radio silence

... but radio silence for a Good Reason, friends! frogs & snails & puppy-dogs' tails!

we've been busy getting to know this little man. and he's been busy getting to know us.

life is grand.

some light relief...

...for your lazy weekend entertainment, can i suggest you open this little video and unashamedly have a little giggle at this cute porcupine who thinks he's a puppy. (thanks Alyson!)

because it's good just to let out some laughter for no reason!

happy weekend!

(incidentally, this is how my puppy is spending the weekend...

...what a life they lead!)

{listening} flags

image :: brooke fraser

i live my life to music. constantly. always something playing in my mind.

right now, it's brooke fraser's new album flags. stunningly beautiful songs & melodies.

i've just found her purdy new blog. i was totally wowed by the pictorial essay by her drummer, aaron redfield. lovely photos to lose yourself in...

image :: aaron redfield

lets go there, hey? right now? ok. 

before a neon night's lighting i'm right beside you/the fire in motion/the fire in motion
the desert sun sinking/sleepy and low/but we're just waking/we are waking
river time is a mountain tonight/before tomorrow she flows on/carving valleys in the skin on our faces
i am bright as the sun/you are high as a kite/we are daughters, sons, brothers and sisters tonight/at coachella/coachella
come on now darling, let's shake off these blues/i'll let my hair out, you'll slip off your shoes/i feel like a baby, newborn in the spring/i'm setting down the sadness and I won't remember it
i'm a warm bleeding heart/you're a generous soul/and i love you though i'd never met you before to coachella/coachella
we are standing on the shore/in the smoke, in the starlight/on the edge of a human sea/and the tide is in

"coachella" lyrics by brooke fraser

{reading} on the bedside table...

the romantics - galt niederhoffer
brilliant. brilliant. it's a contempory great gatsby. i had to read this book after seeing the trailer for the feature movie that's on it's way- thanks sarah!

chez moi - agnes desarthe
fiction about france & food... i couldn't resist!

the elegance of the hedgehog - muriel barbery
after my 50 things post, i'm finally getting around to reading this book... in a word? heavy.

notwithstanding - louis de bernieres
mr de bernieres had my heart ever since the war of don emmanuel's nether parts. i've loved every single book since, and this is his latest.

frederica - georgette heyer
my mother and i have read every single book ever written by this very glamorous woman. this, i think is my favourite...
 
planning a baby? - dr sarah brewer
just quietly, between you & i, ok?!


what's on your bedside table??

spring has sprung

... after a very wet and wild week (or two!), the sun made a spectacular appearance this weekend...

we are a no-dryer household, so i felt a little chained to the washing machine with all the back log of washing... but i do love my trusty hills-hoist. such an aussie classic!

i also had a little fight with the (should be) white grout in the bathroom... a winner hasn't been declared yet, and alas, i don't think i'm a chance for the gold medal!

 

 there was also considerable time spent yelling at this little brood... we are dog-sitting two loveable cocker-spaniels for some friends at the moment! there is a lot of puppy love to go around, but sometimes i think they gang up on us!

tonight we're having a simple dinner of thin spaghetti with a cherry tomato sauce (and plenty of parmegiano!!)... oh bliss!


what domestic delights did you get up to this weekend!

gold star

if i had a gold star, i would give it to carl kleiner (photography) & evelina bratell (styling). this is the most crazy amazing food photography i think i've seen. ever.

it's for the ikea cookbook, and i know it's been everywhere in the blog-o-sphere but i just couldn't resist!

{mood} sunday

this week's mood... take me to paris...

its rainy and miserable outside today... so just give me a minute, and i'll throw on my striped top and grab a bag for my baguette... i feel like a stroll through the streets, wandering past the ateliers... a sneaky nutella crepe as a little treat. yes, definetly a nutella crepe...

 

a spring sky

spring sky, originally uploaded by bec hem.

new shoots on the frangipani tree

a beautiful blue sky with wisps of clouds

today is a good day... my other half comes home after a week long work trip to the other side of the world. it'll be nice to have him home

what's the sky like in your neck of the woods?

this is part of the blog this challenge for this week. why don't you come and join in the fun!

{cooking} best bircher

best bircher, originally uploaded by bec hem.

bircher muesli... one of the loveliest ways to begin a weekend.... and it's almost the weekend, right?

so i thought i'd post my best bircher recipe. it's very easy! so grab a few quick ingredients, head through the "6 items or less" checkout, and whip this up for a lazy weekend breakfast...

ingredients
[serves 2. Can easily be doubled/tripled/etc.]
1 cup apple juice
1 cup rolled oats
1 apple, grated
1/2 punnet strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2/3 cup natural yoghurt
2 tbs honey

 method
combine apple juice & oats in a bowl. cover and allow to soak overnight in the fridge.
just before serving, combine all the ingredients and mix well.

[would also be lovely with other berries, grated pear, banana... the list is endless!]

bon appetit!

{making} rainy days

this week has been about rainy days and sunny days... and a petite baby quilt. it's just something i made up: i'm loving clouds at the moment! i also love the combination of the yellow and the blue, and i think this will be a perfect little baby present. a little baby being born on the other side of the world. with love from australia!

(my trusty sidekick)

don't be scared of them - those walking feet make life a lot easier!

finished product pictures to come!

all pics - my flickr

for the love of macarons

bliss in a biscuit... i have a crush on these delicate delicate polka dots...

we found some amazing examples in paris... we bought some special birthday macarons from Arnaud Larher, he was awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France in the macaron category - basically saying he's the best in the business! we ate them sitting under the eiffel tower, making for a birthday i will never forget...

 all images : my flickr

i had to have a go at making them! these are my rasberry macarons with white chocolate ganache. i used this great recipe that gives really important tips on making the perfect macaron... and i just bought this book so the fun can continue!


have you fallen in love with this biscuit yet?

The Adventure :: Chicago

chicago.: you were cold. very cold. this was our first taste of america : iced tea and buffalo wings. we met an aussie at willow creek. we wandered your streets, we looked up at your skyscrapers. you surprised us, with your subtle elegance. we loved our short time with you... we'll be back one day!

more chicago on my flickr.

The Adventure :: in pictures

it's tough coming home from a long holiday, non? you've seen so many amazing things. you've spent all that money. it's nice to sleep in your own bed again, but there's still bags to unpack, mail to sort. And photos... all those thousands of photos to look through.

its taken me a while, but i thought i might share a few highlights of our trip...

aka The Adventure

it all started with the planes, which is where i realised how far away Australia really is from the rest of the world... oh i thought i was ready! but have you ever met any one who is truly ready for the horror that is a long haul flight?? i'm sad to admit the "barf" bag was my best friend on that trip...

what's your horror flight story??

image :: my flickr

a tourist in my own city

there comes a time in every bloggers life when it is entirely necessary to buy a digital SLR camera, no? with Le Adventure only seven (7!!) sleeps away, it was vital we made this little (ahem) purchase to document all the fabulousness we will see on our trip...

... but first, learning how to use it. which is why i became a tourist in my own city one sunny day: with my shiny new camera, appropriate footwear & sunscreen.

I found these little men on my wanders... don't you think they're cute? 
(hint: click on the lizard for a bigger picture. aren't his eyes just amazing!)

{in the garden} water chestnuts

some would say a water chestnut is a bit of an odd present to give someone. not my mum! this was a special gift from mother-in-law to son-in-law. it's not really a nut, but an aquatic vegetable and grows in a beautiful sludgey mess of compost, sand, and water right beside our herb garden (and shed)!

 from this {christmas day '09} ...

  ...to this {feb '10}. a happylittlevegemite, no?

the happy gardener...

it really is a beautiful plant, and it probably can be harvested in about a year (but i will have to consult chief gardener my mother about that)...

...and then i will make this lovely looking recipe!

what's growing like wildflowers in your backyard?

a little walk

let me take you for a little walk around my suburb...

along the path...

past the local bowls club.
(i will make good use of this in 40 years time...)




our local butcher.
Sunday special: a free smile...




there's some beautiful places to explore.
but please, enjoy don't destroy.
it's too precious!

the eiffel tower on a squiggly gum??

it's the sort of suburb where all backyards meet in the middle.
it's cosy...

disclaimer: this is not my letterbox...

there were others on their Sunday Stroll...

right now, the wattle is out...
there are beautiful clouds of bright yellow everywhere.
simply stunning!