It's Sunday, Stop Smoking.

Smoking is no longer glamorous?

False. She's pretty damn cute.

x

Adore Midori; My first favourite drink

It's a little early to go walking around Adelaide & so I'm still holed up in my hotel room with nothing much to do except for typing... so here's my story for the morning.


Very much like my mother, one of my first favourite drinks is Midori. It's a very pretty bright, green coloured, muskmelon flavored liqueur made by Suntory. It is manufactured in Mexico, though it was originally made in Japan until 1987. 


There is a whole flavour range under the same brand but the gorgeous green stuff is simply the best.


I am, in fact, drinking a bit of it now mixed with lemon soda & orange juice.. nothing better on a Sunday morning!


Here are a few of my other favourite recipe's complete with pictures Midori World. Yes, Midori World.

Midori Illusion
Available as a pre-mix as well.

Midori 15ml
Triple Sec 15ml
Vodka 15ml
Lemon Juice 20ml
Pineapple Juice 45ml
Shake together with ice & serve!

Midori Martini
Not for the light of heart.

Midori - 15ml

Quality Gin - 45ml

Dry Vermouth - just a dash

Stir, strain & garnish. Simple.

Sex on the Beach
Not strong but very fruity & sweet.

Midori - 30ml

Vodka - 15ml

Raspberry Liquer - 15ml

Pineapple Juice - 45ml

Cranberry Juice - 45ml

Pour over ice, stir, garnish & drink.

Japanese Slipper
Often served in a Martini glass.

Midori - 30ml

Cointreau - 30ml

Lemon Juice - 30ml

Shake with ice & strain into glass.

LA Iced Tea
A close relative to my much favoured LIIT's.

Midori - 20ml

Vodka - 15ml

Gin - 15ml

White Rum - 15ml

Triple Sec - 15ml

Lime Juice - 20ml

Syrup - 10ml

You can add Tequilla if you like...

Otherwise shake with ice & serve. 

Not only is Midori amazing in any of the above form, it's also beautiful with just one mixing partner such as Cranberry Juice, Lemon Juice, Apple Juice (any juice really), Tonic Water, Champagne or over ice. 

Time for another!

x Sianne

A failed trip to 'The Outback'

Well, last week I told you a bit about my plans to drive from the Gold Coast to Alice Springs on a 2 day whirlwind trip with my boyfriend... It turns out that my bad luck with travel continues! Here is a rough outline of how the trip panned out;

Day 1 - Departed the Gold Coast at 2AM to get an 'early' start and make the most of the day. By 4PM we had driven over 1,400KM's & arrived in a small town called Winton, only to be informed that the roads ahead had been closed due to recent rainfall & that we would be staying in town overnight.

Day 2 - Departed Winton to continue on our journey West, stopping occasionally for flooding closures. In the afternoon we had travelled a further 700KM & arrived in an even smaller town on the border of Queensland & the Northern Territory called Camooweal. Upon the sight of dozens of road trains & cars alike, we knew the road had been closed again & that we would be stuck for another night at the pub.

Day 3 - Spent the day exploring Camooweal's only shop, a petrol station & the grounds around the pub. All other guests were in the same situation as us, so we made friends quickly & enjoyed many drinks as well as a few good games of pool.

Day 4 - With continuing road closures we made the frustrating decision to back-track by over 2,000kms to the Gold Coast. The entire day was spent on the road through flood waters, rain & coming close to hitting wildlife during the night before attempting to have a sleep in the car around midnight... unsuccessfully!

Day 5 - Continued driving constantly through night with many close calls & limited visibility due to more rain. We nearly ran out of petrol at one stage & couldn't find any open petrol stations with food so were relieved to find a McDonald's at around 6AM in the morning. We covered the full 2,000kms within 23hrs & had a long, long sleep through the day to recover!

Now that I'm back in Alice Springs full-time I can most certainly write some more!

x Sianne

Photo inspiration; Model wearing Bonnie Cashin, 1952

I adore this image. It's just so exotic.

Model in a reversible striped silk Shantung shirt by Bonnie Cashin,
standing on a beach with large wooden boats, 1952

Four weeks til Christmas!

It's hard to believe that Christmas has rolled around already for 2010.. My mother and I always have a rather subdued day, last year we spent an early morning having breakfast at the beach before lounging around the house with antipasto platters, cocktails and a few decent movies to enjoy (Gone with the Wind included). It was wonderful!

This year I'm a little uncertain of plans.. it's possible I'll be traveling so I've invested in a few little tokens to make sure that Mum & I can have a special day together, even if we're apart.

First, we have matching tea cups from T2.. there're an affordable $18AUD and are made of a thicker porcelain which I find easier to travel with when needed.

Next, we have a recipe for the most delightful scones to bake and eat on the day.. even though mine are gluten free! (Will post recipe soon..)

Thirdly, we have a set of Villeroy and Boch vintage Christmas bells with delicate little roses around the rim. We each have one special bell on our tree!

I've got a small collection of these bells, found mostly in antique stores and very occasionally at a good quality garage sale. They are also readily available to buy online if you're running behind on decorating!

'Merry Christmas hand embellished glass ornaments'

$8USD by AMAZONART on Etsy

Whilst it's not always easy to spend time away from family at these sentimental times of year, it's a lot easier when you have a few sentimental items to remind you of home.. as well as for those at home to be reminded of you!

On your bike, ladies! The wonderful Raleigh Coasting

Today I wanted to show you this cute as a button bike by Raleigh Bicycles is a must have for the summer.. I want one!

Over viewed by Raleigh as; Combining retro good looks and the very elegant 3 speed auto shifting Shimano  A fun bike that is simple, fun to ride and the only thing you have to think about is, ‘where do I go now’? Hooray, they're most certainly not wrong.

This bike is priced between $400 - $700 (ouch) but it does come in a gorgeous aqua colour this year.. I've seen a couple in a soft pink too & would definitely want the latter with a little wicker basket at the front. Perhaps eBay is the answer to procuring one of these babies.

Aqua Coaster from the 2009 Collection

Oh too cute to pass up - Coaster in soft Pink

That's all! Sianne

Gnomes & my Grandmother

 Over the weekend I visited my 85 year old Grandmother, Dot (or chook), in Albury NSW. My Grandmother is a notorious gardener and home maker. She has an immaculate rose garden as well a collection of ferns, lavender plants & assorted flowering wonders that I can never get to thrive in my garden. I assure myself this is due to the climate difference (of course), what else could it be? Lack of love & attention? Of course it’s not!

Amongst the teaspoons, dinner sets, birthday cards & antique porcelain birds that fill her house, my Grandmother likes to collect (of all things) - garden gnomes. It’s creepy, I know!
Since I was small I’ve always found these little ceramic creatures a little off-putting – now I find them rather cute – though I could never bring myself to own such a vast assortment (or be outside at night with the little buggers). Her sole reason for keeping all these beasties are that they're gifts, "Sianne, what would I say if Cathy came around & it wasn't on display any longer?".
Goodness me, if I had to keep & display every gift I'd have a collection of el cheapo candle holders to rival any other, as a "Gen Y'er" I tend to get away with a lot of re-gifting & garbage tossing.

Just a bit of history, garden gnomes originate in Gräfenroda, in Germany, the little-men-in-hats design is based on local myths as a way for people to enjoy the stories of the gnomes' willingness to help in the garden at night. The garden gnome quickly spread across Germany & into France and England, & wherever gardening was a serious hobby. Some people took to their collecting with a little too much vigor & modern lore’s tell of gnome attacks. God forbid!

Nowadays, you can not only buy your gnomes in home & garden stores, but also online (or see eBay or Google). There are sites for advise on selecting, collecting, repairing, catching (creepy!), accessorizing & of course the proper care involved in looking after a garden gnome. One of the more interesting articles I’ve read recently was about gnoming – which involves the theft of garden gnomes for the alleged purpose of returning the inanimate garden gnomes "to the wild”... you should most definitely look it up if you're in for a laugh!

I wanted to give you a glimpse of the little critters my Grandmother has lurking in her garden & which one day I will inevitably inherit at least a few of. Here’s hoping you aren’t as disturbed as I was when I started to count them up! (I stopped counting at 60, Germany stopped counting at 25 million country-wide).

So here are a few of my favourites from the garden, may I be quite clear that there were plenty that missed out on the relentless flash of the camera...

1st set of Snow White and the seven dwarves

Gnomes around the ferns

Gnomes in a shoe!

2nd set of Snow White and the seven dwarves

Solar powered light gnome

Gnomes on the garden edge

There are a few more stories to tell from my trip to the country and plenty more pictures to share, but they can wait for another day!

Until next time,

Sianne