Bar Discoveries ft. Potter

So Josh and I, both having recently graduated, have discovered a grand old thing called MONEY. No, neither of us are earning millions, but we both have more than we did while we were at uni (look, it was borderline poverty at times, the low point being biting into a block of cheese cos it was the only thing in the fridge).

So to celebrate the fact that we're both the only ones in our group properly finished with study now and both a little richer, we hit the city on Sunday afternoon to explore some bars.

First stop was Madame Brussels in Bourke St. I'd been here before but Josh hadn't, and this joint is possibly one of the cutest places in the city. The main parlour is decked out with white garden furniture and astroturf, and the waiters and waitresses are all in tight poncy tennis clothes - it's like stepping into Wimbledon in 1950. There's a nice sunny terrace area outside too.

The bev of choice was a punch called "Lolita", full of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, mint and a lot of Gin. Was a bit pricey, but delicious. Then...

Fondue for two! This was friggin heavenly. That's all there is to say really.

After this we left on a sugar high and went to check out Rooftop on Swanston St. Up 8 or 9 stories, it's a cute little bar that has a big cinema area. There wasn't a show on when we went, but I can imagine it'd be awesome to watch one there. We went to the bar and ordered Frangelico Sours which were delicious, almost as delicious as the bartender. What?

They were making mulled wine and hot cider while we were there and all the spices and stuff made the joint smell beautiful. Josh and I took a seat, and cos it was a bit chilly, a couple of the big blankets they provide for colder nights (how awesome is that!) and enjoyed the city views.

After that, we went to Geebung in Hawthorn, and that is where the classy and civilised part of our night ended... 

So any out of Melbourne readers who come to visit, GO TO THESE 2 PLACES. You won't regret it! And Melbourne readers.. you should have already been by now. X

Why I love living here

Reason #23840...  I can cross the road and get this ^ at any time of the day, and be back home in 30 seconds.

Seriously, I know it's not the healthiest lunch but if anyone's ever in Preston, go to Achillion Cakes and pound a slice. They are massive and delicious and less than half of what you'd pay for the same thing in the CBD. They also do brilliant home-made sausage rolls, and baklava. Those Greeks can make good pastry!

Just finished work for the week, ROLL ON SATURDAY NIGHT! x

Happy news.

So some pretty brilliant things went down today. First of all, I smashed out my final assignment last night, and I am officially DONE with university forever! It's exciting, but somewhat sad in a way. Another era of my life is over. I was definitely ready to leave though, after doing a semester extra than I should have, I was well and truly over attending classes and listening to douchey hipsters point out their pretentious opinions, or listening to mature aged students arguing with the tutor because they're old, and clearly know more about the world than anyone else in the room. However I will miss student life and the perks that come with it - youth allowance, going out on weekdays, cheaper everything... (wait, my student card doesn't have an expiry date! Muahaha, thanks La Trobe!)

The last thing I'll ever submit. Peace out LTU!

Anyway Kayla and I then went to get lunch at one of the uni cafe's, and the boy there made my day by bringing the price down on my meal. Bless his heart.

Nothing was more delicious than a big-ass burger to celebrate my finishing uni... The proper thing to do would have been to go and smash some beers in true graduate style.. but we had more important things to deal with and that brings me to my last BRILLIANT thing.

Earlier in the day we'd gone to a house inspection and fell in love. We were shown through an apartment above a shop on a busy street filled with cafes, grocers and random little shops. The apartment was perfect for us - newly renovated, it looked basically new. The three bedrooms were very decent sized, still had restored art-deco period features on the ceilings (which were HIGH and awesome) and the two front ones had little terrace balconies going out onto the street.

Kayla and I had a good old yarn to the agent and he was a very decent bloke - he made us feel as though we had the place secured already. The other group being shown through were three asian guys who seemed disinterested. We took some applications, went home, smashed them out, and took them straight back to the estate agent to apply.

Less than an hour later I got the call: THE APARTMENT IS OURS!!

This is our new kitchen! It's so newly reno'd that the exhaust fan still hasn't been installed, haha!

So THAT is my brilliant day! Been a while coming! I feel as though two great weights have been lifted right off my shoulders. 

Tom arrives in the country tomorrow and our household will be complete. We're going to sign the lease as soon as we get him from the airport, and then all the fun stuff like packing can begin! Hooray!

quiet wednesday.

Tonight Maire and I had a very housewifey night, vaccuuming and mopping the place from head to toe. Then we baked muffins! (Orange and poppyseed with cream cheese icing)

What are muffins without a good in-joke piped across them?! I'm not even going to start explaining the story behind these words haha.

Maire had a bit of an accident while eating leftover icing.. please note the icing is also spilled in the cutlery drawer...

 Domesticity FTW.

Blast from the past

So tonight I logged into my old hotmail account, which I used between the ages of 12-16 (cheese_princess, brilliant). I had totally forgotten about it, having switched to a more employer-friendly email address once I got my first job.

But when I explored it tonight, for the first time in probably four years, I discovered some hidden gems and here is one of them...

January 6, 2006. I was 16, Meggie was 8.

Friars cafe is one of the few things I miss about Shepparton. It was the family favourite from the time we arrived in 2003. Formative years were spent in this joint; from sitting bored with Mum and one of her friends, to sitting hungover with my own friends and a big plate of bacon and eggs, to even waitressing there for a little while. By the time my family left Shepparton the staff were like family friends, and Meg would more often than not get a free plate of hot chips along with Mum's coffee (no need to order, they knew what she wanted.) 

Oh the nostalgia....

Better late than no chocolate!

Half price easter eggs, you make my day!

Yummy. 

Twenty-Two

THE BIRTHDAY:

 Birthday lunch at Laurent Patisserie in Westfield Doncaster

Macaroons! These were brilliant. Chewy and delicious

Upon returning home I found Potter in my lounge room, complete with my Queen ensemble. The boy is truly a genius with balloons... he made the scepter from just looking at pics of them in Google images.

Clothes and book from the pares and headband from Kayla.. and tangy sticks from NZ, YES.

Socks from Meggie

Watch from Tom and Rory (from webcam, can't see it too well, but it's awesome)

This beast is "Lady BaBa" a handmade gift from Meg. She will travel to many locations in the future and will show up in the most unexpected of locations... stay tuned

My birthday ended with this beast on the big screen. See Limitless. The general consensus agreed it was good. (Not Shona.. but she was one out of 5 so whatevs.)  

So that is my day. It has been extremely enjoyable and I feel my roomie Kayla must be thanked for making my day very special, with her midnight gift, balloons, lunch date and movie date not to mention the beast of a cake she has created (will be pounded tomorrow night before we head to the infamous Stolberg). Love you bro!

AND thankyou to my lovely fam for the presents that arrived at the perfect time! I love them all! Love you guys and wish you could have been here!

xo xo

Wallan Inbound.

So I had epic plans tonight - I was going to go to this 21st in Broadford (about an hour from Melbourne) and on the way home, I was going to buy one of those guaranteed cardiac arrests they are selling at KFC, a Double Down. And then I was going to review it.

Alas, KFC was shut (jerks.) so I resorted to an old favourite, the Maccas Cheeseburger meal. And why not write about that while I'm trying to get sober before bed...

I do not have many nice words for the experience.

Chips: too much salt.

Cheesy: tasteless

The drink, however, was poundable as always

Usually love cheesies. But.... vom vom vom.. this is as far as I got

So that is my junk food review for the week. Maybe I should make it a thing.