Did you know that I used to co-own a cafe, for a short while? I did! It was called Blue Heaven and it was on Bridge Road in Richmond back when Bridge Road in Richmond was a thriving strip. I left a job at a catering company to start this milk-bar-turned-cafe with a friend-of-a-friend. Readers, I’m here to tell you that I loved it! Rin and I lived upstairs where we’d lie in bed in the dark early morning, listening to the…
How is it mid-November already? How? HOW?! I hope you are doing okay, dear friend. It’s a bit of tough swirly world out there and I know many of us are counting our blessings. Blessings aside I have a sore eye and the rest of me is feeling pretty wonky this week, so I’m trying to take it as easy as I can amidst study and planning for Honours next year. (I’m going to do Honours in Creative Writing! My…
I always think that Wednesday is Tuesday, so speedily are the days passing by … before we know it the holiday season will be upon us, and I was just thinking as I made my tea this morning that it’s time to start getting sorted for presents. For the last two years I’ve bought the kids matching presents and I want to do this again this year because it’s a) it’s fun and b) it’s funny. The first year I…
How about a recipe? I have published this previously on Hungry Hungry Pippo, but thought it would be good to slowly start publishing those recipes here, just so they have a central ‘home’. So let’s do that! One of my favourite breakfast snacks is smoked trout dip on rye caraway toast. It’s often hard to round up the ingredients unless I take a big drive to a particular Eastern suburbs supermarket, so it’s good to have a home-made option for…
It’s going to be a hot one today in Melbourne, a steamy follow-up to similar weather yesterday. My poor Vietnamese mint is feeling the heat, so I’ve dragged it into the shade (it’s in a big pot) and given it a good soaking. Please let its slumpy leaves be revived, dear herb Gods! It’s been a pretty quiet week around these parts with a bit of a Vietnamese mint-style health dip. It’s/I’m like that though. A few good days and…
Do you fancy checking out some interesting, delicious and/or cute things? I thought so. Let’s do that right now … This These pancakes look so good, don’t they? I particularly love the idea of a pancake as an on-the-go snack! They’re one of the enduring OG wraps, after all … Pinch of Yum will show you how to whip them up. Then you can load them up with your favourite toppings. (Also, if you have Craft for the Soul there’s…
Surely I am looooooong overdue for a Taking Stock post … It’s been a minute, hasn’t it?! Gosh I miss blogging. I hope I can make it more of a regular habit over the next few months. Best laid plans etc etc! Taking Stock Getting – better, I think, very slowly but surely. I hope! Touch wood. God it’s been a terrible slog and a big realignment. Cooking – a roast chicken dinner tonight, just need to grab some parsnips…
A sometimes series, possibly … When I moved to Melbourne I was just a teenager, full of hope and wanting to belong. It took me two attempts – or one false start, depending on your perspective – to make sense of things. I was all naïveté and rose coloured glasses. My first attempt was at 16 and it didn’t go so well. After initially staying with my Melbourne-based best friend, I bounced from creepy share house to share house, finally…
When I was a kid the flow of info and ideas was pretty limited. Our town library was pretty small, as was the library at school. We had a handful of TV and radio stations … and of course, no internet. The news was the hourly bulletins on the airwaves in the car on the way home from the shops or the evening news on the ABC while waiting for a much better show to come on. Our town only…
Argh. I’ve been stuck in bed (mostly) for the last few weeks and struggling to do very much. I’m determined, however, to try to do some of my favourite things … and that includes writing here. My friend Denyse has been the impetus for this post. She’s updated the Taking Stock prompts in the very best way, alphabetising them and breathing new life into something I love. (More about that here – and thank you, so VERY belatedly, Denyse.) So…
Inspired by a favourite YouTuber (the brilliantly bookish Gina Stanyer) I thought a post about bolstering things would be a very good idea! Here are some things that have proven cheery this week (and possibly every week!) Cheese on toast It’s really such a simple comfort with a giant cup of tea, especially with lots of freshly ground pepper … perhaps some chutney and a slice or two of tomato snuck underneath the cheese? Or perhaps a special Stephanie Alexander…
Lots of interesting types are doing good things and I thought it would be an excellent idea to BE HAPPY FOR THEM and talk about their cleverness and progress and my bare-faced admiration and companionable feelings. I’m happy for … Hetty who has a brand new book out called Tenderheart. It looks amazing (like her others!) and I have reserved it at the library and can NOT wait for it to touch down! Rhonda who has totally nailed auditing her…
I’m waking up so early these days. I stare at the gap between the curtains and the window frame, wishing for light, trying not to to shift about under the blankets too much, lest the dogs realise I’m awake and begin a well-intentioned, smoochy pre-dawn onslaught. Here’s hoping this early waking is just a temporary thing because once we’re up the dogs MUST go outside and they can be a bit excitedly barky and don’t care a jot if the…
Look. Let’s face it. I have not been doing a lot of things as my health has been down the crapper and I’ve been spending a lot of time on bedrest. THAT SAID I’ve managed to keep working at my creative writing degree because I am blinking determined to finish it and I don’t want to give up on learning … I love it so much! I haven’t been posting here much because I am having trouble affording the hosting…