Sleepovers with Dee and Laz

OMG we had such a good time catching up with our very dear friends Deanne & Larry! We managed to fit in a sleepover, which was just as well because we were certainly not in a state to drive anywhere after our fabulous afternoon/evening together.

Laz took us for a cruise up the Noosa river and then treated us to a seafood feast - abalone, bugs, mud crab (squeal!), and lots mmmooorrreee. Not to mention some of the most scrummy wine and bubbles I have tasted in my life.

We had such a lovely time, only wish we could do it more often!

xox

PS. We mustn't have been such bad company either cause the very next day they booked their flights to Hong Kong for a little visit. We can't wait to host them in our adopted home town!!!

It's going to be a longgggggg day. I have Supplemental Witness Statements due today and then two (can you believe two!) farewell parties tonight, on a Wednesday night!!!!

Our dear friend Emma is leaving the daily grind of lawyering behind to go travelling around the globe for 6 months (half her luck!), and our other dear friend Damo is also leaving, although he won't be putting his lawyering pen down so fast. He is off to Singapore to start a challenging new role, which, being Damo, I am sure he will kill.

It's so sad to say goodbye to good friends. This is definitely one of the BAD things about living in HK - it's such a transient place and people are always coming and going:(

Image from here

Birthday gal

Yesterday was our very dear friend Zoe's Birthday! We spent the day together celebrating in style, a little dom in the morning, a yummy roast beef for lunch (Zoe's favourite), a long afternoon with friends, and a party last night.

Happy Birthday Zoe - hope you had a fabulous day!

Stacey's Baby Shower

This weekend a very good friend of mine had her baby shower. Not being a mummy yet myself (well except to little CoCo that is) I couldn't quite get my head around buying her a breast pump, rear view baby car mirror or any of those very useful (but quite strange baby necessities). Instead, I bought her a voucher for a foot massage (every mummy needs pampering after all), and made her a set of little baby announcement cards.

I can't wait to meet the little one in a few weeks time!

Weekends just come and go so fast!

I feel like this past weekend just flew by, and now I am once again sitting here procrastinating about getting ready for work on Monday morning. Don't get me wrong, I love my job - but not as much as I love my weekends!!

This past weekend was spent in the park with CoCo and catching up with friends. On Friday night, after taking CoCo for a play in the park, we had a quiet BBQ at home with Lou. Saturday I took CoCo to the park again (I love that place, can you tell!), Lou and I had a ladies lunch followed by mani/pedi's and Saturday night our lovely friends Stacey & Paul came for dinner. Whilst Lou and I pampered ourselves, Will was out hiking the Maclehose Trail (too much energy that boy!).

Yesterday we caught up with Tom & Lucy for lunch, and then had an afternoon tipple with Nic T, Gabs, Nic B, Tom & Lucy at the SoHo Village Festival. Oh, and then we went to the park again (she is spoilt isn't she), and popped in to see Ross & Grace at the cute little Margaret River wine shop on St Francis St (our old street) before heading home and crashing.

I hope this week flies by as fast as the weekend just did!

Image from Home Beautiful (June 2007 edition)

There's something about me you may not know...

I am a HUGE Jamie Oliver fan! I only really started cooking Jamie's recipes about 4 years ago now, but ever since I started I have been completely obsessed. Every recipe of his I have ever cooked has turned out fabulously, and they are really simple and easy to make!

I popped onto his website a couple of months ago (actually to sign up for a subscription to his new(ish) mag which I adore) and stumbled across a promo for his new book. Given my obsession, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a signed copy, and promptly whipped out the plastic to sign up! I have had it in my hot little hands for about a month now, but haven't managed to cook anything until this past weekend.

Stacey & Paul came for dinner on Saturday night which presented the perfect opportunity for a launch party. For starters we had Killer Mac 'n' Cheese (only a tiny portion though cause it's quite filling), then we feasted on Traybacked Chicken, and for dessert, Bread Pudding and Chocolate Beer Sauce. All went down a treat, especially the chicken and the pudding. The Mac 'n' Cheese was good, but probably not cheesy enough (I would suggest that you add an extra portion of tasty cheese to the recipe if you make this recipe).

I am now inspired to try more of his 'America' dishes, Friends, be warned!

Today's the day...

...our dear friends Shannon & Tim celebrate their engagement! Squeal

We are most upset to be missing their special day, and wish someone had invented a tele-porting machine so that in times like these, we didn't have to miss out on such special occasions!

I know they will have a ball, and we look forward to being able to spend their wedding day with them next year.

Whilst on the wedding theme, you MUST go NOW and check out these wedding pics - they are absolutely stunning http://www.kissthegroom.com/?p=4222

Don't you just wish you could have your wedding day over and over again! I would definitely be pinching some ideas from this luverly wedding!

Enjoy

Image via max wanger blog

The weekend's here (already)

I can't believe how fast the weeks have been going by lately - it feels as though one minute you are dragging yourself out of bed to face the week on a Monday morning and no sooner have you done that, you are walking out the office door on Friday afternoon! Unfortunately the weekends seem to be moving at the same speed:(

This weekend will be no exception, cause we are so darn busy it's not funny. Today we are helping a friend of ours out at the Food & Wine Fair that's on in Hong Kong. He owns a gorgeous little boutique wine store selling Margaret River wines in our favourite street (St Francis St in Wanchai), and tomorrow we crazily agreed to join a group of friends on an adventure day! This apparently involves a ride on the black mamba (whatever that is, but apparently it's fast), kayaking, snorkel ling (didn't anyone tell James the water is going to be chilly at this time of the year), some beach-going (this, I can handle), and finishing up with a seafood lunch on a remote little island somewhere in Hong Kong. The worst bit is we have to be at the pier at 8.30am, and it will take us an hour to get there! The things we do!

Thankfully I have a little 'me' time set aside for this morning cause Will has gone into the office for a couple of hours. Think I might get cracking on making some more Chrippy cards, and perhaps some little handmade gifts (can't tell ya what they are cause ya might just be getting one for Chrissy this year!), oh, and if I have time, I might soak in the tub for a while and lather myself up with some new products I purchased yesterday from Crabtree & Evelyn. I know most people think that C&E is a little grandma'ish, but they have some divine products that I just adore - my favourites being the La Source range (yum!), and the India Hicks range, which I just can't get enough of - especially their hand wash and divine bath salts. Go on, spoil yourself, you know you want to!

The new products I bought come from 'The Noel Collection' and the fragrance is Pomegranate, Citron & Mistletoe - how Christmassy! I couldn't stop at just the body wash, so I also bought the body cream, hand wash, and hand lotion (oh, and a gorgeous set of red Christmassy candles)! Boy I hope Will isn't reading this...

Anyhow, I had better be off otherwise there will be no 'me' time left! Before I do, I must say happy birthday to my adorable nanna who celebrated her birthday last Thursday, to Emily who turned 40 on the same day, and to my sister-in-law Kathy, who is celebrating her birthday today! Hope you all have/had a wonderful birthday!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Ciao Bella's
xox

Image via Paper Pony - Flickr

What lovely friends

I mentioned my gorgeous pink KitchenAid yesterday when I told you all about my successful baking challenge. Well I couldn't help but share a picture of it with you. Isn't it divine!

My beautiful Hong Kong buddies gave it to me for my birthday last month, and I couldn't have asked for a better present. I am totally in love with it (and have even been known to whisper sweet nothings in its bowl)!

The best thing about it (aside from the fact that it will outlive me, oh, and of course its colour), is that it is not just a mixing bowl. There are a load of attachments that you can use with it, and I am just dying to get my mittens on some (well ok, I may have one already)! There is a citrus juicer (whose fruits of which I am actually sitting sipping as I type), a grinder/mincer and a sausage stuffer (both of which I have begged my mum to buy me for Christmas!), as well as a whole range of pasta making devices.

I know it may sound daft to want to make your own sausages, but I can't wait. One thing about living in Hong Kong that annoys me is that we have no proper butcher shops, and hence no proper sausages. Now we have a balcony, and a BBQ (squeal) I can't wait to be able to make some homemade treats to share with friends... any ideas for combo's ? I am thinking chicken, macadamia and honey; lamb and mint, good ole fashioned pork (with perhaps a hint of apple)... the possibilities are endless!

I am a bit concerned that I may not be able to find the sausage skins over here, but I live in hope!

Image via http://www.everythingkitchens.com/

Europe Trip - England

Brighton

Tom & Lucy's wedding in Barnstable, Devon (what a wonderful day, and perfect end to our sensational holiday)!!!!!

The manor house (Northcote Manor) where the wedding was (and where we stayed) - it was absolutely stunning

Guess where?

Bath

Our B&B in the Cotswolds - the Horse & Groom (wonderful)!!!

Office ArtJam

Last Thursday night I organised for my colleagues to participate in an office ArtJam session !!

We have recently expanded our office and the idea was to create some pieces of art to display in the "Club". The results were fab, and I am sure the office will be very bright and cheery once we have hung the masterpieces!!

A day on the water

Last Sunday we went out on Nicholas' boat for a day on the ocean. The weather was absolutely perfect ... and a good day was had by all :)

Saf taking the plunge...