Cupcakery

I live in the beautiful Blue Mountains (near Sydney) with my partner Chris & our two gorgeous children Isabelle (7) & Hugo (6). We have a cupcake shop in the village where we live & apart from having almost no spare time, we live here quite happily.

In my previous job I was a lecturer, so it is funny how I have switched from something quite academic to something quite physical.

I love good food & wine and really enjoy experimenting with new things in the kitchen. I also love curling up with a good book, entertaining with family & friends, and trying to get away every now & again.

I enjoy listening to a wide range of music and tend to play it mostly when I am cooking alone during the early mornings in the cake shop.

Depending on my mood, it might be classical, retro or melodic background music. Last weekend, I listened to Goldfrapp, Pink Martini, David Campbell, the soundtrack from Boogie Nights & Nabucco (I love the chorus of the Hebrew Slaves).

I really love reading & on my days out of the shop, tend to spend hours indulging in my latest book. The ones I have enjoyed most over the last couple of months are Niffenegger's 'The Time Traveler's Wife' (made me cry), Tim Winton's 'The Riders' & Geraldine Brooks' 'People of the Book'.

I also love recipe books, good thrillers, the occasional magazine & chick lit as well as most of the classics. Jane Austen is a favourite.

As with books & music, I enjoy a wide range of films.

I love well-directed foreign films (everything from classics such as Jean de Florette & Manon des Sources to artistic ones such as Pan's Labyrinth & slick thrillers like Nikita).

I also love anything with dark humour, with Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels topping the list there.

Any well-made thriller or action movie also gets the thumbs up, with American Gangster being one I recently enjoyed.

As we have two small children, I also have to sit through a lot of kiddie movies. I have to admit, I really don't get much out of these (especially the repetitious animated ones), but Wall-e & Ratatouille were both ok.

My not-so-secret vice is that I'm a sucker for reality tv & especially like Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen & Project Runway. You'd think we'd all be well & truly over it by now, but they tend to pull me in. I also truly love Seinfeld & Frasier & can re-watch all episodes with pleasure!

I also like cooking shows & slick weekly shows like Boston Legal & Desperate Housewives.

I am not crafty in the slightest. I would be more likely to put a garment in the recycling bin than to stitch a button on it. While I absolutely despise sewing, hate knitting, patchwork, etc, I have the utmost respect for those who are talented (and patient!) in these areas. I guess the closest craft I would have would be cooking. That's enough for me!

A random list of some of my favourite things: My family, the company of good friends, cooking, aged balsamic vinegar, Reggiano, cheese generally, rocket (arugula), dark humour, cabernet sauvignon, champagne, horse races, cupcakery, reading, weekends away, dog walks (we have a chocolate lab & a scruff mutt), premium vanilla ice-cream, good coffee & chocolate, premium ice-cream & gelato, lapsang souchong tea, bbqs, lip balm & gloss, most beautifying things (masks, creams, polish, etc), entertaining, sleep (especially getting enough of it), lazy days, rainy days, movies (and dvds at home), restaurants, midnight blue (the colour of the sky just before dawn), and about a zillion other things.

Rudeness, city traffic & parking, queues, automated telephone answering systems & trying to get through to a Real Person, bills, all offal, not getting enough sleep, having to mend something, kids fighting & whingeing.

I will always send my swaps & never flake on anyone, so please contact me if your swap doesn't arrive. Also, I would appreciate it if you could be patient as sometimes postage takes longer from Australia. Also, as I live outside of Sydney & our post offices are closed on weekends, this can add an extra couple of days.

I try really hard to send really good, personalised swaps, but if you are not happy for any reason, please message me & I will do my best to fix things. I want to make you happy!

As far as ratings go, I will always rate, but please allow a bit of extra time. Usually it takes a bit longer for me to receive things where I live, and as I have a frantically busy life, it can be a couple of days before I have the time to get on the computer & think about what message I'd like to leave. I don't like receiving blank ratings & always appreciate a little note or comment & believe this should work two ways.

If you have put effort or thoughtfulness into your swap, I will always give hearts. I really appreciate personalised messages & those who go above & beyond in any way (not just $s but being considerate or original) deserve acknowledgment!

I will always message you before giving a 1 or 3 rating, as I know it's a Big World out there, and things can get lost & dramas can happen. Just stay in touch.

I like to think that what goes around comes around, and that if I can brighten someone's day somewhere, that in turn will lead them to do something nice for someone else...

Happy swap-botting everyone!