Family Archives - Page 38 of 53

Isis & Matt’s Wedding

September 27, 2008 / friends, Love / 0 comment

After a week of tumultuous weather, Saturday was stunningly perfect for my good friend Isis’ wedding – especially since it was to be held outdoors!

The ceremony as held at Observatory Hill in Sydney, in a rotunda. The view was stunning, so it was easy to see why it is such a popular wedding location.

Isis is Indian and her now-husband, Matt, is a Kiwi, so together they had a wedding that was a bit Indian, a touch Kiwi and a lot of Aussie.

The set-up for the Indian-fusion ceremony.

The stunning bride walked down the aisle by her adorable parents.

A lot of the ceremony was in Hindi I believe, so we didn’t really know what was going on. It sounded amazing, whatever they were saying!

Some blessing was going on here. And promising to be good to each other of course.

Exchanging flower garlands.

Making it official.

Flowers for tossing. Because of the breeze they went in the opposite direction than desired and landed on the guests – a nice fragant shower of flowers.

The groom’s awesome shoes.

Happy day! All dressed up.

The bride’s hands – covered in intricate henna designs. Her feet were covered too.

The very happy bride!

STUNNING location!

Being tourists and LOL-ing.

Aww – romance was in the air!

A full-length shot of my purty dress.

After the ceremony we had time to kill so we stopped by La Renaissance Patisserie Francaise in Argyle St at the Rocks for coffee and, erm, snacks.

The display alone had me drooling.

My raspberry tart. So divine I could have happily eaten a few more. Then again, I am quite the little piggy.

Alec’s mixed berry tart. Almost as good as the ones we had in Estonia.

Being such tourists.

The bridal couple changed into Western outfits for the reception.

The cake! It was uber tasty – some kind of moist vanilla cake with lemon-ish cream.

The set-up. The boat was called the Vagabond Princess.

Happy!

Unsure what’s going on.

Making their entrance.

Appetisers!

More awwwww.

Lunch! Indian-fusion tastiness.

The bridal couple did a very nontraditional dance – starting with a waltz, then breaking into an Indian routine, followed by hip-hop. It was so unexpected and so very very funny.

Posing with our friends.

After the cruise we went to Opera Bar with the bridal couple and friends for more celebrating. We watched the sun go down and had lots of laughs as the bride and groom were able to unwind and enjoy themselves.

Being complete tourists again.

Sun setting over one of Australia’s most well-known pieces of architecture – the Sydney Opera House.

Alec does his Wolverine impression.

The perfect end to the perfect day! Best of luck Isis and Matt, and thanks for involving us in your special day!

Dinner at Bev’s

September 24, 2008 / Animals, friends / 1 Comment

My dear friend invited us over for a girlie night of puff pasty pizza and ferrets.

Bev … about to hack up something or another.

The makings of a very tasty salad – with rennet-free cheese.

Ummm I can’t even begin to explain this.

Bev starts on the pizzas.

Lol-isa can’t resist the feta.

Spreading on the topping.

LOL-ing.

My vege pizza with a corner of meat.

The meat-lovers’ pizza.

Covered in cheesy goodness.

Lise finishes up the salad.

Baked and ready!

After-dinner ferret-play.

There seems to be a ferret in the Tokidoki.

Or two!

What are you doing, naughty ferret?

“I am putting my head between my legs is what!”

When ferrets attack.

Acrobatics – trying out for Cirque du Soleil.

Tired and ready for snuggles.

Gone Bush!

September 21, 2008 / Animals, Family / 0 comment

We took Alec’s mum to Mount Kuringai to check out how the area had changed since she lived there. We packed a picnic lunch and head on into the bush for some nature watching and serious snacking.

Happy family shot

Sandstone cave. Very cool!

More happy families.

We then drove to Bobbin Head just for a look. As we were driving down one of the roads a family of wood ducks or geese (we weren’t sure what they were) stepped out in front of a car going the other direction. Luckily the driver saw them and stopped while mum, dad and all of the babies waddled across the road – straight under our car!

Why hello there little ones.

Straight under the car!

… and out the other side.

Safe!

Time for a drink.

All freshened up and ready for dinner!

Candice’s Hen’s Party

September 20, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Another hen’s party this weekend, this time for my friend Candice. She chose to have a high tea at the Park Hyatt. The Park Hyatt is in a fabulous location on the water with a stunning view of the Opera House.

It is a very elegant place, very modern and chic in comparison to the QVB Tearoom, which is very “old world” elegance.

A back-lit shot of me.

The food! Bigger portions rather than a wider variety. The top tier contained the most divine chocolate mousse and Shortbread cups with cream and strawberries on top.

Next tiers – sandwiches (I had a very tasty egg and mayo). There were some mini vege quiches as well (they were cold and not very nice). Bottom layer were the scones. Very nice indeed – light and fluffy with a crispy edge.

Table full of ladies and delights.

My favourite part – the mousse.

With my dear friend Candice.

The view!

It was quite intimidating for me to go because I didn’t know any of Candice’s friends. Luckily she has a lot of very friendly friends who went out of their way to be extremely nice to me and get to know me. I ended up having the most delightful day. A perfect Saturday afternoon!

La Gerbe D’or

September 20, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 0 comment

J’adore French food. Since I can’t be in France to eat it right now, the next best thing is La Gerbe D’or in Paddington Five-Ways. Delightful cafe for breakfast or lunch, plus a patisserie to buy treat from to take home for those we left behind.

Last time we ordered a bowl of hot chocolate each, not realising it would be the size of our heads. This time we thought we would be smart and only order one and share it. Only problem was pouring it into the cups. This below illustrates what happens when you attempt this debacle.

A tomato and cheese tart. DELICIOUS. I will order this next time instead of stealing pieces from the girls.

Croque madam – like a croque-monsieur but with two eggs on top.

My French toast. The way the French have it! Seeped in eggs, with home made apple jam and cream and covered in icing sugar. The most delicious I have ever tasted.

Inside the croque madam.

Happy girls about to stuff themselves.

Dessert! The St Tropez – we shared this treat. A light friand-ish thing with light custard / cream blend.

Can I fit it all in my mouth?

Full of food goodness and ready to shop!

First day of hot weather! Check out our summery clothing.

Sushi Tei

September 17, 2008 / friends, Sydney Food / 0 comment

Beverly and I put ourselves through a pump class at the gym, then indulged in noodles at Sushi Tei – one of Bev’s favourite places nearby. I love Japanese noodles and this place had a wide variety of delicious noodle and sushi dishes – as well as very polite service.

Bev practice’s Alec’s “stop taking photos of me” look. Check out the giant menu.

Potato and corn cakes.

My udon noodle soup. Very simple and plain.

Bev’s cutlet.

Sesame ice cream.

My ice-cream with chocolate inside thingy. I don’t know what it was called but it was very unique!

Isis’ Hen Night

September 14, 2008 / friends, Sydney Life / 3 Comments

Isis chose a hen day with a difference – a pole dancing class followed by dinner.

The class took place at Studio Verve, a little place in Surry Hills. I have taken a few pole dancing classes several years ago when it was just starting to become a trend, and it’s amazing to see how much it has changed from unstructured lessons in strip clubs to properly kitted out studios with syllabus’ and levels of classes.

The hen looks hot to trot.

Go Isis!

Alice takes a spin.

My turn. Weee!

Our instructor, Angie, shows us some advanced moves.

It looks pretty easy, eh?

Our turn to learn a routine.

Finishing pose.

Gratuitous butt shot #1.

Gratuitous butt shot #2.

Posing after the hard work is done. Hussies!

Group shot – go pole dancing!

The hen and Alice start with the drinks.

I try to get the hang of spins.

Me and Jenn – posing again.

Changed and ready for the night on the town.

All the girls at Pazzo, Surry Hills. Delish food at a reasonable reasonable price. It was about $50 pp for antipasto platters, bruscetta, a main (I had pumpkin filled pasta with pea pesto. Ultra tasty!) and a dessert platter. It was also BYO. We all brought a bottle of wine and got incredibly sloshed.

Yuuuuum! The marriageable dessert platter.

Oh Hai!

September 8, 2008 / Love / 0 comment

I just love love love this photo of Alec taken with a wide-angle lens.

Father’s Day in Newcastle

September 7, 2008 / Family, NSW / 0 comment

The sun came out and we made the long drive to Newcastle to see Alec’s dad on Father’s Day.

We stopped at a little cafe on Darby Street called Anacapri – it was completely packed, always a good sign.

Open windows, nice airy feel.

Caaakkkeeesss!

Alec ponders his meal choices.

Roasted vegetable salad with rocket, balsamic, fried fetta and pine nuts. The fried fetta was a brilliant addition.

I had a vegetarian breakfast – scrambled free-range eggs with fetta and spinich, corn fritter, grilled tomatoes and thick toast. Delicious and filling.

The outside area leading to the courtyard, where we sat.

Alec’s fish and wedges.

Exit time!

After eating we head on down to Nobby’s for a walk in the lovely weather. I loved this area that was a dog beach – so many happy little dogs all in one area, it really made my day.

We also saw a pod of dolphins in the harbour. An odd choice of venue for dolphins, but it was amazing to see them there.

Stelth shot of an Afgan Hound – with a close hair cut. I’ve never seen one of these as a pet before.

Breach!

Crazy wind makes my hair go nuts.

Alec and his dad – Happy Father’s Day!

Malabar at Crows Nest

September 4, 2008 / Animals, friends, Sydney Food / 2 Comments

I’ve never been a fan of Indian food – with the exception of cheese naan (which I was told recently wasn’t traditionally Indian – what a disappointment!).

Beverly and Lisa however have been raving abut their favourite Indian place in Crows Nest, Malabar, so in the spirit of trying new things, I agreed to come along for some new flavours.

I was pleasantly surprised by the delicious food – although I shouldn’t have been surprised since B & L are usually right when it comes to good restaurants. I was also pleased by the variety of vegetarian food on offer.

The interior – very dark unfortunately which made it not optimal for taking photos.

Colourful menu.