Summer

Has been nice, but it's about to get ugly. I wish I could find an ice bucket to crawl into like these little guys. We will be hiding out as best as we can.

Happy

It was my birthday. The rainbow weekend. It was ALL really lovely. We picked berries and looked at donkeys at Pennyroyal organic raspberry farm. I had a wall sized birthday card and a delicious birthday cake when we arrived at the farm. Lucky me!

Sarah, Sarah.

It is Sarah's birthday, and Saturday night we were celebrating.

Another event styled to perfection, with flowers provided to pin to your lapel and some amazing Turkish delight. Yum!

The dress code was sparkley or sharp. I surprised myself by having absolutely nothing sparkley to wear, so I settled for an angular and boxy kimono instead. Somebody said I must be grown up, I don't think that's it. I dream of a ridiculously sparkley cardigan, I just don't own it. It was also hot, so we drank lots of champagne. Ouch.




All of the people looked great. Then the fez came out.






Happy birthday gorgeous girl!

Happy Birthday!

It was a big weekend for birthday parties, both the dancing all night in the Buffalo Club kind and the Yum Cha palace in Preston kind. They happened in good order and were just what I needed, friends/dancing/food. I loved the post-big-night joy of watching trolleys wheel by with pretty turkeys on wibbling jellys, adorable faces and magical spinning lights.

33

It was my birthday. I had a lovely day. I was treated to two cakes, an afternoon nap, and an evening with friends. What more could a girl want on her birthday. Anyway, I like the sound of 33.

Platform 20

It's Platform's twentieth birthday and there is an exhibition to celebrate it tonight. It features 'all the best artists', a quote from one of the artists involved. I don't disagree.

Artists include:

AND, Kate Cotching, Adam Cruickshank, DAMP, Michael Graeve, Brad Haylock, Richard Holt, Ash Keating, Simone LeAmon, Bridie Lunney & Meredith Turnbull, Simon Pericich, Tape Projects and Andrew Seward.

Fungus

Look who popped up in a pot plant this week.
Also, unrelated, and more importantly, Happy Birthday Adam. I love you.

3 is the magic number

Happy Birthday Sadie and Scout! We went to the party and it was delightful. I've been looking forward to it, they are the most adorable little ladies I've met, and any visit is overwhelming in degrees of cute, times a million. I stayed up late last night making gingerbread letters. It was worth it, as despite my inability to read a recipe, they are tasty, and very pretty too. There were also delicious cupcakes. Enough sweetness to last all week, particularly since (due to my bung recipe skills) I have a mountain of gingerbread dough in the fridge yet to cook.

Tip Top

A perfect summer weekend with saturday pimms and parasols on a rooftop for afternoon tea while lounging in a pool. Happy Birthday Anna! A sunday drive in the hills, a wander through the trees, a country market with tasty strawberries and huge snakes worn as necklaces, little pony rides and some very average country food.

This weekend was brought to you by TIPTOP white bread, featuring in cucumber and egg sandwiches on saturday and cheese and tomato toasties in Gembrook on sunday, anyway, hello white bread, long time no see.

Happy Birthday to me...

I think I used to sing this as a teenager when it was my birthday during school holidays and there would NEVER be a party or friends, just post Christmas slash New Years SLUMPS. Probably also the time I was in Tasmania and not one of my family remembered to call. So, as a twenty five year old I reclaimed the day and demanded my friends celebrate with me and I have since had the best birthdays. I mean really, who needs that much arm-twisting to postpone the cold hard, or, more likely sweltering and delirious reality of a new year for another week when there is cake to eat and watermelon punch to slosh.

I didn't have to sing it to myself this year. I had Andrea bake me an amazing chocolate mousse and raspberry cake and drive me to Heide to picnic in the gardens and rejoice in a lazy manner with loved ones. Then I was just in time back to the city to be spoiled with a special dinner with the one I love. I am slightly concerned about the high notes which this year has opened with, but perhaps it'll just keep on building up to be the year of years. Thanks everyone for good wishes. I feel lucky and spoilt to know such wonderful people.

Not to mention wondering what I did to deserve such special treatment, like this silver leather goon bag from dear Pene, and these, the wooden glasses of my dreams, and the cake and the rest. Ok Shush!

Present

I got home this evening and found a parcel on my desk and a present just laying casually on the bed. It is my birthday tomorrow, and I like surprises, so I didn't poke it or touch it, I just took a photo. Oh Nuts!

A four year old

With cake eyes.

Rocket Cake.

And a wombat in space.

Fifty-five

My Dad turned 55 today. When I left home to go to Uni, he wrote me a letter every week. He'd type it all, including the address on the front of the envelope. I still feel nostalgic for type written letters. His letters were always wonderful, and regularly had me both rolling around laughing and sometimes crying. Now he has moved on to email, and it's not quite the same, still he has a way with words, and writing as he talks which is a combination of straight observation and sly hilarity.

This week he had tales of a firefighting course at Lake Tinaroo, new safety orange uniforms, runaway grand-children, mustering cattle and Alfred (my nephew) recording the backing tracks for his new raps. As usual it makes me slightly homesick and happy to hear from him.
Much love and happy birthday Tony.

afternoon tea

Yesterday I made a pear upside down cake. It was glazed with cinnamon and orange juice. I like an excuse to bake a cake. Thanks miss Hooper for having a birthday afternoon tea.

birthday girl

Happy Birthday lovely lady. Brookie and I concocted a plan to babysit, and whilst babysitting bake a surprise birthday cake for the lady of the moment. Unfortunately Amory had other ideas, and they didn't get to go out to dinner as he wouldn't go to sleep.

Meanwhile I was waiting in the back alley with an unbaked cake, hoping to get word to come in and bake it. Poor Andrea had no idea, and was confused by the attempts to explain. It turned out Ok though, as the smell of baking chocolate cake took over the house. Yum.

Happy Birthday beautiful lady!

happy birthday brookeeee

Easy Writer!
xxxxxxxxxxx

30

yeah ME, thirty.

I had a lovely day of it too, talking to loved ones and eating apfel strudel with snow in the morning and an amazingly delicious Eritrean feast and beer and cheer...

And yes I was still grinning. and I'm still feeling lucky...

Because my grandma called me, and so did brookie, mum and dad, and cake and pie-man and the lovely and amazing andrea... It's good to hear you...

THANKYOU!

happy happy

hi.

long time.

happy new year.

today is my birthday.

happy me.

happy 29 year old me.

don't worry you can save up all your birthday kisses and presents for my return...

SAVE THEM!

it's holidays