My new pretties.

I've been engaging in some currency hedging of sorts recently.  And my currency is HANDBAGS!  I bought these two puppies from a US websitecalled Bluefly, on sale, naturally.  I'm esecially pleased with the black one here - it loks a bit *shiny* because of the flash, but it's ace.  It's nice and big too.  I have another Furla bag which is an orange clutch and I love, love, love it.  This one also falls in that category.  And who wants a plain black handbag when you can have a crocodile print one?

This is the second - I love the colour, I'm just having slight difficulties working it in the wardrobe.  I think I'm a bit too fixated on everything matching because I don't like wearing this with my brown boots for example - the bag is very tan, and my brown boots are classic brown, and I just don't think it goes.  I also know my problem is mostly in my head and I just need to get over it.  It works really well with black though - but when I weat black I kind of want my other new bag.  Sigh.  Life really is difficult sometimes.

Yes, but did you read the sign on the door??

Em and I have decided to catch up for date night once a month without the boys.  It means we can go to the restaurants they don't want to go to, and coincidentally, it's tough to get either of them into Japanese restaurants, so we decided to do that last month.  I'd eaten at Wafu, a reasonably nondescript, cheap and cheerful place in Surry Hills, with Jamie about a year ago, and I quite liked it.  I've been trying to drag him back since, but he hasn't wanted to, so Em and I decided we'd go.  The place was less than half empty, but we were immediately waved away.  Immediately.  We thought it was odd, but upon doing some further research, we came upon this article from the SMH.  The woman who runs the place is clearly mad.  You can't book - which we can deal with, this is Surry Hills after all.  However, before you are allowed in the restaurant, you must read a list of extensive roles on the door, which includes the fact you will be charged 30% extra if you don't finish all the food on your plate INCLUDING garnish (the definition of garnish excludes wasabi, pickled ginger and slices of lemon).  And if she doesn't like you she tells you to go somewhere else (her ex husband's restaurant).  If she likes you and you finish all the food on your plate, you are invited to join the wafu club, the only benefit of which appears to be that you are allowed to book a table in future.  But you still have to eat everything or be charged an extra 30%.

So, while slightly trepidatious about having to jump through that many hoops, we also think it's hilarious.  And if she doesn't let us in the club we are going to tell her we don't want her in our club.

When we are out Jamie is having left over Rick Stein stew with macaroni.  We made it on Saturday night, and it's delicious.  Can't belive I'm leaving the club that serves this to try and join the Wafu club.

Things we've done lately

- Queued up at 5:45, yep, that's right, a time that's even too early for small children to eat, to get into a restaurant that doesn't take bookings.  Truly a Sydney experience - not one I normally subscribe to either, but after being laughed away at 6:30 a couple of weeks before we weren't taking our chances.  And we weren't even the first people in line.  The restaurant was Bodega, where we have been meaning to go for aaaaages - everyone keeps telling me how much I'd love it, so I think I've stayed away for that reason, I don't want everyone to be right and for my tastes to be totally predictable.  Naturally they are, and I *LOVED* the food.  We went with Muz and Em after a football game (Swans v Dockers), and had a really great night.  BTW - Aria diners, if you were wondering where Matt Moran was on Saturday night, I assure you he wasn't at Aria, cooking your meals.  He was haing tapas at Bodega.
- Watched the economics editor of the Wall Street Journal interview Paul Keating as part of the Sydney Writers Festival.  A-MAZING.  PK (as I like to call him) is just the most incredible intellect, and is so razor sharp and hilarious.
- Booked a mini break to Melbourne for early next month.  Jamie's working on the Friday, and I'm hitting the shops.  Then dinner is booked at Mo Mo on Saturday, which is conveniently located in the Grant Hyatt, where we'll be staying.  We did one of those mystery deals totally thinking it would be the Sofitel (which is what we wanted and not what we got), but it's hardly an inconvenience to have to go to the Hyatt (which has just been refurbished in a $40 million reno).
- Turning on the heater.  Which doesn't sound like a really noteworthy event, but we only got a gas heater late last winter, so haven't had the chance to use it much, and it's just SO good being able to turn it on when you get home.  Sydney has been cold and wet lately, and rather than freezing like we did last winter, and sitting on the couch with a blanket on, we can steam up the windows and get toasty with the press of a button.  The gum boots have also got a dusting off and have been coming very useful in the deluge.

Dumpling love.

Dumplings have to be one of my favourite things.  A delicious bite size parcel of heaven.  I've been getting into making my own lately, and it's really quite easy.  And it's totally worth the effort.  I don't usually like doing fiddly cooking, but it's quite soothing to fill the case,

...fold them into little parcels,

...fry them (for something different from steaming) in chicken stock until it evaporates

...and the bottoms brown and crisp up.

We had it with Chinese greens and oyster sauce - so simple, but so good.