Things I love Thursday: A day off!

Well the last month and half has absolutely flown by!! Work, house, furnishings, shopping, getting lost, dogs, heat wave, 6 degree weather, autumn, Burlesque shows, public transport, trams, trains and busses, car shopping, warm clothes shopping, discovering DFO, Queen Victoria Markets, epic vintage shops, and I could keep going for hours.  Thanks Melbourne for being awesome.  Post move loneliness is lessening as I go out an meet more people (and get propositioned!!) and learn my way around!!

In this making friends business I have decided to be as pro-active as possible, despite getting made fun of for doing so at home.  Socially awkward?  No, just determined not to be a Nigel-no-mates.  Oh and its actually an interesting experiment.  You can make friends on a train.

Today it has been super windy and we've had at least two drastic weather changes.  I'm just up to close the door and turn the heater on cos it's started raining now.  Officially the temperature was supposed to be 15 degrees which isn't too shabby but with the wind and the rain actually outside Melbourne temperature is sitting around 5 or 6 degrees right now.   The last two days its been Onsie's to bed and triple layers of leggings and tops to keep warm.  I really should write and Aucklander's guide to living in cold weather one day.   I suppose however we timed it right so that as next summer rolls around we'll be all ready for the toasty heat!!

 

ANYWAY today I decided that I really didn't want to go to work.  I had a meeting in the morning in Collingwood and I've Swing Dance class tonight in Fitzroy.  Exciting!  With not quite knowing how to get around and how long it would take I decided to flag the stress and relax today so that I'm not rushing all over  town stressing out.  Oh yes and today is Wednesday not Thursday. LOL

On my adventures I took a few photos!  I had my nails re done with glittery lavender Shallac and discovered the most amazing vintage store called My Delirium.  It is only once in a blue moon I walk into a shop and find something instantly that I just have to add to my wardrobe regardless of the price.  The spikey jacket in the above photos being just that kind of thing!!  WOW  If you are coming to Melbourne in the near future this is on my TOP 10 places to visit and is just off Brunswick Street, on Johnston Street, Fitzroy.  Just down the road a little further is delicious cafe called The Food Store where I stopped to warm my chilly fingers with a yummy Mocha and managed to take my first ever selfie photo with both sets of fingers in it.  I'm grinning away as I immagine you laughing and rolling your eyes at me.  Dorky yes, but a bloggers first world problem!

  

 

 And when I got home I decided to cook.  Being the first time I've cooked in Melbourne! Well more than making a quick dinner for one, and or heating up food.  Really I've been incredibly lazy on the meals front.  There are some incredibly delicious places to eat around the area we are living in.  Thai, Indian, Noodle-Box, Mexican, and Turkish etc etc.

So today I made Gluten free double chocolate muffins.  Oh and they are SO delicious, nice and light with out that a-typical gluten-free downfall - the heavy cardboard taste. Hallelujah!  I'm still getting used to our gas stove and oven so in the first five minutes I burned the tops of them, but thankfully with some quick thinking and left over batter, they were saved.  I whipped of the top burned bits, plopped a tiny bit more batter onto each one and popped them back into the oven at a much lower shelf level.  This oven only has heat from the top so I'm getting used to where things have to sit! SUCCESS!!

One my gorgeous friends from work recently mentioned to me Bacon Cupcakes!  I nearly died!  If you've seen the viral video "Bacon, bacon, pancakes" my delicious "Bacon, bacon, cupcakes" are the best thing in the world and I'd gladly vie them against pancakes any day!

My new pink cupcake tins lined with bacon, a couple of chopped up pieces of sun-dried tomato, some Halumi cheese, a sprinkling of cajun spices and egg! DONE!! Grill till the cheese goes bubbly and golden, and it should come out looking out like this!

Review: Marysville Salmon & Trout ponds

Nestled on the slopes of Mount Gordon, Marysville Trout and Salmon Ponds was first developed in the early 1980's. It lay dormant for many years until it reopened to the public in December 2003. 

The ponds are fed by spring water flowing from the surrounding mountain forests. The water is pure and crystal clear, no farm or fertilizer run-off, and no human or chemical contamination and fish are bred to feed and up keep the farm's stock. The water flows by gravity through aqueducts that wonder up the valley floor.The ponds have been nurtured to form a natural ecosystem and habitat for the fish with reedy banks, overhanging trees and gently flowing waterfalls.  

A dog friendly park it was a perfect choice for us to get out of town, a group of friends (and one hyper puppy) and have a blast out of the big city. A pleasant hour and forty minutes drive through forest, trees, bush. The air smells beautifully fresh, some trees show older scars of past bush-fires in the area. After coming out of the windy roads we reached a short stony drive.  

Inside, the hill sports five or six ponds, Each with different sized fish and difficulty of the catch. The ponds have become a habitat for many aquatic animals including, nymphs, mud eyes, frogs which croaked loudly next to us as we fished and worms. During spring and summer the fish feast on the many flying insects that land on the water.The ponds were surrounded by tall peppermint, stringy bark and messmate eucalyptus  sliver and Blackwood wattles, native grasses and a many varieties of ferns including the majestic tree fern and are slowly recovering to their former glory since the February 2009 bush-fires tho the scars remain. 

The fishing ponds have been lightly stocked with rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon and range in size from 500 g up to 6 kg (the big ones are hard to catch - very sneaky fish). It can take some time to catch a fish although I caught My first within the first half an hour we were there.  Over the next two hours we moved around the ponds. Finding spaces between reeds to cast off and watch the air bubbles circle the float. Each time one went under there would be a shreek of excitement. a short, not always successful fight later, a rainbow trout would be netted and plopped into a waiting bucket of water.  

For the several families there they also have ponds where little kids of those in a rush can catch a trout in very quick time. Picnic tables, small shelters or cabin decks and gas barbecues are scattered around the ponds so you can have an enjoyable picnic and cook your fresh rainbow trout or salmon. It is a great place to learn how to fish or hone up on your fishing skills, have picnic lunch or a romantic twilight dinner.  

They are open 7 days a week from 10 am until sunset including all public holidays & school holidays, and Christmas day & good friday and for the week stomached they will gut and season your fish or prep it in an ice filled chilli-bin (eski).  Once we got ours home it was straight in the oven to grill with our of the smaller of our catch. A dash of lemon juice and absolutely nothing can beat the taste of super freshly caught fish! Soft, sweet, juicy and succulent!

NOM Nom soooo delicious!!

Black Milk: Melbourne Sample sale review

About two and a half years ago I discovered a brand called Black Milk Clothing. It turned out they make leggings. Nylon goodness, and I have no qualms about admitting that all natural fibers are not a common thing in my wardrobe.  Maybe they should be, and maybe Ill develop a taste for that one day, but right now I don't mind a spot of Nylon.

On the Black Milk website their wee story under the "About us" typical of nosy website is most humbling and inspiring. Possibly you could call it a rags to riches success story, I like to think of it as a personal kick up my ass. Why sit around doing something you hate when you could be working your butt off but being happy. However, that is not what today's post is about. Now that my blogging mojo is slowly returning I wanted to share with you these lovely leggings and my story about meeting "Sharkies" in New Zealand and Australia.

 The clothing is simple, basic but all in all good quality with funky, quirky and rebellious prints.  With the line starting to include more than just leggings it is truly a developing online Fashion Label. Maxi dresses, swim suits, t-shirt dresses, skirts, basket ball singlets, leggings and boob-tubes is really rocket science.
How Black Milk clothing have created a brand with a cult like following IS!  If every marketing manager or PR company could re-create that kind of organic success story they'd be putting them selves out of business.

There a Facebook groups for every country, or even states with in a country. Coffee or drink meets, reminiscent of stamp collector meetings from the 80's... Collections get shown, shared, swapped, on sold or fawned over. There is one thing unique about "Sharkies", so named because of their ability to crash the shop website trying to snap up a new product. 

I walked through the underground walk way at Melbourne's Flinders station I spot a girl walking towards me wearing brightly coloured leggings. I smile as I recognise them as Black Milk tights, and she acknowledges me back recognising mine.  Being a very recent immigrant to Australia I'm still working really hard to meet people and make friends, so simple little personal interactions make my day.

Last weekend was the Melbourne Black Milk sample sale. Coming from New Zealand I had no idea they did such a thing, but dutifully saved up my pennies and planned my weekend around attending the sale. 9 am it was due to start. Having been to the Swarovski sample (invite only) sale I expected it to be a little similar. Lines out the door. Groups of people let into the sale room for a limited amount of time each. Scrambles and then a patient wait at the check out.  Well my expectations were almost on target. Almost!!

There had been a meet up the night before (frustrated I didn't know so I could have gone!) and a large group had stayed there late and then head straight to the factory were they camped over night with their sleeping bags! Others had set their alarms for ridiculous hours and headed in to arrive as early as 4-6 am!  Myself, blissfully I got up at 8 am and headed there planning to be there around 8:30 am, thinking this early!

How wrong was I. A small block consisting of 8-10 joined terrace houses long and wide was surrounded by colourful lines all around the block. Four sides of the block surrounded en' masse by a line made up most of girls of all sizes and colours of hair all wearing at least one if not multiple items of Black Milk. Every 20 minutes 150 people were allowed to rush into the warehouse. Piles of nylon organised into sizes were instantly shrouded elbow to elbow pf excited people rummaging and hunting for pieces that caught their attention.

I waited for two and a half hours to get into the sale. "What??" You say, that is ridiculous. But time flew!  Standing in the line I made friends! Students, mums, and crazy cats like myself all chatting about what we had in common. All for the love of Black Milk.

Thanks James Lillis, you made your dream a reality. We can too!

Other info if you wish to cross educate yourself here:  http://bmcthetruth.tumblr.com/

Alternative sites that also sell RAD as leggings:

http://shop-emerald-city.myshopify.com/collections/leggings
http://www.nastygal.com/clothes-bottoms/
http://www.modcloth.com/shop/leggings
http://www.worldofleggings.com
http://www.sourpussclothing.com/gals/bottoms/leggings.html

Mornings with Murdoch

The early morning rattle settles down, the last door slams, the car leaves and the dog calms down and returns to his basket.   By this time its just gone 8 am and I've been pretending to still be asleep since 6:30 am.
About 30 mins later I haul myself out of bed and start feeling a little more alive. A quick shower and dressed in warm clothes - double layers of Black Milk tights works a treat and I'm ready. The dog. I call him so because he belongs to my girl friend. I'm not terribly maternal, I don't dote, fawn and only occasionally pet. I prefer to stick to the routine and give him a pat when he earns it. Like sitting own before we cross the road the first time he's asked not the 10th.

Once I'm ready I pop his harness on him and we head out the door. He loves going for a walk, playing ball, in-fact any kind of attention at all so by this point he is SUPER hyped up and I keep a gentle tension on the leash so he will walk obediently beside me and not strain the leash. Eventually he calms down and does so. 
20 minutes of very brisk walking we get to the park having successfully sat before crossing each road so as not to get run over.  I love to walk briskly as the air is quite nippy and if we don't move fast my fingers go a little numb. I'm warm by the time we reach the park or the Green as its been officially named. Surrounded by parrot filled trees its pretty. But it is also there to separate a section of clone like subdivision housing from a section of noisy high way!  Ignoring the Stepford-ness of the area we get down to the serious business of playing ball.


This dog, Murdoch could play fetch all day. I think he would still be compelled to run after a ball even if he was near the point of exhaustion. Occasionally he lies down after dropping the ball back at my feet on the damp grass to cool down his belly.

There are few other people in the area when we are there. An elderly pair of ladies doing Tai Chi by the play ground, an occasional fluffy scrap of a dog gets gingerly escorted past us the owners not realizing this Staffy is a useless teddy bear attempt at living up to its breeds generically fierce stereotype  And the construction workers on the adjacent site walking occasionally across the park to the bathrooms. I often imagine them thinking enviously about how they'd rather be playing with a similarly butchy dog rather than being at work. Nope this lesbian is dog walking today, not you.

The walk back home is calmer. Once we arrive home I refill his water bowl because he is still panting like a tongue flapping maniac. Half a bowl later I think he must feel allot better. Food. Breakfast for him and lunch for me. As I pack my lunch up he follows me continuously around the house ball still in his mouth. How can he not be worn out? We were out for about an hour?!  Before I leave I check he done his business so we don't return to any unexpected accidents. Fortunately that's only happened once, when he first arrived and since then he's dutifully marked every tree corner on our morning walks and has a special spot he uses just past our bedroom window out on the back lawn. Oh and that's another thing, when I say lawn I don't really mean it. Our place and many many others I walk past every day have astro turf lawns. Fake grass, that lusciously deceiving green colour patched down on every second front verge.

And that is my morning.

Beauty review: Maybelline Liquid Liner vs Pencil

I've always been a huge eyeliner fan. That thin black strip of colour which can turn an insignificant eye into something totally stunning and "eye-catching". (Excuse the pun!")

However use a bad liner and in an hours time you have one of either of these two disastrous results. Watery, teary, stinging eyes with little black rivulettes running down your face or panda rings where the movement of your skin has caused the soft crumbly powder to slowly slide down your face, giving you that trashy "hard night on the town look!"

Not so pretty, right? So what about a waterproof liner then? Perfect but what about one that can give you that delicate pin-up style cat's-eye flick or Amy Whitehouse style winged eye?
I decided to put the Maybelline New York 'Master Precise' liquid liner to the test against a standard black pencil liner. Starting off by testing the two on my hand they both pass the "black enough" test, next the smudge test!

Okay, maybe I rubbed a little hard but the pencil TOTALLY flunked! I've a dirty gray big smudge on my hand that I really don't want on my face.

I wore the Maybelline liner to my first Melbourne Burlesque shows this weekend and am glad I did! Despite the heat inside the venue, specifically Red Bennie's cabaret & Burlesque bar it didn't run or smudge one bit!

Hooray! I love my liner and you should try it too!

Thanks Maybelline NY!!

Gratuitous Melbourne Appreciation!