various unrelated things

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Skulls are everywhere at the moment aren't they? So hot right now. I've amassed this collection of grinning Tim Burton-esque spectres from bargain shops and eBay. Love them.

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Here they are making an appearance with some more summer wardrobe staples. Many long, lazy layers are key. IMG 2743

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My current favourite bed linens with His and Her embroidered pillowcases. Baby pulled the blue gingham curtains down this morning. I'm not sure if I should put them back up or if it's time to hang the mosquito nets for summer already. I've been pretending not to hear the first whines of nocturnal buzzing but I can't ignore them forever.

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Is it weird that I sometimes photograph the food I make for Baby? I can't help it. I just think it looks so beautiful and appetising in its separate compartments. I know it's popular to deride the modern obsession with documenting tiny fragments of the mundane, especially if you blog about it. I think it's all feels very human though and I don't think it's anything new. History is littered with obsessive diarists, leaving lifetime long records of meals and weather reports and I've always been drawn to those stories. Blogging to me feels the same as my slavish teenage diary keeping. Like a summation, or a soundtrack.

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Right now, whenever I lock the front door to go out with Baby in my arms we have to stop so he can ring the doorbell. It's just about the cutest thing ever and I want to eat his head when I watch how happy it makes him. I took this photo because he won't do it for very long and then I'll forget he ever did it at all.

I'm posting it online because, why not? There are millions of voices out there now in this vast empty space, why not murmur with them? I think that's rather beautiful too, and also very human.

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I got quite introspective for a minute there, didn't I? Here's a photo of the Baby wearing funny glasses to restore the equilibrium.

Everything spring

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The baby is in shorts and the spring is everywhere I look. It feels so warm already I'm scared that summer is going to be perishingly hot and unbearable.

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I had to fight a swarm of bees for these.

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To stave off my terror I've been giving some serious thought to summer wardrobe planning.

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This mostly involves stalking eBay for desirably slouchy Bassike pieces.

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I also picked up this pink scarf from Witchery. I've had the Funkis t-bar clogs for years now. Still love them.

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I baked a quiche. My Stephanie Alexander recipe calls for four egg yolks and the pavlova has four egg whites. Serendipity like that cannot be ignored so one always follows the other in our house.

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I used stewed rhubarb on the top of this pav as I had some that needed using and it was pretty magnificent.

Clare

In other Spring news I downloaded a new album. This is significant as I am terrible at listening to new music and play the same playlist of songs I have had forever ad nauseam. This Clare Bowditch album is really very good. Jazzy and folky and sweet and perfect for warm breezes and cold drinks despite it's name.

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Speaking of cool drinks. This is where we will be having them. I've reorganised the back deck with a view to childproofing, toy storage and warmer days. We do a lot of living out here in the summer and now I can leave the doors open and let baby potter in and out as he pleases throughout the day.

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I took these photos with the panorama setting on the iPhone 5. Doesn't my verandah look gigantic? I'm panoramming everything at the moment. It's definitely my favourite new feature on the iPhone 5. (My spell check doesn't agree that 'panoramming' is a word but I'm calling it now for 2013.)

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We inherited the squatters chairs and I had them on the front verandah where NO ONE ever sat in them. They are super comfy though and getting lots of love here for lazy breakfasts.

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I've even made the ultimate sacrifice for verandah usability and replaced my vintage (wobbly, paint flaking, bugger to clean and no safety straps) highchair with a ubiquitous Ikea Antilop. We have a proper high chair in the kitchen but it's nice to have a spare out here to pop him in too. I persevered with the old wooden one for a few weeks but was too scared to ever turn my back on him while he sat in it so it had to go. Plus, now he'll think we're eating in a cafe every time he sits outside.

Let's choose an iPhone 5 case

Screen Shot 2012 09 21 at 10 27 36 AM

This is how you organise an iPhone drop. Honestly, when I pre-ordered this bad boy I didn't expect it to show up for weeks, but it looks like I might have it in my hot little hand before the day is out.

Kudos Apple. Kudos.

I've been delving into the black hole of designs over at society6 looking for a new case. I'm having a terrible time. Here's my not very short shortlist.

ABSTRACT

1181988 9390321 caseiphone5 b 128241 216002628 caseiphone5 b 362954 28247074 caseiphone5 b 402610 214309767 caseiphone5 b 421622 25560989 caseiphone5 b 443433 211392511 caseiphone5 b 446383 26837269 caseiphone5 b

BLUE & WHITE

38823 25810271 caseiphone5 b 829863 4289996 caseiphone5 b

WORDS

150088 27897344 caseiphone5 b 276040 213552733 caseiphone5 b 332969 214388444 caseiphone5 b 805901 11950125 caseiphone5 b

JUST PRETTY

235863 21988742 caseiphone5 b 224116 29143782 caseiphone5 b

Jersey caramel bickies

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I made these Jersey caramel bickies recently because I pinned this Donna Hay recipe and it was haunting me.

They were just about the quickest things ever to make. I swear, I got them from pantry to oven in the time it took Baby to eat a post nap banana.

I've come to realise all the best quick biscuit recipes are the ones that instruct you to melt the butter and sugar on the stove instead of laboriously creaming them. Anzac bickies are like this and are likewise quick and easy. Wet ingredients into dry, quick stir, Bob's your uncle.

These are very sweet. But if you like sugar and jersey caramels you should definitely make some.

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Jersey caramel bickies

60g butter
115g golden syrup
60g (1/3 cup) brown sugar
225g (1.5 cup) self raising flour
jersey caramels (cut in half)

Preheat oven to 180 celsius.

Melt butter, golden syrup and brown sugar in a small saucepan.

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Add melted ingredients to flour and mix to form a dough.

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Roll spoonfuls of dough into ball and place on baking trays.

Flatten each ball a little with your hand and top with half a jersey caramel.

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Bake for 10-12 minutes.

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One year of Baby

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I've been taking a photo of Baby in the same chair every month since we brought him home. I'd like to keep doing it as long as he lets me. It's such a mind bender seeing how fast he changes.

IMG 4847One week

IMG 4960One month

IMG 5044 two months

IMG 5131three months

IMG 5452four months

IMG 5683five months

IMG 5826six months

IMG 5910seven months

IMG 6074eight months

IMG 6254nine months

IMG 6278ten months

IMG 6319eleven months