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Birthday Girl
Yes, I am the birthday girl! And I was lucky enough to have almost the entire weekend being celebrated, not just on the Saturday. I come home Friday after work and Ambrose surprise me at the door with a Crispy Cream doughnut cake. I blow out the candles and made my intention. I dont really believe in wish, luck and stuff like that anymore.
Then I got my presents, a new phone which was fantastic since I have been dragging around 2 phones like a drug-dealer for some time now. On top of that Ambrose had booked a hotel night and made reservation at la Brasserie de Entrecote. This was one of my all time favorite restaurants when living in Barcelona. We ate there on average 3 times a week. So I was extremely excited to hear they had opened one in Sydney. Cannot think of a better birthday dinner.
But Ambrose also took me out on that night to dinner at a amazing Italian place close to us. It was such a surprise. The atmosphere, the food, the service. All dreams coming true for this birthday girl 🙂 If you are after good Italian food go here.After a lot of unhealthy (haha) carbs and a lot of red wine we moved on to yet another surprisingly amazing place. Cocktails at ReviveR.
I honestly had the best birthday. Love Ambrose for making my birthday so much fun. We will for sure come back to both these places.
Oh, maybe I should explain. The reason we did not celebrate my birthday on the actual day – Saturday was because I was going to a friends baby-shower and Ambrose was going to a bux party.
It was good because after the baby shower we all went out and I got a mini birthday celebration with song and cake and champagne from our friends. So all good, not bad for a birthday girl who thought nothing would happen on her birthday this year!
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Holiday in Jervis Bay
Last Friday after work we drove off to for a mini holiday in Jervis Bay. Its about 4 hour drive from Sydney so a perfect weekend holiday destination.
I left earlier than Ambrose. Got a lift with my boss Jessica, She was going to the same destination for one of our colleagues wedding – such a coincidence that we were going to have a holiday in Jervis Bay at the exact same weekend!
The weather in Jervis Bay is always a bit unstable. But we had such a good time. Oh by the way, we went to stay with our friends Bart and Kali. And little Ruben of course.
Ruben loved Ambrose clapping games. look how fascinated he is of Ambrose 🙂
Doing our best to catch Rubens attention for a picture. Did not go well…
Eating is a very important part of holidays. Trust everyone agrees hahaha
I picked pork, poached eggs, crispy leeks and hollandaise sause on grilled bagels. Very tasty!
Saturday spent at Hyams beach in Jervis Bay 
Sunday spent at another white sand beach in Jervis Bay.. 
It was starting to rain on the Sunday. Here we are prepping our-self’s before jumping into crystal clear water. 
It was fresh to say the least. Freezing our tits off but worth it! Sitting at home now, I cannot wait until our next holiday in Jervis Bay. If you are after more places around Jervis Bay, have a look at my post South Coast here
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Food
I have been trying to cook more food at home. There is something about home cooked food. charming, cozy and yummy.
This is what our dinner from last night. Home cooked chicken soup. Maybe it doesn’t look like the tastiest food but I love food like this.But then we have all the variety of food you can get when eating at restaurants. I have to say that Australia, well they really deliver when it comes to fantastic restaurants serving great food.
There is not many times during my almost 6 years in Australia that I have been disappointment when it comes to eating out.
Last Sunday, after I woke up early from Anastasia’s crazy hens party ,
Ambrose and I drove back to Terrigal for some breakfast. Food was all I could think about after that Saturday. We found a new restaurant called Island Time Espresso Bar .
Look at my poke’ bowel! They had a variety of poke’ bowls, I choose one with tuna. Maybe not the most common breakfast food but after a short walk and a almond latte it was time for this for sure! Ambrose had the slow coooked porc toast with poached egg and hollandaise sauce.
After all the food we walked around for a bit. Terrigal is great, if you haven’t been I do recommend visiting. The place is filled with a beautiful beach, good food, and an all around charming atmosphere. I love their narrow alleys filled with flowers!
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Anastasia’s Hens Party in Hunter Valley
On Saturday it was Anastasia’s big day. Well, not THE big dag but her hens party. Anastasia is Ambrose little sister so I was extra excited to go attend this hens party. We all were instructed by Elise, the bade of honor and the hens part organizer, to be at Mans Street at 8:45 in the morning.
The private bus she had organized was leaving 9 am sharp she wrote on the hens part wall on Facebook. I was on time, Ambrose and I had some breakfast and coffees before . I knew I needed all the strength I could get haha.The bus did of course not leave on time. But it was all good. The plan was a whole day of wine tasting at different wineries in Hunter Valley. Half way in the day it was time for lunch at a beautiful location. Most of Hunter Valley is beautiful actually. Too bad I did not take any pictures from the lunch.
I actually dont have a lot of pictures from this hens party. Just a few you I scrambled together here in this post.
After about 7 hours of vine tasting in Hunter Valley, vodka shots on the bus and alot of games games the bus took us to Terrigal. The bridesmaids had organized an AirBnb for after-party.
I stayed for an hour or so before asking Ambrose to pick me up for drunk kebabs and to tell him the all the crazy things that happens at the hens party.
I like going out but I love coming back home.
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Working from home
Good afternoon journal! I just got out of the shower and tried my best to perform a blow-dry on myself. Cant wait to have my own hairdresser! Now I am lying in the guestroom waiting for my new body oil to soak in – I bought the Bio-Oil to try.
Waiting for Ambrose to come home so we can have dinner. He comes home different time almost every day since he became a manager so we never have dinner at a set time. I had a nice lunch with organic minced meet and organic spinach leafs. Topped of with cherry tomatoes, red onion, red and greed capsicum and lemon and olive-oil dressing. Simple but nice. And again, cannot wait until all my groceries are organic. Some girls want new handbags, I want organic groceries.
I have been working from home today as well. So nice because I am not feeling all great. But I managed to get myself to the gym this morning which I love.
Tomorrow I am back to the office and during my lunch-break I have an appointment I will be sharing more of soon. But I am exited.
xx
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Sunday morning and family lunch
Here are some pictures from our Sunday. Ambrose And Capa left early morning, before the sun was up for to catch some waves. I tried sleeping in after they left but I couldn’t. I always struggle with that. sleeping longer because I know its good for me or waking up early because I dont want to waste time sleeping. Constant battle and usually waking up early wins for me. Having my coffee in a cafe that just has opened ( so not busy) with the first light of sun streaming in the windows. The smell of freshly baked croissants. Watching people as the buy their morning papers. Hearing the city slowly waking up. The traffic has not yes started so you can actually hear some birds behind all the city buzz.
I may be weird but often I find myself longing for the night to be over so I can do my morning routine.
I guess I got out of track here a little bit. Sunday! Well I could not go back to sleep after Ambrose kissed me goodbye before they left. So I got up and meditated. Then I drove to our local cafe to enjoy my coffee talk to my family. 2 hours later I met Ambrose and the Capa for breakfast. They told me all their crazy surf stories.
These stories always makes me regret the fact that I have not yet started my surfing practice. Which is really sad. I mean, I basically have a surf teacher 24/7. Oh well, nothing good comes out of regret. I just need to get my ass out into the water next time he goes in. Its that simple. Why are sometimes the simple stuff the hardest?
Anastasia ( Ambrose sister) asked on the family group chat if we all wanted to have lunch together at the new Vietnamese restaurant. It was nice because everyone could make it which is not often. Afterwards we walked to the greatest plant shop I ever seen. I drooled over this giant plant called “elephant ear” and then we drove home for an early night in out bed.
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My White Tantric Yoga with strangers experience
A few years ago when I was living in Barcelona I was in a low place in my life. Not bad place, I just was not contempt. I had lost my apartment, my stuff and everything in between. Basically from one day to another my life as I knew it had changed. I was renting a room in the city that was far from what I used to live in. I never made dinner, just bough something from a restaurant on my way home from work and I just was not positive.
One day at yoga class I met a girl who was just visiting Barcelona and she told me about White Tantric Yoga. It is like a workshop, where you preform these long yoga poses. I remember one of the “poses” we help for 45 minutes !!
It is all done in one very large group. If I am not wrong I think we must have been a couple of hundred people in that place in Barcelona. You have to wear all white and you have to cover the top of your head. It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever done.
The part that had the biggest effect on me ( besides entering this place and thinking I had mistakenly joint a cult and I would be stuck here for ever) was the very first exerciser. We all were asked to stand in a double giant circle facing each-other. The only thing we needed to do was to hover our hand over the person across from us and then when the bell rang, step to the left to do the same with the next person.
Its not a big deal but I dont think anyone has experienced the power, the effect and the intensity coming with starring for what felt like a long time into a strangers eyes. Never the less hundreds of strangers.
I never think about this my White Tantric Yoga experience anymore. It was many years ago and it is just something I did to try it out. End of story.
But today I came across a video on Youtube where they were asking strangers “What’s the most painful thing you’ve been told? The camera is filming these strangers up close and if you concentrate you can really see into their eyes. And you can almost feel the pain they are describing.
And this is just a stranger, not someone who is close to you. And I got the same intense and powerful feeling.
So maybe we all are One. Maybe the eyes are the way into the soul.
Reflecting time on the Yoga mat.
This is at one of my favorite hotels I have even been to.
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My weekend in pictures
Here are another my weekend in pictures – or more accurate, here is my Saturday in pictures. Ambrose and Capa got up around 5 in the morning to surfing. It was pitch black outside, they needed to climb this steep giant hill for 20 minutes one way to get to the surf . They told me later on that they saw a enormous spider on the way down so yes, I am delighted that I did not go with them.
Instead I went to one of my favorite cafe’s The Good Bits had an almond flat white and spoke to my sister Hanie for 2 hours.
Then I met the boys at another cafe for my favorite breakfast – a Mademoiselle.
After breakfast we went snorkeling, watched more surf as you can tell from this picture and went back to our house to hang out with Leonard, Ambrose brother who came to visit .
We were getting ready to go see a soccer game – I dont even know who were playing. Manly and Eastern Suburbs? Is that what it was? Either way, I ended up not going but went out with them for a couple of drinks at the new brewery that has recently opened. Very nice vibe in there, I should have taken some more pictures today but had too much fun. Instead I can offer a selfie of me and my curly hair. That’s it – sorry.
I love this stadium. As a matter of fact I love all the stadiums I have seen in the world. The bigger the better. They have such powerful, majestic feeling to them – or is it just me ? This one is super nice because it is by the water, surrounded by palm threes. How cool is that!
That´s about it for this Saturday, so far at least. The last part of the evening yet to come. This is the cocktail I invented yesterday while we were having a board games night. Its whiskey and some fizzy raspberry drink with no sugar. That is what I had at home. And I took the bottles out now because I think I will make myself one Saturday night cocktail right now.
Ambrose and Cape will be home in a while and I think it will be cocktails and monopoly tonight as well. Love games.
Tomorrow I think we have a swim and a surf followed by breakfast. I LOVE eating breakfast out in case anyone had not noticed. Also very excited to go back into the ocean. Summer is soon over so want to use every chance I have to be in the water. In the afternoon I think we have plans for a family lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant that just opened.
