27 November

The museum has some truly cool stuff doesn't it!

Ciaran helped me out at the UN Bazaar, which was very sweet of him. We made over $2000 for charity which is great!

Then last Thursday I held a little reception for some of my colleagues, which was great fun. The menu included...

• polenta crostini with fresh basil, baby tomatoes and garlic aoili
• rare kangaroo tartlets with horseradish cream
• goats cheese and caramelised onion tartlets
• parmesan lollipops
• wild mushroom pate
• creme anglais and wild berry tartlets
• miniature chocolate crackles
• miniature corn pikelets with chive sour cream and crispy bacon

It was a roaring success, and great fun to be cooking en masse again.

25 November

Well, its been a busy old month. So busy I haven't updated the site... sorry about that!

My friend Ciaran came to visit. I had 10 minutes of fame on the radio:

So... to explain. My friend Cate sent me a link to a youtube video on Juan Mann, a guy in Sydney who goes into one of the pedestrian malls in Sydney once a week with a sign saying "free hugs" and hugging anyone who needs/wants a hug. I posted this link up on Genevaonline and before you know it we have an event planned for a bunch of us to go into Geneva to give free hugs. The event organiser though was not me (I was asked if I would like to do it, but decided I really have too much on) - see, I can say no! Well, I could until the organiser sms'd me, told me he had had to go to New York for work, and asked me to go on the radio to advertise the event. "Um.. ok" says I. So there I am.

However, on the hugging day itself, Ciaran and I actually went off to Annecy instead! When we first arrived, it was like a ghost town there... noone in sight. Check it out...

All the shops were closed, which was frustrating as the main reason we went there was to do some good shopping. But... suddenly we turned a corner and there were heaps of people everywhere, and even market stalls selling meat veggies and fresh squeezed apple juice.

In the evening we had a lovely fondue together.

On Sunday we headed north, off to Neuchatel.

The goal was to visit Latenium, a rather wonderful museum with lots of fascinating celtic and roman goodies to be seen.