IN BETWEEN

For those in need of soulfood, inspiration, a good giggle

About beaches, mojitos and mojo

‘In my dreams the angel shrugged and said, if we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination and then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand.’
Brian Andreas

Fighting to regain my writing mojo, my writerly friends from far away places said ‘take yourself away from the everyday!’…Sure said I…Tuscany here we come! ‘Fraid not! Retorted budget. Instead I settle for the good old iconoclastic Goldie. Home to the tourist hordes, theme parks, schoolie’s, a dodgy nightlife reputation, souvenir shops, meter maids sporting gold bikinis (yes they still exist), a Casino full of slow shows, fast food and bleary eyed Asian punters…and…absolute beachfront accommodation of such excellent value, not even Noosa my normal runaway bolt could match.

Endless toe-squidgingly squeaky white sand stretching to a misty Surfers Paradise haze one end, Tweed border the other; pounding waves spitting out bronzed, six packed surfers; fishing lines, buckets full of restless catch; tiny tots attached to colorful kites; hand locked lovers, determined joggers, Lycra clad cyclists, skateboarding dogs…and all vying forone common denominator – this tiny piece of 57kilometers worth of brilliantly clear aquamarine blue, sun dappled ocean that is the iconic Gold Coast’s cachet.IMG_8344-0.JPG

Y’know, I’ve strolled the beaches of Barbados, St Baarts, Martinique, Antigua and St Lucia in (more…)

On Italians, Tiramisu…and Grappa

This time last year…

Hi, there lovely readers. Let me put you in the scene… I’m standing on the edge of a cliff, freshly plucked sweet crimson cherries in hand, gazing at sun sparkles shimmering across a breathtakingly azure ocean and clear blue sky, and squinting to identify where the two actually meet. Grappa impaired vision.

The small terra cotta and mustard hued fishing village surrounded by heavy grape vines and silvery olive trees below looks to relinquish its tenuous grip on the valley and tumble into that ocean. A number of villas actually did in the Autumn of 2011 when flash flooding tore through the township consuming everything in its path to the sea. You’d never know it today though. Stoic folk these Ligurians…good thing that Grappa.

Behind me, nestling beneath a burgeoning Cherry tree, sits il Ciliegio (‘il Ciliegio’ translates to ‘the cherry tree’), a quaint little restaurant lovingly tended by a welcoming family who’ve just taught me how to cook five delectable Ligurian dishes. Each course consumed with great gusto and washed down with Prosecco, Frascati, Chianti, Sciacchetra (a delicate sweet wine from the region) and finished with a rich espresso….and Grappa.

As the last sediment of city deadline driven tension dissolves I smile and whisper to myself…’girlfriend you’ve made it!’ The Italian Riviera. The Cinque Terre. Monterosso al Mare…your new home! My gracious hosts are chortling for I’m also squealing ‘bello! magnifico! splendido!’ Damn Grappa mouth. Here’s one of those recipes…Grappa optional!

Tiramisu (the Ligurian way)

Need:

500g mascarpone cheese
4 eggs
Zest – thick strips of the surface of one lemon
4 tablespoons sugar
Coffee
Savoyard (lady finger) biscuits
Cocoa or shaved dark chocolate for dusting

Do:

• Separate eggs
• Beat the 4 yolks with the sugar and strips of lemon zest until light and fluffy (the zest removes the ‘eggy’ taste, remove it and discard after beating)
• Add mascarpone and incorporate well
• Beat egg whites until soft peaks form
• Fold egg whites into the mix, stir gently
• Prepare strong black coffee
• Reserve six of the Savoyard biscuits
• Break two Savoyard fingers each into the bottom of six individual glasses
• Soak the biscuit in each glass with two tablespoons of coffee
• Top with the mascarpone cream
• Liberally dust with cocoa or shards of dark chocolate
• Insert the remaining Savoyard finger
• Serve with espresso and dessert liqueur of choice.

Grappa – an alcoholic beverage, fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume. (Wikipedia) Damn Grappa!

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Hey we’ve moved!

To a whole new theme!

Change! As good as a holiday!

Opportunity to stretch and grow, step outside the comfort zone, take a walk on the wild side and in the spirit of living, laughing, loving and learning, I embrace it. No wait! I’d draw the line at living in a Yurt wrapped in smelly animal skins and dining on eyeball and Yak milk stew, in the name of love. Be a damn good laugh though!

This time last year I was taking that walk on the wild side and together via this blog we explored France and Italy, wrote a book, exorcised a few personal demons, developed wonderful friendships and even managed to avoid Australian Embassy intervention. Your comments were warm caresses in the lonelier moments, uplifting in the sad ones and always, always encouraging throughout.

So how to follow up that adventure? Why with a whole new blog theme sporting clean lines and full retina response of course! With posts sharing simple lifestyle enhancements – from career hints to decor tips, culinary trips to travel tricks, plus a spot of inspirational guff, a few personal confessions and an odd epic fail for good measure.

Love to hear your feedback and please feel free to share. Enjoy!

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