39/52 Selfie

A portrait of my family once a week, every week in 2013

Byron: Using the 50mm f/1.8 lens to take a close up 'selfie' of his ecstatic smile.

This guy. He stole my heart a couple of years ago with this gorgeous smile and his boyish enthusiasm. Every day he flashes those perfectly straight teeth my direction and my heart beats a little harder, a little faster. We might not engage in as many crazy, spontaneous activities as we used to and with good reason. We've matured, we know each other. We are compassionate and caring. Sometimes an unplanned evening stroll is as exciting as pumping our fists at an ear-splitting live concert. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to sit down and share a long meal together, a luxury we savour due to our busy lifestyles and long work hours.

Sometimes going for a surf or a sea kayak, a skin dive or a day hike are just as exciting as that first night, when we drank sweet alcoholic shots, danced into the wee hours and fell into a taxi together, inseparable ever since. That night we stayed up late in my room talking about our very different lives, laughing at our stories, our different cultures, accents and plans for the future. That night rolled into two weeks that seemed to flash by in blurry motion.

At our wedding, our friend Isaac informed me that Byron had announced he would make me his girlfriend an hour or so after meeting me. He is a man of his word.

Today is Byron's 27th birthday. At 27 he has been married to me for 14 months. He has lived in Malaysia, Dubai and Australia. He has completed his studies at Le Cordon Bleu. He has captivated me for two and half years. He may father my children one day, if we're lucky. He has been my strongest supporter (Ok.. Equal with you, Mum!) and he has taught me patience and the power of dreaming big.

In his 27th year he will officially become certified as a PADI open water scuba diver, my present to him so that we may continue to share our love for the sea, marine conservation and the magic of feeling weightless in the deep blue sea.

Happy birthday my sweet, sweet man! To borrow a quote from a lady who inspired the both of us..

'You are the butter to my (gluten free) bread, and the breath to my life.'

~Joining Jodi and friends~

Love Bella xx

This week I love these pictures of sunset in the long grass, because they remind me of this beautiful day. I'm also digging this kitty swim cap (and the toy dinosaur!!). I want say a HUGE happy birthday to sweet Che for tomorrow. Six years old on the 30th, a day after Byron's birthday. September- you have been a beautiful month!

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Dreaming... of Food...

I've been indulging lately. All I want to do in my free time is look up recipes for food that is in season... I'm being modest- I'm looking at recipes in general. I've been on a Nigella/ Julia Child/ Phaidon published cookbook binge and I'm loving it all.

I just purchased both volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking (thank you Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, Simone Beck and eBay!)

Byron has suggested I enrol in a cooking school to learn how to properly bake.. I looked at prices for Le Cordon Bleu in Sydney, where he studied and completed his diploma. However, for a three part one year course, it averages (now take a seat, this might alarm you...) about $9000 per trimester. That's right, a little more than $27,000 for a one year diploma... I think I'd rather move to France and work in a bakery somewhere as an underpaid apprentice by day, in a restaurant by night, learn the language better and ... actually LIVE in France..

Let's face it, I'd drink wine for breakfast, wear blue and white striped shirts, cropped pants and a red scarf around my neck, shrink to a size 8 ... Pffft whatever I'd gain weight from eating butter and foie gras. Hell yeah, butter!

On the weekend Byron and I went for a wander along Bourke Street to take pictures of houses and we ended up daydreaming about owning a restaurant. I'd bake in the morning and work as a barista and he'd run the bistro at night. Hmmm... Maybe one day I'll be able to make a living from cooking for others. That's the dream anyway.

We also came across a café in Surry Hills that had cool décor. It's called Le Pain Quotidien (The name is from Belgium!). I know it's a café that has sprouted up all over the world and I haven't actually eaten there yet (I intend to, just to try it out) but the tables are made from reclaimed wood and you walk in and share bread with your neighbour straight away. You can purchase the spreads, chocolate, coffee and granola they make, use and sell and I love the idea that I (possibly) could do that one day from my own little kitchen. The bakery bench tops were grey marble and the cabinets were made from reclaimed wood and crafted into this gorgeous Provencal style, with glass cabinets showcasing the various tarts, croissants, and sweet pastries as if you were in some version of a Bakery-cross-Tiffany and Co.

Ahhh I can't wait to learn more cooking styles.

I'm going to sleep now to dream of food.

Bella xx

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