Blog Holiday

I'm going on a blog holiday for a couple of weeks. I just don't have much to say. Or feel like it anyway.

I'll be back.

Check back in a couple of weeks. I should have my head sorted by then.

Work Meltdown

Work's been a bitch lately. Too much work, too much stress. I usually manage my work load pretty well, mainly because I'm efficient. And I become bored easily. So I try to work quickly before I get bored with a task, any task.

But lately, more and more work has been piled on my plate and I've already cried uncle a couple of times with no relief. I know everyone's under the pump at the moment but that doesn't mean I pick up their slack. Pay me more and maybe I'll consider it.

I've been having trouble sleeping lately and that's a clear indication of my stress level. Today, I had a meltdown (in the privacy of a cubicle in the loo) because it just got a bit too overwhelming. The thing is, there's no end in sight and that's starting to tax me.

I'm starting to dread going to work and I haven't felt that in a while now. I don't know what to do. One reason I'm stressing is I don't like doing shoddy work. But with the work load I have, there's only two ways to go: either the work suffers or I suffer. And no job is worth suffering for.

I need a holiday.

The Galleon Cafe

D and I met up with our friends K and T for brunch last Sunday. K suggested The Galleon Cafe in St Kilda, which was featured in a couple of breakfast blogs.

They were quite busy but there was only a few minutes wait for a table. Off to a good start.

The breakfast menu was quite extensive and it took us a while to decode, decipher and decide what to order.

Coffee was a bit slow but nothing excessive. It was a decent cup -- not the best but good. OJ wasn't freshly squeezed though.

As it turns out, three of us decided to order the same thing -- eggs benedict with ham.

It was a good choice as it was very yummy. And filling.

K ordered something else -- I've forgotten now what it was (K, do you remember what it was called?) -- which was good too.

The place was kitschy but comfortable. Casual and relaxed, just the way I like my cafes.

Good food, friendly service, decent coffee. No tourist prices here so brunch was quite reasonable. Not bad at all.

If you're in St Kilda and looking for a place to eat, stop by the Galleon. I heard lunch isn't bad either.

Last Tuesday

So, almost a week ago, we celebrated our second anniversary. I was planning to give D a photo book of our 3 1/2 years together but I wasn't able to finish it on time (I'm still not done) so I had to rearrange my schedule last Tuesday to get him some Koko Black chocolates from the city. They're lovely lovely chocolates. Very yum.

As I've previously mentioned, D took me to Donovans. It was very very good. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.

Of course I forgot to take pictures of our entree and main courses so you'll just have to use your imagination.

We started with the complementary farmers bread with broad bean paste (infused with parmesan and basil) which was quite good.

We shared an entree - 4 tastes which was basically 4 mini meals. They were all v yummy, although I've now forgotten what they were. Anyway, I think this entree changes every so often, depending on the chef's choice.

I asked my friend J what to order as Donovans is her favourite place and she unequivocally said, chicken pie. Now, it seems odd to associate chicken pie with a posh restaurant, but you've never had chicken pie like they serve it at Donovans. D ordered that and he was v grateful to J for the advice.

I ordered the beef ribs, which turned out to be HUMONGOUS. Seriously. I couldn't finish it, even with D's help.

After all that, I was loathe to order dessert but D, being D, just had to order a rhubarb crumble, which he enjoyed very much.

The sweetest thing was, when the dessert came, they also gave us a complimentary dessert sampler with Happy Anniversary written on it (in chocolate, no less!). Totally unexpected but truly appreciated.

It was a good dinner to celebrate our anniversary. I loved it.

(Slightly) Green Thumb

I've never had a green thumb. I tend to kill most plants I try to grow. I think I got it from my mom. Between the two of us, we've probably become mass murderers to plants by now.

Which is why it gets me all excited when plants actually grow, and even thrive.

I had my doubts about this rosemary as it was on life support for a few months but come spring 2 years ago, it started growing and growing and growing.

My parsley has also managed to come back from near death and although it's not exactly thriving, at least it's not dying.

My coriander is the one I'm most proud of just because it's the first seed to fully grown plant I've ever managed not to kill. I even transferred it to a bigger pot because it was growing so fast.

Not all are success stories. Just ask my oregano and mint plants. I'm hoping they come back to life, somehow. It's spring! Grow!

I've also planted some more plants in the hope that I'll have a fully fledged garden come summer.

These are my tomato plants, which have not shown any signs of life at all.

This is my rocket pot, which is showing some potential.

You have to look really hard but the buds are there.

I'm also growing lettuce and they're the ones that I'm getting real excited about. D made me put in a gazillion seeds in my pots and now I think they're going to get crowded real soon.

And then there are the unknowns.

I planted this without labeling it and now I'm not exactly sure what it is. I have a suspicion it's rocket but then when I planted it I didn't have any rocket seeds. Go figure.

This one's even more bizarre because I thought it was sweet basil. It doesn't look or smell like basil at all. I have a feeling it's a weed. =(

So that's my garden. Thanks for visiting. Come back again in a month's time and hopefully I'll have more progress to report on.