Thank Frock It's Friday! ♥

Whee! Presenting, my weekly round up of all things superb!

x Learning To Cook - Give me a stack of delicious, fresh ingredients and I can throw together a salad like nobody's business, and hand me a packet of pasta and hey, we're in business, baby! But ask me to put together an actual, proper, cook-it-from-scratch-recipe? Oh, dear. We've got trouble! Yes, creating a succulent feast is definitely NOT one of my strengths (I usually leave it up to Tom, who is 100% fluent in all things culinary!), but this week I've surprised myself by not only learning to make a variety of meals, but by finding it thoroughly enjoyable, too! Okay, so whipping up a batch of lentil patties, hamburgers and learning to fry bacon and eggs (not for me!), may not be a skill which is going to have me nominated for an entry into The Guinness Book Of World Records or anything, but sometimes, there's nothing more satisfying than completing something that you really, REALLY didn't think you could ever do! And on another food-related note...

x Trying New Foods - Y-U-M. Between Onion Bhaji (onion and lentils deep-fried in flour with spices = divine!), pickled ginger (so very fabulous in sushi!), coconut pulp juice (not as ambrosial as I had anticipated, but still, interesting!) and Dutch apple finger biscuits (oh, I am such a fan!), this week has been all about expanding my meal horizons and trying new things, and it's an entirely recommended activity! Seriously, even if you end up tasting something which makes your nose wrinkle in disgust and your eyes half-close with horror (sun-dried tomatoes, I'm looking at you!), it's a whole bunch of fun!

x Planning My Boyfriend's Birthday - This December, he's turning a milestone age (30! 30!), and to farewell the end of his twenties and excitedly usher in the beginning of a wonderful new chapter of his life, I'm planning on celebrating in a big way: and that is, by taking him to Europe! He's never been overseas before (and actually, his very first plane trip only happened a few years ago, interstate!), and since my visit there in December 2008/January 2009, it's been almost all that I can think about.. rarely a day passes where I don't think of how much I'd love to return!  Last September, we were planning on going during May/June of this year, but other things kind of happened and it didn't quite end up eventuating, but now? It's on! We're set to travel there towards the end of the year, and I can't wait! Oh yes, the financial side of things is making my palms feel mildly sweaty in the middle of the night, but ah, nuts to that - it'll be worth every single penny and after all, what's life without a generous serving of magic and adventure?!

x Other Little Things - Ordering delicious Indian takeaway and curling up on the couch; dedicating entire days to sleep; being bombarded by a flurry of ideas; scribbling away on the bus; impulse book-buying at 3AM; apple, strawberry and guava juice; toasted hot-cross buns (fact: they are one of my favourite foods EVER and I love that you can purchase them in January!); afternoon drives; the way my puppy curls up against me so perfectly and burrows herself in the crook of my arm while I'm sleeping; warm sand between your toes; sea breezes; kisses; deriving outfit inspiration from the most unexpected places; snorting and laughing as my friend Sarah tried (tried being the operative word of that sentence, it was a futile mission!) to teach me how to whistle; kind boys who walk you to your bus stop; bargains; stumbling across an amazing range of Flickr pictures (when you find a set that's excellent, it kind of feels as though you've accidentally found gold); and mixed berries!

♥

What would feature on a weekly round up of your most superb moments this week? Share, share!

xoxo

(Images thanks to End Of March and Ancama.)