#DAREcember - Week 2

I came to realise this week that this challenge is contributing to my mental health. Funny to think that a style challenge could do that, but for me, it's working two-fold. Firstly, I'm being mindful; I'm really being present when I'm getting dressed, adding accessories etc. And recently some fellow counsellor friends asked me what I'm doing for self-care. As well as the usual getting enough sleep, doing some girlie pampering, etc, I realised that I'm doing this challenge for me. Not for my clients, colleagues, Pickle, BigTed or anyone else, just for me. So this is how Week 2 panned out...

Day 8 was In the Wild, slim pickings here, it was either going to be my cow print sneakers or my leopard print scarf. The day came around and it was way too hot to consider having the scarf around my neck, so I wore it as a belt. Pickle chose my earrings and the colour of my hair clip, so I chose the green top to coordinate. Of course, trying to capture this resulted in my second "awkward bathroom selfie", the first being here. I love that this constitutes a work outfit these days!

All Black for Day 9 was really out of my comfort zone. I never wear all black and I struggled not slip on a bright pair of shoes... I couldn't resist adding a splash of colour with some bright red heart earrings a friend gave me. As it was a work day, I'd initially selected a sensible pair of ballet pumps... Then saw these heels sitting next to them and it was a no-brainer. I love these shoes and they are surprisingly comfortable.


Pinned On for Day 10 gave me a good excuse to dig out the vintage brooches I've been collecting. I love how the prettiness contrasts with the utility of the denim vest, so think I'll keep one on the collar from now on. Pickle chose my earrings again today, he's becoming my regular stylist!  I love "twin" earrings, though they're hard to come by - not a matching pair, but part of a set.

Day 11 for His, saw me doning the only shirt of BigTed's that was at my house. Good thing I like it... I nipped it in with a belt "borrowed" some years ago from a former boyfriend. This was perfect for a day of Christmas shopping in 32°C.

Brightest for Day 12 was much more in my comfort zone. I *love* colour. Today was my work Christmas lunch, so I got glammed up to hang with the girls. I had a divine pasta, glass of wine and indulgent dessert at Café Cavour, which I highly recommend, not only for the piquant food, but for the top notch customer service. My brightest day dress was a relatively new purchase, but with cost-per-use, I'll soon be in single figures... Pickle again chose my earrings, a green flower drop; hot pink shoes and red lip tar complete the outfit. Hair up in my latest favourite look, red glitter and gold nails, and I was ready to go. Do you think I'm bright enough?!

I cheated a little for Day 13's Killer Heels, as the actual day started out at kindergym and on general Mummy duties... Not really Killer Heel appropriate! However, I was heading out on Day 12 for dinner with a couple of the girls and our men for a glamorous Christmas get together that evening... And it went late, so technically I started Day 13 wearing this outfit (artistic license and all that). I kept the dress bright - I purchased this dress years ago in Paris (sorry, had to drop that in there), with one of my favourite people in the world (Chaz, do you remember?). Adding in my rose gold shoes and vintage accessories, I was ready to head to Coast, by far the swishest restaurant in the region. It deserves it's own blogpost, which will feature soon.

Backless for Day 14 is a little out of my comfort zone these days. I actually used to wear this top as a dress(!), and have been thinking of donating it, as it so rarely gets an outing. I dressed it down with white jeans to take Pickle to see Paddington the movie today,  and added a pop of colour to the monochrome with my favourite red Converses and the red heart earrings again. The movie was great btw, but watching Pickle's expression was the best bit. 

Tune in for more next week... vintage, ring bling, mixed prints, curves, cats eyes, rock out, and product free... definitely some there well out of my comfort zone!

Was there anything that caught your eye this week? 

Cheers, KangaRue :) 

Dessert... just add Salt

Hervey Bay is a very relaxed, beach-side tourist location. I love the lifestyle, but it's not particularly conducive to showing off my fabulous shoe collection. So when I was invited to the opening night of Salt Cafe's dinner service, I jumped at the opportunity. I've enjoyed coffee and lunches at Salt before, so was looking forward to trying their new dinner menu coupled with a fantastic view - it wasn't just about the shoes.

Arriving at the restaurant, I was greeted by my friends wrapped in cozy blankets that were kindly provided by the restaurant. It is winter here in Hervey Bay, and the 17 degrees at night feels cold (though I know my northern hemisphere readers will baulk at this idea). Ideally the restaurant also needs heaters, as while the blankets definitely helped, it was still a little on the cold side. I believe they were looking into this, and hope it has been implemented - no doubt they will be able to be utilised on the colder days as well, as the majority of seating is outside to catch the sea views (and the breezes are also welcome on warmer days).

I decided to forgo an entree to save room for dessert, but my friends choices looked absolutely delicious. With one friend a celiac, Salt has a number of gluten-free options. I got to taste the gluten-free version of the oven-baked Ciabatta loaf with garlic confit in balsamic olive oil and chilli and it was delicious at $7.00* and enough to share. Another friend enjoyed the roasted pumpkin, spinach and goats cheese mille-feuille served with a baby tomato, basil and garlic confit. I got a taste and it was absolutely delicious and a much more reasonable $14.00. It was somewhat enormous for a starter, albeit light, the goats cheese was absolutely divine - I was excited to find something this delicious and enquired where it came from, so was disappointed to discover it had been imported from Belgium, as I'm yet to discover anything quite so flavourful locally (though I'll keep trying just in case). The star of the day had to be the famous Hervey Bay Scallops on cauliflower puree with crisp prosciutto and caper vinaigrette, stunning at $16.00.

Mains were slightly less successful though. Choices were split down the table, between the duck and the steak. The duck servings were small, especially considering the $27.00 price tag. It was cooked through, and both of us who chose the duck would have preferred it pink - we did suggest they ask diners how they would like it served, as they would with steak. While the menu stated it was a seared orange, honey and chilli duck breast, there was no discernable warmth from the chilli, and the more subtle orange and honey flavours were over-powered by the mild Thai citrus dressing over the mint, coriander and bean shoot salad (and in the current weather, hot vegetables would have been preferred).

The other diners chose the eye fillet wrapped in prosciutto with a wild mushroom and brandy cream sauce on seeded mustard smashed potato with blanched broccolini. The serving size was enormous by comparision with the duck, though it was $34.00. And though both diners ordered their steaks medium-rare, they both came out blue. Personally I would have had to send it back, but they were both happy to dine on.

My highlight was definitely dessert. I chose the tasting plate, and while I shared some spoonfuls with my companions, it was certainly an indulgence at $29.00 (though it was utterly delicious and I wouldn't hesitate to get it again). The Chai Panna Cotta with a petite citrus salad and pistachio shard was eye opening. I don't normally like panna cotta - it's a texture thing - but this was delicious, and the citrus salad, flavoured with ginger powder and mint was a delightful balance to the creaminess. I normally find white chocolate a little sickly sweet, but in the mousse served at salt, it was divine, and I loved the mini toffee apples that came with it. My favourite was definitely the triple chocolate semifreddo with crushed praline which had a great balance of cocoa and an added dose of nostalgia with the coconut wafer served with it. I'm sure you'll agree it was beautifully presented.

There was quite a delay before we were served all our courses - 45 minutes from ordering before our entrees arrived and about 20 minutes between entree and main, though it was a relaxed gap before dessert was served. I expect most of our issues were due to the first night of a new menu being served, and I would certainly be willing to try the dinner menu at Salt again. With a couple of glasses of wine, a coffee and tip, my bill came to $80.00, so my main concern would be the prices, as I think at this level, there are other venues in the area that offer stiff competition on the flavour and style stakes.

Cheers, KangaRue :)

All views are my own.

* post has been amended to reflect the correct pricing of the ciabatta entree at $7. The originally price quoted $17 was taken from the Salt online menu which has also been amended. Having checked the bill, we were charged the correct amount.

16 & 17/366 - Indulgences

Pickle and I had a quiet Monday.  We went for his weekly weigh-in, and as usual, run a couple of chores then pop into Starbucks.  I often spend a chunk of time here studying, while drawing out a coffee then a sandwich, over a number of hours.  After the frustration of the Child Health Clinic, I felt like a bit of indulgence, so went for a Peppermint Hot Chocolate with cream.  It was delicious, and just what I needed!

16/366 - Indulgence I

Yesterday, we headed into the West End for a spot of shopping.  I needed some of my usual skin-care products from Selfridges.  I'd not been since July last year, so had missed checking out the new Shoe Galleries, and I do love shoes.  While I loved the Christian Louboutin boutique most of all, this pair of Jimmy Choos were my favourite shoes of the day (purple and - almost - turquoise, how could I resist my two favourite colours?!).  Absolutely gorgeous, but way out of my budget at £1,295!  Doesn't hurt to dream though - perhaps Kurt Geiger or Top Shop will do a knock-off?  While I wouldn't indulge with a purchase, spending the time wandering around admiring was an indulgence of time.

17/366 - Indulgence II

Cheers, KangaRue :)

Update:  
This is my favourite picture this week - I just love the colours, texture and design of these shoes.  Take a look at all my other Project365 posts. Each Sunday you can link up to the weekly favourites at TheBoyandMe's blog by clicking on this button below:  

Do I need a 12-step programme?!

I once heard that girls fall into one of four categories: shoes, handbags, underwear or bathroom products...  WHAT, you mean I have to choose?!!!

But yes, I do have a thing for shoes.  I've always loved my heels, and have built up a sizeable collection.  Amongst the current house renovations, will be shoe shelves, so I will - eventually - be posting photos of those...  However, for over four months now I've been suffering with a bad back, so I decided to assist the weekly physio & acupuncture by not wearing my beloved heels.  Not as easy as it sounds, other than trainers and flip-flops I didn't own flat shoes.

So I have bought myself a few pairs... OK, seven pairs, yes: 7!  I didn't think this was excessive, but my fellow Twitterer @chickenruby thinks I have a problem... what do you think, do I need a 12-step programme?

Cheers, KangaRue

Lots of projects on the go

Well, I've been working on this cork table for months, and though it's a little bit further on from this photo, it's still not finished!  A lot of the wine we've had recently has been screw-topped which is not helping...  Once the top is covered I'm also going to go around the edge too.

I've also been working on decoupaging a pair of shoes and a canvas... I'm collecting vintage pin-up and burlesque pics, and I'm cutting around them, but waiting until I'm sure I've enough before I start glueing.

The two pairs leg-warmers and snoods I made from a couple of old jumpers have added to my holiday deeds.  Oh, and I joined http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/KangaRue-SL - so once I get the boxes down out of the attic I'll be leaving "deposits" all over town!

Cheers, KangaRue