Tidying up the backyard
13 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Lady Business Tags: bribie island, canberra, cupcakes, dairy-free, exercise, garage sales, global knives, gluten free, kitchenaid, noritake, sugar-free, sydney
So it’s been a busy few weeks. I’ve been away in Sydney visiting the ethereal Isaacs family and doting on my bestie Jade, her husbo H-y and the little guy who has totally stolen my heart, little Lockie Emerson Isaacs 
. I had a great few days catching up on all things new in the world of Pooks and just generally enjoying hanging out with her and her family. I’m so blessed to have such good friends in my life and am constantly reminded of this and the few days I had in Sydney were no exception to this – I’ll be back soon Isaacs!!
Post Sydney I was off to Canberra for a family wedding. I hadn’t been in Canberra for literally years – the last time I was there I was informed was when I was a child (so long ago I don’t even remember being there) – so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I actually really dug Canberra, despite the fact that it was 15 degrees during the day, and liked the laid-back casual feel of the wide clean streets and the government buildings peppered throughout the city. I had a great few days catching up with the Morell family (Mum’s side) and celebrating my cousin Michelle’s wedding.
But now I’m back in Brisbane and it’s back to business for me. Before I left I’d decided that I would look for some part-time or short-term contract work to keep the funds ticking in during set-up phase so I’d applied for a few jobs. I had a day of hell on Wednesday this week and endured three interviews in rapid succession in the city. The gold at the end of that rainbow was seeing Powderfinger at the River Stage in the city later that night with the goddess nomebly. Marvellous.
I digress. The interviews went well and it’s looking like I have a potential job offer this week (with a government department) and a second interview (with one of Queensland’s favourite financial institutions) so it’s looking likely that before Christmas this pony will be put out to work again. I’ve done ok though this year and have only worked for 5 months of it so my commitment to myself at the end of 2009 before I set off for London to work less and travel/relax more has certainly been fulfilled. And I have to admit I’m feeling much the better for it and almost everyone I’ve caught up with thus far has commented on how healthy and happy I’m looking. Mind you after the comedy of health shenanigans in 2009 it wouldn’t be hard to look better than I was getting onto the plane in a wheelchair bound for London last December!
I’m starting to look in a bit more earnest at housing in the Manly/Lota area and hope to go and inspect some waterfront workers cottages this week and I’ve begun to stock up on kitchen items I’m going to need for Lady Cakes Parties. I’m in the hunt for vintage cake stands (tiered or singular), vintage crockery and china and basically anything else funky I can get my hands on.
Thus far I’m doing ok and have secured two cake stands, a glass chocolate/truffle stand and silver cake server and fork set. Naturally all these were sourced from garage sales on Bribie Island (I tell you the parentals are really onto something here – don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!) and I’m looking on eBay at present for some vintage Noritake dining sets (some for personal use and some for the business.)
So I’m slowly getting there and with the arrival of my boxes from the UK this week I should have the rest of my stuff sometime in the next fortnight including my beloved candy-apple red Kitchenaid and Global knives. Oh how I’ve missed them. It hasn’t stopped me experimenting and I think I finally nailed a gluten, dairy and sugar-ish free cupcake this week. More on that later once it’s passed the family taste test requirements.
I’m also slowly starting to work out where to get the majority of my ingredients from and will be working on finalising menus, cupcake flavours and aiming to get some test prices ready for trialling at some parties through December. I felt like things were moving slowly and perhaps I wasn’t moving at the pace I should be but I think it’s all going just fine and there are things that are popping up that I hadn’t accounted for but that’s also part of the learning and starting a business for the first time I think.
So much learning and so many small steps to take towards the giant step of walking away from one career and starting a second one successfully. I’ll get there though and I’ll have some fun doing it. To compensate for the mounds of cupcake batter (and end products) I’m having to test the exercise regime has been stepped up and that’s keeping me sane and healthy too. I’m now running for 25 minutes WITHOUT STOPPING (never thought I’d see the day) and I’m just getting a bike fixed up as we speak so I can start to add cycling into the running/swimming GG exercise equation.
Time to go put on my party frock for the next-door neighbours 40th birthday tonight. These Bribie folk party hard you know.
GG
