Sunday, January 29, 2012

tap tap at the rocks

The Rocks in Mornington has pole position on Schnapper Point - beach, boats, the pier and tapas. We went for an early dinner recently. The sun was shining and the fishing boats were in the for the day. It is a very picturesque spot.

An aperitif was in order. - Cosmopolitan. They have been sooo done but they are sooo delicious.

 schnapper fish sticks

 black sea salt & pepper calamari, chilli, aioli

 spicy lamb merguez kebabs, capsicum, chilli salsa

I love dinner on sticks.

summer berry pudding , vanilla creme fraiche & fresh berries

 And I wore this frock from French Connection.


The Rocks on Urbanspoon

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Aus day


Michael Leunig wrote in today's AGE 
"...there is a nation of individuals that occupy a common ground - of which we are custodians, whether they realise it or not. Arrayed with a huge variety of creatures, plants and landforms, in spite of its use and misuse at the hands of settlers and occupiers, it is a unique natural estate of great beauty, spirit and strength."
"... there can be no doubt that the land beneath their feet that stretches into the unknown beyond their horizons is utterly real and and natural. It has identity and integrity. It has a soul."
An old indigenous man was asked how to connect with the country " Just go out in the country and sleep a night on the ground there. Sleep on country"
You can't get better than that......

Monday, January 23, 2012

rayban signets



I'm loving my new Rayban sunnies. I had them made up with my prescription so that I don't have to do the double glasses act I've been guilty of lately. I plan to do a bit of reading by the pool this week so they will have a good test run.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

happy bloggy birthday


Happy 1st Blog Birthday! Yay blog. Hip hip hooray...

Does one get blog birthday presents? Probably not, but I'll share a little toast to a year of blogging and lots of good bloggy joy to come. Cheers!

I celebrated my own birthday recently and had quite a joyous time.


I am now the proud owner of a macbook Air. Slim isn't she?

It was present from my husband, but chosen by me. I prefer a computer to an ipad - the keyboard is much better for all the documents I produce. The light weight of the Air is going to be great on my travels. Even though the era of the CD is all but over I bought the CD driver so that I can load new devices and maybe watch a DVD sometime. Old habits die hard. I'll leave it home on trips.

Now to get some travel plans in the pipeline. I'm lagging this year on selecting a trip from my bucket list. mmmm - let me see - definitely a Bali trip during winter, and maybe a tag along on a business trip to ... wait for it.... Paris! I'm probably dreaming but that's free right? Fingers crossed.
 

Saturday, January 14, 2012

my ♥'s


Here's a few of my favourite things.

Biscuit - Florentine

Coffee nibble -macaroon


Book - Perfume by Patrick Suskind


Album - Time after Time , Eva Cassidy


Meal - Satay sticks on wood burner with peanut sauce best served in Bali.


Vice - Long Island Tea in Bali or anywhere really.
Way to relax - facial at Endota when the therapist massages my temples and scalp.
Era - Now


Childhood memory - Riding my bike for the first time.



 Travel - Snow clad trees and mountains or lapping waves and sand expanses.


Artist - Ghostpatrol

Lipstick - Clinique Baby Kiss

Implement - shoe horn - everyone should have one.


Hairspray - Elnett

Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Ansett Summer House


I have been intrigued by the Summer house on the old Ansett Estate in Mount Eliza for so long that I felt the need to find out more  about it.
I walk on Moondah Beach quite often and the Summer house is tucked away at the southern end of the beach on the way to Sunnyside beach.

It is the charm and quaintness of the Summer house that has drawn me to this story but the darker shades that lurk behind this veneer are what has lured me to probe further.

The Ansett family lived in Mount Eliza on the family estate - Gunyong Valley from 1940. The property extends down to the foreshore and the little Summer house was the venue for the family's warm weather holidays. In the 60's and 70's they would pack their swimsuits and summer clothes and walk down the long driveway to the beach and enjoy the summer holidays on the beach.  Sir Reginald kept his family rather cloistered and having read some interviews with the Ansett girls Janet, Jane and Jill this was a trait that presented some difficulty for them. A comprehensive article in The Australian reports that Sir Reg kept his first family, John and Robert, completely separate from his second family. The girls did not know they were adopted nor of the existence of the boys until later years. Whether this was because his second wife Joan orchestrated the situation is not clear. John believes his father must have been complicit in this. Jill stated that her father outright denied that Bob was her brother when his Budget car business hit the headlines.
 

The Ansett family was the subject of a doco on the ABC - Dynasties, and the synopsis is well worth a look if you are interested in the way Reginald Ansett conducted his life.   It also gives an insight into the events that followed his death and the fallout from his Last Will and Testament. The Australian reported on the final outcome that may bring some peace to the family after years of protracted legal proceedings.

I admire the attitude of Janet - "I'm not going to ruin the rest of my life by being bitter about it all," she says. "Out of something bad, something good always happens. As a result of this, I am now in contact with John for the first time in 50 years. That is fantastic and that is a real plus in our lives."

 The charming shutters are now gone and replaced with bunker style awnings - a sad necessity I suppose.




The property is now owned by Chas Jacobsen and the auction was the talk of the town when it smashed the Victorian auction record at the time. The Age reported on the day. Controversies still continue to this day as there have been issues with the use of the land, council permits and even signs regarding nudity and other scurrilous goings on in the bushes!


 Keep your clothes on!


But none of this interrupts my day dreaming of owning this little sanctuary. I imagine coming out in the morning and looking across the water to Mornington and out further to the ships crossing the bay. I'd play with the dog and paddle in the water and collect shells to my heart's content.  Come to think about it,  I already do all that except the bit about owning the Summer House.

This would be my view first thing every morning.


  

  
Tell her she's dreaming...

 
 Dream on.

Friday, January 6, 2012

trippy wildflower


Do you want to get lost in a little flower power?
 Then head on over to Infinite Wild Flower on vimeo for some flower fantasticness.
Thomas will be exhibiting this piece at Sugar Mountain Music and Arts Festival in Melbourne 14th Jan 2012





Sunday, January 1, 2012

a sparkle or two

Here's some glittery fabulousness to start 2012.






And a toast to the year ahead...

Happy New Year!




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