coffee

Birthday Cake (or lunch) n Coffee @ Hippo Espresso

July 23, 2014 · 2 comments

Cutest Babycinos Ever ($1 each)

Went for a late lunch /slash afternoon tea with the family for my birthday. Cupcakes and babycinos for the kids, cake and coffee for my Mum and sister, and meals for B and I because I couldn’t face cake, and hadn’t had lunch…

Cute Cupcakes

My awesome chicken burger – $18

The insides – chicken, tomato, cheese, lettuce, aioli, avocado

Bruce’s eggs benedict and slushy

Go Bombers!!!

Hippo Espresso
468 The Esplanade,
Warners Bay NSW 2282
(02) 4948 0800

Tagged as: all-day breakfast, babycinos, birthday, breakfast, brunch, cake, chicken burger, coffee, eggs benedict, Hippo, lunch, slushy, Warners Bay

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Wandering around with the New Kids (oh fine, Real Estate agents) in town

June 7, 2014 · 0 comments

Hey check out those handsome fellas. You’d give them a couple million dollars for a house, right? :)

How do you get the profile pic you want for the Newspaper feature to “launch” your local start-up? Apparently, you spend the afternoon wandering around the CBD of Newcastle, trying to get the right angles in front of buildings that are Newcastle.

(I wasn’t allowed to use the giant penis *pouts*)

So, Rish plied me with coffee and this DELICIOUS brushetta (with olives, goats cheese, mushrooms, chorizo and quinoa) and we hit the streets. Seriously, the lunch was amazing (from the Goldbergs special’s board) and Rish was so jealous that he didn’t buy it for himself!

It’d been so long since I’d been to the Civic Park / Newcastle Library precinct that I didn’t realise that they’d FINALLY finished the street between the two. This stark, grey, concrete area goes well with the Stasi-esque architecture of the library….

We had AMAZING weather that day! I got a little bit of sun, but was fortunately not sunburned.

Outside the old Post Office is where we got the final shot …. actually one of our first!

Sprocket ROasters

Didn’t stop us from another coffee at Newcastle’s own Sprocket Roasters and a few happy snaps ;)

What would you say is the most “Newcastle” place you know? Nobby’s? The ocean baths? Fanny’s?

Disclaimer: Rish, and The Winterlake House may look familiar for long term readers ;) He and Camillo are friends of mine, and I helped them out with some photos the other day in exchange for a full belly, parking, petrol and tonnes of coffee. I wasn’t asked to make this post, it’s just because the food was so awesome that I can’t NOT write about the day!

Tagged as: coffee, Goldbergs, lunch, mesa88, newcastle, Sprocket

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Lazy weekend

June 1, 2014 · 1 comment

B chose my toenail polish colour Brandy wine!

Number 592

Travel :: lodge
Glitz :: glamour
Bark :: dog
Wicked :: filthy
Fifth :: gear
Photography :: student
Yellow :: brick road
Counter :: balance
Country :: of origin
Speech :: therapy

Brandy wine by :)

A quiet weekend of nail paint, bed building, sleep ins, slow cookery and wine.

(My silverside recipe. Didn’t use the stock this time for a less saltyversion. Yum!)

Iced Peppermint Mocha

And a devilish Iced Peppermint Mocha from Custom Espresso at Speer Point :)

The rain is now here – who expected a thunderstorm on the first day of Winter????

Tagged as: coffee, mutterings, nail polish, slow cooker, weekend

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The Cafe at the Nursery – Lee Rowan’s, Warners Bay

May 22, 2014 · 0 comments

So, let’s add sour cherries and almonds to our banana bread, hey? And hot. With butter. And fighting a two year old for it?

Best.

So the sour cherry and almond banana bread at Lee Rowans’s at Warners Bay? So awesome. Even when I did have to share it with my favourite and most domineering two year old…

Cappuccino and Baby chino all around…

But ZOMG their Splice tart was tangy and awesome!

Tagged as: banana bread, cafe, coffee, girl's morning, nursery

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31 – a rolling celebration of eating, drinking and being merry

July 28, 2013 · 2 comments

bruise

I actually don’t have too many photos from my birthday celebrations, as I had a number of late nights, where my phone battery died before meal or home time. I can say it’a been a lovely week of turning 31, and surrounding myself with people who are awesomeness.

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Let’s start with a couple of days before, my dear chronically Femme Bronwyn was selling her Galaxy Tab….. and since I couldn’t find a reason not to (aside from my current financial situation) I bought it from her. She offered me Gin and Tonic, and a pillow unicorn as sweeteners to the deal…

galaxytabunicorn

Couple of days before my birthday, I had some plans fall through, so ended up watching Seven Psychopaths with Mic, and going out for a lovely brekkie at Chaddies in New Lambton Sunday morning.

Chaddies french toast with bacon

Chaddies big breakfas

Next was the Newtown Drinks version of my birthday – Drinks on the roof at Zanzibar, till it got too cold and we had to shift inside to the deer hunter room with the pool tables.

big buck hunter

vodka and soda

Somewhere in there, Neko started reading to us, and demanding we head for Thai for dinner.

te hana

I did question where one was to actually find a Thai restaurant in Newtown, because there is NOWHERE to get Thai, or frozen yoghurt for that matter, on King Street ;)

neko reads

entree newtown thai

Six of us ended up at Newtown Thai, selected the basis of them being quiet and wouldn’t mind us stuffing around while we waited for a couple of extra, but delightful, boys to show up ;)

hot chip nachos marly

Next stop, the Marly (Marlborough) which has this weird indoor garden, complete with fake grass, remodel thing going on. The above nachos made with hot chips were consumed, and hugs and smiles exchanged.

Sleep was found,a nd my birthday breakfast of a meat pie and diet coke found around midday at Macquarie University train station.

bday breakfast pie and diet coke

Sadly, i left the gift of a Hello Kitty shower cap behind in Macquarie Park, but my habit of leaving things behind just means I need to find time to see people again :)

familyandbroncoffeecake

Where next? Off to Hippo to have coffee and cake with my family and with Bron. The kids ran around like crazy, I got more hello kitty gifts…

bdaybling

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Including some of the VERY newly released Hello Kitty for Target underwear!!!

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From there, it was off to Schnitzel night at the Warners Bay Hotel…. mine had Nachos!

nacho schnitty

Aside from that, there’s been bikkies from my boss, and <3 arm warmers from Stu... and well as many hugs and general awesomness.

bikkies

lessthanthree

Thank you to everyone who made turning 31 utterly awesome. xoxox

Tagged as: awesomness, birthday, cake, coffee, galaxy tab, gin, hello kitty, Hippo, jewellery, Newtown, schnitzel, unicorn, vodka, Warners Bay

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And We Begin

April 20, 2013

I need a coffee. Fortunately this one from The Spot in Hamilton was really good.

So, I’ve started the much awaited therapy program. Two intense individual sessions a week, using the Conversational Model. For 14 months. Meep.

The Conversational Model of psychotherapy was devised by the English psychiatrist Robert Hobson, and developed by the Australian psychiatrist Russell Meares. Hobson listened to recordings of his own psychotherapeutic practice with more disturbed clients, and became aware of the ways in which a patient’s self – their unique sense of personal being – can come alive and develop, or be destroyed, in the flux of the conversation in the consulting room.

….

The development of the self implies a capacity to embody and span the dialectic of ‘aloneness-togetherness’ – rather than being disposed toward either schizoid isolation (aloneness) or merging identification with the other (togetherness). Although the therapy is described as psychodynamic, and is accordingly concerned to identify activity and personal meaning in the midst of apparent passivity, it relies more on careful empathic listening and the development of a common ‘feeling language’ than it does on psychoanalytic interpretation.

….

The Conversational Model, which has been manualised as Psychodynamic-Interpersonal Therapy,[2][1] has been subject to outcome research, and has demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of depression,[3] psychosomatic disorders,[4] self-harm, and borderline personality disorder.[5][6]

So, ;earning to accept and deal with emotions, and try to get to my identity as ME, not as me in relation to another person, or the identity moulded for what I think another person wants me to be.

I said that I’d really love to get rid of the paralysis that comes with wanting to say the right thing, do the right things, in order to be the person I think I’m expected to be, we’ll see how we go.

Hai there, I’m Fiona. Let’s figure this out.

Tagged as: BPD, coffee, therapy

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Dolce Gusto – The Coffee Machine that looks like Pingu

November 9, 2012

Meet my new coffee machine. It’s one of the Dolce Gusto ones you keep seeing at Coles, and wondering if they’re any good. I was sent one to keep and review, and Mum, my sister and I tucked into the coffee sample pods on Friday afternoon. This is one of the automatic Genio machines. It’s RRP is $229 with pods ranging from 50 cents to $1 per serve.

Doesn’t it remind you of a penguin??? I love Pingu and can’t help but think of him when I look at the machine. Just put some yellow gaffer tape on the “beak” and it’s PINGU!

Mum tried the Cappucino, Jen the Hot chocolate, and me the Americano (with soy to top it).

Speedy and clean.

Be nice to be able to have a soy frothy pod, but I’ll have to stick with topping up my espresso shots or Americanos with soy milk!

mmm the smell of hot chocolate!

Mum liked her cap, my Americano went down well, and did sister’s hot chocolate (though she added a little more milk).

Jen’s looking forward to the Peach Iced tea pods coming out, and Mum’s eyeing off the iced coffee!

(please forgive the photo quality, my Galaxy Note is sick atm, and I’m using a mini phone :)

Tagged as: coffee

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Casual dinner @ Mama Mex, Warners Bay

October 16, 2012 · 1 comment

A casual dinner nice and local on a Saturday night at Mama Mex, Warners Bay’s Mexican/Italian family restaurant.

Meals were huge, as promised, including my Chicken Tostada.

Raja’s Mexican Schnitty

and Rish’s Enchalada.

The coffee was very “family restaurant” ;)

Tagged as: coffee, dinner, italian, mexican, Warners Bay

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Breakfast at Frankie’s Place, Darby Street

October 15, 2012

Sunday morning breakfast with some of my nearest, dearest, and fittest (! they all did Tough Mudder, and lived through it, 3 weeks ago!) high school friends.

Home made baked beans with poached eggs for Rish (similar, but not the same as Lisa had last time I was there for a meal)

My mushrooms, spinach, tomato and aoli on gluten free toast.

Avo on toast for Amanda.

Benedict and bacon for Phil.

Tagged as: breakfast, coffee, Darby Street, Frankie's, gluten free, vegetarian

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Coffee in Terrigal

October 8, 2012 · 2 comments

I work 3 days a week in Terrigal, a gorgeous beach suburb on the Central Coast of NSW. There seems to be a million cafes there for me to try, and so far the two I’ve tried, selected on convenience and the brands of coffee sold, have had yummy soy lattes.

The first place I went to try was Lotus, on Ocean View Drive Wamberal. I drive past there each day, and the lure of Toby’s Estate coffee lured me in. $4.20 small, $4.80 for a large soy latte. Yum.