Floriade Nightfest 2011

Last Saturday night I went with a group of friends to Nightfest- Floriade's ticketed nighttime event. If you want to know more about Floriade, or see my daytime photos, see this post.

We were so lucky with the weather - of the 5 nights that Nightfest was on, Saturday was the only night that it didn't rain! Very unfortunate for people who had bought tickets for another night, as it is mainly an outdoor event and I imagine the paths would get muddy in the rain, which would be unpleasant.

I had such a lovely night. We started off by going to the Garnier tent, which always has a long queue but is worth the wait because of their famous Floriade giftbags. They're free, and more than cover your entry fee! Mine contained:

That's right-  4 full sized products and a mini deodorant (+ some samples)!!!

We spent the night exploring the flowers and light shows. Some of my favourite photos follow.

The other highlight of the night was walking around and trying lots of delicious samples of various foods. As usual, I found something delicious to buy- this time some jams (by alpine berry farm):

And I really want one of these portable massage cushions now, although they are super expensive and there's no way I can justify paying near the rrp, which is $540:

Casada Maxiwell II

I have tried various massagers before I have never enjoyed them- vibrations annoy me and I don't find them particularly relaxing. This one doesn't have to vibrate, it has 4 balls in it which replicate a human massage... it actually hit my trigger points and loosened up my sore shoulders and upper back, which is amazing for a cushion. I will recommend this to my Dad though - he has chronic back pain, and that definitely justifies the cost. Oh and... I saw that in the US, in November 2010 this model was on sale for $159! It had already been superseded back then, while we're still on version II in Oz. Deary me.

Is it Macaron or Macaroon? (It gets complicated...)

Firstly, I had to share that I came across this enlightening (and hilarious) blog post. This lovely graphic is the perfect guide:

Source: I Do Believe I Came with a Hat

At first, I was ashamed to admit that I was, before reading this, incorrectly pronouncing macaron. But I am not one to accept things at face value - oh no. If you look at Ladurée, the French patisserie that *invented* the macaron/oon, they use the spelling 'macaroon' on their English website. The English translation of the French word macaron is indeed macaroon.

Trusty Wikipedia explains: "Since the English word macaroon can also refer to the coconut macaroon, many have adopted the French spelling of macaron to distinguish the two items in the English language. However, this has caused confusion over the correct spelling of the cookie/biscuit. Some recipes exclude the use of macaroon to refer to this French confection while others think that they are synonyms."

To avoid confusion, and be technically correct, you should be saying 'French Macaroon' or 'Macaron à la française'.

But wait, there's more! Let's not forget the Italians... There are French macaroons, and there are Italian macaroons. According to GastroNOMmy, the difference is in the meringue: they are made differently by the French and Italians, and this results in different MIXING and RESTING. Goodness me, who knew things could get this complicated. Ironically, the chef who explains the difference is of Asian descent, and studied at a French culinary school in Chicago.

Here is a pictorial depiction of the difference, from French Blogger Bec:

Source: Bec sucre Bec sale

It would be more helpful if both were made in the same flavour...

I used google images and searched for macaron and macaroon. Macaron came up with the French/Italian version, whereas macaroon came up with a mix of the French/Italian version and the coconut version your nanna makes. 

In conclusion: the 'macaron' snobs are technically incorrect, but to be understood, it's probably easiest to use said term.

Leaking Lunches - In Search of the Leak Proof Soup Container

I often have little ‘accidents’ when I try to take homemade soups to work. Those “airtight” containers that you buy at Coles or Woolies are pretty much useless. Recently, while aimlessly browsing online, I came across this “lunch pot” by Black + Blum:

The RRP in Australia is $40, and in America it is $22. You can’t say the distance is a factor, because it’s a UK brand… hmmm. A very cute take on the tiffin box none the less, and I would have the funkiest lunch carrier in the office. I wonder whether it actually is leak proof though…

I’d be more inclined to trust Thermos, the US brand. There’s this retro, fully insulated and leakproof food jar:

But I’d be just as happy with the boring old classic:

 Another brand with good reviews is Zojirushi, which has a nice Ms.Bento Stainless Lunch Jar:

The problem is finding Zojirushi in Australia- or somewhere that will ship to Australia at a reasonable price. For the Thermos options, I’ve located a few around the $30-$35 delivered mark. For the Black + Blum product, it’s about $30 shipped from the UK (Cheaper than buying in Aus, as usual).

It seems safer to go with the trusty Thermos classic, although $35 seems an awful lot for a little soup jar… :-/ The Black + Blum number is super cute too... if only I could find some reviews!

Floriade Canberra 2011

Floriade is Canberra's premium tourist event - it's a spring carnival with lots of flowers (mainly tulips) planted in various patterns in Commonwealth Park. It is very pretty and a lovely celebration of spring, if the sun decides to come out.

The flowers are planted in patterns, in line with the annual theme. For 2011, the theme is Food. For example:

This is supposed to be a 'spice market'. No matter how hard I try, it just looks like a whole lot of beautiful, colourful tulips. I'm sure that you'd have a much better effect with a birds eye view, but there isn't any way to see the flowers from above.... to some extent, I think this defeats the purpose.... but it's still a nice idea.

As another example, this one is supposed to evoke a 'celebration cake':

But anyway, I really enjoyed my afternoon spent at Floriade. The highlights were:
(1) The gorgeous flowers
(2) Free food and drink samples in the marketplace, where vendors were giving free tastes of their wares
(3) Garnier world, where I got a free 5 minute neck and shoulder massage and a free sample bag, complete with 4 full sized products!

Some more photos of the event:

Also to come- my adventures at Floriade Nightfest 2011 - the ticketed night time event. You can't say I'm not making the most of Canberra :-)

Amazing Op Shop Haul: A Nicer End to a Not Nice Week

It has been a particularly challenging week. I have completely lacked motivation to do anything, I have had constant headaches (hormone related, happens when I go off the pill), my Grandma has fallen ill and we have been on a roller coaster ride - preparing for the funeral, and then she suddenly her condition stabilises, and so on.  I have totally fallen off the diet bandwagon, having binged all week on chocolate, lollies and greasy foods. I have another naughty night planned on Saturday, but apart from that the plan is to start eating healthily again, and get motivated to at least go for some long walks (since the jogging thing has not happened).

It's a long weekend and no matter how much I try to be positive, I wish I was leaving Canberra and 'going home' like almost everyone else here that I know. A holiday to somewhere tropical where I could lie in the sun, have massages and sip on cocktails would also be welcome!

I woke up this morning with a headache and I didn't want to move, but I forced myself out of bed and geared up for a day of op shopping. I'm so glad I did, because I got some fabulous buys, and I am feeling a lot happier now :-)

Firstly, a photo of the amazing haul:

The first stop was the 'Little Salvos' in Queanbeyan. I noticed a lot of stuff that was there when I visited last month, especially crockery. There wasn't much new stock unfortunately, but I did manage to find this lovely Witchery blouse. It looks like a knit but is actually a 55% silk, 45% cotton mix and it feels divine. It cost $5:

Next stop was 'Big Salvos'. They had some super cute vintage sheets, so if anyone lives nearby and collects these, at $1.50 a pop they're a bargain. I don't collect vintage sheets so left them for the taking! Again I found nothing much, the crockery was overpriced... I only found this non vintage high waisted skirt by Brown Sugar, perfect condition and with a lovely shimmer, for $7:

 Oh, and a retro mug for 50c (the one on the right):

Just when I was beginning to despair about the day's luck, I hit the jackpot at Anglicare. It was a little annoying because as I left, I realised that there was 30% off all retro stock, although they didn't apply this discount for me! I would have saved about $5, but oh well. Anyway, this retro blouse which cost $8 is new with tags, 'Made in Australia' and missing a button on one of the sleeves but otherwise fabulous:

These leather wedges are in almost new condition. They are "MG" brand, and cost $10:

Then these vintage gems, which were $6... They are in better condition than the photo suggests (as the flash makes the stains look worse than they are), 100% leather and do not need re-heeling or re-soling which is always a bonus:

My final Queanbeyan stop was Lifeline, where they had 50% off skirts. I found this retro midi number which came down to $3. I am not sure whether I'll shorten it, as this length of skirt is 'in' this season:

Feeling energised, I headed into Kingston for some final thrifting. The first stop was Y's Buys. It was fast turning into a lucky shoe day, these ones are brand new and cost $7:

And blouse by Basque city, $3. It has bright gold buttons which I love. This looked fantastic over the 3/4 sleeve maroon/red shirt I was wearing, with jeans and white brogues:

And finally for $3, I could not resist this bag. I generally don't like any bags that have faux leather, but this is only really the trims and it's cute for summer. The clasps are labelled 'White House Black Market' which I had not heard of before, and a google search revealed is a US brand with over 600 boutiques:

My final stop for the day was the Salvos in Fyshwick. This funky jacket/tunic/top by George was $5. I love the print:

 I was waiting and waiting in line for the change rooms but a whole family was in front of me with armfulls of clothing each. I eventually got frustrated after 10 minutes had passed and only one family member had finished, so I went to the shoe section which has a mirror and decided to just try things on over my clothes. This ended up being a good move, because I found these Lipstick heels which were tucked away behind other shoes... they cost $6 and are SO comfortable:

And then onto crockery, this cute chubby girl mug says 'Japan' on it, and was 50c:

These large soup mugs were 50c each. They say 'Stonecrest Autumn Glory 307 Korea' on the underside:

And that sums up a super duper successful and enjoyable day. The grand total spend was higher than usual at $69 (Woah, small amounts really add up!) but I love my haul :-)

The Funniest Book Ever & Other Childhood Gems

My friend and I were op shopping when she came up behind me and exclaimed “Look at this disgusting book I found!” I was intrigued; she is not the type of person who would generally call things ‘disgusting’, and it’s an unusual term for a book (let alone a childrens book!) We are forever sharing funny op shop finds (the type that you laugh about but don’t buy). This one, I had to buy. For $1, it was too amusing to pass up.

It all starts innocently enough, with interesting facts such as “Silver tabby cats usually have good temperaments” (not sure how this assumption rests on colour, but anyway) and lovely vintagey artwork:

And then things start hotting up:

It goes on to show the birthing process in graphic detail.

Even a picture of a tongue is made somewhat raunchy, with the “cross section” featured on this page (I was like, what on earth is that thing!?):

Whoever said that children weren’t educated about the birds and the bees in the 70s clearly had not seen this childrens book. I don’t think I’ll show it to Bub, because she is liable to describe it at daycare to the poor unwitting ladies there (and even the other children) but I have no doubt her reaction to this book would be hilarious.

I really really need to get my hands on Purnell's Lifecycle Book of You - the version about people.

This all got me thinking about my favourite books when I was a kid, those childhood gems which hold lovely memories.

(1) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - Judith Viorst

"I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day." 

(2) Clive Eats Alligators - Alison Lestor

While Frank eats muesli for breakfast and Rosie enjoys eggs and bacon, Clive prefers to eat alligators (alligator shaped cereal). Follow a delightful group of children through a day as they discover and celebrate their individual differences.

(3) The Faraway Tree series - Enid Blyton

 I have lovely memories of having a chapter read to me from one of these books every night in bed.

What are your favourite books from your childhood?

My Sister's Creative Space

I wanted to share my little sister's creative space, because it is so cute. Have you bought into the owl craze? She certainly has – as well as having several owl necklaces, she has decorated her bedroom with owls. I do like owls, but I think I have seen a bit much of them and prefer more unique and unusual treasures.

 Super cute desk space, all bright and happy and cluttered (but in a good way)

 

 Pin board with fashion shoot pics and … an owl.

 Owly wall art

 

 Owly pillow

 Wooden wonderland - she made the box

  A mirror and shelf that she made herself, with 3 ceramic owls resting on it

 

Cute hand painted boxes, and a very hungry caterpillar

More creative spaces to come soon :-) I hope everyone has a lovely weekend planned ahead...