Home

Wednesday night, after two weeks of hell, culminating in The Day of Misery and Deafeat I cut my losses, packed my things and headed back to Toowoomba. Turning out of my street, tears and rain blurring my vision, I fumbled with my ipod, trying to find the song to sum up what I was feeling. This was it.
Home. More than anywhere, it's the place I long to be most often lately. More than travelling, I dream of home. To me, it's more than the place - familiar surroundings, space, clear starry sky - it's the people. My people - people who understand me, support me, and let me be me in all my crazy glory. This song was for them, about them - an anthem for what they represent.
So to Wabi, Miss Vodka, Ma and Pa Darling, Chica, and Bonnie Dog, thank you for being Home for me this weekend, and always.

Sweet treats and chicken feet

This little fella is sitting on my sewing table at the moment, looking every bit the happy shiny friend his brother in the picture looks. My Zoku (which I yearned for months ago) was a belated birthday gift from the loveliest of them all - Wabi and Miss Vodka. They also presented me with this pair of Victoria Mason earings:

Are they not the cutest things ever! And that's not all - Little G (known by other names, but none quite so Gangsta) presented me with facewash from The Body Shop - the exact one I had planned on purchasing sometime this week! My gal pals are the best gifters ever!
I was presented with the wonders while Yum Cha-ing it up in Old Brisbane Town - I even tried chicken feet (delicious once you get past the foot-like appearance)! Then we wandered a while and chatted some. A lovely afternoon after what seemed for all of us to be a pretty miserable week.
Thank you as always ladies, I am a very lucky, very happy girl becuase of youse guys ;0)

Got spoons?

My friend Wabi is amazing. Not just kind of amazing, or a little bit amazing, but absoulutely and incredibly amazing. She has, among other things, Crohn's Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis - that TWO autoimmune diseases.
Havign watched her suffer for a while now, I thought I had at least some idea of how hard it must be for her. And I did, but so very, very little. I was doing some research tonight and came across The Spoon Theory. As I read the theory I thought of her, going through each day, living with such a small amount of spoons, and I cried for her.
Wabi, you are so strong and so brave. If only I could, I'd share my spoons with you in a second.

When all is broken



"Let me be your wings

Leave behind the world you know

For another world of wondrous things"

 This beautiful picture (and words) is via ilovedoodle which I found through my amazing friend Miss V. It's specially for my beautiful Wabi who has a cracked heart and a broken wing.
Please don't despair - I know it hurts, and hearts are the hardest to repair - but I'm here, and my wings are good any time you need to fly.

Alastair McLeod's nuts

Tonight is cold. Today was cold. And I’m still a wee bit sick. You’d hardly expect me to jumping around in excitement would you? BUT…Even with a day of little no sunshine and a cough which threatens to dislodge both my lungs, today was my favourite day in a long while. Why, you ask (ok, so you don’t really care. Humour me, yeah).

Today Darling mother and I, after a night of craftiness with the ever-fabulous Wabi and friends, headed out to a local food and arts festival. We tried jams and jellies, dukkahs and dips, and a rather delish ice-cream (because it’s never too cold for dessert). We ran into Wabi there as well and she tagged along with us, laughing at my childish excitement all the while. You see, as much as I love food - and as much as I adore free stuff - my real purpose for traipsing around in the cold was to see my very favourite chef in the whole world. Alastair McLeod just happened to be cooking at the festival today!
Who? Alastair McLeod is an Irish-Australian chef, probably most famous for his boisterous bouts on the Australian version of Ready Steady Cook. He is also head chef at Brett’s Wharf, touted as Brisbane’s best seafood restaurant and the place on top of my “must visit” restaurant list. He has cooked at a number of five-star restaurants around the world, and even worked at the Michelin-rated Da Giovanni in Torino, Italy.
But that’s not why I love him. His use of new and fun ways to cook - like today’s five-minute berry sorbet, made using dry ice - and his strong belief in continued learning, mean his food is always on the cutting-edge of foodie fashion. He’s also big on growing the next generation of top chefs, actively involving himself in apprentice education. AND (and this is the best bit) he’s a champion of supporting local food and local producers, believing that sourcing food locally cuts down travel, creating fresher, better-tasting food while lowering our carbon footprint at the same time.
Mr McLeod is passionate about his food, the way it is prepared, and the process the produce goes through before getting to him. He’s also passionate about educating others and creating a food experience revolving around the simple joy of the food, not the snobbery and arrogance which seems to have become a part of the whole foodie culture. And he’s wickedly funny to boot, telling jokes about horse’s appendages and offering us a taste of his nuts (wink wink, nudge nudge), throughout his cooking demo.

His comrade in the kitchen today, Matt Golinski, is a champion in his own right. Mr Golinski also supports the Slow Food Movement and actively promotes the consumption of in-season fare (he claims to only eat strawberries when they’re in season in his local area—imagine going more than half a year without a strawberry!). Throw in his cheeky wit (kitchen condoms for your cheese-making?), and he was an adequate competitor in today’s cooking war.

Wanna see some photos?

Alastair getting saucy. 

Matt talking about perfect potato pillows (aka gnochi)

Dry-ice-assisted sorbet in the making

Doing cheffy things

 Serious face during his (impressive) rant about buying local

Mr McLeod's wild Barra with pan-roasted vegetables and caramlised nuts

 Deconstructed cheesecake and berry sorbet (YUM!)

Things to celebrate your life

My friend Wabi (I may have mentioned her once or twice) turned twenty-six today. After a tough year learning to deal with a disease that is stealing her youth, a move back home, and an endless stream of uni assessment she decided she'd rather not celebrate her birthday this year. I totally understand. I wish I could make it all go away so she could enjoy today (and tomorrow, and the next day) without pain, stress, and sadness. In lieu of that, maybe a trip somewhere she can traipse the streets of a foreign town, nibbling on a local treat. Sadly, my pocket is devoid of both fairy dust and gold coins. So instead, a list of things I dreamt of getting her:

A pack of goat's milk Chocolate Donut soaps from Soapopotomus to keep her skin smooth and soft.

A funky jacket to keep her warm through the winter, courtesy of LittleHouses.

A family of Owls to keep her company, and maybe provide some assessment inspiration now and then. These ones are form Brisbane store Nook.

An apple to give to the teacher, or just keep the doctor away. Or even this lovely print from YuliyaArt.

This milk glass candy dish, both to extend her milk glass collection and stash some candy. I found this at Hannas Vintage Stew. 

A dvd from Amazon to watch with her on a girly night in.
And last, but certainly not least, a hug and a big Happy Birthday. Because even if I can't give her any of these I can send her happy vibes and hope she has had a lovely day.