Point + Shoot

One of my favourite bloggers, Chantelle of the brilliant fat mum slim, has had the inspired idea to make a game she's called 'Point + Shoot'. This Sunday (6th December) is the day to take photos, many or just one, of whatever you happen to be doing that day, and then post about it on Monday. I'll be down at Jervis Bay, hanging out with Baboushka and my dad, sewing bags with my mum and hopefully getting some swimming lessons in.

I tried to get started on a similar, slightly more ambitious project a few months back. The plan was to take a photo every day, of anything at all, and post it up at my Flickr account. It was flawed from the beginning, as I was posting the photos in chunks (having the time each day to transfer photos from the camera, resize them and then upload them was not very realistic). Then our computer kicked the bucket, and all the photos I'd been taking so diligently each day are currently stored elsewhere. The idea of finding them and continuing with my little project gave me a bit of a brain hernia, so I abandoned it. Ah, blithe abandonement. Where would I be without you?


Anyhoo, back to whatever vague sort of post I was stringing together. Ah, yes. My ill-fated photo project and this weekend. I can actually make a not-so-tenuous link between the two! Above is one of my 'Photo-A-Day' photos of (a very small percentage of) the material I'll take with me to make into shoulder bags, using Amy Butler's 'Birdie Sling' pattern. I am eagerly excited to be finally making my way through the acres of material I've been amassing over the last year or so, while my mind has been bubbling away with sewing ideas that I haven't had time to realise. Never mind that I haven't touched a sewing machine since high school. I figure, the more hideous the result, the better the blog fodder ;-)

The Penguins of Madagascar

I'm sorry for the slackness! I remember marvelling at how much my baby took up my time when she was a tiny little newborn. How little I knew. Now she's getting about with alarming speed, intense curiosity and a determination to test out EVERYTHING by shoving it in her mouth. Including her entire fist. Anyways...

What better way to find the motivation to blog than to do one of these tagging larks? I stumbled across this one over at Lovely Laurel's Ooh La La Vintage. Check out her radical red boots (and the rest of her fabulous wardobe!).

1.Where is your phone? Floating somewhere in the ether.
2.Your hair? Gloriously short. Probably not short enough.
3.Your Mother? Pottering around her boatshed.
4.Your Father? On his flight home after 5 weeks away. Very much looking forward to seeing him!
5.Your favourite food? Soup.
6.Your dream last night? About a mythical fellow blogger who was a former magazine editor who had a change of heart and became a 'mommy blogger' and swapped her Louboutins for tracksuit pants. Sounds like a lame movie.
7.Your favourite drink? Earl Grey.
8.Your dream/goal? To live overseas, get my PhD, have a happy daughter :-)
9.What room are you in? The room with the computer, the wardrobes and the too many toys.
10.Your hobbie? Baking, drawing, reading, swimming.
11.Your fear? Being reincarnated as a huntsman spider and ending my days in the lair of a parasitic wasp.
(12. is missing)
13.Where were you last night? At home, watching Twin Peaks and eating chocolate-covered almonds.
14.Something that you’re not? A skilled mathematician.
15.Muffins? Rhubarb.
16.Wishlist item? See future post.
17.Where did you grow up? The south coast of NSW.
18.Last thing you did? Had breakfast with my little lady.
19.What are you wearing? Jeans and an old grey t-shirt.
20.Your TV? Has been playing Twin Peaks a little obsessively the last few days.
21.Your pets? A kitty named Daisy.
22.Friends? Mostly scattered across the globe. I miss them enormously.
23.Your life? No complaints :-)
24.Your mood? Jubilant.
25.Missing someone? See 22.
26.Vehicle? A pram.
27.Something you’re not wearing? Glasses (to my chagrin).
28.Your favourite store? The Auburn St Antique Centre.
29. Your Favourite colour? Turquoise
30.When was the last time you laughed? This morning.
31.The last time you cried? Tuesday.
32.Your best friend? Is in Spain.
33.One place that I go to over and over? The Uni, even though I'm not currently enrolled. Nice coffee and comfy chairs in the library :-)
34.Facebook? It happens.
35.Favourite place to eat? Bento in town or Fireworks Cafe in Austinmer.

Anyone who would like to be, consider yourself tagged!

Chopping Spree

Sometimes I feel as though I should not be allowed near scissors. Particularly when I'm feeling restless with my hair.

I had vague thoughts of shaving it all off next year for the Greatest Shave, which I thought would be all the more impressive if it was quite long. And, typically, if I feel bound to something I turn and flee in the opposite direction. I couldn't even wait for my hairdresser friend to do it properly, so I hacked it off while my brother T-Bone held a mirror.

The (radically uneven) result:






The bob only lasted a week - it needed a blowdry to look halfway decent, and of course there was the issue of unevenness. I'd been itching to go all gamine and Jean Seberg*, but at the last minute I lost my nerve and went for something a tad longer. It's times like these that I am profusely glad to be living in The Age Of The Internet**, as it makes spying on girls with cute hair so much easier. I picked Argentinian model Milagros Schmoll as my hair idol:




Despite fears that I would resemble a clunky milkmaid next to her exotic, rake-thin boyishness, it didn't turn out too badly. And, might I add, WHY HAVEN"T I CUT MY HAIR THIS SHORT BEFORE?! The ease with which I can wash, dry and artfully manipulate my newly-docile tresses is luxurious.


(Apologies for the poor choice of facebook photo. Oh dear.)

*actually, I may go shorter still - I'm more than a little obsessed with La Seberg.

**to be honest, I can't really think of any occasion where I have been unhappy with The Age Of The Internet.

Italia Mia

Ah, Gina Lollobrigida. It's been a while since I thrifted any books, but when I was out gallavanting the other day, I couldn't resist bringing this one home. My original plan was to cut out some of the pictures and use them for collages, but I feel so sacreligious when I do that I'm not sure if I'll be able to bring myself to do it.

But how gorgeous is the italiana in the second-last picture? She reminds me of a Tretchikoff, or a J.H Lynch. I'd much rather cut her out and put her in a nice frame than leave her trapped in a book...

9 months

I remember, back when I was drifting about in a sleepy, milk-scented fog and everything about being a mother was brand new (and daunting, to say the least!), 9 months seemed like it was eons away. And yet, here we are, with crawling and size 1 onesies (!) and mashed vegetables and two adorable little toothypegs, and it feels like no time has elapsed at all.


And, I forgot to mention, pulling herself up with every stick of furniture in the house, and ignoring toys and baby-safe items in favour of anything and everything that is not. Like my knitting needles. Gotta run!

Bedlam

boudoir
Originally uploaded by fleur_delice

This bedspread is a recent op-shop gem - I've been vaguely admiring pretty gold and pink ones that seem to be popping up on 'interiors' blogs lately, so I was pretty darned excited to find this one in my favourite deep turquoise colour. Salvo's has gone back to the '$10 linen bag' deal, i.e. you can fill an enormous garbage bag with as much stuff from the linen corner as you want for no more than $10. Thank goodness, as they've started charging insanely high amounts for everything else (today I saw a lamp for $100 and a vintage dress for $80. Clearly Salvo's is having an identity crisis and thinks it's an upmarket retro boutique).

I feel like I've been such a lame blogger lately. Our computer conked out a few days ago, and the laptop Pat hooked up to my screen doesn't have any of my photos on file. However, I was able to work out (a mighty feat, for someone with my severe lack of computer dexterity) that I can actually blog from my Flickr account! I may never even go back to my old ways...

PS: more apologies, the awful title puns are continuing.

Beets me!

So. I've decided to start posting the worst titles for my posts that I can possibly think of. Life is short and puns are one of my favourite things ever. Dad joke-style puns are even better. You are most welcome to pipe up with your own suggestions, as mine are likely to range from fairly crap to downright awful (although I suppose that's the point).

Anyhoo, the beets that today's title pertains to that most delightful of vegetable, silverbeet. Also known as Swiss chard, spinach beet, seakale beet and mangold. They're currently in season, and although we have a good little crop growing in the backyard, I've also been buying massive bunches at the fruit market for 78c. Because I use that much of it (kinda like this guy).

Tonight I'm using it in a risotto - something I've taken the liberty of giving the exotic name of 'Risotto Primavera', la-dee-da. But as it is a work in progress and I haven't a photo, I'll post the recipe for my previous silverbeet adventure:





Palak Paneer:
(Serves 5-6)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander (these first two are optional - I've neglected to use them before and it's been fine)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons ghee or oil
2 large bunches of spinach, washed, trimmed, steamed, drained and finely chopped
4 tablespoons sour cream
fresh homemade curd cheese (paneer) made from 3 litres milk, cut into 1.25 cm cubes
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt

1) Combine the ginger and chili in a food processor or blender and process with a few spoons of cold water. Add the coriander, paprika, cumin, and turmeric and blend to form a smooth spice paste. Scrape the paste into a bowl.

2) Heat the ghee in a large saucepan over moderate heat. When the ghee is hot, add the spice paste, and fry it for 1 or 2 minutes or until very fragrant. Fold in the spinach, combining it with the spices.

3) Cook over moderate heat for about 5 more minutes, or until the spinach reduces a little more in volume. (The spinach can be blended with the sour cream, but I prefer it left this way. And I'm lazy.)

4) Fold in the sour cream; add the cubes of paneer, the garam masala, and the salt. Cook over low heat for an additional 5 minutes and serve hot, with basmati rice.

*n.b. I made some channa dahl to go with it the other night, when we had friends over for dinner, and we had rosewater-scented halva for dessert. Good mix.



(recipe adapted from Kurma Dasa's 'World Food')