This P date was a great one. My darling husband bought me a much longed-for DSLR camera a year or so ago and I rarely get to use it for arty shots. Mostly because it’s hard to find the time.

So I found this great Australian company, Photography Night Walks. They run tours in Melbourne, mostly, but have also been spotted around the likes of Sydney and Fremantle… I’m sure they’ll pop up somewhere near you soon enough!

The best part is, the Melbourne tour we went on only cost $15 per person. A whole group of people turn up with their cameras… Lots of SLRs, some with little instant cameras, some just have their iPhone and nothing more, but they produce amazing results!

And on our tour we were lucky enough to have, in addition to our fantastic guide, a real pro with all the lenses, tripods and advice you could want. It was casual, with the group meandering around slowly taking pictures, stealing inspiration from each other and sharing advice about shutter speeds.

Some of the walks end back at Loop Bar in the Melbourne CBD where they run a slideshow of everyone’s images for the night over a drink or two. Fantastic way to end the night!

We had a great night. We just used our one camera between us and we took a tripod as well. When one of us was with the DSLR, the other went nuts with the iPhone. I particularly love the Hipstamatic App for moody, grainy pics that showed up wonderfully (as per these two on the right).

Our guide was great at giving us tips and had lots to tell us about ISO and depth of field and whatnot.

I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves now, because I think we did a pretty damn good job for a pair of amateurs that don’t know how to use their fancy camera properly!

If the Photography Night Walk crew aren’t in your area yet, then take yourselves out on an even cheaper date and devote a night or an afternoon to walking around your city and taking some great pics that you can frame and pop on the wall to remind you of a great date night. You might even get dressed up yourselves and have a model shoot for the day!

Happy Snapping, Daters!

What do you think of this date idea? Any photography tips for us? Done anything like this before?

Kikki-k’s Love Conversation Starters

Live Music
Find a cosy little jazz club, or nab tickets to a concert you know you’ll both love. Nothing like bopping the night away to great live tunes. Have a dance (if appropriate!)

Laksa
Coconut-y, delicious dish that deserves to be a date night all of it’s own. Find a great Laksa place near you and take your sweetie there for dinner.

Lattes
Find a fantastic coffee shop and spend a cold afternoon indoors with the weekend papers, a couple of good magazines and each others’ company. $30 should cover a few coffees as well as lunch or afternoon tea.

Lesson
Something you’ve always wanted to learn how to do? Sign yourselves up and go along… perhaps a cooking lesson, a surfing lesson, a wine tasting lesson… If you’re both Francophiles or perhaps planning a trip to Europe, sign yourselves up to a whole course of lessons and make that your weekly date night for a few months.

You know how in every household there’s a huge jar of spare change just lying around? We keep one on the bookshelf near our keys, and we dump any change we have into it so we don’t have to deal with it. Sometimes, I’ll fossick through it to get change if I’m heading out for a latte or something, but really I’m just after the gold coins and the silver all sits there.

So, you take that jar of change and you find your nearest bank with a change sorting machine.

It’s just like the pokies! You don’t have to do any counting, stacking, sorting or anything. You simply pour it in to the machine and it counts your money for you. At the end, it spits out a slip of paper which you take to the cashier and they give you proper money instead of 3 kilos of silver.

Whatever you reap from this little exercise is your budget for date night!

Our change was sitting in one of those little round plastic takeaway containers. Tiny and overflowing. Dumped it all into a sack, and then I commenced a search of the entire apartment. We found more change in the bottom of handbags, in the car, in drawers and on desks… We guesstimated we had around $65-$70 all up in our little kitty. Bonus! That’s more than double our normal date night budget.

We hauled it to the bank and nearly broke the machine with a rogue New Zealand coin and a paperclip (note to self: remove foreign objects) and then watched as the numbers ticked over.

Our jackpot in the end was $91.60! Add that to our normal $30 budget that we set aside for date night and you got $121.60.

So we headed for one of our favourite Melbourne restaurants: Yu-U. This is Japanese food at it’s finest, tucked away in a basement down a Melbourne alleyway. There is no signage out the front, there’s graffiti everywhere and you just open the door and slip inside to sublime Japanese minimalism and amazing sashimi. They are so reclusive we weren’t even allowed to take photos! I did manage a couple before I realised we were in trouble for doing it.

We had yellow fin tuna sashimi, melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu beef, Teriyaki salmon and eggplant with minced chicken… all delicious. We happily paid our $100 check and headed home for dessert and True Blood on the couch. An impromptu and lovely luxe date night for two.

I threw out the plastic takeaway container we were keeping our money in and have replaced it with a huge jar, at least 6 times the size. Can’t wait for it to fill up so we can go on an even more decadent date night next time!

What are you waiting for? Go find your spare change!

Big thanks to Little Miss Sorted for the idea!

Jump Yourself Silly
Ever seen one of those trampoline parks? They have indoor and outdoor ones, it’s basically Olympic-sized trampolines all set next to each other. You can bounce around while you play tiggy, dodgeball or kiss chasey.

Go for a Jog
Assuming you’re the active types (even better if you’re not) find nice afternoon for some light exercise and go for a jog together. Find a picturesque backdrop – a lake, a park – and get all sweaty together. A shower back at your place later is the perfect way to finish this one off.

Jazz Club
Live jazz has it’s own special brand of sexy. Find a cosy jazz club with great cocktails, dress up to the nines and enjoy a night together snuggled into a booth while listening to the twang of that double bass.

Japanese Night
There are two ways to have a Japanese night date – the first is to, obviously, head out to a Japanese restaurant.

The other is to try your hand at cooking traditional Japanese fare at home – if you’re really daring, try rolling your own sushi. Otherwise, stick to a chicken teriyaki or an udon noodle soup. Then settle in to watch a Japanese-themed movie together afterward – we love Lost in Translation.

Okay, what have I missed? Any other great J date ideas? Did you go on a date night this week?

Ice Hockey
Go see an ice hockey match! The sport has become more popular in recent years. Even our hometown of Melbourne has a league! And we’re a long way from Canada.

Ice Skating
If the violence of Ice Hockey isn’t your thing, try taking to the ice yourself at an ice skating rink. Glide along gracefully hand-in-hand… assuming you nor your partner is a barrier-grabbing nuffy like mine is. When we went, I skated around the rink by myself while Den staggered along on the outskirts being lapped by 6-year-olds. Too cute. Grab a hot chocolate afterwards to warm yourselves up.

Ice Cream
It’s a simple date, but a lovely one. Pick a warm day and get some ice cream scoops from your favourite place then take a long walk together.

Italian Food
What’s not to love about Italian food? Head to your town’s Italian district or find a great, cheap Italian restaurant with authentic food and pig out on pizza and pasta together. Spaghetti with meatballs always reminds me of that scene in Lady and the Tramp!

Indian Food
I love a great Indian curry with naan, pappada and a mango lassi. Indulge either out at a restaurant or with takeaway at home, followed by a Bollywood movie to top it all off.

Relationships are all about games. The Hard-to-get Game. The If-You-Don’t-Know-Why-I’m-Angry-I’m-Not-Going-To-Tell-You Game. The Hide-the… oh, nevermind. The point is, we’re hardly ever straight with each other, us lovebirds.

So the Games Night date seems a perfectly fitting night out for two, when you put it like that.

We found out that the Panama Dining Room in our hometown has boardgames all day Sunday. Glass of wine, plate of tapas, round of Monopoly. What a great G date! This bar-cum-restaurant is uber cool and very classy and we had a wonderfully relaxed night together there.

Wherever in the world you are, I’m sure there’s a bar or pub nearby that stocks the old favourite boardgames and maybe even a fireplace if you’re lucky!

Of course, Games Night can just as easily be done in the comfort of your lounge room. Which means that you can break out the really fun ones such as Twister! Or even, if you’re feeling racy, our personal favourite adult game… Nookii.

We opted for checkers, seeing as we were in public and all. We’re a big fan of the best out of three. Den won the first round, then I won the next two… and I have to say it… he’s a sore loser. Especially when it comes to losing to me. Which is why he has his sad face on here:

All in all a lovely and relaxing date to combat the winter chills… here’s the official rating.

Rate the Date
Romance Factor: 6/10 (bonus romance points if you do find a fireplace or candlelight)
Cheesiness Factor: 7/10 (dependant also on which games you play!)
Fun Factor: 7/10

Perfect night out for two no matter what your mood, great for a rainy afternoon and gives you a chance to chat as well as a nice distraction to focus on if you need it.

This was an encore G games night because we had to put off H for a week or so… planning something fun but it didn’t fall into place, timing-wise. Stay tuned though!

Which we already discussed awhile ago. Click this link to see our Gorgeously Green Date Ideas list, compiled for us by Cate and Chris at GreenRenters.org

G is for Games

Like, board games. And such. Either hold a game night at home for the two of you or tuck your Monopoly set under your arm and head to a pub with a lounge setting and maybe an open fireplace to play a few rounds with your partner.

There are also new board game cafes that have sprung up around the place. Find a local one and go utilise their games.

G is for Gardening

If you have a backyard, great. Plant yourselves a veggie patch! If you live in an apartment, perhaps a little potted herb garden on your balcony would be less ambitious.

Head to the hardware store and get your pots, soil and seedlings then get sweaty and dirty together in your backyard.

G is for Golf

Whether you get out and attempt to play 9 holes, head for a driving range or just go for Mini-Golf, this is guaranteed to be a bit of a laugh.

G is for Grease Monkeys!

Assuming one of you is mechanical, put on some old clothes, grab your partner and head out to the car. Have a lesson on changing oil, topping up water, cleaning spark plugs and more. Make lots of jokes about tools and such.

G is for Greek Food

Find a cheap but good Greek restaurant in your area – the kind that serves wine in old jam jars! Feast on spanakopita, taramasalata and dolmades. Yum!

G is for Garage Sales

Get the papers and takeaway coffees on a Saturday morning and trawl the Garage Sales in your local area (or pick a really swanky suburb if you want some amazing trash and treasure finds!).

F is for Festivals
If your city is anything like our city, there’s a freakin’ festival going on every time you turn around! Food Festivals, Film Festivals, Theatre Festivals, Jazz Festivals… make the most of the free events and the great talent that converges surrounding the next great festival in your town.

F is for Ferry Trip
In my opinion, taking a Ferry is one of the nicest forms of public transport possible. Leave the car behind and jump on one, wind in your hair, to visit a nearby stop. Jump off, explore, shout your date a coffee or an ice cream!

F is for F is for Fondue
Stay home (nab a fondue set from someone) or go out and delve into a fondue dinner together. You know the rules for the home one – if a piece of bread falls in, you gotta remove an item of clothing. (Is that how it goes?). If cheese isn’t your thing, go for dessert fondue – cut fruit, marshmallows and donuts dipped into a chocolate fondue! Who wouldn’t love that! Get – ahem – creative with the melted chocolate if you are so inclined. (Wouldn’t recommend that with the cheese though. Unless you’re into that kind of thing. Which is, frankly… gross.)

F is for Firefly Hunting
Believe it or not, we don’t have fireflies here in Australia. I did however, have a stuffed toy called a ‘Gloworm’ when I was a little girl that was supposed to be based on a firefly. His little face glowed orange when you hugged him hard enough. He stopped me being scared of the dark.

Anyway, I digress. If you’re lucky enough to live somewhere there are fireflies, go catch some together! Just be sure to let the little poppets go once you’re finished marvelling at them. I’m pretty sure the dead ones don’t glow.

F is for Fish and Chip Picnic
One of the most fun dates you can do for under $30! In summertime, find a beach or a park and go get a big batch of greasy fish and chips and beverages takeaway (you can fit alcohol in your budget on this one!). Sit under a tree and eat from the paper with your hands, getting yourself all messy in the process. Divine.

F is for Farmer’s Market
A great weekend date! Get the calendar online for your upcoming local farmer’s markets and go along for breakfast together. Think free range egg and bacon rolls, organic free trade coffee and the freshest of fresh hand-reared produce from local suppliers to take home. Too delicious for words!

F is for Fireworks
Take a blanket and a picnic to your community’s next free fireworks show!

F is for Fishing
Surely someone you know has some fishing rods you can borrow to head out for a quiet day on the water. I’ve never been fishing myself, but I imagine it to be serene and relaxing. Especially if I can convince Den to hook the bait, kill and scale the fish and cook the fry up for dinner.

Just remember: Fish don’t eat cooked fish! Best use worms.

Well… not all of them are Top 10s as such, but you get what I mean. A quick glance at our most looked-at posts from 2009 shows that you guys love these lists as much as we do!

Just to make your life easier, here they all are for you to check out, in order of (of course) popularity… enjoy!

1. 10 Saucy Date Ideas You Can Do Naked!
2. 10 Fun Date Ideas for a Lazy Sunday
3. 7 of the Most Romantic Date Ideas Ever
4. 7 Completely Free Date Ideas
5. 10 Great At-Home Date Ideas (for Parents!)
6. 6 Other Ways You Can Hang Out With Your Sweetie
7. 5 Creative Ways to Do the Movies
8. The Bookstore Date Idea & 5 Other Conversation Starter Dates
9. 5 Ways to Do Something New with Your Sweetie
10. 5 Worthy Date Ideas That Give Something Back
11. 6 Completely Cheesy Date Ideas
12. 20 Festive Christmas Date Ideas

If anyone has a top 10 list they’d like to see written, comment below and we’ll get onto developing it straight away!

Happy Dating, Lovers!

Happy Dating!

Full List of Date Ideas We’ve Done:

1. Ten Pin Bowling
2. Going to the Movies
3. Playing Pool in a Seedy Pub
4. Going shopping for Den
5. Roulette at The Casino
6. Getting Arty at Home and Sketching Each Other
7. Italian Night at Home
8. Getting Lost in a Hedge Maze
9. Baking Cookies
10. The Driving Range
11. The Comedy Club
12. Maha Middle Eastern Bar & Grill
13. Kikki-K Love Conversation Starters (and a picnic)
14. The Bookstore Date
15. Visit the Farmers’ Market
16. Fish & Chip Picnic
17. Ice Skating
18. Vegetarian Restaurant
19. Stargazing
20. Mineral Hot Springs
21. Jewish Holocaust Museum & The Immigration Museum
22. Fondue Date Night (aka Death by Cheese)
23. The Providore in Beechworth
24. Yum Cha
25. Cirque du Soleil (Tickets were a gift = less than $30!)
26. The RSL
27. Lunch at a Winery
28. Deck 88 at Eureka Tower
29. Bingo!
30. Video Game Arcade
31. Vietnamese Pho
32. Joint Manicures
33. Swimming at the Local Pool
34. Borrow a Kid
35. The Nudist Beach
36. Plane Spotting