The Rabbit Hole

THIS cafe is a wonderful place for the gluten intolerant. REALLY! They have an amazing range of goodies, all oversized, but I'm not complaining. If you are nice then maybe you could share your helping.... or not.

The Rabbit Hole Cafe is just off the roundabout at Oatsen Skyline Drive in Seven Hills. It has indoor seating that is cosy and warm on a cool day and cool on a hot day.  One wintery morning when I was there, the next table was full of a committee of school mums having an hilarious morning together - I nearly asked if I could join in because I wasn't getting much writing done and their enthusiasm was magnetic. I hope their fund raiser raised heaps.  There are high and low tables outdoors at the front and the side.  The fake grass welcomes you inside and gives you that sense of coming home, and I just LOVE the Orla Kiely wallpaper.....

Today I took my friend Shaz to the Rabbit Hole for lunch.  We had the Macadamia Crusted Chicken Salad and it was yum and  the salad was massive; filled with loads of goodies.  The fact that the salad came with fries meant that I didn't have to order them so there was no guilt attached to eating them - I love that! Besides, today was the start of my being back at the gym.

Campos coffee is served here and I haven't had a bad cup on any visit. On a Saturday this place is jumping with neighbours and friends and you might be pushed to get a seat but it's worth a try.

Friendship

Friends are like fresh air which inhaled deeply makes your brain work better, your heart pump stronger and brings energy to your bones. I have a friend visiting this week and seriously we have not stopped talking.  That may be a girl thing but its also a chance for us both to recalibrate, check in and encourage.  There's nothing like a friend speaking into your life to make you pause and think about the honesty of their perspective of your situation.

When I develop a new friendship, I am entrusting that friend with the uniqueness of my life.  The more the relationship develops, the more permission I give to my friend to speak into my life.  That permission is implied rather than stated but there is a period of testing the waters; sharing deeper or more personal information, giving and receiving advice, honouring and respecting one another. Relationships are formed by trial and error and based on mutual trust.  We have to learn to be friends and friendships take effort.

I read a verse the other day that said " Love prospers when a fault is forgiven but dwelling on it separates close friends." We are never going to get it right all the time. We are going to hurt and misinterpret and find fault (if we want to go looking for it) but if we can learn to forgive those faults and hurts then we are going to build deeper relationships.

My relationship with Shaz has seen good times and bad.  We've lived life together (quite literally with our families in the same house for a few months - 4 adults, 7 kids - what were we thinking!!?), been involved in our kids lives, shared triumphs and disappointments, done church together, grown up together and we still like nothing better than a good talk to sort out our worlds. She accepts me, loves me and is not afraid to point out opportunities for me to view life differently and I love her for that.

We are called to love everyone but everyone will not be your friend.  We get to choose our friends. and your life is precious so choose wisely. Your life is a gift to be unwrapped with care and respect so if the friends you have chosen don't treat it that way then take responsibility for your life and share the gift with those who will enjoy the revelation of the you inside.

The Locale, New Lambton

While in Newcastle.... do as the locals do! I had some time to spare so soaked up some winter sun on a day forecast only for rain.  I found a fabulous big outdoor table at The Locale, in New Lambton, Newcastle and had a really good cup of coffee and a polenta orange cake to soak up the caffeine.

What a quirky place The Locale is. Rustic tables and interesting bits around the place but it had a nice bubble of mid morning conversation and some, like me had settled into their seats for a long time.  I was there for about 2 hours writing with the warm on my back. The staff were friendly, cheerful and helpful.  I was replenished with water and served with a smile.  I loved my time there and would go back.  One of the staff sat at the other end of my table and ate a late breakfast and it looked yum.  Definitely worth a try for food or just coffees.

Family

This week I have travelled to Newcastle for the wedding of one of my niece's.  I'm not sure why I always think it's such an effort to travel there because it really isn't!  The joy of going there is that I see all the stuff that I am missing but don't know I am missing.  I really miss my Dad.  He passed away the year I got married 34 years ago, so was never really part of my adult life but when I arrive at my brother's house it sometimes hits me how much he is like my dad.  He is the age I remember my Dad at most and he looks like him, talks like him (albeit with an aussie twang) and even sometimes calls me Toots which was the nick name only my Dad ever used for me. Sometimes I can feel quite undone by these moments.  The longing for my Dad in my life (& my Mum) has never gone away. I've got to say that I miss them and I am sad that my kids never knew my Dad because he was a great guy and he would have loved them to bits.

There's nothing quite the same as being around your siblings. I see it in my own kids when they get together. The good, bad and the ugly all makes up the sum total. It's the knowing what you know without the explanations. The ability to pick up a conversation without having to explain everything in between meetings. The looks and gestures that refresh memories. Add to this mix the aunties, uncles, cousins and inlaws and life gets interesting. Families are strange things but they sure do bring a richness to life.

Male Cleaning

I found this sign when I went to use the bathroom the other day when I was out. The bathroom door definitely had a female sign on it so this sign placed on the ground in front of the door intrigued me.  Is it so rare that a male is cleaning a toilet that it requires a sign?  Was there a male in the  female toilet cleaning himself therefore I should stay out?  Was the sign a declaration that demanded women should stand about and give a resounding clap when he exited the toilet? Perhaps this was just a good humored male cleaner whose wife had brought him a sign because she was proud of him?  Whatever the case, it made me chuckle but I didn't go in.

What is Your Default?

Last week my friend Hannah posted on her blog some great thoughts about the power of words.  She over heard someone else's negative words and was musing about the effect of our words when we speak to others. Yesterday I sat in church and heard a similar message. I was challenged about the whether or not I choose to listen to the negative default voices within me.  We all have "stuff" that happens to us in life, it is inevitable. The same thing might happen to a group of people and they can all react differently because they are all wired differently and therefore their reactions/responses will be different to circumstances and events. 

Our reactions to life events create pathways for us to follow in the future (if we choose), they become our default mindsets and sometimes it is difficult to see that those pathways may be created through negative circumstances, lack of understanding, or an inability to question the relevance or truth of the issue. The challenge is to search for the truth about your circumstances and your responses to those circumstances.  Is the default you choose actually the best response to your circumstance or is it what you have learned over time and have never questioned or held up for inspection in the light of truth?  The process might be easy or it might be hard.  It might not be pretty and possibly its messy but being able to make a true statement when in the past you have believed a lie is liberating. 

Here's a simple exercise; write down a few statements about yourself and check whether they are actually true of not. you might be surprised to see that even some of the fundamentals you believe are actually not true.  Start building some positive statements about your negative situations, write them down, say them out loud in the shower, believe them!

I was really sad this week to hear about the death of Robyn Williams.  The funny man and brilliant actor is no more.  We only saw the beautiful, wonderful bits of him and we loved them but in his private world he must having been facing some huge anguish. It has made me wonder what lies he believed about himself in order to choose the finality of death. I hope it makes me more careful about what I will believe in and the words I choose to speak into others' lives. 

Riverside Dining

I keep going back to The Jetty at Bulimba because it is such a great spot. My favourite seats are at the window bench. With the windows pushed back and the sun shades out it is the perfect spot for people watching; and plenty of people there are too. On the other side of the road is the ferry stop for the City Cat and for the cross river ferry to Teneriffe. Most of our friends who have visited will have come with us to this spot and possibly had a ferry ride too.

At the river end of the restaurant the doors open out onto a small outdoor area that has the feeling of sitting in your luxury cruiser. Looking over the water you can almost be forgiven for slipping into a beautiful cruising daydream.  There are also outdoor tables on the pavement at the front of the cafe.  From here you can witness the locals and their dogs (so many of them) as they are out on their daily constitutional.
You can buy a takeaway coffee or stop for  a full sit down meal. The barista is situated right by the front door so it is easy to grab and go, however I really like the food here so would normally chose to stay because there is always something tempting and just a little different.  This is a go to place for breakfast, lunch, dinner or like the last time we went, just to have a coffee mid afternoon on a Sunday as a final breather before the next week started. On that occasion, once we'd established ourselves in the sunshine at the window and we were sitting in the warm winter sun, we chose a cold drink instead. A nice Pino Gris for me and a Stella for Big Red (isn't that a girl's drink?).  And just as we'd been given our drinks the waiter, a lovely smiling Frenchman, walked in front of our window and served someone else a plate of hot olives. We caved in immediately and asked for a plate to share; they were just the little taste we needed to go with our drinks. Lovely conversation, nice drinks and nibbles, and warm sunshine were a perfect way to end our afternoon.
Today I was fortunate enough to get taken to The Jetty again!  This time for a late lunch. We decided to share some small plates but even now, 3 hours later, I realise they weren't so small......  A little more restraint is obviously required.  We shared the following; twice baked Pecorino souffle with mixed mushrooms and walnuts,  wagyu meatballs with olives, a tomato stew and Manchego cheese, scorched cauliflower with raisins, hommus and almonds, and some chips with aoli (I wonder who ordered those?). The flavours were not too strong but mixed well together making each mouthdul one to savour. Matched with a Pino Gris for me and a Peroni for Big Red we were satisfied, if very full,  diners. We will be back.