Becoming Mrs M...

Oh dear... it seems my monthly blogging plan fell well and truly out the window because of a somewhat important date in my diary. A huge part of my blog was going to be about my upcoming wedding and now, in January 2013, it has been and gone and we’re almost at our four month anniversary. And before you ask, no, we do not celebrate monthly – good luck to those who do but I’m lucky to get flowers on the yearly one.

And so as I catch up on months and months of late blog posts, I have decided to dedicate the next few to one theme per post. This month (which should have been September 2012) is LOVE. Awwww!

In the lead up to our big day, I was determined not to be a bridezilla or be one of those brides who loses it just because one small thing that no one else would probably even notice, went wrong. I thought I did pretty good on the bridezilla front and even heard my groom-to-be claim, “Yeah, she’s been really good actually” to friends when he thought I was out of earshot. This even stayed true when, at the wedding rehearsal, I gave the groomsmen strict instructions to please get rid of all gaudy fake flowers and extra large floppy bows on the day. The lovely elderly gentleman who owned the chapel where we were getting married seemed very surprised that I was requesting they all be removed and he insisted on leaving them up until the wedding day, in case I changed my mind. I didn't.

And so the actual day had arrived. Previously cool as a cucumber, on the day I turned nervous, quiet and most shocking of all, uninterested in champagne. What?! With five bridesmaids and my Mum to get through with hair and makeup, we started the day early yet before I knew it, our photographer (the incredibly sweet and talented Sheila Higgins) showed up and it was time to get dressed. From the previous dress dramas I’d had, putting on my dress made me even more nervous than I already felt. Not to mention my panic in remembering the copious amounts of Aussie foods I’d been scoffing since we got back into the country. England does NOT know how to make a good pie. Or a sausage roll. Or Super Rooster chicken burger. But it fit! And it was almost a bit loose – woo hoo! Take that rude dress-maker-lady. I might’ve even fitted into the version of my dress that was extra, extra small. But probably not.

I loved having photos with my parents and surround by my girls. I know many of you will say that five bridesmaids is way over the top but when you have two big sisters who mean the world to you, two best friends who you couldn't imagine life without and a gorgeous new sister-in-law, you can understand why I wanted and needed each one of them by my side.

My girls xx

www.sheilahigginsphotography.com.au

I think I felt most nervous when I was in the car with my Dad on the way to the chapel. My Uncle was our driver (in vintage V8 Ford Valiant – awesome!) and he and my Dad were chatting away to me while I gave one word answers and wouldn't let go of Dad’s hand the whole way. As I walked down the aisle with my Dad, funnily enough, I didn't notice any of the decorations I’d so carefully chosen or, that all the bows and fake flower arrangements had been carefully locked away (thanks groomsmen!)

Vintage wedding car
Photo by Stephen Robertson

The ceremony was short and sweet. We were married by my sister’s best friend’s husband, Adam Ladhams, which made it even more special. We wrote our own vows which nearly tipped me over the edge nerves-wise and my now father-in-law said he could see my knees shaking underneath my dress! Can’t wait to see that one on the wedding video! B’s vows were amazing! He’s not one for mushy words but his vows made me so happy and best of all, laugh out loud when he quoted Anchorman – brilliant! 

Funny vows - what could be better?!

www.sheilahigginsphotography.com.au

And then it was over. We left the chapel and as we reached the end of the aisle, I said to him, “Thank goodness that’s over.” With his reply being, “I reckon!” It’s not that we didn't enjoy it, we loved every minute but repeating vows and having all those eyes on you that whole time was scary! I even forgot my name at one point! Bit of an issue when the marriage isn't legal unless you say your full name! Don't worry, we are actually married, I just needed some prompting of what my name was before we continued.

The relief is obvious!

www.sheilahigginsphotography.com.au

Saying hi to all our friends and family who came to celebrate our wedding was one of my favourite parts of the entire day. It was incredible to see who had come and made all that effort to be with us to see us get married. As clichéd as it sounds, it’s those moments that made our day what it was. Ok, I’ll try to leave the soppy stuff alone now.

After the group photo, we rushed off to Queen’s Park to get in some photos before the sun went down. I loved everything about the photos. It was so much fun. We had bubbly and beers, snacks for the bridal party and it was relaxed, casual and fun. Sheila was absolutely wonderful. I knew before I’d even seen the photos that I would love them. I just can’t believe she got so many good ones, especially the candid pics, they’re my favourite.

Sums up our day perfectly - full of
fun and laughter

www.sheilahigginsphotography.com.au

Another thing that made our day so special was that we were able to replicate the same poses in the same location that my parents had their wedding photos. They had a bridal party of six so the photos in front of the canon, you could actually see the canon. Our bridal party of twelve on the other hand made it rather difficult to see the canon but I absolutely love that we did it. The best bit? Our photos were taken almost exactly 40 years later - it was my parents ruby wedding anniversary the very next day.

The canon photo

www.sheilahigginsphotography.com.au

Once the sun had gone down, we went back to Preston Manor to start the party. However, the best man, maid of honour, my new husband and I took a little pit stop en route to take a photo outside the alcohol store, Dan Murphy’s. Because as some of you may know, this is my new married name and we couldn't pass up such a golden opportunity! No one seemed to bat an eyelid at a bride standing in a liquor store carpark in a bridal gown... perhaps it’s the norm in Toowoomba? 

It had to be done...
Photo taken on the best man's
iphone by the maid of honour

This post is going on a bit now so I’ll try to make the reception bit quick. It was the best party I've even been to. Our MC (who is also my brother in law) was absolutely brilliant. Our DJ (who is my other brother in law) was awesome. The speeches were wonderful, we were surrounded by all our favourite people - I could not have asked for anything better. The food was delicious (although I didn't really eat much, I was just too excited to eat and for those of you who know me, you know this is a VERY rare occasion!) the cake was amazing (hand made by my incredible sister) the lolly bar was a hit... oh I could go on and on! Instead of going into all the tiny details that made our wedding awesome (in my opinion!)if you’re interested, check out Polka Dot Bride, a wedding blog that our wedding was featured on. If it’s detail you want, this is where you’ll find it because if I'm honest, I can't be bothered to go into that level of detail again! Plus it would make my blog go on forever.

When the sad time of midnight rolled around, it was time to go. We said our goodbyes, expecting to leave immediately but good old reliable Garden City Toowoomba Cabs had other ideas. Despite calling and booking in advance, telling them it was a wedding and that it was important they showed up, they didn't  We had friends on the phone immediately to get one out as soon as possible and when one finally arrived and we gave him the address of our accommodation, he said, “Where’s that?” I mean come on, T’bar isn't even that big!! He really was a delight... but thankfully, we did end up getting there in the end. But only after both bride and groom yelled at him – perhaps I did have a bridezilla moment after all, “This is my WEDDING night. I just want to get HOME! We just GAVE you the address. Just put it in your GPS!! Can we PLEASE just GO NOW?”

And so that’s the story of our wedding day. A very long winded story. I could have written pages more but a) it would have put everyone off reading the whole post and b) I would probably never have gotten around to posting it on my blog, seeing as it’s already four months late! And now for the rest of the photos. All photos by Sheila Higgins unless otherwise stated.

Photo by Stephen Robertson

Love

Next up... travel... the honeymoon!

Get ready for a rant and the wedding that's ALMOST here

Life

Every so often a book comes along that rocks your world. You stop watching tv and read it instead. You nearly miss your train stop from being so involved in it. So awesome you can’t imagine there is anyone out there that wouldn’t love it.

50 shades of grey is not one of them. Nor is book two, or book three in one of the WORST book series I have ever read in my entire life. The main character is ridiculous. The love interest is a controlling idiot. Why was there a need for having an inner goddess who wears outfits? Was it really necessary for the pair of lovers to tell each other on every single page how attractive the other person is? We get it. They’re hot, now let’s move on. Why have storylines that are SO farfetched they just made me roll my eyes in disgust. Pointless dribble that as I read each chapter, I just got more and more irritated.

Fine, I’ll give the author a bit of credit for the first book. Something a bit different that isn’t quite as woeful as Mills & Boons. But after that, the next two books just get more and more stupid and the ending to the third one – don't worry, I won’t give it away to those lucky people who are still keen on reading them – is so bad, I nearly ripped the pages out.

Yes, fine, now you’ll ask me why, if they were SO bad, did I continue to read them? And as some wise person once told me (who also told me not to read them, because they were so bad I would hate every page. She was right.) ‘It’s like a car crash. You don’t want to watch, but you just can’t turn away.’

My advice to those of you who haven’t read it is don’t. But you’ll probably get caught up in the hype like I did and just want to know what happened so you’ll read it and regret it. Try to borrow the books from a friend and not waste your money – spend it on a decent book, like Harry Potter, or ‘A thousand splendid suns’. You won’t lose brain cells by reading those books.

I refuse to put any 50 Shades
referenced photo up. Harry Potter studio
tour - amazing. I bet 50 Shades won't have
a studio tour. And if it does... gross

Rant officially over.

Love

I hereby solemnly swear that I will always RSVP to every single wedding invitation that I ever receive, even if they already know we can / can’t make it. Chasing RSVPs has got to be the most annoying thing so far. That is all I will say on this subject – wow, and I just said ‘rant over’ – clearly not!

Right, moving on... Three weeks to go! THREE WEEKS and I am getting ridiculously excited now. Well, I was up until last Thursday, but more on that later.

First, let’s talk about my no bows rule. It seems that my hatred of chair covers, bows, twinkly twig lights, glitter, ruffles and ‘love’ signs is most unusual. It seems that my style and taste is NOT the norm for good old stuck in the 90s Toowoomba. Most brides like wedding reception rooms that look like this...

Photo courtesy of Elegant Weddings by Florence

Or this...

Photo courtesy of Elegant Weddings by Florence

Each to their own I guess! The bridesmaids have been pre-warned. If you see a bow, get rid of it before it comes into my site!

And then there’s the dress. Fitting two weeks ago, went quite well, despite the dress maker getting angry at me for forgetting my shoes. “Did you honestly forget your shoes? [huge, irritated sigh] Well we can’t do the HEM without your SHOES.” Chill out love, we’ve got two more fittings booked in, we can do them hem next time.

Dress fitting number two and the hem was the least of my worries. “Have you put on weight?” Yes, that’s the first thing the dress maker (a different one this time as the first dress maker was dealing with another bride who was in tears because her dress has been altered all wrong and couldn’t be fixed...) said to me. Oh joy! My dress was taken in two inches too much and she had the nerve to ask me if I’d put on weight. Sure, I’d had a piece of chocolate cake at lunch but there’s no way someone can put on two inches of fat on their back, in seven days.

And so now we wait. My awesomely wonderful matron-of-honour, J, was outraged at the bridal stores unhelpfulness and rang up and complained, getting me an earlier appointment despite them telling me over and over again that there were NO more appointments. Seems you just need to go bridezilla (or in this case, ‘bridesmatron-zilla’) on them in order to get stuff done.

To be continued...

Travel

So from wedding rage and drama to the perfection of Sardinia, Italy. Sardinia is by far, one of the best places in the entire world for a number of reasons. 1) There are no tourists. I mean, no English tourists. The entire time we were there, we heard just one other English speaking couple. Bliss! 2) No tourists means no picture menus, no overpriced stuff just because and no westernised menus. 3) The food. It. Was. Incredible. Best seafood pizza I’ve ever tasted. Best spinach and ricotta ravioli in the world. Best place to eat simple, delicious Italian food that just made me go ‘Mmm!’ with every single bite. 4) Beaches and sunshine. There is nothing more to say on that.

B and I went to Sardinia, Italy in July and had one of the best ever holidays. The weather was in the high 20s the whole weekend with nothing but blazing sunshine and bright blue skies. We hired a car and travelled all around the top of the island from Alghero to Bosa to Olbia. Every day was brilliant. Every meal we ate was amazing. The people were so wonderful, the beaches were heavenly and the water was so perfectly blue, it took my breath away. But enough of the gushing, I will just let my photos do the talking.

Food

I suppose I could just waffle on (no pun intended - I haven't had waffles in ages) about Sardinia and all the amazing food we ate there but I think I’ve mentioned it enough and it will just start to get a bit boring. But just so we’re clear, I have never had better Italian food in my life, not even in Rome.

Food perfection in Bosa, Sardinia

The last few weeks have seen us taste all kinds of foods, including my current cooking obsession of Chinese food. Ever since a bad Chinese takeaway experience in Canberra three years ago, I have been severely put off Chinese food. Watching a cooking show changed my mind and the obsession began. Rice paper rolls, prawn and tofu steamed moneybags, chicken and leek potsticker dumplings, ginger and beef ‘wellness’ soup, sticky pork fillet and twice cooked melting pork – just to name a few. Normally I think my cooking is good-ish but this stuff has been amazing! I keep on raving to everyone about how good all this stuff tastes, to the point that my Mum has bought a bamboo steamer in anticipation of my return home to cook the whole family a Chinese banquet. Wish me luck with that one!

Prawn and tofu steamed moneybag dumplings

As for eating out, I can very happily report that I have FINALLY had a decent, well cooked, delicious steak in London! Thank you Marco Pierre White's steak & ale house. It’s only taken two years but there you go, better late than never. The triple cooked chips and béarnaise sauce were both pretty average but I guess that’s what you get when a ‘celebrity’ (I use this term very loosely) chef sells his soul and has his face on chicken stock cubes. And B was disgusted at the selection of ales on offer, considering it was called a 'steak & ale house' his expectations were high and very much let down. But hey, a decent steak after two years of searching so neither of us was too upset.

There was also a trip to an American style diner, Sticky Fingers, on the cards where racks of ribs were enormous, chicken wings were tasty and most items on the menu were deep fried. Not amazing food but still good enough. They must've got something right considering we went there to celebrate a belated J's birthday and we ate ALL the starters before she even arrived... Hey, turn up late and it's your own fault!

Ribs, coleslaw and fries at Sticky Fingers, London

A more resounding success was The Seagrass – a pie shop by day and a pop-up restaurant by night. B and I took our friends visiting from The Netherlands, M and D, to this place which has a small menu that changes daily, three courses for £30 (about $45) BYO wine with NO corkage! Brilliant, I was in love with the place before we'd even set foot in the door.

Roasted wood pigeon; smoked salmon salad; whole sand crab; venison with spinach and red wine jus; scallops – not just two or three on a plate, there were about ten or more, all giant and juicy and just sooooooo good. The whole menu was amazing and when the table next to us left and gave us a whole, unopened bottle of wine, the night just got even better. I also like being forced to try things I wouldn’t normally go for and both my entree of pigeon and main of venison were new and seriously tasty experiences for me.

A whole crab at The Seagrass, Islington

Pigeon breast on a rocket, pine nut
and crispy pancetta salad from
The Seagrass, Islington

Next blog post... THE WEDDING...

The things the Brits just can't get right

Life


Having just celebrated our two year London anniversary, I have discovered that I am still as much in love with this city as when I first arrived. Perhaps even more so, considering that now we actually have money to spend, rather than just watching everyone do the fun London stuff or eating the wonderful London food. Even so, I DO miss home and right now with all those gorgeous little babies growing up so fast (one stands out in particular – my nephew who I haven’t met yet and am counting down the days until I get my hands on his chubby little cheeks – I believe the countdown is currently at 72 days!) I’m missing it more than ever.


And what makes me miss home even MORE, is a list I have recently compiled of all the stuff England does badly. I mean, REALLY badly. So here is my 'Things the Brits just can't get right' rant list.

• Coffee. I don’t know WHAT they’re doing over here but it is nearly impossible to get a decent cup of coffee. One that you take a sip of and just feel happy. I have experienced this only twice in the past two years in England (Italy, Portugal, France and Spain, this doesn't apply to you). And both times were coffee shops owned and run by Kiwis and Aussies. You can't argue with that.
• Fish and chips. Massive, chunky oily batter than leaves your hands slippery with grease and your stomach hating you after one bite. And the fish tastes like nothing. Yet the Brits think it’s the best thing  in the world and something they're famous for. Don't believe them. It's all lies.
• Beaches. It's not a beach if it doesn't have sand or sun. Enough said.
• White wine. If you ever get offered a glass of English white wine, run away. Fast. Trust me, I am yet to taste a good one and the last one I had was so bad, B and I left half the bottle at the restaurant. And believe me, leaving behind alcohol in that proportion NEVER happens.

Have you noticed that almost everything on my list is food? That’s a bit worrying and yet, it continues...

• Steak. Every claim in the book that this place does amazing steak and that place is genuine and awesome. Not. True. Nothing compares to the awesomeness that is the Caxton steak lunch deal back in trusty old Brisbane. Where you can get a decent steak, cooked to order and at a great price (schooner of XXXX Gold optional - man I miss home right now!) Because yes, England does have good steaks but it will cost you the equivalent of a mortgage repayment. And you can't have it with a XXXX.

This is not a proper beach. Nor is it
proper beach weather, Eastbourne
- June 2012

I whinge yet how can you REALLY complain when this
is an every day site in lovely London?
- June 2012

And so my list comes to an end. I could go on about the weather, summer, and my hatred of 1 and 2p coins, but then this would become a serious rant, rather than a blog so let’s just leave it at that and I may do a part two another time!


Love


So it’s been almost six weeks since my last blog and since then, loads has happened with the wedding. One such happening was my slight wedding-induced panic at a) the thought of all the things still left to do and b) the thought of all eyes on me as I walk down the aisle/say my vows/the whole entire day. But as for a) my best matron (she’s married, she’s not allowed to be called ‘maid’) of honour, my ever so helpful Mumzie, bridesmaids and friends all came to my rescue just by asking ‘can I do anything to help?’ In the end, everything was an easy fix (I know, typical over dramatic bride) but just by those people asking the question made SUCH a difference and really calmed me down. J does deserve a special mention, she has been my rock during all this and the one who has been the victim of one too many wedding rants. Best matron of honour EVER!


And so, the guest book pen has been purchased (oh the things you worry about when planning a wedding) the grooms outfit is complete and the flowers have been ordered (thanks Mumzie!) The countdown is officially on but I can’t help but think I’ve forgotten to do something REALLY important. Oh well, if I have, at least my nail polish will match my shoes.


Travel


June was a bit of a lazy month. We did get in a sneaky trip to Cambridge and a trip to the seaside to Eastbourne, both of which were awesome so I guess that's something. Nevertheless, I’m getting seriously itchy feet, wishing the days away until next Thursday afternoon when we will be on a plane to Sardinia, Italy for some MUCH needed sunshine, Vitamin D and relaxation. Oh weather, if you rain on me that long weekend, I will most definitely cry!


And so, for the purposes of my blog still seeming like we travel on a weekly basis and making as many people back home as jealous as I can, I will backtrack all the way to May, when we took a long weekend to the country that now has a permanent place in my top five most loved countries.


Germany. Berlin and Hamburg to be precise and one word just sums up the whole trip. Cool. Seriously, seriously cool. The people are lovely and can switch to perfect English if you stutter and stumble while trying to get out some sort of broken German sentence when attempting to order a beer. The architecture is amazing, the walking tour was informative, the history was mind boggling. The street art in East Berlin, the Berlin Wall, Checkpoint Charlie, Hitler’s bunker, the holocaust memorial – just wow.


We spent three nights in Berlin and spent one of those days cycling around the city, using the incredibly efficient bike paths to travel to places we hadn’t even considered visiting. It rained but it didn’t really matter because we saw so much and had the most brilliant time. Oh, and German beer is seriously good. B had looked up various ‘must visit’ pubs so that was really our cycle path – follow the beer trail. 


The next stop on our trip was Hamburg. Not quite as happening or exciting as Berlin but great just the same. We even managed to find a brewery! I think B has a GPS tracker inside of him that just happens to stumble across every brewery known to man. We spent lots of time just wandering around Hamburg and because the weather was pretty rubbish, did a spot of shopping too. Although what B describes as shopping (in and out as quickly as possible looking at nothing, only zoning in on the one thing you entered the shop for) is not really what I call fun.


And then there was the food. I adore German food. The bratwurst, the sauerkraut – ahh, I love it! In between all the beer sampling, we had some awesome food including pork knuckle (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it) which rocked my world. German meatballs in a creamy herb sauce, more pork knuckle and seeing as it was white asparagus season (or 'spargle' as the Germans call it) a seasonal set menu which included cream of white asparagus soup, slow roasted pork with sauerkraut (yes, I ordered it with almost every meal – breakfast excluded) and potato dumplings (like a big ball of dough but surprisingly delicious) all for the tasty little price of €8.50. Then Hamburg served me with the best roast chicken I have ever tasted in my entire life. It was AMAZING. I hardly let B have any because I wanted it all for myself it was that good. I would fly back tomorrow to have it again. I left Germany feeling very bloated but very, very happy. It has well and truly earned it's place in my top five. 

Holocaust memorial, Berlin
- May 2012

Museum island, Berlin
- May 2012

Holocaust memorial, Berlin
- May 2012

East Berlin gallery
- May 2012

Dreary weather in awesome Hamburg
- May 2012

Food


Well seeing as the ‘life’ and ‘travel’ section of this blog post has already gone into way too much food detail, I’m not sure if this last part is really relevant. But as you all know by now, food dominates my life so I STILL have lots more to blog on about.


Work baking continues. It seems that every team meeting, every birthday and every ‘just because’ occasion falls back to me to bake. I can’t say that I mind, I love feeding people and as long as there’s some for B to try, he’s happy too. So lately it’s been triple chocolate chunk brownies, lemon drizzle yogurt cake with lemon cream icing and apparently my ‘best ever’ contribution of chocolate brownie cookies with peanut butter frosting. After I made those ones and knew what went into them, I only ate one quarter of a cookie but they went down a treat and have been request for an upcoming birthday. In November.

THE brownies - calories per cookie are terrifying
- June 2012

Home cooking has seen my new obsession of Chinese cooking come to life with a trip to a giant (seriously, this place was massive) Chinese supermarket to pick up my supplies. On my first attempt I made steamed beef and coriander meatballs, steamed prawn and tofu moneybag dumplings and a ginger and pork soup – all, if I do say so myself, were amazing. I plan on doing a mini Chinese banquet at some stage but I’ll keep you posted. B doesn’t think my Chinese cooking phase will even last that long so I’m determined to prove him wrong!

Chinese dumplings - not bad for a first attempt!
- June 2012

As for eating out and about, there’s so much to talk about! Highlights have included a trip to Camden Town Brewery (with a second visit scheduled for this Friday) although I have to admit, no food was consumed. I will have to try harder this week. We visited Jamie’s Italian with our friends from Canberra K & B and we all had to agree that it just wasn’t up to scratch. It was ‘good’ but not great which, for Jamie’s standards, was really disappointing. A trip to Eastbourne over the Queen’s Jubilee long weekend saw us stop in at a pub, just for a drink, and stay for a pig on a spit roast lunch. Just yum. A trip to a tiny, unknown tapas bar (thanks for the recommendation J!) saw me try sand eels, mussels, lamb sweetbread, beef cheeks and lots of other weird and wonderful things. The wine here stole my heart though. A rosé that actually tasted like strawberries but was lovely and dry – perfection.

Speaks for itself
- June 2012

The baby eels. Strangely enough, they
tasted like fish and chips in one bite
- June 2012

And finally, to wrap up this blog, B and I visited Bread Street Kitchen, a Gordon Ramsay restaurant, to celebrate our triple celebration – three months until our wedding, two years living in London and nine years together. I had high hopes. Most of them were fulfilled, just not from the food on my plate. My fish (what IS it with English and getting fish wrong?!) was over cooked and just a bit rubbery but the sauce and artichokes on top were great. B’s lamb dish just fell apart when you touched it – seriously amazing. I should have gone with my gut instinct which was to have the pork collar but was put off by B's answer. When I asked him what he thought it might be like, he said, “That’s where they snap the piglets head off!” Nice.

Bread Street Kitchen. Too dark for pictures of
the food so instead, a picture of the impressive
wine fridge that went along an entire wall. Love
- June 2012

The fabulous baking sisters

I’m a bit behind in my blog posts at the moment because I haven’t written about our amazing trip to Berlin and Hamburg. Problems with IT blocking my blog at work (classifying blogs as ‘not work related’ – how can that be?!!) as well as no internet at home means I’ve sort of dropped off the face of the blogging earth. But before I get back to my regular posts, this next one deserves a special post of its own.

My hugely talented sister, J, is a designer and was approached by some events people in her local area to design flyers for the upcoming Hither Green festival. In exchange for her design talents, she was rewarded with a stall at the Saturday food and craft fair and of course, roped me in to do it with her. As both of us have blogs about our love for food (check out J’s blog here and her home renovation blog as well) we email every day and always talk about food, we visit restaurants and immediately want details as to what each other ate, it seemed very appropriate that we should have a baking stall.

 

The fabulous baking sisters



The day started early and a short ten hours later, we were done for the day. Injure-bread men (gingerbread men missing arms or heads) lamingtons, carrot cake, lemon yogurt cake, triple chocolate cookies, chocolate brownies, red velvet cupcakes, vanilla cupcakes and pupcakes. All iced, sprinkled, sparkled and decorated with love and a bit of exhaustion. Can't say I was sad to see the last of the icing, I was well and truly over it by the end! We celebrated the end of the night with a trip to the pub, a few well deserved pints and some great food.

 

Injure-bread men sure do get harder to
ice after a few glasses of wine

 

Bake sale day! With London putting on some spectacularly hideous weather of late, all we wanted was it not to rain. Grey skies was fine, cold weather in Spring was also ok, just no rain! Amazingly, our wishes were granted and the entire day was grey, cold and not rainy. We set up our stall (called 'Cupcakes & Pupcakes') nice and early so it felt like we'd been there for ages when I said to J, "We're going to have SO much stuff to take home with us. Look at how many cupcakes we made! Oh gosh, this is going to be a disaster." Only to have J remind me, "The festival started six minutes ago. We've got another five hours to go. We might just be ok."

 

So much to sell. And this wasn't even half of it!

And we were - lamingtons were a hot favourite with most people having no idea what they even were (I know, where have these people BEEN all their lives?!) with the carrot and lemon cakes flying off the table. We had a near disaster when a lady just could not grasp the concept of the pupcakes being for dogs and not for human consumption. As she lifted one to her lips, we both yelled, "NO! DON'T EAT THAT! They're for DOGS!" she finally understood.

 

Cupcakes & Pupcakes - ready for business

 

Our favourite customer was a lovely English gentleman who was working on another stall. He visited us for one lamington. Then returned for another. Then returned for two cupcakes. Then some cookies. Star! And let’s not forget the wonderful ladies who responded to Jen’s twitter post, ‘Just two more lamingtons remain!’ raced over and bought the last two, even after they bought four previously. I hope they tasted ok and they weren’t disappointed!

We left the festival four hours later with just two packets of cookies left. It seemed a bit wrong to stand there for another 45minutes with just four cookies on our giant stall so we upped and left, happy and well and truly baked-out.

If anyone needs us for cake stalls, bakeries, cafes or anything food related, we're your girls, we're both willing to quit our day jobs should the necessity arise.

Edible glitter just made our cakes

Because everyone knows, cupcakes just taste better when they're sparkly.