Happiness - A Sense of Occasion

We live at a point in history where most of the time, if we want something we can get it.  I'm not talking the big stuff or life ambitions.  I'm talking consumer goods.  Feel like a particular type of food, it is probably in your local supermarket.  Want some new shoes, there are stores both physical and online full of them.

Gone are the days when a roast chicken was enough of a treat that it was limited for Christmas, dessert was only had after a special Sunday dinner or when a new item of clothing was controlled by rations and expense.  In the first world at least, food, clothes and other materialistic possessions in general are cheaper and more readily available than ever before and I think it means that we have forgotten how to make things treats, we have forgotten how to have a sense of occassion.

When I was a child soft drink was reserved only for parties.  I remember the almost ceremonial process of choosing the soft drink that we would be allowed to have for the day and then the super excitement if there was any left over that we could have a glass of with dinner over the rest of the week.  It was just soft drink but its scarcity made it exciting.  Something to look forward to and enjoy.

These days I don't drink much soft drink but there is usually some in the cupboard or fridge.  Soft drink has lost its aura of specialness.

I may have lost the battle with soft drink but I do try to maintain a sense of occasion in my life.  Any birthday cards or presents I get early are only opened on the day.  Christmas decorations go up in December.  Special tablecloths and good dinner wear is used for family functions.  And then there are hot cross buns ...

Mum talks about how when she was a child they were available for the week before Easter.  They were a treat you looked forward to for the whole year.  Now you can get them on boxing day - so you can have roughly 4 months of hot cross buns.  I love hot cross buns, I really adore them but I know that if I ate them from the moment they were available some of that joy and anticipation would disappear.  If they become just something that gets added in the shopping basket by habit they would lose that feeling of treating myself.

I do not quite have the self control to limit myself to just the week before Easter, so I limit myself to having them during Lent, the 6 weeks before Easter.  And in those 6 weeks I savoir every mouthful.  They truly are a treat, something to look forward to, to relish and enjoy.  In this way I make sure that they stay special.

Anticipation of something good is a fantastic feeling but it doesn't have to just be associated with waiting for a big event like a holiday.  Adding a little anticipation into every day life by taking things that could be ordinary and making them special is one way to add some great feeling into every day.  Hot cross buns are just one of those ordinary things that I make special in my life.  It is all about taking a day and making it an occasion.

Do you have things you save for special?  What was the last "occasion" you created?

National Multicultural Festival

I often describe Canberra as a hidden city.  When giving advice to new arrivals I tell them that you have to do your research, there is plenty on but it is hidden away.  It isn't like you can just go into the city and find a heap of stuff to do.  However there is one exception to that rule, and that is the National Multicultural Festival.

Over one manic weekend, the city really does come alive in a massive celebration of all the fantastic elements brought to our community by the many cultures present here.  Tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people turn out and the whole centre of the city is cordoned off and filled with stages and stalls.  There are bands, dancers, all sorts of festivities but what it is really about is the food and drink.  In fact the colloquial name for it is Beer and Meat on a Stick Day.

S is not a big eater but I was determined to eat my way around the world.  We actually only had one thing on a stick, a fantastic satay from the Mong Chinese stand.  I could have eaten several of these but there were more tasty treats to be had.

Our favourite item of the day was larp from the Laotian stand.  We got the very last serve of the day (much to the annoyance of the woman behind me in the line).  We had never eaten it before and its rather bland appearance belied its fresh, spicy flavours.  We loved it so much that when we got home we quickly started googling recipes.

However it was quite hot, especially with the extra chilli flakes we added so a mango lassi was in order.  Unfortunatly it was a little light on the mango, definitely not the best we have had but the yogurt was still nice and cooling to our chilli filled mouths.

A few years ago I travelled through South America, so the Peruvian street food stand caught my eye.  We had a Peruvian chilli which I really enjoyed, although S didn't rate it.  It was full of corn, beans, potato and meat, I thought it was delicious.  We washed it down with Inca Kola, the ubiquitous Peruvian drink.  If you haven't experienced it, it tastes somewhat like creaming soda, is luminous yellow and has enough sugar and food colouring in it that I was hyperactive for several hours after.

Finally, I had to get myself a chip on a stick. I've got no idea what the multicultural part of this is, but who can go past a whole potato cut into a spiral, stuck on a stick, battered, deep fried and tossed in your choice of salt flavour (we had salt and vinegar).  It was super!

We wandered through the crowded city streets filled with people in national costume, stalls sending out delicious scents and stages where music from all over the world was playing.

In past years S has performed in various salsa routines but this year we just went to cheer on friends.  We saw one of dance teachers giving the crowd a meringue lesson (and nearly falling off the stage) and watched friends perform a rueda (a type of salsa from Cuba that is danced in a circle with a caller calling the moves).

The atmosphere was wonderful.  Sure it is crowded and noisy, but the sights, sounds, smells are brilliant and the crowd is happy and ebullient - probably helped by the beers of a dozen nations or more that are on tap.

I think Canberra has a very white image.  White faced public servants dressed in grey suits.  Certainly if you watch the evening news that is what you see.   The National Multicultural Festival gives a brilliant insight into what a complex and culturally diverse place it really is and I for one do my best to never miss a Beer and Meat on a Stick Day.

Girls Night

One of my favourite gatherings has to be the girls night.  After all what can be more fun than gathering with a group of your best girlfriends over delicious food and heaps of drink for all the catching up and gossiping we can manage.

Last year was a little short on girls nights.  It isn't that I didn't see my gorgeous possy of girls, it was just usually in the context of one on one catch ups or larger gatherings.  So I decided to kick things off early this year and we have made a promise to hold them more regularly.

I nearly always serve tacos.  They are so easy to make, simple to have gluten and/or dairy free (essential in my circle) and you can dress them up to suit yourself.  We drank Pimms and lemonade, white wine sangria and caprioskas - with some alcohol free punch for the drivers.  We chatted about what is happening in everyone's lives, workshopped wedding scenarios (there are 3 upcoming) and discussed various snippets of news.  All pretty much our standard fare.

The thing about a girls night, however, is they are always so relaxed.  I never worry about what to wear.  Food is casual, conversation is flowing and the laughter rarely stops.  They really are truly relaxed gatherings.  And more to the point these are friends I absolutely trust, so it is the perfect group to talk through anything that is on my mind.

I feel really grateful to have found such a gorgeous group of girls and can imagine these nights will continue till we all have to arrange to be in the same nursing home together.

That crazy, frantic, joyous time of year

I know you have seen him before but I just love this little Santa - he is actually a bell!

Sorry about the break in posts, I'm having computer issues and on a happier note the last few weeks have been packed with social activities.  The dark circles under my eyes required extra concealing today and while I would have loved a few extra hours sleep, I wouldn't have given up all the fun I had over the weekend.

I always find December a strange time of year.  There is a certain frantic atmosphere as people rush about, finishing projects, organising presents, cooking feasts and treats.  There is a certain sense of fatigue as it seems the effect of a year of work piles up.  But there is also a certain joy in the air.  A sense of celebration and frivolity.  People walk around in Santa hats and with funny Christmas themed t-shirts.  There are parties and gatherings.  Christmas cards arrive in the mail and there is the anticipation of what lies in the brightly coloured parcels under the Christmas tree.  It is a time of year where amidst jostling crowds of harried shoppers, Christmas carols and the excited squeal of a child who has just spotted Santa makes us all smile.

We attended three Christmas events over the weekend - two end of year parties for our dance schools and a Christmas themed BBQ.  Each event was full of happy people.  When talk turned to work everyone seemed to heave a tired sigh but in no time at all the conversation returned to holidays and fun plans.  I caught up with a friend who I haven't seen in a year and it was like no time had passed at all.  I'm exhausted after a couple of very late nights but my spirit has been lifted by the celebration.

All in all, it is a wonderful, crazy, frantic, joyous time of year.

I love the growing pile of presents under our tree

Moldova was robbed! A Eurovision wrap.

I love Eurovision.  However I love it in a very specific set of circumstances.  Eurovision must be watched with a large group of people wearing strange clothes, while eating yummy food and drinking lovely drinks.  The Sunday night time slot means that my responsibly employed friends and I do not take part in the Eurovision drinking game (there are many versions of the game, but this is a good run down on the general rules), however there was plenty of food, a sensible number of drinks and yes, some unusual outfits.

This year the horde gathered in our lounge room.  The feast was spread.  We provided assemble your own yeeros - pita bread, slow cooked Greek lamb, tomato, lettuce, cucumber and a delicious sauce made of roasted garlic, greek yoghurt, fresh oregano and lemon juice.  But there were plenty of other delicious treats to keep us fed and watered.

I wanted to wear an all white, silver spangled jumpsuit, but not owning such an item I settled for wearing every other colour I could find.  S was slightly taken aback when I emerged from the bedroom complete with purple eyeshadow and winged eyeliner.  My friends made similar efforts, I was particularly thrilled by the pastel striped glittery jacket that one of my (male) friends apparently already owned and wore for the night.

Soon however our attention turned from food and clothing to the TV.  We sat for hours, commenting loudly on anything and everything.  Here is our wrap of the night:

UK - Engelbert Humperdinck - Love Will Set You Free
Oh Englebert, you were so very boring and off key.  Even your dancers (who were quite good) didn't capture a room full of dance enthusiasts.  I'm astonished he managed to garner 12 points.

Hungray - Compact Disco - Sound of our Hearts
The singer wore a leather coat and looked a bit like Robbie Williams.  There were flame throwers, but the song was pretty forgettable.

Albania - Rona Nishliu - Suus
Her hair made me think of the urban legend of the man killed by spiders living in his dreadlocks.  But there were just so many questions raised by Rona.  How did they stick that dread to her chest?  Why was her cape pinned to her boobs?  Why was she screaming?  Did she get 146 points for that song because people were afraid she would eat their soul if they didn't vote for her?

Lithuania - Donny Montell - Love is Blind
Donny proved that props are only good at Eurovision when they have sequins.  We loved that sequined blindfold however then he had to start dancing.  The one hand cartwheel was impressive, the pelvic thrusts with strategic microphone placement - not so much.

Bosnia & Herzegovina - Maya Sar- Korake Ti Znam 
A sort of central European Delta Goodrum with sparkly shoulder pads.  Did anyone else notice that this year the traditional Eurovision white outfits were outweighed by the black? 

Russia - Buranovskiye Babushki- Party For Everybody 
The dancing Russian grannies were a favourite to win and lets face it you could see why.  What is there not to love about 6 dancing Babushka dolls who bake biscuits while singing a party anthem.  A worthy second place but I do understand those of you who wanted them to win. 

Iceland - Greta Salóme & Jónsi- Never Forget
I thought these guys were actually pretty good and deserved more points than they got.  Ok so I was kind of worried by Jónsi's canine teeth, that guy had a bit of vampire going on and I think their choreographer may have previously directed the models on the Price is Right, but still, a decent song and Greta had an awesome dress (black again).

Cyprus - Ivi Adamou - La La Love 
Ivi proved that you don't have to be drunk in a bar to dance on a table, you can do it in a flesh coloured partially see-through dress at Eurovision too!  We gave her points for her high energy singing whilst dancing, but the song didn't grab us.

France - Anggun - Echo (You And I) 
When in doubt add acrobats.  Actually they were pretty awesome.  So too was Anggun's train and use of the wind machine.  Oh and the song was ok - plus it was a French entry partially sung in English, drink up those on the drinking game.

Italy - Nina Zilli - Out of Love
There were some serious shades of Amy Winehouse here.  I loved her, the song was great and boy could that girl wear gold lame.  I might actually consider buying this song - it was definitely too good to win Eurovision.

Estonia - Ott Lepland- Kuula
If there was a Eurovision category for best eyebrows Ott would have won it hands down. We did feel a bit sorry for his backup singer who barely got in a shot let alone a close up though - that said at least she was wearing Eurovision white.

Norway - Tooji - Stay
I don't know why Europe wasn't voting for the Scandinavian countries this year but we thought Tooji was great.  Extremely good looking, some great dance moves, and a decent song.  No idea what politics were behind them only scoring 7 points.

Azerbaijan - Sabina Babayeva - When The Music Dies
You would certainly hope for good staging as the home act and the lighting on Sabina's dress was impressive and she had the full smoke machine / wind machine going on. Also impressive were her eyelashes, I would love to know how many sets of falsies she was wearing.  The song was ok, nothing brilliant, but still a decent act from the host country.

Romania - Mandinga - Zaleilah
Every Eurovision needs a moon walking bagpipe player and this year Romania provided it.  You are only allowed 6 performers on stage at Eurovision, so this 7 piece band had to leave their trumpet player in the dressing room.  Luckily no one actually plays an instrument in the performances so they could just dance on stage with them.  Unfortunate the song just wasn't that great.

Denmark - Soluna Samay- Should've Known Better
Was it just that every Scandinavian vote went to Sweden because we thought Soluna was great.  Ok so costuming apparently forgot the cellist who just wore a hoodie and wasn't grooving, but we loved the rest of this act.  Definitely deserved more than 21 points.

Greece - Eleftheria Eleftheriou - Aphrodisiac
It has been said that in times of trouble hemlines get shorter, in my lounge room the question of what defines a garment as a dress rather than a top was hotly debated.  What I can tell you was that the Greek entry featured some great legs and a rather lame song.

Sweden - Loreen - Euphoria
The winning song. It was good and the act made excellent use of the wind machine, however they could have used some better lighting.  I have to say, I wasn't blown away like the rest of Europe apparently was because it was a run away victory.

Turkey - Can Bonomo - Love Me Back
He was dressed as a sailor.  His backup singers wore capes that they transformed into a boat - a boat!  Other than that it was a pretty terrible song.

Spain - Pastora Soler - Stay With Me
In the year of Eurovision songs about breakups/broken hearts Spain had another.  And another transparent dress when the lights hit her white dress from behind.  Drinkers probably would have got to have a second sip based on the size of her hair, that seemed close to a head sized bun to me.

Germany - Roman Lob - Standing Still 
He wore a tea cosy on his head and had a strange tattoo on his chest.  The song was ok, nothing particularly memorable from Germany this year.

Malta - Kurt Calleja - This Is The Night
Kurt wore one yellow glove - a Michael Jackson tribute which coordinated with the socks of his backup dancers, as you do.  There was some fancy footwork and a pretty decent song, although it didn't score well.

FYR Macedonia - Kaliopi - Crno I Belo
Kaliopi seemed somewhat confused if this was Eurovision or a job interview.  Her black suit was just not Eurovision and the song, well it was pretty awful.

Ireland - Jedward - Waterline
Thank god for Ireland.  After the monochrome nature of this year's line up we were in serious need of some silver and gold leprechauns who randomly leapt around the stage and ended their act in a fountain.  I was so mesmerised that I have no idea what their song was like but I loved them for truly encompassing the spirit of all that is good about Eurovision.  Also if anyone was still playing the drinking game Jedward would have rendered them unconscious.

Serbia - Željko Joksimović - Nije Ljubav Stvar 
It was all a bit serious, mysterious and there was that strangely creepy clarinetist wandering around in the background.

Ukraine - Gaitana - Be My Guest
She had flowers on her head, they flouted the 6 people only rule by having holographic backgrounds with strangely suggestive crotch lines.  The song was upbeat, they had male dancers in skirts, what was not to love.

Moldova - Pasha Parfeny - Lăutar
Oh, my beloved Moldova.  The unicycle riding pixies were robbed last year and Pasha and his strangely robotic dancing girls were robbed this year.  ROBBED I tell you.  Not only did they have hands down the best costumes, their fantastic little jazzy song had me dancing in my seat.  Next year has to be Moldova's year.

And so Eurovision fades into the background for another year - and we await what Sweden will deliver in 2013.  Will it match the Crystal Hall whose facade lit up with the flag of each performer?  Will the hosts be as cheesy?  Will the interval entertainment feature lasers, flame throwers and a dictator's son-in-law?  Only time will tell.

Did you watch Eurovision?  Who did you think deserved to win?

Mother's Day

So today is Mother's Day.  A day for spoiling our mothers.  My sister and I will be making brunch for our Mum but no details yet because if there is one person in the whole world who I know will read this blog it is my Mum - aka my most loyal follower.

I've been blessed with a super fantastic mother.  We are very close, speak pretty much every day, see each other at least once a week.  Next week she is going to a morning tea called "Aspire to Inspire" where everyone is meant to tell a story of their life to inspire others.  Mum is going to talk about her Dad (who was amazing) because she didn't think she was very inspirational.  Well I disagree, Mum is absolutely an inspiration to me in so many ways.

So Mum, here are a few ways that you inspire me every day.

Mum puts family above everything. Lots of people say that family is the most important thing in their life.  For my Mum that statement is an understatement, our family really is the most important thing in the world to her and she is its centre.  She is the star that we all revolve around.  I don't have the words to describe how Mum makes this family just work.

Mum is exceptionally kind and caring.  She has a whole host of people who she checks in on and helps in any way she can.  She has spent countless hours doing all sorts of things, amazing things like sitting with people in hospital, running errands, talking on the phone.  I doubt she realises just how important those phone calls, morning teas and chats are to those people but there are very few people who go out of their way for others like my Mum does.

Mum is a volunteer.  For my whole life Mum has been volunteering at one thing or another.  These days she volunteers as a diversional therapist at a nursing home.  Nursing homes are the kind of places most of us avoid.  But Mum heads over, at least once a week to do a cooking demonstration giving the residents a real highlight of their week plus something much more delicious than normal to eat.

There are so many other things I could say, but maybe I can sum it up like this. Mum, you taught me about family and love.  You taught me to be kind, to care and to give of myself.  You taught me that money is a means to an end not an end in itself.  You taught me to cook, to draw, to be self-sufficient. You taught me to be a good friend, a good daughter and I hope one day I can be as good a mother as you have and always will be.

Happy Mother's Day.

Cupcakes Galore

Last night we celebrated my sister's birthday in style.  Over cocktails and mountains of delicious middle eastern finger food everyone laughed and chatted the night away.

My contribution to the night was dessert in the form of cupcakes.  Even after the mountains of delicious finger food I was happy to see that the cupcakes went down a treat.  I made two types, super chocolate and orange and poppyseed.

The chocolate ones are probably my signature cupcake and are regularly requested.  I use this recipe but for cupcakes add a packet of choc bits and bake them for 14-20 minutes depending on your cupcake size.  It makes about 15-20 large cupcakes (depending on how large they are) and about 40 small cupcakes.  Once iced, I always refrigerate these cupcakes as it sets the icing and makes the cupcake go more dense and fudgy.

The orange and poppyseed cupcakes were from this recipe which is worth the read just for the hilarity of the writing.  It was the first time I'd made this recipe into cupcakes and it made 21 large cupcakes which took 30 minutes to bake.  It is a flourless recipe, but beware, baking powder usually contains gluten so it isn't a perfect option for someone with a serious gluten intolerance.  The recipe doesn't have icing, so I made a pretty standard cream cheese frosting of:

125g butter
250g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups icing sugar
orange zest to taste

You just beat everything together and it makes an extremely tasty frosting.  For me the secret to this however is to use light cream cheese.  It just makes for a better tasting, easier to spread or pipe frosting.

Seeing as the cupcakes were for a special occasion I had a lovely time piping icing and decorating them.  But the best part of making anything like this is watching everyone enjoy them - oh and getting the leftovers to take home.  S and I will be having a yummy afternoon tea today!

Holiday Traditions - Part 2

Recently S and I were doing some tidying, trying to declutter.  "What is in this box?" he asked.  "Easter decorations" I replied.  With that he gave me a look that in one glance said, "I'm never quite going to understand this obsession with decorating the house for religious festivals that you don't follow and filling it with extra things that require dusting and storage".

What can I say, I love pretty things and I have some very pretty Easter eggs (plus I'm the one that does the dusting).  I love to fill an old silver bowl with the eggs that I've inherited, collected or been given over the years.  My favourites are the intricately painted Russian looking ones.  They are just gorgeous and so detailed.  They have come from all over the place but Oxfam does seem to have them most years.

I also have a number of cute little fluffy yellow chicks scattered about, and somewhere in the house (although we couldn't find where we put them during the tidying) there is a pair of mechanical bunnies that dance to Mambo Number 5.  Not sure how Easter-y they really are, but they sure were an amazing find by my mother last year.

Of course, decorations would not be complete without a bowl of Cadbury solid milk chocolate mini eggs.  Their rainbow coloured foil wrappers have been a part of Easter for as long as I can remember.  Whether or not you rate Cadbury chocolate as edible or not, you can't knock the decorating aspects of a pretty foil wrapper.

Do you decorate for Easter?  And if you do, do people consider you as crazy as my partner considers me?

Holiday Traditions - Part 1

My family is not religious, however in a society that is based on Christianity, we have developed our own traditions that tie in with the major festivals (and therefore public holidays).  Most of them revolve around three key elements: family, friendship and feasting.  At regular intervals during the year, these religious festivals mark for us a time to reconnect with those we love and doing so invariably involves mountains of delicious food.

Ask me to think of Easter food and the first item that comes to mind is (surprisingly for a choco-holic like me) not chocolate Easter eggs, it is hot cross buns.  I'm a traditionalist.  Leave your chocolate chip / mocca / white chocolate and cranberry buns to someone else, for me it is fruit all the way.  Although I will say I do prefer them when they are light on the mixed peel.

I like my hot cross buns warmed in the oven, then slathered with butter that melts into puddles.  Nothing else, no jam or honey, just butter and a nice strong cup of tea to wash them down with.

I know that I can get hot cross buns from about the 28th of December, but I like to save them till just before Easter to preserve the specialness.  I've been enjoying them for the last two weeks and they are super delicious.  I come in from my morning walk, often chilled at the moment, turn on the oven and soon have pipping hot cross bun before me.  As comfort food goes, this rates highly!

So tell me, what are your Easter traditions?  And how do you like your hot cross bun?

The Multicultural Festival

"How are you enjoying Canberra's best weekend?" I hear a woman behind me say to her friend.  "I mean the rest of the country thinks it is all about Australia Day, but all the locals know that the best weekend in Canberra is the Multicultural Festival."

It is a big call, Canberra's best weekend.  I don't know about that, but I do know it is always amazing.  Walking through the city transformed into a land of sensory overload is fabulous.  Where the smell of delicious food tantalises, the bright colours of traditional costumes amaze and then there are all the fantastic performances.  I'm hoping my word pictures are enough because I was so busy looking at everything I forgot to take any photos!

Having been in the dance community for quite some time now I saw a lot of familiar faces around the Latin stage, but I also saw amazing African dancing, there were brightly coloured Bollywood dancers, feathered Pacific Islanders.  It was fantastic.  And of course S was performing and he was great.

In between watching all the entertainment I ate!  There was my first experience of a hopper from Sri Lanka - I'm keen to seek out a Sri Lankan restaurant now.  Potato pancakes from somewhere in Europe, a spicy lamb croquette type thing also from Sri Lanka, a Vietnamese satay stick, a delicious watermelon, pineapple and coconut drink from the Pacific Islands.   There was so much more I wanted to try, but alas my stomach is only so big.

This year the festival was a little more spread out which was great as the crowds just seem to grow and grow..  I wore my Mum's dirndl (traditional German/Austrian dress) which is somewhat of a mini on me - the skirt is meant to come below the knee - because how many opportunities are there?  We wandered, danced, ate and of course being Canberra met up with heaps of people.  It was fantastic, I'm already planning my approach for next year (go earlier, wear pants with a stretchy waist band).

Frocktober - day ten

There were lots of things I loved about turning 30, but one of the main ones was realising how comfortable I now am in my own skin.  After years of feeling like an ugly duckling, never knowing what I should look like, how I should dress etc, I now feel comfortable in my style and happy with how I look (mostly, I do of course still have days when it just doesn't come together).  Possibly this is why I now seem to have no problem wearing very short skirts and even posting photos of myself on the internet wearing no makeup at all!

Today's dress is another from ASOS.  It has quite a flouncy skirt which doesn't necessarily give me the most flattering waist line, but I love the bounce and sway of the masses of skirt, it makes me feel incredibly girly.  It was complimented by cute burgundy tights by Leona Edmonson and my lovely birthday shoes from S.

Today was my birthday and I was incredibly spoiled by a whole host of super wonderful people.  I have to say, it really was one of the best birthdays I've ever had.  It was a relatively quiet day, but every aspect of it was full of love, happiness, smiles and warmth (metaphorically speaking, it was actually a bit grey and cold meteorologically speaking).  I finish this day reflecting on what a truly lucky person I am.

Spring has sprung and love is in the air

The first day of spring - it is amazing how flipping over a page of the calendar can be so very exciting.  How it can bring a smile to your face as warm as the gorgeous spring sunshine.  In reality the season of spring has been here for a couple of weeks now, but there is something about the first of September that just makes the world a little bit brighter.

The first of September is a significant day in my family not just because it heralds blossom, sunshine and the promise of summer, but because it is my parents' wedding anniversary.  Yes those two gorgeous people at the top are my parents on their wedding day.  The rather romantic date had more to do with the fact that it was the first Saturday of the school holidays (Mum was a teacher) than the change of season, but the symbolicness wasn't lost on anyone.

Do you remember the 90's sit com "Mad About You"?  The very last episode was told from their daughter's perspective about how her parents had the perfect relationship.  Perfect not in that it was all roses and stardust, in fact there were fights and silences and hard times.  It was perfect in that no matter what happened, what challenges life threw up, through the good times and the bad times they got through it all together.  That they were stronger as a unit, each was part of the other.  My parents are just like that.  The past decade or so has been a rollercoaster.  Mum and Dad have had amazing challenges, it has been tough.  But you know, I look at them and I see that couple in the picture, still smiling full of love even if there is a bit more experience behind it.  I often wonder if I have the strength that would enable me to survive what they have and I hope that I can live up to the amazing example of a real life together that they have set.

I guess most people celebrate their wedding anniversary quietly as a couple, but being my family, no celebration is really complete without the whole crew in tow.  Add in that Thursday is family dinner night and there really seemed to be no option other than for us to all celebrate together.  So tonight, us kids are taking Mum and Dad out to a rather gorgeous restaurant.  It will be a fitting way to celebrate what is and will always be a very special date.

I know this picture is a little bury but I had to include it to show the magnificence of my Dad's maroon suit - they had wedding cars to match.  And the bridesmaids wore avocado (as in the colour not the fruit).  Ahh the beauty of a wedding in the 70's.

Mother's Day

I've said it before and I will no doubt say it again and again - I have the best Mum.

Mother's day is always a tad challenging.  In reality we know that Mum will love whatever we do and whatever we get her.  But every year my sister and I want to come up with something even better than the year before.  There are some elements that have to be included - the first being spending time together.  There is nothing more important to all of us than our family, so being together is the most important thing.

The next element is usually food.  We are all foodies, so good food is a must.

Finally a present.  Mum has long said she doesn't want "stuff:".  She has a house full of things, and doesn't need more.

This year I think we hit a winner.  The get together was brunch - food and family in one.  We included my brother-in-law's family because the more the merrier and had a wide array of breakfast delicacies from museli with rhubarb compote and a beautiful vanilla yogurt to the traditional cooked breakfast.  It was held at my sister's house so that the puppies could be involved too.

Family and food out of the way, it was on to the present.  Mum loves to read, so books were an obvious choice.  However her favourite book "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett has just been made into a mini-series that isn't even available in Australia yet.  Thanks to the wonder of the internet, we were able to source it for her.

All in all it made for a lovely mother's day.

So Mum, I hope you enjoyed it, because we love you and you deserve it!

Surprise Parties

Have you ever organised a surprise party?  If you have, you will know what it is like.  The sneaking around, organising of diversionary tactics, the hoping none of the guests give the secret away!

Over the last few weeks I've been involved on the edges of the organising of a surprise party for someone who is almost impossible to surprise.  Sneakily we have sourced photos to create a photo book present.  People have been invited, games have been arranged, catering organised.  There have been elements of danger, such as how to involve the people who we know absolutely cannot keep a secret.  There has been complications such as the fact everyone is working really hard and has hardly any free time.

But people have been amazingly helpful.  Friends offered their houses as staging points.  Others are providing food (including the most amazing custom birthday cake) or transport or any number of the other elements you need for successful party - let alone a surprise one.

And in the end, we managed it.  I don't quite know how, but it all came together in the end. What a brilliant success.

The Royal Wedding

I am thoroughly excited.  Tonight is the Royal Wedding and I will be watching it with 20-something women at my house.

At heart I'm still a little girl who loves nothing more than to play dress ups and look at pretty things.  Yes, I do realise that does make me sound somewhat shallow, but every now and then you need a break from the realities of an adult existence in a flawed world.  It has been a pretty tragic year with little happy news on the ground, so it doesn't surprise me that everyone has got so carried up in the fairytale.  The Royal Wedding is the perfect opportunity for me and my girlfriends to get together, drink champagne and be 100% girly for a few hours.

I've bedecked the house with red and blue streamers, there are red, white and blue serviettes arranged in fan shapes and two TVs are set up for the best viewing opportunities.  We will be drinking Kir Royale champagne cocktails and Pimms with lemonade and eating things like coronation chicken, cheese and leek vol-au-vonts and chocolate crunch cake (which will apparently be one of the wedding cakes).

To really get into the theme the girls are dressing up.  Some are wearing their wedding dresses, others will be in formal attire.  I have a gorgeous dress ready to go and will adorn it with massive jewels, a sash and the awesome tiara I bought in Vietnam.

I haven't been so excited about a girls night in ages, this is going to be a brilliant party.  Are you doing something special?  Or are you like my republican friends (I am a republican by the way) who called me a dag and stared at me in horror when I announced my plans?

Being the easter bunny

When I was a kid the Easter Bunny was always exceedingly good to us.  My sister and I used to embark on a massive egg hunt where we would fill our baskets with mountains eggs hidden all over the house (apparently we had an indoor bunny).  One they were all discovered, we would sort out the haul to make sure we had equal amounts - an important rule stipulated by the Easter Bunny.

My favourites were the hard sugar shelled little eggs that looked like real birds eggs and of course the Red Tulip Elegant Rabbit, but we would have hollow big eggs, solid little eggs, caramel filled eggs - you name it if it was Easter themed chocolate it seemed to make its way into our baskets.

The bunny was very good at hiding all these treats, however did not always have a good memory of where the eggs were hidden which sometimes resulted in us finding eggs many months later.

As I grew up, I decided I just wanted one of those big dark chocolate eggs with the icing flowers stuck to the front.  I thought they were exceedingly glamerous and sophisticated.  My sister however has always preferred the hunt, so in time I took on some of the bunny duties.  I loved doing it, hiding the eggs, thinking of clever places, but of course she eventually grew out of it too (well not really, I think her husband has organised easter hunts for her since then).

So it was great fun last night to sneak into the office after hours and deposit everyone's Easter treats on their desk.  I purposely left early and arrived late to emphasise the miraculous appearance of our treats.  It is always amusing to see how long they will last, and the answer - at least one had already disappeared well before lunchtime.

Party, Party, Party

The saying goes "it never rains but pours" however when it is pouring parties I don't mind in the least.

I don't know what was going on in July/August 1980 but an awful lot of my friends seem to be having their 30th birthday parties this month, several of them this weekend.  There was last night's fantastic cocktail party and tonight's black tie affair.  Both bursting at the seams with happy people (made extra happy by some awesome cocktails).

Then tomorrow we head to the other end of the spectrum for a naming ceremony for a new person in our world.

It is such a happy and joy filled weekend - I just love it!

Celebrating our multicultural city

This evening I donned my mother's dirndl (the German/Austrian national dress, think a milkmaid, or check out wikipedia) and headed to the Canberra Multicultural Festival.

Say what you like about Canberra but we put on a good Festival.  Rain had been threatening but didn't eventuate so the middle of the city was quite literally packed with people sampling the fantastic food and drink from dozens of different countries and cultures while watching music and dance acts.  It is a massive highlight every year, I really love going and it was extra fun going in a national costume.

The only thing is that I am significantly taller than my mother which makes her dirndl a mini on me, but I didn't hear any complaints - in fact Mum commented that it was the length she had wanted when she got it in the 60's.

We ate great food, wandered the stalls (well were carried along with the tide of the crowd) danced some salsa and some tango.  It was excellent.  I was meant to get to another event, but the vibe of the city was so brilliant I couldn't drag myself away. 

Another great day in the nation's capital.

Australia Day

Happy Australia Day everyone!  I hope you spent it celebrating in style, I sure did.  I had a sleep in, went to a BBQ in the park and finished the day eating gelato and playing on swings, all in the best of company.  What more could you want?

Australia Day means different things to different people.  As a pretty damn patriotic Aussie, it has always been special for me, a day to think about all the things that make this country great. In fact, my activities today kind of summed it up.

A sleep in - we work hard in Australia, but we know how to enjoy ourselves too.  We are rabid sports fans, devotes of the beach, lovers of a good time.  Most people I know are extremely committed to their jobs and work some serious hours, but give us time off and the laid back Aussie emerges.

BBQ in the park - I love the community spirit in this country (which I guess is summoned up by the word mateship, although politicians have stolen that word for nefarious means and I don't like it so much any more).  I have the most marvellous group of family and friends who form my community, but it is larger than that.  The response to the floods shows that this whole country of ours is a community, and it is wonderful

Gelato - Australia is a land of immigrants.  In fact I'm first generation Australian on one side.  Any each of those waves of immigrants have brought such richness and vibrancy to this country.  Food is a great example, but there is so much more of our identity that has been forged from the influence of all those nations.

So on Australia Day each year, I get to revel in the enormous luck I had to be born in such a wonderful country.  However 3 years ago Australia Day took on another meaning for me, because on the 26th of January 2008 I got to stand next to my best friend as she married the love of her life.  We all thought they took a risk on the weather given that Australia Day is generally bloody hot (it was 37 today) but it was perfect, in fact the whole day was perfect.

I've said it before, I love a wedding, but watching my best friend get married was really special.  The happiness that those two have brought to each other's lives, the fate of them finding each other, the life they have forged together, all of those things now form a part of Australia Day for me.  So happy anniversary guys to to everyone else, happy Australia Day!