Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

12.8.13

Beach Living {smile}

Bonjour from the beaches y'all.

It's been a rough week here, as I have been so so poorly with the flu, and many a side complication!

Health is something I try not to take for granted.

But I have to admit, after I've had a week *outa action*, I really do realise how much I actually just expect to feel good.

I've a born again crazy need for being really healthy. For practising good health.

Simple. Healthy. Happy.



Sunday morning I felt better- after D.A.Y.S on the sofa!

I raced to the markets- brought mountains of fresh produce and cooked up a feast.

I forced my kids to ear KALE. I rejoiced in all the greens. Loved the baked beetroot and greek lamb.

The weather was so so warm and Spring was in the car.

It was possibly the best post-flu remedy I could have asked for.

Melissa x




3.7.13

Virtual Coffee {live}



*Virtual Coffee* with a side order of big fat ol'fluffy American pancakes...

Cause that's how we roll on the holidays....

No school and no schedule if we can help it! 

This coffee get-together, at my little beach house girls, is dress code PJ's only....{that is, for those unfamiliar with the term, the pajamas you slept in last night!}...no fancy winter gear here today, no new scarf-hat combo...and nothing but a knot-of-hair-on-the-top-of-your-head-kinda-hairstyle and a pair of slippers on your feet!

OK- looking HOT...let's talk....


If we were really meeting today for a *catch-up-coffee-fix*... I would tell you that there is nothing...truly nothing like school holidays!
It comes in many forms, doesn't it! 

There's the total chaos messy, mad, manic side of it- that I embrace, as I have to!
Then there's the total chaos creative, lovely, all-over-the-place-I-adore-my-kiddos-home-with-me-side of it that I embrace, purely because I feel totally blessed to have them!

Do you feel like that?


If we were really meeting to compare notes, the week and all things home and heart...
I'd ask you if you're a planner, or a winger {as in *Do you wing it*} on the school hols?

Summer holidays are the time, across the globe it seems, according to my friends far and wide, that we mama's like to make endless holiday *lists* and plans....and I am all for a list!

I end each day with a good list, that may start on the back of my hand {don't you dare write on the back of your hand my three if you ever read this- it looks terrible and I'm sure your Grandmother will tell you, it leads to lead poisoning of some sort- and now I'm a mother- I know she's right...just saying...}

So...my list starts on the back of my hand, migrates to my snazzy notebook app on my iphone and then eventually gets transferred late at night onto a good old standard notebook next to my bed, ready for the next day!

If we were really sharing a coffee, I'd ask you how you contain all this note making as a Mother, I'd probably pour you a second cup-as I feel this is a long, important, we-are-the-CEO's-of-a-very-special- very-precious-organisation kind of question...

We'd probably even add a good whallop of sugar to the mug for this one- or maybe it's just me!?
Anyway...getting back on track, away from the kids and onto us...


If we were really meeting for a virtual coffee, I'd make you the biggest, fluffiest, American pancake with a coastal twist you've ever had....

There would be bananas, there would be limes {from our garden tree no less...x} and there would be golden syrup...not maple...golden!

It's an Aussie thing...although in saying this- I'm sure I'll field many a text message from my girlfriends along the coast here asking me "what the...?".

Trust me people....it hits the fluffy-limey-syrupy-sugary-perfect-pancake spot!

Anyway- it's what you'd be handed...on a lovely English vintage plate, that cost me nothing but that means the world to me in terms of memories....

All good here sweet friends...


If we were really sharing a coffee and probably too many of those syrupy-blah-blah-calorie-laden-fabulous pancakes...you may well note that I'm in jammies and my apron!?

It's a thing I have going- old fashioned as it may seem to many of you! 
I embrace the apron- in fact I'd love to put my kids into an apron for most meals- sure it would make for less washing...
I really think we should all bring back the apron- I have, at last count, at least a dozen...full aprons and the a few very cool, we-have-company-half-aprons that are simple, black or french linen beige and long - very restaurant cool...you know the ones.


So...if we were really meeting for a coffee fix and a fabulous pancake, in our jammies no less, I would like to think you'd throw one of my aprons on...just to humour me....

I always like to send you all home with something from our *Virtual Coffee* catch ups, as those of you who have been sharing them with me for a few years now know...so I'm thinking today - if you put the old-fashined-bringing-it-back-new-cool-apron on for our catchup...then it's yours...throw it in your bag...take it home and think of us...
Wear it once a week here....be opinionated...share it all....


If we were really meeting for our weekly *Virtual Coffee*...I would also say thank you....
It's sooooo lovely to be back here....it's truly, really, absolutely lovely to be back here with you curled up on the pink chair, as it's always been...and me smiling at you...

Just from here on in...together... we'll now share it on the beaches of Australia and no longer in the English countryside...
Same time next week- jammies on, as we'll still be in school holiday mode....


Thank you . Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for being here in our little beach house...

If you haven't quite finished your mug of chai, tea, coffee of hotto chocco...please head over to my sweet friend Amy's , where a *Virtual Coffee* is a first began....her front porch is heaven to sit...

Hugs
Melissa
x


7.11.11

a husband, a camera, a boy & fresh seafood...

this is what happens when you give your husband the camera and your son loves seafood...


you end up totally surprised with the results!


sent out to capture the evening with my camera- i figured he just needed time alone with my camera to

really bond with it...

thus in time, taking some photos that may have me- the mama of the household feature in them...

just sometimes...you know for the kids...so they know i was there...

look at the results gals...


sunset taken by husband on big learning curve left on own...


he did G.O.O.D...





i think he was totally a little chuffed with the results too...

i even think he may go back for more...on his own for now....

one day he may even get me in one of his photos ;)

so...the hubsters first photographic effort on his my blog...

i'm happy to share the space for these...

now...back to the *son loving seafood* part...

we have a beautiful estuary that runs the length of our Village Green...it runs from a larger river & 

brings with it endless perfect delicious cockles...

we have a son who adores seafood...especially shell fish...& perfect delicious cockles...

so here he is...filling his pockets, a block from our big old country house...sand & cockles- bless him...



if you are a seafood lover like we are...you can imagine collecting your own only adds to the 

experience...

for a child that will not eat sausages & spuds- an english fave- he amazes us with seafood...



collecting cockles is wonderful for kids...collecting *food* straight from nature's garden...

he scooted home laden down & we googled a few recipes together...

throwing them in a colander...washing of the sea water...counting our haul...all memories...


for a simple delicious simple-let-the-flavours-speak-for-themselves-go-to-recipe see {here}...



eat them like Sol....maldon sea salt...fresh bread...straight off a board on the kitchen bench...

10 year old heaven...

a lovely end to a sunday afternoon...a sunset & fresh seafood...



so...the hubster caught a perfect sunset...on his own...in focus...great foreground...depth...colour


& we got a gorgeous salty local snack outa the experience...


yep...he's going back...

one day you may even see me just there...wandering along the shore...in my Hunter's...bucket in hand...

& he may even get all of me in the picture :)



happy monday gals

i have seafood recipes to google

&

photo challenges to come up with 

enjoy!

xxx


~~~


today i am linking up with a wonderful writer {here}

celebrating monday's together












8.8.11

a life made lovely in an english vege garden...

hello sweet bloggy friends...
i'm sitting in the kiddos playroom...looking out the big bay windows at our little garden allotment...
it's a new thing for us...growing our own vege...
&
believe me, if i can do it, anyone can...
not that i don't have a green thumb- i just had a mental block thing happening...
it's taken me three years of living in the english countryside to start thinking like an english gal...
not a beach-reared...do-not-water-anything-with-the hose-unless-it-is-after-5pm-&-a-monday-or-a-friday-kinda-aussie-gardening-gal...


you see...in Australia water restrictions are pretty normal...
well...they were three years ago when we made the big move north of the globe...
i was able to water my garden two afternoons a  week, & only after 5pm...
car washing on the drive- was a seriously big no-no...
kiddos thrown under a sprinkler for the afternoon- even bigger!
memories that i had made growing up were not being made for our kids!


so...now we find ourselves in the land of water...
endless water where kiddos are free to live under a running-non-stop-sprinkling-system...
but for our aussie beach-reared kids this luxury is missing one element-constant hot warm weather!
this does all work for an english vege garden though, i now know...
it's the summer rain...sun...rain...sun thing that get's everything up & thriving...
three years folks & at long last i have cottoned on to why my BB (british bestie) has the coolest home vege garden i've ever seen!




so...i now find myself sitting, tea in hand, watching over our garden of vege smiling to my self...
audrey has discovered that not all green food is *disgusting*...
(yes i have to sadly admit that our littlest lovely has used this word many-a-time when faced with a plate piece of greenery on her plate!)
she scored a pretty cute little metal watering can & a tin bucket to go vege & lettuce picking & it's working!
she gathers herbs for every meal...& has pulled her elder sister & brother up on the herb names & what *mummy actually asked for*!
should have pulled my finger out a few years ago...& we'd have had years of success at the dinner table with her greens...




so...i'm smiling big that we have got there in the end...
we've had other big moments over the last three years...
maybe i appretiate this little allotment in our front garden a little more as the journey's been longer...
the gardening journey...
the one that can involve lots of lovely water...
a garden sprinkler & laughing kids...
&
french watering cans of love...


a life made lovely monday
a thriving vege garden in the english countryside
watered endlessly by aussie beach-reared kiddos
&
eaten by a very fussy 6 year old cutie
that's gotta be good for the soul

xox

{head over here to check out some other lives made lovely}








2.8.11

a virtual coffee in france....

g'day....
i know this is a coffee catchup...
but the sun is out & i'm wishing we were in a little french town i looove...
not for coffee...but for the afternoon...
lunching on mussels...
sharing a bottle of french wine...
legs in the sun...
sandals kicked to one side...
want to join me?
we can do coffee's later as we head towards the beach...


so...it's virtual french dining in a humble seaside cafe today...
sounds like heaven non!
drink up...slurp up that mussel broth & tell me how your week's been?
holidays at your end?
reading any great summer books?
i'm feeling a little more myself this week...
having the kiddos home constantly on the go is helping no doubt...
still...there are moments when i think i'd feel so much better just losing myself for a while in a french village....


if we were really having a lunch together...speaking broken school book french...
i'd be wearing my new summer sandals...
they make me feel all from another time...
they make me want to sit ankles in the sun...pouring wine with friends...
funny how shoes bought in england on an overcast, muggy summers day can transport me to another climate...another place where we can just sit & ponder our day together...


and then after we've had that gorgeous french pot of seafood, finished our vino & gathered the kids...
we'll be lovely *yes*mums...*oui oui mama's*...& buy the gang an icecream & head down to the beach with them all in tow...
happy days...


what do you think?
let's take our virtual coffee's to a french beach together...
let's just hang out & put our faces in the sun...
plan our brocante hop for the afternoon...
organise how we fill my people mover with french chippy chairs that the husbands will thank us for...
a bbq always tastes better when sitting on chippy french garden chairs- i promise!


and then we could head out for a little french culture...
you know give the kids something to tell their teachers about ;)....
an old monastry...in a village...near the seaside in france...
sounds like heaven...
i'll collect you after i sort out the car...the kids...the washing...the cat...the husband...& the villa....


happy days people...
very happy french chippy, legs-in-the-sun kinda day....
what time will i swing past for you....

xox

~~~
check out some more nattering over coffees at amy's *here*


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