Lobster lunch (lucky 13)

We all look forward to our annual lobster lunch weekends at beautiful Rosedale. Judy and Jurgen are supremely generous hosts and the gorgeous Rosedale setting creates a special kind of magic for these get togethers . 

But of course it's also about the food!! ……………………

The gorgeous Jane and Louise no longer cater for our lobster lunches (sob sob) but they did something absolutely amazing for us this year …. personally delivering one of  their stunning Bombe desserts ….. as a lovely gift for us. How lucky are we!

Lunch started bang on 12.00 yesterday (as planned) with the opening of the Majella and Jennie's appetizers on show (gorgeous flavours: fig, mushrooms, pesto, duck - yum!)  

 James and Fiona had "crossed the ditch" to be with us this year - and did their usual fabulous job with the Clyde River oysters entrée.

But our lunch is all about the celebration of the lobster (BTW we all know it's about more than that - especially celebrating friendship!). 

The lobster this year was stunning; luscious and brimming with flavours of the sea. I really enjoyed the Tyrell's Hunter Valley Semillons served with it too (both from 2009 and each with its own special character) 

 With the lobster devoured the Bombe emerged for dessert - plated up with plums and syrup and sparklers for Jurgen's birthday!

 Jurgen allowed all the February - March birthday boys and girls to join the Bombe fun. Maxie was invited to join too - just because!

And so ended another wonderful lobster lunch - taking many hours, many bottles of wine and many topics of conversation and laughter covered. And we're sitting outside at Rosedale, constantly reminded of the amazing and unique environment surrounding us …... 

 You can hear the surf as a constant backdrop to the noise of parrots and kookaburras and the rustle of trees in the breeze.  This is Judy and Jurgen's backyard view...…….

 Talk about generous hosts, Judy and Jurgen invited us all for a sleepover on Sunday night - meaning no need to drive home over Clyde Mt after all that amazing food and wine - and more time to share the company of this gorgeous group of people.

A late afternoon walk along Rosedale's pristine beach is another tradition of our lobster lunch weekends.

 And there were more walks (and swims) on the beach this morning - another perfect day on the south coast. We rounded off our Rosedale stay this year with a very long lunch at the Mossy Café. We spent hours eating more great food, good coffee and continuing hilarious conversations about tennis stars, favourite(?) politicians and family dramas, with a few well directed character assassinations thrown in for good measure. 

I wish we could see this wonderful group of people more often and spend many more happy hours in their company, but thank you Judy and Jurgen for making all this happen for us THIRTEEN times already. 

Can't wait for the next one!

Birthdays here and there

We're enjoying a birthday bonanza here (and there) this month .........
Last week there were three reasons to celebrate. There was Sophie's birthday on the 14th ....

With a gorgeous cake made with big sisterly love ......

 It all reminded me of a sisters' picture I'd taken a few years ago (11 to be exact) - they really haven't changed all that much have they (still gorgeous)? 

Judy's birthday was next (on the 15th)...... and then ...... on St Patrick's Day in Melbourne it was time to celebrate James's BIG (ending in a zero!) birthday.

The venue was the Union Club Hotel on Gertrude St in Fitzroy (Offspring territory) - Richmond Tigers territory too!

 The Canberra mob was well represented...

 And all James and Fiona's gorgeous family were there .........

 Bib zero birthdays call for funny speeches from the kids .......................

 James and all the family are the fiercest supporters of the Richmond Tigers!

 Happy birthday dear James!

We had to say goodbye yesterday morning in Fitzroy after a wonderful breakfast together. The pic below is special to me .... probably the last time I will see James and Fiona and their lovely family in Melbourne together for quite a while (they're New Zealand bound!). 

We stayed on in Fitzroy for the weekend, loving being in the centre of this lively, hip and happening part of Melbourne. We headed out to St Kilda Beach yesterday afternoon - drinks at the Stokehouse on the beach and then back to town to enjoy fabulous Japanese food at Ichi Ni Na Na on Brunswick Street. This is a wonderful city!!

Melbourne break

We enjoyed a rendezvous with some dear friends in Melbourne this week - including our favourite old inner city hotel - the Rendezvous in Flinders Street, just a short stroll from Flinders Street Station and the famous, vibrant laneways of this most cosmopolitan city.

We drove down from Canberra on Monday - an easy 7 hour drive. It was getting dark by the time we'd settled in to the hotel so we took to the neighbouring streets and laneways to absorb some Melbourne city charm and shake off the inactivity of a day driving. We celebrated afterwards with a glass of ale at the top floor bar of our favourite Young and Jackson Hotel - and raised a glass to Melbourne's iconic Chloe.

Our main aim on Tuesday was to rendezvous with the Vincent Van Gogh  and the Seasons exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria.

 ..... while acknowledging, on the way in, the latest Ai Wei Wei installation in the gallery foyer - a new 5 metre tall work of crystals and light from his chandelier series....Wow!

The Van Gogh exhibition comprises the largest collection of his artworks ever to travel to Australia - amazing works lent by leading international museums.  Another huge attraction for us is the audio guide to the exhibition: a beautiful, informative narration by David Stretton, and David Wenham as the voice of Vincent (reading the words of Vincent through the many hundreds of letters he wrote over his short life to his brother Theo).

Vincent's south of France pictures are still as buttery fresh and full of energy as the day they were painted over 120 years ago!

...such a treat to see these works in Melbourne - and in late Autumn too, Vincent's favourite season.

Tuesday night we enjoyed a rendezvous with dear friends James and Fiona - at their beautiful old Victorian era terrace house in Gore Street Fitzroy, then on to the atmospheric Builders Arms Hotel on Gertrude Street, before heading to dinner at the Panama Dining Room on Smith Street, a wonderful overview of some of the best offerings in this super cool part of old Melbourne (with the coolest hosts you could ever imagine).

In the pic below Rob and I are about to share a whole slow cooked lamb shoulder with a pistachio crust and quince jus with parsley and sumac salad. It was to die for (and enough protein to last us at least a month)!!

We had a slow start yesterday - before deciding to take a tram ride to St Kilda Beach - all the way down to the foreshore area, past sad old Luna Park.....

 ..... while shivering in the wind blowing off Port Phillip Bay ......

 ..and eventually arriving at Pontoon at the Stokehouse precinct  on Jacka Boulevard (thank you for the recommendation Fiona).

Pontoon proves to be a wonderful spot to chill out for a while over a glass of Pinot Grigio (for me) on a cold, windy afternoon while we try to define how Melbourne is so gloriously different from Sydney.

Our thoughts include:
Melbourne is John Brack, Sydney is Brett Whiteley
Sydney is brash and beautiful and a bit bogan too, Melbourne is bohemian, cultured and cosmopolitan (and no doubt more than a bit bogan too)
Sydney is all colour, energy, bright blue skies and Pacific Ocean, Melbourne is monochrome, gentler, more thoughtful and wise.........   
But we think that James is the one who's nailed it: Sydney is the girl you spend the night with but Melbourne is the girl you marry!!

Love Melbourne!

In Sydney again

Our last few days in Sydney have seen plenty of highs and a few lows......  but this blog focusses on the positives....   and there were indeed, plenty of those.

On the way up last Wednesday we stopped off at the Goulburn Regional Gallery and were blown away by Claire's work in her current exhibition Presence: Two Visions of a Landscape. The pic below may not be the biggest or best work in her exhibition - but I thought it looked really good beside Maxie in her perfectly coordinated outfit.

Last Thursday was a huge day for everyone (especially Maxie and Rod) but we debriefed over a fabulous lunch at Matt Moran's Chiswick at the Gallery and a few hours enjoying the Gallery (and some shoe shopping later for Maxie and me).

Friday we walked from Coogee to Bondi on one of Sydney's stunning, superlatively beautiful days, then lunch at our fave Sabbaba in Hall Street - a gorgeous day! 

Judy and Jurgen joined us in Coogee on Friday night in time for our trek to the buzzy Pool Cafe at Maroubra Beach for Saturday brunch.

I had to include this close up pic of Rob's "fully loaded breakfast burger". Just as well it's an 8 klm round trip, walking to the Pool Cafe!!

We were able to celebrate our dear friend Fiona's big zero birthday on Saturday night. We started with drinks at the spectacular rooftop bar at the Hyatt Regency, overlooking Darling Harbour. The pic below shows us just settling in at the Zephyr Bar before we worked out the complicated system for ordering a drink (it was a bit too cool for school!).

 Rob and Jurgen - looking more relaxed after the drinks were ordered!..

The pic below is of Charlotte and me admiring the sunset while talking through some of the work challenges we've shared (although she's been much braver than me!).

 James organised the most fabulous sunset in honour of Fiona's birthday.......

 .... which finished with a spectacular firework's display - as you do!

We enjoyed dinner together at Chat Thai in Campbell Street. The food is always wonderful at Amy Chanta's Chat Thai and there were queues of people waiting their turn for a table when we arrived (at the appointed hour). The city was absolutely pumping on Saturday night - a spectacle of lights, sights and sounds.

We all enjoyed a slow start this morning and a post party catch up for brunch at Barzura's at Coogee Beach. The beach looked PERFECT this morning - all sparkle and dazzle, and gently rolling surf.

We had the whole day to enjoy together today: a long lazy brunch, beach time then a beer at the Coogee Bay Hotel. Luck for us Charlotte, Fiona and James did not have to return to Melbourne until late afternoon (and they weren't looking forward to flying back through the storm fronts over SE Australia).

Happy Birthday Fiona! Thanks for sharing a perfect celebration with us. Can't wait for the next one!