August 2008 - Page 2 of 2 - Adventure, baby!

Birthday Escape To The Blue Mountains {Day 1}

August 9, 2008 / Family, Holidays, NSW, Sydney Life / 1 Comment

For my last 20-something birthday Alec took me away for the weekend to stay in a river-side cabin at Turon Gates, about 4-5 hours hrs drive from Sydney.

After a long and somewhat dramatic drive there, we awoke the next morning surrounded by bushlands.

Our solar-powered cabin, right in the middle of a nature reserve.

Alec takes a look around.

This photo is begging for a funny caption. Pity I can’t think of one!

Scenic bushlands and nature were all around.

It was awesome waking up every morning to look ut of the window at this river. The river was a major site during the gold rush and the remains from the gold prospectors can still be seen here. The river is crystal clear (and bloody cold!). In summer I can imagine it would be a great place to swim and canoe.

Ghost gums – everywhere!

Pretty! I loved how much wattle was everywhere – the bright yellow against olive green and red and brown dirt. So Australian!

Playing with my 50mm lens.

Very obliging boy.

So rugged and manly!

Who da man?

Cheesy! A happy photo on a happy day.

Purdy Things

August 6, 2008 / Shopping / 0 comment

These sweet lip glosses were gifts from Beverly and Rosalie. I have been on a hunt to find the perfect lip gloss for many years and have accumulated a collection of gloss and balm that would rival the Myers cosmetics floor.

This adorable little cupcake-shaped one has chocolate lip gloss inside.

I have a love of Stila that is obsessive, so it was an extremely pleasant surprise to open this gift from Beverly. I had to photo it to preserve the adorable packaging.

I adore how this gloss is moisturising rather than sticky and gives the perfect hint of colour.

The Cupcake Bakery

August 4, 2008 / Sydney Food / 1 Comment

Beverly and I were doing a spot of, ahem, shopping today at Peter Alexander on George St when we decided to pop in next door to The Cupcake Factory to give them a taste test. We both consider ourselves cupcake connoisseurs, so it takes some seriously delicious cupcakes to satisfy our cravings for her perfect nom-ing treat.

The Cupcake Factory has a lovely display filled with many interesting flavours – not as many kinds as BabyCakes, but they make up for it with excellent quality.

Cost-wise, it is $3.50 per huge cupcake, which may seem pricey but is very comparable to other cupcake stores and is cheaper than BabyCakes. BabyCakes may have the cute factor, but I do believe The Cupcake Factory wins for awesome tasting cupcakes.

I bought one to try – the vanilla with chocolate buttercream and sprinkles below. I also bought a sticky date with caramel topping for Alec – it was 50 cents extra for the cute little box.

Pretty store – love the striped decor.

Yuuumm….

Close-up of the crazy blue cake.

Menu.

About to get totally sugared out.

Store front.

My vanilla with chocolate buttercream cupcake. I can’t rate it highly enough. The buttercream was deliciously sweet – not too sugary! A good sign is how light and fluffy it is. The actual cake was delicious. Very vanilla-y and soft, but not too spongey. Perfect texture – slightly crumbly, with a crunchy outside.

Bliss! Check The Cupcake Factory out:

320B George St
Sydney, NSW, 2000

LCC Pizza & Wii Night

August 3, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 0 comment

LCC is out staple pizza delivery place in Artarmon. I always order the same thing – bocconcini, tomato and basil, but it’s such a winning combination I never have the urge to order anything else.

The store front – it’s super tiny.

Delectable menu.

Matt hangs out.

The elder Cooper brother looks mightily red here.

Waiting in the cold. It would be awesome if LCC invested in some outdoor heaters in winter.

Our stack of delicious pizza ready to be inhaled.

Alec praises the lord that his pizza is here at last.

Alec ordered a Mediterranean pizza this time – not a touch on the usual but still good.

Matt models his b’day present from Aya.

Alec is so hungry he eats where he stands.

Trying to mute me with the Wii.

Post pizza carb overload.

Working off the pizza with Wii bowling.

And Wii baseball.

I was just taking photos here to see what faces Alec was pulling. He never disappoints.

Pulling a face of my own with Aya.

With Aya and her new flatmate Marianne.

Home time! Good bye!

LCC Gourmet Pizza
Shop 4, 1 Wilkes Ave
Artarmon NSW 2064
Phone: 02 9412 4411

High Tea At The Queen Victoria Building

August 2, 2008 / Family, friends, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

I’m a bit freaked out about having my last 20-something birthday next week. I thought I would try and celebrate it as much as possible to hopefully leave me less freaked and more excited …

I’ve been wanting to try high tea for a long time, so Beverly suggested we go for my birthday and helped me selected the perfect venue – the QVB Tearoom.

The Tearoom is situated at the top of the old QVB. I’ve been visiting the QVB all my life and never realised it was even there.

Entering the Tearoom is like taking a journey back in time to a more elegant era. The decor is amazing – beautiful plush seats, chandeliers and very smartly dressed waiters with white gloves.