Olde Stoney at Olde Straddie

Olde Stoney
Originally uploaded by haydnfj

It's New Year's Eve at Point Lookout, Stradbroke Island, Queensland. Haydn and I will be heading to the Point Lookout Bowls club shortly for a pub meal and some 'classic rock' tunes from a cover band. And...we'll likely be in bed by 11, I'd say.

We've been moving at the leisurely island pace, getting into a nice routine of wake up > raisin bran > morning chat shows > run on the beach (tara) > morning swim > lunch > Black Books DVDs > afternoon swim > shower > snacks > dinner > early to bed.

Haydn has been the dinner chef and meals have included spicy, blackened chicken wings on the grill and a mushroom and asparagus risotto.

As we are the only two here, there is not the usual Bruce Johnston curated 5pm happy hour, nor of course am I on the NZ Sav Blanc this year with baby due in May. So instead, I have turned to a classic, Kirks Old Stoney Ginger Beer.

I love this brand of soft drinks. The graphic design is quaint and there is plenty of olde timey flavours - cream soda, ginger beer, ginger ale, passion fruit. It's an Australian original (now owned by Coca Cola, but what can ya do?) and the Ginger Beer is such a nice happy medium between ginger ale and root beer. Refreshing, mild and not too soda poppy.

We start our road trip back to Sydney tomorrow and I'm a bit melancholy about it. Just when you start to really get into the groove of island life, it's time to head back to the real world.

Happy 2010.


- chunkytoast

Christmas day in the hot sun

Christmas day cricket in the madras shorts
Originally uploaded by haydnfj

Merry Christmas, actually Happy Boxing Day as it's the evening of the 26th. It was a hot and humid Christmas in Queensland, but really there is something to be said for a post-Christmas lunch swim. I did a bit of Sing Star with my niece Ainsley, and then we took a cool down in the pool.

Meanwhile, in the front yard, Haydn and Ryan were playing a bit of cricket. Haydn donned his madras shorts that I gave him that morning. And, there he is in action.

Tomorrow...we head to Straddie for a bit of rancho relaxo!

- chunkytoast

Need sprinkles stat!

need sprinkles stat!
Originally uploaded by haydnfj

Baking cookies can take it out of you. At least it can when you have an oven heated up to 350 F/ 176 C on a balmy Sunday night. This is not a hardship that Martha Stewart has to face at her Connecticut estate, I imagine.

The cookies are yummy if not overly 'food styled'. I think they'll taste just as good bc of the key ingredients of butter and sugar.

It's a first time recipe I am trying from over at Better Homes and Gardens.

All that's left now is some gift wrapping, a couple days of work, and some packing and we are in the car and heading north...


Merry Christmas!