A letter to my love....

Dearest Bondi,

Yes, it’s me. I know we had our ‘break’ but I am back and ready for your embrace once again. It has taken some effort, and let’s face it, a pay rise, to return to your shores, but this time I know it is for good. 

Oh how I’ve missed our regular coffee outings to Gertrude and Alice café, where we have rummaged through dusty old books until we found a treasure. I've pined for our long strolls through Bondi markets, picking up the odd wall print and flowers for my room.

I’ve missed our old trivia nights at North Bondi RSL and our Miss Chu rice paper rolls . You really knew how to wine and dine me.

I’m willing to overlook that you are seeing other people, even those pesky tourists who you know annoy me. I now know that they come part and parcel with you. Hey, everyone has their baggage!

I enjoy your outlook, particularly from the Swiss Grand rooftop, or sharing a comfy chair with you at the Bucket list. Whether it’s the shared Corona on a hot summers day, or a tasty frozen yoghurt on Hall St, you cater to my needs!

Yes you have made me fight for you, particularly when looking for somewhere to park my beach towel on a hot summers day or looking for a car spot when I’m too lazy to walk, but yes I concede I shouldn’t be so lazy. Walking is good for me. See you really do have my best interests at heart.

I love that you cater to my wandering eye. Those Bondi hipsters sure do pull at my heart strings. Whether hanging out at Beach Burrito or selling their goods at random front-lawn sales throughout the area, I never lack for eye candy. Yes, they choose to wear beanies on hot summer days, and they often look slightly homeless and dishevelled, but hey, the heart wants, what the heart wants. 

No, you don't come cheap but with your luscious grassy knoll, heart racing bondi to bronte walking track and frangipani lined streets you know the way to a girls heart. 

I admit, that there will be the odd occasion where I have a discreet dalliance with a neighbouring suburb, like Surry Hills for the odd Messina's Gelato, or Double Bay for a quick espresso Martini, but all in all, you are the one for me. 

You've stolen my heart dear Bondi, and I look forward to us growing old together!

Big kisses!

Jana x

  

With the Christmas holidays coming upon us I have decided to do a pre-gorge-myself-silly health kick!

Hopefully it will get me so inspired to stay on the 'health train' I will actually avoid eating myself into a food coma this Christmas.

So in anticipation I am so so so excited to start my kick with this ahh-mazing armband that counts your calorie consumption, tells you how much sleep your getting each night, and how many calories you burn throughout the day.

The best bit is, all I have to do is wear it, log my meals into an online account, and it does all the tracking for me. Like magic!

It will tell me if I'm eating too much, not getting enough sleep or not exercising enough. It's like a life makeover.

It's called 'Body Media Fit armband' and it's been used in shows such as The Biggest Loser.

So its ta-ta to delicious sugary cocktails, tim tams and tasty thai (sob!) and hello to healthy salads and salmon!

I'll be tracking my results over the Chrissy holidays and I'll keep you updated.

Knowledge is power people!!

*I should add a disclaimer here. I won't actually be starting this 'health kick' till Monday as it's the besties bday, and aint nobody stopping me from splurging this weekend!

HAPPY FRIDAY LADIES!!

I don't think words are needed for this clip. 

Enjoy!

Adele... Oh how I heart you!

It is no secret that Adele is my girl crush! I think she is fabulous! She can sing like a maniac, swears like a trooper and can totally get away with wearing the longest fake eyelashes I've ever seen (while not looking like a cast member of Gordie Shore)

And yes.. I did once have a dream that Adele and I were best friends only to wake up and find out that, no, that was actually not the case... can you imagine what that felt like?? No, probs not, it is actually kinda creepy, but still! Not happy Jan!

This is by far her best performance to date! 

However.... DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO if you are going through a breakup.... I repeat.... DO NOT WATCH THIS VIDEO!!

Otherwise, sit back, relax, and enjoy! 

Life lessons....

Life lessons. They're a funny old chestnut! I’ve never been one to dish out advice, I much prefer to learn things the hard way and turn them into funny stories, but after a brief ponder here is some little life lessons I have picked up along my travels…..

1. Always get deals in writing e.g. rental agreements, paying a deposit for a car etc.. There is no joy in realising someone is a shonky dealer! I'm talking to you ex-landlady!

2. If something doesn’t feel right then it probably isn’t. How many times have you kicked yourself for not going with your gut feeling. (Gut... I hate that word, but off topic!)

3. Never chase boys! If they want to be with you THEY WILL! Think of men as cavemen who enjoy the hunt and chase.

4. Whenever you are feeling less than confident, walk with your shoulders back and fake it till you make it.

5. Make sure you get enough sunshine. Vitamin D really does wonders for your happiness (and your tan).

6. Whenever you are sad distract yourself. Visit friends, clean your room, go shopping or get your nails done. Don’t sit at home and wallow. You will be surprised how quickly it will pass.

7. Never drink to calm the nerves. You WILL end up getting drunk and saying/doing something stupid. (A glass of cheeky sparkles is ok NOT a bottle!)

8. Always make time for friends. Boys and jobs will come and go but friends are forever. 

9. Always give yourself 20 minutes to calm down before responding to something that has upset you. That way you won't say something you will later regret.

10. Take every opportunity that is given to you. Even if you are scared.

11. Bad decisions make great stories!

12. Learn to laugh at yourself. No one likes a cranky pants or a serious sod!

13. A fake tan will always fix a 'fat day' (Never try on swimmers without one!)

14. Always drink a BIG glass of water before bed after a big night out. It makes the hangover so much more bearable. 

. 

It is NOT a Farmer's life for me

Now I feel very privileged indeed to have a family cattle farm 2.5 hours away from Sydney in the Upper Hunter Valley that I can escape to on the odd weekend when I need to visit the parentals and enjoy a home cooked meal.

I have always prided myself on being a bit of a farm girl. I was born in Orange, I spent school holidays at the grandparent’s farm in Grenfell and heck I even dated one of the Farmers from ‘Farmer Wants A Wife’. So I feel like I have the qualifications.. you know!?

Well it was this last weekend that I came to the harsh realisation, that no, I am in fact, not cut out for the country. I had driven up for a weekend of R&R. All I wanted to do was laze by the pool, work on the tan, read a good book and enjoy my recent purchase of a few bottles of Helm’s Riesling.

I should add a disclaimer here, I may have said I enjoyed going to the farm, but it really doesn’t consist of actual farm work.

So it was on this recent weekend that I was visiting a friends neighbouring farm when I got a text from my mum asking me to come home and help her with a sick calf that had been abandoned by its mother. Envisioning my inner McLeod’s Daughter, I raced home to help mum as my step dad was away this weekend.

I arrive at the Dairy to find the most precious little calf lying on the ground with my mum trying to bottle feed it, but the poor thing was so dehydrated and malnurished he just wanted to sleep. So I took over bottle feeding duty while my mum tried to lift the calf up to keep it awake. Now let me tell you, calves are not light! The thing weighed a tonne!

After some gentle cajoling we managed to get the little calf to drink some bottle mix and were feeling quite proud of ourselves. So down we plodded to the dairy every couple of hours to feed this precious being. It was at 1am in the morning looking half asleep (yet fabulous in our pj’s and gumboots) that we decided to let the calf sleep and we were sure that by morning we would come down and he would be up and walking.

Sadly this was not the case.

By morning little calfie had passed away. I was devastated. How do Farmers do this on a daily basis I pondered?? It sure gave me a new found respect for Farmers (excluding my ex who was a douche!).   Nothing like a wakeup call to realise how precious life is and that we should all make the most of it!

Hangover happiness

After a particularly large night in Melbourne recently it was safe to say I was feeling slightly under the weather. However as the boyfriend had to work and the bestie and I were only in Melbs for a couple of days we decided we had to drag ourselves out of our hangover slumber and off to Chapel Street for a day of shopping.

Now you have to give us props for lasting a solid 2 hours traipsing up and down this wondrous street full of designer goodness. However our feet that were still aching from last night’s dance floor shenanigans could take it no longer. So in we popped to the Imperial Bar for a refreshment.

One thing the bestie and I pride ourselves on is our hangover cures. We usually stick with the trustworthy mix of a glass filled ½ orange juice and ½ ginger ale to cure our dehydration the next day, however today we were after something with a little more of a kick!

So we made straight to the bar and ordered ourselves two Bloody Marys.  To say this was the BEST Bloody Mary we had ever had would be an understatement. It had the trusty zing of Worstershire Sauce, lots of pepper and a healthy serving of tomato juice to replenish our liver and enough vodka to provide us with the ol’ ‘hair of the dog’ cure.

So with the weekend coming upon us I have decided to share my ‘never fail’ Bloody Mary hangover cure recipe with you!

 Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 Litre (4 cups) of tomato juice
½ cup (125ml) of vodka
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of ice cubes
4 celery sticks
dash of tobacco sauce
a touch of pepper (flavoured to preferred taste)

*If you want to be slightly naughty add a sprinkle of salt
*You can also swap the celery for large slices of cucumber. Quite refreshing!

Combine tomato juice, vodka and Worcestershire sauce in a glass jug then add ice into 4 tumblers and pour over the Bloody Mary mixture. Serve with celery sticks, a few drops of Tabasco and lots of pepper to taste.

Night before..

                                                                      Chapel St.