Poptart

When I think of our feathered friends, this is my reaction:

As I mentioned recently, I lost my make up bag travelling. Talk about pain in the arse.

It has been such crap weather the past few days that I decided I needed cheering up. So I baked some chocolate cupcakes.

They're easy to make and because I like to spread the love, below is the recipe.

Chocolate Cupcakes

¾ c cocoa
1 ½ c plain flour
1 ½ c suga
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
¾ c warm water
¾ c milk
3 tablespoons safflower oil (or canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Heat oven to 180°C (350°F). Line muffin trays with paper patty cups.

In one large bowl, sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add eggs, warm water, milk, oil and vanilla essence.

Mix until smooth.

Fill patty cups (not quite to the top) and bake for about 15 minutes.

Cool on wire rack and then ice with chocolate butter icing.

Scoff.

Should make about 18 medium-sized cupcakes.

Today I had lunch with some of my favourite people... and their mums.

Here's what I carried in it today (from top): notebook (new purchase, from Wanda Harland, a great new store only a few hundred metres from my house), diary, two pens, bus timetable, business card holder, Summer City programme, small notebook, USB, purse, pair of earrings, OPI nail polish "I'm Not Really a Waitress", Clarins 3-in-1 creme colour, Prada glasses, Prada sunglasses, iPod, keys, cellphone, sunblock, hair tie, lip balm, liquid eyeliner, tweezers, three lipglosses, mascara, another lipgloss, FACE Stockholm blush.

Just the essentials folks. Okay, that's quite a lot of shit to carry around. I didn't photograph all the junk either (receipts, bus passes, random coins and keys LOL). And to think this is my "holiday" bag, wait till you see my "work" one (which always includes another pair of shoes LOL).

I planted a small vege garden yesterday.


I won't bore you with lots of updates, but I hope to take a picture each month of my "babies" to chart my progress.

So I’m sure you don’t want to hear much about my beach holiday with Will. There was sun, sand, BBQs and beaches. Not a great deal else to report LOL. Reading, chilling out and trying to relax, although kind of difficult when you have about 28 people staying with you!

My sister and her tribe came for a few days too (they were in Auckland visiting her partners family). Great seeing my family again (especially as I wasn't with them for Christmas or New Year) and they got to meet Will.

My sister told me that I am again "keeping to type" LOL. I guess she means that I am attracted to sporty, intelligent, blonde men (which as I type this I realised could also describe my father, euw LOL).

What I like about Will is:

1. He looks unbearably sexy with stubble
2. He is an enthusiastic and very good cook
3. He didn’t complain when I insisted on playing a Dolly Parton CD I found repeatedly for two days
4. He can do the crossword… in pen! (Unlike me who needs pencil because of all the mistakes)
5. His smile
6. He was very good with my 3 nieces and nephew who followed him everywhere
7. He doesn’t care that I don’t like to surf, kayak, dive, fish or have anything remotely to do with the water (except look at it or lie near it reading LOL)
8. His hands
9. His back (and the nice bum attached to it)
10. He didn’t seem to mind that my idea of “strenuous exercise” was walking from the deck to the refrigerator to get a drink
11. He didn't put any pressure on me or us to define what we are together
12. He let me drive his car
13. He is cute and grumpy in the mornings (just like me, well, the grumpy part anyway)
14. He likes to read books (this is a first, I have never been with a guy who liked to read before LOL)
15. He can filet a fish
16. And cook it perfectly
17. He seems to like me
18. He looks good in a towel
19. And out of one
20. He is sweet and thoughtful

Hello. Tap. Tap. Is this thing on? Hi.