Sisters

Me (in blue) and my sister (in pink) on Australia Day 1988

I have some extremely close friends, I almost consider them sisters – almost.  There is something else, an indefinable element that makes my relationship with my sister different.  She is among my best friends, but more than that we are sisters.

When she was about 2 and I was about 4 I learnt how to get her out of her cot. On Saturdays would I make her breakfast and we would watch cartoons while our parents had a sleep in.  A few years later when I was at school and she was at pre-school I would sneak technically out of bounds to visit her through the fence.  When I finally got my drivers licence, the first thing I did was drive to the bus stop to pick her up so that she didn’t have to walk home.

I don’t want to sound like it was all sweetness and light.  We had a definite love/hate relationship, particularly when we were teenagers.  I can clearly remember our mother in desperation saying "I wish you two would just love each other" after one of our fights.  At the time I was confused, of course I loved my sister - we just could not co-exist in the same bathroom!

Our bathroom wars were epic.  They would generally start when someone didn't clean the bathroom on their week.  This would lead to a mexican standoff where we would both refuse to clean till it got so grotty that generally I caved or Mum yelled at us.  We had plenty of other fights, there were tears, tantrums and stony silences, but if anyone had injured either of us, we would have been standing by each other in a second.

As we grew older, and in particularly once we stopped sharing a bathroom, the fights died out and we have become closer and closer friends.  We talk or email most days.  Go shopping or have lunch regularly.  At one stage when we were working at the same place she used to come and hang out in my office all the time.  She is my sounding board on the gamut of life's quandaries and my stylist on many occasions.

Yesterday my sister flew out of the country on her honeymoon.  She will be gone for 2 months.  We have only been apart this long once before and that time I was the one doing the travelling.  Being at home her absence feels all the more significant.  Today when something happened she wasn’t there at the other end of the email to consult with.  She won’t be there to advise me if I should get the dress I’ve been eyeing off.  My lunchtimes feel all the emptier.

I know she is going to have a wonderful time discovering Europe but you know, I’ve discovered something too.  In just one day I’ve realised what an integral part of my life my little sister is.  How much I love her and how I do really miss her when she is away.  I’ve been reminded just how important it is to treasure the ones we love because not everyone is as lucky as me.  My sister will be home in 2 months with stories and photos and presents (hopefully!).  Other people have lost their sister forever.

So if I can say anything, I say this.  Treasure those special people in your life.  Let them know that they are loved and never take them for granted.  Hug your sister close, there is no relationship like it.

Pho

Much as I love Vietnamese food it wasn't until I actually went to Vietnam earlier this year that I finally had that most traditional of Vietnamese dishes - Pho.

Pho is made of a fragrant master stock which is poured over extremely thinly sliced beef (or chicken) and rice noodles.  It is served with fresh herbs and often bean shoots, fresh chilli, lime, chilli sauce and other condiments depending on the particular venue.

The bowl in the picture was my first ever bowl of Pho which I had in the night market in Ho Chi Minh City on my first night in Vietnam.  It was fantastic and it started a love affair with Pho which I enjoyed over and over again throughout my stay.

But since I got home, I haven't managed to find any pho and boy oh boy I've been missing it.  Finally, however, today I met up with some of the Vietnam travel family and we headed to the Fyshwick Markets.  We had heard a rumour of good Pho there and the rumours were correct.  Soon we had delicious steaming bowls of fantastic soup in front of us.  Oh how I have missed it and it was exactly what I needed.  I think we will be back - soon!

Saving - how not to do it

In theory I'm on a savings kick.  I say in theory because somehow I keep forgetting and my savings aren't doing that well at all.  I blame internet shopping.  It is so easy to just have a little browse over lunch and with the strong Aussie dollar everything seems like such a bargain.

So while the savings plan may not be working well, but my mail is very exciting as I much prefer the packages that arrive to the the credit card statements that follow.

This week a lovely package arrived from ASOS.  One of the things I love (and hate) about internet shopping is opening the package with bated breath to work out if what I ordered is as good as it looked online.  This week's ASOS package was filled with winners, brilliant items that really do look great.

Image from ASOS - this is a model not me!

Today I'm wearing this ASOS Ponti fit and flare boat neck dress.  It is so gorgeous.  Of course being Canberra in winter I'm wearing it layered over a thermal top with some lovely Jonathon Aster lace stockings and an ASOS bow belt.  I adore having a new outfit to wear, it is so exciting it just puts me in the best mood all day.  Maybe saving is overrated!

Dinner with Mao's Last Dancer

Last night I was lucky enough to be a guest at a dinner at the National Portrait Gallery where the after dinner speaker was Li Cunxin - better known as Mao's Last Dancer.  It was a fantastic night.

If you haven't been to the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra, it is a striking building filled with amazing works of art.  The foyer had been transformed into a dinner setting but we could wander a limited selection of the galleries prior to sitting down.

With my past in event management, I have eaten at more than my fair share of corporate events.  I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the catering at the Portrait Gallery is some of the best there is.  If you get invited to an event there - say yes!

Canapes included oysters and semi-dried tomato tartlets - both delicious.  Entree was a smoked trout souffle or smoked duck salad.  Both were again delicious.  Mains were a medium rare beef fillet with a tiny beef pie, mushrooms and potatoes dauphinoise or pork belly with sauted brussel leaves and chestnuts.  Again, all was beautifully cooked and presented and absolutely tasty.

Between main and dessert Li spoke.  If you haven't read his book or seen the movie, then I highly recommend that you do.  His story is just fantastic.  He was transformed from a simple, starving peasant to a world renowned ballet dancer through sheer determination, an amazing work ethic and just a touch of luck.  He told stories that would be familiar to those who read the book but his message was that we all have the power to create the life we want.  He asked if you only had an hour left to live and you wrote the achievements of your life down, would you be happy?  Would you be satisfied that you had done all you could?  I think it is a rare person who could say yes to that.  I know that personally I could procrastinate for Australia and if faced with some of the choices he had to make I don't know that I could have made the brave ones he did.  But it is an inspiring thought - what would I want that piece of paper to look like and how can I go about achieving that.  I don't think you have to be a world renowned leader in your field of endeavour to have a life that is happy and fulfilling but it does take some thought and effort, something I think we could all do.

Li finished his talk by showing some footage from his final performance.  If you know the story you will know that he worked extremely hard on his turns and leaps - well let me say, even right at the end of his career, all that work was paying off, he was fantastic.

Inspired and in awe we turned back to our table to find that dessert had arrived - what a perfect way to finish the evening.  Thank goodness S is a sharing kind of guy because I don't know how I could have chosen between the chocolate, hazelnut dacquoise with raspberry poached rhubarb or the vanilla pannacotta with poached quince.  Stuffed beyond any reasonable measure, I did manage to try the petit fours - passionfruit marshmallow.  I've never quite understood why people make marshmallow but having tried this unbelievably light, fluffy delicious confection, I think I"m prepared to give it a go now.

What a brilliant evening!

Under the weather

Sorry for the absence of blogs, I've been sick. Right now I'm curled up on my couch under a doona.  It has been grey and rainy all day, but the clouds have parted and my lounge room has filled with sunshine.  It is beautiful and makes me feel a whole lot better.

There are lots of things that make me feel better when I'm not well, so I thought I would focus on that rather than my swollen tonsils.  Here is a list.  Let me know what makes you feel better.

A cup of tea - its an oldie but a goodie.  Everything does seem better with a nice cup f tea in hand.

Chicken Soup - especially the chicken soup S makes me.

Chocolate - need I say more?

A snuggly doona - curling up comfortable and warm is good at any time, but when you are under the weather, it is even better.

Distracting television - be it a period drama, a thriller, or a mystery.  As long as it is engaging it works wonders for passing the time (I am terrible at staying at home sick - I may or may not have done several loads of washing, cleaned the bathroom, organised the pantry and made lemon bars - oops)

And the ultimate - Hugs - a good hug and the whole world is a happy place.

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.

Never too old

My gorgeous sister has bought me the best impromptu present - a Carmen Miranda cut out paper doll set.

I'm in my (gorgeous bejeweled) underwear - put some clothes on me!

It comprised of Carmen Miranda in all her cardboard glory and five fab cardboard outfits with tabs to hold them on.

What to wear?

I haven't seen a cut out doll since I was tiny.  You know the type, you get a doll in her underwear and various outfits that you attach by folding tabs over the doll.

Is the hat a little much?

Well Carmen is particularly flash, you actually even insert her through various parts of the cut out to get a better fit.

Working those ruffles

I've had so much fun playing with my doll (who now resides on my office desk along with the shoe calendar and gin/water bottle), I think that it truly proves, you are never too old to play with dolls!

A little more appropriate for the Canberra winter.