Road Sign... No. 6

The trusty Kangaroo. One could not do a road sign feature in Australia without the Kangaroo. We see these signs on most country roads, and they are a great warning as Kangaroos like to hop out in front of you, mainly at dawn and dusk, without a lot of warning. Or just graze on the roadside to keep you on your toes. They are magnificent creatures with adorable faces. Like the one below with glorious eyelashes. I can imagine her with a frilly handbag in a children's animation feature.

Another Cool Caravan

The Little Van That Could, a delightful quaint retro van that's for hire. I can't begin to explain my level of excitement when I opened this month's Frankie magazine to find The Little Van That Could sitting beautifully on the pages with its owner Monique. Monique has taken it from a yellow and red disused fairy floss and donut van and turned it into the most exquisitely decorated van full of personality. In fact it even has its own twitter account with regular updates from the parties and places it attends. I adore everything that makes this world a happier place and you, little van made my day. I haven't even met you and I am already in love.

Images from here

Happy Australia Day

Have a wonderful day whatever your plans.

Image from here via Pinterest

Tea time... Spicy Indian Cauliflower

Ok, so my husband has made it his year long goal to cook more with cauliflower and cabbage... I have no idea why, but he is a strange cat and most of the time I just go along for the ride. If you have ever had a cauliflower in your fridge and were not craving cheese sauce smothered all over it, or cauliflower soup... I am yet to have a nice one... then have I got the recipe for you.

Spicy Indian Cauliflower

Ingredients
1 Cauliflower
Peanut Oil
2 tablespoons of cumin seeds
2 tablespoons of mustard seeds
1 tablespoon of chilli powder or dried chillies
1 tablespoon of ground turmeric
A pinch of salt
Greek yoghurt to serve

Break up the cauliflower florets. Heat peanut oil in pan, then add cumin seeds and stir for about a minute. Add mustard seeds, stir again until they start to pop. Add chilli powder, turmeric and salt and then the cauliflower florets, making sure they are covered in the spices. Place lid on frypan until florets are tender, stirring every few minutes so they don't burn. Serve with lots of Greek yoghurt. If you are not a fan of cauliflower, this may just bring you around. Seconds please!
By the way, if you have any delicious cauliflower or cabbage recipes to pass on to my husband, please let me know.

Voyager Estate Garden

 Just going through some photos from our family trip to Perth, WA in October of last year. The garden at Voyager Estate Winery was immaculate. I think I need to get myself a hedge trimmer.

J'adore... Marigold rug

How gorgeous is this rug?! I am loving the Flower Collection range of sustainable and fair-trade rugs by Armadillo&Co. They are hand-crafted out of Bangladeshi hemp and are simply stunning.

Image from State of Green

Road Sign... No. 5

I have already seen a few different versions of the Ducks road sign. I must remember to have my camera with me at all times. Hope to share them with you soon.

Before and After... Lampshade

I have been waiting to share this with you for ages, and I am happy to say that the wait is over. I picked up my new, custom made lampshade this week, and it didn't disappoint. Before I do the reveal I thought I would take you through the process from the beginning. You may have seen the first image before because I also did a Before and After feature on my chair makeover a few months ago. Enjoy! I am over the moon with the result.

BEFORE

While I was waiting for my lampshade to be made I bought the next one at the Mill Markets in Daylesford. I need to make a new home for it now but it looked fabulous in the interim.  

INTERIM

AFTER

What do you think? I ordered the fabric through Cloth in Sydney and I had the lampshade made by Laura at Amore Lampshades here in Adelaide. She has done such an amazing job! I couldn't be happier. Thanks Laura!

Remembering Africa

I took my daughter to the Museum today for something fun to do and saw all of the animals which she adores. I found myself telling her stories about our trip to Africa almost seven years ago, where we had seen lions, hippos, zebras and cheetahs roaming in their natural habitat. I can't wait to take her one day. Here are some of my favourite photos from our trip in 2005.

What an amazing holiday. I took these photos in the Serengeti and on the stunning island of Zanzibar.

J'adore... Grandeliers

With the rush of Christmas I forgot to share with you my birthday present I received in November. You may remember my post about my love of Grandeliers by Who Did That. Little did I know that my husband had purchased one for my birthday from One Small Room here in Adelaide. It is now sitting proudly in our lounge room replacing the twine one I made out of jute. I loved my old light shade, but my grandelier looks magnificent!

J'adore... beautiful fresh flowers

I absolutely love gorgeous fresh flowers... the fragrances, delicate petals and the intensity of colours. I also get just as much enjoyment from seeing the creative ways in which people display them. I will never forget a piece of advice my Mum gave me when I first moved out of home, and I will pass it on with joy - "Always make sure you leave enough money per week for a fresh bunch of flowers" - thanks Mum. A little weekly indulgence brings so much happiness.

Images from 1, 2, 3, and 4 via Pinterest

Wonderful day

Spent a gorgeous day down the beach today at Carrickalinga, about an hour south of Adelaide. It was magical. So calm and still, just perfect for a quiet swim and a play in the little beach pools which are present during low tide. Wonderful company too of course. 

What a perfect way to end the weekend. x

Delicious

The cover of this month's Delicious magazine is so inviting I just had to share.  

Let's Party

It's my daughter's second birthday in February, and I am planning a Summer pool party at our local swimming pool. I have been avoiding pink since she's been born, but this year I am embracing it and going all out. Thinking pink macaroons, pink watermelon, pink cupcakes, pink straws, and pink lanterns. I love Donna Hay for inspiration and her party range is gorgeous. You can even shop on-line, perfect!. Have a great weekend.

Image from Donna Hay

Sofa inspiration

I am lusting after a green velvet sofa. Here is some inspiration I have found.

Images from here, here, and here 

Road Sign... No. 4

How gorgeous is this road sign! I shared earlier in the New Year of my new obsession... road signs. I have had it for a long time to be honest, but I have finally decided to photograph them, hoping to make a collage one day. Some are standard, but then you find these quirky little numbers popping up in the middle of no-where. This man lives in McLaren Vale. South Australia's wine country. That must be why he looks so relaxed. Have a great week!

Delightful door

Wonderful Saturday, breakfast out, perusing salvage yards, reading magazines at the library and taking photographs. Life is beautiful.

J'adore...

Absolutely loving this room divider! I love the rustic raw timber up against fresh white walls and bed linen and clear chairs. A real mix of styles here, but it is working a treat. The bright happy yellow flowers are the perfect finishing touch. 

Image from Apartment Therapy via French By Design

Admiring from afar

The humble jumpsuit... I absolutely love them. I might be about six months behind in the fashion stakes only just catching on now, but I spotted this Witchery ruffle fronted playsuit in a ginger shade in an InStyle mag while on holidays recently and thought I absolutely must have that! Things all changed when I tried it on... not made for me, so for now I just admire from afar.

Image from here

Daylesford ~ Part Five

I love taking photos of anything that grabs my attention and I found a lot of that in and around Daylesford. Here are some random photos from our week long stay. 

I am on the search for a letterbox to replace our tired looking one. This one made me take notice. Beautifully rustic. 

Lots of yummy treats on display at a local bakery. 

We paid a visit to Wild Duck Creek winery while in the region, and while sitting in the car with Little Miss A who was fast asleep, I captured this stunning blue wren in amongst the wild flowers. 

On the weekend we were there my husband's Auntie and Uncle came to stay (it is their house after all), and Ian made some gorgeous pizzas for tea. This one was my favourite. Sautéed mushroom and spinach.

My pretty shoes. I couldn't resist. 

I have been inspired yet again by Yvonne from Yvestown and while Little Miss A has her nap this afternoon I am making over my TV cabinet. I'll share with you soon. Better get on to my second coat before she wakes. See ya!

Daylesford ~ Part Four

I wanted to share with you the amazing interior of the house we stayed in in Daylesford. Stunning. And views from every room. We were living amongst the trees which is simply breathtaking to wake up to. Exactly what you want on holidays.

Tea time recipe

New Years  Day 2012, welcome to it! Hope you enjoyed your celebrations. I can't believe another festive season is over for the year. We spent the day at home today which was lovely, just pottering. The temperature reached 41 degrees in Adelaide today so a nice one to stay indoors and relax. I took down the Christmas tree, packed away the decorations for another year, sorted through some photos, and then pondered what to cook for tea. I wanted something yummy and light perfect for a hot day, and the result... an easy Falafel recipe with salad, and boy were they delicious.

Falafels

Ingredients:
400g of soaked chick peas (about 200g pre soaking)
2 cups of chopped parsley
1 cup chopped coriander
Handful of chopped mint
2 garlic cloves chopped finely
1 onion finely chopped
3 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground cumin or cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Vegetable oil for frying (about 600ml)

Dressing
1/4 cup of Greek yoghurt
A good dollop of extra virgin olive oil
1 crushed garlic clove
Juice of half a lemon
Finely chopped mint

Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until combined. You may need to do this in two batches if your processor isn't large enough. Then set mixture aside.
Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan. While heating, roll chickpea mixture into balls about the size of golf balls or slightly larger. Place them in oil and shallow fry for about  3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel to soak the excess oil. Hey presto... home-made falafels!
These are fantastic served with your favourite salad and a yoghurt dressing. To make the dressing just whisk together all ingredients. If you make this ahead of time just leave it in the fridge until you are about to serve. The coolness of the dressing is refreshing, especially on a hot day. Enjoy! My husband said they were the best he's tasted. I hope you enjoy. Happy cooking!