Category: Live

Ballooning in Hunter Valley

It’s really fun!

Even if you’re not a heights person, I would recommend you try this awesome activity!

The ascent is very gentle and same with the descent. I love heights, so for me it’s a great activity. This one was a surprise birthday gift for Hubby’s 30th birthday! We spent the long easter weekend in the hunter and Sunday morning bright and early ascended into the sky. 6.15am to be exact!

This is the balloon – all spread out and prepped for the journey:

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Luckily it didn’t rain because Balloons don’t fly when its bad weather, so I was keeping my fingers crossed the entire Saturday hoping the weather gods would be kind to us!

The whole experience was a surprise I planned for my hubby’s 30th and we had a fantastic weekend at the Hunter. One of my fave places to visit on a long weekend. Aah the serenity!

Balloon Aloft made the whole morning amazing! There were about 14 people in total in the basket with us but you don’t feel like you can’t enjoy yourself. Everyone stays in their basket compartments and the flight is very smooth.

Here are the other 2x balloons lifting up into the air:

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While flying over the Hunter, we saw lots of green pastures, farms, vineyards, lazy cows and curious kangaroos who looked up at us as we passed them up above. So cute! Generally its just a beautiful landscape to be looking over – especially early in the morning when everything is so still.

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904 899We had to participate in the packing away of the balloon at the end of the journey (once landed) but before it was fully folded up, we took photos inside the massive colourful balloon interior.

923Afterwards we were driven back to the starting point – Peterson Champagne House, for some bubbly and brekkie. (which was all very good!)

Petersons Champagne House is beautiful:

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It was a great experience and something different to do, not far from Sydney!

x

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Even though it’s summer – I want to show off my coat :)

This is a coat which turned heads in Paris – surprisingly so because I bought it in Shibuya in Tokyo a few weeks earlier.

When we arrived in Paris, the temperature dropped to zero degrees and I was happy that this winter purchase became useful, even though I didn’t think I’d need to pull it out earlier than another 6 months.

Having brunch in a brasserie near our hotel – Place Vendome, I started noticing people walking past and sneakily taking photos of me. This was an unexpected shock because why would Parisians pay attention to my fashion – its very different to theirs. The style you see on the streets of Paris is classic and chic in a way elegance goes hand in hand with Coco Chanel and the winter chill provides more excuses to wear elegant black waist coats and model scarves.

My coat is white, fluffy and shaped like a bell. I have big fluffy cuffs and the rim of the coat is – you guessed it, also fluffy! My love for fluffy things has led me into buying this coat in the busy mall of Shibuya with screaming Japanese girls “Kawai!” in my ear.

It was love at first sight!

So I took my coat around Paris – photos taken on all kinds of Rue(s) ……

It accompanied me in line to Laduree…(more on this amazing store later!)

We did some shopping on Champs Elysees and on the walk back from the Arc De Triumph, a girl came up to me on Champs Elysees and asked if she could take my photo, explaining that she is a fashion student. I posed with my Laduree macaroons :) How silly did I feel! But at the same time, what a Paris experience!

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I still don’t know if the girls of Paris were taking photos of my coat so they could laugh at it, or thought it was cute! Or maybe the style is so different that it appeals to the odd fashion student browsing the streets of Paris for inspiration.

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The cutest thing was that a little girl, about the age of four, as we were walking back from Notre Dame that evening, squealed with delight when she saw me, ran up to me and started patting the sleeve of my coat. I think she thought it was a fluffy animal :) I thought it was quite funny!

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So lots of adventures for my coat in Paris! I hope it will have as much fun in Sydney when it gets a bit chilly!

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Do you have a piece of clothing that has a few stories?

xx

Boots in the photos – bought in Venice

White stretch jeans – Bebe (acquired in Dubai)

Bag – Guess (Outlet store in Sydney)

Have the best gourmet dinner in your own home!

I was so excited when Nadya, the owner of Sweet Miss Maple baking and catering company invited myself and a small group over for dinner.

I know that Sweet Miss Maple cookies and cupcakes taste divine and also was lucky enough to taste a famous turkey pie ( still think about that pie every day! )

Have a look at these beautiful biscuits and cookies:

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Heart shaped, for Valentines day or just to gift to someone special

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Or choose from these mouth watering flavours

22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largechocolate chunk and macadamia
22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largewhite chocolate, cranberry and oatmeal
22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largedouble chocolate chunk
22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largechocolate chip and oatmeal

Now to the amazing dinner!

Remember this was just a casual dinner party with a small group of friends, but I must admit we were super spoilt by the wonderful Nadya. Just looking at these photos makes me hungry again!

The First course:

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Coconut king prawns with coriander and lime zest mayonnaise served in a lime cheek.

The Second course:

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Coq au Reisling with mini chicken leg meat and mushroom pie, parsnip puree and lemon french beans. ( Doesn’t it look fantastic?)

There were so many layers of complexity to this dish. The meats were rich and flavoursome, made even more delicious by the fluffy and chicken and mushroom pie. The parsnip puree added the creamy texture but without the heaviness of usual starchy garnishes such as potato. The combination of these flavours and textures made this quality meal a 5 star feast!

The Third course:

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Chocolate and coffee fondant with salted caramel ice cream

Is this not the most amazing dinner you’ve seen on photos – bet if not, it comes pretty darn close! All the guests at the dinner party were stunned at the amazing flavours and presentation.

How I see this, is you’ll be lucky to get a meal like this for under $200 in a hatted restaurant in Sydney. You’ll be lucky enough to get a meal like this full stop.

Sweet Miss Maple is just starting out in Sydney, and I urge you to try this delicious food and baking for any occasion!

This unique concept of having gourmet dinners in your own home is filling a gap in the market, and this is no doubt a unique and enjoyable experience!

Contact Sweet Miss Maple for:

22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largeGifts of cookies/cupcakes for birthdays/special occasion

22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largeChristmas gifts

22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largeKids cooking classes or parties

22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_large Catering for parties (finger foods)

22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largePrivate group dinners in your own home

22ba395b4d1c710b8aa7a98263ffba74aec4ed58_largeRomantic dinner for two (when the kids are in bed)

Again, you can do all these catering options in your own home or venue of choice.

For more information contact Nadya at sweetmissmaple@gmail.com

And Like her Facebook page

Great experience guaranteed!

xx