Shortest Day

E was born in England on the longest day and now celebrates her birthday on the shortest! We went for a celebration meal in The Atrium at Crown on a very rainy night, and our disabled sticker allowed us to drive to the door and get complimentary valet parking. The buffet with its multiple choices of different cuisines was very popular on a Saturday night and the place was packed. Oysters were being consumed in quantity, then we tried Indian and Chinese delicacies. JL saved space for several helpings of dessert.

Christmas Cactus in flower at Como

JL and C at The Atrium

E eats Yorkshire Pudding with olives, salami and roast potatoes

This must surely be the last soft toy!

Chinese for me

Giant portion of bread and butter pudding for JL

Tiny dessert for E
Note birthday earrings!

 

This cute kid has now become a teenager!

Winter warmers

Winter is now well and truly here: a week of rain and cold mornings and grey miserable skies. I went out with some friends for a Ladies Lunch to the Partisan at Claisebrook, a beautiful spot to sit outside on a sunny day. They had set up gas heaters and a huge umbrella to keep the rain off. The Canadian waiter suggested we start off with mulled cider to warm us up. Later, I made some at home with an invented recipe inspired by Jamie:

The cider is stirred with cinnamon sticks and served in my special china mugs, designed by Philippa Nikulinsky featuring West Australian wildflowers. There is an exhibition of her work at the art gallery in UWA at the moment:

http://www.lwgallery.uwa.edu.au/exhibitions/nikulinskynaturally

It’s on my to-do list.

She loves those intricate twisted branches.

After another cortisone injection into my knee (more effective than the Spanish one) I’m gradually getting back into some walking. I took these two photos outside Crown Towers the other day, because the colours are so bright and cheerful:

The pelicans have taken possession of this island
in the middle of the lake.