Arles, Provence, October 2007

Chez L'Auberge du Mas de la Fenière, outside Arles




The inn's restaurant served meals sourced from the property's vege patch and surrounding farms


Camargue bull with anchovy sauce and Provencal vegetables


Le petit-déjeuner


Arles cathedral


Foundations from the Roman settlement


The G-man pretends he can read French


Où sommes-nous?


Vincent Van Gogh's "starry night" café


Un petit goûter


The ancient Roman arena is still used for bullfights


Nap-friendly shuttered houses


The drive back to the Auberge


Chooks not pictured


Part of our Michelin-starred gustatory adventure at L'Atelier du Jean-Luc Rabanel


Guinea fowl in a salt crust


Some sort of fish in an oceanic foam


One of the awesome dessert courses


Happy cat, perfect espresso

Christmas wishes

Nice way to start a trip

Bushwhacked!

Check out what we've done for US President George Bush's visit to Sydney next week for the APEC summit: you can give him an Australian makeover.


All part of the cool APEC multimedia we've put together for the Sydney Morning Herald.

I love Sundays

From the 'I've been telling you this for years" file

From the New York Times: "Without the bitterness produced by hot water, cold-brewed coffee [has] hints of chocolate, even caramel. I dropped my sugar packet — no need for it. The best brews hardly need cream." About twice a week I grind up some beans to make a few days' supply in my Bodum french press. The first day I add a dash of hot water from the kettle and top the plunger up with ice cubes. The flavours develop as it sits in the fridge (a rich coffee taste with no bitterness) and the knowledge that there's always a chilled coffee ready helps get me out of bed. I drink it even in winter. The only drawback is it spoils you: espresso bar coffees at work just don't satisfy and you quickly lose your appreciation for heated milk.

Try it -- you'll thank me!