Friend’s Christmas Dinner 2023

This year it was our turn to host our Annual Friend's dinner and given that we are in the fancy new house I thought that I better go extra fancy and make it a black tie event. Because...why not! Everyone loves a chance to get their fancy suits and frocks out and I had just the backdrop. This year … [Read more...]

Life, lately

It's the winter school holidays, already, so soon? Apparently yes. Which means that it's been almost one year since we moved house waiting for the renovation to begin. I cannot believe how fast that has gone and that there are piles of stuff in the garage that I "meant" to get sorted after I just a … [Read more...]

Maggie is now 8!

Somehow our baby turned 8 last month. HOW I ASK YOU. Remember when she was one? And then two? And then three? And then four? And then five? And then six? And then seven? And now eight. I know it's so cliche to say how fast it all goes, but my … [Read more...]

Blog post Entry 3,561

On Easter Sunday morning I was a complete disaster. The first term always gets me good, there’s new routines and timetables, sport begins, there’s Easter to plan for and thankfully in the lead up to the break, we had been busy in the shop. We had had a big first term with Daisy growing up, fast. … [Read more...]

Cooking & Conversation: Birch X Add to Cart Event

We hosted our first Birch X Add to Cart Event on the weekend in the restaurant - what an amazing afternoon we had sharing ways to host the ULTIMATE feast. Lots of amazing food, wine, chatting, cooking, eating, and then shopping! What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon! Ideas for hosting … [Read more...]

Visiting the Southern Highlands? Read this!

The last time I updated this post was in 2017 so I thought it was well and truly in need of an update as I am often asked about where to go and stay and what to do in the Highlands. Lots of these posts are a number of years old and won’t have the most up to date places and there are new places … [Read more...]

Summer Days, drifting away

The days have been long, endless driving for bored teens in the country with no public transport. Keeping small kids while working...oh yes, that old juggle. Cake eating, cleaning & organising, washing, board games, lots of cooking and eating and gin swilling. Book reading, tv show binging, … [Read more...]

First Annual Friend’s Trip to…Jugiong

I have been meaning to do this post since AUGUST last year and with some time in early January I wanted to finally get the time to share one of the best weekends I have ever had...our first annual friend's tip that we did in August 2022. The weekend was a celebration for Lucy's 40th and James' 50th … [Read more...]

Tender hearts, new year, slow farm days

We are back from our annual post Christmas visit to the farm - honestly my favourite week in the whole year. I said to Sue when we arrived on Wednesday afternoon absolutely exhausted from Christmas with the family - late nights and mess and endless cooking, that the farm is the place to me that … [Read more...]

Christmas 2022

Another Christmas has been and gone for the year and this one was special for sure. We had my entire family together (each and every one of us) for the first time in 4 years. The last time we attempted this at the beach we had a mad dash to the border thanks to Victoria closing it, so it was extra … [Read more...]

Friend’s Christmas Dinner 2022

Last week (was it really last week?!) we celebrated our annual Friend's Christmas dinner at Lucy and Chris' place for a group of our mates in the village. This was the crew that went to Jugiong on our first annual trip away (I really must do a post on that trip over this break) who all live in the … [Read more...]

Southern Highlands Wineries: 6 vineyards in 6 months

SPONSORED POST FOR SHFWA We’ve been living in the Southern Highlands now for 12 years and while we are surrounded by so many fabulous vineyards and wineries, and we enjoy the delicious wines that come from them every week, there are still so many wineries we have yet to visit all these years … [Read more...]

Life at 45 and 3(ish) weeks

3 weeks ago I turned 45. How odd, considering I feel much younger. Perhaps that will always be the way now. I'll feel the same inside even though my face and body will tell me differently. The same way the years seem to go so much faster now. The way when I look at my parents now, and I see … [Read more...]

My blog is sweet 16 today!

Today, my blog turns 16. SIXTEEN. Have I ever done anything continually for as long, besides eat custard tarts? It's hard to say. But here we are, 16 years, 3,550 posts and 73,824 comments later. Still. Here. Thanks for still being here. Truly. Amazing really isn't it? I know that I … [Read more...]

Renovators, mount up!

It was a clear black night. A clear white moon...oh hang on. So, I have an update for you guys. Nothing too dramatic, but exciting! Slash exhausting. But mostly exciting! We are renovating our home! It’s been years in the planning and will take 9 months or so (probs a year right I am discovering … [Read more...]

Full & Thorough Reporting

We’ve finally had some sunny weather. The kind of days that make you feel grateful just to be alive and in them. Glorious sunrises, late and freezing, with frosts and rising mists on the washing and trees as the sun hits. Sunsets that stretch from 3pm until dusk at 5, clouds rushing through the … [Read more...]

Roasted Vegetable Lasagne

Now I do have an old recipe for Vegetarian lasagne from many MANY moons ago but I have started to make a different version that I thought I better get onto the blog. This one is an easy/almost cheat version that I can whip up on a week night that makes everyone happy. I have a reel on Insta you can … [Read more...]

Lucy turned 40!

It's been a big month of birthdays in our family...we have had Dots, then Mum then Rob and Maggie and ending of course with the big 4 0 for Lucy last week! This was such a special occasion for us...the baby of our (grown up family). We celebrated her birthday on Thursday with lunch with Mum and … [Read more...]

Maggie is now 7!

First she was one: Then two. Then three. Then four. Then five. Then six. And now, well she's seven. SEVEN! Sweet Maggie turned 7 last month and we celebrated our special girl on the day with a simple family gathering and then a few weeks later we had … [Read more...]

Mum turned 70!

May is a big month of celebrations for our family with so many fabulous Taureans to love and honour. We has perhaps the biggest of all with Mum's 70th at the start last month. All of my family (brother and two sisters) and kids (except two that couldn't make it) together for the first time in over 3 … [Read more...]