Santa Claus is coming to town

Santa's mailbox has been installed in the City Square.

Christmas people is On the Way!

If you didn't know it before you know it now ... for now you can post your letters to Mr Claus requesting the things you want most.

Tonight I'm wondering how Christmas came to be all about gifts .... maybe there's a secret lusting after new things that belongs in all of us and we just let it rip once a year?

At this time of year I always end up wishing that work wasn't quite so crazy and I could have some more time to enjoy it.  The lights, the carols, the festiveness ..... Love it all, Can't get enough of it all.


Still haven't decorated!  Really need to remedy that.

Are you all ready for Christmas?

Christmas

I know, it's only November right! 

Well yes it's only November but Christmas is sneaking up fast ..... way fast.

I feel like its going to be the 25th December before I know it.  I went and did some Christmas shopping after work tonight because I feel like I'm way behind in my preparations.

I have a lot of people still to buy for ...... and I still need to come up with ideas.

I love the whole getting together part with friends and family and the cooking and feeling of winding down for the year ... but I do wonder if we're not all getting too focused on the presents part of it. 

But I must admit I also love finding that secret surprise present that you hope the recipient will love and cherish .... so I guess I buy into the whole present thing just as much as anyone. 

Tonight I found some Harry Potter lego for my nephew who loves all things Harry Potter at the moment.  I bought some solar powered christmas lights to put out the front of my house.  I have a camellia bush at the front so I'm thinking of threading the lights through the bush.  

I found a present for one of my brothers and I have an idea for one of my sisters .... but thats barely touching the sides of my shopping list! 

So wish me luck peoples .... I feel I may need it to get through my shopping list on top of a busy time at work...... 

Tuesday

I am really feeling like "spring has sprung".

The rocket and snow peas have germinated .... rocket at the top of the picture and the snow peas at the bottom.

I've never grown rocket before so I'm so excited that it germinated!

Snow peas I've grown before and they're pretty easy.

This is the first crop which I planted a while back ....... can you spot the snow peas amongst the foliage?

I love eating them fresh from the bush!





Beetroot and beans below .....

So I'm excited to soon be eating a whole lot more of my own home grown produce! 

Has everyone else been getting out into the garden this spring? 

Organic Food .....

My box of organic fruit and veg has arrived for the week .... it comes from Organic Empire.  


I order the small box and its packed full of goodies ... like the cavalo nero (or black cabbage) pictured above.  This week there was also potatoes, a bunch of asparagus, a lettuce, a bunch of broccolini, some oranges, apples, pears, a bunch of rainbow dutch carrots ......... 


So I have absolutely no excuse for not eating really really well this week! 

It's starting to feel more like spring. 

There were peony roses in the florist shop today ..... so lovely. 

It's been a short week work wise here in Melbourne because of having a public holiday for the Melbourne Cup.  I took the Monday off too and had an extra long weekend and I really appreciated the down time.

My work place has been slightly at 6's and 7's this week (don't you wonder where those expressions come from)? ........ anyway I don't know whether its because we're heading for the end of the year and people are tired or what it is but it has been a week thats felt a bit like emotions were getting the better of a lot of people in our team. 

I'm hoping next week has got a lot less stress! 

I've been wondering this week what it is that has made our work place a bit fractious.  I don't think I can nail the answer to that one  -  so many different personalities and things going on.

I think it re-emphasises the importance of balance and not stretching yourself too thin on any aspect of your life.

In the lead up to Christmas I think thats an important thing to remember - that the year has been long, that  people are holding out for a break, that moderation in work and play is a good thing!

I'll be trying to hold on to those things as this year draws fast to a close.

Armstrong Street Foodstore, Armstrong Street, Middle Park

Today I went to the Armstrong Street Foodstore (on Armstrong Street, Middle Park) with a friend who has just come back to live in Melbourne. 

We had a cup of tea and a piece of hedgehog (Yum...)!!! 

I love catching up with this friend.  Apart from the fact that can just natter on for hours and hours about anything we're in similar professions so its good to have someone who "understands" my work and the pressures of our particular profession.

I'm currently trying to increase the non-work activities ... trying to live a well rounded life ya know :-) 

She's looking for a new place to live so we also went to look at some rental properties .... horrendous amounts of rent for some places that really weren't so flash.  Bathrooms that were about 30 years old and looked as though they'd had some pretty hard wear in those 30 years.  It makes me wonder about what landlord's think is appropriate.

Why do they think that they can continue to receive peoples money without every doing any work on their properties.  

Why is it that no-one offers tenants better protection? 

I feel incredibly grateful that I am in my own place - albeit that the bank owns more than me!  I'm working on changing that though!  

On another note the Petunias have started to flower.  

Cumulus Inc

Cumulus Inc is a great spot on Flinders Lane.  Food is great and check out the flowers from last week.

I love them ....... they're so colourful and fabulous. 

Craft Victoria has got a great window display at the moment 

Craft Vic was closed when I took these pictures .... but I'm hoping to go back.  I'd happily put some of these little treasures on my christmas list.

What's happening on Wednesday

Berries are back ...... still expensive though.  

I couldn't resist some raspberries ... does anyone else think that they almost taste like a perfume.  Those fresh, really ripe raspberries with that heady scent?  

Or is that just me? 

I stepped into the supermarket because I was early for a dinner date with my little brother.  I picked up 5 am organic yoghurt - vanilla bean which will go fabulously well with the berries.  I also got a few other bits and pieces - cheese because I'm thinking about making some pizza this coming weekend, baking powder, flour, currants because I've also got a yen to make me some cake.

Fatal really because you know, whole cake ... and a girl can eat the whole cake!   You can see how this ends up can't you........ 

Being Yourself

As time goes on and it does .... on and on with no rewind button 

I'm becoming surer (not sure that's really a word) of an essential certainty. 

I need to be myself - the real true me because there's no one else that I can be. 

It's taken a while to get to that point ... which seems a bit ridiculous, I mean really who can I be but me? 

But I think the reality of it is that sometimes, maybe many times, we try to "fit" in.  Mould ourselves to not offend, to blend in and not stand out from the crowd, to not be the voice of dissent. 

I know I've done that and done it often.  I've thought - it's easier to "go along" and not express my real view.  Partly because I hold very strong opinions and sometimes I know that I put people off because I'm dead sure of where I am at heart and what I believe ....... except of course that I'm guilty of hiding it at times. 

It isn't the worlds worst thing to do this - after all there's no need to turn social occasions into something awkward.  But as time goes on I think that on the essentials - I need to not mould it and meld it - I need to stand up and be me! 

Hope you can all do the same.  

Happy Tuesday folks.

Getting Started - October 2011

Well hello, I thought I'd try a little blogging. 

This tree is just down the road from me and I've been walking past it for the last few days and I finally remembered to take a photo .... this doesn't really do it justice.  It looks amazing when you see it in "real life".  I thought I'd share it with you ... if you're thinking about planting a pom pom tree - go ahead! 

It reminded me of the camellia's that I used to decorate the platter that I put my sisters birthday cake on a little while back ... they had a bit of a pom pom thing going on as well. 

The cake recipe came from NZ House and Garden Magazine ... no idea which edition because it was a recipe I'd pulled out and stuck in a book.  

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