Beach

The hour or so we live from the coast is enough to limit the amount of time we spend there. It's just not something we do very often. But whenever we get there, as we did this week on a visit to a favourite aunty, I find myself wondering if the beach might suit us more than these rolling green hills we currently call home.

Long Weekending

I do believe we achieved everything we set out to (if you ignore the vegetable garden putting-together bit). What a weekend! Glorious autumny-ness all around with blue sunny days, but enough chill to require the fire late yesterday. We ate and ate and ate with old friends and new. There was a visit from the Easter bunny, and new jammies for little people. I spent plenty of time in the kitchen - lots of this bread and another attempt at that unbelievable tart. Knitting was achieved, oh, yes, it was. And we rounded it all off with a visit to the 'seaside' with some dear old pals today.

Any chance we can have a long weekend every weekend?

Beach Holiday Part Two - The Sandwich

It's not a real beach holiday without at least one prawn sanger during the week. One a day is even better.

Step 1 - get yourself lots and lots of fresh local prawns.

Step 2 - dedicate a very large part of your morning to peeling them. Don't worry, it's worth it.

Step 3 - make a 'cocktail' sauce with a few dollops of good quality mayo, a squirt or two of tomato sauce, a squeeze of lemon juice and some cracked pepper.

Step 4 - combine the sauce with the prawns.

Step 5 - butter some white sliced bread. It must be white. Spoon on a generous helping of prawns. You can add lettuce if you're feeling virtuous.

Step 6 - serve with a glass of something cool and refreshing. Go on, you're on holidays.

Beach Holiday Part One - Sand

Bakin'

Baby, it's hot out there. The three monkeys and I hit the beach this morning, then back home for a lazy afternoon and a bit of airconditioning!

There's been a little project under way here - baking, styling AND photographing - for my friend who works at the Cancer Council. She thinks I'm helping her out, but little does she know what a kick I get out of it. More about it, and a recipe or two, soon.

And home again...

Want to give a pair of city-weary folk with an itch to head for the hills and start a new life in the country a reason to speed up the plans? Send them for a few days to stay in a beautiful house in the trees, a stone's throw from the perfect kid-friendly beach, with a zoo up the road and only 10 k's from a nice little mid-size town. Now if we could only find this place an hour or two from here rather than five.

The beach at the end of the street

Gratuitous cute matching-pair photo

Giraffe

Channeling Soulemama and knitting on the beach

Daddy-cuddle

That's ocean through the bush seen from the verandah of 'our' house.

Beach