Happy Mother's Day

Wishing all mums a very Happy Mother's Day. I hope you all have a lovely day with lots of little things to make you feel truly loved. I'm a great believer in small gestures and simple pleasures like a homemade card, breakfast in bed, a bunch of hand picked fragrant roses from the garden or a batch of scones fresh out of the oven can make someone feel very special. Enjoy the day - every mother really deserves to be spoilt once in a while!

Mother's Day Baking

With 'Mother's Day' only a couple of days away my thoughts have turned to having my mother and mother-in-law for afternoon tea. I have been flicking through a few recipe books looking for some inspiration on some treats to bake. I will dust off the silver, my grandmother's cut crystal vases and my pink floral Royal Doulton tea set and will serve them up afternoon tea with a bit of style! I love these cakes with their lashings of vanilla frosting and the cute paper bunting decoration. This is a bit of novel idea for me so I am sure both of the mums will be impressed! Along with a batch of scones, some dainty sandwiches and fresh flowers I am sure a lovely afternoon will be had by all!

 

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! I hope everyone has a lovely day with treasured family and friends. I hope the Easter Bunny is kind to all the kids...big ones and little ones! Enjoy a day full of  happy smiles, chocolate Easter eggs, great food, and good company. I love this Easter photo shoot saved from an old Donna Hay magazine - it epitomizes all the magic of Easter... excited, innocent children, the early days of Spring, fluffy white rabbits, the simple pleasures of country life and home baked treats.
   

Images via Donna Hay magazine

Easter Treats

I love Easter. I love all the fresh Spring colours in pink, lemon and green. I love the bunnies, chickens and pastel coloured eggs. I think it's a magical time of the year. Whatever your religious persuasion is, there aren't many of us who don't get excited over Hot Cross Buns, spending time with family and chocolate Easter eggs! This Easter I might just try my hand at dying some eggs to decorate the table with and the ones that don't work out I'll use them for an egg and spoon race in the backyard!   

 

 

Easter Inspiration

I've always put a lot of effort into Easter with Easter egg hunts, individually made up baskets of eggs for the kids complete with fluffy toy all wrapped up in cellophane and tied up with a big bow. We do the big family lunch and the table is always decked out with flowers, branches tied with ribbons and eggs and lots of pretty Easter treats. I love the thought of doing an Easter buffet out on the lawn, like the one below, but I just might wait and see what the weather is going to do before I get too carried away! The kids no longer believe in the Easter bunny but they still get pretty excited when it comes to Easter Sunday! Here are a few decorating ideas to inspire you.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Happy St Patrick's Day! What a great excuse to leave work early and meet up with a group of friends and work colleagues at your nearest Irish Pub. Laugh the night away over a jug of green beer or a pint of Guinness. Now, if you're not the beer swilling type and prefer life on the dainty side why not whip up a batch of cupcakes and ice them with green icing and share them with some appreciative friends  over a cup of tea or treat the kids to an afternoon snack of these freshly baked goodies straight from the oven! Following are some images inspired by St Patrick's Day and the natural beauty of Ireland.

 

Upcoming Birthday

My birthday is in a couple of days time and like every other year I am brimming with the excitement of a six year old. I just love parties and cakes and balloons and party dresses but now that I'm a little more grown up I've replaced the pink lemonade with pink champagne! I am secretly hoping that one year my husband will turn up with a car laden with beautifully wrapped gifts with enormous pink bows however I know that will not be the case this year as he's taking me away for my birthday.

We are heading off to Honeyfield cottage in South Australia which I posted a story on my travel page some months back. A few days in this gorgeous little Provincial style cottage has been on my wish list for a couple of years so it will be a well deserved break. It's set in the foothills of olive groves and vineyards but has the added advantage of being close to some beautiful beaches. Robe is a small fishing port so fresh seafood is big business. All the local restaurants specialize in locally caught fresh crays so I looking forward to Lobster Thermidor for my birthday dinner.

Valentine's Day Reminder

This is just a little reminder to my husband that tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Not that he would forget or even leave it to the last minute...but just in case! I always say it's better to be safe than sorry! I also say that you can never go wrong with a bunch of roses, French champagne, a box of chocolates or dinner at your favorite restaurant. It's not that any of us need a reminder that we are loved all year round but it 's a nice excuse to get dressed up, go out for dinner, be spoilt and indulge in a little romance!