too much happening... nigella mowing in tibet?

too much has been happening over the past month... i hardly have time to set foot in cafe LF to churn out nightly dindin , let alone experiment with new recipes... however, i did gather several recipes of late, including hot cross buns (which did not eventuate during the brief easter break) and russian mikado (layered) cake (in which 16 layers of biscuit/cake housing a whooping 1.2 L of double cream - it is very yummy, i've tried one not made by myself)

and the "door knobs" workshop has been temporarily abandoned... although i did visit barnes for more supplies...

it was good to spare a few moments for a cup of organic decaf forsyth blend coffee... served with baby blue nigella cup and saucer...

and that reminded me the article i saw on the web re: nigella being over voluptuous... i don't really think her male audience would mind / notice much... her fuller face accentuated her cheeks anyway - and it suits...
i wish i could say so for myself... a fuller me equates to fuller cheeks too (but at the rear)... since the pants have been getting tighter, this has become a real issue for me... i wonder if this is an issue for nigella as well - even though she has loads of money (not just from all the TV shows, her weathly modern art collecting husband, but also from her range of baby blue (and expanding in colour range) nigella/conran designed kitchen utensils)

... now i know why her kitchen stuff sells so well... it creates an experience for the user... the coffee drinking has become a "my body is my temple" moment...

and back to reality... things are happening too... as we get a new prime minister (and more work done)... we got our mower! not just any mower, but a honda mulch n catch mower!! we decided to invest a small fortune into something that has rave reviews by gardening professionals / ebayers / bloggers...
and i am happy to say the grass is cut (more often)... and the neighbours are happy (happier)

not everyone has been happy of late though...

not when the situation in tibet unfolds before our eyes for the past weeks...

how could this be resolved when HHDL is (once again wrongly) branded by the PRC as a liar, splittist and instigator for the "free tibet' movement...

HHDL has been advocating the "middle way" and tibet's autonomy (not independence) for nearly 20 years!!

frustrations of the local tibetans are at boiling point and cannot be contained - the pressure cooker has been switched on since 1959, it nearly exploded in 1989 but instead it kept on burning and now to near explosion once again - resulting in violence... this is really sad... has the golden opportunity of coming together, to compromise for the benefit of everyone (no matter for chinese, tibetans or the west) been missed?

if oz can take the first step and progess with kevin08 and sorry day, so can china / tibet

i wish both parties would take the first step, abandoning violence / supression, for genuine dialogue to continue...

as HHDL said,

"genuine harmony must come from the heart. It cannot come from the barrel of a gun." - and that speaks volumes not just to the chinese but the hard line "free tibet" (pro-independence, not pro-autonomy) supporters too...

a trip back into the 50s

rose seidler house had its free open house the sat / sun just past... we enjoyed a tour into the 50s on a sunny sunday morning (and so did lots of other people)...

the open spaces were very practical... and way cool to just sit and enjoy the environment...

amongst the minimalist, modernist furnishings, there was the colourful mural in primary colours to add a splash of life...

loved the vintage eames chairs...

the fire place was special and framed the living space...

and just to remind us we were in the 50s... the dial tone telephone... we had one of those at home b4!

the kitchen was a gem...

dotted with vintage appliances... like this kenwood chef!

just look at this stove top!

and even a dishwasher...

wow...

and a retro fridge...

now a days one pays big dollars for one of these (or a replica of one of these - yup, smeg...)

we ended the day at the portuguese festival... packed like sardines and queueing up for 1/2 hour for abit of food...

the freshly charcoal grilled sardines were crunchy on the outside while juicy within... and the ever so rich feijoada, very satisfying... we arrived too late for pasteis de nata though