Christmas treats

 {Mrs Oliver's massive retro trifle}

I'm spending Christmas in Melbourne again this year. The city is so nice and quiet during this time, and being quite the homebody, I just love being able to potter about being a slob during the holidays! We're heading to a friends place on Christmas Day and are on desserts, so I've been researching a few delicious recipes.

{cake with cranberries // peppermint icecream candyland cake}

{christmas candy cheesecake}

{frozen chocolate-peppermint Bûche de Noël}

 {white chocolate tiramisu trifle // raspberry, white chocolate and almosnd trifle}

{winter pudding bombe // frozen grand marnier torte with dark chocolate crust and spiced cranberries}

{candycane white chocolate mousse}

{gingerbread gnome house I'm not seriously considering making this, but it is adorable!}

{ginger shortbread with raspberry icing // gelatina de navidad}

Spring time eats

What I ate this Spring. First of all: lots of fruit!

On muesli for breakfast, and smothering this amazing pavlova made by some friends.

Second of all: Lots of avocado.

And in less healthy eating news, I made this huge orange-chocolate cake for Mr Meet-Cute's birthday.

I enjoyed some good cafe breakfasts, like this porridge with macadamia and stewed rhubard at Milkwood.

Mitte is another cute neighbourhood cafe that does amazing breakfasts.

Some simple dinners at home: freekah salad with salmon, sausages, bread and salad, and my Mum's tuna quiche.

And some dinners out and about: Longrain thai salad, and fried chicken and slaw, and burgers from Belle's Diner (their fried green tomato burger is amaze).

Afghans! For some reason I got them on the brain and wasn't satisfied until I'd made some.

Reuben sandwich from Woolly Bully.

Spring has also been the season of smoothies.

Tea and scones, a winner whatever the season.

The joyous face of someone clutching a pizza from Al Albero.

Neck minute

Something I'm loving right now is all these woven neckpieces.

Elenii

Alchemy

R&t

Something profound

My Hello Polly  macramé necklace

Markit trinkets

I went along to Markit at Fed Square on Sunday, full of good intentions for starting my Christmas shopping. Instead I ended up buying lots of presents for myself. Oops.

Actually, I did buy one cute gift for my brand new niece Evie, who was born two weeks ago! That gift is not pictured above, though I doubt Evie is quite at blog reading level, I'd like to keep it as a surprise!

Across the ditch

I went home to New Zealand recently and caught up with family and friends. First stop was Auckland, where I ate a lot of treats.

Cupcakes from Petal Cupcakes which were amazing, as was this donut from Little and Friday, which was consumed right after I'd eaten breakfast, so it was a bit of a struggle, but worth it.

My trip was all over the place, with just a few days at every stop. This was taken driving through Tongariro National Park down to Wellington.

My old stomping ground! It was amazing being back in Wellington for the first time since moving to Melbourne three years ago. I'd been dreaming about mushrooms on toast from Fidels, and they didn't disappoint. Our Wellington stop was for less than 48 hours so every moment was maximised with catch ups, and visits to old haunts.

And new haunts! Like Six Barrel Soda Co. I enjoyed their Kola Nut soda so much I bought a bottle of the syrup to take with me on my travels.

Before getting on a plane to the South Island we squeezed in some breakfast at Maranui, one of my all time faves.

The beautiful South Island! These pics are a confusing mix of iphone, digital camera and film shots. Just thought I'd mention that.

We stumbled across a school fair, I was pleased to stock up on homemade fudge and coconut ice.

Our trip coincided with Guy Fawkes, which we had to make the most of as it isn't celebrated in Australia. We went crazy with rockets and sparklers. Not too crazy though, being sensible grown ups.

Special Blanky

There's a lot of excitement in my family right now because my sister is a few weeks away from having a baby - my parents first grandchild, and I will be an aunty for the first time!

I wanted to get something really special as a gift, and found these gorgeous handmade baby blankets on Hello Polly which fitted the bill perfectly. They are made by Odds and Ends in Melbourne using reclaimed offcuts from mohair, lambswool and cashmere jumpers, making them incredibly, deliciously soft. It's almost a shame they only come in baby sizes! I chose the blanket in neutrals/greys and it was very well received by my sister, so hopefully the new arrival will enjoy it just as much, once they have arrived!