He said:

Don’t tell anyone but I’m a sucker for moggies these days.

She Said:

They say you’re either a cat person or a dog person but I’m both.

What’s more, he says:

I was always a pooch person. A mutt lover. A canine kid. I, like many before me, hated cats. Their inscrutable nonchalance, the way they wave their butt holes at you in a ‘this is what I think of you’ kind of way. ’They’re enraging.

But then my parents got a couple of rescued kittens. They became as much a part of the family as any of the dogs we’ve had. When they both finally died of extreme old age, our family was crushed. Still, the thought of having a cat of my own never really appealed.

On our recent tip overseas, we were exposed again and again to very cute cats. The last of which was my parents’ latest pet, Mr Splodge, a degenerate feline that wags his tale like a dog and has a penchant for killing string, was the nail in my resolution’s coffin.

I started trying to work out whether a cat would fit in our little city one-bedder. I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine. Mrs Romance, however, I don’t think is quite as certain.

And another thing, she says:

If I had to choose, I’d say I’m probably a cat person first. Cats are smart, independent and cute. Plus you don’t have to follow after them with a plastic bag. The perfect pet.

My first pet was a cat. She was already around 8 or 9 years old when I was born. My brother and sister named her Tiny but she grew (as kittens do) so they changed her name to Tina. We’re very creative with pet names in my family.

She was the loveliest tabby cat, and would tolerate me picking her up for cuddles anytime. Tina lived a good long life and after she passed away my sister gave me my own cat for my birthday. I officially became a cat person for life.

That’s not to say I don’t love dogs. I also grew up around dogs, and I especially love big dogs. The small dogs I knew were always so spoilt and yappy, where the big dogs were so friendly and gentle.

Now living in the city has meant we haven’t had pets for years and I miss it. I knew that with our old 9-5 jobs we were out for too long to keep a pet locked inside an apartment all day.

Working from home has taken away that excuse. On our recent trip we stayed at lots of pet friendly hotels, or places that had resident pets and it reminded me how great it is to have an animal around. They say there are endless health benefits to having a pet, and they’re just so funny and cute too.

Then Mr Romance announced he wanted to get a cat. So should we get a cat? Or would I get no work done as I’d just be playing with it all day long?

I confess to following more than one cat on social media too, hence the Colonel Meow Instagram collage. Tell me I’m not alone?

So bottom line – what do you think: should we get a cat or not?

Instagram images courtesy of @ColonelMeow and Jim’s mum, Edi!

The post He Said, She Said: should we get a cat? appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Anyway, here are some hotels you’d want to spend a bit more time in, simply because they’re so… WEIRD!

Daintree Wilderness Lodge, Cape Tribulation, Qld, Australia

Image courtesy of www.daintreewildernesslodge.com.au

Hidden away in the midst of Daintree Rainforest, this eco hotel perches on stilts to minimize its impact on the forest floor. There are only seven cabins available in this resort. Each has its own walkway and is connected to a central causeway that also sits a metre or so above the ground.

The walkway is just high enough to be out of reach of the neighbourhood cassowary. We saw him every day when we were there.

Images by Mrs Romance

Rates: between $290 – $330 (approx £185 – £210) per night ($250pn if staying for three nights or more) and includes cooked breakfast.

Treehotel/Brittas Pensionat, Harads (a.k.a the middle of nowhere), Sweden

Images courtesy of www.treehotel.se

If you go down to the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise. No, not some freaky unnatural picnic of soft toys, but a load of bizarre hotel rooms lodged in the trees. At the moment there are five rooms and a tree sauna that fits up to 12 people. Each room is suspended 4-6 metres in the ancient pinetree forest of northern Sweden.

Each room has its own theme: the cabin, the mirror cube, the bird’s nest, the blue cone and the UFO. Each room proffers incredible views of the forest from its unique treetop perspective. At the right time of year, it’s also a great place to be to see the spectacular Aurora Borealis – the Northern Lights.

Rates: between 4400 and 4600 Swedish Krona (AU/US$670 – AU/US$700, £430 – £450) per room per night.

The Old Court, Temple Cloud, Somerset, England

Image courtesy of www.theoldcourt.com

We stayed here in 2003 and loved it. The owners have converted the old court house of the little hamlet Temple Cloud on the outskirts of Bath, England. That in itself isn’t strange. The fact you can stay the night in one of the converted prison cells is.

We chose a room with a bit more room, but we were tempted for a minute there. Also, the resident cats (three brothers) are something to behold. When we first saw them, we thought they were dogs or small bears. They’re so big, the owners had to install dogflaps in the doors because catflaps they had put in were too small!

Images by Mr and Mrs Romance.

Rates: the Victorian jail cells on the other hand are around £70 (approx AU/US$110) per room per night. Includes breakfast and Wi-Fi.

Down to Erth, Coober Pedy, SA, Australia

Images courtesy of www.downtoerth.com.au

The most famous opal mining town in the world, Coober Pedy, is in the middle of the desert. Temperatures can get well up into the 50s (120+ degrees Fahrenheit). To keep cool, the locals have used nature’s own body temperature to keep cool.

Underground houses stay at a preferable 25 degrees (77dF) all year round. Down to Erth Bed and Breakfast is just one of these unusual places.

Rates: starting at $160 (approx £100) per night for two people. Price includes a ‘substantial’ continental breakfast every morning, and wine and chocolates upon arrival.

Dog Bark Park Inn, Cottonwood, Idaho, USA

Images courtesy of www.dogbarkparkinn.com

To say owners Dennis and Francis are barking is not only a bad pun, it’s also accurate. Their obsession with dogs has lead them to build this pooch-shaped hotel.

It boasts the record for the world’s largest beagles; Toby is a 12-foot-high statue and keeps Sweet Willy, the hotel itself, company. Everything inside is dog themed.

You can also purchase a lot of the ornaments in the hotel, as they’ve been designed and made by the husband-and-wife team with chainsaws. Chainsaw carving is yet another of Dennis and Francis’ odd passions, and it no doubt puts off anyone thinking of running from the bill!

Rates: $98 (approx £65) per night double occupancy, and includes breakfast.

Parkhotel at Berne Park, Bottrop, Germany

Images courtesy of www.bernepark.de

This has to be one of the weirdest places to stay. True to the German sense of humour, this hotel and restaurant complex is on the site of an old wastewater works.

Thankfully it’s quite literally not as shit as it used to be! The restaurant prides itself on fine modern German cuisine and the settling tanks have been done up into water features.

But it’s the rooms that are the most unusual. Designed by Austrian artist and architect Andreas Strauss, the rooms here are more like giant sleeping tubes made from recycled sewage pipes.

Rates: guests pay what they can afford or what they think the experience is worth.

Want to spend the night in a jumbo jet? Here’s our post about that too!

So have you been to any strange or amazing hotels? Tell us about them here!

The post 6 of the strangest hotels you’ll ever stay in appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Pearl Beach is a little waterside town in the Central Coast of New South Wales, population 400 – give or take. These lucky few have on their doorstep, not only a beautiful stretch of the Australian coastline, but also an award-winning restaurant.

Pearls on the Beach is a family-run restaurant that has been dishing up deliciousness for a good 10 years now. We decided to give it a go while we were away on a romantic weekend break.

It’s a lovely little place, right on the beach. Inside has a beachy feel too. White walls, exposed beams, simple yet elegant furniture – it feels like you’re in someone’s (really big restaurant-like) beach house.

The menu isn’t that big – all on one page – but it has an interesting methodology to it. Instead of the usual, entrée, main and dessert option (though there is one) Pearls recommends ordering around three of the smaller dishes each and a dessert. This showcases the restaurant’s food better. It’s a similar idea to the sorely missed Darlinghurst institution Universal.

Looking through the menu, we wanted to try more than just three each, but thought better of it – especially when Mrs Romance did her usual trick of heading straight to the desserts. It was as enticing as the rest of the offerings.

Concerned about imminent food envy, ordering turned into a bit of a competition.

First course:

Mrs Romance had the roast beetroot, portabello and spinach risotto with goats curd and crushed hazelnuts.

I had the zucchini, herb and goat’s cheese kuku (a Persian version (!) of a frittata) with a petit herb salad and capsicum coulis.

Round 1: Mr Romance 0 – Mrs Romance 1.

My kuku was light and fluffy and the goat’s cheese gave the dish a beautiful accent, but Mrs R’s risotto was smooth, warm and welcoming, and the nuts gave a crunchy texture that was supreme.

Second course:

Mrs R chose the kingfish crudo, pickled crudo, pickled jicama (a type of Mexican yam), black beans, coriander and a roast jalapeño vinaigrette with freshly baked warm tortilla.

I went for the vadouvan (French-ified Indian spice mix) dusted sea scallops, spiced carrot puree, lentils, shaloots and pomegranate.

Round 2: Mr Romance 1 – Mrs Romance 1.

The scallops were fat and juicy, the puree was perfectly spiced and the pomegranate popped a zing into the dish that completed the palette. Mrs R’s tortilla was good, but not entirely satisfying.

Third course:

Mrs Romance went for the grilled king prawns, popcorn grits, almond, chilly, corn and port scratching crumble with a scallion oil and bisque dressing.

I leapt on the slow cooked miso glazed pork neck fillet, soba noodle, shitake and seaweed salad and ponzu (a Japanese sour citrus sauce) gel.

Round 3: Mr Romance 2 – Mrs Romance 1.

Mrs R’s dish was packed full of flavour and texture, but the miso glazed pork neck fell apart at a touch, and the ponzu gel gave the whole thing an incredible richness.

Dessert:

Mrs Romance had made up her mind on her sweet before we’d even ordered wine. The salted Belgian dark chocolate fudge cake, with popcorn caramel and peanut butter ice-cream was unbelievable.

It left my exquisite malt sponge, with caramelised banana, chocolate malt ganache and banana ice-cream feeling a little underwhelmed.

Final round: Mr Romance 2 – Mrs Romance 2.

So there we were. A draw. A belly-bursting, pants-stretching draw.

In my mind, I won at sudden death. Our coffees came but I had ordered a cafe corretto – an espresso with a shot of Italian grappa. In reality, it was just that one step further into the realm of over-indulgence.

Our waddle home spoke volumes.

—

Visit Pearls on the Beach Thursday to Sunday for lunch and dinner – and make sure you wear loose clothing!

Pearls on the Beach
1 Tourmaline Avenue,
Pearl Beach NSW 2256

PHONE   02 4342 4400
EMAIL   info@pearlsonthebeach.com.au

Click here to find out how to get there.

Images by Mr and Mrs Romance.

The post Fine-dining in the Central Coast: Pearls on the Beach appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

The ANZACs – or the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps – began in 1915 when the Australian and New Zealand soldiers joined forces to fight in World War One.

On this day the ANZACs, on an Allied Forces campaign, landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula. It was an attempt to capture this strategic coastline to attack the Ottomans and take their capital Constantinople – now Istanbul in Turkey.

The landings at Gallipoli were met by an unexpectedly fierce Ottoman resistance. In the eight-month stalemate – a strike force gone horribly wrong – there were many casualties on both sides.

The ANZACs suffered terrible losses, as did the British and French forces. By the time the troops were evacuated, 8,709 Australians and 2,721 New Zealanders had lost their lives.

Now, the 25 April is a day we commemorate casualties in not just WWI, but also WWII, and any other time a brother or sister of our two nations loses their life in the call of duty.

Today, we remember the brave and glorious dead. Today, we honour them. Today we bless them for their bitter sacrifice.

Images by Mr Romance.

The post ANZAC Day – Lest We Forget appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

I was interviewed on the gorgeous Polka Dot Bride about some of our memorable moments from our wedding day.

Our wedding day was the first time we had all of our family and favourite people in the one room. It rained like you wouldn’t believe but I was having so much fun I hardly noticed. It was a really special day for me as my Dad was sick and the next day he started what would be his final round of chemo. These beautiful memories mean even more now.

Head over to Polka Dot Bride to read more about our special day. Thanks so much to Ms Polka and Ms Gingham for featuring us.

Do you think it’s lucky to have rain on your wedding day?

The post Mr and Mrs Romance on Polka Dot Bride appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

We men don’t have phobias. No, instead, we ‘just don’t like’ things. We’re not really afraid of anything! For me, I ‘just don’t like’ spiders. Not in a run-away-flapping-my-arms-and-screaming way, just in a keep-that-bloody-thing-away-from-me way.

I used to think it was the bigger ones I ‘just didn’t like’. But no, the small ones make my ears pop and my skin crawl.

I’ll still pick one up in a glass to throw it out (as far as I can) though I have to really concentrate not to throw the glass out as well. And I can watch them in their webs and on TV, but woe betide a spider that tries to hitch a ride on me.

Here’s a leaflet they give out to houses in Sydney. It’s supposed to be informative. I just think it’s inflammatory scare-mongering!

Mrs Romance’s phobia is less rational. At least the things I ‘just don’t like’ have the ability to maim and kill – especially here in Australia. Mrs R has a fear of moths! And it seems there are a number of people out there who just don’t like them.

Spiders, on the other hand, don’t bother her in the slightest, though she did give a little scream the other day when she found a jumping spider hiding under her makeup bag. Though I suppose they do jump…

What is it that you ‘just don’t like’? How do you get rid of an invading creepy-crawly? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mr Romance.

The post Phobias – who’s afraid of the big bad moth? appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Here’s how I earned mine.

The morning started well as Mrs Romance and I sauntered off for a late breakfast/early lunch to Reuben Hills café on Albion St, Surry Hills (that’s in Sydney for you out-of-towners!).

The fair supplied is always excellent, especially if you’re a spicy Spanish type of eater. I went for the chorizo grits, baked corn tortilla chips and queso fresco with an enormous dollop of avocado and a small tree of coriander to garnish. Mrs R went for the soft baked eggs with goats curd, spinach and ranchero. A couple of strong coffees to go with it all – we were happy and stuffed.

Brekky brownie points: earned.

Back home we did a bit of work (actual work that is, you dirty-minded people!), where I did very little and Mrs R went into Hair Romance mode and trialed a couple of new curling irons from Hair2Day. Trouble is, as she was working away, she managed to burn her forehead with a smoldering 180 degree curling iron. It took a while to cool it down, but thanks to a bag of frozen corn and a few drops of Rescue Remedy, only a small blister remained.

Galvanized by my caring attitude (supportive brownie points: earned) and her never-say-burnt attitude, Mrs R went on to sculpt this

incredible hairdo. Check it out!

Internet-based compliment brownie points: earned.

In the meantime, Mrs R told me about an incredible offer that St George bank is doing. They’re sending two people to New York – all expenses paid! All you have to do is spot the New York taxi parked in the street and be the first to approach with the password of the hour. They do this about four times a day.

This gets you a ticket to a party where they announce the winners of the fantastic prize. So while Mrs R was creating her braid heart (sounds like that Mel Gibson movie… what’s it called… Mad Max) I was glued to Twitter waiting for the go-ahead to find the taxi.

Effort brownie points: earned.

First go, I ran seven blocks to find it. I’d missed the ticket by five minutes. Never mind. Mrs R wanted it: I’d have another go in an hour.

Keep-fit brownie points: earned.

An hour later, the Tweet came through: only nine blocks! This time we both went (I don’t think she trusted me). We ran down to Chinatown in Haymarket and found the taxi.

“Haymarket!” I screamed at the poor girl in the St George polo, knowing that we were already too late.

“That’s not even the password,” she trembled, retreating back into the yellow cab.

“Bugger,” I replied. She was right. It wasn’t. Anyway we’d missed it again, but brownie points for effort and involvement were in the bag.

We headed home and worked a bit more until we’d calmed down enough to go out again. This time for dinner shopping. As we were going in that direction (sort of), we decided to head to Mrs Romance’s favourite ice cream place, Gelato Messina, on Crown Street.

Thoughtfulness brownie points: earned.

These days, Mrs R doesn’t eat dairy, which is a shame as she loves ice cream, so this was a special treat. We sat in the park over the road and gobbled our frozen delectables.

I went for the Mighty GM Pie – peanut butter gelato with chocolate custard, crumbled choc pie crust, banana jam and cream cheese pie. Unbelievable. Because I’m a pig, I also had a scoop of the salted caramel, a perennial must. Mrs R treated herself to a single scoop of Baklava – honey and rosewater gelato with house made baklava.

Gorged and aching with milky brain-freeze, we waddled on to the shops for dinner.

The rest, as they say, is shopping-cooking-eating-film-watching-wine-sipping-snuggle history.

The question now remains, what shall I spend all these brownie points on?

Images by Mr Romance and courtesy of HairRomance.com

The post My version of Valentine’s Day appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

Women can. You guys are great at it. And because of this – because you’ve been brought up to find joy in the thought of rows and rows of clothes, you’re brilliant at shopping.

There is a way for men to get something more than sore feet and an argument out of shopping. We need to get involved. Ask what your better half’s looking for. See if you can find it. I also like to see how many other shoppers I can get in the way of when looking through the racks. Sick, but I find it entertaining.

And that’s my other tip: entertain yourself. There’s no point standing around like one o’ clock half struck. Make the most of your time. Find funny-looking or garish items of clothing and ask your missus’ opinion. I turn it into a bit of a game and try to find the ugliest thing in the shop. As long as I don’t do it too much, Mrs Romance enjoys it and joins in.

Last of all, be self-serving. Like fishing? Look through the earrings. Some of them can be made into excellent lures. Enjoy hiking and camping? Some of the women’s thin leather belts are perfect for strapping stuff down.

Put the ‘access’ back in accessories – what else can women’s incidentals be used for?

Mrs Romance – anything you’d like to add?

“Well, I think that’s the strangest instalment in this series. Earrings as fishing lures? I suppose I’m glad Mr Romance find shopping entertaining. His game of finding the worst thing in the store is quite fun. Much better than men who loiter awkwardly at the front of the store.

I would like to add that not all women are good at shopping, but Mr Romance’s tips can help anyone have fun at when at the shops trying to purchase necessary (or unnecessary) items.”

This is part three of a series to help both the shop-eur and shop-euse out of a potential store-based hissy fit. Want to read part 1? Here it is! And here is part 2.

Images by Mr Romance, modelled by the lovely Mrs Romance.

The post She’ll shop till you drop – part 3 appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

There’s a reason: we men like to feel involved. We love to have a mission. The idea of vague window shopping fills us with dread faster than the words ‘chick flick’.

All you need to do is tell us what you’re looking for. This doesn’t have to be too specific. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Tell your fella you’re looking for a particular colour or item of clothing, or tell him you’re after something with sequins.

Don’t tell him you’re looking for ‘something fun’. It’ll just confuse him. And don’t expect miracles immediately either. Men don’t understand a woman’s wardrobe – something you should be thankful for really. If your man does understand your clothes, he’s either gay or he’s wearing them when you’re not looking.

Like a dog, he will start by fetching completely the wrong thing. Praise his efforts and don’t shoot him down. He’ll give up. Eventually, he’ll get better and you’ll not only get rid of the misery of dragging him round the shops, you might even acquire a half-decent shopping buddy.

Top tip: try not to spend too long in any one shop – and don’t try to make him shop for too long either. Regular coffee, tea or beer breaks make things go much smoother.

This is part two of a series to help both the shop-eur and shop-euse out of a potential store-based hissy fit. Want to read part 1? Here it is! Why not check out part 3 right here?

Mrs Romance – anything to add?

“If you want to wander the shops browsing, don’t bring your partner. But if you’re shopping for something in particular, let your partner help. I love shopping with Mr Romance. He has found some of my favourite clothes, and he’s great at carrying bags.

My advice is not to ignore the early warning signs of fatigue. As soon as you start flicking through racks instead of looking you need to stop and take a break.”

What rewards to you give (or receive) for a successful shopping foray?

Images by Mr Romance. Glare Chair model: Mr Romance Snr (a.k.a Jim’s dad).

The post She’ll shop till you drop – part 2 appeared first on Mr and Mrs Romance.

The threat of the department store used to send me into a panic tantrum, but careful observation has given me skills to combat the agony of shopping.

First off, we men have to learn how to shop with our women. There will be a series of questions we have to field. Like any defensive move, it’s essential we can counter them with speed, agility and conviction. But there’s a golden rule, too:

Never ever respond to the question with an answer. 95% of the time our women are not asking for our opinion on a dress they’re considering. We know nothing of these things and our feedback will be met with, at very best, mirth.

Answer her question with another question. Remember, we are mere sounding boards. When she asks “Do you like it?”, she has already made up her mind. So if you say ‘yes’, she’ll condemn you for your lack of taste. If you say ‘no’, she’ll tell you she loves it.

No no no. You need to ask a question. Something like ‘What would you wear with it?’ or ‘Don’t you have something similar?’ or ‘When were you thinking of wearing it?’

This shows you’re interested in what she’s buying and it will help her make up her mind too. Everyone wins!

This is part one of a series to help both the shop-eur and shop-euse out of a potential store-based hissy fit. Check out the next installment at MrAndMrsRomance.com – part 2 right here. Want even more? Here’s part 3!

Mrs Romance – anything to add?

“Mr Romance is actually great to go shopping with. He’s probably a better shopper than me in many ways. I had no idea he was so considered with his questions and I think I’m going to find out a lot more from this series. I’ll be reading, and guys, you should be too. These are some top tips to keep your partner happy at the shops.”

What other questions would you ask or like to be asked to quell the shopping rigors?

Image by Mr Romance.

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