Wedding Nerves

I’ve always thought that being invited to a wedding is such a privilege. To be someone that the bride and groom consider special enough to witness their big day (and not to mention the cost of feeding a guest) means so much. But when you are asked to have a role in the wedding, that is extra special. I’ve been completely honoured to be a bridesmaid and chuffed to be asked to do wedding hair but in the last couple of weeks I’ve had two important and completely nerve wreaking roles in friend’s weddings.

 

The first started so innocently, with a request to do a reading. I was thrilled and honoured but apparently missed a key piece of information (to be honest I was pulling the world’s largest splinter out of my toe as she asked me) because it wasn’t so much a reading as a singing. That is right my friends asked me to sing at their wedding.

Now something you need to know about me, I love to sing – alone, in my car, where no one can hear my shockingly limited range and ability to be miles off key. S is about the only person who regularly hears me sing and he must be struck deaf by love because for some reason he thinks I can hold a tune. I know I cannot, so a week before the wedding having discovered that the reading was a singing I was freaking out.

But as luck would have it the song was “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” which is a bit more spoken than sung and everyone joined in very strongly enabling me to move the microphone a discrete distance too far away to pick up my voice. Other than the bridal party I was the only friend to have a role in the wedding so it was lovely and once done I could relax and have a ball, playing on the jumping castle (the ultimate wedding accessory) and dancing the night away.

 

But then came my second special request. This request came as a result of a piece of bravado that may have been alcohol induced when I declared that sure I could make a wedding cake – only to be held to it. That feeling when someone says “you know how you said you could make a wedding cake – can you make mine?” yes that feeling, I felt it in spades.

Let me tell you, anyone who moans about how much of a rip-off a wedding cake is, they are a hell of a lot of work and take a lot of ingredients. The cake I made included almost 2kg of butter, 1.5 kg of chocolate, 10 cups of sugar, 1 full cup of whiskey, 5 kilos of fondant, 9 hours of baking time and about a work week (seriously 40 hours) of decorating time. But it was worth it. The end result was really lovely and most importantly the bride and groom were thrilled. Well the bride definitely was with the cake, the groom was just in love with the fact that I made him a jelly shot cake – his request.

So yes, my nerves have been strained by those last two weddings but in such a good way. I'm thrilled that I was able to contribute to my friend's special days and I love that they were thrilled.

P.S Just for the record, my brilliant Mum helped hugely with making the icing flowers but everything on that cake was hand made!

Mousetrap

Last night we spent a fantastic evening at a friend's house playing games.  There were tables playing all sorts of complex, strategic games but I ended up playing Mousetrap with the kids.

For those of you who don't remember the game from their childhood, it involves building a complex mousetrap then being the last mouse uncaught by the trap.  It was hilarious and I was the cause of much of the laughter as I managed to land on the only spot that sends you back to the start 8 times in a row.  In the end a friend had to roll the dice for me to get me out of there.

Later in the evening we sat around, glasses of red wine in hand discussing our dream holiday destinations and plans for the future and I reflected on what a great place my life is at.  When a single night can include rolling on the floor with laughter over a kids game and intellectual discussion over delicious red wine, it is a pretty great night.

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

Friendship

As I have written endlessly on this blog, I am in the incredibly fortunate position to be surrounded by an amazing group of friends.  And not just the "acquaintance" type friends, the kind of friends who will move heaven and earth if you ask them.  Who I know have my back and will be there any time I need them.  They have rebuilt my pergola, provided a shoulder to cry on (along with soothing wine and chocolate), partied like there is no tomorrow with me and even once planned to spend a significant amount of money when I lost an important earring.

It hasn't always been like this.  I grew up in Canberra and have seen my friends move away in waves.  I left my primary school friends behind as I went to a different high school from them.  High school people left next, with many heading to uni out of town.  Then uni friends - there really aren't that many jobs in Canberra if you hope to work in advertising.  In fact when I was about 23 I suddenly realised I had 2 friends left in town.  That makes for a pretty lonely time.

But how things have changed.  Dance changed it the most for me.  It was there that I met some truly brilliant, amazing, unique people who bring real joy and warmth to my life.  And now one of them is leaving.  And not just heading to another city, he is going to the far side of the world Sweden.

We gathered on Saturday for a dinner party in his honour.  It was an amazing meal, the food cooked by one of our friends was superb.  But it was the atmosphere that really made the evening.  The easy laughter, gentle mocking, intelligent discussion - oh and yes the point where the house almost got set on fire.  As I sat there, I realised that I was completely at ease with these people and that is such a rare thing.  It made me once again truly grateful to have such friends in my life, it really is a privilege.

We will miss our friend hugely.  Luckily the Internet makes keeping in touch much easier and we have told him that he is now our free accommodation on the other side of the world, but I really hope that he can find a similarly fantastic group of people in Sweden.

On a completely separate note, my Mum has started a blog!  I'm so proud of her, only a few years ago she was terrified of anything computer related, now she is on email, Facebook, Twitter and has her own blog.  Head over for a read at Am I Old Yet?

Charm School

Today I went to charm school and emerged extremely charming, if I do say so myself.

The Lindy Charm School for Girls, run by the fabulous Miss Chrissy and her team, is all about vintage glamour.  Today's workshop was an introduction to vintage hair and makeup techniques and it was brilliant.  A room full of bare-faced, lank haired women at the start of the morning finished as a team of pinups by the end.  We learnt the importance of appropriate undergarments, how to put on a vintage face, pin curls and victory rolls  and each of us left at the end of the session looking absolutely glamorous.

But don't take my word for it, here is how the day went down ...

What better way to start a charming day than with an elegant cup of tea.  While at the cafe we spotted another patron with a giant makeup bag - it was a popular pre-workshop venue!

Getting my kit in order ...

My gorgeous friend Megs as waist cinching demo.  Note Miss Chrissy's subtle knee in the back cinching style.

Megs demonstrating a cinched waist!  That waist cincher is almost 100 years old and still reducing waists with maximum discomfort but serious efficiency.

Note the concentration!  I love the new eyeliner technique they taught me.

Megs gets pin curled.

There is nothing quite like a whole room of women, hands in the air, concentration solid on the mirror in front.

Working on those pin curls - I got a good handle on them by the end.

Victory roll work - those babys are hard to do!

The charming duo at the end of the day.

I really have to thank the totally gorgeous Megs for taking me along to Charm School.  It was such a fun morning and I will be using the techniques I learned at every possible opportunity.

Surprise catch up

I was wandering along today, feet on the ground, head somewhere in the upper atmosphere, when I heard "hello you".  It was a good friend of mine headed in the other direction.  We stopped, had a chat for 5 minutes and went on our way.

I catch up with my friends regularly, but today's little catch up was one of those spontaneous moments and conversations that bring such light into a day.  I could show her the cute toy I had bought for a baby shower, she could fill me in on what she has been up to.

Living in a city, even a relatively small one like Canberra it is surprising how often you can go out without running into anyone you know. That 5 minute chat today made me feel so much more connected to my community and I continued on my way, head much more on planet earth. 

Have you had a spontaneous catch up - even a 5 minute one like me - recently?

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?

Busy, busy, busy

I've been so busy lately.  Work, planning our holiday, just general life stuff.  It can be so easy to lose yourself in being busy.  But if I've learnt anything over the last few years, it is that there are some things you just have to make time for, family, friends, self.  Stopping whatever is making me busy to spend time on these things is always so rewarding because it renews my spirit, gives me the strength to keep going.  When I don't stop I feel myself being slowly worn down and I end up less productive as a result.

Last weekend was a time out weekend.  Ok, so I did do some chores and other necessary life stuff, but I spent a good chunk of it catching up with friends, dancing and just vegging out.

S and I have not been dancing as much as usual.  We have been busy and sick and somehow got out of the routine.  But on Friday we headed out to test my new shoes and had a fantastic time.  I just adore dancing with him, it was an absolutely blissful few hours.

Then, two of my best friends and I managed to organise to get together in record time.  It usually takes us weeks to find a time when we are free, but we clearly all needed a few hours of girly chat, so we made Sunday morning work.  We gathered over delicious, enormous breakfasts to chat, share stories and wisdom, commiserate about the craziness of life and re-affirm our friendship.  I felt absolutely rejuvenated by our time together.  Those girls are worth their weight in gold.

In between S and I spent some quality time communing with the couch.  Curled up together on our not quite big enough couch, we caught up on movies, chatted and napped.  He brought me cups of tea and chocolate and rubbed my feet.  It was like a holiday for the soul.

This week is as busy as ever but somehow it doesn't feel as hard.  Just those few hours of time out have given me all the strength I need.  It really is that easy.

Koko Black take 2

I haven't been there in months, and then within weeks I've had two visits to Koko Black - believe me I'm not complaining!

This time I opted for the walnut brownie served with hot chocolate sauce and vanilla bean icecream.  The presentation at Koko Black is always gorgeous and as someone who eats first with their eyes, it is always a delight when such a plate is placed before me.  The brownie was rich, yet surprisingly crumbly, so the hot chocolate sauce was lovely with it.  In fact the hot chocolate sauce was delicious on the brownie, with the vanilla ice-cream or just by itself.  It is lucky we were with friends or I might have been tempted to lick out the little pot it came in, as it is I probably took a layer of china off with my spoon.

After the chocolate overload of our last visit, I decided to forgo the hot chocolate as a drink and instead chose a pot of tea.  It really was the perfect match for my brownie and meant I didn't end up in the same diabetic coma as last time.

We had been to a BBQ earlier in the day and S was stuffed so he just ordered a cappuccino.  However in true Koko Black style, even the coffee came with chocolate in the form of a small cup of chocolate shavings to scatter over the top.  He said it was delicious.

Koko Black is definitely not for every day, but it is the perfect place for leisurely indulgence with friends - the kind of indulgence that means I will be doing my power walks this week!

Koko Black

I went quite off chocolate for Easter.  I know, what terrible timing.  There was chocolate everywhere and for some reason I didn't feel like eating it.  Luckily I have my mojo back which meant I could really enjoy a visit to Koko Black for a catch up with a friend.

We were lucky enough to score the comfy couches (my only complaint with Koko Black is that due to its size there are very limited couches) and settled in for a great catch up.  I love that about Koko Black, you rarely feel rushed by the staff, even after you have finished your delicious treats, they continue to refill your water glass and make you feel welcome.  It is only if there is a line of people glaring at you to move that you really feel you must leave.

Diabetics and those on a diet, look away now because I chose the chocolate cake plate and while I offered it to the boys to taste, I ate pretty much all of it. 

A tiny intense chocolate cake, a swirl of velvety chocolate mousse and two shortbreads garnished with a swoosh of chocolate emblazoned with nuts.  The plate looks small, but  believe me, it is plenty!  Everything was delicious, the mousse was particularly delicious when piled on the shortbread - its silky texture contrasting with the crisp biscuit. 

Worried that I wasn't ingesting quite enough calories in one go, I washed it down with a hazelnut hot chocolate.  We sat, talked and ate.  It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon

Growing Up

In the last year, my two dear friends who live in the UK both had little girls.  It was so strange to be on the other side of the world as they went through this massive life experience.  There was no seeing their belly grow, feeling the baby kick, visiting in hospital, bringing around freezer meals like there has been for my local friends.  Photos and emails were wonderful, but they just aren't the same as being there.

On Sunday I got to meet Bess (and learn how to get my car out of a mud bog) and then in a piece of amazing timing yesterday I got to meet Adelaide.  It is funny how the world works, that two friends from the other side of the globe would end up here in the same week.

I have been friends with Bess and Adelaide's mothers for so long that the minute we meet up we settle right back into that easy friendship.  Catching up on all the big life events so quickly turns into every day gossip.  But at the same time, this huge change in their lives, encapsulated by the presence of a very small person, has happened.

Suddenly the girls I knew have become mothers and not seeing that pregnancy transition has made it all the more amazing.  They are still those same girls who I've laughed and cried with, got waaaay too drunk and danced the night away with in the past.  But they are also women with husbands and children and that mother's instinct that means they have developed that Mum radar that has them one step ahead of the rest of us when it comes to children.

Growing up is a strange thing.  It creeps upon you gradually.  You find yourself with responsibilities, with skills, with experiences and wonder how it all happened.  Our lives change and grow and develop and yet it is rare that we notice it happening.  Every now and then I do something like unlock the front door and think "wow, I bought this" or do some maths and realise I've been out of school for longer than I was in it.  Seeing my friends with their new baby girls in the last few days is another of those wow moments, we really are growing up.

I love reflecting on how we have grown and changed.  The amazing things we have done (if you ask me having a baby is pretty damn amazing), the lives we have built.  But most of all, I love that despite it all, we are still the same friends we have always been - just with a few extra accessories.

Friends, celebration and mud

Let me paint a word picture for you (because amidst the mud and rain I forgot to take photos).

Yesterday was an exciting day, I got to see a friend who lives in the UK and who I haven't seen for 2 years, meet her baby girl and get my car towed out of a giant mud bog!

I don't remember rain like this since I was a little kid.  Weeks of showers followed by a solid week of serious rain (we had March's average rainfall on the first of March before 9am) means that Canberra and surrounds are past wet.  The rivers are flooding, roads are cut everywhere and where they are still open they are pot holed and sodden.  And the ground is wet, really, really wet.

Yesterday S and I ventured out into the sodden landscape to a welcome party for gorgeous little Bess and so that S could meet Floss.  The party was held on Floss's sister's property, which is a stunning new house set high on a hill about 20 minutes outside of Canberra.  The dirt track up the hill was running rivers, but we made it and I pulled in to park next to a line of cars.  As I stopped S remarked, "I hope we can get out of here".  "Of course we can" I said, putting the car in reverse and proceeding to spin the wheels.  As a novice bog-ee I then made matters worse by trying to go forwards again and trying to reverse again.  It was no use, by then we were axle deep.  Doh.

We jumped out of the car (jump being the word to get away from the mud) and headed into the party.  It so was lovely seeing my old friend again, she looks fantastic and Bess is just as sweet as sweet can be.  We enjoyed the company, the lovely (if rainy) views, heaps of great food including the sweetest tiny cupcakes with fondant butterflies on top - yes I know, I really should have taken some photos.  But there was that niggling picture of my lopsided car in the mud in the back of my mind.

Luckily however we were among farming folk who were prepared for such city slickers.  We discovered how to affix the tow point to my car, it was hooked up to a giant ute and I sat in the drivers seat, ready to steer and prepared to feel the straining and have mud flying.  As it turned out, the mud gave up its prize easily.  After what felt like the lightest of tugs, my car simply slid out and in no time and all I was on solid ground.

The car was seriously muddy, but the pouring rain and water covered highways had it clean by the time we got back to town.

All in all, it was a great afternoon.  I loved having the chance to see my friend and with a little extra excitement on the side, it was certainly a memorable afternoon.

Love is in the air

I was extraordinarily rude last night.  You see, on a dance floor, just about the worst thing you can do is walk away from your partner mid-song with no excuse.  It is tantamount to slapping someone across the face for no reason.  And yet I did just that.

In my defence however, two friends had just walked in the door and the girl was holding up her left hand in a way that can only mean one thing – new engagement ring!

My partner did forgive me when he discovered the reason and was promptly informed that he would be being a groomsman, however, in the next 10 minutes he got dumped by another 3 dance partners as they each discovered what the commotion in the corner was all about.

There is something so incredibly wonderful about the news of an engagement.  All the excitement, the love in the air, people just bursting with happiness.  I’m glowing about it, I dare say the couple themselves are practically floating today.

This engagement was particularly romantic.  It is not my story to tell, but needless to say, when we heard it the collective sigh from the girls was loud enough to make the groom-to-be jump, before we congratulated him on setting the bar so high for anyone who wants to follow.

Love in the air, now that is something guaranteed to make me smile!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I hope you are having a gorgeous, love filled day.

Even in my many, many years of being single on Valentine's Day, I've always loved it.  You see even when I didn't have a boyfriend in my life, I've always been lucky enough to be surrounded by the love of an amazing family and brilliant friends.  While most of us focus on romantic love on the 14th of February, I think it is a great day to celebrate love in all its forms.

My morning began, as it always does on this day, with a Valentine's message from my parents - or as they put it, the first people who loved me.  Valentine's Day when I was at school was great, Mum would always slip a chocolate treat into our lunch boxes.  It makes me a little sad that not everyone grows up with this truly secure, unconditional love, but it makes me oh so happy and grateful that I got to.

The love sharing continued as I logged into Facebook and found a gorgeous array of happy messages as my friends shared the love.  And I do love that crazy, gorgeous bunch of people who add so much to my life.

And of course, I'm super lucky to have the wonderful S in my life.  Whose smile alone is enough to fill my day with sunshine.

So whatever you are doing today, I hope you are doing it filled with love.

Busy times

Sorry about the break between posts but it 'tis the season to be busy, busy, busy!  Work is full on in the lead up to leave (yay!), there is the all important gift purchasing and other shopping needs plus my social life is as full as can be as everyone fits in their Christmas activities.  Sleep has become a precious commodity.

This weekend just gone had end of year parties for two of the dance schools I attend.  They were great fun, loads of dancing, not to mention having the chance to catch up with people who we haven't seen for quite some time.  S and I probably spent more time chatting than dancing, but it was just perfect for this time of year.

The party on Saturday was at 8pm and while it included finger food, some friends of mine and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try the new Dumpling House at the ANU.  We were somewhat overdressed for the occasion, but the food was just delicious.  Given that we were about to go dancing, we limited ourselves to just a few baskets of dumplings, although having seen the extensive menu I'm keen to go back and try more.

We ended up eating the Shanghai fried beef dumplings, the fried pork dumplings, steamed prawn dumplings and steamed vegetarian dumplings.  The boys were a bit taken aback at ordering the vegetarian ones, but I think they ended up being everyone's favourite!  They were generous serves and while I'm sure we could have stuffed ourselves more, we were all happy with that selection and at $11 a person, it was good value too.  Dinner also came with complimentary tea.

We had a great catch up over dinner which was much needed as we haven't had much of a chance to see each other recently - as evidenced by the fact that they bought me a birthday present (my birthday was 2 months ago).  Lauren has a business doing high quality artificial flower wedding bouquets.  Her work is gorgeous and she made me this stunning posy which was just perfect for an antique green and gold vase that has been sitting in the cupboard, just waiting for something to be put in it.  That is right, all the flowers in these photos are artificial.

If you are looking for someone to do your flowers for a wedding, or you are just after a special and permanent flower arrangement for home or the office, check her out at http://www.acapitalaffair.com.au/ her work is beautiful.

Frocktober - day eleven

I have often mused on this blog about how lucky I am to be surrounded by some super wonderful people.  I'm not quite sure how it happened but I've been lucky enough to end up with a fantastic bunch of amazing, caring, brilliant friends.

One of them is my gorgeous friend The Divine Ms N.  When asked to describe her I always use the word lovely, as in "she is just the most lovely person you will ever meet" but I don't think that really does her justice.  She is a ray of sunshine in any room, a generous, big hearted, gorgeous, truly lovely person.

She also has a brilliant sense of style and the most covetable wardrobe you have ever seen which she has built up through superior shopping and e-bay skills.  This is particularly important in Frocktober as the gods smiled upon me by making us the same size.  She was absolutely my savior last year when she let me loose in her wardrobe to borrow away to my heart's content.  When she offered to do the same thing this year I of course leaped at the opportunity.

Yesterday I headed over, a bunch of flowers in hand as my rather pathetic thank you for the support.  I perused her awesome collection of clothes and chose 7 lovely dresses.  She then presented me with the one I'm wearing today.  I had borrowed it last year and she liked it more on me than her so she gave it to me to keep!  I was overwhelmed - see what I mean by generous?

But I couldn't possibly expect what happened next.  I had been home a little while when I got a text.  It read "Hi darling I am loving the extra hanging space so much, please keep all of the dresses you found this morning :-)".   Yes, you read that right, she just gave me another 7 dresses!!!  One of the things I left out from above is that The Divine Ms N is as determined as she is lovely,  I know full well that if I try to return them, they are going to keep coming back, so I will just have to think of something to show my huge appreciation - ideas are most welcome.

And in the meantime, I will just continue to feel incredibly lucky, humbled and overwhelmed by my wonderful friend.

Duck, Duck, Duck ... Goose (well beef actually)

The plan for lunch today was yum cha at a Chinese restaurant in one of the local clubs.  I don't know what has happened to Canberra clubs, but there are currently good Chinese resturants in the Italian, German, and Greek clubs.  I would have thought that their own cultures offered enough food variety, but it is Chinese food culture that seems to be thriving.

Yum Cha on a Friday at the Italian Club has been a long tradition, however when we arrived today, we discovered that it is a discontinued tradition!  As we were already there, we decided to eat Chinese anyway and started reading the menu.  Someone quickly voted for a duck dish and we all enthusiastically agreed.  So enthusiastically that someone else suggested two duck dishes.  After some discussion we decided that maybe two wasn't enough, so we ended up ordering three duck dishes between 5 people.

We started with that most marvelous of dishes, duck pancakes.  I have to say, this dish is very high on my list of favourite foods.  While not the best I've ever had, they were extremely tasty, and I could probably just have had a meal of those and been quite satisfied.  The wait staff also helpfully left us with the carcass so once the pancakes had been devoured we could pick delicious crispy bits off the bones.

For main, we had crispy duck in plum sauce and shredded duck with bean shoots and chilli.

The crispy duck had a deliciously crispy coating around very meaty, boneless chunks of duck.  The sauce was generous and nicely plummy.

The shredded duck was almost a salad with lots of bean shoots along with mushroom, shallots, plenty of fresh chilli and other tasty ingredients.  I really enjoyed this one.

While there were a few other duck items on the menu that we could have tried, we did decide to stretch ourselves somewhat and our final dish was chilli beef.  It was tasty, but by then I was in the duck zone and it couldn't quite compete.  I think the waitress was a little surprised at our order, but I have to say, I loved my duck lunch.

Building

I like to think of myself as a bit of a handy woman.  I can put up a painting - even space them evenly along a wall.  I can put together furniture, paint a wall, work in the garden.  But when it comes to actual construction, well that is a bit beyond me.


Recently I noticed that my pergola had suddenly sprung out with rot.  It must have been hiding under the paint because the whole structure was riddled with it.  What to do?  I knew the job was beyond me but I have some very handy friends so I put out the call and today, three of my fantastic friends turned up to help me demolish then rebuild.

A bit of the rot, it was much worse at the base.

Demolishing turned out to be very easy as it really was covered in rot.  We all agreed that it was basically being held in place by "structural" shade cloth and paint!

The super construction team!

And then the construction began.  Power tools were brought out, I even got to play with the power drill!

The crew worked really well, in just a few hours we went from piles of splintered, rotten timber to a brand new, solid and stable construction.  I couldn't have done it without them, they were brilliant and I'm so thrilled with the result.  It still needs to be painted and have shadecloth added (which is just for shade not structural integrity now) but it no longer threatens to fall down on anyone.

What a fantastic day's work.

Families

How many families do you have?

I know the official definition of a family is generally something along the line of a group of people related by blood or marriage.  However I prefer a more open interpretation of a group of people related by a common bond.  The bond could be blood or marriage or it could be shared experiences, interests, etc.

I of course have my often referred to fantastic family who are genetically and legally related to me, but I like to think of my circles of friends as families too.  Like a hugely complex venn diagram they intersect but have their own identities.

Today I had lunch with with SEAF - the South East Asian Family.  They are the group of people who I travelled to Vietnam and Cambodia with earlier this year and who you may have got to know on my travel blog http://havepassport-willtravel.blogspot.com/.  It was such a great trip, it absolutely cemented the bonds of friendship between the 8 of us.

But we are 8 very busy people, corralling us together is not an easy task.  Not all 8 made it to lunch, but those who did had the usual rowdy, irreverent, laughter filled conversation that marks our get togethers.  It was just lovely.


On a side note, to those who started to follow me from the Vogue forums, I have been banned.  Apparently over the many years and thousands of posts, I've started a number of inappropriate threads.  I do know I started one about pets and another about cleaners before I become aware that those were no, no topics and I've also started a few on news and current affairs that were more about society today than strict news topics, so the Vogue Fashion Police have spoken and Vivacious is no more.  I hope that I've been a productive member of the community, it has been fun!  However who knows what fantastic new forum I will now find to waste my time on (feel free to make suggestions).

And I hope the Vougettes will continue to read me!

The most amazing friends

I've said it before, and I'm sure I will say it again, but I am truly blessed with the wonderful group of people who I have the privilege to call my friends.  It is enough that these wonderful, special, talented people let me be part of their life but then they go and do something so touching, I'm almost beyond words.

Last Saturday I had a busy day.  A dance rehearsal, walking in the city to meet friends, checking out some furniture stores, a lunch and dinner out and a house party.  We were out and about from 11am till 1am, and it was only when I got home that I discovered I was missing an earring, and not any normal earring.  It was a sapphire earring, one of the set that my parents gave me for my 21st.

I immediately realised that after such a busy day, it would be almost impossible to trace my steps and find it - most likely it was gone forever.  Dismayed I headed to bed, thinking about how much I love those earrings.  When I got them, they seemed like my first "grown-up" jewellery.  They would be worn for the rest of my life and one day, passed down to my children or grandchildren.  I was so excited to show my friends at uni that I ran down the driveway, tripping and spraining my ankle!

Much as I was trying to be all que sera, sera about it, I was pretty upset.  That night I even dreamt about finding the earring.  Being in S's car and looking down to see it twinkling up from between the seat and the door - and yes I did check there the next day.

On Sunday I realised my only hope to finding it was to identify a time when it was lost.  As we had seen a bunch of friends during the day I posted about the loss on Facebook and asked if anyone had noticed I only had one earring in.  Miraculously someone recalled I was wearing both at the dinner and as a result I got in touch with my friend who had hosted the house party - and he found it!!!

I could not have been happier, I literally did a little dance in the office when the news came in.

However, while all this had been going on, my amazing friends had already been planning a rescue.  After seeing the Facebook message, and knowing how important it was to me, they were quietly organising a kitty from which they were planning to get me a new earring.  People had pledged serious amounts of money and they were working out a strategy to get hold of my other earring so that they could get it matched.

These are not rich people.  They have kids, mortgages, bills etc. I know that these are people who would always be there for me in a crisis, but to know that they care so much that they would try to help me out in this kind of situation is just mind blowing.  I mean, it is really just an earring, but they all knew what it meant to me.  I do not have the words to express how amazingly lucky I feel to have people like this in my life.

So guys, I could name and shame you all, but you know who you are as do I.  From the bottom of my heart please know how much you all mean to me and how your friendship blesses my life every day.