Give me Mohr

I love fish and chips! Perfectly cooked white, flaky fish in batter with big fat chips and vinegar. Best of course, eaten from paper, on some cold and windswept beach, feeding seagulls with the remains, which is what I do with my grandma when I get the chance. They seem to cheer up the spirits no end and even at 98, give her a spring in her step and on the last occasion, seriously asked a, rather surprised, young windsurfer if she could have a go.

They suit the outdoors, the casual and the spontaneous. I can recall great fish and chip moments on climbing weekend trips on the Dorset sea cliffs. Growing up in a seaside town, I had insider knowledge as to the best available, served by over sized, middle aged waitresses with greasy fingers and lots of gold.

Fish and chips are good, cheap honest fayre. Not right for fancy restaurants trussed up in boxes. In London I regularly ate at Geales in Notting Hill. Although it has been done up of late, the wet-fish style white tiled environment was just right. The choice was simple, cod, haddock, or rock in batter with tartar sauce (extra) and mushy peas. Pickled eggs or onions on the side, served from jars behind the counter. If you fancied a tipple with your food you ordered from a separate cash bar. A very 'London' experience, and liked the jellied eel stall on the Roman Road, or the bagel shop in Columbia Road, something that doesn't travel well.

And then we went to Mohr Fish. A very unassuming shop on a corner of Devonshire Street, Sydney, which is tiled with years of fish history. Sitting at the counter or at one of the poseur tables, you could easily think you were back in the East End - aside of course from the clientelle and the slightly more glamorous ingredients than I'm used, but its all relative.

I'm not sure if its a family restaurant, but it 'feels' like it is. On a busy Friday night, the waitress behind the counter took all the orders, answered the phone, served and cleared. Somehow she even managed to haul out waiting patrons from the adjacent pub as their name came up on her list. It was all very entertaining. On our visit, stylish couples mingled with the over-inebriated and a man and his squawking green parrot provided the background music as they waited for a takeaway salad (for the parrot). If you fancy a drink, you can bring your own with no corkage and they will chill it for you as you wait for a table, or you can buy a glass from the pub. Fish and chips served the best way yet, this side of the equator.

Mohr Fish

202 Devonshire Street

Surry Hills 2010

Say hello to our new oven!

Well not new so much - in fact far, far from it. St George made it in about 1950 and it came off their production line so soon after they started that its numbered 2342. Its in incredible condition, has two ovens, two warming drawers and even an old fuse box in the bottom. The clock (which is the only thing that doesn't work) looks like the one in my grandad's Morris Minor and is absolutely beautiful.

After my experience with the St George at Whale Beach, I found it on ebay and as it was local, I felt I had to have it. Especially as I found myself thinking about it a few days later. Yesterday afternoon though, as four of us struggled for an hour to get it down the front steps, I wondered whether it was a foolish move, especially as it has nowhere to go yet except sit on a trolley, looking confused in the living room. But it gives me a chance to get it looked at and to find and fit new seals to make it more energy efficient. And when its done, it will fit perfectly... even if we have to have a new kitchen.

One thing's for sure, at over 200kgs its not going anywhere else again!

Water water everywhere

Many months ago I read about a water bottle on Springwise that can be filled from the tap, but purifies as you go. Now I'm far from perfect on the green front, but I do like to do my bit and being a sucker for anything beautiful, it had my name on it too!

There was something else that urged me to buy. The concept was crowdfunded. This can mean lots of things but in this case, the designers put it into production only after a certain number had been pre ordered. It felt open and honest and as if I were part of it, so I ordered two.

I had absolutely no idea when the bottle would arrive - and actually due to a couple of moves on my part, it was almost a year between order and delivery. But clever marketing kept me posted and I continued to lust with patience.

Finally the bottles arrived and even the packaging didn't disappoint. The filter works in a similar way to a coffee plunger and comes with spare filters. And best of all, I've noticed my water consumption go up because I'm carrying it around so lovingly all the time!

Money makes the world go round

Next week we are completing on our purchase and with the money to pay for it in a bank account in the UK, I've had the challenge of juggling it over to make the most of what is a very poor exchange rate. What I hadn't realised is that when I looked at the current exchange rate, it was not what I would be getting from my bank and these rates are for 'corporates' only.

I found a service however, called Currencyfair, which matches changers of one currency with another and allows them to pitch for the best rate. You can either take the current rate offered, or put in your order and wait for someone to match it. I did mine in dribs and drabs, partly because of the exchange rate and partly due to fear but next time I would do in one hit. In the future, I would also put my money in way ahead of time to get the best possible offer. Even so, I saved myself about $13000, which is a new kitchen.

There is a tiny bit of hassle at the beginning as you need to prove who you are, but as they allow you to take a picture of a bill and email it across, it was hardly a hardship, but you should allow a couple of days for the process.

Thanks to Tobin Black for the image.

Next stop - Northern Beaches

Somehow I managed to loose this page so here it is again! The big news... a new house! Can't wait! 7 moves, including 2 countries in 3 years... This time though, the boxes I've so carefully stored each time will be freecycled as this one will be ours!

Its a little cottage on the side of a hill, between the sea and Pittwater. It's currently 2 flats but its got the bare bones of a lovely little house which feels just right and we're going to have fun playing with it and making it ours. It has a whopping garden, which backs onto a reserve. The garden needs to be shown some love and I can't wait - the current owner hasn't ever been to the end! Its also got a chicken coop so I think we're about to turn all Good Life. M has plans of vegetable patches and I think I will be quite happy with the view of a sea of green until it meets the ocean in the distance.

To get there I have some serious moving to do and being the only non-worker, I know that will be on my shoulders. But it will be so worth it in the end and I'm so looking forward to putting down some roots again.

Home... until next Thursday

For the past 4 months we've been staying in a house with this gorgeous view. Sadly, next Thursday, this phase is coming to an end but gladly will be starting our gradual move to our new full time home. After 6 moves in 3 years, I'm looking forward to passing on the boxes I've so diligently saved each time and never seeing them again!

This house has been a treat. The perfect place for Christmas and for a summer that has been rough in places with plenty of rain. Its up on the Northern Beaches, overlooking Dolphin Bay, which is near to Whale Beach. Unlike other houses closeby, its not glass/steel perfection and is pretty close to its original state with 50's bathrooms in swimming pool blue and diving mermaids etched into the glass. The kitchen too still has its original oven. Its these things about it that we love, coupled with the ever changing vista from the front deck and a wall of rock at the back that turns into a waterfall when it rains.

Its been my sanity during these never ending days of waiting for my visa. I've had great walks and swims, along with space to think and plan. Its helped me to fall back in love with Australia again and made me OK about staying.

Rather bizarrely, once upon a time back in London, I tore out a picture from a magazine of a sideboard I liked and have been carrying it round since then. That picture was part of an a photo shoot featuring Mark Tuckey, a furniture designer, taken in the house. I had no idea about the coincidence until I read this post from Table Tonic. How spooky! Here's the article and the chest.

If you want to know details of the house, mail me and I'll happily share. Its surprisingly affordable in comparison to its neighbours too.

One girl's treasure

I've talked about rubbish collection before. Back on dry land though there is also a six monthly collection of junk which means that everybody has a good clear out and piles it up outside their house in advance. In these days of vintage and distressed looks, its serious business to drive around and score something that might turn out to be your treasure.

Being up on the Northern Beaches, there's plenty of gems ripe for the picking. This week alone, I've scored a very old wicker bench and a coffee table, along with assorted bric-a-brac, cake stands and the like. There's a pile up happening in the garage as we speak, ready for the refurb action to begin.

I think the bench is going dark grey and I'm thinking of denim for the cover, with a couple of bolsters to finish it off. Alternatively, Im thinking of tea-staining some oversized roses print fabric but that's possibly a bit too obvious. The basket table is actually a lot nicer than the picture shows. Im thinking lime green... Any thoughts?