• Barley Background
  • Farewell UK
  • Melbourne Magic
  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Guestbook

November Draws to a Close...

24/11/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture



Different events in the last few weeks including an invitation the the LuxBite Christmas Party where Stef and I enjoyed trying out lots of delicious sweet delights and a goodie bag to take home! You can read more in the entry on Restaurant Reviews.

Picture




This Friday Steve and I enjoyed a pleasant walk after work to the Rod Laver Arena to watch Michael McIntyre. He really was at his best and made around 10,000 people roar with laughter. Steve and I certainly joined in. He's a funny man Michael McIntyre.

Picture



On Saturday, the Barleys bought a new toy - a KitchenAid food processor and Steve put it to work immediately making an Indian curry paste for a delicious dinner. Quite possibly the best curry we've had in Melbourne. Yeah, the Indian curries here are not so great. So Saturday night was spent at home with a new kitchen appliance....

Watch this space for more things from the Barley kitchen with the aid of KitchenAid.

Today we caught up with the Davis family for a pub lunch. Tom and Pete took a little while to warm up as is usually the case but then Steve started playing with them and his glasses were the subject of much hilarity as they took it in turns to have a go. Look at the cute littl boffin like faces!

And speaking of cuties - two of my favourite pics of Amelia this week. I love the end one when she's all wrapped up and ready to go out with her handbag and as Aunty Carine says, looking up and saying ready to leave now, let's go!
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Remember, Remember the 5th of November...

10/11/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
...Except here in Australia there is no celebration of gunpowder, treason or plot!

Instead around this time of year there it's Spring Racing Carnival and we have a public holiday on a Tuesday, weekends of racing and lots of people watching of drunken folk stumbling back from the race course, the females holding their high heels in their hands and treading barefoot, fascinators askew and sometimes burger in hand, all beauty and classiness worlds apart from when they started the day!

This photo was taken the Saturday before Melbourne Cup Day known as Derby Day and Steve and I ventured to St Kild
a for dinner and to see the sunset as it was a beautiful 28 degree day. You can just see the dusky colours in the background of the photo.

Not every day has been 28 degrees though.creep up...22, 26, 28 and then come tumbling down to a rainy grey 18 before climbing up again...Typical erratic Melbourne weather...


Picture
Since the last post, there have been a few social engagements. Drinks here and there, dinner etc. But the one worth mentioning is Ling's Baby Shower!

The theme was pink as she's having a baby girl due mid December. Although she looks about ready to pop right now if you ask me so I think baby is cooking on high and could arrive sooner. She and Noah are so overjoyed and look how great she looks.

Twenty of us enjoyed afternoon tea at The Waiting Room at Crown Casino and it was all very decadent and fancy. The company was fun; lots of bloggers and we were well looked after by the staff in our own private room.

Ling doesn't usually like opening presents upon receipt. She likes to take them home, savour the anticipation, admire the packaging before eventually opening. She is the only person I know that is like this! Nevertheless she succumbed to peer pressure and she had lots of gifts to get through.

The Barleys have still enjoyed lots of meals out but have, in recent weeks, been eating at home too. Steve has taken on the mantle of mid week dinners and has done incredibly well, inspired by the mid week quickies in Donna Hay magazine! We've also been watching "The Good Wife" on DVD and quite entertained by it so cosy nights in are welcome.

We've had delicious oven baked quail, and he baked baby barramundi on top of Mediterranean veggies.

I made a couple of cakes and took them to work. There was an citrus sponge with orange buttercream and then a chocolate and vanilla birthday cake with sprinkles for my manager's birthday! I was hoping to score some brownie points...I think I succeeded!
Today we went to the market and had lunch but then this afternoon has been about the chicken. Sometimes I like to buy a good chicken, make stock for use in other things. Then shred the meat for other things...I see chicken sandwiches in our futures for lunch! Next I make more stock with the bones after the meat is shredded and use some of the fresh stock for dinner later on. And tonight I will be using some of it in a Chicken, Leek and Potato soup which we will have with some crusty rolls.
Still on the theme of chicken and going back to Spring Racing; what did we do on the Tuesday public holiday. Well we avoided the masses and didn't go to the races. Instead, Demery and Stacey kindly invited us to their's where we enjoyed a golden roast chicken  and watched the race on the MASSIVE TV.

A funny sight from the Demery balcony was a replica Flemington race course stand. There had obviously been a party there and what a cute decoration to have.
Picture



Remember it was our 9th wedding anniversary in September? We picked up our glazed pottery creations and finally put them up in the apartment.

Six weeks until Christmas!

Picture
My two favourite ladies in the whole wide world. Beautiful and so dear to me. As is this little lady...
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

    Authors

    We are Steve and Minda and we've been given the opportunity to move to Melbourne for two years. We arrived November 2010 and passed that two year milestone and are now Australian citizens! This is a blog of our experiences as we move to this new country, settle in and have fun!

    Follow @mindabarley
    Blogging Buddies

    An American in Liverpool
    Beauty Ling
    Lovely Ling
    The Demerys
    The Keenes
    Talented Katie
    Tom and Katie
    Zoe's Culinary Adventures

    Archives

    June 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.