I’ve been the recipient of many surprises of late, given my birthday celebrations which seemed to have spanned close to a month now! being far from home means there have been pre and post birthday celebrations as well as an actual birthday outing in canberra. the things I miss most about sydney all came to me at once this weekend. friends made a trip to visit and brought with them a bucket of cookie man cookies, an oversized box of sparkle cupcakes, oysters and prawns. living in the state’s largest inland city, I could not have been more overjoyed by the sight of so much seafood.
another year, another very chocolatey cake. for the past two years my brothers have set aside half a day sometimes more to make an elaborate birthday cake for me. last year it was a black forest cake (as requested), only one that required a cross-section diagram to complete. it looked like an oversized hamburger upon completion. this year, I received a strange text the day before my family birthday bbq, asking which out of an iced vovo, mint slice or tim tam I rated as my favourite biscuit. the next day, the presented me with an oversized tim tam cake, perfectly replicated inside and out. I carried leftovers home to Wagga and was pretty devastated when it was all eaten up.
confetti grass. someone had a little celebration in town earlier this week, I found it outskirts of the victory memorial park. super cute!
winter wedding. I’m still a bit of a novice when it comes to buying wedding presents. last year I was invited to one that said something about a wishing well for gifts. I googled wishing well thinking it was some gift site only to find dodgy looking websites! I’ve since realised it’s the western equivalent of red packets. I never quite sure how to give money so I’ve decided to invest in super nice restaurant vouchers for now.
rose in hand. yesterday I spotted an elderly man leaving the florist carrying a single red rose, decorated only by a thin strip of matching red curling ribbon tied around the stem. it was a lovely sight. it’s been a busy few weeks full of unexpected gestures of kindness. we made a second trip to sydney to farewell a beloved family member, never in my life have I seen so many grown men cry. it was simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. my mother came to help at the wake, though the passing had been on my partner’s side. seems some of the most generous acts don’t come gift wrapped. (Image: The Library of Congress)
emergency snacks. last week I found myself being instructed rather frantically to flee a smoking vehicle on the highway. I did and it was terrifying, thankfully no one was hurt. immediately after we pulled over two cars stopped to help, one guy ran out of his car with a fire extinguisher. his young family was in the car and after they’d helped us calm our car and call for help, they got ready to leave but not before winding down their car window and passing out some snacks - a bottle of mountain dew and kid sized packets of tiny teddies and shapes. we waited on the highway for close to three hours for help to arrive, the snacks were a godsent. more cars pulled over as we looked forlornly at the road, trying to pick out an approaching tow truck. people can be so nice.
lately gifts are bought, wrapped and sent in quick succession, leaving no time for photo taking. mainly because we live away from our families but still want to make sure everything arrives in time for a birthday and this week, in time for mothers day. one gift is enroute, due to be delivered tomorrow the other was hand delivered when we were back home over easter.
another cake post. a little birthday treat from la renaissance in the rocks, sydney. it’s a white chocolate rose cake, an ‘art cake’ called monet that we picked up for my brother’s now fiancee for her birthday last year. it’s worth picking up, just for the reaction you get when you place it in front of the birthday girl or boy.
thank you cake. my cake baking opportunities in my new home town are slightly limited. my new workmates aren’t really into cake and I feel greedy making a cake for the two of us at home (though cheesecakes always seem to go quickly). I made this lime yoghurt cake with blackberry sauce for two of our new Wagga friends. they’ve made settling in super easy. they even shared it with us on a lovely sunday afternoon. I’ve become a big fan of these everyday cake recipes these last few weeks.
