On festivals and photographs

I finally got down to taking some photographs of Jon yesterday at The Rocks after we had some chai from Cuppucine at the Aroma festival. I've been at the festival for the past three years and have only been going back for the chai which is full of yummy, milky, cinnamony, honey-ed goodness. The best chai in the world! Jon had two cups but i had one (and stole some sips from his second cup) so i could have a cup of coffee too. I am trying to cut back on my caffeine so i had to carefully choose one tent to have coffee from. I ended up having a latte from Cafe Hernandez, which was really good. Sometimes, it pays to join the longest queue (i figured the coffee must have been good).

So after the chai, i gave Jon some directions (where to look, stand etc) and started snapping away. I have about 5 photos that i really like and here are three of them. I think the close-up (the first photo) is quite revealing of Jon's personality- gentle, patient and serene. And those blue eyes- i can never resist them.

underneath

I have two vases of beautifully fragranced jonquils sitting on my desk and bedside table, courtesy of Jon. Such a sweet scent. I cannot wait until the time i walk past the house on Bourke St and can smell the jasmine on the fence, all blooming in spring.

Speaking of Bourke St, Lisa and i went to Bourke St Bakery in Surry Hills for breakfast today. I had a pear danish which was so delicious and a great coffee. I buy bread from them fairly regularly but have never tried their pastries. I usually have cereal for breakfast (fills me up and i can avoid the urge for a mid-morning snack) but i could easily get used to pastries, although i'm wondering if they would be better in the afternoon sitting on the balcony (obviously not in winter), together with a girlfriend and some English breakfast tea. [As an aside, I'm having a tea party with the girls the week of the wedding since i am not a drink-and-be-merry sort of person and would rather not be dressed in a veil and tiara whilst club-hopping in the city. I'm much more suited for a fairly harmless (one can hope) tea party filled with scones, quiches, cakes, biscuits and a variety of tea. My idea of a good time. ]

Right now, i'm sitting in my pink bathrobe with freshly washed hair and feeling rather chilled out. Just the right time for an afternoon snack of some fruit (believe me, if i had a biscuit or pastry or cake or anything remotely tea-like, i would be having that now but alas, only healthy food reside in my house). Am cooking a Thai chicken salad for dinner, having decided to experiment with my newly borrowed Marie Claire cookbooks from the library. Alas, in between paying for my groceries and transporting them to the car, i must have lost my single stalk of lemongrass- a necessary ingredient for tonight's salad. Being the person i am, i agonised over it for at least 45 minutes before deciding to pick Jon up from the train station and then heading over to the supermarket for a quick stopover ( i couldn't justify driving just for some lemongrass but picking up my boy on the way makes it all better.).

Right then. Must work.

It takes a word to build a story

I watched 'The Queen' on DVD the other day and really liked it. I thought Helen Mirren was very deserving of an academy award for best actress. Last night, 'Pretty woman' was showing on tv, which meant it was my fourth (fifth? sixth?) viewing. This time, i watched it with Jon and watched the uncensored version (i didn't even realise that Singapore only showed the censored one until i gave an audible gasp last night, exclaiming "is that her breast?") It's still such a beautiful movie to watch, after all these years.

Today, we went to Bondi to get the famous cupcakes from 'Cupcakes on Pitt'. I've been wanting to try their cupcakes for ages so i was adamant that today was to be the day. Jon got a honeycomb one (with some Crunchie chocolate sticking out of the top) and i got a tiramisu. We got them at lunchtime but decided to save them for our after-lunch snack.

We were both keen on fish and chips for lunch by the beach (but not at Bondi) so we went to Bronte instead, where we ended up having a veggie burger (me) and a fish burger (Jon) instead. We got them in take away boxes and sat by the beach to eat them. It was a lovely time and the burgers were just what we needed. We sat around for a bit longer just to talk and enjoy the smell of saltwater on a cold but sunny Sydney winter day.

I didn't feel like going home after so we drove to Watson's bay (i am noticing a water theme here) to finally eat our cupcakes. We sat in our car (with a teenaged couple making out right in front of us. Oh dear.) and devoured them, me as usual causing a mess. But they were really quite yummy- very light, not overly sweet and not leaving you with that horrible "too full" feeling after. Jon decided that we needed to wash it down with a beverage so we went to the 'Tea Garden' nearby for some carrot and apple juice (Jon) and English breakfast tea (me).

Then it was the long, winding drive home and doing our tax returns when we got back.
We've just had a lovely, quiet, romantic candlelight dinner (leftovers chicken and couscous from last night) at home and i'm feeling really content having spent the day with my favourite boy, who is such good company even when he's sick. I love him. :)

When summer comes round again

As we inch closer and closer to mid-winter, i can't help but think about spring things like moving house, redecorating, buying homemade jams and honey in glass jars, tank tops and straw bags, longer days and gardening.

I have big plans for our new home, which involve a mini garden in the balcony (which i'm adamant that we have). A visit to the nursery a few weeks ago has rekindled my passion for growing my own flowers and herbs. I have helped my auntie garden enough times to know that it is hard work but extremely rewarding.

I use an assortment of herbs every week in my cooking, the most popular ones being basil and coriander. This week, i've had to buy sage (for the roasted pumpkin, sage and pine nut penne) and thyme (for the Indian-style grilled chicken breasts) and it is such a waste of money when all i need are a few leaves here and there. Hence, i've been looking into growing my own herb garden which will be a nice Sunday afternoon activity for me when the football is on.

Once we buy a house with some extra land, i am keen on growing tomatoes, strawberries, some citrus fruit and salad leaves. I doubt i'll ever have chickens but some simple fruit and veg farming seems like the way to go. And of course, i'll grow my own flowers. There's nothing like some handpicked flowers straight from your own garden gathered together loosely in a bouquet for a friend when she comes over for tea.

I have been feeling crafty of late but considering that i have not enough time to write my thesis, i don't think i can justify spending time on knitting or quilting (not that i know how to do either). Maybe when life settles down a bit after the wedding, i can attempt to do something crafty as well as continue taking more photographs, a hobby i have sadly neglected in recent months due to relationship problems with my camera, which runs out of battery the minute i decide i want to photograph something beautiful. Every. Single. Time. However, plans to get a new, more professional camera are in the works so there's something to look forward to.

(If i close my eyes long enough, i can smell sourdough bread baking in the over; i can see jam jars sitting pretty on the shelf; i can feel the warm breeze on my skin; i can hear Jason Mraz playing on the stereo, a good book on my lap to tide the sunshine-filled days that we call summer.)

Tonight, i'm cooking aforementioned grilled chicken with a yoghurt and spice marinade, served on green beans and red onions, baked couscous with tomato and pesto and an apple and almond crumble for dessert. It's not every day that i cook such semi-elaborate meals but after a week of soup (lentil first and then fish and veg), i am ready for something a bit more special.

out of the cracks

Opened the window to let in a bit of the cold. Last night, i noticed little yellow flowers on the tree right outside my study. They must come to life only in winter. Just like light that suddenly becomes clear when you thought your dreams were frozen through. I am getting closer to the other side, where the rest of my life is waiting to be lived with joy that is overflowing.