Westside with BunnyO, my Louboutins and the entry level stalking

Well I am have just left the station sitting in the first class carriage on my way to Melbourne for a visit.  Looking through my posts I have seen that I have not yet published this one from my last trip.  So to get me in the spirit I thought I would post it now, enjoy.

Oh sorry before I launch into post I just have to give a shout out the lovely grandmother sitting next to me.  She is really lovely and polite and well everything you would expect.  She even dressed for the occasion which is more than I can say - I just jumped out of the pool at my brothers threw on a pair of Ksubi cut off and a hand made Kevin Azzopardi tank with a pair of plum suede Zegna Driving Moccasins.

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I have been in Melbourne for  the last few days staying with my great friend and fellow Lady of Leisure (We aren't Ladies who Lunch, if we just sat around all day eating we would never fit into our amazing wardrobes), BunnyO.

On friday we got a chance to take a stroll through her local neighbourhood in Melbourne's inner west (well I think it is inner west - but the city view from her apartment is the reverse of the one I am used to from the inner east so that is logical right?).  Anyway it is really pretty here and she is right next to the race course where they race the Melbourne Cup - another favourite past time on mine (but that really is altogether another story.

Miss O is the only person I know that can turn any outfit into a glamours statement.  I guess the fact that she is a Spanish goddess is a great base to work.  Well today she is wearing what I can only  describe as designer workout wear.  I didn't know that such pieces existed int he Addidas range, I guess it must be from a collaboration with Stella Mcartney.

So anyway here are some snaps of our walk, these little suburbs of Melbourne are really one of the great pluses of the city.  

The Outfit: Z Zegna Blazer, Zegna Sport Denim Shirt, Dsquared2 Jean Cut Offs, Kris Van Assche White Tank, Hermes Belt, Cartier Santos Watch, YSL Besace AND Christian Louboutin Rollerboys!! 

- Oh and you always need a designer re-useable bag for shopping - this one is made from Maramekko fabric.

Me post my first attempt at stalking

This is a Returned Serviceman Legue Club I thought looked intriguing 

I love windows in $2 shops you never know what you will will find...

... Like these perfect for the cat loving smoker...

...or these

Chanel braces... nuff said!

 I do have to mention one embarrassing thing which involved a borderline stalking moment.  My BFF4E - that is the person I have been friends with since primary/elementary school - and I have this interesting type of communication where we really only do it with the others voicemail.

Anyway she has a place just around the corner from Bunny O's and I thought it could be good just to stop by her house on the off chance that she would be home - she is a doctor and works some cray cray hours so I thought that this was completely feasible.  She was not home so I left a note under her door, this in itself is not that bad, unfortunately I returned at least 2 or 3 times after this doing the same thing overt the next couple of days.

But I guess that it is the afore mentioned friends that I am now going to visit so I guess all is OK - I guess in relation to some of the actual shenanigans we have got up to it was nothing really.

The Dinner Party + me wearing High Waisted Pleated Shorts!! - Entree & Desert

OK so this is long overdue but as I am lady of leisure I find it hard to commit to anything really as there are always so many distractions (just as the friend that I was supposed to visit today - so sorry Simone!! xoxo).  But as the sister blog was posted a couple of days ago by the BBFF I really need to - as my father would say - "pull mu finger out!"

The other difficult thing is how to blog six dishes in one post - tres difficult - so I think that I will break it up into two blogs, so here it goes...

Aperetivo Plate:

I love this to serve on arrival with sparkling wine.  My fav is Veuve Cliquot but this night we served a very descent sparkling Rose.  I forget the name of but it was local to Gippsland, or maybe not, but it was not expensive as people in the country don't really appreciate the expense.

Anywho, on the aperetivo plate consisted of a Veal & Peppercorn Terrine, Jamon, Dolmades and Mild Chilli Olives.  This should be prepared yourself - I really stress this!!  People never arrive together or on time to anything so it gives a you a break while everyone arrives and has has a drinky or two.

It took me along time to work this out, but I normally don't eat the day of as I am too busy and I know the night will be a total binge.  The result of this was me toasted by the main course - but this way I am eating with the first drink and thus maintain dignity until after the desert is served and the dancing can begin!!!  on this occasion the dancing was to Fleetwood Mac, I love them and it also reminds me of my great friend B whom now lives in Honkers.

There are no rules for what to serve but it important that it is not low fat.  Fats delay you bodies ability to absorb alcohol so cheeses, nuts, meats and olives work to this end.

This was served on a hand made unique ceramic platter made by my beautiful artist BFF A.  The champaign saucer courtesy of BBFF's Eurovision party.

Entree - Insalata Caprese:

- Cut that thingy out of the top on the tomato turn over and make 4 slices from the bottom of the tomato without slicing completely through.

- Slice appropriate sizes portion of Mozzarella di Buffalo.
- In each slice of the tomato insert a slice of Mozzarella and a basil leaf then salt & pepper to taste.

- Drizzle your besets EVOO (if you don't know what this is look up anything Maggie Beers) and Balsamic Vinegar including the plate for presentation!

Desert - Mixed Berry & Stone Fruit Insalate:
- Choose your favourite in season berries, wash and out in large mixing bowl
- Choose your favourite in season stone fruit wash pit and dice then add to the mixing bowl.
- Toss and serve.

NB: sorry no pic of this but instead look at this far away pic of my great outfit (Customer Cardigan cut white shirt - did it myself with scissors (Ermenegildo Zegna), Summer Neck Scarf (Lanvin), High Waisted Double Pleat Shorts (Mitchell's Aussie Disposals), Linen and Cashmere Blazer worn as Cape (Ermenegildo Zegna Su Mis Sura), Hand Made Brogues (Limited Edition Ermenegildo Zegna).


Wearing YSL Tee, Dsquared2 Denim Just-Off (cit by yours truly) and D&G webbing belt in other pics.


All Photos c/- GirlinBoots


PS I didn;t proof read this...  I had a white wine instead!

Homeless shelters for the Designer Set.

There is nothing better than travelling to stay with friends, and in this economy it is the perfect way to maintain your jet set lifestyle on a (homeless) shoestring budget.  I guess this really started for me as I love to have house guests so I guess that means that everyone would right!?

Anyway I need to get away from farm for a couple of days and I had my gorgeous niece Grace's Birthday, so when my new good friend offered a room at her place in town I jumped at the opportunity.  I will call her my bbff - or "Bairnsdale BFF" (though I don't think that I have said that to her).  I believe it is important to be a good house guest and do something special or make life a little bit easier for your host.

I am not sure whether this is because I have helped and been helped by my beautiful friends and I think that it is part of life, or maybe I just impose too much or when it is not necessary.  I do believe in social karma in any case.

I also put my flower arranging skills to good use with these lovely Irises from the front yard.

Usually I rely on my domestic skills to make my stay as painless as possible so last night, after watching said "BBFF" play soccer, I cooked.  When cooking at a friends it is important that you ensure that you work with their pantry supplies otherwise you end up buying stuff that may be wasted later.

For this reason I think that it is important, actually essential, that you have basic items in your pantry at all times.  My good friends would probably laugh at this but, while my fridge usually only has sparkling mineral water and champagne in it, the pantry always had basic herbs & spices, olive oil, garlic, onions and tinned tomatoes.

Last night, armed with fresh Ling, an onion and a can of tomatoes from the market I set about creating a gourmet meal with use of BBFF pantry and fridge.  After said friend insisted (incorrectly) that there was not much there I was able to whip something up with the following ingredients:

• Ling Fillet
• Brown Onion
• Crushed Garlic
• Olive Oil
• Fennel Seeds
• Star Anise
• Chilli paste
• Tinned Tomatoes
• Chickpeas
• Borlotti Beans
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Fresh Basil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp of Sugar

Before I start I need to advise that my cooking knowledge from observations, whether from the usual suspects from my family and an unnatural obsession for cooking shows.  Usually I don't cook with a recipe or interpret one when I use it.

This was largely because, unless it was for a special meal or the first time cooking a certain style of cuisine like Thai (remember this is Australia in the 80's - my dad was going to use "Keen's Curry Powder" in place of Green Curry Paste) everything was cooked from memory.

When learning to cook I started with basic items, experimenting with flavours as I gained confidence.  I have helped friends develop their cooking skills but I don't work with exact measurements as I believe that the preciseness of recipes can scare people off (also you will notice that they no longer give you exact measurements either).  If you taste while you cook and add herbs spices and salt & pepper one at a time and little by little it is hard to mess up too much.

So back to the cooking:

Heat olive oil in fry pan and add diced onion, garlic, fennel seeds, star anise and chilli cook until onion is soft and translucent.

Then add canned tomatoes, an equal amount of water, chickpeas and borlotti beans (if you used dried chickpeas and borlotti beans you need to soak and cook then before adding them, for canned versions just strain and rinse for adding them) and bring to a light simmer.  At this point I decided to add a handful of cherry tomatoes (I spied them in the fridge after I started cooking) this adds another texture to the dish but is the opposite of essential.

While this is coming to the boil slice the Ling fillet into portions (size is not important you are the one eating it I would say about the size of my Blackberry Bold is a good size).  Once liquid has reduced 1/4 add torn basil leaves, salt and pepper to taste and a teaspoon of sugar (I also found some rocket/arugula that was not fresh enough to use in the green salad I was making to accompany the meal, so I added that too). Place the portions under the sauce, turn to a low heat and cover.

Once cooked to you liking (it only needs a couple of minutes but you will know when it is cooked as it will be firm and will no longer be translucent) remove the fish and allow to rest.  While the fishes resting ladle the sauce into individual bowls and place ling fillets on the top.

Serve with fresh salad greens.

Butler’s Pantry… The New Accessories Closet

Maybe it has been a revolt against the matching outfits my mother dressed my brother and I in; or that fact that they were based on her own wardrobe so she matched too!  But I blame the fact that my mother’s concept of a change bag consisted of a designer handbag and chequebook.

Yep, my mother’s idea of being prepared was she was prepared to buy anything she needed whenever she left the house.

I have heard my mother muse on more than one occasion about the three of us about town, my mother in a sweater mini dress (it was the early 80’s) with my brother and I with a coordinated look in the same fabric (his with blue trim mine was red).  It starts to rain and we are all in spring ensembles… 

There was only one thing for it duck into the nearest shop and buy something suitable to compliment the outfit and protect us from the elements.  I don’t actually remember this being tedious but I can’t imagine it would have been easy to find something that would match our outfits while maintaining the uniqueness accents of each look.

Anyway, such actions resulted in there never being a time in my life when I didn’t have issues regarding the lack of space for my wardrobe.  Dad gave me more built-ins - instantly filled; I get a chest of draws – they can’t be closed the first time my washing is put away; at university I move into the master suite at a share house – the walk-in was no match! It seems that every time I think I will have suitable to house my, what I think to be a standard size, wardrobe I am met with disappointment.

My current dilemma occurred after moving the bulk of my possessions to my house in the country.  This didn’t seem like a major exercise as after relocating to Sydney nearly 4 years ago.   All I had accumulated was a bed, a 18^th century Chippendale hall table and my clothes, all of which fit into the built-ins of my Woollahra apartment without axillary furniture.

The problem was, once I came to unpack, I have not really thrown out many pieces from my adult wardrobe that I have thrown out.  Obviously, like most people, there were a few questionable fashion choices in the late 90’s but, like all good fashionista, I try to buy pieces that are not too on trend.

Also I am not really one to take loads of photos when I am out – enough of my peeps do that – so my memories lay in the clothes that I have worn: the Gucci outfit I wore at my 21^st; the Balenciaga shirt with pussy cat bow and trousers I wore at a friends wedding; the Z Zegna silk & linen boucle suit I got for my mothers 2^nd marriage; well you get the picture.

I guess that fact that I have dropped some coin on clothes is another reason that I don’t part with it lightly. 

This has been one of usual diversions from my main point but that is me so that is what you get.  Back to the point thought…

When I came to unpack my wardrobe at the farm I didn’t quite understand how many clothes I had sent there over years.  This left me in a major pickle!  As an older style farmhouse closets weren’t front of mind when the house was built.

When I first bought the house I said to my dad that I would need to turn the butler’s pantry into a walk in closet, it shared a common wall with one of the bedrooms.

My dad thought that I was joking, and I guess that I was has – well kind of anyway – but as I began to unpack the cases and cases from my closet I quickly realised that I needed to find space and fast!

The answer?  My butler’s pantry naturally, well half of it anyway!   The shelves were not wide enough to keep any clothes but it turn out to be perfect my collection of bags, shoes, belts, sunglasses and everything else.  I thought that an accessories closet was just for fashion magazines but it turns out you could have one at your home too!