Merry Christmas (in July)

One received a parcel at work the other day, well it wasn't quite just a parcel, it was rather large, some may say its a traveling chest size, and One couldn't disagree...


But its full of Nigella bits and bobs so Merry Christmas in July!

Introducing Guiseppe

This little fellow (on the right) is Giuseppe. He joined the family a couple of months ago now and One can't imagine transportation without him.

He's a Vespa and he's zippy and stylish to boot. Tis always fun nipping into work cutting through traffic while feeling a touch European...

This picture was taken at the work car park where Giuseppe likes to hang with his homies like Vincenzo (on the left).

Getting Occasional in ahouseofonesown

Yesterday was the SO's birthday and after going for breakfast at the Hobart Street Deli we headed towards Claremont for a coffee.

That was until One remembered he had spied some occasional chairs on Stirling Highway so we stopped off to have a look and found the chairs for the bedroom which are on the list, but understandably not at the top of the list of urgency.

And before One knew it, there they were:

and the close up:

Introducing Betsy...

A little lady has come into our lives. Her name is Betsy and she's brought a lot of chop chop along with her


Betsy chops and stirs and cooks and steams all by herself...

The biggest excitement comes from the complete lack of washing up, this is all that was used to make dinner:
That's right, a knife, chopping board, spatula and Besty who practically cleans herself!

Perth: Moving along

Much is said of Perth's lack of culture and of its quiet streets- both in terms of people traffic and architecture.

It seems that the tides are turning and the people of Perth are receiving more of what is expected of a metropolis with an expanding population and the associated mixing of cultures.

One noticed this building on the way home from work today. Its the new Central TAFE building and while perhaps not to everyone's taste is a sign of new influences that are coming into this fine city.



On top of that, Perth is getting its very own fringe festival and is hosting more and more international exhibitions. Part of Peggy Guigenheim's collection is in town at the moment and there's more art on the way...

Guess where One is going...

NOMA!!!

To exciting, One can't quite believe that we managed to get a booking. Noma is currenty ranked as the best restaurant in the world and there is this crazy booking thing where One must go on to the NOMA website on the day that they announce they are releasing bookings for the month in which One would like to dine at NOMA.

2011 is off to a cracking start indeed!

Christmas!

Well with a new pad full of places to decorate and a blank canvas at the begining of December, what was One to do other than go compeltely OTT on Christmas decorating...

It started innocently enough with a tree...
Some knick nacks here and there...
Reindeer on the pillars....
A trip to spotlight later and there was serious sewing to be done to whip up a table runner...
And chair covers....
And table cloth and its almost lunch time...
OK, its an addiction, but unlike One's Nigella addiction, it comes but once a year!

Merry Christmas to you all

Shopping + Champagne = things One wasn't necessarily looking for

But of course desperately needed! A sideboard had been on the list of things to keep an eye out whilst shopping away and when popping in to pick up some bedside tables, One spied this out of the corner of an eye.



Its awesome and will really tie the whole room together once the new couches arrive in Feb/March.

Now to remember which drawer One's car keys are in...

Presents!

One came back to the office from receiving the table delivery and had another exciting delivery from Em, Muz & Josie:

The bubbles will be put to good use on Wednesday night, thanks guys!

Cause we roll with cranes!

As well as leaving aflatofonesown mark 1, One has been busy organising aflatofonesown 2nd edition...

Part of the excitement has been selecting new pieces of furniture with the SO. It is such fun to spend hours trolling through websites and hitting the shops to try to find exactly what it is that is needed. Case in point, an outdoor table.

Requirements include being good in the outdoors, sturdy and big enough to sit a whole lot of people around whilst not being so big as to dwarf the courtyard.

This was a relatively easy brief to fill when the SO suggested concrete. The quest was then on to find a suitable concrete table and find it One did in York of all places! Hans at Techstone Moulding filled the brief, right down to the delivery...

BY CRANE!!

And so One came to accept delivery of the table thinking this is going to be heavy, sweaty work, but no, Hans had one more surprise - a crane!

Deliveries really are better with cranes, its just hook it up...


Lift...

Et voila!


And tomorrow, One and the SO shall collect the finishing pieces for this setting, the Tatami chair in anthracite:

All boxed up

One left aflatofonesown this morning full of things and came home to a fully packed house. One's favourite packing box has always been the port a robe, of which One has four in addition to the 40 other boxes labelled with great tags like 'Nigella' and 'More Nigella' and 'More Nigella!!!!!', One loves a packer who can tell it like it is!


Much like a scene at the end of a long running TV show, aflatofonesown is now all packed up and waiting for the final scenes to be filmed and ending with a flick of the light switch and the closing of the door for one final click of the lock.


The SO came home from Melbs this evening, takeaway burgers in hand (lucky because everything has been packed including plates, cutlery and foodstuffs. It is a strange night but an exciting one knowing that tomorrow night will be spent in the new pad, aflatofonesown but with a few extra rooms...

The List

As One mentioned yesterday, the list is alive and well. Plenty of progress has been made, mainly because its a fun list rather than a list of jobs that need to be done which aren't so much fun.

Yesterday it was a trip to no other store than....David Jones

The lovely Maureen helped out to no end and away with sheets, doona, doona cover, matress protector, towels, pillow cases we walked.

So the remaining items on the list are the BBQ, headboard, stereo, floorboards and a carport!

Farmers Markets

One has a new love. Its not unexpected, but it is new and exciting nonetheless.

Having had a string of holiday flings, One thinks its time to be honest and commit to the new love.

Farmers Markets. There, One has said it now and its out there. In the past two weeks there have been two dates with two different markets, perhaps that makes one a philandering marketeer, but One doesn't care.

The produce is so lovely and fresh and the 'Farmers' generally friendly and charming that One is happy to market around. On top of the produce, Farmers markets tend to have a lot of things in common with living in a small community - rivalries and hushed words in the form of gossip. That's right, gossip and we all know how One loves a good old goss.

Last Sunday morning (after a few too many drinks last Saturday night) One ventured to the South Fremantle Growers Markets slightly hung over but definitely on the lookout for a selection of fresh produce. What One found was delicious coffee and crepes to soothe a sore head and then so many little goodies. The highlight of which had to be the seven seed sourdough bread made by the Kneading Women. Now the gossip at the South Freo markets surrounds the move of the markets from Montague Street to Lefroy Street. Apparently it was something to do with the free loving hippy residents not wanting all the cars parking near Montague Street. Which sounds a bit rich to One, but a few further visits One is sure, will find the back story. Another reason for the return visit is to pull out the gumboots which are the footwear of choice for patrons at South Freo.

Today, One went to the Mount Claremont Farmers Markets, which are on a Saturday rather than a Sunday which One finds slightly more convenient than a Sunday market. Perhaps it is just psychological, but the thought of not having a full kitchen as the new week begins is too much. So having hit up the Mt Claremont market, One walked away with a great selection of veggies as well as some beef and curry sauce. The curry sauce lady from Pickle John and Chutney Mary thought that One looked like a good cook, this perplexes One to some extent, however its obviously a compliment One will accept with open arms. Beef Vindaloo here we come!! Mount Claremont is more of a school fete approach to a market, everything is on the basketball courts rather than the school oval and so gumboots don't seem to get much of a run. However, the lady at the beef stall is great and looks like she should be driving a Range Rover on an Estate in England.

Next week, One is off to the Subi Farmers Markets. High hopes have been set by the fact that there are gumboots in the logo.

How things change

I must apologise, I have neglected you my bloggettes, but I am back and how things have changed...

I vividly remember when my fav former office neighbour and Moroccan travel buddy Bookie introduced me to the joy that is a kosher bagel with butter, Vegemite and cream cheese. Now I cannot recall if I went off-piste by adding the butter or not, but its beside the point. A Vegemite and cream cheese bagel is one of life's greatest joys.

So imagine my surprise when I went to Woolies on Sunday (which is worthy of a whole other blog entry) and found 'new Vegemite' which lists its ingredients as 'Yeast extract and cream cheese' oi, I almost needed a schloof after the excitement passed.

SO of course I purchased the 'new Vegemite' and tonight have sampled it. It has a consistency somewhere between cream cheese and Vegemite (perhaps not unsurprisingly).

Now I would never sit down with a tub of cream cheese and a jar of Vegemite and eat them with a spoon, but its somehow creamier and more delicious when its all processed and popped in a little jar. I could and most likely will eat this with a spoon at some stage and I'm not afraid to admit it.