I'm Not Really Here

I'm not really here because HTR and I are still on our special weekend together... Only HTR had to take some time out to go flying and become a pilot... As you do. So, whilst I'm at home saying hello to my little fluff-chop, here, in completely random order, are some photos from our oh so lovely weekend...

Brookland Valley Winery

At the Margaret River Chocolate Factory

Wise Winery

Breakfast in our bathtub

Bootleg Brewery - an oasis of beer in a desert of wine

Normal cows outside our studio

Space Invader cow at the Margaret River Chocolate Factory

After lunch at Wise Winery

My Scrabble message to our hosts at Hilltop Studios

Next destination: HTR's secret birthday surprise.... xx

A Quick Catch Up In Pieces

The last few nights have really been quite cold here. Not as cold as it gets where I'm going obviously, but cold enough for me to proudly adorn my body with a combination of track pants, thick jumpers, and fluffy socks... It's a hot look, let me tell you!

This weekend His Travel Romance and I are off on a mini-break to the Margaret River region for three beautiful nights of relaxation, food, wine, and together time. Always fans of boutique-style accommodation and B&B's, we were recommended Hilltop Studios as a fabulous place to stay - the place looks amazing and the scenery reminds me a little of the bushland from our stay at the Southern Ocean Lodge last year so I can't begin to tell you how much I'm looking forward to it. HTR and I haven't actually had a holiday together all year, and we're about to be separated for at least six months due to his work and my travel commitments, so that makes this weekend extra special.

A little while ago I decided I needed to purchase a new handbag. More specifically, a new handbag that could be the official travel handbag for the amazing adventures of Her Travel Romance, which would be big enough to give me some extra packing room for my flights, would also be able to cope with carrying my macbook around, AND which would still look stylish on the streets of New York and London... The other day I found the perfect bag! A big, brown, soft, and gorgeous leather bag by Marcs which has carry handles and a shoulder strap for the convenience of choice and which also, happily, matches my new travel document wallet from Tusk!

(My apologies for the sub-par phone photo - it really doesn't do them justice...)

It's one month and five days until I leave Australia. 28 days until my last day at work. Not that I'm counting... US dollars purchased? Check. US dollars and 2x passports packed into new travel document wallet? Check. New travel document wallet packed into new travel handbag? Check! Waiting for the Aussie dollar to climb up against the British pound again? Check.

I realised the other day that I haven't done any knitting for quite some time... Annie decided to help me catch up.

Sunday night we had Annie's kitty-sitter over to check out the house that will be her home for five months, and most importantly, to meet the beautiful little fluff-chop. We ended up serving a delicious roast chicken with Yorkeshire puddings and gravy, minted peas, and roasted carrots and royal blue potatoes, and I made my first ever bread and butter pudding for dessert. The pudding was just amazing, and so simple! If you're interested in the recipe, it's right here. Kitty-sitter's boyfriend has already requested that we leave a copy of this out on the kitchen bench so she can make it for him at least once a week whilst she's here!

Quick blog catch up: check!

Filling Up

A funny thing starts happening to a girl's diary when she only has about a month left in a city... the pages start filling with last dinners and dates, and all of those things you always meant to do but never have. Before you know it, you really can't fit another thing in, or spare another second! Well, I'm not quite at that point yet, but it's getting very close!

Today I booked tickets for four of us to go to Sex & The City 2 in Gold Class! We decided on a Monday night to give us something to look forward to on a Monday. I can't wait! Although, it's not for another couple of weeks yet...

I also booked myself and a friend in for a tour of the Fremantle Prison Tunnels! Double M and I have been saying we will do this tour for at least the last year, and we finally found the motivation we needed! The tour will be followed by a lovely dinner date somewhere in Fremantle, but we haven't decided on that part yet.

Tomorrow night His Travel Romance and I will be dining at Hippo Creek - our favourite 'come and be completely carnivorous' place in Perth! This was his special request, and I was happy to make the booking. Saturday morning is breakfast at The Greenhouse, which has been on my 'to do' list for a good six months, especially after I saw Liz's review! Saturday night we have dinner at L&D's and on Sunday night Annie's kitty-sitter will be coming over to meet her fluffy little charge, and we shall have a dinner party for seven (plus the fluff-chop)! As I'm off to London, I thought it only fitting that the theme be English Nosh, so my thoughts at this stage are for gourmet bangers and mash, followed by roast rosemary chicken served with minted peas and Yorkshire puddings with gravy, with scrummy bread and butter pudding with custard and cream for dessert! Mmmm.

Meanwhile, the sale of my apartment is almost complete with settlement being next week, I've organised to roll over my super into one superfund before I leave, I have a form to complete to ensure my electorate is aware I will be out of the country come the election later this year, and I'm almost ready to give my brother Power of Attorney so that he can handle anything for me whilst I'm away. My mail will be redirected and my mobile disconnected before I leave, I shall stock up on cat food and kitty litter for Annie and her kitty-sitter, and in amongst all of this, I will make sure I finally drink that bottle of Moet His Travel Romance gave me a year ago!

Awesome

A few days ago Lady Smaggle posted about her awesomeness. I thought that this was such a brilliant idea that her post has been sitting open in a tab in my browser for the last few days, waiting until I had time to post three things that are awesome about me! So, after a late night playing games (guitar hero, backgammon, monopoly, and battle of the sexes), and a lazy sleep in until 10:30am (it's now midday and I may or may not still be in bed), here's what is awesome about me:

1 - I make things happen.
This may sound fairly simple out of context, but what I mean is that I don't just say I'm going to do something, or that something sounds like it would be fun, and then leave it at that - I actually do it. This is not really a self observation - a good friend of mine told me some time ago that it is this characteristic in particular that his partner really loves about me, because so many people he knows don't actually follow through. I don't just say we should have a winter wonderland dinner party and my house - I cut out the hundred or so snowflakes and birds from paper and I make it happen. I don't just say that white water rafting in Bali dressed up as a bumblebee sounds fun - I go to Bali, dress up as a bumblebee, and I do it! I don't just say 'we should do this or that or whatever'... I make it happen! Life's too short to not follow through on ideas that sound like fun.

2 - I give.
For as long as I can remember I have involved myself in giving or participating in charity fundraisers, and also giving blood. When I was a kid I participated in Jump Rope For Heart and the MS Read-a-Thon religiously. When I got a bit older I participated in several 40 hour famines, and when I started earning pocket money, I convinced my brother to sponsor a child with me through World Vision. In recent years I helped to raise over $5,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation by shaving my head for the World's Greatest Shave, and I also raised over $7,000 for the Childhood Cancer Association by cycling approximately 800km from Melbourne to Adelaide.

3 - I combine being a princess, with being a tomboy.

Anyone who meets me when I'm out for dinner, or generally in polite society, would take it that I am a very girly girl. I like to dress femininely, I am well mannered and soft spoken, and at first, a little shy. I enjoy jazz music and knitting and reading and cooking and drinking good wine and cups of tea. However, I also like to shoot guns, rock climb, drive trucks, and I am very competitive (when I know I'm in with a chance). I can change a tyre (a truck tyre if needs be), I can lift heavy things, and I am just at ease in the company of guys as I am with gals.

What are three things that are awesome about you?

Things That Make Me Smile

Kittens snuggling into necks...

Yoinked from Maddy

Lips painted like little animals...

Also yoinked from Maddy

The Best Lead pulling hilarious faces whilst dancing...

Photo by Aileen Ryan

Puggles named Cooper who live in New York...

Excitement in writing...

And my gorgeous niece, who is always willing to pull faces with me...

Absence

I just had a sudden realisation that I've not touched this blog since my birthday almost two weeks ago... This is due to a combination of Hullabaloo, getting the flu (Hullabaflu), and final preparations for my birthday garden party which took place on Sunday and was absolutely perfect and wonderful in every way.

I'm actually at work at the moment so really don't have time to go into detail, but I do have time to quickly post a few photos from the day - just to give you an idea as to what over three hundred hand cut paper hearts look like when you create a canopy out of them in a lovely garden, and add fairy lights, tissue paper pom-poms, dapper looking men and ladies in frocks, and a white porcelain sink!

The most perfect and romantic afternoon and evening. Ever.