Halloween

We've had a great Halloween...

 

 

Yesterday the kids helped me carve the pumpkins.

 

 

Today we strung up garish green spider webs with big black furry spiders and dotted the front steps with our jack'o'lanterns.

 

 

Harry went on his first ever trick or treating expedition around the neighborhood with our next door neighbors. He was so excited and I was just a little bit wistful watching him walk down the street holding Sam's hand while the other big kids ran ahead. Still so little but at the same time, so grown up. He had a blast and came back with a bag full of loot to share with his baby brother.

 

 

For the first time ever we had a steady stream of trick or treaters come knocking on our door from late afternoon until 8pm..and nearly all of them were in costume. They'd really gone to a lot of effort and looked great! Usually we'd get a dozen or so kids, this year we had so many we were cleaned out of lollies by 7pm and I felt terrible having to turn away some of the most adorable little witches and superheros emptyhanded.

 

 

I know that many Aussies grumble and gripe that its an American holiday, we shouldn't be celebrating it. But I say humbug! It actually orignated in the UK and Ireland. We celebrate Easter, Christmas and NYE, why not Halloween?

 

 

 

It was fun chatting to others from our neighborhood...the kids had a great time and there was a real sense of community spirit. Life is too short to be so cynical...so cheers and Happy Halloween Everyone!

xx Em

 

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Holy Smoques

Its a week later than promised but we finally managed to get to Smoque for our date night on Thursday. Attach your bibs and prepare to drool!

 

 

I picked up Hubby from work and we headed to this little gem of an American Bar tucked away in the city. I'd purposefully skipped lunch in anticipation of dinner...yes, I was that excited!

We rocked up at 7:30 & requested a couple of seats at the bar.

 

 

I ordered a G&T, Hubby went for a Samuel Adams and it took us all of about three seconds to decide to go for the BBQ Trifecta and Vegetable platters.

Sweet Mary Jane...it was a carnival of carnivorous delight.

 

And a veritable vege patch of pleasure!

 

 

You know what's great about going out on a date with the person you've been partners with for 13 years? The ability to sit and feast without the need for chit chat to fill the space.

Do you know what's great about going out on a date to a BBQ bar...the casualness of the joint. Rolls of paper towel on the counter, self serve cutlery if you don't feel like using your fingers and friendly staff.

 

 

We loved feeling completely comfortable just hanging out on bar stools, knees touching, reaching over each other as we tried different parts of the platter, with the occasional lipsmacking exclamation of "oh that is awesome, you have to try that" escaping from our lips.

 

 

Not really the stuff of first dates, not sure you'd impress a future partner with bbq sauce on your chin...but for those foodies who are all about flavour, this is one hell of a jackpot!

 

 

It was fun and laid back and completely delicious!

And because it was a night for being naughty...

 

 

Sweet Treats.

I'm kind of wishing now that we'd gone for the peanut butter and bacon icecream but the pecan pie was calling our name and we had to answer!

 

 

And answer we did...

 

We will definitely be back...

xx Em

 

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A hazy lazy Sunday

We went for a leisurely peddle along the foreshore of Lake Burleigh Griffin this morning.

 

 

With a pit stop at The Fort in Commonwealth Park...

 

Then back on the bikes along the bridge, past lily pads and iris.

 

 

And the odd Black Swan...or three.

 

 

Time enough on the way back for a peek at the beautiful Blundells Cottage, tucked away amongst the foliage just a stone's throw from the lake's edge.

 

 

Harry scored a bonus stickybeak at a fire engine, (while Mummy scored a bonus stickybeak at the calendar worthy firefighters) which/who happened to pull up beside us in the car park just as we were loading the bikes.

 

 

Such a lovely end to our outing, but these last few photos are also very timely. It's been an early and ominous start to the bushfire season this year. For the past couple of days Canberra and Queanbeyan have been shrouded in smoke haze that has drifted hundreds of kilometers south from the raging bushfires west of Sydney around the Lower Blue Mountains. My heart goes out to the hundreds who have lost their homes already and my thoughts are with friends still in areas very much under threat. Its been ten years since Canberra was savaged by a massive firestorm.

 

It happened three years before we moved here but I remember how the western slopes looked when we arrived and there are still a few tell tale signs today, though most of the affected areas have well & truly regenerated.

 

Listening to the Firefighters chatting this morning was sobering. I think we're all hoping to be spared the horror of what many others are currently enduring but wary that it may well happen in this area again.

Stay safe this season peeps, have a Bushfire Survival Plan in place and if you can, please give what you can to your local Rural Fire Service.

 

xx Em

 

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