Uncle Joe's Mess Hall.

This Saturday I returned to Uncle Joe's Mess Hall because I felt it was an undying need that must be fulfilled. Once again, the service had a strange feel to it. On this particular day, that was fine by me. For the first time since I can remember - I had a bit of a sore head (drank too much grape juice) and needed some kilojoules/oomph ASAP.

I ordered poached eggs on sourdough, a skinny cap (extra shot, no sugar) and a fresh juice. The girl assured me the OJ would be fresh and is delivered daily. I was pleased by all of the above items and enjoyed my experience there. When I paid the bill, the girl engaged in chit-chat, which was lovely and sealed the deal for me. There really is nothing better than the seclusion of a inner city laneway during the hussle and bussle of a Saturday morning. And yes, if you are wondering... I ordered a muffin to take away because that is what I do on Saturdays!

What Makes You Feel Alive?

For me, I feel alive when I ride my motorbike (see cheesy grin below). I would say that's probably the case because there is so much adrenalin pumping through my body and I am so busying processing thoughts like "ooh", "ah crap", "that was close", "UH OH". However... there comes a point (every time) where I am flat on my back with the bike on top of me. But - I am okay with that. Mr. BB is usually there and tracks back to find me.

 
You can see some shots of our most recent trip below. I had been away living the city life for a while so it was great to head home to Dayboro and enjoy what is important to me - quality time in the middle of nowhere with Mr. BB.

 

It was a great afternoon topped off by a swim in the creek. The water was so icy cold but it didn't matter one bit. I am sure there are things in your life that make you feel alive. If you want to share, feel free to leave a comment!

Love BB,

X.

Gordon St Garage, Perth WA.

If, at any time, on any day, you are in Perth and are hungry/thirsty/require inspiration/happiness boost - go here: Gordon St. Garage - it is worth the extra lap around the block if you happen to miss it (you probably will).

The first time I went to Gordon St Garage, it was late afternoon on a Sunday. I was with a good friend and ordered a ginger beer and the cheese platter to share. We asked if it was possible to make the breads in the platter gluten free, basically the response was "easy done". The atmosphere was something unimaginable, table arrangements were very cosy and the food that was coming out looked unbelievable. We ended up staying for a few hours.

Then the second time I went, the 'tide had changed'. It was mid morning on a Sunday and boy oh boy, the place was buzzing. There was a queue for tables so Mr. BB and I naturally opted for take away being tight for time. As it was the weekend, I was more than ready to redeem my muffin allowance. One skinny cap, one fresh juice with carrot/orange/lemon/pineapple/ginger and a berry and white choc muffin. Deluxe!

I wonder what my third visit has in store for me...

V.I.V - Very Important Visitor.

Firstly, a big sorry to you all. I have not been around here as much but I hope to change that from today. I have since kicked off a Facebook page dedicated to House On A Hill, so please click through here.

I have been in Perth since February so I have so much to post about. However I would just like to share last weekend, when Mr. BB came to visit me! 

On Saturday, we kicked off with breakfast. Naturally, I wanted to take him to Uncle Joe's Mess Hall but they didn't serve breakfast from a menu. Such a shame as I was so desperate to try Uncle Joe's. If you know Mr. BB you will understand that a fresh croissant will not suffice, he needs the BIG brekky. So we stopped at Tiger, Tiger Cafe.

We then jumped on a bus tour and headed for the Swan Valley wine district. We stopped at 3 wineries, a brewery and a chocolate factory. It was a great day and left us very tuckered out by sundown. Never fear, we still made it to the Casino.

On Sunday, I took Jack to Gordon St Garage. It was so busy, I couldn't believe it, but totally understand why. It is a great place. Anyway, I would not let my ritual down so I ordered take away coffee, juice and a fresh muffin. 

We then went to visit my family (including new second cousin!) for lunch. We had grand plans for dinner but by the time we got back to my apartment we couldn't see how it would be physically possible to fit anything else in.

We called it a day. I dropped Mr. BB at the airport and my weekend blurred into the working week.

Love BB, X.

Weekend.

At House on a Hill, we have many creepy crawlies. More often than not, they are huntsman spiders. On this particular occasion, we were graced with this huge huntsman spider (spider-phobics hold onto your seats!). It was bigger than my outspread hand for sure. To soften the blow, you'll see some cute little flowers I picked from a big bushy weed outside the front gate. 

On Saturday we headed to Ballina in northern NSW for a little getaway. Ballina is such a sleepy, quiet and not-much-to-do kind of town. Suits me just great I say - I've been flat out lately. The view was of the river which I thought was nice. A little different to the typical.

Much to J's dismay, I insisted we go for a walk to have a look around at what was going on around Ballina. This is Ballina Manor, a heritage listed property which plays host to a boutique hotel. I thought it was just gorgeous - it seems it has been restored very well.

On Sunday after devouring a nice hearty breakfast at one of the local cafes, we set out for the Gold Coast via Lennox Head and Byron Bay. Fell in love with Lennox Head along the way.

Finished off the weekend by watching Flight. I think it is a good movie and worth a watch. It just so happens that I will be flying tomorrow. Perhaps a good idea you don't follow suit - watch it on another day.

BB

X

Friday Flowers 1/2/13.

Snacks.

Paleo Carrot Cake

1 1/2 cups almond meal

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 free range eggs

1/4 cup raw honey

1/8 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup seeds/nuts 

1/2 cup dried fruit

1 1/2 cups grated carrot

1. In first bowl, combine dry ingredients

2. In second bowl, combine wet ingredients 

3. Add carrot, seeds/nuts and dried fruit to the wet mixture

4. Stir wet mixture into dry mixture and scoop into loaf pan

5. Bake at cake cooking temperature until golden brown and knife springs back

Mountain Bread "Chips"

1. Cut desired amount of Mountain Bread into squares

2. In a bowl, drizzle a small amount of olive oil (or oil of your choice) around and add salt and pepper

3. Coat Mountain Bread squares in oil mixture and place on baking paper

4. Grill/bake until golden brown - beware! - watch this step closely

BB
X

Bonds Wideband Bra Tanks.

My Mum gave me one of these Bonds Wideband Bra Tanks when she visited in December. I hadn't tried it on until today - I was looking for something light and comfy to wear in this torrential Brisbane weather going on at the moment. Fell in love immediately. Soooo good!

Jumped on google straight away to see what they retail for. There is an offer through the Bonds website at the moment: 2 for $40. I remember seeing them at Trade Secret a few months ago, picking them up, 'uhhhhming and ahhhing' and putting them back on the rack. Kicking myself now.

BB
X

DIY Cleaning Products.

For Drains

There was a slight smell to the drains in my bathroom floor. To be perfectly frank, I have never thought to clean the drains before so I took the opportunity to do all of them. To start, I poured boiling water down each drain. Then, I sprinkled a few spoonfuls of Baking Soda (Bi-Carb Soda), followed by about 1 cup of white vinegar. The mixture bubbled up over the drain cover and I left it to sit for 5-10 minutes. Following that, I poured some more boiling water down the drain to make sure everything washed away. And what do you know... no smell!

With this success, I phoned J and told him of the news. He then proclaimed it was because of my hair and shampoo... 

For Underarm Stains

Recently I have been using Garnier Mineral Anti-Perspirant 'InvisiMax'. Designed for heat, sport and stress - I guess that's me during a "good week", haha! I think it is really great toiletry companies have developed these 'anti-white marks' sprays. Fantastic, in fact. What is not so fantastic, is that my white/light coloured shirts now have grey-ish and brown marks on them in the pits. I've done some research and it seems that aluminium is the culprit, so I am going to switch back to my Rexona Clinical Protection stick and see how I go.

To try and fix the problem, I made a paste using Baking Soda and water. Applied it to the shirts using a toothbrush for about 20 minutes, rinsed in cold water and then put through the washing using a Napi-san like product. Of course I added an extra rinse to the cycle because of my stupid sensitive skin. Unfortunately, there was no such success this time around. All of my shirts still have the same marks on them.

I guess in the mean time the next logical step is to keep my underarms shaved and search for another solution.

BB
X

Friday Flowers 25/1/13.

Time For Tea.

I have spent the last three days at my family home in Darwin. There was an immediate cessation of employment - I left my job of two (and a bit) years to take 2 weeks off before I start my new (real) career as an accountant. Since arriving in Darwin, I have done nothing. Bad tense? Either way, I haven't been up to much. Fortunately the weather has been quite pleasant, although today I had to have a midday shower as I was too sticky and had too many fly-aways and thought it was the only logical step for me to take. 

What is the point of this post? I am not exactly sure to be honest. I felt like I was about to 'give birth' to a giant bubble of excitement/anxiety/joy and I didn't know what to do. I will try to explore what is buzzing inside me.

• I have stumbled across some lovely blogs, one being In Spaces Between - go and visit - you won't regret it. I think this discovery triggered the bubble. 
• I have been reconsidering my "physical state" and how I have been enjoying life over the past month rather than planning my dietary habits and working out till I have to flop myself down onto the toilet. Don't get me wrong, I will revert to this come Friday 25th Jan. 
• I have thought about what makes me happy at the moment and what I hope to experience throughout 2013. 
• Despite waves of excitement surging above pangs of brute fear, I figure sitting in a car for 5 days travelling back to Brisbane with one of my best friends will be good for me.
• Learning to deal with a great deal of uncertainty which is now imminent, has become paramount for me: I will start a new job, in the city and will travel via train. I will finally decide whether a small/medium SUV (in black of course) or a motorbike will better suit my travel needs. I will come to a conclusion about how to tackle health and fitness alongside my new job. It is ok that I am not sure what I will do at this very moment. Also, it is fine that I've gone off eggs in the morning and quiche at morning tea. After all, I know I get bored easily. 
• In order of priority/induced level of comfort, I want to spend time working on our home at House on a Hill and explore things like stainless steel ceiling fans, white walls, chalkboard paint, silver baroque frames and maybe even a split system AC in the lounge/dining/shed area, amongst many other things (please don't be reading this J... bye bye "man chi"). 
• Finally, it is ok that I have a few lumps and bumps on my skin at the moment. I will see a dermal therapist to sort it out.

Now that I feel like I have given birth to said bubble, it is time for Tea. Green tea with lemon, in fact. Before I nip off, here are some snippits of the last few days.

Skinny Cap at Java Spice Cafe in Darwin. If you get the chance, visit! It really is beautiful.

Gave Almond Meal pancakes a go this morning. They are low carb/high protein/wheat free so they are a good breakfast option for me. I will admit I do need to tweak the recipe a little! 

On my first night in Darwin, I made an Indian mince curry (from scratch) for my family. And yes I did eat white rice AND pappadums!

BB

X

Note: I am yet to work out how to rotate the photos (shame on me).

Friday Flowers 4/1/13.

Found this bunch of bad boys at my local IGA this afternoon on my way home from work ... for the grand price of $2.00. I couldn't care if they died tomorrow - I'd still be happy. I love flowers and I am more than happy to buy them for myself. The ol' flower cliche can 'go jump' as far as I am concerned! 

Happy Friday to you all and thank you for following me. X

Havaianas.

I think I have the most common size feet in the whole world. For years I have found it REALLY difficult to buy plain black Havaianas in the European size 43/44 or Brazilian size 41/42 or US size 9. I would say this is the case because I share this size with a great deal of the male population. 

I stumbled across the City Beach website purely to suss out postage costs because, after shopping around Christmas time, I could not step foot into another Westfield shopping centre if my life depended on it. 

I did consider getting the silver logo pair but I could not justify the extra $20.00. And then I considered a print. First of all, the print might clash with something I wear. Second of all, in either situation, people's attention may be attracted towards the nether region around my feet. Uh uh. 

So of course, I stuck to my 10 year usual, plain black. And hurrah! Postage is free, and express (we will see...), for any purchase over $10.00. PayPal, ahoy.