Summer Lovin'

After a long, wet and miserable winter, everybody here in Australia is looking forward to the forthcoming summer. The first few days have been glorious, so if they're a taste of what's to come we're in for a treat this season. I'm looking forward to finishing writing a book that seems to have taken months to do (a non-fiction book about the novel Picnic at Hanging Rock), catching up with friends and family over the festive season, and then showing my niece Shae how to write her book (and showing her little cousin Lily how to take photographs for it). We're also hoping to grab a few days away, although with finances being kept in check it's more likely to be Tasmania or Adelaide than Tahiti or Argentina! Still, we love both places, so it will be wonderful to see these destinations again.

Here are some sun-kissed images to get everyone in the mood for the coming Aussie summer. {Top image from the book The Swimsuit by Sarah Kennedy}

The iconic pink umbrellas of Sugar Beach, by Andrew Badgley. {Via Flikr}

Tunisian bath sheets. Inspired by similar bath sheets used in the spa-style bath houses of Tunisia, these would be perfect for either a beach towel or a sarong. {Via My Island Home at www.myislandhome.com.au}

Pretty tea cups, perfect for afternoon teas with friends. 

{Via This is Glamorous blog and inspired-design.tumblr.com}

Or perhaps some pink bubbly, if you're feeling a little more decadent...

Find inspiration for the Christmas luncheon in Carolyn Quartermaine's gorgeous styling. {Via www.carolynquartermaine.com}

Deck the halls with... Cabriole Peony wallpaper from Designer Guild's Florimund Collection. {Via www.designersguild.com}

The Hula Bag, from Kate Spade. Perfect for a quick vacation in Hawaii. {Via www.katespade.com}

The perfect French fabric to redo a summer deckchair in. 

(Because deckchairs should always be striped.) {Via www.deckchairstripes.com}

Summer treats, inspired by the 'Prêt-à-Portea' High Tea at The Berkeley hotel in Knightsbridge. At The Berkeley, a new menu (or 'collection') of stylish delicacies is changed every six months to follow the changing seasons in fashion. The most recent collection saw Lanvin, Miu Miu and Burberry make their debut on the Berkeley’s tea stands. So chic – and so easy to emulate at home! (Although you may not be ale to capture the same air of refinement that The Berkeley does, of course.)

Caviar Pie

Our entire family adores seafood. We particularly love prawns as part of the Christmas Day luncheon, a family tradition that dates back decades. (Seafood is ideal on what is inevitably a hot Australian day.) However, I'm also partial to a spoonful of caviar. So, too, was Diana Vreeland, from what I hear. In fact, she adored caviar so much, she created a Caviar Pie with it as the main ingredient. Guess what our household will be tucking into on Christmas Eve, accompanied by some lovely bubbly?

{Image by Oi-Cheong Lee from the Photographic Studio

for the Metropolitan Museum of Art]

Diana Vreeland's Caviar Pie

1 1/2 cups minced white onion, scallions or green onions
8 large hard-cooked eggs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 ounces cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
8 ounces caviar*, 2 or more colors if desired

Spread the onion on paper toweling to drain. Mince the eggs and combine with mayonnaise; set aside. Beat the cream cheese and sour cream together; it should be very smooth.

Lightly coat a 9" round springform pan with butter or cooking spray. Spread the egg mixture evenly over the bottom and sprinkle the onions on top. Drop the cream cheese mixture by spoonfuls atop the onion layer and spread gently with the back of a spoon. (Wet the spoon, if necessary.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Before serving, gently spread the caviar over the cream cheese layer in a decorative design. Use waxed paper or even string to outline your design. Accentuate with chopped chives, scallions or parsley, if appropriate.

Note: It's best to use inexpensive caviar in this recipe, such as Salmon, Whitefish, or Lumpfish. Some less expensive caviars do contain artificial coloring, however rinse the caviar in a strainer and drain on paper toweling before arranging and this will fix the problem.

Serve with good Champagne!