow and then we can start moving things in. On the downside the blinds we've bought are all too long by about "this much!" Not particularly happy about that

:-/

Heater will be hooked up sometime next week so it's not so chilly! 

We already have two sets of neighbors who have moved in to our street, three school aged girls between them, riding bikes around the practically deserted streets. Kinda makes me wanna go back to being a child again.

Still no letter box though, so for now all the mail will need to stay right where it is... that might be a job for the next couple of days off! 

Mobile update on the House that Ben & Mel built

Funny, I've just noticed while typing that heading that I've always
titled these updates in the past tence, built... It's not built yet,
it's still being built... Really it should read, The house that Ben
and I are building. ('coz u shouldn't talk about one's self in the
third person, another bad behavioural habit brought to you by the
facebook status update phenomenon!)

Anyhow, turns out today that our supplier has sold out of the tiles we
picked because we had a quote done but didn't BUY them, the build has
been delayed and now they're all gone. There is another delivery
coming, but just not before my birthday!! So the super great price we
got for the floor tiles we fell in love with is being honoured by
Beaumonts for the same style in a different colour. This is very
considerate of them as under Trade Practices Act they don't have to do
anything, they could make us pay current price for these "similar"
tiles, guess they would like to keep our business.

The alternate tile is not that different from the one we picked, maybe
half a dozen 'shades' on one of those teeth whitening adds, (ie. 4
tops). But I will know... I know that it's childish and petty, but one
of these tiles (the original) has become a resident at the end of our
current kitchen bench, and I'd grown to become quite fond of it...

Bottom line is, there are 80 square metres of tiling that still needs
to be done and I want flooring before we move in more than I want our
original tile colour. I know were a generation of instant
gratification, but I'm not refusing to take the stairs because the
lifts taking too long, I just want to stop wasting money on rent, and
move into a house with half a personality, where I can have a pet if I
want one, paint the walls any colour I chose and plant something in
the backyard knowing I'll be there long enough to appreciate the
fruits of that labour. Too much to ask perhaps?? I thought I was a
patient person, but I tell you what... 14 months and still waiting...
Seriously, most gestation periods are shorter than this!!!! I just
want it to be finished!!!!

On the build front, still no glass in bifolds, still missing a small
section of brickwork, still not at lockup. And to think Clarendon
could be earning interest on our money and we could be paying the bank
interest if they'd just get their contractors in for half a days work!!?

Sent from my iPhones

With rose coloured glasses...

So with daylight still shining down on the sleepy little town I made a detour past what used to be known as the lake. It's now more of a grass lands in the centre of the towns most expenisve real estate.... wonder how those prices are doing now with their 'mud veiws'...

 Again, it was another scene that didn't match the memory in my mind, amazing how things change, grow and evolve, yet your memory of it stays the same, no matter how many years pass by.

There was an amazing amount of sunlight, for a place that I remember being very dark and cold. Ironic, the long row of boat sheds, lined up with no boats, the yacht club with no water now turned in to a restaurant called Sails, a water side cafe, with no water... a few moments of reflection... only without a reflection in the water...

Blonde Vintage

Whilst waiting for my lunch date on sunny Saturday, I stumbled across a little treasure. In the old shell of what I remembered to be a second hand CD store, is a very warm little nook, housing a collection of old, recycled, upcycled, vintage, newly printed but made-to-look vintage, pre loved and generously gorgeous trinkets.

It was hard to leave behind a fire engine red leather clutch purse, there was so much history and soul in that store. The hand written price tags were a delight, keeping track of all these little treasures, most of which sprung up in a time before barcodes.

These old olive oil tins turned planters stopped me in my tracks at the front door, and the rest, as they say is history.

My new favourite nook in the old home town.

Catch up coffees and the number 8

On Saturday, the travel plans of a life long friend called for lunch and catch up coffees in the little old town of the B'rat... yes that's right - two weekends in a row!

We settled for lunch at the old Golden City Hotel, which was quiet when we arrived and roaring with locals when we left, all out for a weekend chin wag, a late breakfast or an early brunch.

This was follwed by some window shopping and a walk down memory lane, seeing all the shop fronts with the same displays 5 years on, and other that had changed hands, changing the street scape from the one in my mind. After all the window shopping and reminiscing it was time for another coffee, and for the second time in the same day, we found ourselves at another table 8! My number! :D This one had a very cute pair of 'ghostly' salt and pepper shakers. I've always liked this store, which now has a cafe (genius!), it was just a pity that the coffee was burnt, the machine needed a clean and I needed an extra sugar to get it down (you're good Ballarat... but your coffee's a little less than average!) Not that I'm city coffee snob :)

It was a lovely warm winters afternoon, with more (waterless) lake side pics to come...

Ballarat Heritage weekend - May 9th

While in Ballarat for Mothers Day, we ventured up Lydiard street to the mining exchange to see what was on display. There were horse and carriage rides and vintage bus trips along Sturt Street and a small collection of vintage cars parked in front of the mining exchange. For a Sunday, the city centre was quite busy!

The mining exchange had an awesome display of antique bicycles (and tricycles) down the centre, with small booths representing different historical societies, geneaology resources and libraries from around the central highlands district. The bikes were each unique with amazing seats and hadlebars, breaking systems and bells.

Also at the mining exchange was a collection of very old, and now very expensive luggage by Louis Vuiton. In a time before luggage limits, metal detectors and frequesnt flyer points, there was some very, very nice cases. Some small, some large, all very carefully finished, stiched and studed. some trunks were like a wardrobe in a box, with suit hangers, shoe pockets and draws, to keep ones belongings in order whilst at sea. They're certainly much nicer (and undoubtedle heavier) than luggage of the 21st century. It's sad that the LV print has been cheapened by the tacky rip offs and (in my eyes) over use. Things are much nicer before they make it to mass production...

From there we wandered across the street to where the big band was playing on the balcony of the George Hotel. Upstairs was an exquisite display of lucite hangbags, each one different, once a prized possession of its owner, and still now, all these years later, in imaculate condition, some from as early as the turn of last century! There were too many to have a favourite, I guess even after generations, a girl can never have too many hand bags!

It's amazing to think that when this little treasures were hung from petite forearms, they held little more than a hankerchief and some lipstick. Unlike today where we carry half our lives around on our shoulders, phones, purses, diaries... it's no wonder there are so many neck and back problems in today's society.




From the George we headed back to the Town Hall were there were displays of antique postcards, displaying local houses, stores, churches and schools, some of which are still recognisable today. There were tourism brochures and campaign materials from post gold rush era but pre WWI, which I found quite amusing. There were even instructions on how to "see Ballaarat in 7 days" with directions on how to catch the trams to local attractions at the time. There was also an entire display based on the Chinese history of Ballarat from the Gold rush era, with some beautiful Chinese artifacts, that unfortunately I was unable to photograph. I was called "ma'am" by a teenage boy (not appreciated, made me feel INCREDIBLY old) how ever he is forgiven, only because he was in an air cadet unform and as such, knows no better. Here are the few pictures I did manage to take before being told off!

All in all a very cheap (all the exhibits we saw were free), and a very interesting day out. So much so I may need to mark this in to next years calendar!

Mothers Day 2010

This year I baked a cake! Late saturday night, while watching "Hot Fuzz" I baked an orange popyseed cake. After spending almost an hour in the oven and another half hour cooling, it finally struck me, as I was icing this delicious pile of scrumptiousness, that I did not own a plastic container large enough to store this cake in! Oppps....

After hunting high and low, I found the bamboo skewers I knew I had and cut them into toothpick lengths to attempt to hold cling wrap off the icing... alas, attempts were futile. Today I bought a "cake carrier" from Coles, crisis averted, and only a week too late! Now I need another excuse to bake a cake! :) I digress....

So on Sunday I drove with said cake on the front passenger seat of the car to Melton, before continuing on to Ballarat. We had afternoon tea with Nan and Pa who talked for hours. It was a lovely afternoon with lots of coffee, cake, cheese and crackers, not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Cupcakes!!

After destroying the handle of a saucepan (not my fault I might add) I
went out today to find a replacement. While standing in the
kitchenware isle I spotted a bright pink silicon muffin tray. It had
to come home with me, and when it got home, was itching to bake some
sweet treats! So here they are, a Melanie dozen (11... They smelt too
good to wait till they were cool enough to ice) of vanilla cup cakes.
Complete with colourful sugar hearts! :) yum!

Who's up for coffee and a cupcake??

Mobile posting

So, after 6 months of being without a "real" Internet connection, I've
been really slack on the blog posts. I've done a little bit of
catching up while house and puppy sitting this weekend. While I was
giving my page a bit of a facelift, I stumbled across the mobile
posting settings and think I may have got it all worked out!! Lookout,
the lazy blogga is now connected! :D

Sent from my iPhone

Historicial Happy Snaps in Hobart

I don't know why but I have a 'thing' for old buildings, I always have. Old homesteads, old churches, town halls, things with history, built with craftsmanship, by hand, over time.... And now I really think about it, it's not just old buildings, it's old documents, old furniture, old cards (vintage cars, not just an '82 colt!), old trinkets, old people.... just anything that has been around longer than me!

Unfortunately we'd all flown on different carriers to Hobart, so I had a few hours to kill on my own while waiting for my flight home. This suited me fine as I quite happily roamed the streets of Hobart, with the knowledge that I couldn't get lost with my awesome iPhone with GPS (yes Ben, you were right... I don't know how I ever lived with out it) and snapped away at the quaint little homes, letter boxes, fences, churches and other things that looked old for the afternoon. I hope you enjoy these half as much as I did taking them! Enjoy!

9th January 2010

So I blogged about the High Tea hen's afternoon, I guess it's only fair that I blog about the main event!

Lyd and I caught abus from Hobart to the stop closest to the ceremony site (which took about 45 mins) and then walked quite some distance (love the iPhone and it's GPS or we may never have made it!) across the park. The ceremony was held outside, the weather was a perfect mid-twenties, and no real breeze right by the waters edge. The bride and her bridesmaids arrived in style, making waves as they did, much to the delight of the guests!

 

The boys could have been mistaken for an up and comming boy band with their stylish sunnies, and the girls made the long walk from the jetty to the ailse under gorgeous parasols. The flower girl and page boy were very well behaved, as the sun set on a lovely afternoon.

Congratulations (belated I know) to Mr & Mrs McInnes!

High Tea Hens Day

So in January (I realise this happened before Ben's brithday, but we'll ignore the chronological hiccup and tell the story anyway!) Lydia and I travelled over to Tassie to spend the weekend and be part of a beautiful wedding. On the Friday afternoon, all the ladies headed out in their finest vintage or opshop out fit and headed to a gorgeous historical hotel in Hobart for a high tea.

We spent the afternoon drinking tea and coffee, eating sandwiches and cakes, all in the company of some wonderful women. Recipes were written out for the bride to be, a collection of her friends favourite dishes, a very fitting present for the new bride. There were photos taken and memories made, all in an afternoon of great indulgance. A couple of happy snaps from the day...

Ben's Birthday

Another year older... another year.... older???

We spent the night with my folks, having Ben's favourite, roast lamb, done in Dad's big BBQ. Of course there was apple pie for dessert!

We googled recipes, made cocktails and ate cake. All in all a good night in, 7th of February 2010.

The summer that was.... 2009/2010

So we're well and truely feeling the winter weather in Melbourne right now, and as I flick through photos from summer, I'm counting down to the return of the warmer weather.

Over christmas and new year, I had almost a week off work, we managed to get to the Boxing Day test with an old work mate of Bens, which was an interesting day out, we also got to JB Hifi Boxing day sales and stocked up on accesories and Super Mario World for the Wii :)





We also made it to a 20/20 match with the parents which was very exciting, Vics pulling through to win in the last over.

Concerts featured heavily early this year, pity now with all the house expenses they've fallen off the list of priorities. My bestie and I made it to see Britney Spears on some freebie tickets quickly followed by Lily Allen! The production at Britney was AMAZING, but Lily was my favourite, the atmosphere Festival Hall was pretty awesome!!


There was more 'house shopping' drooling over TVs and lounge suites for the new place, shopping around for just the right things at just the right prices! :)

All too soon I was back to work, but most people had January off so at least the office was quiet! A week back in, I interviewed for the Event Management position and two weeks later found out that I had it. It was a very exciting time with lots of changes at home and at work! Things have calmed down now, playing the waiting game... waiting for the house, waiting for my replacement, waiting for that first wedding to eventuate... the calm before the storm....