The Kitchen Table ~ Mt Tamborine

My two friends and I had a very blissful girl's day out on Sunday. My parents very kindly took the boys for the whole day so I certainly enjoyed having a break and was so relaxed to the point of being sleepy. After unanimously deciding Mt Tamborine was one of our favourite places in the world, we organised to go. This is where we stopped for lunch ~ The Kitchen Table. It's on Main Rd at North Tamborine and used to be The Forest Cafe {I had no idea it was gone!} I really loved the Forest Cafe but this I loved too ~ how could you not. It is beautiful, light, creamy, sparkling with chandeliers and the pretty packaging of the abundant piles of deli goods. It still has all the little nooks, central fireplace and the ivy walled side verandah as well as footpath seating. Oh and the food was good too! I had mushrooms and goat's cheese. We sat here for ages and just talked after lunch.

I loved the styling details such as the giant tin tub full of spuds elegantly gracing one table and the rows of terracotta pots and baskets holding baguettes and sourdough loaves. 

There is also a little corner, painted pink, housing sweets and rows and rows of little desserts. I had to satisfy myself by just looking hmmm.

The Jungle Giants

I took my 13 year old son to an all ages gig last night. It's both of our second time seeing new Brisbane band The Jungle Giants play and we loved every minute. 

I am especially excited for these guys on a few levels, firstly because I love their music; happy, indie, beautiful, sparky and most importantly, quality. Hearing them for the first time was kind of like when I heard The Temper Trap or Florence and The Machine for the first time and just loved every single track straight up. Secondly because their beautiful lead guitarist Cesira is a friend and also because they are from Brisbane. I get so proud of this city and the amount of outstanding bands it produces, {like I had something to do with it}! I just think if they keep going on the trajectory they are already on we are going to be seeing a whole lot more of them.

This is their new single which I can't stop listening to at the moment ~ Mr Polite over on Triple J Unearthed and whilst you are there you can check out "No one needs to know" which is equally awesome. 

They were great on stage, fun, solid and loud enough to make you feel it. Sam Hales has that amazing kind of voice that tells a story, you will have to try an catch them live. Heaps of gigs coming up, check out the Jungle Giants Facebook page.

Slightly Rusty Which May Prohibit Enjoyment

Abandoned "Giant Slide" at Coney Island Marks Decline of Area's Recreational Use 05/1973, originally uploaded by The U.S. National Archives.

pretty though!

Giant Slide

Giant Slide, originally uploaded by brandmatt.

Researching some images for our school fete as I'm doing some design work for it and I found this super slide pic on flickr - I want on!

Earth Hour 2011

What a happy video!
Made ever so much more sweeter with one of my favourite tracks ever from "The Temper Trap".
The simple joy of turning off your light and lighting a candle has been magnified 1000 fold on a global scale and is a beautiful, wonderful thing to see. Apart from saving electricity and highlighting environmental awareness, it is symbolic of how a single act by a single person can make a difference {just when you thought maybe you don't count that much in the big scheme of things}.
 I also am moved by people's hope and optimism and care for the place they live in and their solidarity on an international level.
All you have to do is turn your lights off for this hour.

♥ Earth Hour, originated in Sydney, Australia in 2007 

and is now HUGE - Globally huge!

 from Earth Hour's FAQ page

• It is on this Saturday • 

March 26 • 2011 • 8:30 PM ~ 9:30 PM   

♥ Earth Hour's Website

♥ Facebook

♥ Flickr

New Farm Park's Summerhouse?

Bandstand, originally uploaded by Roystan. 

It has been 11 years in the making but now it looks as though it may never happen! Please visit this website and have a good read and sign the petition to have New Farm Park's Summerhouse rebuilt to replicate the one which burnt down 11 years ago.

I would love to see this beautiful building back in our park.

~ oursummerhouse.com.au ~

* the photograph above shows New Farm Park's iconic Bandstand, not to be confused for The Summerhouse {of which I could not find a suitable picture! }

Rainy Sunday at Home

 

A busy week and waking up to rain and a dose of hayfever made me disinclined to leave the house today. The big white basket in my little front entry room is holding all of my shoes. I got it last week from crazy clarks as a cheap solution to "where to put all of my shoes now that I have decided not to keep them in my bedroom any longer".

I originally had them in my wardrobe but they kept getting mildewy and then I stored them under my bed ~ still mildewy! So I banished them into the hallway where they unsatisfactorily sat tripping all who walked past. I am sure they will still get mildewy in the basket as this house seems to be a bit damp, but at least it will be far away enough from my bedroom so as not to creep me out. Does anyone else have this problem ~ what do you do? {what I have done to keep my wardrobe damp free is a whole other post and an ongoing saga which is very mundane so I won't bore you with that now!}

Anyhow I think the new basket looks pretty! I put some vanilla pods which were starting to look suspect in the fridge in the foyer too ~ rather than throw them out. Smells good!

Madura Earl Grey tea, my Nan's favourite brand and vegetable soup with a new favourite, {which my friend got me on to} rye and caraway bread from Rock n Roll Bakery Greenslopes/Camp Hill.

And baking... Harry Potter cupcakes ~ a packet mix for me and my six year old to make together and coconut macaroons which were just as easy as the packet mix to make!

And now I will have to think of something else to do to avoid the pile-o-laundry.

Little bits of Love for Japan

Creature Comforts is donating 100% of her sales on etsy to Red Cross for Japan. Going there to check out her lovely prints I discovered some other artists and crafts people doing the same, donating all or a portion of their profits to assist ...

♥ "You're Dazzling My Deer"photographic print from 

Creature Comfort's Shop to help Japan

♥ handmade bamboo charcoal soap with Japanese camellia oil 

♥ aqua chalcedony droplet necklace with custom initial

♥ Prints 4 Japan

♥ map covered travel book

"Thinking Of Home" print  ♥  bead woven hoop earrings

handmade pleated bag  ♥  Maneki Neko print

♥ pink felted flower brooch ♥ crystal heart silver necklace  ♥ magnolias print 

♥ paper fortune cookies with custom message

Allergies

I went to the PA Hospital today for an appointment with the allergy clinic to see what I'm allergic to. I am then on the pathway to getting Immunotherapy which will desensitise me to whatever is causing me to get hayfever. This involves me getting a weekly injection and then after about 6 weeks it will be monthly and the treatment will go for about three years. I am looking forward to it! Anything to get rid of the dreaded hayfever!! My parents took me to get this done whilst I was in high school, along with trying everything else under the sun and I am now finally getting around to organizing it again - long overdue! 

Skin prick test was today. I had lots of liquid dots of allergens applied up and down my arm and then my skin was pricked to see which ones I would re-act to. This is a photo taken when I got home well over an hour later, the grid the nurse drew on my arm with nikko has rubbed off and all the little red welts that popped up have gone. I wish I took a photo during the test - it was cool if you like seeing that sort of stuff.

I also had a blood test and donated some blood for a research project that is happening relating to allergies. Anyhow - after being tested for about 20 or so different things the clear winner was ....

Dust mites! - which I knew, cause that's what my tests revealed all those years ago.

This is what a dust mite looks like

and a close up view of the culprit taken through a marco lens...

I am also allergic to cats and cockroaches and cats which is kind of a moot point since I rarely cuddle cats {with the exception of my cat nephew Theo who gets a rare pat} and cockroaches, never!

...... some preventative measures I will be taking, especially whilst cleaning my house.

fun, fun, however no more swollen red eyes, sniffling, sneezing, messy looking me.

*vintage advertisement and vintage frame from The Graphics Fairy

Japan

I really hope all of the lovely Japanese people I have met over the years are safe and their homes and businesses have escaped destruction. 

{ * washi tape downloaded from pugley pixel }

What to do with a giant bag of nectarines from the market.

Slowly simmer in a splash of water with a little sugar, Grand Marnier and slices of fresh ginger.
Chill in fridge or if you can't wait you can serve it warm.

Place in icy cold glasses with frozen vanilla yoghurt and toasted almond slivers.
There should be plenty of syrup to pour over. It tastes sensational!

Happy International Women's Day!

Ladies Day!

Hope every girl is feeling the love today and passing it on to another of the skirted variety.

If you haven't already perhaps you'd like to take a peek at some of the wonderful blogs I read, all written by women from all corners of the earth who all are very different people leading different lives yet all as equally inspiring, creative and beautiful in their own way.

A thought on women from my six year old son,

"Girls are more awesomer than boys because 

they get to wear fun stuff like dresses, 

AND shorts and boys just get to wear shorts, it's so boring"

*The vintage frame used in my picture comes from The Graphics Fairy. 

A fabulous resource for vintage ephemera and graphics for you to download for free!

H is for Homework

Been putting the Jan/Feb calendar from Frankie to good use, now that March/April, {I know, already!} is up on the fridge. There is a cute alphabet poster on the back so it's up on the wall at the 

"Homework Nook" which is a fabulous little corner of our lounge room which is so fabulous because when the homework is finished, {which is never}, you can just sweep away all the stuff and it's a dinning table! or.. a craft table, which is why we often eat on the couch.

Homework time can be a teeny bit stressful. Tears and tantrums from myself and a lot of bossiness and rock star behaviour from my 6 year old. He must have exactly the right pencil before he will perform any work and needs to be kept motivated and on task with small rewards every 5 seconds. There is also frequent suspicious trips to the bathroom and between his flashes of brilliance in which he is able to write a single word on the page, he alternately lies on the floor with his arm dramatically flung across his face or jumps on the couch.  Well, maybe I exaggerate, it's not all bad, sometimes we have fun and play games and he tells me hilarious stories about his day. 

He is trying so hard and I have found some things which are really helpful such as these alphabet 

blocks, the dominoes and some of those plastic magnet letters we all had on the fridge when 

we were little. 

They are great, he likes spelling out words with them. I hope it will all come together for him soon. Reading was such a fundamental part of my childhood, it was what I loved to do, it makes me sad that it hasn't come naturally to either of my boys. He does however, love stories being read to him and that is something we both look forward to. 

He is so, so proud of himself now that he is able to "read" some stories to me.

My Front Garden ~ More Green, Less Mean

An old pot which originally belonged to my Nan, I love the yellow/green lichen or whatever is is.
A new plant I found called Artic Snow which grows into a little bush. It looks like one of my favourite plants Star Jasmine which I love but have to avoid as it makes me sneeze. This one has no scent so should be safe!

I was feeling very AB Positive after donating blood on Friday afternoon, however I was awoken during the very early hours of Saturday morning with a very nasty tummy bug and yesterday was completely horrible! I spent most of it lying in bed and feeling pretty miserable. The worst part was that I had to ring Red Cross and tell them that I had become sick since donating and the guy said he would have to bin my blood! Apparently some of it could be used but I think he was just trying to be nice. What a waste! 

And I feel like today is getting wasted too - it's so beautiful and sunny and breezy and cool outside but I've got a whole day's worth of dishes, laundry and MESS etc to catch up on and I feel too weak to do much anyway.  Oh well, I did have a huge sleep in and am feeling heaps better than yesterday.

I took some photos finally of the front garden {although they didn't turn out so great in the midday sun/shadows}. I think it looks so much better and I can't wait for the new plants to grow and fill up the beds a bit more. The little white bits are a collection of shells and pebbles, mostly bought which I have had for years and years and usually use scattered about my pots. 

The Agave were replanted from the large white pots which are now home to a pair of Yuccas. Both of these originally came from my sister's garden. Her and her hubby have been propagating plants like these for quite a while and have helped me stock a large part of my garden for FREE! Plants such as bromeliads and moses in a basket, which are all doing very well in their new homes. I have transplanted some baby succulents into a pot which you can see below.

~ this little tin pot, one of my kerbside finds ~

Ok, back to cleaning and I will do something fun to try and salvage the lost weekend!