Sydney Shop Girl

We'll Always Have Rock Cakes.

2013-05-22T19:40:00.001+10:00

When it comes to making scones, I'm a bit of a dunce. I just can't help overdoing things. I over knead the dough, I over flour each time I cut out my scone discs and I aways go overboard with the addition of dried fruit. I've always been a bit envious of my fiends at work who effortlessly turn out perfect batches of scones before work which they then share with the rest of us for morning tea, complete with a pot of jam and a tub of cream on the side.

This morning, my mum needed to bring something in for morning tea at her work. We needed something quick that would be perfect with a cup of mid morning tea. I didn't want to chance it with my scones, so I decided to have a go at another classic Australian baked good, the rock cake.

Mix and Melt Rock Cakes (from Best Recipes)

To make 2 dozen cakes, you will need:

2 cups SR flour, sifted

2/3 cup sugar

125g margarine or butter, melted

1 1/2 cups sultanas (I made up the total with chopped glacé cherries and slivered almonds)

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Method:

Place sugar and flour into a large mixing bowl
Add remaining dry ingredients. Mix slightly.
Make a well in the centre of the mix and add the butter, vanilla and eggs. Mix well.
Spoon tablespoon fulls onto lined baking trays. I topped mine with sugar before baking.
Bake at 180C for 12-15 minutes.

They were so quick to make and what's not to love about the melt and mix, one bowl and a wooden spoon technique? The prep work was done before my morning mug of Moccona even had a chance to cool down.

There's also something very satisfying about seeing a batch of biscuits waiting to be baked first thing on a Wednesday morning.

Even Baby SSG took a moment out of his morning giggle and babble session to take a closer look.

Mum loved them and I've just had one for afternoon tea. This recipe makes a very crumby textured rock cake. Whilst other versions feature cinnamon and other spices, I much prefer the simple, homely taste of vanilla essence alone. The glacé cherries and slivered almonds worked well.

You know what? Perhaps I don't need to fret about refining my scone making technique. I've got rock cakes instead.

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A Mug of Tea. Breakfasts.

2013-05-21T20:58:00.001+10:00

Have you ever had one of those days where, if you could, you'd put the kettle on and make a large mug of tea for google and the internet in general? Because it must be such hard and draining work, neither of them would have time to scratch themselves, let alone scrabble around for a tea bag in the office tea room.

Well, I made that mug of tea today and drank it on their behalf.

Perhaps I should elaborate. This morning, my iPhone developed the dreaded black screen of death. It suddenly refused to turn on and nothing I did to it could get rid of that blank screen of blackness. These things happen always happen at the worst possible time, don't they? My mind went into overdrive as the implications of my dead phone crossed my mind. Months of baby photos gone, being uncontactable the day after I'd left messages for friends to call me, the thought of having to visit an Apple store with a pram and baby in tow....

And just when my head was threatening to explode, google calmly stepped in to save my day and my phone. It turns out the sure fire way to fix 'black screen' is to press both the power switch on the top right corner of the phone and the circular master button on the front for a full 10 seconds. The white apple icon should then appear on screen and you're back in business.

In even more dramatic (!!) news, there's been a slight change to my breakfast lineup. I'm taking a break from Weetbix with my yoghurt and having BelVita breakfast biscuits instead. Goodbye, soggy wheaty stuff that doesn't always get enough yoghurt on it and hello crisp biscuits that I dip into my yoghurt instead. I've tried the cranberry and fig varieties of BelVita so far and of the two, fig is my favourite.

And so another day in Perth has come and gone. The endless blue sky over the river, the space and the easygoing speed at which my little corner of the city strolls at are so very calming, it's going to be hard to snap back into Sydney speed. Thank goodness I've go a few more weeks here.

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And Then There Were Cronuts.....

2013-05-19T09:40:00.002+10:00

I don't know where I'd be without my daily fix of the Mail Online. Whether it's celebrity gossip, the low down on retail trends in the UK or even.... major world news (listed in order of priority, of course) - you can count on the Mail to tell it like how they think it should be.

www.thrillist.com

The highlight of today's issue would have to be these visions of butter pastry and cream. Trademarked already, cronuts are taking New York City by storm. You can get the low down here.

marivelous.me

A hybrid doughnut / croissant, cronuts consist of layers of croissant like pastry shaped into a donut, fried and then filled with layers of vanilla cream. The finishing touch is a dusting of rose petals. It's only a matter if the before we see a version of these in Australia, I reckon. Or else, I've just found the perfect reason to head back to New York.

In baking adventures on domestic soil, my rediscovery of retrotastic cooking appliances in my mum's kitchen continues. I dusted off mum's Kenwood mixer from the seventies yesterday. It's onto it's second motor but is still a demon at creaming sugar with butter. It's funny how present day KitchenAid mixers look more old school than this Kenwood model. Perhaps its because baking these days is a pursuit we tend to associate with the 'simpler', more certain times of the past and appliance designers see fit to perpetuate this notion.

Is this limited edition tomato and sweet chilli sauce the best thing since sliced bread (but before cronuts)? Quite possibly. I'll have to stock up when I get back to Sydney.

There is a little bit of Paris in Perth, after all. The search for today's mid morning skinny cap took me to the other end of the suburb where I found Barrett's Bakery, another one of those local institutions from my pre Sydney life. Famed for their bread, I did what the French often do and got myself a freshly baked baguette to take home for lunch.

www.facebook.com

Fellow Offspring fans, our moment has come. Season four starts on Channel Ten this week. My plan is to hoard the next few episodes on my iQ and have a marathon session of back to back episodes on one of those cold and wet wintry Sundays I know are coming our way. So I guess I'll be giving Twitter a wide berth in case I read a spoiler by mistake.

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The Forty Year Old Slow Cooker. A Day Without Chai.

2013-05-17T22:55:00.001+10:00

What's not to love about a kitchen appliance that's still going strong in its forties?

Meet my mum's retrotastic Sanyo Slow Cooker. It's got all the features I love most about appliances from that era. That orange heating unit, the brown enamelled cooking bowl, the fabric coats power cord, even the font on the heat dial. Mum's slow cooker has survived three children and three house moves. Despite the signs of wear on the outside, the glassware is without a single crack or chip - which is more than I can say for my five year old model.

Mum unearthed the slow cooker this morning when we decided that it was perfect weather for chicken soup. As she got to work giving it a clean, I chopped the ingredients for our soup. It was just like the old days when I lived at home and would give mum a hand in the kitchen to prepare dinner after she'd come in from a long day at work.

Speaking of long days, I had a dire situation in the pantry earlier this week. A lone T2 Chai teabag with a whole day ahead of me. I usually have two (or more) mugs a day and the thought of being reduced to a single drink was almost enough to make me cancel the rest of the day. I've only recently discovered chai and I think I'm making up for lost time. I like the smoky, heady warmth in its taste. It has more soul than the black teas I usually drink yet it's more subtle with its flavours than coffee.

It was a long Thursday without my chai but today we were brought back together in spectacular fashion. I wasn't taking any chances with running out again during this stay in Perth so I bought a tin of 60 tea bags just in case.

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The Budget. Mothers Days.

2013-05-15T17:38:00.001+10:00

Well ahoy there! It's felt like ages since I've last posted.

I've been on strict rations with my mobile data allowance these last few days which explains my absence from the blog. Too much fancy wifi-ing via my mobile phone by the looks of things. Fortunately, I'm now a day and a half out from the start of a new billing cycle with megabytes to fritter away so let's do this.

How have you all been? Besides waiting for the Federal Budget, I mean. The projected deficit is currently some crazy number - around $20 billion?! Then again, that was from today's paper. Who knows what it will be by the time I finish this post. Whatever the case, it looks like Mr Swan and Co. are feeling even less love for me than they did in the last budget (if that's even possible).

With that in mind, I've been applying myself to the art of austerity. As exemplified by my bottle of J&J baby oil. It was my go to makeup remover back in my student days and by jingo, it still works a treat in everything. Even those hardcore mascaras that practically renovate you entire lash line with the flick of a wand.

Does Pantene count as pinching pennies? It's all relative I guess. I've noticed that the supermarkets are now stocking spendy hair care these days so under $5 a bottle for Pantene looks frugal in comparison. I've mixed things up by trying the Nature Fusion conditioner with my old faithful Aqua Light shampoo. The Nature Fusion range has a lovely honey scent.

It's been Mothers Days for me this week. I'm blessed to have so many strong, generous and inspiring mothers in my life. So many that it has taken me most of this week to catch up with them all.

It's not a family lunch at my Aunty's unless her made from scratch spring rolls are on as entree.

Mothers Day proper was at my Aunty's house. We had a steam boat lunch on the back verandah, surrounded by my uncle's amazing citrus trees and herb garden. The next day, Baby SSG and I were guests of honour at a 'ladies lunch' at my parents' house. Many of the ladies present were the women who shaped my childhood with that blend of straight talking (delivered with tablespoons of love) and delicious home cooked food that you don't realise how much you miss and treasure until you're given it all again as an adult woman and new(ish) mother of one.

I've also caught up with my beautiful friends from uni and school who've barely changed except for their uncanny ability to maintain the thread of a conversion through squeals, tumbles and urgent requests for their attention from the children who've brought so much joy and contentment to their lives. Yes, we're all just a little different from our glory days at uni and then when we were flush with the freedom our first pay cheques from work bought us.

Speaking of mothers, I entered a new phase of my own fledgling motherhood today. I started Baby SSG on solids. It was a pretty smooth introduction actually. Baby SSG took to the concept of a spoon and organic baby rice like a discerning foodie. He's obviously got his parents' food loving genes. Barely a mess was made as those spoonfuls made it into his mouth and stayed put. I am told though, that the real fun begins when those curious, constantly moving hands decide to do the feeding for themselves.

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Good Hair Days Are Here Again.

2013-05-11T15:32:00.001+10:00

As invigorating as my foreshore walks have been, they've not been kind to my hair. My tresses (though dreadlocks may be the more accurate descriptor for what my wash and wear wavy hair looks like these days) are that awkward shoulder length that just pulls back into a pony tail but invariably mostly escapes physical restraint by lunchtime. Add the bracing winds from across the water and I end up looking like one of those troll dolls at the end of my walk. Never the chic wind swept look for me....

Embracing my inner troll didn't appeal so instead I set out I search of some five second hair solutions that would survive a walk in the wind. I've road tested a couple of things from Priceline and they've both passed the foreshore walk test with flying colours.

Lady Jayne Claw Grip Super Hold Sports Style - $7.49 small, $8.49 large. Available in black and tortoise.

Our first contender is the Lady Jayne Claw Grip Sports Style Super Hold. Available in black and tortoise, the clip is available in two sizes and retails for $7.49 and $8.49 depending on size. I found the grip with these silicone coated clips much tighter than the ordinary plastic version. Deceptively small looking, the larger size held my hair back for hours without needing to be redone.

Candidate number two is the Scunci Updo Stick (one size, $9.99). A but more tricky (but only just) than the Lady Jayne clip, it's simply a hair elastic attached to a plastic hair pin. To use, sweep your hair back into the desired style before weaving the pin through your 'do. Secure with the elastic. I was surprised that this worked as well as it did for me given how thick my hair is. But yes, my hair stayed up through an hour's walk in the wind and beyond. I didn't look at my hair from behind but in profile, it vaguely looked like a neat French twist.

I'm also getting reacquainted with my hair dryer which has definitely made my hair easier to manage as well.

Here's to good hair!

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Wet Wednesday Words.

2013-05-08T19:21:00.000+10:00

There's only one thing to do when it's raining cats and dogs outside and you've finally got the baby down for his long overdue nap and that would be to put your feet up with a steaming mug of chai and a petit four. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to keep one hand rocking things on the baby front ... just in case.

Seriously, for one of the driest cities in the country, Perth has really turned in the showers this week. It's times like these that make me truly appreciate tumble driers and the fact that I'm not out there battling the peak hour traffic.

With my usual walks long the foreshore a non event due to the rain and wind, I've finally been able to settle down and sort through old family photos my dad has unearthed when he and mum packed up our old house and found themselves sorting not only the furniture but decades of memories my brothers and I left in their care as we left home and moved all over the place.

Thirty something years worth of photographs sat in three modest piles on a desk in my dad's study. It's crazy that I probably have the same number of photos stored on my hard drive and phone from the last few weeks alone. Yet, that's how it was for our family up until the nineties. Photographs were taken on holidays, birthdays, weddings and for school. Selfies and 'what I ate / wore / found amusing just now' photos were unheard of and probably not possible with the clunky cameras back in the day before smart phones changed the role photos have in our lives.

Technology seems to have changed the way we live life, allowing every little moment and detail to be immortalised as an image where once a vague memory would have sufficed. And we were all okay with it, weren't we? That piece of cake still tasted just as delicious. It was fine to moan to your friends about hot cross buns being sold in January the day after you did the grocery shop rather than having to make a public service announcement on Facebook right there in the bakery aisle.

The limited number of photos of our childhood only made each one of them more prized. I have the only copy of a Pixie Photo portrait of my brother and I before our youngest brother was born. It's creased and yellowed and can't be made into a screensaver or shared online but I can touch and hold it whenever I want.

www.contactmusic.com

Still on the subject of memories, I'm reading Rod Stewart's autobiography, 'Rod'. Published in 2012, it's well worth a look, even if you're not a die hard fan. Rod can really write. He's witty, wry and funny. It's a given that names will be mentioned in his memoir - his contemporaries include The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin and his past marriages were to supermodels but it's no really name dropping. I'd call it recounting some hilarious stories about the adventures Rod got up to with other people who happen to be very famous.

Rod's start in the music industry was rocky and he's quite frank about this and other things in his life that didn't quite go to plan. He keep thing interesting by interspersing little pieces about his hair, train model making and cars between the chapters about his professional career and personal life. So far, his hair's biography has been my favourite read.

Okay, that's it from me. Back to the Kindle to see if Rod can top the tales about his hair.

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Time Well Spent. Retro Ranch.

2013-05-07T20:17:00.000+10:00

Well, that didn't last long.

I'm afraid it's curtains for that Nivea cleanser and I. It's been pretty harsh and drying on my skin, despite being designed specifically for dry and sensitive skin.

It's just as well I'm a lateral thinking shopper because I finally made the association between Mecca Cosmetica and Kiehl's yesterday. Whilst Kiehl's may be in short supply at my local DJs, I m surrounded by Mecca stores in my neck of the woods. So I managed to find my favourite cleanser, 'the one with the blue writing on the label' and now all is well with my skin. Not that necessarily needed to know all of that but there you have it.

Living back at home with mum and dad is definitely agreeing with Baby SSG and I. He has an audience for his latest tricks who are on call 24 hours a day and are extremely generous with their praise, as well as with cuddles and carries. For my part, I'm being spoiled with baby sitting and being told not to lift a finger around the house.

That old 'I went to Target for baby things and also left with things for me' scenario.

It wouldn't do for me to just sit around wasting all this newfound free time, would it? Which is how I found myself shopping for myself at a rate close to how it was back in 2011. I managed to leave Target with a faux fur gilet several sizes too big on Saturday. Depite trying it on (in the middle of ladies acessories, It was one of those wrong hanger situations where I just assumed the size of the garment based on what its hanger stated. The drapiness and extra length were actually just what I was looking for and it was reduced to $47 dollars so it was a happy mistake.

Country Road is another store spreading the 30% off love.

www.countryroad.com.au

They're currently applying the offer to knitwear and I bought this knit poncho. I tried it on over a double denim chambray shirt and skinny jeans outfit and as dreadful as it may sound, it actually worked in a retro ranch kind of way. Maybe not one of this season's key trends but it's a look I will make my own this winter.

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A Running Rebirth.

2013-05-06T09:47:00.001+10:00

Yesterday's run in the great outdoors couldn't have happened at a better time for me. My usually indefatigable running mojo seems to have gone into hibernation. Maybe it's been all those soul destroying treadmill runs I've been doing. Watching the red numbers flash in front of me (the time counter never seems to change over as fast as the speed or gradient ones), the noise of the motor and the heavy sound of my feet on the conveyor belt to nowhere ... is it any wonder I cheat myself and shave a few minutes off my workout here and there?

Not a bad view on the home stretch of yesterday's run.

I was a different runner on the open road yesterday evening. Time flew by. The 15 minutes (aka the golden 15.00 on the treadmill) it takes every ounce of motivation to complete at the gym came and went without me feeling anything but the desire to keep going. I'm not sure what my speeds were like but I felt like I was maintaining a clipping pace. The sound of my feet hitting the pavement was comforting and lulled me into that 'can do, keep going' state of mindful serenity that sees you rack up kilometres without really noticing it.

Instead of being drenched in swear from head to toe, outdoor runs leave me with a glow and the slightest sheen on my face (it's all relative). While gym running leaves me with a sense of achievement at hitting particular speeds and times, it's a rather solitary experience. Running in the real world has the added diamension of engaging all my senses whilst completing my cardio for the day.

I don't know if it truly was a spiritual experience but running through the streets of my childhood was definitely like being in my very own 'This Is Your Life' montage. Familiar houses and businesses sped past me and I half expected the faces from so long ago to pop out from the front doors too. The trademark red floored front patios and pruned rose bushes are harder to spot these days but those wide, symmetrically aligned streets with their tree lined paths haven't changed one bit.

The mansions over in the fancy bit of the suburb haven't lost their quietly imposing presence and the mystery I felt always shrouded their occupants still remains. I don't think I ever saw a person leave or enter any of the immaculately landscaped compounds, let alone seeing someone do the wheelie bin or letterbox dash in their pyjamas....

Hope you're having a great Monday. I've got nothing in particular to do right now except a load of washing.

Until next time!

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Friday Afternoons In Perth.

2013-05-03T20:37:00.001+10:00

Friday afternoons in Perth rock.

For a start, you get to drive home at speeds of 80 km/h on the freeway, in peak hour.

Which means you make such good time that you can ease into the weekend with a cup of tea at home.

I've been out and about today, making the most of the sun and excellent traffic conditions.

My first stop was the gym where I tested out my new Michelle Bridges One Active gym leggings. Michelle's range is at Big W and part proceeds go to breast cancer research. The leggings range in price from $20 - $25 and come in both full and 3/4 lengths. I'm really happy with both styles I bought. They're a flattering cut, very comfortable and thick enough to hold you in a bit and to allow you some idle daydreams that perhaps you are already as toned as Michelle herself, without even having done her 12WBT program. This is a very trivial point but the legging fabric is not that shiny sausage skin Lycra but a more flattering matte finish. Just a pet peeve of mine, overly shiny black leggings.

A Dome coffee, for old time's sake.

Then, Baby SSG and I took a very relaxing drive across the river to Garden City, the go to shopping centre of my younger years. It was a bit surreal revisiting the GC as a pram pushing, dressed for comfort mum. I've still got it though - I knew where everything was and we didn't get lost once.

It was a pram pushing mother's kind of shopping trip. Tightly choreographed and limited to stores with wide aisles.

I finally found a Coles that stocks Mix apparel. This pendant was $12 and will be perfect for dressing up the basic outfits I packed.

My other Coles finds from earlier this week are this mug and tumbler, $5 and $3 respectively.

Chambray shirt $39, thank tops 2 for $20, black skinnies, $39.99 - all by Cotton On.

But back to today's finds. I can't believe it but this is the second time in my life that chambray shirts and double denim are fashion dot com. I'm possibly a little over the hill to be pairing chambray with back skinnies but hey, I'm in Perth, the city of my youth. What better place or reason to relive a key 90s trend?

But the adventures didn't stop there. I had an urgent cleanser shortage to address. It turns out that Kiehl's isn't a fixture in the 'burbs here like it is in Sydney so I had to be brave and try another brand. I'll let you know how this Nivea mousse cleanser pans out. Beauty products in mousse form. Another trend I'm seeing for the second time in my life. Gee I'm ancient, even if I don't feel it.

Happy Friday evening all the same!

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The Same But Different.

2013-05-01T19:16:00.000+10:00

Greetings from Perth!

Where the skies are impossibly blue and everything seem to be cushioned by a huge amount of space, even the people on the street and the cars in the car park.

It's been a good seven years since I've spent a solid amount of time back home. My previous trips back have been whirlwind fly in, fly out affairs. This time, however, I'm here for a few weeks to do nothing but enjoy the privilege of seeing my family on a daily basis and reconnecting with the city.

It's interesting how revisiting the place where you grew up gives you a sense of how time both marches on and stands still. There are places that haven't aged a bit and stir memories of a younger you walking past the exact same view, lost in thought with what seemed like the world on your shoulders. With the benefit of hindsight, perhaps you realise that back then you were lost in a cloud of angst looking at the trees rather than the woods. Time and fate really did sort much of it out.

Further inland, the city is the same but different. I can navigate the roads where I used to live with ease but it's the buildings that line them that in turn dazzle me and make me a little wistful for the familiar facades that were part of my everyday life ... seven years ago. My old workplace is a construction site. The open air car park I got lost in on a daily basis is now a multistorey extravaganza offering even more places to forget where you've parked after a long day at work. The rest of the place looks like the foundations of some kind of mother ship with construction cranes rising high in the air and pylons and pits where there used to be buildings.

Elsewhere, there's a new sleekness in the air. The modest shopping centres of the past have turned into elegant arcades. While the new cafes look very big city, the service is still pure Perth - friendly and decidedly unhurried.

I haven't quite left my Sydney life behind. It turns out there's a branch of my gym close to where I'm staying. It's next to an antique store which is where I took the above photo. Old and new, side by side. It seems to be what Perth is all about these days.

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Nearly On Our Way.

2013-04-27T18:03:00.001+10:00

It's all happening this Monday. I'm flying solo with Baby SSG back home to Perth for a few weeks. I have a three day plan for the packing and it started yesterday with my last Friday skinny mocha in Sydney for awhile.

Then it was off to the sofas outside Target where I had a bit of a sit down whilst I tried to remember all the things I needed to buy.

Even with the mental shopping list, I still walked out with twice as many things as I was supposed to. Toy sales and bargain baby thermals, how coud I resist?

As luck would have it, I found a T2 store on my travels. My latest T2 addiction is their blend of Chai. It has the perfect blend of smokiness and spice for me. My stash of tea bags are coming with me to Perth. Just in case I can't get myself to a Perth store the moment we land.

Today saw me action the second phase of my packing plan. It involved a stealth declutter of my wardrobe. I've finally done it. My maternity wardrobe went to Vinnies today. The empty hangers are now rattling at me, just begging to be draped in some new threads. Which means that some shopping will probably go down in Perth. Another incentive for me to pack light.

Speaking of packing, why can't everything you've laid out on the spare bed magically fold and fit itself into your suitcase? I spent a good hour this afternoon trying to use the power of thought to make it happen but sadly, I've just checked and nothing's moved.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's exciting developments. Highlights will include my trying to pack the pram into its travel bag and then squeeze as much as I can in the gaps.

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Bundie and Cake? A KitchenAid 7 Speed Hand Mixer Review.

2013-04-26T06:27:00.000+10:00

In the fine tradition that this blog has of answering the big questions, today's post asks and answers a question that I'm sure has kept you up in the early hours.....

Do I really need both a KitchenAid Artisan Mixer and 7 Speed Hand Mixer in Empire Red?

I reckon yes. And a bottle of Bundaberg rum wouldn't go astray either. Curious? Then read on.....

I think it's fair to say that quite a few of my previous kitchen appliance reviews have been hampered by a wide array of technical issues. From not being able to get lids to work to macarons that ended up looking like whoopie pies (at least I was in the ball park of trendy small cakes for that particular project), you can rest assured that if I say something works for me, it goes without saying that it will do the same for you. Well, the moment has finally arrived. Today, I'm reviewing the KitchenAid 7 Speed Hand Mixer on behalf of Kitchenware Direct. Currently, the unit retails for $99 on their site. And guess what? Today's review is 100% drama free.

Out of the box:

Easy to follow instruction manual
Hand mixer unit with lockable, swivelling power cord
Double turbo beater attachments
Single attachment liquid blender rod
Drawstring fabric bag for the attachments.

First impressions

As you would expect from KitchenAid, the stainless steel attachments and the mixer unit all had a very solid feel to them.

The mixer is plastic rather than the steel of the brand's stand mixers. The control panel features soft touch buttons.

At the base is the main power switch.

The attachments clip in easily into their designated slots and clip out when the release button is pressed.

Sorry I only got half the bottle of Bundie in the photo. It would have been handy for a size reference for the KitchenAids.

There is quite a significant size difference between the stand and hand mixers, as you can see from this very casually styled photo. The trade off for the much smaller amount of bench top space that the hand mixer occupies is that it's not suitable for the heavy duty mixing required for making things like bread doughs.

The test
At last, the real reason for all my Bundie references becomes clear. I decided to test out the hand mixer using this recipe for Rum Cake.

Say goodbye to sore necks and losing your way when trying to follow a recipe!

To enhance efficiency and accuracy in executing the recipe, I stuck a copy of it to a cupboard door with some BluTak. Why didn't I think of this earlier? It makes reading the recipe so much easier.

There are times in your life where baking a cake nearly from scratch will just have to do. With one eye and hand on Baby SSG pretty much all day (and night), I'm definitely an active member of the doctored cake mix school of baking. The advantages of this kind of recipe are that pretty much all the fiddly ingredient measuring is done for you and that your cake is pretty much guaranteed to rise. It's just a few minutes work to pour out cup measurements of the liquid ingredients and to crack a few eggs and voila! A cake to bake materialises in front of you.

The digital speed display is easy to read. Controlling the speed is simply a matter of pressing the up or donjon arrow buttons.

Mixing the batter with the KitchenAid hand mixer was a breeze. It was easy to see how ell the batter was combining as I went. There was no mess, the batter did not explode out of the bowl during mixing (I started at a low speed) and the handset was so light, I could have stood there all day beating my batter. And the best bit? Cleaning up really was a breeze. The beater attachments clipped out easily, and all I had to do was a quick wash in the sink under running water.

Overall impression

A two thumbs up, must have in the kitchen. Even if you do have a stand mixer, it's very handy to have a small hand mixer for quick mixing tasks.
The unit was very easy to assemble, use and clean.
It's lightweight and compact so you don't need to find bench space for it. It easily fits into a drawer or on a shelf. Which is enough to justify buying it, really.
Though powerful, the hand mixer barely bakes a noise.
The only negatives I can think of is that it may not work as your one mixing appliance if you need a mixer capable of making dough or pasta. It could also get messy with the beaters if you were needing to add things to what's being mixed as you went. The stand mixers have a clear advantage in both these areas.

But what about the cake, I hear you ask? Did that metric cup of Bundie go to a good cause?

Indeed it did. The baking cake filled the chilly morning air with the warm scent of rum. My cake rose perfectly.

The rum butter glaze bubbled temptingly on the stove. Wouldn't a bowl of it make a great dessert fondue? Hold that thought, I might just have to make it happen the winter.

I poured half the gaze over the warm cake while it was still in the pan. Poking holes into the cake helps with the absorption if the glaze.

Then, the make or break depanning moment..... And wouldn't you know it? The great gods of non stick Bundt tins (aka Anolon) were watching out for me. The cake came out in one golden crusted ring of rum scented perfection.

Taste wise, there was just enough rum from both the glaze and the cake without it being overpowering. The texture was very smooth and this makes a soft cake. It does have the giveaway 'processed' feel of having its origins in a box of cake mix and a bag of instant pudding but for the amount of effort required, I can't complain. It's a handy, from the pantry kind of recipe to have on hand when a cake is urgently needed from you. You could even freestyle it with a different liquor if you wanted.

The KitchenAid 7 Speed Hand Mixer used in this review was kindly provided by Kitchenware Direct. I thank them for their ongoing support of this blog.

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Justice, Freedom and Peace. Lest We Forget.

2013-04-25T09:57:00.001+10:00

ANZAC Day grows in significance for me as each year passes. Each day between one April 25 and the next seems to bring more news of conflicts overseas which see more of our serving men and women called into tours of duty. The issues more complex, the line between right and wrong increasingly blurred, the definition of peace more and more subjective. As I move from childhood, then adulthood and now into parenthood - the human cost of war is brought into even sharper focus.

I don't think it's possible to live in this country and not cherish the ANZAC spirit. Justice, freedom and peace are the qualities that ANZACs past and present fight for. For all of us. It's not just a matter of not forgetting today but also remembering the sacrifices made on our behalf every other day of the year and acting towards each other accordingly.

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When the Sun Shines. Cleo 2.0.

2013-04-24T13:06:00.000+10:00

And before you know it, we're simultaneously halfway through the week and on the eve of a public holiday. I don't know exactly what I've done to feel as busy as I have but there it is.

I've had a bit of a sit down with a coffee and a good read, my thoughts are collected and here I am, tapping away on my iPad. Let's see where it all takes us today.

May I just say how beautiful this autumn has been so far? Granted there have been a fair few grey days filled with downpours but when the sun comes out, life is beautiful. There's just enough warmth in the mid morning air and the occasional breeze to ruffle the leaves and flowers. It's one of those simple pleasures to be able to take the time to savour it on a random working day.

More midweek cheer was to be had whilst I was doing the groceries. It's not every day of the week that you get greeted with a Lindor ball on entering Coles. There's a new caramel flavoured variety that's just launched and I will be able to tell you after lunch if it even comes close to my all time favourite peanut butter version.

In news that has made me feel really ancient, Cleo magazine has just unveiled its relaunch issue. Apparently, all the sex tips and nudity that were its trademarks just aren't what the young women of today want from a magazine. Instead less sex (but not none at all) but more fashion and lifestyle will be the new direction for what Cleo's publisher says is a more conservative readership.

Perhaps there isn't some deep psychosocial reason to explain this return to conservatism. It could just be disenchantment with the too much information approach to relationships that reality television, leaked videos and navel gazing celebrity news (closet Daily Mail online fan here) have given us in recent years. On the other hadnd, it could also be a yearning for fluffy, feel good fun that seems to be in short supply in other media. A sort of return to relative innocence in one aspect of life in a world that seems hell bent on pulling everyone at any age the other way.

I was curious to see what the new Cleo looked like close up, so I had a quick look whilst waiting at the check out. I didn't make it last the cover. It looked and read an awful lot like Dolly magazine to me. The love heart graphics around a supermodel wearing a head band decorated with cats ears, the 'so you're single' self help article, the new, pink font of the title.... It's been at least two decades since I last read Cleo and another since I last read Dolly. Have their respective demographics merged?

Have you read the new Cleo? Have I misjudged the cover?

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Angkor Wat. Adventures In Denim.

2013-04-20T08:34:00.000+10:00

I am my mother's daughter in many respects but the one thing I lack is her sense of adventure and love of spur of the moment vacationing. A case in point is the post holiday catch up phone call we had yesterday. What was meant to be a brief trip back to Malaysia to catch up with her brothers and sisters ended up involving an impromptu side trip to Cambodia to take in Angkor Wat. My mother reasoned that since she was in that part of the world, she might as well continue on her quest to see all the Wonders of the World. She managed to talk a brother and a sister into going with her and together they took a 'very pleasant two hour flight' to Cambodia and landed at an 'interesting airport nestled in some beautiful greenery'. The majesty of the temple filled her with awe and the steep walk left her invigorated. She highly recommended that I get myself there one day.

Hearing about my mum's little adventure made me think about my own life and how a little bit of excitement wouldn't go astray. The soaring temples of Cambodia may be off limits for me right now but my local Cotton On is only a short drive away, nestled within the walls of a very baby and pram friendly shopping centre. As an antidote to the grey skies and rain, my mission at Cotton On was to find some new skinny jeans to add some colour and interest to my SAHM uniform of jeans and nursing tops. It takes a brave woman in her late, late thirtysomethings to go in search of jeans at a 'youth' label but after a particularly efficient workout, I was riding on a rush of endorphins and that reflected self confidence you get from having just shared the air and weights room with the hard core body building set at the gym.

There's lots of good news to share about the skinny jeans situation at Cotton On:

They have a special offer on selected styles at the moments, two pairs for $60 - online and instore
The current cut acknowledges women with hips and waists, the waistband doesn't sit super low
The leg length is fine for people of 'average' height, I'm around 167cm tall and they weren't swimming on me
I'm between sizes so went up a size in the interests of public decency
There's a fair bit of stretch in the denim
I found the range of colours and prints both interesting and wearable.

So, with Baby SSG guarding the change room door in his pram, I faced the difficult task of choosing the two designs I thought would get the most wear from as well as being different enough to what I already own to justify being bought.

The suspense must be killing you. Here's what my jeans look like on actual models.

www.cottonon.com
Maison skinny leg jeans
Traveler paisley print in Robin Hood green

I love the paisley print on these Maison style jeans. Not to mention the fact that they're in a shade of green called Robin Hood! I might have to accessorise with a quiver of arrows or with a feathered cap.

www.cottonon.com
Ritchie skinny leg jeans in red

My other choice was a solid red. Though the style name is different, the Ritchies are the same cut as the Maisons.

The challenge is now on to match them with my existing winter items. And also to not go overboard and go back for the camouflage and olive green styles....

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Of Toothpaste and Toothbrushes.

2013-04-18T14:00:00.000+10:00

I've been pondering doing something about the colour of my teeth for quite some time now. Celebrity worthy perfect white teeth sound great in theory but the maintenance required is right up there with keeping your hair that shade of Bergdorf blonde. Frequent trips to the dentist (for the teeth), care with the foods you eat and drink (for both, I guess), the cost (ditto).... It all sounded too much like hard work.

Until I happened to be given a tube of Colgate's new Optic White toothpaste to review. My review today will also include Colgate's new Slim Soft toothbrush. Both are available at retailers including Priceline, Coles and Big W. Optic White retails at $7.99 for a 110g tube and the Slim Soft toothbrush is $3.99 for a single and $6.99 for a twin pack.

Optic White toothpaste

General observations:

Sturdy flip top tube in a shade of iridescent red I'm quite liking. Looks rather chic on the bench top in my bathroom.

Is more expensive than regular Colgate toothpastes, around $3 more from my research. It's also at the pricier end of other supermarket whiteners.

Definitely has a different taste to regular toothpaste but not as unpleasant as I thought it would be. It tasted a little chalky and less 'minty' than what I usually use. In the scheme of things, I'm more than happy to live with this if it will give me lovely looking teeth.

The key ingredient in Optic White is hydrogen peroxide. Colgate clams this is successful in both removing surface staining as well as deeply whitening teeth. The brand's research promises teeth three shades whiter after four weeks of use.

I've not experienced any sensitivity of my gums in the weeks that I've been using Optic White twice daily.

It's too easy! All you have to do is use the toothpaste. No additional treatments, no food restrictions, no appointments.

It's fine to use with both electric and standard toothbrushes.

You might be wondering why I've included a photo of my front loader near the end of a cycle at this point. It was noted in other reviews of this toothpaste that the longer you can leave some product on your teeth, the more rapidly you'll notice the whitening effect on your teeth. Emptying the washing machine took just the right amount oif time to let my teeth 'soak' a little while longer.

Results:

I'm impressed. It's been just over a week and I'm already seeing results. My teeth are normally strained and probe to yellowing. At the moment, they definitely look cleaner. Not a perfect dazzling white (yet), but much better than usual. It will be interesting to see how good they'll look in a few weeks' time.

Colgate Slim Soft toothbrush

Bristle comparison.
Colgate Slim Soft on the left, my regular Colgate toothbrush on the right.

The unique selling point of this toothbrush is its size. The bristles are softly tapered and 17 times slimmer than those of a standard toothbrush. The toothbrush head is also noticeable slimmer than those of others on the market. The aim of these modifications is to provide a gentle and more through clean.

Toothbrush width comparison.
Colgate Slim Soft on the left, my regular Colgate toothbrush on the right.

I was a bit sceptical that Slim Soft would have any advantages over current toothbrush but I was pleasantly surprised. By jingo, it's a toothbrush that can really clean! The finer, softer bristles actually did clean my teeth more thoroughly than my firmer toothbrush with its fancy bristle arrangement. If you have sensitive teeth, the Slim Soft toothbrush is definitely worth considering.

And there we have it, all the latest on my dental goings on.

The products discussed in this review were provided to SSG by Colgate-Palmolive and Magnum PR. I would like to thank both parties for their support of this blog.

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Team Hazelnut.

2013-04-17T10:57:00.000+10:00

I've found instant coffee love.

Hazelnut Moccona, how I love you.

Let me count the ways.

You're like toothpicks for my eyelids, only less painful.

You've single handedly (and deliciously) kept me awake since my 2am wake up call.

You smell so good first thing in the morning.

It's so much more satisfying sipping at you from a mug than battling with a jar of Nutella or the wrapper of a Kinder Surprise with one hand for a hazelnut fix.

I'm very much team hazelnut but what about you? Are the vanilla or caramel flavours more your thing? Or is flavours instant coffee even more of a travesty than the regular stuff?

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Pimped Up Brownies. A Rebel Fix.

2013-04-16T17:19:00.000+10:00

When the skies are grey and there's no chance of the laundry drying on the line anytime soon, there's only one thing to do. Bake. With large amounts of chocolate and butter.

With my Lurpak brownie tin and blocks of butter from yesterday's successful mission ready to go, the logical thing to bake was brownies. I'm all about the packet mix these days and Donna Hay heeded my call with her chic blue box of Caramel Fudge Chocolate Brownie Mix. All you need in addition to the mix are 2 eggs and 125g of melted butter. Coles online tells me that it currently retails for $8.67 (precisely) per box.

When most of the work of baking is done for you, it's hard not to resist the temptation to engage in a spot of brownie bedazzling. The things I chose to bedazzle with were sea salt and some squares of dark chocolate. The sea salt because of my salted caramel obsession and the extra chocolate? Well you can never have too much chocolate in a brownie and I was hoping to achieve that rivers of melted chocolate effect with each bite of brownie.

A few words about preparing your brownie tin. If you're short on time, a quick way to line a greased tin with baking paper is to wet a scrunched up piece of baking paper and ease it into the prepared tin. No finicky cutting required. The moistened paper readily fits into the contours of the tin. That was one of the many great shortcuts I've gleaned from watching Jamie's 30 Minute Meals.

The caramel component of the brownies comes as a ready made slab of caramel which you then chop and add to the mixture of eggs, melted butter and the supplied brownie mix.

The Donna Hay mix produces a pretty stiff and fudge like batter. It didn't take long at all to achieve this consistency with hand mixing.

After pouring the batter into the prepared tray, I pimped up the top surface like chocolate and sea salt were going out of fashion. And yes, the Lurpak tin was the perfect size for the amount of brownie batter I had.

I baked my brownies for 55 minutes at 160C in a fan forced oven. Whilst the brownies turned out to be chewy and moist, my excessive brownie pimping proved to be fortuitous because the extra chocolate added a bit more depth to the chocolate flavour which seemed a bit subdued in comparison to other brownie mixes and recipes I've used. The caramel pieces baked to a chewy, gooey stickiness and the addition of some sea salt gave the caramel a recommended for mature audiences kind of finish.

www.news.com.au

I've been watching clips of Rebel Wilson hosting this year's MTV Movie Awards and wondering whether she landed the show an MA rating too. Rebel took the hosting gig to places it's never been before and she did it with flair and talent. Aussie cliches, self deprecating quips and double entendres came thick and fast as she sang and danced her way through the show. She owned each element of her performance and that's what made it such great viewing. Rebel was as much fun hosting the show as she is in her movie roles. Which doesn't happen as often as you'd hope in Hollywood.

www.fanpop.com

I got another dose of Rebel with 'Pitch Perfect' on DVD. It felt like Glee's slightly edgy older cousin whose off at uni. The singing and dancing had me tapping my feet and singing out loud. And you've got to be happy with that on a rainy Tuesday afternoon.

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Senseless Loss.

2013-04-16T16:03:00.000+10:00

www.foxsports.com.au

It doesn't seem right to be blogging today without acknowledging the Boston Marathon explosions that occurred at around 5am Sydney time today. As each day passes, it seems that we are fighting a losing battle in keeping innocent and peaceful those things that in another time we would have never have even thought to associate with violence and death. Schools, universities, busy commercial areas and now marathons....

The senseless loss of innocent lives seems relentless and increasingly, frighteningly even more random. And to what end? The only 'message' I can see is yet more futile pain and grief. The bloodshed fails to endear me to the political or religious agendas that are often raised up as the motivation for these attacks.

The Quest For Lurpak Brownie Tins and Ikea Paper Napery.

2013-04-15T07:14:00.000+10:00

Well played, Adam Scott! Congratulations on being the first Australian ever to win the US Masters.

www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Even I could sense the tension as the final holes were played. And I don't know any of the rules of golf.

My achievement for the day didn't involve quite as much hand eye coordination as Adam's but was every bit as dependent on strategy. I finally managed to get my hands on one of Lurpak's brownie tin and butter sets. Apparently it's the final week of the proportion and the packs are only available at Coles. My local store had run out, Coles online wasn't selling them but I managed to get one at a larger Coles that's up the road (quite a few actually but the traffic was really good this morning).

Two blocks of unsalted butter and the tin retail for $8 which is pretty good considering that a single block of butter costs $5. Also included is a recipe card with two brownie recipes. However, I'm planning to christen my tin with one of the brownie mixes I have squirrelled away in the pantry.

Ikea slippers, $2.99 a pair.

This cosy looking wall of slippers was on display at Ikea. They've branched out into travel gear and bathrobes as well.

Serviettes from Ikea. $3.99 for 50 in colours, $4.99 for 100 in white.

It was all very tempting but I managed to walk past it all and on to the ground floor Market Hall where I found what I was originally there for. The serviettes. That's right. Not the Billy bookcases or the Swedish meatballs or even the candles but the paper napery. I went a bit fashion forward today and bought a package of taupe serviettes. I'm suddenly realising, as I type this post, that I don't actually have any table linen that will actually match. Never mind, another reason to plan an Ikea trip never goes astray.

Ikea serviettes are the best. They're thick enough to do what they're meant to do without disintegrating halfway through the job. They also look and feel a bit fancy. Which is always good when you're hosting a causal, last minute dinner party and you're serving home delivery. Actually, I don't think I can even call what I do a dinner party, I serve beverages straight from the can or bottle (except champagne, I do have some standards). It would be more technically correct to say that I am 'providing stainless steel cutlery and china plates for the chicken Pad Thai'. With good paper serviettes.

And on that note, I shall leave you. I have to finish cleaning the microwave by blitzing a bowl of cut lemons and water in it.

Take care.

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Saturday Sun.

2013-04-13T05:42:00.001+10:00

There's no other word for today's weather but spectacular. No matter where you were in Sydney today, you were looking out at the world under a brilliant blue sky.

There was was just enough of all the good stuff (sunshine, sea breeze and warmth) and none of the things that would seriously cramp your style on a Saturday like rain and humidity. Everyone I met had a huge smile on their face and laughter in their voice. It's amazing how good weather never fails to lift everyone's spirits.

Sartorially speaking, Birkis and faded denim flares were the order of the day. I'm still loving my pair from Next Direct after all of these years. They were the basis of an outfit perfect for sipping at a cup of Campos coffee in.

You find the darnedest things at Big W these days.

It was the Small Paul range the other week, modelled here by Baby SSG.

And $1 bubble sticks this week.

Modelled by myself this morning. Endless hours of fun!

I wonder if Eric Stonestreet helped make it all happen at Big W through his involvement in their latest ad campaign.

Over at Coles, it looks as if the twitter bird has now been immortalised on a shopping bag, Anya Hindmarch 'I'm Not A Plastic Bag' style.

Happy Saturday evening to you!

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Celebrity Facial Confusion. DIY Hair. Saving.

2013-04-12T08:43:00.000+10:00

Despite the fact that her name was in both the spine of the magazine and on the cover, a few centimetres away from her face, I was stil having trouble joining the dots this morning.

Then again it could have been my sleep deprivation or the fact that I needed coffee rather than tea but.... Katie Holmes, is that really you? An 80s supermodel you? It must be a sign of old age on my part because celebrity facial confusion seems to be hitting me quite often these days. It's a given that I have in idea who the latest It Girl modes and actresses are but when the faces you grew up with no longer look familiar, it is a bit of a concern.

Anyway, InStyle's agenda for May 2013 is hair that flatters and dresses that instantly slim. I'm still trying to find the dress article but the hair report was interesting. The agenda for my locks is that I need to embrace a blunt fringe and soft waves. The soft waves I can do. Wet hair tied up in a pony and twisted into a bun and left to dry is my default hair 'styling' option these days. The blunt fringe ..... Do I dare see if I can find and follow a DIY video on YouTube?

I'm probably the last person in the world you'd expect to be saying this but it appears that my savings have caught up with me. Frugal February turned into Meagre March and I'm here at the start of Austere April with a head start on my savings goal for the month. My credit cards have been hibernating in my wallet and I've nearly forgotten the card numbers, expiry dates and three digit security verification numbers for both of them. I'm expecting a call from the CBA soon to investigate this sustained period of low activity.

It's a good feeling. I'm not wanting for anything at the moment and I've got funds allocated for the numerous deductions that continue even when you've taken yourself off on maternity leave. My big holiday for this year is the trip back home to Perth next month. I don't think I can do too much shopping damage there, surely? The days will be filled with friends and family. Then again, I have heard vicious rumours about Perth coffee prices... $7 for a latte in the suburbs is the rumoured going rate.

Perthies, is this really true? Will we be forced to share a thermos of instant and a packet of Granitas when we meet up?

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Photos and Apps Of Interest.

2013-04-10T11:02:00.000+10:00

If there's a photo that's guaranteed to give you a mid week chuckle, it would have to be this.

www.screencrush.com

John Goodman in character for his role in the forthcoming Hangover movie. Even if you're not a fan of the series, doesn't John look like he's having a ball on set? A hint of tan, retro sunglasses, a flash of Missoni around his neck.... It's a man's man, metrosexual look. I've no idea how John's character fits into the plot but I won't have long to wait to find out. May is just around the corner.
www.trespassmag.com

If you can't wait until then for a hit of Goodman, Argo is on DVD now and he's brilliant in it. He's rocking an early eighties Hollywood look, in a man's man way, of course. Argo is a brilliant film full stop, actually. All the awards it has won are richly deserved.

I've finally gotten the hang of that scanner bar code thing for iPhones. I've seen the scanning square all over place but never quit understood how they worked. One of my favourite cafes recently switched their coffee cards over to a paperless version using eCoffeeCard and it's right up the with sliced bread on the best things scale. No more rifling through every card in my wallet at the cash register. No more wallet bulge from all the extra thickness of my various loyalty cards.

It must be a good app week for me because look what else I've installed on my iPhone?

www.news.com.au

That's right, there's an Offspring app for tragics like me. It's free and on iTunes.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://video.news.com.au/2369673133/Offspring-season-4---sneak-peak"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;VIDEO: Offspring season 4 - sneak peak&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Some helpful readers also told me about the new season's promotional clip. It's looking like a great season and in the interests of spreading the love, I've embedded the clip in this post.

Well, the sun beckons. I'm heading out to catch some rays and clock a few kms on the pram. Happy Wednesday, wherever you may be!

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Ruby Reds. Top of the Lake.

2013-04-09T17:16:00.001+10:00

Oh happy days!

Ruby red grapefruit is back at the supermarket. Topped with a little sugar, they're my favourite breakfast fruit. Their colour and tart citrus taste are the perfect way to kick start a wintry day.

I've had New Zealand on my mind a fair bit in the last few weeks. Mr SSG and I have been toying with the idea of a week in the snow sometime this winter. We were thinking of Queenstown with its excellent skiing and range of other things to see and do. I'm not exactly the greatest or most confident skier but I love escaping to ski resorts. It's so pristine and peaceful which rubs off on both locals and tourists alike. Time runs at a different speed in the snow. It's not the languidness of beach time but rather a sense that the day just plays itself out in relation to the amount of sunlight up above.

Image from wikipedia

My other South Island obsession is 'Top of the Lake'. It's the new seven part mini series from the brilliant mind of Jane Campion and her team. It's currently screening on Foxtel's UKTV. It was very well received at both the Sundance Film Festival (where the entire series was shown) and at the Berlin International Film Festival.

I can't think how to describe what it's actually about but I'm hooked. It's dark. Darkly humorous and just plain dark. I take care to only watch my taped episodes in broad daylight and in the company of other adults. The themes explored in 'Top of the Lake' play on innocence lost in the most devastating manner. Your mind as a viewer is taken to the worst aspects of human attraction and dominance.

Central to the plot is the disappearance of Tui Mitcham (Jaqueline Jo) the pregnant teenage daughter of Matt Mitcham (Peter Mullan) one of the town's rougher patriarchs whose daily dealings have a vaguely criminal flavour.

www.thedailybeast.com

Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) a police detective normally based in Sydney is called onto the case. She was coincidentally visiting her ill mother in the area at the time. Robin has a tragic history in the town that at times threatens her objectivity as she works on Tui's disappearance. Robin works closely with Al Parker (David Wenham) the in charge of the local police department. The two have some history of a non romantic kind but their current relationship is tantalisingly unclear, Robin is in a long engagement with another man back home.

www.sfgate.com

Another focal point of the unfolding drama is Paradise a property sprawling under jagged mountain ranges and piercing blue skies. Some new people have just moved in - GJ (Holly Hunter in a fabulous Cousin It inspired wig) and her adoring female students of life along with the spartan steel shopping containers they now call home. The irony of their choosing to find themselves by retreating to the outskirts of a xenophobic, misogynistic small town is the impetus for some humour in an otherwise bleak human landscape.

Needless to say, the performances of the entire cast are gripping. Would you expect anything less from the likes of David Wenham and Elisabeth Moss? Moss nearly gets the Kiwi/Australian hybrid accent but the rest of her performance is flawless. We're halfway through the series here in Australia and none the wiser with regard to Tui's fate but we're slowly getting to know the hidden depths of those who are now looking for her.

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