Parlour Wine Room Truffle Season Degustation
18 August 2009

It is coming up to the end of Canberra’s truffle season, when the fabulous comestibles are at their best. The wonderful folks at our favourite Parlour Wine Room believe this is the best time to allow their chefs to shine, and produce a stunning seven course menu (yes, of course you can manage it, just don’t eat much beforehand) featuring local truffles and Dalwhinnie wines.

 At $125 per head — a reasonable cost given the treats in store — this is certain to be an utter feast. Book quickly! Seats are limited: www.parlour.net.au or call 02 6162 3656.

Barry Barry Barry exhibition
29 August 2009

Harriet, Zoe and Emily Barry are definitely Sophisticated women. Canberra-based Harriet, who we adore, is a creator of the most exquisite jewellery. London-based Emily makes bespoke shoes, accessories and jewellery, and Melbourne-based Zoe is a talented musician and performer. Together, Harriet and her fabulous daughters are putting on a marvelous exhibition at Pialligo Estate (14 Kallaroo Road Pialligo), opening on 29 August. This is part of the cosy Fireside Festival (www.firesidefestival.com.au).

Because the Barry ladies are charm impersonated, there is of course even more to this than an exhibition. There will be special events on the evening of Saturday 29, and high tea on the afternoon of Sunday 30, giving us an opportunity to meet the ladies over refreshments, and share their great love of the beautiful and exotic.

You can find out more information here: www.firesidefestival.com.au/event/69.html. We believe this will be a beautiful Sophisticated weekend.

The Tweed Ride
12 September 2009

It is on again! A wonderful day of tweedy goodness, healthy exercise, hardy endeavour and family-friendly fun.

Starting at 11 am at Remembrance Nature Park, Treloar Crescent, Ainslie (behind the Australian War Memorial) for a spot of tea, and then out to Floriade to enjoy flowers galore, a picnic lunch, and — something special! Finally retiring to the Parlour Wine Bar to reminisce about the day.

We adore Canberra’s Tweed Riders and believe us when we say this will be a happy day. You can find more at http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=104342867736&topic=9315#/event.php?eid=103241290616

The Inaugural Rockabilly Ball!
19 September 2009

The Darling Sisters will be attending this fantastic showcase of Rockabilly Culture on Saturday 19 September from 7pm at The Italo-Australian Club in Canberra.

What is Rockabilly? We turn to our friend Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) for advice:

Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, and emerged in the early 1950s.

The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock (from rock 'n' roll) and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style's development. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues. Although there are notable exceptions, its origins lie primarily in the southern United States.

The influence and popularity of the style waned in the 1960s, but during the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly enjoyed a major revival of popularity that has endured to the present, often within a rockabilly subculture. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockabilly)

Thanks, Wikipedia! So what you’re implying is that the Rockabilly Ball in Canberra will be a festival of fab music (Queen Juanita and Rockabilly Big Band, outstanding), vintage-inspired culture (vintage guitars, oh yes) and fifties fashion (wait until you see what the Darlings will be wearing)! Rock and roll meets ‘frock and roll’. Lovely — we’ll see you there!

For more information see www.rockabillyball.com We would really love to see you there! And for those fiscally-inclined Sophisticates, the Darlings will have a wee stall set up with special prices for attendees ... and a brand spanking new range of rockabilly-inspired treats!