i’m posting over here for the week. cheers!

oh boy. i am echoing lottie’s thoughts about this year. is it zooming by just a tad too fast? too fast for my liking.

today i’m on the wedding merry-go-round, hopping on and off to attend to various errands including a dress fitting. eep! right now, i am just looking forward to the day; i want to have a great party.

that said, we have just finished the most exciting part of the planning; the cake and the meal we will share with family and friends. we have yet to see the chef who is cooking for us, to sit at his table and eat the food he will serve. we get to do this sometime next month. but the coversations we’ve had this week makes me trust him with all my food loving heart. the menu had me super happy yesterday evening; as we ate our go-to meal; a pot of spicey lentils and rice, i was thinking about the confit of salmon, the sirloin beef with horseradish cream and the roast root vegetables in cloves of garlic. it is possible that buttermilk biscuits will make an appearance. oh yes.

and, it’s true there will be fairy lights too. right across those wooden beams, you see above. who would have thought!

i hope you don’t mind this accidental week of country, it’s just that i’m falling in love with the place.

as i scurry along this week, trying to keep up i am thinking back to taking this shot with mr. sx-70. i asked lj to pull over as we driving back into town from the property we were staying at. and he finally did after we passed the olive grove and the apple orchards. i was happy he chose this spot to park, as i peered over the grass and fence to this horizon. there was one lone chocolate brown horse, and by the time i took this shot and looked away from the polaroid there were another three of his friends. this time we just watched them as we perched on the hood of the car, for a while. autumn was everywhere.

this is what i’m thinking about today. and this is for all of you, who were wishing for a little quiet yesterday.

happy wednesday.

good morning, friends.

this morning i am wishing i was back in the country, warming up with a simple breakfast, with only a quiet day ahead of me. so here i am wishing about what i’d do::

• finish writing my notes to you, by the little creek
• bake more anzac biscuits
• go for a long walk up the road and back
• pick some of that golden (and possibly) weedy grass along the way
• cook up some roast vegies and a roast chook with lemon and thyme
• go to bed early

what are you wishing for?

here we are in our cottage kitchen. well, not our cottage per se, but i like to think of it that way. it’s a little cottage, one single room with a bed with two tea chests on either side, a desk, a chair, iron hooks to hang your coat, and wooden blinds. on the left side of the room there is a kitchen with all the essentials as well as this beautiful black ceramic sink which i was very happy to stand by and wash some berries and even, dishes.

so, just a little more kitchen which i had intended to include as part of polaroid week, but as these things go, a week of instant squares may still follow. perhaps more from the cottage…

when we first decided to get married, we kinda joked about going to vegas for a drive-thru wedding and then coming back for a big party with friends and family. now that we are well into planning a wedding, the first half of this scenario is rather enticing. i never thought planning a party would be so consuming.

we decided on an out of the city wedding, in a big country town because the options in the city, at least in sydney left me feeling cold and limp. and so we settled for a simple fare, a big ole country house, a windmill, and some lights here and there.

lesson: no matter how virteous and self disciplined you are, no matter how simple your intentions are, your eyes will bulge and be lost at the choice of cutlery from your event supplier. never underestimate the pull towards a rice paper lantern either.

i digress.

it is also very easy to come back to earth when you stay in the little cottage overnight, the same cottage next to the farmhouse where you will stay for the weekend of your wedding. it is easy to come back down, when you wake up in the early hours to take a peek outside, maybe draw the blinds while it’s still dark to see how the mist rolls through the morning as the sun starts to wake everything up. it will warm your heart, when your intended had the same idea and is already awake and making a little pot of tea.

the tree’s bare branches will remind you about what it’s all about. remind you why you love trees in winter the most. for their simplicity and strength.

and the vegas drive-thru wedding, yes it is possible. even married people go for a drive-thru. three years later. lookie-here at jen and her man. the sweetest.

good morning. we are off in a few for our road trip to the country. we are staying at the farmhouse where our wedding party will be held; lots of meetings with suppliers this weekend, but we are hoping to squeeze in some picnics with friends, some visits to the markets and celebrating their autumn harvest.

this morning  i give you, a lj’s recent food addiction. he has been going through chinese pork buns at lightening speed recently. we buy ours from st honor bakery and keep a stash in the freezer for weekend lunches, and as these things go road trips! so good with hot sauce and a cup of jasmine tea.

enjoy your weekend. i might try to post some outtakes over the weekend, but it all depends about how organised i’ll be.

cheers!

hello.

are you staying dry? i have tried, but the puddles are getting incredibly difficult to navigate around, so today the rainboots were back on.

today, before the day really began, there was a little time for baking. first a batch of ginger beer scones for a road trip and second some anzac biscuits for care packages for friends near and far. baking makes the mornings just great. out comes the pyrex jug, and sometimes the patty pans. this time they were used as paper lining in the care packages, a good little trick to make biscuits not stick together - especially with all that golden syrup.

well, for now i’m off to sleep. we’re up early at the crack of dawn to drive to the country. i have the new issue of frankie, some ginger beer scones and the national bank to keep us company.

goodnight.

for the last couple of weeks i’ve been seeing a herbalist. he is a kind man, who not only treats me with herbs made for drinking, but acupuncture as well. i am starting to feel the benefits, even though making the tea with the herbs you see above turns my stomach each time. oh, sure there are dried red dates to make the taste manageable, but it makes no difference to me whatsoever.

but i shall persevere to get my qi all in balance.

:: here are some of my favourites from polaroid week 08, so far.

• sips
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good evening.

we have been eating quite simply at home, with a hope to feel better about our health and well being. we are focusing on freshly cooked meals each evening, ones which are wholesome and light. some inspiration coming from here and here and other’s from my stash of food magazines. it’s been really great waiting for our box of organic fruit and vege delivered and then flicking through recipes in books and online for the week.

last night i tried to find something to make with cavolo nero and turnip, and so i turned to gourmet traveller and found a tasty sounding soup for a cool autumn evening. with a name like caldo verde, i just needed to make it this week. so tonight, i have switched some of the potato for turnip and am waiting for my dinner companion to arrive with some crusty bread.

i am looking forward to it! what dishes are you cooking this evening?