Melbourne's Pop Up Restaurant

At the beginning of March a pop up restaurant - 'Greenhouse' appeared on the banks of the River Yarra (in the space of 3 weeks!) in the city of Melbourne as part of this year's Food and Wine festival here. Yesterday I went along as I had heard all about the Greenhouse restaurant in Sydney as it was featured in our Masterchef television programme here in Australia last year. It's a pop up restaurant with a difference though - it has been built using only recycled or sustainable materials. The structure has been formed from mostly old shipping containers stacked four-high, the floor from old conveyor belts, the chairs from disused irrigation pipes and recycled bottles and jars are used as drinking glasses! Amazing...

All the herbs are grown on site in large recycled oil drums.

The roof top bar. More herbs in containers.

Terracotta pots line the facade of the restaurant - all potted up with wild strawberry plants.

Close up of the pots above and below...

And look who my breakfasting companion was!!!

Yup, my daughter is in town - she arrived on Sunday which of course makes me so very, very happy. She's here for 3 weeks on Easter vacation from University in UK.

Our own personal pot of basil on our table, above.

The chairs !

Our food - totally and absolutely delicious - my daughter chose the herb mushrooms on flatbread with curd cheese ....

And I went for the scrambled eggs with mustard cress.

A great start to the day.

So pleased we were able to go along - the pop-up restaurant disappears tomorrow! Really hope that there might be a more permanent one in the city one day.

And about time too!!!

Apologies. Many of them.


I have been reprimanded by my mother who says she is "Fed up with seeing the photo of the Qantas plane on my blog" and contrary to what you may think, that I could be circumnavigating the planet in it, I'm not. Just been really busy since returning to Melbourne. Jet lag..... blah de blah, getting back into work again, blah de blah and generally feeling altogether a little blah. Wondering also - Do I have "Blogger's block?!!"
Oh no, I do hope not. And many apologies that I have not been round to visit other blogs. I will do very soon. Meanwhile here are a few photographs as promised from Poppy's 21st Party which now seems like an age ago on 11/11/11.


First off the birthday girl, and boyfriend. Showing this one particularly as you have to see the dress. It is vintage from the '50's. Lace bodice and a plain black ballet length skirt. She looked stunning but then again I am a little biased on these matters as Mothers tend to be.

Above with two of her friends from school. Keep an eye out for the guy on the right - he will 'be big' one day - currently at Drama School in London.

And yours truly in my 'party dress' - followers of the blog from old will have seen this one before but it's a classic and gets rolled out for special occasions and seems to fit the bill most times!

Promise that I won't leave it so long before another post.......

Old Durham Town

These photographs were taken in Durham a couple of weeks ago when my daughter went back to begin her second year of University there. Beautiful old buildings above - Georgian and even earlier to the far right.

Durham Cathedral.

The cloisters behind the cathedral. The library where she studies (on occasions when she won't be tempted she says, by internet access -there is none in this library!) is situated just off these cloisters.

The second year student.

A bit of 'arty' photography in the sunlight!









And below a lovely cafe where we had breakfast. Flat White Cafe in Durham.

Not quite up to the standard of my 'local' in Melbourne "Collective Espresso" but pretty good all the same!

Singapore Part II and now blogging from Blighty

Much to report since my last post- 'Singapore Part I'. Mr SE flew in to join us and he's still there for the Grand Prix (an annual treat to himself!)

Grand Prix circuit lit up (photo for Mr SE)....

We moved from one hotel to this one below. I know, rather out of this world so to speak. Nearly in the sky to be truthful. The 'ship' part at the top is the infinity swimming pool. Talk about a bit different and such an amazing experience.

Two photos above - me in that pool. Such views from the top.

And Louis Vuitton has a shop on its own island. Madness!

Old and new buildings above.

Singapore's Merlion.

Me and my girl.

And again, after a wonderful dinner at the very top - Skydeck on 57.

Contrasting with all the new buildings - a beautiful street of older characterful architecture.

And of course, no visit to Singapore is complete without a visit to Raffles Hotel.




So, all in all a fabulous time but it's good to be back in England. Next post I'll fill you in on the shopping.

Singapore Part I

Well here we are in Singapore.


I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to be reunited again with my daughter. We have opted for a couple of days staying in Changi to begin with and this afternoon move to a different hotel in the city. The Marina Bay Sands hotel which by all accounts is pretty amazing. That said, our base here in Changi has been lovely. Above is darling daughter practising for the synchronised swimming section of the 2012 Olympics !

And above enjoying a fresh coconut at the Hawker Centre (no Mother, if you are reading this don't worry - we don't have upset stomachs!!)

A view across to Palau Ubin Island where most of the prawn farms are; we saw them landing huge bags of them yesterday morning. And Changi Beach to the right. In spite of its dark past being the site of the Sook Ching massacre by Japanese soldiers during WWII, it's a popular place for Singaporean families to come during the weekend and relax. We are going to visit Changi Prison and Chapel Museum too later on which recounts the Japanese occupation of Singapore during the Second World War.

Gorgeous fresh fruit in the market.

And here above is the now deserted place (some say haunted apparently) that is dear to my heart and which I wanted to show my daughter. Old Changi Hospital where some 50+ years ago I was born. My parents were stationed here in Singapore as a newly married young couple. My father was in the R.A.F. - how different it must have been in those days to live nearly half way around the world. No internet, no mobile phones and indeed too expensive even to use the landline phone. They wrote each week to their respective parents and I sometimes wonder that it must have been quite difficult for my mother in her very early twenties not to have the support of her own mother as she gave birth to her first child. Although I will add that my father was (quite unusually I believe in the 50's) a very 'hands-on' Daddy !!

So all in all a little bit of a nostalgic trip in this fairly quiet (by today's standards) part of Singapore before we go to the bustle and hustle of the metropolis.

Packing up

I think I am a fairly good packer but I have been defeated today. I am off tomorrow for a 2 month trip. The first 5 days are going to be spent in Singapore - think tropical temperatures and heat. Darling daughter is joining me there. Then it is off back to UK where it is far from tropical - back into Autumn weather - and I am there for 7 weeks or so. I am getting frustrated as I want to take my new boots (both pairs), lots of pairs of shoes, plenty of jackets, tops, trousers, (funnily enough come to think of it I haven't allocated any skirts) - is it to late to put one in, I ask myself? And I should really stick to a colour scheme as well - it all looks so dull....Oh help! Wish my suitcase resembled the one below rather than the the one above!

In my frustration I 'googled' packing a suitcase and have discovered the advice below from Fodor :

Slim Down Your Suitcase: 9 Tips for Packing Light
Posted in Practical Travel Tips Fodor's Editors
Let's face it, no one ever came back from vacation saying: "I wish my bags had been heavier." A good traveler's goal is to carry the bare essentials and leave the excess at home. How to put your luggage on a diet? Follow these easy tips:
1. Do your homework. Call the hotel, motel, friend's house where you're staying and ask the following: do they have a hairdryer, iron, ironing board, beach towels, bathrobes, sand toys---basically anything that's bulky and that you'd rather leave at home? If the answer is yes, do not under any circumstances bring your own.
2. Check temperatures and events at your destination. Only pack what corresponds---do not bring "just in case" clothes.
3. Choose a central color to pack around. A neutral such as brown, black, or tan is a good place to start, then bring accessories and accent pieces that go with this color palette.
4. The numbers game. A good rule of thumb for trips less than one week is one shirt per day, one layering jacket or sweater, one bottom per every two days (but never less than two pairs of pants), no more than two pairs of shoes (one you wear and one you pack), underwear for every day, and seasonal additions, like a bathing suit.
5. Wash it out. If you're traveling for more than a week, follow the same numbers as above and plan on washing clothes instead of bringing more. If you're in a country with a good exchange rate, or aren't on a tight budget, take advantage of the hotel laundry service or dry cleaning. Otherwise, bring individual packets of Woolite and a travel stain-treatment stick (Tide to Go is the best one).
6. Write it down. Make detailed lists of everything you plan to bring. That way you can easily see if you've allotted six pairs of pants for a four-day trip. Be honest, note everything---including socks and underwear---and then stick to your list when packing.
7. Downsize toiletries. Pick up travel-size versions of your favorite products whenever you see them, not just when you're getting ready to travel. If you can't find miniatures, buy small plastic bottles and decant from larger products.
8. Wear your heaviest shoes, sweater, and jacket. That way, you don't have to pack them.
9. Pack outside your bag. Before you actually pack your suitcase, pile everything you plan to bring on your bed or dresser. This is your opportunity to eye your clothes and cull a few more items. If you pack directly into your suitcase, you'll be tempted to throw in a few extra items (trust us, you will). Once you've made the final edit, pack only what's in front of you. If you've followed our advice, your suitcase should now be a lean, mean, traveling machine: happy travels.

Hmmmm, some fairly good advice there. Ah well, think I had better go back upstairs and take another good hard look at what I intend to take with me on this long trip. One thing I will tell you though is that I am SO EXCITED and I can hardly wait to see my daughter - last time was around 6 months ago and we are going to have such a great time in Singapore before going on back to England. If I can I will post from Singapore but otherwise my next post will be from England.

So farewell from me for a while.....

'Show and Tell'. Or, the retail therapy from the post before.

Remember I went for a visit to the city the other day? I bought this gorgeous nail polish above by 'Butter London'. Apparently it has no nasties in it - chemicals which could potentially be carcinogenic which is a bonus but I also loved the colour. It's called 'Jaffa'.

And the main purchase of the day was this pair of dark brown suede sandals. Gladiators. Yes, I know they have been around a few summers now but they seem to be here again this Summer in Australia and I have finally found a pair which are A. comfortable and B. look quite nice. Well, I think so. They are Italian made and the sole is slightly cushioned. I think that daughter and I begun the hunt for 'gladies' as she and I affectionately call them way back in August of 2008 when we visited Barcelona for a long weekend. Every chic looking Spanish girl was wearing them - we wished that we knew the Spanish for "Excuse me where did you buy your shoes?" We tried on a few pairs in many shoe shops but never quite found 'the ones'. Daughter found a pair she liked later on when she came out here to Australia that year but I never did. I always felt that they did not look quite right on me until I happened to find this pair. I wasn't looking - they found me. I promise!

So here was the outfit I made today. The new suede 'gladies' with some old friends - my orange Anya Hindmarch handbag (comes out each Summer - surely nearly a vintage piece now?!) and the lovely silk leopard print and orange scarf that darling daughter gave me as a present early on this year. The Linen pinstriped jacket I have had for years and years - it's from Zara and I reckon I should be paying IT now on a cost per wear basis it has been that useful and be worn so many times. And the linen trousers/pants which also look good cuffed up a couple of times, are from where I work - THE ARK. Oh, and the new Jaffa coloured nail polish on my toes.

Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend.

Poppy Day (in more ways than one)

11th November - a special day of remembering....

I wore my Poppy to work today (see above photograph). It seems that not as many people wear them here in Australia at this time of year as they do in England but I do think it's important to stop and think sometimes about all those that have died in wars in years gone by and never forget the sacrifices made. Also of course about those who are are apart from their families fighting in countries far away. And especially about all those who have lost loved ones over the years through war.

As I said in the title of the post this is also for me a Poppy Day in more ways than one. My darling daughter, Poppy is 20 today. This is the first time I have not seen her on her birthday and I must admit to feeling more than a little sad as I sit here and type this.

Happy Birthday sweetheart.

DDD goes to University.... or Durham, here we come!

Friday morning started dull and rainy. Stormy in fact and we drove North...
Or rather, the ex-husband drove - I sat in the back and DDD sat in the front of the car. The weather was atrocious and the journey took about 7 hours. When we reached Durham we were rewarded with this... see photograph below and hopefully a good omen for the next three years of her Undergraduate life. Next morning we were up bright and early as was the sun ... What a difference a day makes... Durham Cathedral and the castle to the right.

Daughter, smiling even though I know inwardly a little nervous.

River Wear.

Old flagstones and cobblestones on the roads.

Entrance to the castle.

The Cathedral and quandrant in front of it.

Beautiful buildings... think this is early Regency.

Again, another shot of the cathedral. Apparently some scenes from Harry Potter movies were filmed around here in Durham - not sure which film but if it seems a little familiar then you know why!

And finally above. This is where I hope DDD will be spending much of her time as a diligent student!!

I have to admit to feeling pretty miserable today. Only to be expected I guess and I hope that she is enjoying the start of her University life with a fun "freshers' week".....