4 day weekend has passed with a whimper

Australia day, we drank Aussie beer, watched cricket, and listened to the hottest 100.

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The day after Australia day (hangover day), I resigned myself to my hangover and watched an entire season on My Family and had some quality bonding time with my couch.
Air con was appreciated, particularly as it was pretty hot (42 I think) outside.

Saturday we went shopping for a new tv, and some more lazy viewing.
I bought a crepe maker (guess what we had for dinner) and we watched the Perth Scorchers lose the grand final (boo).

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Sunday I finished my sockhead hat, and started a new sock, Scylla.
And started watching series 1 of Buffy. (and since bought the box set). I thought I’d have nightmares about creepy ventriloquist dolls but thank fully I didn’t.

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And look what arrived Monday afternoon. The books I thought I’d read on the long weekend.

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Weekend musings

I had the weekend to myself. Yay!

It’s not very often I do, but as the Mister went on a fishing trip (I love fishing trips) and it was a successful one so he was away for two nights.
Sure it means sleeping alone (being able to hog the bed), and fending for myself (fruit loops for dinner), but it’s nice to have some space too. (I’m trying to make out like I missed him – which I did).

So I cleaned the house and twirled around in new, pretty dresses.
I watched series 2 (including the Christmas episode) of Downton Abbey.
It wasn’t as well paced as series 1, but still enjoyable. I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
I previously boycotted it, as I didn’t like the way it was being promoted on Australian Commercial Television, but after hearing so many good things on I decided I needed to give it a shot.
I watched everything I could in 3 days. Completely addicted. I grew so emotionally invested, in such a short space of time. I loved to hate O’Brien and Thomas, mourned for Daisy and William, and loved the spunk of Lady Sybil.

Alone time also means Mad Men. I rewatched series 4 (just because I could), as I got dressed up to go to my little brother’s graduation. 3 hours of clapping, but I am very proud that he found something he wanted to study and stuck with it long enough to get a degree (and I’m not saying that because he doesn’t stick with things, because he does. I just believe that’s a massive achievement).

I went shopping and bought some pretty dresses and new tights. Turns out not many places stock tights when its 35 degrees outside. But Myer had a 30% sale, so I stocked up (bright red! love hearts! roses!)

So all in all it was a lovely weekend to myself. And I am definitely glad of a relaxing weekend after the madness that has been the last few months. But it’s about to get hectic again soon.
I’m looking forward to Australia Day this week (4 day weekend). And the lovely Miss Stina is doing a guest post for me! (excitement!)
And then it’s a gig every week in February.
Excitement all round!

Hope you all had a good weekend – get up to much??

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busy little bumblebee

Just a quick little update – December is going to be a very quiet month.
But I am working on a guest post for the endearing her name was greta.

In the meantime, I’m deep into Christmas knitting (some times it feels like a lost cause), busy with my new job (which is really awesome and challenging and I’m enjoying it thoroughly), and trying to fit the endless social engagements into my calendar.
As well as the more homely calendar items such as the carrots should be ready tomorrow!

But I am still around. You can always find me on twitter or instagram.
And I look forward to coming back refreshed and ready to blog in 2012.

I’ll probably still post photos of Future of the Left and Gotye in the next few days though.

inspiration from around the web this week

<a href="http://wildolive.blogspot.com/2011/11/story-of-making-your-story-book.html”>this DIY for making a story book, brought back memories of a pen-pal book my primary school best friend and I wrote with each other. Each letter was in an envelope which was then bound together to make a book.
If I recall correctly we had both read Anne of Green Gables, and so naturally it had a tragic ending, like so many writers club stories had.

it’s such a pretty watch – and a really easy DIY

this tutorial also posted at the hairpin has got me really excited for sewing again.
I have a car back and the first place I’m going is my local fabric store.
I need to find that perfect pattern for a dress that I can just make in so many fabrics it’s not funny. Maybe this modcloth pattern

This really cute thread holder cosy from Scathingly Brilliant.
Although first I need someone handy in my life (wouldn’t it be useful if I lived with someone who enjoyed carpentry – oh wait! I do!) who could build me a thread holder.

A Sparkley Silver Lining finally inspired me to design buttons for all my alter-egos (look to the right! woo – look at that. And whilst you’re looking right, why not check out my google+ profile – it contains the highlights of my daily google reader addiction)

And finally from etsy this gadget wallet. I’m pretty sure I can reverse engineer it and make it myself, but I need this in my life.
For those iPad owners around the place with iOs5 installed, the newsstand feature has free issues of magazines available. The
Mollie Makes
magazine has an awesome tutorial on making a wallet. Maybe it could be adapted.
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A leisurely lunch at Blackbird

It was a Thursday.
Lunch was beckoning.
And it was too nice a day to be inside. So my packed lunch went in the fridge for another day, and a colleague and I walked down to grab a bite to eat.

We spotted Blackbird, and even though I have a phobia of actual birds, birds in name only don’t scare me.
We had a look at the menu on the window (always a good start), found something that we liked and so decided to stay.

We were both delighted. The service was fantastic, the food was divine, and it really made the most of the view.

It’s not generally a good sign when there’s no one else in the resteraunt but it really didn’t matter, we both had a thoroughly enjoyable lunch.
In particular what impressed me was the attention to detail. The waiter (silly me, forgot to catch his name) really made us feel welcome.
It’s not often I notice someone’s professionalism, but that’s what he had. Customer service was excellent, he had a light, jokey manner without being too over the top and made us feel comfortable and at home. You could tell that he more-than-likely enjoyed his job, which is a pleasure.

And then the food, was so much more than I was expecting.
I ordered the steak sandwich, having some preconceived expectations about steak sandwiches in general and baulking a little at the price ($23 is on the expensive side for a sandwich). This should not be called a steak sandwich. A sandwich it was not. This was a little slice of heaven on ciabatta.
The steak was cooked just the way I like it. Drag a cow past a heater once or twice (go on picture it). With the combination of the dressing and the rocket, and the really thick frites was just divine.

My colleague had the barley risotto, with beetroot and parmesan. Which apparently was wonderful as well. The bright pink dish was a little off-putting at first, but once we asked the waiter what was going on (and he knew what he was talking about) it made perfect sense.

And then we ordered desert.
Chocolate Fondant with chocolate syrup and white chocolate ice-cream.
We really should have shared desert.
I now understand what recipes talk about when they say the centre should be gooey. This was soo gooey.
I gained 5 kilos while eating it, and enjoyed every one of them.

The drinks list was very extensive, however being during the working day it wasn’t that kind of work lunch.
I think the next after-work drinks party will have to be held there. Even if it’s just to see the interior of the place.

With the location on the water, the service, the chocolate!, it’s a pity that I’m leaving this job soon and I won’t be able to have lunch there.
Definitely a keeper.
It was a little on the expensive side, but worth every penny.

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Blackbird Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Gig – Heart & Def Leppard

They weren’t great seats, but they were free. It helps knowing people, well the best friend knows people.

I’m not a massive fan of Def Leppard, it’s not really my taste, but my bestie comes to so many gigs where she doesn’t know the bands that I want to go with her to see her bands.

I saw Def Leppard when they were here a couple of years ago, Cheap Trick supported them and were awesome.

This time Heart were the support act and they were fricken awesome too.
The lungs and the voice blew me away.

We arrived just as they were playing Led Zeppelin – Rock and Roll which she belted. And then belted everything else.

The pianist had awesome pigtails, and on their first trip to Perth it looked like they were having a ball.
They spoilt the locals with a cover of John Farnham’s You’re The Voice, and played the one song I knew Barracuda.

But they were an absolute pleasure to listen to.

Def Leppard were also there to rock.
Crowd pleasers such as Love Bites, Let’s get Rocked, and Pour Some Sugar almost got Perth out of their seats. Why we don’t stand up at concerts is beyond me.

And why Pour Some Sugar wasn’t the last song confuses me as well.

But it was a balmy night, with some rock and roll.

Please enjoy some really far away phone pics.

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