Technology update

Thanks to my beloveds employment at Australia's biggest network, the apple juice incident has been swept under the carpet and I'm the new owner of an iPhone4.

Whilst I know that the world is divided into Apple lovers and haters, and you either are or you're not, I am, with a passion - who could hate anything that has a heartbeat?! My new phone does nothing to quash that love (although I do slightly prefer the curvaceousness of the old version) and I'm busily having a love in with my new one.

It also means that I can call back all those people who kindly left me messages that I couldn't hear!

PS Happy Anniversary K&A!

One man's junk...

So, after a break, the arrival of my new, rather gorgeous (and rather large) niece, Im back in Sydney. Rather good thing too it turns out as my incoming visa runs out next Saturday and I would not have been able to get back in. So, now Im marooned in Australia until they finally get to the bottom of the pile to what is my visa application and make a decision one way or another.

So, I've got to keep my spirits up and the best way I know how, is to go shopping.

I've mentioned before about furniture created during the depression era in Australia, of which there is a brilliant exhibition at the Museum of Sydney, called Spent. Due to lack of funds, people created stuff to furnish their homes from packing crates, of which there were plenty to be found at the docks. I've now found many examples and yesterday found a brilliant place called 'Doug up on Bourke' which was jam packed with depression furniture, alongside industrial fittings and loads of curiosities. We had a lovely couple of hours there lusting at oversized desks that M wants for his future studio, and first class seating from old trains.

PS sorry for the rather low level images, my camera is on the blink

A boat for my pot plants

When the sun shine's in England, its the best place in the world. I may be biased but I've done plenty of research. Luckily the sun was shining in Wivenhoe, Essex, when dear E's big brother and fellow blogger, a boat for my pot plants, moved his boat to its new mooring, almost opposite the Rose and Crown.

He's been refurbing the boat which he was given in a rather sorry state and although it can't yet move, it will give him and his wife a lovely spot to sit out with their G&Ts on a sunny evening.

The move was dependant on the tide and the boat was pulled from its previous spot, further down the river, by his stepfather's boat, who in strong winds, tried to look calm. E and I had lots of fun ourselves, borrowing a little rubber dinghy with an outboard from Mike, pretending we had a big role but in reality, providing entertainment with our lack of control, until the boat appeared in the distance.

Perfect fish and chips ended the day, eaten whilst sitting at the end of the jetty.

I do like to be beside the seaside

In England still which has been a delicious summer of running around between the homes of my friends and family. Exhausting at times but I wasn't quite ready to go back to Sydney just yet, and with the impending delivery of my sister's baby, I've got a good excuse.

My dear friend G has not had a holiday in so long, mainly because he has been working hard on his fabulous business. We have had a long standing tradition of good weekends away, whenever we can. My trip back this time gave us a good excuse and joined by our lovely friend K, we escaped from London St Pancras on the new fast train to Broadstairs. We stayed at Belvedere Place, a fabulous B&B run by an ex-photographer who has seen sense and moved to the seaside. Her creative talents have not gone to waste - the house is comfortable and stylish and her breakfasts are the best I've ever had. Haddock and samphire with a yummy poached egg and tiny tomatoes pan fried with seaweed. All eaten around a communal table covered in the newspapers, where we could happily have sat all day.

Far too much to do however and we had a fantastic weekend, with early morning dips, brick a brac markets, pearly kings and queens and punch and judy. The weekend was polished off at the Oscar Road cafe, just off the seafront, where we polished off almond cake and tea before taking a short cut back to the station.