July 2026

Happy Friday friends! I feel like I blinked and we’re at the end of another week. How does that happen? When I was thinking about what I wanted to share today, I realised that, as usual, it’s the little things that end up being my favourites. The simple moments that give my ordinary week a little zing. So here are my Friday favourites… A Coffee Date It had been ages since we had walked down to a café that specialises in Portuguese tarts. And oh my goodness… why did we wait so long? These little tarts are so good! I only had one, but  I could have easily eaten three. No problemo! A Meal I Loved This Week Is there anything better than coming home to someone else cooking dinner for you? I think not. I’ve shared before that I kind of like to do everything myself. Some might call it being a control freak… I prefer to think of it as being very helpful 😜 The funny thing is, while I absolutely love being cooked for, I can sometimes find it hard to hand over the reins in the kitchen (or anywhere else… yikes!). I’m not quite sure why… maybe it’s a little bit of only-child syndrome. But this week I had a staff meeting and arrived home later than usual, so my husband took care of dinner. Veal Chasseur with vegetables was on the menu that night, and it was delicious. Something I’m Wearing on Repeat Thank you to the fashion gurus for finally letting us breathe again and giving skinny jeans a rest! I’ve been loving wide-leg pants for a while now, and my current favourites are my JW Anderson Uniqlo jeans. They’re so comfortable and easy to wear, and every time I put them on I have a major fashion flashback… yep, I’ve done this fashion cycle before. Back when I was at uni in the early 90s, my uniform was basically straight-leg jeans with plenty of room, a simple top, and black loafers or sneakers. I’m that old that I’m now wearing the same trends I wore the first time around. Oh, and see that leather belt? I’ve had that belt for ages! It’s a Country Road one that I bought in 1989 with a lot of my hard-earned part-time job money. At the time it felt like a big purchase, but I remember thinking it was worth it because I really, really loved it. And you know what? They’re right when they say “buy once, buy well.” Thirty-seven years later and I’m still wearing it. I’d say younger me made a pretty good investment. Something I’m Enjoying Watching The Other Bennet Sister! It’s so good! And it stars Ruth Jones (Nessa from Gavin & Stacey), which made me even more excited to watch it. Do you know what I always say? “I can’t stand period dramas.” And yet here I am… hooked again. Seriously, what is wrong with me? Because clearly I’m lying to myself. I’ve loved The Gilded Age, Downton Abbey, A Woman of Substance, All Creatures Great and Small, and The Durrells, so I think it’s time I admit the truth… I’m Ruth, and I love a period drama. A Little Unexpected Gift Walking home the other day, I found a little bunch of wattle just lying there on the footpath. It was like a little gift, and I have no idea where it came from or who had picked it, but there it was, just waiting for me to find it. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make you happy, isn’t it? I took it home and put it in a little crystal jug. Anyway, that’s it from me this week. I hope you have a lovely weekend, and I’ll see you back here soon. Linking up with Andrea and Erika

Hi friends, and welcome to another Friday catch-up! It’s Friday evening over here, which is always such a fantastic feeling. I can’t help myself and seem to look forward to Friday evening all week long. Then I tell myself I really shouldn’t wish my life away by counting down to Friday, my next term break, summer, or even Christmas. But then I think, is there really anything wrong with looking forward to things? They don’t have to be big things either. Maybe it doesn’t mean I’m wishing my days away. Sometimes it’s just nice to know there’s something coming up that I’m excited about. Anyway, that’s enough from my inner wannabe philosopher. Let’s have a look at what’s been happening around here this week. Back To Routine Back to work means back to the old routine of squeezing in the chores around work. I actually don’t mind this because I have a hard time sitting still, and I’m pretty sure that even if I had all the time in the world, I’d probably still find projects to do. It’s funny because sometimes friends will say, “Oh gosh, I don’t know how you work full-time and stay on top of the housework.” I guess I’m just used to it. If I stopped and thought about it for too long, maybe I’d go on strike, haha. But no, on top of having plenty of energy (maybe too much energy… or maybe it’s the thyroid medication), my family are pretty good at pitching in without being asked. They aren’t messy and don’t have a lot of stuff. I think my husband could have easily been a monk! Our house is also small, and we try to keep things minimal. I’ll tell you what part of my routine has slowly slipped away this year. My laundry routine! I used to set the timer on my washing machine before I went to bed so it would start the wash cycle at around 5 am the next morning. Then it would be ready to hang on the line when I got up. But the drum in my old washing machine started to go kaput, and when it got to the spin cycle, it made such a terrible noise. It sounded like a bad jumbo jet engine! It definitely would have woken us up, and the neighbours too, especially the ones I told you about on Monday with the huge house right outside my courtyard. So I started only washing in the early afternoons and during the day on weekends. It just meant I was out of whack, and I no longer had the wash, hang, fold routine that had worked so well for so long. Instead, I was doing most of it on the weekends. And you know how much I love doing housework on the weekends… zero per cent! Anyway, I did get a new machine not long after the other one died. But somehow I still never got back on track until this week. And now I’m back with my laundry routine that works so well, and it looks like this weekend it will actually be under control. Hoo….ray! And if I hadn’t shared enough about laundry already, this week I bought some new laundry pods because they were half price. I nearly didn’t get them because I was still buying the ones with the beautiful lingering scent that I took with me on our trip to Japan in April. Every time I washed our clothes, I was transported back to the Airbnbs we stayed in. I have a real thing about memories and scent. There’s something about a particular smell that can instantly take me back to a place or a moment in time. Does that happen to you? Anyway, it’s been three months since our trip, and nostalgic me was finally ready to let go and try a new scent. And you know what? I love this one. Change is good. A New Kitchen Favourite This week, my younger son, who has a part-time job at a kitchenware shop, surprised me with a cast iron enamel pot. He said he remembered me saying how much I wanted one. What a good egg. So, I made a pot roast. We have been eating this roast on repeat because it’s just the perfect winter meal. Previously, it was a bit fiddly having to sear the meat, then transfer everything into a baking dish and continue cooking it in the oven. But now, with my new cast iron enamel pot, I can do everything in one pot and pop it straight into the oven. Voila! No extra dishes and no transferring everything around. It made the whole process so much easier. It even cooked faster, too. A Water Polo Afternoon and Evening Wednesday, I took the afternoon off work as I had some time owing. I went with my husband to watch the Women’s Water Polo World Cup quarter-finals at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. My husband looooves water polo and actually used to play back in the day. His whole family are very much into the sport, and his nephew was even part of the Australian Olympic team at the Paris Olympics. He picked me up at midday while we were outside in the playground. The kids who spotted me leaving wanted to know where I was going and why I was going. They were all like, “Oh my goodness, a teacher has walked out of the gates!” It made me laugh because, in their little world, seeing an educator leave in the middle of the day is a huge deal. They think we live at preschool! Really, they do! First, we had lunch at Allawah pub Then we jumped on the train to Sydney Olympic Park. Around an hour later, we arrived at the aquatic centre. At the entrance to the pool was a timeline of some of the great moments from the Sydney Olympics 26 years ago. It was such

Hi friends, and happy Friday! Welcome to another Friday Favourites post, where I share a few of the things I enjoyed this week. This week’s favourites are all about my second (and last) week of the school holidays. Let’s go! Coffee Catch Up On Tuesday, I caught up for coffee with my lovely friend whom I hadn’t seen in ages. We worked together for many, many years, and when she left, I was sad. We promised we’d keep in touch, but time just goes so fast and before we know it, bam, another year has passed and we haven’t caught up. The funny thing is, I think of her often. I even send her little mental messages, but do I pick up the phone? Nope. We talked about this when we caught up and realised we are actually very similar in that neither of us is great at initiating a catch-up. But when we do finally get together, the best part is that we just pick up exactly where we left off. That’s the beauty of friendships like this. You can go months without seeing each other, but when you finally catch up, it’s like no time has passed at all. Disney On Ice Wednesday I took Steve to see Disney On Ice. We may have been the only couple in the arena without kids, haha, but we had a fun time. I loved every minute of it (because of course I did!), and Steve enjoyed it too. He was happy to come along, although maybe not quite as excited as I was when I surprised him with the tickets a couple of months ago. He was a great sport though, and he understands that his wife is a Disney nut. I love Minnie, she’s just so full of spunk! When the show started, they played A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes, and that just made me tear up instantly. Happens every single time! Hi Moana! So many talented skaters performing spins and tricks, with some even being hoisted high above the ice on swings. Yeah, I had a great time, and it was good to see another Disney On Ice performance. I think the last Disney On Ice show I went to was with my younger son when he was 4. He’s 21 now. Whoa, where did the years go? After the show we headed to The Rocks and had dinner at a place called The Fox Hole. They serve a British-inspired menu, so we had a scotch egg, slow-roasted pork and rocket salad. It was delicious, although I really wanted the pie and mash. But we’d already had pies for breakfast while watching the soccer, so I decided maybe I didn’t need another pie that day. A Soccer Update Speaking of soccer, all the teams I was cheering for this week have been eliminated. It seems like every team I picked ended up losing. So for the final, I’m cheering for Argentina. Maybe this is exactly what Spain needs to win. Go Spain! My Favourite Hot Chocolate We got through a tin of this delicious, sweet hot chocolate, so it was time for another one. There was a stage when I could only get this at Costco when they had it for a limited time, and now Amazon sells it. Those years when I couldn’t get it were tough. Jarrah hot chocolate just doesn’t compare. Verandah Snacks I’m going to miss snacks on the verandah with Steve when I go back to work. It’s been great enjoying a sweet treat or some savoury snacks and a glass of wine (in a normal glass so the neighbours don’t think we’re alcoholics). These two nosey Parkers climb up onto the window to watch us every time! Repairing My Shoes I’d had these two pairs of shoes sitting there waiting for me to take them to Mr Minit. The heel caps had fallen off. One pair had lost both, and the other had lost one. They were still perfectly good shoes, but I kept putting it off and was almost tempted to throw them out. Naughty and not very sustainable! I even did the girl math and thought, “I bet they’ll be too expensive to fix. Maybe I should just put that money towards a new pair of shoes.” Which, when I thought about it, was ridiculous. Why would I get rid of two pairs of shoes I already liked just to buy one new pair? It did cost $60 to get them fixed, which at first felt like a lot. But then I thought about it differently. I’d saved two pairs of shoes from being thrown away and avoided buying something new when I didn’t need it. With fast fashion and the impact it has on the environment being such a hot topic at home lately, I’m really glad I made the choice to repair them. And now I can wear them again. And that’s a wrap on a few things I enjoyed this week. Wishing you a warm and cosy weekend if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere. For my Northern Hemisphere friends, I’m more than a little jealous of your warmer days right now! Enjoy every minute of your summer.  

Hi friends, it’s great to be back linking up with Andrea and Erika to share some weekly favourites from the first week of my winter school holidays. Thanks so much for stopping by! Well, well, well… the first week has certainly gone fast. I’m for sure not a fan of how quickly school holidays seem to disappear, but I’m very grateful that I get to enjoy these breaks. They are something I look forward to so much, and I’ve been making the most of this first week of fun outings, as well as lazy days. Lunch Out First up this week was a lovely lunch out with my fun friend. Ooooh, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy a daytime catch-up during the school holidays, so this was the perfect way to start the term break. We both had the crab ravioli in a little Italian restaurant in the city. It was so cozy inside, perfect on a cold, rainy day. A Sweet Treat After lunch, we browsed inside some of the shops and then had a sweet treat to end the day. My friend shared this delicious pistachio layered cake from Stitch Coffee in the QVB with me. Soccer I think I spent most of Tuesday in front of the TV watching the World Cup soccer. The game was on at 10 am Sydney time. It was so good not having to get up in the early hours like we did to watch the Socceroos play. Steve and I did a lot of excited yelling every time Belgium scored. Woohoo! I couldn’t have been happier to see them secure their place in the quarter-finals. Go Belgium!! Then we watched the replay of the Norway vs Brazil game. Oh my goodness, what a great game! I’m excited for their next match against England in the quarter-finals. A New App Last weekend I discovered the Stylebook app. Since then I’ve been adding my wardrobe and playing around with different outfit ideas. It’s been so good seeing all the possibilities with the clothes I already have. I’ll share more about this in another post because I’ve been having so much fun with it. Swedish Fika I enjoy watching a lot of lifestyle videos about Swedish living on YouTube. Did you know they have a daily tradition called fika, where they enjoy coffee and something sweet? According to my Ancestry DNA results, I’m 1% Swedish (my husband cracks up every time I remind him of this). Anyway, I’m embracing my teeny tiny Swedish connection and enjoying this lovely tradition during the winter school holidays! Hehe. Dinner Out Thursday night, Steve and I went to Marrickville Tennis Club, where our Prime Minister plays tennis. Steve told me this, and I thought he was pulling my leg, so I had to fact-check it. Turns out he was right! How funny is that? Anyway, we didn’t go to play tennis, nope, we went to try the Portuguese food they serve there. I had to take a photo of the stage because the decor was so old school. It reminded me of the movie Strictly Ballroom. I’d never had Portuguese food before, but the flavours were delicious and very similar to how my mum used to cook. I felt like I was back in the 70s and 80s on Thursday night. I’m excited to go back again soon. Winter Sunshine Having a mid-morning coffee and seeing the sun come in through the windows and brighten up the winter days has been the best feeling. It’s the simple things! Yep, it sure was a lovely first week of the school holidays. It looks like I’ll be spending a lot of this weekend watching the World Cup soccer. We’ve stocked up on snacks and meat pies. Meat pies for breakfast because of the early match times… that should be interesting! Happy Friday 😊

Hi friends, it’s great to be back to share some favourites from the week. How The Week Started My week started off a bit meh with a wet, rainy start that didn’t help my mood. My brain already felt all jumbled up with dreading an upcoming appointment, and I was also trying to figure out some work and weekend plans at the same time. Then, during the last part of the week, things turned around, and everything that had been cluttering my brain started to settle. I could feel my usual feel-good feelings coming back. Yay! I guess most of my favourite moments from the week happened after Wednesday, so let’s just forget Monday and Tuesday and jump into Wednesday. Wednesday Win I was majorly excited to receive my discounted winter offer box of natural cleaning products from Marlow and Peach. Can anyone else relate to this? This brand kept popping up in my newsfeed with promises of making my home smell clean and fresh, just like a hotel. And if there’s one thing that will get my attention, it’s the promise of that fresh hotel smell. The winter starter kit came with a few seasonal scent concentrates, along with a free glass spray bottle and microfibre cloth. All you do is fill the bottle with the natural cleaning mix and water. Then you can use it on pretty much every surface in the house. Bingo! While I’m not sure the scent lasts quite as long as I’d like, the microfibre cloth is really good and leaves everything looking shiny. I also love the pretty glass spray bottle. Thursday was a Good One On Thursday, the sun was shining and the skies turned a brilliant blue. It was such a welcome sight after only seeing grey skies for days. In the morning, I ducked out of work for my doctor’s appointment, and hooray, I got the all-clear on my results. I also don’t have to see Dr Tina for five years, yeehaa, amazing! With the sun finally out and the appointment out of the way, I think Thursday might have just been my favourite day of the week. Last Day of Term Two And today was the last day of Term Two! Oh my goodness, for the first time in a while it was an 11-week term and boy did it feel loooong. I shouldn’t even be complaining as I started in week 2 after we got back from Japan. But even so, it still felt extra long for everyone — the staff, the children, and the parents. Well… maybe not the parents. I think they probably see the upcoming two-week holidays as the really long part! End of Term Clean-Up Today we spent every available minute cleaning like we were possessed by the cleaning fairy, scrubbing, wiping, and sorting as fast as we could. It felt really good to see the classrooms looking so fresh again, and there’s something about everyone getting stuck into it together as a team. It’s almost like team building, haha. Hello School Holidays So now I’m on term break, except I have to go in to work for three hours on Monday to do a first aid course. But that’s okay, as we don’t usually have to go in once the term break starts. I’m feeling very excited for the next two weeks of school holidays. After the clunky start to the week, it feels so good to end on a high. Hope you all have a lovely weekend. Thanks so much for stopping by! Linking up with Andrea and Erika