Jet Setting, part 1

My sister is going to Amsterdam on Saturday for work and going Emirates Business Class and it got me to thinking about packing for an overseas trip. I have been to Amsterdam about 4 times and I love the city, it is really lovely and the people very friendly and welcoming and they speak absolutely perfect English which certainly lessens the angst of travelling.

I cannot confirm or deny if I have had any "special" cafe treats while there, but I think I might have inhaled some passive smoke (if you get my drift!)  I actually have a funny story about a space cake but you'll have to come back for that one!

I like to think that over the years I have got packing for a trip down to a fine art. I can do a 3 week trip to the US with just carry on luggage! One year for work I did 7 international trips and earned my stripes for packing!


So I thought I would share with you some of my packing essentials.

Do you remember the old American Express traveller cheques TV ad?  Mr Wong said never leave home without it? Well I never leave home with my....

 

My Qantas Club Card! If you fly enough you can get complimentary membership, and I have in the past, however I still pay for my own membership it makes international flying a great deal more pleasant. Lounge access and champers before flying, showers and refreshments during stopovers and extra luggage, dedicated check in and seat preferences. After all I am worth it! :-)

 A good travel wallet, to keep all your documents, itineraries, hotel and airline cards etc (always have your tickets and bookings in a printed copy as well as e copy)

 A small travelling umbrella so you are ready for whatever the weather throws at you. I love this one as it has the kangaroos on it and it does draw people to ask you if you are from Australia, a good conversation starter.

Shoe and lingerie bags,  (a BIG thank you to Ms Karen "Pats" Brown for these gorgeous gifts) I have a collection of them, not all quite as swish as these.

 Something comfortable to  relax/sleep in . I have a collection of these Morrissey Qantas PJ's from my days of international business class jet setting, but tracky dacks and a warm T shirt will do, as I find that planes can get quite cold during a long flight. Also your clothes won't get crushed and you will look a lot fresher when you get off.

 A good eye mask, ear plugs and lip balm. The eye masks you get in economy are crap, so I have a collection of classy comfortable business class ones, but if you don't have them, go out and invest in some. Ear plugs at a minimum, noise cancelling headphones are great if you have them,  or if you are in the pointy end you'll get them anyway.  As we all know air planes are a very drying  environment so I always use a liberal amount of moisturisers, lip creams and eye drops to reduce the red dry eyes.

  Do not get on an international flight without this! I have used it for years. It does a number of things, keeps you nose moist so you don't dry out,  it also has eucalyptus added so it has a natural protective effect on all those bugs on the plane, and I am pleased to say have never had an "plane cold" since using it.

Compression stockings, I am not sure if they help much with Deep Vein Thrombosis  (but hey they can't do any harm) but they do stop your feet from swelling so much so that you can wear your shoes at the other end!

A Pashmina for a number of reasons. Extra warmth and you can wrap it around yourself as you exit the aircraft and look a million dollars. Have you noticed all the superstar jet setters always have one on them when photographed in airports?














A power-board and electrical plugs for your destination. Given that we have so many electrical  appliances these days this makes it easy, plenty of slots to keep everything charged and you only need 1 adapter!

Happy Packing Travellers, I'll do another post in the next few days on packing for your trip!

Losing a little bit of myself

Fear not, I am not losing my mind (I hope)! BUT as you know I have been doing the 12 week body transformation program,  and this week is week 4, called a milestone week and we have to weigh and measure  ourselves and update our stats.

Well, I am very pleased as non alcoholic punch to say that the since I got on the program I am a little bit less of the person I used to be!

4.7kg lighter, and in total 32.5 cm smaller!

Done by the gym so no bias there!

I can honestly say that it has been a lot more interesting and fun than I thought it would be. After a lifetime spent trying to keep my weight and health under control I think it has finally clicked in my brain!  I am enjoying the recipes very much, as initially I was concerned that I would find the food bland (as in "diet" food) however it is all fresh and seasonal and it is a real treat to add some some new recipes to my repertoire. Even the Signifant Other has no complaints on the quantity and quality of the food, and I suspect a few kilos might have gotten lost from his side of the bed too!

I have been mixing up my activity, curves gym, cycling, walking and my cross trainer, initially I wanted to learn to run but think that is an ambition I will follow up at a later date.

Anyway I wanted to share some good new for this Friday before the June long weekend so that's it for me!

This is my inspiration picture I keep on my fridge to keep me motivated,  when I reach my goals I am going to get a dress made just like this Grace Kelly classic!

Stay tuned!

Pondering Life's Big Questions...Foundation Studies

There are a lot of things that I think about in the middle of the night, or early in the morning but I am not sure what's on my mind today.  I woke up thinking about underwear. Specifically what's the difference between underwear and lingerie?  Why do women wear "lingerie" but not men?

Underwear by its very name gives a hint to its purpose, it is underwear that is worn under something (take note those young people who like to wear their pants down around their knees) however lingerie conjures up visions of lace, ribbons and sheer fabrics.  (and some other things, but this is a "g" rated blog!)

So when I am vexed about these big life questions I go to the font of all knowledge and ask the question then I cross reference it and then I get side tracked by the foundation garments! I tell you this subject is very murky indeed!


Do you remember foundation garments? I remember my mother and her "step-ins"

Not my actual mother,  but a genuine step-in!
I'm surprised anyone could become a mother wearing one of those!

which were instruments of torture designed to give you the "perfect silhouette", but I wonder who for ?Then I found this retro ad while researching this topic

Now I am not sure how this would appeal to men,   (unless you were Daniel Cleaver from Bridget Jones Diary***)   I reckon by the time you got it off for any action they would be asleep, or maybe that is why you choose it for men!  (get my drift??)  


That brings me to the thought, why is underwear, lingerie, foundation garments (or now more likely called shape wear  marketed  mostly to women? From what I see men's underwear is designed to be comfortable and practical and scant attention paid to the visual titillation  factor. 

But fear not, this is an equal opportunity blog and  I have found some men's foundation garments are available,  so it seems in these body conscious days even they are not immune to marketing pressure warning the images below are not pretty.........

Are you sure you want to see them?











Just saying........... you have been warned

I didn't feel the need to caption them, I think they say enough all on their own!


But  I am still confused, when does pretty underwear become lingerie?  I am now worried I was giving my daughters a bad example when I used to buy them some pretty french underwear every year when I went to Paris for a work conference, was I buying them pretty underwear or lingerie. Is the name in the eye of a beholder? 

I used to say to a very dear friend of mine who was pretty pedestrian in the underwear department that "every woman deserves to wear beautiful underwear every day". 

Anyway it looks like this big philosophical question is not going to be answered in one blog post, so I am going to leave you to ponder that on this Friday morning and just to give you a laugh here are a couple of shockers I also found!

Happy Friday,  and don't forget to wear your good undies in case you get run over by a bus! 

only joking!



*** We call super big sucky in undies Bridget Jones'es in our family.

Burlesque comes to the Country

Last Saturday night we went out for dinner and a show (with a difference) ladies were taking their clothes off  (artfully of course!)

One of our local cafes Three Creeks at Robertson had a 4 course French Dinner with the Lovely Ladies from Velvet Heist who made the trip up the hill from the South Coast to add some spice to a Southern Highlands Evening.

For your dining pleasure here is the menu, which I can say was excellent and great value at $65 per person.

Entree  Chicken liver pate

Soup    the classic French Onion Soup

Main    Coq au vin avec les pommes des terre purée et les haricots verte  (chicken in red wine with mashed potatos and green beans)

Dessert   Creme Brûlée and Meringue


Now onto the Entertainment.

We had 3 performers....


Aurora Night


Diamond D'amour

This was a very different type of Swan Lake!

Diamond was a professional dancer hence the en pointe!

Honey Jumble



Each performer did 2 pieces each and all were very entertaining to say the least!

But I must share with you my favourite Burlesque artist with whom I share a very special bond and I can't wait for her next show here in Oz!

I'm a bieberer!

Melody Merlot

Melody performing "Surgeons are a girl's best friend"

Going Stationary on Stationery...... no longer

Do you remember the olden days, about 15 years ago, before email and the internet??

Do you remember being taught how to set out a letter at school?

Do you remember learning how to write Thank you letters etc?

Did you ever have a pen pal?

Do you remember stationery? 

I remember my favourite letter writing paper when I was a young girl was Croxley Deckle does anyone remember that?  It was quite thick with a lovely crinkly edge to it, really quite posh if I may say so.

I must say I have always been a great lover of good stationery and pens remember my post of last year about my penchant for hotel pens?

Well I have quite a collection of stationery, postcards, letter cards etc  that I collect/purchase from all over the place, but you know what?  Because of our now instant communication systems I hardly every use them, which is quite sad as they sit lonely (but not unloved) in my desk drawer.

So I have decided to resurrect the old fashioned letter, so this week I have written letters to 5 people I know and love so if you keep a look out you might see something in your non-virtual letter box real soon!

So I am calling on all of you to no longer be stationary on stationery and spend a few minutes writing a real proper letter to your nearest and dearest!

BTW does the spelling of stationary/stationery confuse you, here's a tip  (courtesy of  the Significant Other)  remember "E" for envelope, then you'll never go wrong! 

Here are some of my favourite stationery pieces.

The Bon Jour Cards I purchased at  the Toulouse Lautrec  exhibition in Canberra this year 

As you can see I'm a sucker for anything French!

You should see the sexist Ads on the 50's cards!

Pretty patterned Letter Cards

Some hotel stationery

Second Hand Rose

I love op shopping!

Today I was in Sydney for work, and on my way home I detoured via the Salvos warehouse in Tempe for a quick look around for any goodies.

Well all I can say is that I did myself proud!  The place is enormous, and if I had more space at home I would have bought some pretty retro furniture at a very good price.

Here are  a few of my bargains.

Vintage tray, just perfect for my 60's cocktail cabinet, AKA "Don Draper"

Very useful picnic basket, note holder for not 1 but 2 bottles of wine!

Aqua elongated bowl and very retro silver plated serving platter

Every good kitchen needs a good heatproof jug ( $6!!)

Basket $2.50, going to keep it for a gift basket, sherry glasses 20c each got 8 to put in Don Draper

Funky 70's plates

I am getting quite a collection of Nana napkins, all so lovely and only 50 or  20c each!

I am putting together a quirky collection of 60's and 70's crockery, the idea is to have mismatched ones on the table when having a dinner party themed around "mad men" ( watch this space!).

how much did I spend in all, well about $25, and the money is going to a good cause, The Salvos.

My idea for Christmas this year is that for our family we will all give pre-loved gifts, so that we are not contributing to more waste in the world. I can see from my op shopping ventures there is a lot more stuff that is of interest to me and ideas for gifts than I find in the regular stores.

How about you, are you a op-shopaholic???

Ghost Town

Today I had one of my bestest  ( is that a real word? not sure but is should be in my opinion)  days out. The significant other and I went to a place called Joadja  which is located here in the Southern Highlands and is the site of an old settlement and shale mining and refinery ( apparently the best quality shale in the world).  To save you the effort of going to Wikipedia, here is a potted history courtesy of the interweb thingy.......

Ghost town once a thriving kerosene mining settlement 

Located 31 km north-west of Mittagong, and 138 km south-west of Sydney, in an isolated valley, is the historic village of Joadja, established by the Australian Kerosene Oil and Mineral Company in the late 1870s to facilitate the exploitation of the vast shale deposits in the valley walls. The origins and meaning of the town's name are uncertain, though 'valley of plenty' has been suggested.

The first European party in the area was that lead by ex-convict John Wilson. They were sent twice in 1798 on exploratory treks by Governor Hunter with the object of accumulating factual data about the southlands to discourage convicts who were escaping and heading south in the belief that China was only 150 miles away.

Wilson had been living with the Aborigines for some years and had almost certainly been in the area prior to the expedition. On their first journey they appear to have followed Joadja Creek to its junction with the Wingecarribee River, just near the future townsite.

Benjamin Carter was grazing his cattle in the valley in the 1840s. His son, Edward, discovered the shale and a dispute ensued over the rights to exploit it. Edward Carter succeeded and began mining in 1874. The shale was excavated and heated in brick retorts to draw off the kerosene which was then condensed and purified. He sold the produce to the Australian Gas Light Company. It was hauled up the steep inclines by bullock teams then carted by five-tonne wagonloads to Mittagong railway station.

The Australian Kerosene Oil and Mineral Company was formed in 1877. They built a refinery, a railway line to Mittagong (which operated from 1880 to 1903) and began to erect a town for their employees. Coal was also mined with railway trucks being hauled up the steep inclines by rope.

Joadja's population passed 400 in 1879, well in excess of other Southern Highlands towns. A post office opened in 1878. There was soon a theatre, a store, a butcher's, a bakery and a school of arts. Joadja was also one of the first towns in the colony to be connected to the outside world by telephone!!

( funny then, here in 2013 there is no mobile reception!) 

The miners were largely experienced men from Scotland, perhaps enticed by the Scottish manager. They were housed in cottages made of local bricks.

The remnants of the Bakery

In 1878 the employees extracted 5200 tons of shale. With the introduction of a mechanical coal-cutter in 1881 (the first to be used in NSW) output doubled to 28 000 tons in 1882. By 1890 it had increased to nearly 37 000 tons. However, reserves dwindled and went into a sharp decline after 1893. 

Employees were laid off. The post office closed in 1900 and operations ceased in 1903. The company closed and destroyed the plant and a fire swept through the town. A few residents stayed on to work orchards originally established by the mining company. The property was sold in 1911. Attempts were made to reestablish operations in the 1920s and 1930s but to no avail and Joadja became a ghost town.

But not any more, the new owners, Val and Elisa are operating again, and as I said we had the most wonderful time on the guided tour , which was due to take 90 mins and we ended up over 120mins, but nobody was bothered by the time we were having so much fun finding out about history just off our doorstop.

They are also resurrecting the Scottish tradition  of whisky distilling ( even though the new owners are of  Spanish heritage) we even got a private tour and saw the new still and the lovely oak barrels just imported from Spain, which were full of sherry. 

Anyway enough of my blabbing on, here are some pics, and if you were looking for a day trip away from Sydney ( its only 90 mins) this is a great place, they have picnic tables, a kiosk (licensed too!) and you can also camp onsite. I plan to do that later and do my own ghost tour at night. I can also vouch for the presence of heaps of Wallabys and Wombats and apparently there are platypus in the creek. Additional bonus, if you come to visit you can also visit GG headquarters as well! :-)

WORLD HERITAGE SIGNIFICANE!!   Did you know that??

Where the shale was turned into liquid

I loved the old building ruins

I love this oak tree, apparently half of it came down in the last storm

This was the home of the orchard manager, now home to the new owners, dates from the early settlement of Joadja

Outside of the School of Arts, note the buttresses ( not flying!)

Inside the school of arts, see the tree growing inside the building.

School of Arts, the floor has gone

I think you might know what this was!!
out house!

cottage in Carrington  Row ( named after Lord Carrington) the workers lived in bark slab huts, this was probably an engineers house

Looking down Carrington Way

Sign on its side

An original  photo of the Retorts where the shale was processed 

 

Yes, Just like Brer Rabbit,  the  pitch was put into an area which is still lethal today!

A chimney at the Refinery

What more can I say, you can tell by the length of this post,

I loved it!