Spooky

Apple lanterns instead of pumpkins - What do you think? I'm very impressed with our handy work! Hope you all got a spook this year. 

Happy Halloween

xxx

In & Out

Looking pasty and white in our beach attire, Jeff and I headed down for our first official swim (more like jump in jump out) of the season. The weather was warm but the water was 18 degrees. We both struggled to go all the way under. Worth it though!! 

Brrrrr..

Sunny Saturday

Weekend - I love you. The sun was out in all its glory - I got a little pink on my arms (whoops).  Summer is well and truly on its way, it's sunshine from here on in!

Umbrella time

Hanging out at Tama

Apparently Leo Dicaprio was on the beach - I couldn't spot him....

xxx

Noodle Markets

 Hyde Park has been transformed into an asian food stall market area (Night Noodle Markets). JJ, Zoe and I got there early this evening, and managed to get a table with out too much hassle. We sipped at a bottle of vino, gobbled up a couple of delicious dishes, ran into a few random people that we knew and soaked up the sydney/asian atmosphere. 

 This guy is getting a serving of caramelised pork on rice with salad ready for us to eat. Yum!

 It's on every year - so if you missed it this time you gotta wait another 12mths!

Wheels

Check out my new set of wheels from Bondi Bike Bar! Pretty cruisy hey? It was a belated b'day gift from my dad (Thanks Dad). Don't let the cool layed back style fool u, this thing has 8 gears so it can handle steep hills, zippy city streets or the chilled beach boardwalk. It's my third day of riding it too and fro from work and it's actually a lot faster then catching the bus. There is one monster of a hill that kills me - give it a week or 2 to build some muscle and I think I'll be all over it! Hopefully I won't fall off or run over anyone during my bike adventures - probably will at some point. ekkk.

Everyone should get a bike for the summer - feels so good to get out and about!

Gyoza Night

We all get so excited when Naoko announces that she is having a gyoza night. She has the technique down pat....best i've ever had. (will steal recipe and post later)

There is always a good bunch attending - lots of wine is drank, girls talk girly stuff and boys talk boring boy stuff in the dungeon.  Lots of fun is had by all!

Thanks Naoko - Can't wait for the next chow down.

xxx

Vicious Cycle

This morning I reluctantly got out of bed and did my first ever vicious cycle class. It's a very cool little studio in the middle of Bondi decked out with a bunch of spin bikes. The room is pitch black and spray painted in funky art that glows in the dark. Apart from feeling like spewing half way through the class and my legs feeling very jelly-like at the moment, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of non-stop cycling to classic 80s tunes for 45min. The music was pumping, bodies were sweating, faces were red and people were panting - pretty hardcore for 8am on a Saturday. Tanya, our toned and super fit teacher, made it look easy on her bike while talking in the mic and singing along to the tunes. Seriously don't understand how she does it.
While walking home I checked out the waves and decided to go for a paddle to cool down that ended up being an hour and a half full-on surf sesh. Despite feeling amazing right now -  Pretty sure I'm going to pass out pretty early this evening. 

So, If you have trouble getting out of your morning grumpiness or you wanna tone up for summer then I recommend this intense work-out to you! I'm gonna try and keep it up...

BMX

Clancy, my nephew, is obsessed with his BMX. All he wants to do is rip it up all day, everyday. Tugun on the Gold Coast has a wicked skate park right next to the airport (the planes fly really low right over your head - you seriously can almost touch them) so as soon as he woke up, he woke me up to head over!

 The little guy has no fear and gives every jump, ramp and trick a go. He was pulling off some insane air for a 5 yr old (show off)  - I was very impressed. Definitely can see him going pro when he gets older! He stacked it at the end of the session - bonked his head and got a good bruise on his knee...he just got up and kept going, tough guy. 

Can't wait to go back and see what new tricks he'll be able to do.

xxx

The Gates

While at work yesterday I striked up a convo with a very interesting elderly man. He was like a nomad - just travelling the world, sleeping under stars and looking for adventure.

I love travelling - so I was instantly all ears and asked about the craziest place he had ever been.

It was The Gates Of Hell, situated in Turkmenistan (I'd never heard of it).

With only a population of 350 (mostly nomadic) and in one of the hottest deserts in the world (The Karakum) is a massive, flaming natural gas pit. People say you can hear the screams and crys from the occupants of hell. Spooky!

There are no fences or safety precautions around the pit and he just camped out the night next to it with his guide - (you can only get into Turkmenistan with one as its pretty new to letting travellers in). He said it was one of the most amazing experiences he'd ever had - and I'm sure he had had a few. So- thankyou Mr. Traveller for having a chat to me yesterday and letting me know about this amazing place and its surroundings.

My plan is to go and explore this part of the world and see this natural wonder before they put it out. Anyone up for it?!

On The Rocks

Zo-Lo is pretty lucky having North Bondi as her back yard. 

You'll probably see her (looking uber-cool) socialising with the crowd on the grassy knoll, cruising down the promenade on her purple trike or having an outdoor shower with all the hot surfer boys.

I managed to catch up with her after her breaky at Porch & Parlour Cafe.  She was hanging out barefoot on the rocks (one of her fav spots) splashing in the puddles, collecting shells and making friends with all the big dogs.

xxx

Additions

The past couple of days I have accumulated quite a few pieces to my wardrobe/accessories. Majority of the purchases were necessities as I didn't have much left after my big spring clean. 

The list: Knitted cardigan, summer dress, 2 pairs of flats, lace skirt, paisley skirt, maxi skirt, set of earrings, straw hat, sparrow necklace, boyfriend jeans, sunglasses and a high waisted polka dot skirt. Wow.... nothing was extremely pricey & it's been AGES since I've been shopping - so I don't feel too guilty.

May the spring/summer festivities begin! I'm decked out and ready to party! 

Mid-week weekend

What is a better way to spend your day off then hanging out with your sister on her balcony? 

We dug into a plate of cheese, prosciutto, grapes, fresh bread, quince paste and washed it down with some chilled rose. The wine went to our heads pretty quickly so we both had to have an afternoon snooze. Was perfectly perfect. I could quite happily live on her balcony and eat what we ate for the rest of my life.

Shcoos Pizzeria

Home made pizza was on the menu last night. We had some 'pizza eating experts' over, who had been waiting 5 days for the event. It was quite the success, although the dough was a little too soft (my fault) -  so Jeff  couldn't show off his pro pizza spinning/throwing skills. He used to work at a pizzeria back in the day so he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

 Toppings included ham, tomato paste with herbs, salami, mushys, capsicum, pineapple, garlic oil, zucchini and of course cheese. Nothing too fancy. 

 I'm actually eating left over pizza right now for breakfast. It's even better the next day.

Early mark

Working from 7:30 - 3:30pm is the best. Start early = finish early....the way I like it. It doesn't happen everyday so when it does, I try to make the most of it. After my early shift ended on this stunning Monday arvo, I decided to go for a surf with Jeff and Paul. It wasn't even 1 foot and the water was icy cold but we didn't care, we just wanted to get wet and have a paddle. 

 Surfing has been apart of my life for the past 3 years. There has been ups, downs, tears, frustration, near death experiences, pure bliss, drop ins, screams of joy and fright, freak-outs, competitions, tantrums, emergency rooms, dolphins, dumpers, blood, bruises, laughter, lightening, head on collisions, gossip sessions with the girls, loss of breath, sharky feelings, rainbows....you name it. It's never the same out there. I am totally hooked and wish that I had started doing this sport since I was a litte one. I highly recommend it! 

  It's pretty tough to get out there in the winter so I'm very, very excited that it's started to warm up and the days are getting longer. I have a few goals to reach this summer with my surfing.....hopefully all goes to plan!

Shcoodaloo....

A-Chew!

The past few years I have had a love/hate relationship with spring. It used to be my favorite time of the year, every part of my body and mind loved the warming-up season. Unfortunately my nose and eyes have decided to go against it. This week I have been none stop sneezing, rubbing my eyes, itching my face and blowing my nose. It is the most frustrating thing ever, especially when you have tried every antihistamine, nasal spray and ointment on the shelf down at the chemist. Looks like I'm just going to have to put up with it for a while. Hurry up and finish pollinating flowers!!

It was a stunning Sunday. Bondi was pumping with daddys and kiddies celebrating fathers day. There was a bunch of us that went down for breakfast on the grassy knoll. The kids & Jeff were drawing pics on the pavement with chalk. This fish was my fav.

I picked up a delicious smelling gardenia soy midnight candle today, it's burning away next to me right now soothing my nose. Good stuff.

Sundays are the best, I never want them to end.

xx Happy Fathers Day Dad xx

Markets

Bondi farmers markets are pretty awesome. Naoks and I decided to hit them this morning after our surf. We grabbed a whole bunch of yummy crunchy vege, fresh bread and some delish duck pate. We stocked up on goodness and then had a little picnic on her balcony with the lorikeets. Pretty nice day for winter!

Sunny Spot

My sister, JJ, asked if I wanted to come to help her and Zoe plant some herbs! She found the perfect little spot that gets lots of afternoon sun. I miss having a backyard full of fresh homegrown produce. Living in an apartment gets me down sometimes, but I really cant complain living 30seconds from the crashing waves of Bondi beach. 

Zoe was on water-can duty. She managed to water everything but the plants.

Pretty sure they will be happy in their new home.

Perfect day for a fish

I caught 13 tailor today!

Jeff and I had no idea what we were doing. Luckily we had Brad, a pro fisherman, on board to tell us
what to do. Our day started at the Coolangatta bait shop, then straight into the Tweed River, where all the fish were waiting. We ended up with over 20 fish which we gutted, cleaned and cooked up for dinner. Cant get any better! Was an amazing experience and I plan to keep up my newly learned fishing skills back in Sydney.

This was the lure we used to catch the tailor

Fish Tail