Happy Wintry Weekend

It is all kinds of cold in my isolated little neck of the woods, so I am attempting to embrace the weather by looking at the goop Summer Reading Guide.  Wait. That doesn't sound right. No matter - there are a bunch of great book recommendations in the guide, so go check it out if you're looking for some bedtime, fireside or beach-side stories to occupy yourself with.

In addition to reading (who am I kidding... I can barely finish the Saturday paper let alone anything else), I'll be sneaking off to Adelaide to hit up the latest go-to dining venue, The Henry Austin, attend some of their gloriously well-stocked farmer's markets and indulge in the best coffees and ham and cheese croissants a pregnant woman in a winter wonderland could possibly ask for.

On account of the rainy-ness of the weather, I'll probably be looking a little like this (with a really big bump under my shirt of course).

No matter what you're eating, drinking or reading... Have a lovely weekend x

Road Trippin'

Hubby and I have been trying to make the most out of being in a new (remote-ish) location by tripping around and seeing the sights of South Australia and nearby Victoria. South Australia is truly one of the most beautiful parts of this great country - there is a raw honesty to the landscape here, as it is so untouched and there seems to be a genuine appreciation of, and desire to preserve, South Australia's natural environment and the bounty it provides - be it habitat for native wildlife or great food and wine and adventurous destinations for tourists and locals alike.


So far we have done the 4 major wine regions: McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley and most recently Coonawarra. We have literally stuffed ourselves with incredible foods, wines and vistas. We've spent a lot of time in Victoria lately, traversing the Great Ocean Road, and last weekend shopping and eating our way through Melbourne and living it up in spa territory in Daylesford.


This weekend, it is time to slum it. Finally, hubby gets his way and we camp. In tents. Without cooking facilities (other than those we bring ourselves - hello, muesli for dinner!), and I assume the shower will be one of those arrangements where you want to be wearing thongs.  So here's to the less-glamorous weekend. Let the stretcher bed be comfortable, and the milk still cold when I add it to my muesli...

Designer Bircher

As I spoon another mouthful of artfully plated toasted granola with vanilla bean yoghurt and fresh seasonal fruits into my mouth,  I ask myself why I'm spending $13.50 on something I really could have whipped up at home for 1/8th of the price.

A huge part of the reason is so I can see the dear friends I never get to see in an environment that is not my own home (read, I don't have to tidy/vacuum before they drop by). Another is that breakfast, like many other comfort foods in life - I'm looking at you toasted cheese sandwich and Vegemite toast - is better when someone else has made it for you. But equally up there is the ambience factor of a really good cafe. No amount of So Frenchy, So Chic playlists can recreate the vibe of a bustly, beautiful and fabulously popular coffee shop. In particular, there is something very loving about a resplendently designed coffee shop - it's like a very public, warm embrace from Mr Too-Cool, which simply by association renders you invincibly well-loved and hip for the day.

As part of the annual Eat Drink Design awards is (naturally) the Design component. While a beautiful restaurant or bar is all well and good, there really is nothing better than a gorgeous cafe ensconced in subway tiles, exhaling ground coffee beans, and generally being the lighthouse for your Monday morning.

Some of my favourites from this year's cafe design award shortlist are below.

Adelaide's Abbots & Kinney

Perth's Alex Hotel Lobby Espresso & Lounge Bar

South Brisbane's new arrival, Gauge (it is very beautiful) - another cafe from the creator of Sourced in Teneriffe

Harry's at Bondi

Hutch & Co, Lilydale Victoria 

The Kettle Black, South Melbourne

Shoesday: Some People Don't Have Shoes

Adelaide artist Peter Drew has been travelling Australia challenging some of our basic assumptions on this refugee "crisis" we are apparently facing. Some say Australia doesn't have a refugee crisis, and say we have a racism issue. I would argue against that - I think we have some fundamental problems with how our media reports on issues, and I believe our politicians are doing us a disservice by clouding the reality of the situation with their rhetoric and inflammatory use of words.

Peter has been travelling Australia and plans to culminate his trip this week in Canberra as we celebrate (or something) Refugee Week, which started this week. He found inspiration in our national anthem which features the lines:

For those who’ve come across the seas 

We’ve boundless plains to share 

With courage let us all combine 

To advance Australia fair

The posters are really great, and they really make you think twice (I find) when you see them - I think to myself "Am I being welcoming today?". Sometimes my resting bitch face would say "no", I have no doubt ;o)

I wanted to share some important statistics on this issue, as I think it's essential we have perspective and clarity:

Fact 1: It’s not a crime to come to Australia by boat without a visa and ask for protection
People are often fleeing their home country for dear life. And they are legally entitled to do so. 

It is not a crime to arrive here by boat without a valid visa and ask for protection. It is not illegal to flee persecution, to cross borders without documents/passports in order to seek asylum. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines the right to seek asylum from persecution. We should value this document, and the principles it espouses, much more than we currently do.

Fact 2: There’s no official queue for people coming to Australia seeking a safe place to live
It simply doesn't exist in the manner in which it is represented by our politicians and certain sections of the media. 

Fact 3: Only 1% of the world’s refugees is likely to be given safe haven in any given year
And that's a tragedy. Need outstrips supply in a major way. No wonder there are human traffickers lining up to deal in this awful trade of hope and survival.

As the Refugee Council of Australia notes:

We know from our decades and decades of experience working with vulnerable migrants that the vast majority of asylum seekers and refugees flee to escape persecution, torture and death – dangers inflicted on them because of their race, religion, nationality, social group or political opinions.

Some have seen their closest relatives and friends murdered, and their homes and villages burnt to the ground. They’ve suffered torture and their bodies, like their minds, are covered in scars that will never disappear. They are survivors. They come from all walks of life, rich and poor. They flee, simply, because they want to live.

Have you put your welcome mat out lately? And what kind of country do you want to live in? One that genuinely attempts to discharge its obligations as a privileged (in terms of development) member of the United Nations in a fair and compassionate manner? Or somewhere different?  Insular, unwelcoming and - worst of all - uninformed?

Friday Blush

It's June, I say with an enormous sigh. And by "June", I mean winter.

After a quick trip to Melbourne this week, where temperatures plummeted to 3 degrees overnight and rose to a measly 12 degree max temp (eroded rapidly by Antarctic winds), I was pleased that I had packed an entire sheep's worth of woollen clothing. Unfortunately, all items were shades of grey, charcoal and moonless midnight black. Of course we love black. Black is the timeless classic that makes us look chic, put together and efficient all at once. However there can be too much of a good thing.

So I give you woollen jackets in all the colours our cheeks turn when confronted with a gorgeous man, a freezing wind, too much champagne or simply happy news: blush.

And then there was this - sparkling pink shearling coats. I. Die.

Gimme. 

Happy Friday. Stay warm! xo

Happy Monday to the Ballerinas

In honour of its latest ballet, Imperial Suite (a double bill featuring US and French choreographers), the Australian Ballet commissioned a series of pictures dedicated to ballet in the theme of the loveable Paris vs New York: A Tale of Two Cities.

Speaking of ballet, I feel obliged to tell you about my current Fitness Obsession (if you count attendance on a once per week basis an "obsession"...)

Xtend Barre in all its variations (there are so many now that the craze has caught on - Ballet Burn, CardioBarre whatever you want to call it) in a nutshell combines ballet with pilates.  But Barre is so much more than that. It's ballet exercises (the tedious ones we used to hate when we were petite ballerinas itching to put our pointe shoes on) to pop music. It's arm toning without the muscle tees and 'roid boys watching from the corner. It's pilates without feeling bored, and most of all it's fun! 

While you don't wear a tutu, you don't feel any less of a hardcore ballerina as you sweat through your plies. Images of Natalie Portman's dedicated Black/White Swan aren't far from your thoughts as you point your toes, centre your hips and hold and lift your leg that inch ever-higher. It's a great, low-impact workout, that I truly believe gives you great results. Dubbed one of the Victoria's Secret angels' best kept workout secrets for years, the cat is truly out of the bag these days - I highly recommend getting yourself to a class!

The other great thing about Barre is that if you don't have access to a studio class , you can get a DVD of workouts and do it at home with the aid of a chair, 2 x 1kg weights and a pilates ball - it's that easy!

There are studios all over Australia, so there are no excuses (although quality of instructors is highly variable). I went to a fantastic studio in Toowong, Brisbane and in Adelaide I absolutely love Aleenta Barre in the East end of the city. As barre-devotees would say - meet you at the barre.

And finally, I think we can finish our Monday on this note:

Shoesday: Prostitution or Perfection?

Things have dramatically frozen over here in Adelaide, going from a lovely-in-the-sun 22 degrees (this used to be freezing in my books, which goes to show I am acclimatising - slowly) to today's hideous 17 degrees, no sun and bucketloads of rain. The remainder of the week doesn't look much better.

In anticipation of this distressing turn of events, I began researching boots over the weekend. In particular, the over-the-knee boot (also known as the OTKB in blogger talk). This is a tricky trend to pull off - firstly if you're not a supermodel with lengthy, slim-line limbs and secondly if you don't want to be confused with Julia Roberts' perfect rendition of a prostitute with a heart of gold in Pretty Woman. 

There are a lot of OTKB boots out there in retail-land, be it at bricks & mortar retailers or online. As they're slightly costlier than their to the knee little sister, you don't want to mess this up. Somehow, this decision seems very difficult, and one misstep could lead to complete wardrobe disaster and worst of all, I'll wear them once and banish them to the back of my wardrobe, only to hope to sell them on ebay many years hence when the trend is well and truly over. 

The first trick appears to be to wear the OTKB with a mini skirt of some kind. Pants don't seem to get a look in. I'm ok with that, as I have an aversion to wearing pants anyway (Beyonce, Lady Gaga and I have loads in common). 

Secondly, stick to black. It's safe, sexy and you'll wear it season after season.

The third trick seems to relate to where on your leg the boots finish. Some (like in the above pic) finish just scraping the top of the knee (the more common variety of OTKB), and others go nuts and slink halfway up your thigh. In that case, I suppose they are technically thigh-high boots... 

 

Finally, and inevitably like all items of clothing, shoes or fashion items of any kind, it really does help to be a supermodel.

What are your thoughts on this trend? Root, shoot or marry? 

Happy Friday: Lovers

Today I am beside myself with anticipation: the hubby is popping down to visit for the weekend. At last he will see my second home for himself - the kitchen I Facetime him from as I cook dinner, the bed I have clothed in adorable polka dot sheets which I don't think would make it into our shared apartment (too girly), and the city I wander through on long summer evenings, wishing fervently we were in a restaurant with friends chatting animatedly as so many seem to do in the trendy suburb of North Adelaide.

Pretty sheets and pink pillow cases tend to fall by the wayside once you start sharing a room with a man

It will also give me an opportunity to see Adelaide on the weekend - Glenelg beaches, Leigh St bars and cafes, East End shops and Unley and Croydon lifestyle. I'm looking forward to it! It's also a big month for Adelaide - Fringe Festival is in full swing, Adelaide Festival kicks off tonight, and the race cars are zooming around the city as we speak for Clipsal 500.

Festival go-ers will flock to the banks of the River Torrens for a free opening night party for the Adelaide Festival (a thrill for culture vultures such as myself) this evening
 

But mostly I'm looking forward to seeing my husband, who I haven't seen for 2 weeks and who I miss desperately. Being in love is always a huge comfort (when they love you back of course!), but it carries with it the agony of needing a specific person in your life. Love is most definitely bittersweet, but mainly sweet.

I hope you all have a beautiful weekend, whatever it is you are doing.