Vanuatu – Not The Daily Grind

I have been thinking about this blog post for a few weeks now, but for some reason, the creative juices were just not flowing. Maybe it was the fact that May was a bit of a mixed bag for me or maybe it is because I am going through something of a ”shift’ in the direction I want my life to take. Either way, the words just weren’t happening.

To be honest, I am not entirely sure they are ready to flow now, but the end of June is fast approaching and I haven’t even written my Picture a Month update for May yet. My sister Fiona is going to kill me.

Before you stop reading, don’t worry, this isn’t a post about how shit my life is, far from it. I know I am very fortunate indeed, but I have reached a certain level of dissatisfaction in my current job that I have not experienced before, and it has really got my thinking about my next career move.

Is it post-holiday blues? Who knows. Either way, no one wants to read about employment woes when there are so many other wonderful life experiences to cherish.

One of those was welcoming the month of May in the glorious Pacific Ocean paradise of Vanuatu. We went for Mr B’s birthday, and got to appreciate 10 days of pure unadulterated blissful pleasure. I cannot tell you enough about this little known country. It is breathtakingly beautiful and so untouched. A real gem. And what’s more, only THREE hours from Sydney, a rarity in itself.

The fact that we stayed in the most remote of locations, with limited (read: none) access to the internet and no television meant I had time to think, relax and truly enjoy life’s precious moments with Mr B. You know, the ones that often get swallowed up in the mayhem of everyday life – the sound of his voice, the colour of the sky, the smell of the ocean. It was a feeling of complete and utter happiness.

Needless to say, coming back to a cold and busy Sydney was a shock to the system, but there is only one thing to do when you have post-holiday blues. Book another one. Yes, that’s right, within two weeks of landing back on Australian soil, we had already booked our return flight to London for Christmas.

Boy am I excited. Not only do I get to see my beautiful family and friends at the most amazing time of year, but I also get to go to spend a WHOLE MONTH with them. Even more exciting is the trip I am taking with my Mum and sisters to visit the Christmas markets and beautiful European city of Vienna. I am literally counting down the days.

Obviously, returning from one expensive holiday to immediately book another means the rest of May was relatively quiet. Winter in Sydney is coming, in fact, it is already here, and this means evenings snuggled on the sofa, with a good book and a glass of red, another one of life’s most treasured moments.

This was my May.

Tanna Island, Vanuatu

A room with a view

One final sunset in paradise

A misty morning

Winter in Sydney

I don’t mean to be repetitive, but I really don’t know where time is going. We are already almost half way through 2014, and I feel like I have done so much and have done nothing much at all – all at the same time.

But looking back at the month of April, I can see that I have been pretty busy. It kicked off with a delightful and surprise luncheon with one of my all time favourite food bloggers and awe-inspiring photographer, Katie Quinn Davies.

As an avid follower of Katie’s food blog, What Katie Ate, I entered a competition to be part of a ‘Girlie Lunch Shoot’ for her second cookbook, due out later this year. I was totally shocked but over the moon to be selected along with a bunch of other fabulous WKA fans, some of whom had travelled interstate to spend the day eating, drinking and sharing stories while being photographed by this incredibly talented woman. Yes, I am a bit of a fan.

Inspired by a day of meeting wonderfully creative women and making new Instagram friends at the WKA lunch shoot, I spent the weekend trying to recreate some of Katie’s recipes, namely her fantastic Italian sausage, bacon, roasted tomato and egg pizza, which quite frankly, was an absolute REVELATION.

I’m telling you, I can no longer eat take away pizza again. Well maybe I can, but this was so good I just want to make it all the time. Since then I have made a few pizzas with ingredients left over in the fridge and not only is it tasty, cheap and a good way to use up leftover pesto, turning tomatoes and a couple of bocconcini balls, IT IS FUN!

Obviously all this pizza eating meant that I have savoured my morning ritual – a slice of lemon and warm water. I have been doing this for quite a number of years now and I find there is no better way to start the morning. I just don’t feel right without it. It was recommended to me by a nutritionist to help aid digestion and cleanse my system and has become part of my daily routine. There is never a shortage of lemons in my house.

April was also the month that I got to catch up with my beautiful Swedish friend, Adam, and his gorgeous Finnish girlfriend, Terhi. Adam was one of the first friends I made when I moved to Cairns after arriving in Australia in 2009, and I have nothing but happy memories of the six months I spent living up in this beautiful part of the country.

I hadn’t seen Adam for four years, as he now lives back in Sweden, but he and his lady were in Sydney for his sister’s wedding, so a traditional Aussie barbecue and a few beers were in order to honour this reunion. The photo of the three of us together marked the start of a fantastic day that involved great company, fantastic dance moves and far too much alcohol.

And if that wasn’t enough, a hectic and fun filled month ended with a 10 day trip to the glorious Pacific Island country of Vanuatu to mark Mr B’s 30th birthday. It was our second visit to the so-called ‘Happiest Place on Earth’ and once again, this country and its people did not disappoint. Private islands, amazing snorkelling, dangerous boat trips, an active volcano, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake and some of the finest lobster I have eaten were just some of the memories we took with us back to Sydney. I’d go back again in a heartbeat.