HOOKED ON RAINBOWS

As I was driving home from work, I was confronted by this most spectacular light show right in front of me. It seemed like the city buildings were struck by this beautiful ray of coloured lights. I managed to take this photo just in time. Within minutes, the sky turned dark and grey and eerie and then the rain come pouring down.

The rainbow was very short-lived but very stunning!

Have a look at hooked on houses to see what other people are hooked on this week!

HOOKED ON MOR COSMETICS - {MARSHMALLOW}

I loooooove all the body products from Mor. My all-time favourite is the Marshmallow range. Lately though, I haven't been able to find it anywhere! I’ve run out of the body scrub and bath foam - all part of a lovely package I received.

HOWEVER!!! - Mor has re-released the range!!! YAY!!!

Have a look at hooked on fridays to see what other people are hooked on this week!

CHECK HIM OUT!

DUDLEY COMES HOME!

So, Dudley's leg isn't broken after all! He's got a dislocated left elbow! Unfortunately the vets could not put it back into place. He was referred to the Small Animal Specialist Hospital in North Ryde. I drove him there on Monday afternoon. He was so placid and docile and CUDDLY! He was heavily dosed up on methadone and he also had a general anaesthetic some hours before. He had to stay overnight and the orthopedic specialist was able to manipulate his elbow back into place (under anaesthesia again!). They put on a splint, which needs to stay on for the next three weeks, and gave him some anti inflammatory pain killers and antibiotics because he had some bleeding on the lungs. Poor Duddles!

I picked him up tonight and he was sooooooo excited to see me (as I was to see him!). He tried to jump up and give me hugs and kisses! I carried him to the car and he was still excited and took a while to settle. Finally, he fell asleep on the way home.

I don't know how I'm going to keep him still and calm and indoors for three weeks!

Well . . . so far so good.

Here's Duds on the examination table at SASH.

Here he is again - totally out of it.

{I want what he's having!}

Duds is sleeping in the car on the way home

He loves the armrest.

Here's the man with his splint. It's actually a half cast. I gave a bone as a treat.

He loves his bones!

MY DOG DUDLEY - HIT BY A CAR!

This is my gorgeous cocker spaniel, Dudley. Today he got hit by a car. :(

He ran across the street (chasing a cat!) and I chased after him. He ran across again to go home and screeeeeech! bang! yelp! I saw the whole thing!

I think the whole street heard me scream. Lots and lots of people came running out of their homes to see what had happened. Someone drove us to the vet (I was far too shaken to drive) and he is now under observation.

Hopefully, it's just a broken leg!

Poor poor Dudley!

HOOKED ON AUTUMN

Autumn in Sydney is such a lovely time. The weather has been quite idyllic really - warm and sunny with temperatures averaging about 22C. The nights are crisp and not too cool!

My front yard - featuring a japanese maple I bought at the end of winter last year.

The pretty yellow autumn foliage will soon give way to gorgeous red branches as winter approaches.

This is the boston climber on my back fence. Aren't the colours pretty?

Have a look at Hooked on Friday to see what a whole lot of other people are hooked on this week.

HOOKED ON FLOWERS

Aren't they gorgeous? I found these flowers {kale} at my local growers market in Leichhardt. I bought them for my mum for Mothers' Day. She loved them too! They're a beautiful pinky/purpley colour with lush green foliage. Theyll last for ages in a vase. I'm getting some more for me next week.

Check out this posting and more at Julia’s Hooked on Fridays Party!! It should entertain you with many fashionable blog postings and fun things to get hooked on!!

IF ONLY SYDNEY WERE CLOSER TO NEW YORK CITY!

I love both cities! Sydney is where I live and has fabulous beaches and a great harbour. It's a real oudoor city with great weather and great outdoor activities. It's very multicultural too and the food is fabulous! NYC is eclectic, multicultural, has great districts - good to walk around and get lost in the moment. NYC has great shopping, museums and art galleries. Sorry but NYC CANNOT do coffee. Sydney has great coffee and cafes and much better restaurants (especially because many of them are BYO) although the bars in NYC are outstanding! The people are friendly in both cities. These two cities really complement each other and I'd love to live in both!

UBUD . . .BALI

I just got back from Bali – sometimes known as “Island of the Gods” and the “Last Paradise on Earth” and “Island of a Thousand Temples” – very apt descriptors of this beautiful island with its natural beauty, colourful Hindu festivals and warm and friendly people. My parents were keen to visit there after I’d shown them photos of my last trip there in June 2008. We had a great flight (6 hours from Sydney) as the plane was half empty. I had a whole row of 4 seats to myself! We arrived at about 9:00pm local time and had a driver waiting for us to take us to Ubud, about an hour’s drive away. Ubud is by far my favourite town in Bali.

Ubud is located amongst rice paddies and steep ravines in the central foothills in the Gianyar region. One of Bali's major arts and culture centres, it has developed a large tourism industry. Tourism has a focus on culture, the arts, yoga and nature. In contrast to the main tourist area in southern Bali, the Ubud area has forests, rivers, cooler temperatures and less congestion (although traffic is on the increase!) A number of smaller "boutique"-style hotels are located in and around Ubud, which commonly offer spa treatments by the foothills or treks up Ubud's mountains.

Ubud has a population of about 8,000 people, but it is becoming difficult to distinguish the town itself from the villages that once surrounded it. The main street is Jalan Raya Ubud (JL Raya means main road), which runs east-west through the centre of town. Two long roads, JL Monkey Forest and JL Hanoman, extend south from JL Raya Ubud. Puri Saren Agung is a large palace located at the intersection of Monkey Forest and Raya Ubud roads.

JL Raya Ubud . . . .main street of Ubud

The main crossroads in front of the Puri Saren palace is the navel of Ubud - its cultural and historical focal point. The main street is lined with restaurants, hotels, shops and galleries, stretching all the way from the T-junction at the eastern end of Ubud to the Tjampuhan Bridge in the west. Small lanes lined with home stays, warungs and Balinese compounds extend north and south from the main road. We stayed at Hotel Tjampuhan and Spa for 6 nights. It is located just across the Tjampuhan Bridge in a magnificent location overlooking a steep ravine and canyon below, here two sacred rivers meet. This classic hotel has been legendary since 1928. As the first hotel in the artist colony of Ubud, this royal guest house graciously hosted celebrities and foreign painters such as Walter Spies.

pool

restaurant


We also stayed a Honeymoon Guesthouse for 5 nights. It is located in JL Bisma which runs off JL Raya Ubud and parallel to JL Monkey Forest. It’s set amongst the rice paddies and only a short stroll to the town centre.

Highlights include:

# great walks

There are many interesting walks around Ubud and one easy self-guided walk starts at the suspension bridge on Jl Raya Ubud, opposite Murni’s Warung, at the Gunung Lebah Temple. It is easy to find the trail, which starts, at the back of the temple. Simply follow it uphill. You will end up at Klub Kokos, which is owned by local Ubud artist, Krishna and his Australian wife, Cathy. A great spot for lunch overlooking the rice fields and Mount Agung. Continue on to the village of Bangkiangsidem and through to Payogan Village where you can catch a ride on a bemo back to town. A 2 hour walk at easy pace.

# food and restaurants

Ibu Rai Restaurant

Indus Restaurant

With its mouthwatering menu, eclectic gallery and breathtaking views of the Tjampuhan River, it's easy to see why Indus has been an Ubud favourite for nearly 10 years. Indus Restaurant, a five minute drive from the centre of Ubud, overlooks the Tjampuhan River and enjoys breathtaking views of the surrounding hills. On a clear day, you can see mighty Gunung Agung, in the east, and on a full-moon, there is a spectacular view from the terrace. There is a free shuttle service between Indus, Casa Luna and the Honeymoon Guesthouses.

# shopping and markets

# rice terraces

# swimming pools

# massages

This photo was taken at Tjampuhan Spa - a great setting for a spa but a bit pricey (for Ubud). We went to Jelatik Spa for wonderful massages and the unmissable hair cream baths! Very cheap and absolutely blissful!!!

# jewellery

Balinese jewellery is unique, and Celuk is the home of much of it. Nearly every family in Celuk is involved in some aspects of the delicate silver work, which has become very famous over the years. This is a ring I bought in Celuk village.

Earrings bought in Ubud

# tropical flowers

# village life

# breakfasts

# temples and offerings

# architecture

# beautiful friendly smiling faces

# silversmithing course

jewellery making at Studio Perak. I made these earrings!

# art - paintings, silver jewellery, wood and stone carvings

# Monkey Forest

Monkey Forest is a sacred nature reserve located near the southern end of Jl. Monkey Forest. It houses a temple and over 200 long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) monkeys.