Diva Down on the Farm

I am about to confess to three loves. One of which is secret and I will deny if asked about in public.

The first is not a secret and is shared by many.
Beyonce's Single Ladies is such a fun song and the version with the baby dancing in front of the TV - comic gold.

The second is also not a secret to those who know me:
Country boys. No explanation necessary.

The third is not something that I ever want my boyfriend to find out about. He would never let me live it down. (He knows about the aforementioned love - he is one).
Truth is, I love John Williamson. Always have. My childhood best friend and I used to put on backyard concerts, singing his songs in our off key, 6 year old harmonies. We rather enjoyed "Rip, Rip Woodchip" which pandered to our environmental sensibilities, but our personal (and of course, the crowd) favourite would have been "True Blue" with its reference to smoko. I love that term. My grandma, Sal, has always called morning tea; smoko.

Anyhoo

You can imagine my utter delight when I saw all three combined this Saturday morning.




Cameos don't get much better than that (and they're all in Bonds wife beaters to boot)

They also played "Take it from me", by Girlfriend, not long after that little gem. Gerbera fronted pork pie hats, sunflowers placed chestacularly on a black vest and rose dotted ruffle shirts - bloomin' fantastic.

God bless you Rage.

Do I Need It?

The answer is...

Fare thee well my last $40

from lii luu via Shop til You Drop

You Can Bake Me One of These in a Dutch Oven

This necklace is called Mermaid Farts.

Had to share.

Be-Tray Me

How gorgeous are these arrangements from this real wedding on Snippet and Ink? I am going to steal the idea.

So simple. The tray is a clever idea. It makes me want to position them as extra arrangements on side tables or random pillars (everyone has random pillars floating around their place don't they) and have a main table with a long row of the different shaped green bottles and lilies, moss and tealights.

I actually wanted this to be a nice post, but couldn't resist... I'm getting flash backs to working in the pub and doing a bit of glassy work, although in that case the tray would have the empty bottles, the curly moss/grass would be used serviettes and the calla lilies would most likely be spent cigarettes and their odourous plumes of smoke.

Mmmm, appetising.

Very Hungry Me

Speaking of cake, have you seen this gorgeous Very Hungry Caterpillar Cupcake cake?

Coco Cake Cupcakes are soooo clever

How much fun could you have throwing a Very Hungry Caterpillar party for little kidlets? You could use all the foods in the book by making fruit salads, salami pizza and even mini hotdogs for the sausage. You could have a caterpillar pinata and you could pin leaves on a tree instead of pin the tail on the donkey. At the end, all the kids could get butterfly wings.

I might have to do it for an adult friend instead. Then we could have

2 Pear Mojitos

3 shots of Plum Brandy

4 Strawberry Daiquiris

5 Freshly squeezed Mimosas

and finish with

Watermelon Martinis

pic via Spice and Life

Gimme Some Sugar

So the cake I made a while back was delicious, but I need to learn to follow instructions as the icing I made did not work. I made it like a syrup instead of a glaze.

If only I could glaze like Heather Locklear's eyes

It would have been so good if it had worked. That's the good thing about having brothers though, they ate it all up without a word of complaint.

nom nom nom, cake

PS. My bros are going to love that the picture I have chosen to represent them has them as two chicks licking a giant cupcake. Actually, the more I think of their sick little brains, they are going to love that.

Taking the Cake

I've had a VERY full last few weeks ( I just did a typo when I was writing that and it said "eeks" which I thought was quite apt).

I'd planned to get organised today, sorting out my photos and finds from my AWESOME trip to the Big Apple, but suprisingly, I didn't get round to it. I got myself a bit distracted and this was one of the reasons...

A quick check on Tastespotting brought me to Dreamy Dish and what sounds like an amazing recipe for a Lemon Cornmeal Cake. So, now at 12:15 am, I am waiting for it to come out of the oven so I can glaze it and take it to dinner at my folks tomorrw. I'll let you know how it goes...

Blubber

How auspicious is this...

I started this little whimsy of a blog one year ago yesterday, with a post on my new Moby Dick print.

On this very anniversary day, a white whale calf was spotted just off the coast at Head of Bight. I think he's a little good luck charm, an encouragement to keep on blogging.



I'll have to get one of these from Thalassa Jewellery to make sure I stick with it



And while I'm on whales, how cute is this tweedy little fellow from the Cats Miaow

PS. I originally titled this post Cetacean Surprise, but it sounded like a really dodgy cocktail.

Ingredients:
1 part sperm oil
2 parts rum
Dash of lime
Serve over ice, in a tall glass and garnish with a frozen penguin, baleen stirrer and a twist of kelp

My Life is a Pointer Sisters' Song...

I'm so...and I just can't hide it...

In one week I will be getting on a plane and flying to New York for 10 days. I have not been on a holiday for soooo long and its been about a decade since I travelled overseas. I cannot wait. I've barely made an itinery as I like the idea of just wandering and taking everything in, but i'm going to spend every night this week scouring the net looking at things I can do. If anyone has any suggestions please, please, please let me know.

via here, here, here

Merci

From here

To everyone who has left me a comment, sent best wishes or said a private prayer, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. My mum has had her radiotherapy, chemo and surgery and there is no sign left of the cancer. We feel very blessed.

One Big D and M

So kids, what’s new with you?

As evidenced by my lack of posts the last couple of months, I’ve been a bit sidetracked lately.

I have been weighing up for a long time about whether to write anything about this, but the sun feels like its peeking through the clouds now and I’ve been told that sharing is what makes things better with me – so I am exorcising (and for those who know my mantra – “fitness is shitness”, this is a big thing)
… Oh the puns, I do crack myself up.

Anyhoo, a few months ago I fell into a bit of a hole that, at the time, felt bottomless.

So, this is a cute black dog peeking around the corner, but mine was sucky

I’ve truly never felt that way before and I must say it scared the bejesus out of me. On top of that I had work issues and relationship issues and blah, blah, blah

Then right in the middle of all this came the kicker…

My mum was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer.

Now, my mum Margaret (Margie to her sisters, Mutti to me) is a trooper.

Mum skiing on the Murray in the 70s

She has handled all her treatments with absolute aplomb and a strength that has made me both beam with pride and bawl my eyes out at the same time.

She spent five weeks doing radiotherapy and chemo at the same time. She was given a jaunty bum bag to carry her chemo drugs with her at all times, which is supposed to make it less stressful on the body.

I laughed my arse off when I saw this picture of Madonna child shopping in Malawi as I never thought I’d see the day when my mother and the Queen of Pop were getting around in the same gear (I wouldn’t blink an eyelid if it was my father and the King of Pop; Michael Jackson – Dad’s love of surgical masks, sequinned gloves and military gloves is legendary)... BTW - that was a joke Brenton, we all know that all you share with MJ is a love of The Beatles as evidenced by this mighty Sgt Pepperesque mo.

Awww, young love. I think they're in their early 20's here

Mum got burns from the radiotherapy that sent her back into hospital, unable to walk, but as soon as they were under control, she was as bright and sunny as before again. It is an absolutely effed up situation, not being able to do anything for her, but it has made the family such a tight unit. I have never felt as close to my mum as I do now and I have so much respect for her.

Mum and me and my little bro Rowan

Mum (in the tea cosy - excellent sartorial choice there Marg) and me digging for pipis, I think its at Goolwa

Next week she goes into surgery to have the tumour removed and will have to have a colostomy bag for a few months, which she is already making jokes about.

I am shit-scared, but because of her attitude, I can’t feel anything but positive about the future.

Here’s to rainbows because they are beauty borne from turbulence.

(that sounded a bit happy clappy didn't it?)

Hee hee

Have a Ball

Image via Ffffound

This weekend I am going to take a deep breath and forget about "normal" life. I'm off to Melbourne to celebrate the beautiful Kimberlee's birthday. Whatever you are up to this weekend, I hope you can take some time for a bit of fun.

My Day in Bling

Oh Daily Candy, thank you again for bringing the big wide world to my little computer.

I would especially like to thank you for the deals emails which put me on to Leviticus Jewellery.

They have helped me plan a really fun day...

I would start the day with a morning sail in an elegant balloon

I would blitz the boutiques

I would keep my morals about me by not coveting my neighbour's ass (this is a ten commandments necklace; that was in there, right? I'm sure i remember that from Sunday School)

But to temper my goodness, I would still like to get up to just enough mischief.

I would win a race. (I'd like to pretend it was a running race, but it would more likely be an eating competition).

And I would tell someone I loved them in American Sign Language

Is it Beer O'Clock yet?

I take my lemonade in almost the same way. Except mine is Gin with tonic and a dash of lime.

Cute print from franticmeerkat $US13 on etsy

Red Carpet Green Eyed Monster

Hermione is so grown up now! I love how Emma Watson has become such a stylish young thing. I am putting this Temperley London dress she wore to the BAFTAs on my wish list along with the vintage beauty worn by Thandie Newton. Black is back!

All I want is a room somewhere...

Pic from here

For a grey room, this seems so warm. Love the old black and white family pic at the back. Can just see myself curling up here with a cup of tea and a good book.

Having a crepe day?

This pancake cake should cure it.
How good would this have been for Shrove Tuesday yesterday?
From here, first seen on Snippet & Ink

Sigh

Me love.
If I owned this jumper, I would die happy.
Found via notcouture

Chemicool

If they'd had this Diane von Furstenbeg Lab Coat when I was at school, I surely would not have wagged so many Biology classes.

PS. I think I want to marry this one

Je suis une artiste

According to Typealyzer, I am an artist. (no jokes please about about my medium of choice being bovine excrement)

Pic minus painting acoutrement; Oscar de la Renta pre-fall 2008 from here

The gentle and compassionate type. They are especially attuned their inner values and what other people need. They are not friends of many words and tend to take the worries of the world on their shoulders. They tend to follow the path of least resistance and have to look out not to be taken advantage of. They often prefer working quietly, behind the scene as a part of a team. They tend to value their friends and family above what they do for a living.

Hmmm, kinda fits. Spooky.

Via Presurfer

Flash Trash

If I had a backyard or a driveway I would definitely be purchasing one of these. It is definitely now going to be my stock standard housewarming gift.
As it is, I might just get one of these and set up a hidden camera. Can you image....? Every woman's romantic dream...

These vinyl stickers are all from Wheeliedesigns and are only $35(!)ea for a 240Lt bin. Also, for a little extra, you can upload your own pictures and they will make up your custom design.

What would you get made?

Lustbucket

I have a friend who has a bit of a Chad habit, having dated three of them in a row.
Abner, this one is for you

Let them eat Cake

You know how the best vegies to eat are the strong coloured ones, like carrots, spinach, pumpkin and beetroot.
Surely this has to be good for you too.

Mmmm, Cake!

From The Omnomicom via Food Gawker