Port Fairy

A festival by the sea, with some great bands I know and some brand new acts to see - how could I refuse. Port Fairy Festival was a blast of a weekend, and I ended up discovering tons of singers and players that I'd never even heard of before going. For me, nothing beats a gig or festival that reignites my passion for playing and inspires me to practice, and Port Fairy did just that.

I strongly recommend listening to the artists pictured below: Jaaleekay, Breabach, John Patrick and the Keepers and Bobby Alu, plus others like Mama Kin, Ginger and Tonic and Tolka.

Watch out for a possible Port Fairy inspired playlist...

Baking

Today I made some delicious rock buns with my little cousin Noah. Looking after a two year old for the day and cooking up some tasty treats are not things I would have automatically put together but it worked brilliantly. He was a wonderful little helper and never short of enthusiasm! The main reason I think it was possible was due to the Thermomix in the house, a mean machine that does pretty much anything you could imagine cooking wise (apart from the actual baking of buns, an oven is still essential for that). Whole meals can be made in there, and with all the attachments and extras, can be stored and kept hot/cold for hours. So far, some of my favourites have been buttery mashed potato, mango sorbet, tuna and vegetable pasta, apricot chicken risotto, apple and beetroot salad, and porridge. Along with the product comes a recipe book, and having one pot that can weigh, chop, mix, heat and cool really reduces washing up later on!

For my rock buns, I exchanged regular self-raising flour for wholemeal self-raising flour, sugar for brown sugar, and currants for dried cranberries. This was unintentional; the substitutes were what I could find in the cupboard and with a two year old and no transport, shopping for the originals was out of the question! In fact, I prefer the brown sugar as you can see and taste the granules more when the buns are baked. And the cranberries provide a slightly different flavour to that of currants or raisins, often found in buns.

The photos I managed to get of my creations are not the best as they were taken on my not-all-that-great-quality phone. Again, with a toddler assistant who is fairly keen on doing as many things as possible, as fast as possible and running in between, getting a good camera out and some more impressive snaps was not a priority! 

I'm sure there are plenty of cooking and baking purists out there who think this is a ghastly sign of technology and convenience taking over our lives when we should be trying to live more simply, taking time over tasks such as preparing meals; this is an argument I sympathise and in some ways agree completely with. However, this machine makes it so much more manageable for people who are time-poor for good reasons i.e. looking after children, to make fresh, tasty meals with good quality ingredients easily and quickly. I'm a big fan. 

Deep Blue

Yesterday I finally visited Sea Life Melbourne, an aquatic oasis in the middle of the city centre, just five minutes from Flinders Street Station. Walking into the sounds and sights of the ocean is the perfect antidote to city life, or an escape from wherever you are to somewhere completely different. 

The iridescent corals and brightly coloured fish that live amongst them are some of my personal favourites. I love that they are all so magical looking yet are completely natural. After seeing those again I will definitely be trying to scuba dive when I visit the Great Barrier Reef!

The day was also a great chance to get some more practice in with my cousin's lovely Canon DSLR. Unfortunately I don't think my skills are quite up to scratch yet, and these photos don't quite do justice to their subjects. It is a joy to be able to experiment with a camera much better than my own though, something I'll be saving for one day.

Beaches

I always feel more at home when I'm by the sea, and two weeks by some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen made for perfect summer holidays. The first seven days were spent with fourteen family and friends in a gorgeous house on Phillip Island, and were filled with swimming and sunning, chatting, eating and drinking. Plus a night excursion to the Penguin Parade, where visitors can view the nightly return of the world's smallest penguins from the sea where they feed, into the dunes and grassy areas on the shore. 

A couple of weeks later I jetted off towards the waves once again, but this time west of Melbourne, to a relaxed little town called Ocean Grove. With only my cousin and her little boy, and in a caravan rather than a multi-bedroomed beach house, this week was very different to the first, but no less wonderful. As well as seeing endless views, breathtaking sunsets over the river and some glorious sunshine, we visited Jirrahlinga Wildlife Sanctuary and Werribee Zoo, both perfect opportunities to have a play with my cousin's good quality camera!

Two weeks of beach time, two weeks of relaxing and rejuvenating, ready for the rest of 2014.