#5 PIAW

Afternoon stroll 

Lola's speciality lung-crushing-alarm-clock

Carols at the Domain 

When the parentals are not allowed to watch their '20 y/o daughter's netball grand final 

2 days till Christmas shopping self-infliction 

Boxing day with @chezzyrose

Playful reflections

Cremone Point tumblr shot

Sis contemplating her sexuality 

3# PIAW

 Cockatoo Island Edition 

   

Nelson's Bay in Winter // Adventures

The uni semester break is winding up and for some reason we decide to drive two and a half hours North of Sydney to Nelsons Bay ... during Winter (because Summer is “been there, done that”). 

Nelsons Bay is pretty slow and chilled (literally) during the Winter months so we were excited for a lazy weekend getaway from the Sydney flurry filled with beach dawdles in the sun, dolphin spotting and, of course, guilt free trashy Foxtel (cue Dance Moms and Real Housewives of Melbourne).

But do put these on the To-Do when you visit J
- Dolphin/Whale watching cruise (we managed to also catch a dolphin from the pier!)
- Wake up at 6:20 AM (Winter) for the sunrise at Nelsons Head Inner Lighthouse
- Dawdle around d’Albora Marinas
- Walk past the Marina along the beaches to some lookouts (or bike it!)
- Laze in the sun and soak the views at Soldiers Point
- Pack a picnic and nab a bench near the waterfront
- Red Neds Gourmet Pie Bar on Stockton St (does Woolies have Lobster, Prawn & Barramundi pies at your convenience? No)

Enough chatter, just photos so enjoy the montage!

MVPD

 xx

New Segment Alert: A Week of Photography

Where I share a little of my fav pics of the week! 

Taken from my DSLR and iphone (the quality says it all), this gives you a bit of an insight to my daily routine without the commitment of a vlog, you know, no strings attached. Hope that's all good with you.

Stick around for upcoming posts, we are loaded and ready to get back to content delivering!

On the Road Again

Tips for road trips
My parents are big on the 'you must see your home country because you explore abroad' hence why I have only ever been overseas once - to Vietnam. Hence why we always go on road trips like drive to Melbourne if we have a spare week.

 

So I've seen my fair share of little country NSW towns and gigantic landmarks like the Big Pineapple in Bunderberg and the Big Merino in Goulburn!

Now that means I slightly (only slightly) fancy myself the semi-ultimate road tripper so here's a little guide of how to survive the sore bottom, the leg cramps, solve the playlist dilemma and have you looking happy and fab (non hobo) at your destination.

 

1. I hope I don't need to tell you this already but: UPDATE YOUR IPOD. You can only go so far with the last sync circa 2010. Seriously, challenge yourself to listen to all the songs that come on shuffle (that's right - don't you skip that Hannah Montana track).

2. Plan de snacks.
Don't immediately go for your chips and crisps because: chips/crackers = dehydrate = drink water = busting for the non-existent toilet on the road (AKA The Water Cycle).
So get some hydrating snacks in the cooler bag too like fruit, carrots/cucumbers/Celery with dip.

3. Pack plenty of water - stay hydrated kids!

4. Pack simple cutlery in case you make that grocery stop and don't have the props to, for example, demolish your shared tub of ice cream!

5. Girls (and guys) pack all your face essentials or you’ll be wishing your face didn't look like a peeling mandarin.

6. Be equipped with thongs so those little toes of yours actually get to see the light (would you want to be crammed in sneakers for a 6 hour road trip – didn’t think so). Show your neck some love too with a contour pillow!

 

7. SUNNIES – last thing you need are holes in your retina to stop you from enjoying the passing landscape!

8. Don’t always Bypass the towns (unless its Bowral  - I joke). Country towns for some reason usually have a sweets store and of course nice cafes and homey bakeries for your lunch fix. (BONUS: non-cliche insta photo of a cafe no one else in Sydney has been)

 

9. If you can, plan a road trip where you can visit the Weekend markets! Places like Byron Bay have farmers and miscellaneous markets – just check which weekend of the month they’re open!

So there you have it, my list that hasn’t quite let me down yet. I’ll leave you to fight over who drives and who does the washing :P

Seriously, road trips are where memories are made!

MVPD xx

Vegetarian Cous Cous Summer Salad

This is such a simple, fresh and healthy idea for lunch especially if your on the go. It takes about 10 mins (depending on your culinary chef skillz) and the best thing about it, is that it stores really well- that is you can take it along to school, uni or work and it will still be crispy to bite and not so soggy.

Warning: this salad has mango in it. Yes, Mango! At first I was always skeptical about fruit in salad (of course with the exception of tomatoe, cucumber and what have you...) but the sweetness of the fruit compliments the tang of tomates and the overall texture of the Cous Cous and lettuce.

Ok enough dawdling here's the recipe:

For a single serve you'll need:

- A handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered

- About two table spoons of cous cous grain

- Half a cup of diced mango

- A few lettuce leaves roughly chopped

- Three table spoons of beansssssss

- Two table spoons of corn

- Quarter of a red onion, diced

- A lil' bit of pasley, roughly chopped

- drizzle of olive oil

**optional: cashews, mint, balsamic vinegar, tuna, chicken

1. Prepare cous cous grain according to the box or packet. Usually the ratio of cous cous to hot water is 1:1.5 (you can add broth powder here for added taste). I use a mug and chuck everything inside and place an inverted plate on it. Set aside for later.

2.  Put everything else into a bowl, mix thoroughly

3. The cous cous should be softer by now- if not you can put it in the microwave at high for max 15 secs. Give the cous cous a good mix in the mug and tip it into the bowl, mixing again.

4. I definitely recommend crushing some cashews for a bit of crunch and the mint and balsamic is optional, as is tuna and chicken for my meat appreciating folk out there.

  

5. Take a pic and insta it with the hashtag #thesydneysideup for me to seeeeeee!

6. Now you may eat it!


I hope you enjoy it, it's not very original but it's delish- which counts the most I think. Also let me know how fast you can make this in the comments below!

MLVD