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Well known fact – American coffee is UGH. Lesser known fact – American tea is mysteriously but equally UGH. What’s up with that? An enormous tin can of Chock full’o Nuts is doing its job of keeping me lucid through the ‘zombie hour’ (right about now- 1200 GMT New York = 0200 GMT+10 Sydney) but,…
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pre-peratives
Pre-theatre drinkies of a Dirty Orange Martini and Perrier-Jouet Champagne (by the glass!) with a pre-theatre snack of fennel sausage and goat cheese salad. There was a bewildering array of wait staff mysteriously coded in variations of black ties, black shirts, white vests and white shirts that placed them in hospitality hierarchy (water server, bus…
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Upper West- Tasty Snack Attack
Paul had an egg salad sandwich on rye (boring!) and noticed that he seasoned it liberally with extra salt (thus proving my aforementioned appraisal). I had potato and broccoli knish and their “world famous” cheese blintz with apple butter and cream cheese. It was pretty good for a second breakfast. My first breakfast consisted of…
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The Reuben
It’s some kind of divine combination of – an inordinate amount of deli sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut wedged between slices of marbled rye bread fried in butter swimming in Thousand Island dressing and then, wait for it, served with a side of coleslaw and sweet potato fries. American food… so simple and…
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mug shot
I should hope that if I’m ever arrested I should look so glamorous. That way I could turn my not-so-happy-snap into a commemorative mug. (See above).
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Love & Fear
I am coining 2 new words. heuretixenocomestiphilia – the love of discovering foreign foods while travelling. heuretixenocomestiphobia – the fear of discovering food stuffs that you will not be able to find in your local supermarket although there might be an outside chance of seeing it at a Thomas Dux or Simon Johnson’s (selling at…
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I just lost 12 hours of my life and I want them back. What the hell happened?
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Serge must have thought he’d died and gone to heaven. So have I, retrogasm is on a Birken-et-Bardot-athon. Nothing beats black and white nude photography to accompany delirium on a cold and lonely night. retrogasm: Birkin and Bardot
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thingsorganizedneatly: SUBMISSION: Life at Sri Aurobindo Ashram, New Delhi. I should get around to taking un foto a la “Las Cosas Pálidamente Organizadas” for mi vacancias en Buenos Aires. I wish mis gafas were that cool. Ditto wishing for naranjas. Where are all the naranjas en esta ciudad? You would think they imported Califonian Navels…
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no maple syrup
Un restaurant de panqueques muy cerca pero no maple syrup, que lastima! Tibia de manzana por desayuno…
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all roads lead to…
I’ve just come back from residential school where most of my kilojoule intake comes in the form of a variety of ‘value meals’ from McDonalds. Not that there’s a lack of good food in New England. But it is the one time of the year that I can indulge my taste for high-fat, sugary, low-nutrient…
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anti-ageing foods
I am eating a no-fat, artificially sweetened tub of yogurt in “Berry Cheesecake” flavour that I bought 2 days ago. In Armidale! And left in my hire car. And forgot to take out of my bag on the flight home. And forgot to unpack and discard or place in the refrigerator. And took to work today. And failed…
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absent present
Well, guess who got home from the airport and found a present wrapped in shiny black paper and gold ribbon on the kitchen counter? Yours truly is now superfluously kitted out with a brand-spanking new, iPad 2 (that makes a rather pleasing rhyme too), the first delivery in North Sydney according to the courier. I downloaded Garageband for a paltry…
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I woke up this morning and this is what I looked like. Now I have Lovecats as an interminable ritournelle going round and round in my head.
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l’heure déjeuner
CANBERRA INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL 2010Tamara Anna Cislowska, pianoPeter Sculthorpe, narratorPeter Sculthorpe Sonatina: Movts 1 and 2 4’52Falla Love, the Magician: Ritual Fire Dance 1’52Peter Sculthorpe Djilile 5’00Mompou Landscapes 12’00Granados Vals poetico No 6 1’00Peter Sculthorpe Little Passacaglia 2’48Mompou Secreto 2’00Albeniz Tango 2’42Peter Sculthorpe Night Pieces: Night; Stars 5’08Mompou Musica callada (Music of Silence) 1’22Mompou Charmes…
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Functional Assessment
Functional Assessment of Alcohol Consumption for Self-managed Behaviour Modification Project Functional Assessment
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in the month of May
J’ai vu New YorkNew York USAJe n’avais rien vu d’auJe n’avais rien vu d’aussi hautOh ! C’est haut, c’est haut New YorkNew York USA Empire State Building (Oh ! C’est haut!)Rockfeller Centre (Oh ! C’est haut!)International Building (Oh ! C’est haut!)Waldorf Astoria (Oh ! C’est haut!)Panamerican Building (Oh ! C’est haut!)Bank of Manhattan (Oh !…
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why
We have art in order not to die of the truth. When one is having an awful day with nothing but travails and unnecessary upsets, it’s nice to find some comfort in the words of my favourite philosopher on suffering. No, not Buddha but dear old Freddy Nietzsche.
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marrypotter: ‘Travel Plans’ made using a paper map by artist Brian Dettmer Source: briandettmer.com
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I got up to put on some pyjama pants. I got up to put on a long sleeve top. I got up to put on a jumper. I got up to put on some socks Is it really that cold?
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wow, it’s the future
I have a brand new computer at work. So now I’m on Windows 7! It’s awesome- it hasn’t changed my user experience at all! It seems almost exactly the same (functionally) as XP! Except things look a little more like my Mac OS. So it’s doubly familiar. Sadly the network firewall, my monitor and all the cool browser plug-ins…
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Perfect con Parfait
We went to Delicado for dinner (Or was it supper? Whatever it was, it was right before bedtime.) I had a rabbit Parfait what wasn’t that great but the accompanying wine recommended by sommelier Moechtar was such a nice surprise. From the north of Spain, it was the kind of Old World wine I miss.…
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Year of the White Rabbit
Anyone up for the opening tonight? If you’re lucky, we might be able to see some of the art from the outside… Year of the White Rabbit
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all day breakfast begins
Leftover sandwiches from yesterday’s board of directors meeting. Toasted. Hell yes. But the question remains, what to do with the wilted lettuce?
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So he was no Fats Waller but Gwilym Simcock is pretty all right on the piano. We saw him play at the Sound Lounge, organised by SIMA. The very dexterous and earnest fellow shared his birthday cake with the audience (a black forest cake covered in cream, for those interested). Happy 30th birthday Gwilym! At…
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ready for my close-up
5.30 am breakfast and straight to the radiologist!
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stomach contraction = time dilation
Instant ramen noodles… why you no ready to eat now? Beyond not being instant (unless you like eating them in their dry, hard format sprinkled with the powdery contents of the flavour sachet), ‘instant ramen noodles’ prepared correctly on a stove, are too hot to eat. So I am blogging about this while waiting for…
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Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant!
I just found the funniest website in the world. Utinam logica falsa tuam philosophiam totam suffodiant!
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pays dividends in friendship and family fun
PLAYING THE PIANO PAYS DIVIDENDS IN FRIENDSHIP AND FAMILY FUN! “What are your children doing this evening? Ask the parent of a child who plays the piano—ask what a blessed comfort it is when home is ‘hangout’ for the youngsters!” Other postcards in this piano series:Piano For Busy PeopleYour Child’s Gateway to Adult HappinessNo Thrill…
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Sydney Cycle Chic sees Gainsbourg tonight. I got my stripey shirt, I need a baguette.
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Year of the Rabbit
It’s the Year of Rabbit and I narrowly escaped becoming roadkill, cycling to work this morning as a man threw his car door open in front of me. Up until that point I had thought I was doing so well on my maiden commute with my brand new cleats. Sadly, at that exact point in time, maybe somewhere between…
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double the fun
Whoops- I’m registered for the 2 kilometre swim. and not able to change to the 1km. My rash top, goggles and ear plugs are still locked in my car. Will I make this swim in a bikini? Or will I have be carted off by a life guard due to a wardrobe malfunction?
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A lovely evening on the water. I drank too much Pinot, ate too many crackers and didn’t go for a swim.
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Yikes
Saturday 5 FebruarySummary Min 25 Max 36 Mostly sunny. Metropolitan area. Partly cloudy. Winds northerly averaging up to 20 km/h tending northwesterly up to 30 km/h during the morning. Yikes
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bad dialogue
The air conditioner and a cold Coopers in hand could not the redeem this Jim-Cam production. I was less stoic at this Popcorn Taxi (former session- Red Hill) and walked out just as the freakish storm hit (it’s a cyclone of epic proportions- gasp!), thus narrowly avoiding the natural disaster that begets an inevitable torrent…
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mindful and mindless and minding my own damn business
somnifère et ses somnifrères ne travaillent pas cette nuit
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Ageing exercise in oenology. Instructions – Open bottle, decant, pour back in the bottle and leave for 3 days. Open another bottle. Drink and compare. Just my kind of scientific experimentation.
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Galang
I made myself a new pre-gig aperitif – 1 part Pimms 1 part scotch 1 part muscat I like, I like… I’m calling it the the Galang as a tribut to M.I.A!
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Awful weird rash. Suspects – Moo (the neighbour’s cat)? Bed bugs from Fiji? Vege chips? Mosquitoes? A contiguous correlation appears to indicate 3.
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de Bortoli Pinot Noir – quite all right with African
de Bortoli Pinot Noir – quite all right with African
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public parks
Bring back the futuristic showroom! I think Sydney needs a deluxe mega-carpark. Right where the toaster is or Blues Point Tower.
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The desk that did my back in. What was once the find of a century is now like a curse that can’t be undone. The last time I felt this defeated by a piece of furniture was hauling my iron-frame piano out of a skinny terrace on Jones Street with a broken collarbone.
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testing in bed
Photo Booth – iPhoto – (imported to the recently downloaded app.) Picasa 3.8 – directly posted to Blogger. Flickr account expires on the 2 days, to renew or let it expire?
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a pinch and a punch
Okay, it’s 3pm. I have to get out of the house now. I feel like I’m made out of cardboard. I can’t turn my neck. A slow and arduous journey to the doctor and the chemist. I’m starving…
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What the hell did I have to do?
“I used to have a good memory…” I hear this quite often. Most people seem to have quite a high estimation of their past ability to recall things than they are able to remember presently. But as I like to note, there are different types of memory and one thing I have noticed is that,…
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‘snoozey’ the hot toddy best served cold for a sleepless summer night…
[1 part x Pimms + 1 part x Scotch + 2 parts x brewed iced earl grey tea (unsweetened)] (+1 x stilnox = guaranteed zzzz’s)
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Mixed nuts for lunch
Maree got me half a kilo of mixed nuts which I’ve eaten. I eat them in a very specific order- The coated peanuts. The seasoned corn. The roasted and salted almonds. The hazelnuts. The cashews. The regular peanuts. Now I don’t feel so well. Mostly just very thirsty. Brazil nuts and walnuts are yucky.
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Cortile – a good pizza find for a late night on Sunday
Points in its favour – Kitchen still open at 9.30. (Is it that late?) Tasty topping and crunchy pizza base. Nice wait staff. Antinori ‘Santa Cristina’ Sangiovese Tuscany, Which made up for the – Lack of roquette. Peeing in the dark (the dead light bulb in the bathroom). Eating too much before bedtime so now…
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size matters
bad-postcards: SIZE KING My crab leg’s bigger than your crab leg. WAKEFIELD’s King Crab Legs
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interstitial
This is a synapse. It just goes to show, the fun stuff happens in the interstices. Les espaces quelconques. Tu sais qu’est-ce que je veux dire?
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Fictitional Adjective #1
J: What is it? me: a J: A rave me: GOLD PANDA J: Techno Listening now. Stuttering Samples me: http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2011/All-Events/Gold-Panda-Djanimals-kyu-FBi-Night-Becks-Festival-Bar/ like fourtet not as good but danceable danceable!
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herbacious
I’m still thinking about that word. I’m also thinking about epistolary, I would like to use both these words in a conversation tomorrow. I will have to engineer a situation that requires an unusually eloquent discussion on wine and maybe literary figures of the 20th century. I will also endeavour to produce 5 adjectives from…
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solo dinner
Half a wheel of divinely ripe and runny Camembert with rye bread and a few glasses of Bordeaux, Château L’escart 2007. La vie est chic et pas chère!
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too hot to
If you can’t handle the kitchen… Get out of the kitchen. Thomas Maxim Fegent
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54 bottles of wine in my office.
More wines from auction! I had the Montepulciano yesterday and it is very decent. Today I had better take some boxes home. It looks a bit weird having wine stacked up in my office at work. These are the wines I purchased really cheaply online. Pithy (however uneducated) reviews and recommendation to come. Read the blurbs that…
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Damn fine coffee in the morning…
Bubbling in a percolator is Lavassa Crema y Gusto with Organic Malt Free Soy Milk heated and foaming in a Turkish brikki… so good it’s the only thing worth blogging about at 5 in the morning.
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festival first night
I love Sydney Festival First Night. It reminds me of Paris’ Fête de la Musique where all the streets have concerts or busking musicians and people dance with the wild abandon, poor co-ordination and that devil-may-care confidence that the French possess, for one long, summery night in June. Despite the crowds, the chaos in the Metro,…
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hybrid hi jinx
I went into the bike shop wanting to spend at most $500 on a women’s hybrid/mountain bike with suspension (preferably black) so I could go on the fire trails through Kuringai National Park, I walked out with a $1000 men’s road bike (silver) with a rigid frame that promises to take me from Waverton to…
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Hugo et Sophie
What the hell. I bought a Christmas present this year! A chew toy for my adorable nephew.
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Boca
Norteñas – Filled with spicy meat and potatoes; Cebolla & Roquefort – Filled with onions, mozzarella and blue cheese; Parrillada completa Ribs – Rump – Inside skirt steak – spicy sausage – Blood sausage – Sweetbread ; Butter lettuce Salad – with thinly sliced Spanish onions dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and salt; Crispy…
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Xmas Shopping all under the one roof…
Majella Sparkling Shiraz Perrier Jouet Champ Grand Brut Jacobs Creek St Hugo Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Tahbilk Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 d’Arenberg High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon Petaluma Croser Vintage Sparkling Kalleske Pirathon Shiraz St Johns Road Blood & Courage Shiraz Katnook Founders Block Cabernet Sauvignon Cockfighters Ghost Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 Knappstein Clare Valley Chardonnay 2008
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Sugar and ADHD
This might explain the jelly beans, the chocolate bars, ice-cream, biscuits and soft drink. Maybe. Sugar and ADHD
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Rating a 3.24 on Happiness today.
Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Developed by psychologists Michael Argyle and Peter Hills, 2002. I don’t feel particularly pleased with the way I am. ® _____ I am intensely interested in other people. _____ I feel that life is very rewarding. _____ I have very warm feelings towards almost everyone. _____ I rarely wake up feeling rested.…
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Old Folks’ Home
The moment I got up and stepped onto the floor this morning a sharp pain shot through my right foot. I limped down the hall to the bathroom. Then I remembered that yesterday I spent the day at my parents house. That I had packed up a bunch of my old things and took them…
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Porteno
CEVICHE PERUANO Kingfish Ceviche, corn, cucumber, sweet potato and bottarga TORTILLA DE ZAPALLITO CON QUESO DE CABRA Tortilla of Squash, Zucchini & Goats Cheese BIFE DE CHORIZO Coorong Angus Sirloin Torrontes 2008 Serrera Del Pecado Tupungato Mendoza 2008 Domaine Jean Bousquet Chardonnay (Argentina, Mendoza, Valle de Uco, Tupungato 2006 Alma Negra Misterios Malbec Blend Rivadavia…
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too old for this
At work, slightly hungover, salami sandwich for breakfast, ringing in my ears. Now I want a muffin, a big Grumpy Baker blueberry muffin…. Why didn’t I take the train this morning?
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welcome party
MU561 DEPARTING FROM: Shanghai (PVG) 12/3/10 8:20 PM (+08:00) ARRIVING IN: Sydney, New South Wales (SYD) 12/4/10 10:00 AM (+11:00) International Terminal 1
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Damn I make a good coffee…
Last night alone! To celebrate I made myself a coffee! Steel percolator, gas stove top, Lavassa Crema Gusto and Australian Organic Malt Free soy milk heated in my little briki and teaspoon of honey… divine. I’m modest too.
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Anyone up for Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings? Tonight!? (Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
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3 star lunch for 3 star staff
<p>All you can eat Turkish food for lunch! Mixed grill a little tough and no haloumi today, but tasty all the same when the boss is paying…</p> 3 star lunch for 3 star staff
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Oh My Goodness
Double scoop of Chocolate & Absinthe and Figs in Marsala in a cone. Peach Amaretti and Dulce de Leche so good it makes me want to cry. Oh My Goodness
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Zushi
Tasty but slow to bring out the food. Salmon karage salad, spinach salad, mini udon noodle soup, tempura scallops and average Pepik pinot noir. Oh, and my favourite – mushy Japanese rice. Zushi
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sweet charity
1 x mug of Earl Grey tea with soy milk; 2 x soy flat whites; 1 x medium Granny Smith apple; 1 cup x berry muesli with soy milk; 2 x slices dry raisin toast (homage to Paul); 2 pieces of mince lamb pie (thank you Ensaff!) with rocket salad (balsamic and olive oil dressing);…
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Bills, my folks and the Winery
Soy flat white; Bircher muesli; 2 x wholegrain toast with vegemite and butter; Tom Yum soup and white rice; 2 x wholegrain toast with butter and orange marmalade; 2 x Earl Grey tea with milk; extra large Snickers bar; 4 chocolate chip cookies; hot chocolate; lamb cheeseburger with French fries and tomato sauce; strawberries and…
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wine o’clock
At Gazebo, image test by JTD of AFR. Question- how good are the bad photos? Is it unreasonable to want a point-and-shoot that exposes correctly, in-focus and white balanced when all you’re capable of is pressing a button?
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a-bismol
Diet coke does not work as well as un trou Normand. I was saved again by Thomas who pushed me out the door as I was about to order a Black Forest Torte (I had managed to surreptitiously saunter into the Hellenic Bakery as he ordered a coffee next door at the Glasshouse Cafe. I…
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cake in the morning
Someone gave me two little pieces of cake, witha crumbling shortbread texture, covered in icing sugar with a candied nuts inside- one pistachio, the other was filled with walnuts I think. They were so good. I despaired for having eaten them so fast and wondered how I will ever taste such manna from heaven again.…
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runny eggs and mushy fish
The legendary cod pate with mussels and a poached egg. Ordered ahead sipping wine and waiting for table.
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