We recently celebrated Miniature-boy-person-R's' 12th birthday.

Boys seem to be so much simpler (and less interesting) than girls to please in the birthday department. Despite my visions of throwing a sophisticated, glamorous, gossip girl-esque event that we could invite all our friends to, with mountains of beautifully wrapped gifts, live entertainment, fabulously crafted and wonderfully tasty food that would show up every other parent who dropped off their young Masters to 'THE' year 7 party of the year... This was not to be.

All that is required is:

A Swimming pool with a slide.

Chicken Nuggets and Chips.
Cash gifts only.

And a store bought cake (gasp!)

According to Boy Person senior and Mrs X, this was all that was required and it would be pointless to try and do anything more. (Although if I thought I would not be treading on certain toes, I still think a home made cake would have been preferable).

Determined to add my little stamp of 'hey look at what a fun and cool step-parent I am', I decided that I could at least throw together some fun treats for the few boys that stayed over at ours after the party. The treats seemed to go down very well, even if the groovy presentation packaging that I scoured all of Perth for did seem to go somewhat un-noticed.

Feeling very pleased with my discovery that the four boys initials spelled out a very apt word for what I intended on feeding them, I bagged up an assortment of sweet treats for that ever important midnight snack and labelled them accordingly....

The labelling was also important due to the fact than one of the visiting young men, Master 'A', does not like chocolate. Yes I am Serious. Weird child. So he had to have some alternative junk thrown in.

For movie and games time, homemade, buttery popcorn was guzzled down happily, (although a couple of days later we were somewhat mortified to hear Miniature-boy-person-C announce to us that "only poor people ate popcorn at the movies". Oh dear. I think perhaps we should watch what we say, even in jest, around impressionable ears from now on!

Happy 12th Birthday Master 'R', may it be a long and happy year, because I fear it is inevitable that you will soon be turning into that teen monster that we all turn into as part of the complete life experience. Yeah yeah, I know... "What-evA". ;-) x

That's not a knife.. THIS is a knife….

I have been terribly slack on the blog front this week, not for lack of news but mostly because I have been spending almost every spare moment at the gym in an attempt to work off the past two weeks of fabulous birthday indulgence and a number of nights out seeing more bands than I'm sure most people see in a year (ACADACA!!!!! more on that another day..)

Anyhoo… I thought I should pop in quickly so any readers out there know that I am still alive.

So, if you didn't think I had already done very well on the birthday present front, then this should make amends. On Saturday, I returned from a trip to Bunnings (I should have shares in that place, I LOVE it!) with my shiny new power drill (yes, MY power drill… I am the official pants wearer and man about the house in this relationship :)) to be greeted by the lovely Boy Person doing the old 'pick a hand' routine…. I chose the right and was presented with a knife sharpener. Hmm… exciting? No, not really… but then I noticed a little logo on it, a logo I was quite familiar with, a logo I had discovered whilst researching what the best kitchen knives were… And that logo, combined with cheeky grin on Boy Persons face, combined with the fact that left hand was still hiding something behind back resulted in a light bulb moment of sheer excitement and shouts of "NO WAAAAAY?!!?!" at which point that lovely Boy of mine presented me with the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (OK, well, most beautiful kitchen utensil I have ever seen)… My very own, brand spanking new, Wusthof knife!

So apart from working out, I have also been chopping, slicing and dicing at every opportunity I can get.

Birthday Presents

Well I certainly had a wonderful Birthday, and it lasted all weekend long. I will update you on the wonderful culinary delights tomorrow, but lets get the most important stuff out the way first...

PRESENTS! I love presents, who doesn't really. Except of course when you get something really crappy that you don't want, that makes you think, "has this person not met me? Have they confused me with some tasteless dodgy distant relative of theirs? Are they MAD?!"

And before you all start accusing me of being a spoilt, ungracious and ungrateful little so and so... COME ON! We have all thought it at some point. You just don't say it, its the saying 'Thank you' despite the fact it's a crap gift that makes you gracious.

Anyway, I thankfully had a 'crap present' free Birthday this year, in fact, quite the opposite.

{I must apologize for the decline in photo quality at the moment, Mr. Canon EOS has come over all squiffy and is not playing the game any more so I have had to bring out young Master. Cybershot, who quite frankly, has had a bit of a rough life travelling from country to country, pub to bar to pub and so on and so forth so he now has trouble focusing on the world, much like his owner}


First up, the miniature Boy Persons (11 & 9) gave me this wonderful book that you may recognise from my wish list. I have not had a chance to read all the wordy bits yet but the photos are wonderful, and indeed Inspiring!

A gorgeous parcel from home contained some lush goodies from my lovely Mum and VIN. Dawn French's book I have been wanting to read (that's her peeking out in the first photo) and some lovely treats from the wonderful Wellington store Small Acorns. Funky fabric stickers are now adorning my MacBook, which is ideal as the Boy person and I have been known to pick up each others by accident on occasion!

And the Bloom Sea Salt scrub (far right above) is absolutely divine.

On Saturday, we went for a fabulous breakfast (more on that tomorrow) then we went to a shop that I have been meaning to visit for ages. Oh. My. God. Where have you been all my life? Distracted is a wonderful little place that includes shop, cafe, hair salon and Brazilian waxing salon!

I fell in love immediately and declared that "this is where I want my Birthday present to be purchased!" So, given that I had actually already been given my (rather generous) birthday presents including lovely meal out, and tickets to a couple of festivals, I was told I was allowed to pick ONE item of extra birthday goodness, so I (pouted and frowned) my way around the store for about 30 minutes trying to pick which ONE item I wanted most (I mean really, ONE?).

I decided (to great surprise even to me as it was not the most expensive item in the store) on this lovely little vase...

So, happy with my little treasure, I popped it on the counter to pay.

But then, I spied behind the counter, a Glass Dome, I have been needing (yes that's right, needing) one of these for a while. Panic overcame me, what do I do? Shall I just stick with the lovely little vase and simply sneak back at a later date for the Dome (lets face it, Boy Person would probably never notice if it suddenly appeared a week later) Or should I bat my eyelids and beg to add just one more little tiny extra treat?

Then... His phone rang. It was his mate calling about our evenings plans. He went outside to chat. And then I remembered something someone very wise told me a few years ago...

'It is easier to ask forgiveness, than to ask permission'. GENIUS!

So I said to the girl at the counter quickly, "actually could you just pop one of those lovely glass domes in the bag too please... no don't bother wrapping it....it will be fine really.... Just get IT IN THE BAG NOW!...."

Shoot. He was back. Still on the phone, but standing at the counter next to me with eyebrows raised and a look of... well not surprise that's for sure. Oops. So I started batting my eyelashes furiously while he relayed to his mate that his phone call had probably just cost him hundreds of dollars. I grinned with smugness and advised that it was actually much less than that and took that to be the vindication I required. Yay!

And so, birthday treat number two from Distracted is now sitting proudly where he was much needed....

A busy day followed, watching 'Miniature Boy Person of the Smallest Variety' get a Personal Best at his Athletics event, then a bit of pampering in the city before arriving home many hours later to find that not one, but TWO big bunches of roses and Lillies (one from Dad and family and one from Big Brother) had been delivered and left sitting on the front porch in the stinking 40°C heat.

Whilst they were looking a bit desperate, most of them actually survived very well. I quickly rescued them from their nearly dry blocks of florist foam, trimmed, watered and separated before dotting them about the house. Wasn't it lucky I bought that lovely wee vase?!

A very blessed '30 and some months' year old I am indeed. ♥

Birthday Wishlist - Part V

Tonight I am being treated to a romantic dinner out at a lovely place from my wish list of the following great Perth Restaurants....

Jacksons - Quite possibly the finest restaurant in Perth. Absolutely stunning in every way, food, service and ambiance. I love it. However, I have been there so I've decided against it this time...

Balthazar - Love Love LOVE this place, again, the food, service and ambiance are fantastic, and the wine list is SUPERB! We ate here for the third time last weekend with two of our lovely UK family members who have just gone home after a wonderful year long visit... I digress... So anyway, we're not going to go here tonight....

Star Anise - I have heard wonderful things about this place, its one of Perth's best and I have not been yet, so will we be going tonight you ask???......

Nope. We are going to try another one we have been meaning to try ever since moving to a house just a few houses down from it...

Nine Fine Foods - It has fabulous reviews and is supposed to be the best Japanese restaurant in Perth. It is BYO which is a rare and excellent treat for such a nice place. So I am very much looking forward to trying some of their wonderful creations tonight.

... along with a bottle of this and maybe some of this too which I spied in the fridge last night. Aren't I a lucky birthday girl?!

Nine Fine Foods Pic from here
Balthazar Pics from here
Jacksons Pics from here
Star Anise Pics from here

Birthday Wishlist - Part IV

No birthday wishlist could possibly be complete without some Tiffany & Co. Bling! Come to mama my pretties.....

Hmm, I really dont like my chances with this lot. Ho-hum.

Birthday Wishlist - Part III

Some lovely... Chairs

These ones...

a couple of these...

and this one...

Birthday Wishlist - Part II

I love a good hardback coffee table book, one that is both interesting to read and also looks great as an featured item in your home, these are a few I am currently lusting after...


"About the book
The 20th Century Art Book was hailed upon its release as an exciting celebration of the myriad forms assumed by art over the last century. Complementing the phenomenally successful Art Book, and most recently The American Art Book, it presents a new and original way of bringing art alive. Covering the truly international nature of the modern art scene, it encompasses established, iconic works of art and the classics of the future. 500 artists are showcased in alphabetical order, each represented by a full-page colour plate of a definitive work and an incisive text which sheds light on both image and creator. This book is above all easy to use: cross-references help the reader make connections between artists; there is a jargon-free glossary of artistic terms and movements; and an international directory of museums and galleries lists the works on public view. Ideal for those approaching the subject for the first time, it is a fun and unintimidating look at the ever-expanding boundaries of art. " - phaidon.com



"From Dickensian charm to modern cool, London has it all–and this guide will help you find it. With a selection of stylish hotels, from classic to designer; antique markets, vintage stores and the hippest boutiques; and all the best of the capital's restaurants, bars, tea rooms and pubs, Angelika Taschen's compact compendium is a must for the discerning traveller." - Taschen.com

"Helmut Newton (1920–2004) always demonstrated a healthy disdain for easy or predictable solutions. SUMO—a bold and unprecedented publishing venture—was an irresistible project. The idea of a spectacular compendium of images, a book with the dimensions of a private exhibition, reproduced to exceptional page size and to state-of-the-art origination and printing standards, emerged from an open, exploratory dialogue between photographer and publisher..." - Taschen.com

"The Silver Spoon, the most influential and successful Italian cookbook of the last 50 years, is available in English for the first time. Originally published in 1950, it became an instant classic, selling over one million copies in eight editions. Considered essential in every household, it is still one of the most popular wedding presents today..." - phaidon.com

"People say that the most successful homes are the most sustaining and invigorating to live in, or even just to visit. This is true of Barton Court, the house in Berkshire where Terence Conran has made his country home since 1977. It has been a family home, a centre to his Habitat Design business, a factory and studio for producing commercial and domestic furniture, a laboratory for testing his recipes and writing cookery books and has a working fruit, vegetable and herb garden, supplying produce for his restaurants. Through the objects that Terence has collected, and the things he finds on his travels, we can learn, not only about the man behind a multi-million pound empire, but the processes that stimulate his creativity and the sources of his inspiration."- Amazon.co.uk

Birthday Wishlist - Part I

It turns out that all I want for my birthday is not listed in Fridays post. I want lots more. Lots and lots and lots of luscious lovelies from all over the place. So this week, I will be dropping some seriously unsubtle hints in the hope that someone, somewhere out there (someone with rather a lot of disposable cash, therefore someone I probably, sadly don't know) will shower me with all that i desire on Saturday morning.

What a shame I am not meeting Sir Dick until next month. I suppose I could always refer him to this post when I do meet him and then and happily accept some belated goodies from my new BBFF (Billionaire Best Friend Forever).

Anyway, here goes. Do you have your Credit card ready?

I would be happy to add all or any of these bags of gorgeousness to my Orla Kiely collection.