It’s winter and that means cymbidium orchids. Totally gorgeous, they add such a gorgeous luxurious feel when it’s a bit bleak and cold outside.

The most gorgeous lunch after a hard morning looking at apartments with Miss. Very well deserved frankly!

The first orchid to flower this season and so happily growing on a Waterhousea tree in the garden.

Sunday morning beach walk with Apollo 🐾 🐾

Well here we are, the Invitational from Adelaide, very excited and looking forward to it! I’ve made a beef casserole and opened this, McLaren Vale rarely disappoints and this has softened so beautifully. Happy Saturday rugby 🏉 😁

A bit rustic but it tastes absolutely heavenly. Nothing but chocolate and more chocolate including the icing, except for the dinosaurs obviously 🦕🦖

Good morning Queensland!

Winter on the Goldie means garden chores. My retaining wall, freshly painted is positively gleaming!

The exciting game changer here with this very ordinary looking dinner is that there is a slice of Brie in the burger and it has melted 😁 Kick off now for the #WARvLIO what a lovely rugby day we’ve had and more to come tomorrow!

I’ve people coming to lunch this weekend and I am poised to make a Tarte Au Citron but……should I put meringue on top?

The lovely deliciousness for dins and a Midsomer Murder! Fabulous!

First Lions match tonight, how exciting! Celebrating with a barbecue, pepper sauce and a rhubarb crumble for pud. All rather delicious on this very cold night!

Beautiful mist on the water this morning. A very gentle walk for Apollo this morning for obvious reasons!

Oh it’s a shame 🐾🐾

Spotted on my walk this morning, there are two Tawny Frogmouths in this picture, absolutely fabulously camouflaged!

An evening walk with Apollo and a visit from our beautiful swans 🦢

Quite a dull old day so I’ve spent the morning orienting and planning. Only a week in Paris, it won’t be anything like enough! 95 days to go!

A Moroccan chicken casserole for dins this evening to go with the Super Rugby Pacific final. Perfect winter deliciousness flavoured with preserved lemons and olives and inspired by the legend, Delia Smith’s recipe from her cookbook Winter.

I think we may have had the best of the day this morning. Home from Apollo’s walk and the rain has moved in. A cooking day perhaps with a repeat of the Lions game in Dublin before the big game tonight!

My lovely friend @ldgower2 makes hummus in a NutriBullet. Why it’s never occurred to me to do the same is absolutely beyond me. It’s ridiculously easy, takes less than a minute and creates the most deliciously smooth and creamy texture. An absolute game changer for dips!

I roasted a pumpkin yesterday, $1.50 per kilo so fabulous value for money, and made pumpkin and Parmesan soup to go with the white sandwich loaf from Nigella’s Cook Eat Repeat. With a dollop of pesto it was delicious and very warming. Just as well given our arctic temperatures 🥶

Despite it being so cold night and morning, my roses are blooming beautifully. This one is highly scented and I think it’s a variety of hybrid tea called Sightsaver. Just gorgeous and very welcome when not much else is flowering.

Sunday 🥂

Good morning Brisbane!

Homeward bound!

Vivid Sydney really is so spectacular. Last night we walked from Martin Place through the Rocks and down to Circular Quay. The harbour is always breathtaking but the installations this year really have made it magical.

Miss and I have fled the arctic blast in Queensland for the even colder climes of Sydney, just for a few days for Vivid. Caught up with a friend for coffee this morning before lunching at the Vogue Cafe in Darling Harbour. A harbour glimpse from our lovely hotel, so special!

Hardly human at this hour obviously but love a sunrise.

Sunday morning on the river ☕️

Beef stew with cheesy dumplings, the first really wintery dish I’ve made. It’s fun people watching on the Goldie when our temperatures drop. The locals rugged up in jumpers, scarves and boots while tourists are in summer clothes, it’s quite the dichotomy!

Mornings like this are just good for the soul 🙏🏻

At the moment, everything I pick up to read is taking me straight to Egypt, I wonder if it’s a sign! This is such a lovely book, a beautifully woven story, I’m thoroughly enjoying it.

Very grateful for my gum boots today as my poor garden is again an absolute quagmire. I managed to get quite a few chores done though and harvested these gorgeous lemons, which I might have a go at preserving.

It’s a horribly wet, cold day so I have made a loaf of bread. The smell as it cools!

Much more of this and it’s Dubarry boots for me!

Silver Dollar Gum leaves to brighten up this very wet, wintery Friday.

Baking day!

How I love Italian food!

A tough week, it’s nice to finally have some time to breathe.

The most wonderfully compelling and moving book, I literally can’t put it down.

It’s my son’s birthday today. “What type of cake would you like?” “Tiramisu” “Fabulous!”

This light on Apollo’s walk this morning. It’s much cooler but still humid and it warms up very quickly. Fingers crossed some drying weather now 🤞🏻

Finally some blue sky so lunch at the local 🥂

The spectacular name aside, this is my absolute go to book for any sort of tart. In this case lemon meringue, to use up some of the prolific harvest my own trees are fabulously providing 🍋

Striking reflections this morning for Apollo’s walk. It would be nice to think there’s no rain in store for us today 🤞🏻

Death Vader boots to cope with my utterly sodden garden ☔️🌧️

A new toy for Mother’s Day 😁 All the family here for lunch and despite the dreadful weather, it’s been lovely 🥂

The most delicious comfort food for a Monday. Macaroni cheese with grain mustard and a green salad, bliss!

A squishy, squashy walk with Apollo this morning but what a gorgeous dramatic sky over the river!

While in Dubbo we shared a bottle of wine with the lovely couple who owned the cottage we were staying in. In the grounds of their acreage, it was also home to at least a dozen olive trees. They very kindly allowed me to pick this bowl, which I will have a go a curing 🤞🏻