Adventures in Juicing

Pineapple, watermelon, apple and mint.

Carrot, orange, beetroot and mint.

Pineapple, kale, apple and ginger.

I scored a juicer for Christmas and have been having a lot of fun trying new combinations ever since (minus the cleaning up - that blows). I stocked up on plenty of fruit and veg this weekend in order to try a few different flavours and share them with you all. I think my favourite was actually the green juice. I promise you can't even taste the kale! The first combination made about four glasses and the bottom two made about two glasses each. Ben wasn't so keen on the juices that had vegetables in them, though I did get him to taste the kale one this afternoon and he was fine until I told him what was in it. Ah dear, one day I'll get him, one day.

Do you have any favourite juice combinations?

Let's Be Friends

I started this blog in June 2012 after being an avid blog reader for many years. I wanted a space of my own to share little snippets of my life and my interests. I posted sporadically throughout 2012 but have had a burst of motivation to really get this thing off the ground lately. I've got a list going of all my ideas for blog posts and I'm quite excited about it. I've been posting every day for the past week and my traffic and comments have increased quite a bit. It really goes to show the importance of consistency when it comes to getting your blog started. I've found being able to schedule posts in advance really useful as I work full time and don't always have the energy to blog after work. I also commissioned my talented friend Kate to illustrate my new blog header which I'm liking a lot!

So, basically I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who've been kind enough to have a look my blog and leave such nice comments. I'm excited about what's to come and hope you'll stick around for the ride.

Before I go, just a reminder about ways you can stay connected with me:

• Google Friend Connect: If you have a google account (in fact, I think maybe even if you don't...maybe..don't quote me) you can connect with my blog via the 'Join this site' button at the bottom of the left hand column of my page.
• Bloglovin': This is an easy way to keep track of blogs you like no matter which platform they might be on. You can sign up to get daily or weekly updates about new posts on the blogs you like. You can click on the link on my page (left hand side) or join me here.
• Twitter: You can find me here.
• Instagram: Follow me here.

Farmers' Market Haul

I've been on the hunt for some good farmers' markets for a while now and today I think I may have found my new regular. I visited the Lane Cove Farmers' Markets which are held every Sunday from 9am - 1.30pm at Lane Cove Public School. While the Lane Cove markets didn't have a huge selection, the two fruit and veg stalls were well-stocked and cheap. I purchased all of the produce above for less than $20. They also had some other gourmet food stalls which looked pretty awesome. I'll have to go back with more pennies up my sleeve. I wanted to take some photos with my proper camera while I was there but felt a bit awkward so ended up just snapping some with my iphone and the last photo with the camera once I got home.

This week I'm planning to do a lot of juicing and will be sharing a few recipes here on the blog. Tonight I'm looking forward to baking some of these veggies for our "Sunday Roast" (in inverted commas cause the roast part is actually vegetarian schnitzels). I hope you've all had lovely weekends so far. I've finally jumped on board the Game of Thrones bandwagon and watched the first three episodes last night. I'm really enjoying it so far!

Neighbourhood Favourite: Element 6

This is the first in a little series I'm doing on some of my favourite local haunts. I think it's important to make the most of your local surroundings and appreciate what might be right in front of you. Living in Sydney, it's easy to get caught up in the mindset that the only hip and happening places to go are in the inner city or inner western suburbs. Sure, I love hanging out in Surry Hills as much as the next person but I get a little cranky that a lot of people wouldn't dare set foot over the north side of the Harbour Bridge. Since moving to Sydney almost two years ago I have only lived on the north side (three apartments in less than two years!). I now live quite a fair way north so it has forced me to be adventurous and make the most of what's on offer out here in the 'sticks'.

I was really excited to discover that a new little cafe, Element 6, had opened next to West Ryde station. Ben and I decided to check it out this morning and we were very impressed. It's quite a small space and it was pretty packed when we arrived. We thought we might have to wait a little while but luckily a table became free within a few minutes. The decor is very cute, with vintage wooden school chairs, exposed brick walls and hot air balloon paintings on the walls. The staff were very friendly from the get-go, even fixing our wobbly table without being asked. We both ordered coffees which were huge and arrived very quickly. Ben liked his coffee so much he ordered another. I got the vegetarian big breakfast which consisted of two poached eggs on sourdough, mushrooms, a really yummy onion jam, some beans and lentils on the side, a sun dried tomato, corn cake and spinach leaves. Ben had the regular big breakfast which was basically the same as mine but with bacon. We were very pleased and it being just a 10 minute drive from home was an added bonus.

Stay tuned for some more hidden gems in my area and have a happy weekend. xo

All photos taken by me on my iphone 5 using the After Glow app.

Styled by Linda

It is becoming more and more evident that I have some extremely creative and talented people in my life. Today I wanted to share with you the wonderful work of one of my colleagues. Styled by Linda is the beautiful brainchild of Linda Nguyen. Linda manages the sister company of the business where I work but spends every spare second on event styling. Most weekends you will find Linda running about at weddings or other special events setting up fabulous dessert, beverage or cheese tables or just generally making the venue look incredible. 

Here are just a few examples of her recent work. She sources the best and yummiest treats from all over Sydney and is constantly collecting new props for whichever theme might be next. You can find her Facebook page here.

All photos from Styled by Linda.

Hairspiration

Today I bring you a little bit of hair inspiration thanks to my sister, Sophie, who happens to be a hairdresser - and a very good one at that! Here are 12 of her recent styles. As you can see, she's pretty handy when it comes to balayage and loves to experiment with different colours (she is always super excited when she gets a client brave enough to try something bright and bold). She also does a mean male haircut - I may be a little biased but she's the only one that can cut Ben's hair well.

Having a hairdresser in the family is amazing, although I really haven't been too adventurous with my own hair of late. I went through a few years of dying my hair different colours then finally decided to grow it all out and let my natural colour do its thang. I was pretty stoked to discover that my natural colour is actually quite nice, so I decided to leave it be for a few years. My hair is now the healthiest and longest it's ever been, but part of me is wondering whether I should let Sophie loose on my hair sometime soon. Oh and by the way, that's Sophie with the teal coloured hair in the pics above - she can definitely pull off any colour, no matter how bright it may be! If you live in Newcastle or are ever in the area, you should definitely hit her up for a new 'do. 

Funny People on Twitter

I am a huge Twitter fan. If it weren't for Twitter, I probably wouldn't have half a clue what's going on in the world. I use Twitter to stay up to date with news, follow along with current events (such as the US election and other important events such as reality TV show finales ;) ) and pretend I'm friends with famous people. You can follow me here, if you like.

I have Twitter running in Tweetdeck all day while I’m at work as I manage our company’s account. When I get home from work my boyfriend and I always debrief on the goings on of that day, whether it be the Kimye baby or something more serious. I feel a small sense of victory if I’ve managed to find out something before Ben thanks to Twitter (that boy is a wealth of random knowledge and he doesn’t event go on Twitter).

Anyway, I thought I would share with you some of my favourite people to follow on Twitter, especially those who are good for a laugh. I’ve also shared some of their Tweets which made me chuckle and earned a star in my Favourites list. I have a bit of a weird sense of humour so apologies if you don’t find these funny at all.

Rebel Wilson: Australian actress and comedian. Star of Pitch Perfect, among others.

“Here’s what I’ve done today: 1. Pancakes…. that’s it.”

Benjamin Law: Australian writer, author of The Family Law and Gaysia.

“Spotted: Asian gent in CBD with long, peroxide blonde hair, styled into Balinese braids. If I ever become this man, shoot me. OR WORSHIP ME.”

Brendan Maclean: Australian musician and Triple J radio presenter.

“One of my favourite walks is the ‘I’m trying on new shoes’ walk: An intriguing mix of constipation and stage fright.”

Mindy Kaling: US actress, comedian, television writer and producer. Author of Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me? (And Other Concerns).

“EVERYONE: WE NEED TO SPEED UP THE PACE WE SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY.”

“Whatever, now I'm gonna eat Ethiopian food with college pals CUZ THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE WITH BACHELOR DEGREES DO.”

Marieke Hardy: Australian writer, author of You’ll Be Sorry When I’m Dead and Frankie magazine contributor.

“If you just saw a lady with a silver streak in her hair like Mr. Sheffield from the Nanny crying at the end of Wreck-It Ralph it wasn't me.”

Mel Buttle: Australian comedian.

“I’m having a hot stone massage. Finally someone’s found a way to combine my hatred of being touched with my love of sedimentary rocks.”

“’Melinda, get a job’. Don’t push me mother, or I’ll get a neck tattoo.”

Do you have any favourite Twitter accounts?