Things and stuff, stuff and things. My life, as always, is a bit of a ramble. Life with two kids, life with MY two kids, has left me a bit dizzied. I can’t remember what I was doing ten minutes ago, much less over the last few weeks. My brain is in a constant state of mush, not unlike the lovingly prepared food smearn all over my floor by a toddler with a cheeky vendetta for those who try to serve him anything other than steamed carrot, toast or banana.

So when it comes to people cheerfully asking what I’ve been up to my immediate answer is a bland “Nothing”. So to answer the question more adequately I’ve consulted the ultimate information repository for my life – my phone camera roll. Now I’m not one of those photographers whose camera hangs from their body like an actual appendage. I do not have the energy. But I do have a tiny, dirty lens on the back of my cellphone-telephone which facilitates the projection of an image onto a sensor whose information is relayed by a hamster on a wheel to my screen so that I might capture the little things when my brain says “I should take a photo of that”.

Amongst the tedium of nappy changes, wiping faces and being yelled at for having the audacity to do either, there are sparkling little moments. Moments of clarity, moments of tenderness, moments of joy. And there are food pics.

Amongst recent events my husband and I took a sneaky night away sans children to the Blue Mountains for our tenth wedding anniversary! We stayed at the newly renovated Hydro Majestic and didn’t miss out on the opportunity for high tea. We chose the “eastern” high tea which involved dumplings, spring rolls and the like, as well as small desserty bits. It wasn’t all the *best* food I’ve had at a high tea, but they did have a selection of good loose-leaf teas, YUMMY bubbles and a To Die For view. The whole place felt quite fancy pants and I didn’t feel comfortable getting my phone out to take a pic, in part because the screen was smashed at the time and it was living in a glamorous ziplock bag.

I upgraded the room at the Hydro and I’m VERY glad I did because apparently room sizes there are extremely snug. The room we were in was big enough, but forget about kitchenettes and the like. Everything is pretty glamour, art deco. The main restaurant is pretty epic.

We took ourself to Lilianfels spa for a massage and use of their spa/steamroom/sauna/fluffy bath robes, and off to gawk at lookouts and for some very easy strolling and meditation in the lovingly tended Campbell Rhododendron Gardens which are looked after and funded by generous locals. The birds love the place and so will you. You should go there. Gold coin donation.

Of course there has been tea.

There is always tea.

This happy little heart-shaped tea infuser was gifted from butfirst_tea. You can find them on Instagram.

I love the way the printed teaglass reflects light on the table. Little things.

There have been naps.

Desserts.

Oh god I love Coco Monde Chocolateria on Darby Street. They’re the shiznits.

I’ve also searched out new venues, such as The Locale in New Lambton, who use T2 looseleaf tea, but unfortunately leave it to steep forever. But they DO do real chai!

And lamingtons with wonderful nerdy spoons!

A shame about the mock cream in the middle. :/

There’ve been more adventures with tea and cake at my favourite tea house.

And dumplings.

There has been making of dodgy, last minute cheats cakes.

There’s been pottering.

Art-ing.

And plenty of WTF moments.

So perhaps I haven’t been doing “nothing”. Sometimes writing a “Done List” brings a lot more perspective than writing a “To Do List”. Perhaps there is a point to all this blogging business.