cracks in the pavement

on the weekend

2012-02-20T11:35:00.000+11:00

I'm still going to do my weekend posts because it means I'll go out and take photos and my camera doesn't get dusty on the shelf. Plus it means by blog doesn't get dusty either :)

While a chunk of the weekend was spent doing wedding related things like finding Lachlan a shirt and tie and buying more fabric for decorations, it was also spent doing fun stuff like having lunch with friends on Sunday (a lunch that lasted 6 hours no less!) and catching up on our favourite shows like Archer and Parks and Rec while listening to the crazy storm brewing outside. I also spent far too much time looking at the Mr and Mrs Smith site after booking a few nights of our honeymoon in Colombo. That site is like travel porn, I could seriously spend hours just looking at photos of these amazing hotels. I need to start buying lottery tickets....

Have a great week everyone. Until next time!

<>

2012-02-16T15:39:00.000+11:00

I've been feeling a bit uninspired to blog lately, it just hasn't been at the forefront of my mind (though I sitll love reading everyone else's) and it probably has a lot to do with The Wedding. I think about it ALL the time and I feel like I have no control over my brain anymore! One week it will be decorations, the next it will be what alcohol to order and how much, there's just always something to organise. It's easy to lose sight of the big picture and what the day is all about and sometimes we have to remind ourselves that it's important that Lachlan and I have a good time, not just the guests.
I realised the other night that I'm not easily impressed by things (ridiculous, I know), and then as I was doing the dishes I said to Lachlan "We're having our wedding on a friggen island, how is that NOT impressive?!" and so I told myself there and then in front of those dirty dishes that it was going to be a great day even if some of the planning drives me crazy.

So I just wanted to say that I'm still around, I'm just a bit distracted but will do my best to check in when I can and will still be reading your blogs as always!

on the weekend

2012-02-14T12:28:00.000+11:00

I got home last night and realised that I never actually posted this despite having it all ready to go! My brain really wasn't functioning well yesterday,

Anyway, my weekend just seemed to disappear! Saturday we rode our bikes to Bunnings hardware store and bought some new plants but while it was lovely and sunny when we arrived, black clouds emerged as soon as we left the store and we had to take cover until the rain passed. And of course as soon as we got back to our apartment, the sun returned and the weather was beautiful for the rest of the day.

And Sunday we were on a mission to find fabric to make picnic blankets with for our wedding as a store near our place was having 50% off sale. I found this great Karen Walker fabric for $10 a metre and ended up just buying the rest of the roll. Now we just need to get to work on the sewing machine! We spent the rest of the day at a friend's place drinking Pimm's while another storm arrived and then somehow managed to stuff up our bus trip home so badly that we turned a 30 minute trip into a 2 hour trip. Ugh!

Does anyone have any exciting plans for Valentine's Day? Lachlan and I tend not to bother but this morning I woke up bright and early and made red pancakes (just red food dye added to the mix) with bacon and maple syrup which is his favourite breakfast. A bit of a heavy meal for that early in the day but delicious nonetheless!

Have a lovely day whether you celebrate V Day or not. My evening will consist of getting sweaty on a netball court. Sex-y!

pots

2012-02-07T09:50:00.000+11:00

The results of last night's ceramics class. I haven't thrown a pot in over 2 years so I wasn't sure how I would go but I'm happy with the results. Turns out I got a little too into it and after complaining that my hands were getting pretty sore, I was informed that it wasn't actually normal to have such sore red hands and I should probably put a bit less pressure on the clay. Something to remember for next week!

on the weekend

2012-02-06T15:04:00.000+11:00

For the first time in many weeks, Sydney had one uninterrupted day of sunshine. No clouds, no rain, just endless blue sky and lots of sun. This perfect Sunday was spent relaxing in the Botanic Gardens by myself with a book and some strawberries. Only downside was the creepy guy sitting just that little bit too close for comfort considering the gardens are huge and the fact that I kept catching him staring at me. The things women have to put up with sometimes!

I almost forgot how beautiful Sydney is in the summer because the weather has been that bad. As I walked home along Bourke St with my camera, I realised that my lack of motivation with taking photos could be directly linked with the lack of nice light so I snapped away making up for lost time. The reality is that Sydney really shines in summer and people don't actually know what to do with themselves when the weather is bad because being outdoors is what Sydney is all about. A friend and I actually agreed that we were were going a little stir crazy and just plain bored with the city all because we wouldn't take advantage of its outdoor loveliness. Ah well, maybe next year!

I went to the flower markets on Saturday morning to see what was available. I'm glad I did because now I know what not to buy and also how long the flowers will last. The only downside of yesterday's warm weather was that the dahlias I picked are looking a little worse for wear after only 2 days so I know that for next time.

So yes, that was my weekend. This week is busy with ceramics tonight, netball tomorrow and catch ups with friends, plus the inevitable wedding planning in between. Have a great week folks!

invites

2012-02-03T12:36:00.001+11:00

This is a terrible photo taken on my phone but I think you get the idea. As i'm sure you figured out, this is our wedding invite and it was a little more time consuming than we had expected! Thankfully Lachlan was super patient and managed to translate everything in my head onto the computer and then we printed them postcard size. We wanted to give it a bit of a holiday feel since it's on an island and I think it's nice and cheerful, especially combined with the yellow envelopes we ended up sending them in.

In more wedding related news, I'm off to the flower markets at the crack of dawn tomorrow to do a trial run so no sleep in till Sunday for me. I hope you all have a great weekend whatever you're up to!

sydney harbour bokeh-fied

2012-02-01T09:04:00.000+11:00

Just a few photos after a stroll around the harbour Friday night.

green things

2012-01-30T20:00:00.000+11:00

I'm not much of a gardener (which is why I stick with succulents) but lately our herb (and aloe) collection has been doing quite well. The last two photos are our latest seedlings, rocket on the top and dill on the bottom. Sadly the caterpillars seem to like basil as much as we do so it's looking a bit worse for wear- anyone have any non chemical remedies for keeping beasties away? I've heard chilli can be good?

on the weekend

2012-01-30T11:19:00.000+11:00

I had a bit of a blog break last week. I had a break from a lot of things actually including taking photos (so much for the photo a day challenge on Instagram!) and socialising. Not sure what was wrong but I feel a lot better this week and ready to face the world again.

My weekend was pretty relaxed. I went to the MCA to see the only exhibition running at the moment since the museum is being renovated and hung out with friends for the rest of the afternoon. Sunday was declared 'no wedding day' which meant that the time Lachlan and I spent together had to be time spent not doing wedding stuff. Since this year started, we both agreed that the wedding is now in the back of our minds at all times which wasn't the case last year. I guess now that it's less than 2 months away it's inevitable that we're thinking about it a lot but it can become a bit tedious, especially boring things like furniture rental and water taxis. Frankly, I don't want to think about hiring chairs for a very long time.

I hope you all had a great weekend. It's nice to be back in blog land.

wine and invites and all that wedding jazz

2012-01-20T12:49:00.001+11:00

This week has been rather dull I have to say. It's just sort of plodded along and I've woken up each morning completely confused as to what day it is and not really caring because they were all just blurring into each other. I'm going to blame trying to get the wedding invites finished for this because it has basically been our focus. They've taken a lot longer to complete than I expected but we got them back from the printers yesterday and they look great. I think Lachlan's just happy that he doesn't have to tweak them anymore and we can finally send them!

This weekend we're going to do some wine tasting, something I'm very good at and will enjoy immensely. Anyone have any wine recommendations? We're thinkging a Pinot Noir and a Sauv Blanc since it's a day wedding and they're not too heavy. Any suggestions welcomed, there's a lot of choices out there!

Have a great weekend everyone, see you next week.

(photo of Rodd Island. That hall is our wet weather plan).

humph!

2012-01-18T09:23:00.000+11:00

Just having one of those days where it might have been better to have just stayed in bed under the covers.

gif via

on the weekend

2012-01-17T11:21:00.000+11:00

It was a weekend of making stuff! I made bread, lemon butter, seafood pie and in non food related creations, pom poms! Not sure where all this motivation came from but it reminded me that I actually really love being in the kitchen and why I wanted to change my cooking habits this year.

Beth and Eddie returned back from Japan on Saturday so we heard about their awesome trip over dinner. We also played the Game of Thrones board game that Lachlan's dad had given us for Christmas. Have you seen the TV show? I didn't think I would enjoy it but it was actually really addictive. Not so sure about the board game, tactical games are not really my thing and the instruction book that came with it was by no means small but I'm willing to give it another try.

We also headed to Birkenhead Point (an outlet mall) to see if we could find picnic blankets for the wedding but got distracted and I've officially put a ban on myself from entering any Gorman store for awhile because there's always something in there that catches my eye (such as this turban that I have no need for whatsoever and yet it's strangely alluring). But while we didn't find any picnic blankets, we did find shoes for Lachlan so now he's almost fully dressed for the big day! Did I find a slip for my dress after all my moaning and complaining on Friday? No. Did I look? No. And so another of the more boring wedding tasks gets delayed until the next weekend....

wedding stuff

2012-01-13T12:24:00.000+11:00

Being the organised bride that I am (ha!) I tried my dress on again last night for the first time in about a year. Yes I bought my dress awhile ago and it's been sitting in my closet ever since and I'd sort of forgotten what it looked like. Luckily I still like it (phew!) so now I'm on to the task of finding a slip to go undernearth it. My most recent wedding nightmare (nightmare is probably too strong a word but I wouldn't call it a dream either) is where I forget to buy a slip and so everyone gets to see my underwear. Other fun recurring nightmares are where people start turning up and I haven't done anything, or I forget to write my vows, or I forget to book the photographer). So in an attempt to avoid that actually happening I'm on the hunt now!
Turns out this is more difficult than I expected since a) no one seems to wear slips anymore b) those that are out there are made from awful synthetic fabrics with too much lace or c) are control underwear.

The good thing about my dress is that it's loose or should I say flowing, yes that sounds nice, and therefore no control underwear are needed. Plus my one experience of trying a pair on was kind of horrifying (think a roll of skin poking out between my bra and the top of the underwear) and I'd like to avoid that experience again if possible.
Anyway, the quest continues this weekend and this time the dress will be coming with me and with any luck, something will work.

In other productive wedding news, the invitations are nearly complete! Lachlan is going to get a copy printed today and see if the colours come out as we hope and then we'll go ahead and print them all. They took longer than I expected and Lachlan was incredibly patient with my demands (my attention to detail can be a bit ridiculous sometimes) but I think they're going to look pretty good! Another task ticked off the list!

Have a great weekend everyone. I hope yours isn't spent in the old lady section of the lingerie department at your local department store.

(apologies to people reading this in google reader where this post has no doubt been published several times! I pressed enter and next thing you know it was published before I proof read it!)

purple and pink and gold

2012-01-11T15:37:00.000+11:00

Anyone who was in Sydney last night would have seen the amazing sunset that graced the skies. It was pretty spectacular.

on the weekend

2012-01-10T11:20:00.000+11:00

I didn't take many photos this weekend but as you can see, Saturday was beautiful and sunny and then Sunday the clouds came over and there was a huge storm and heavy rain. This has seriously been the most disappointing summer, not to mention unpredictable. I've basically accepted that it's probably going to rain at our wedding and while that would kind of suck, at least there's a hall on the island!

Speaking of weddings, Lachlan and I made our way to the hire place on Saturday morning. While the woman was helpful she didn't really have a sense of humour, especially when I joked about her delivering everything to the island herself. That was denied point blank and I didn't attempt to joke any further. We don't have a car so it was a bit of a trek for basically a 10 minute chat sans laughter but at least we can tick it off the list. It's now 73 days until 'the big day' and I actually just added that up and then re calculated it becuase that doesn't seem like a lot of time, probably because it isn't. On the plus side, it means 75 days until we head to Sri Lanka and I am so so excited about that trip.

In other exciting news, I had my very first meet up with a fellow blogger! Jo contacted me back in December to see if I'd like to meet up and I happily said yes but with December always a bit crazy I suggested sometime in January instead. After a few emails, we made plans to meet for coffee in Surry Hills on Sunday morning and while I was a bit nervous beforehand (I have a tendency to be quite shy when I meet new people), those nerves quickly disappeared because she was so easy to chat to. Thanks for organising Jo!

(This has been sitting on my computer for hours without being posted. I am so easily distracted it's ridiculous).

backburning

2012-01-06T12:00:00.000+11:00

Some photos from the trip home from Armidale. Lachlan is not convinced that the fire in the first photo is the fire we drove past and while I'm sure he's correct, it makes a good set.

Tomorrow Lachlan and I have the fun task of picking all the things we need to hire for the wedding (chairs, tables etc, the boring stuff). I was chatting to a friend at work who's getting married in May and she is far more organised than I am and I suggested that perhaps she'd like to take on another wedding since she seems pretty good at planning them. She politely declined. Having said that, once we've ticked this off the list, I'll feel a lot better and then we can get down to all the details.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone, see you Monday!

fleet foxes

2012-01-05T13:41:00.001+11:00

I saw Fleet Foxes last night at the Sydney Opera House and they were fantastic. It wasn't the spine tingling experience I had when seeing Portishead live for the first time but it was pretty damn good. I quickly snapped this picture just as they were tuning up as I didn't want to be taking pictures the whole gig as it's kind of my pet peeve. I had someone behind me taking photos throughout the show with their friggen flash on the whole time and I couldn't but get frustrated. I'm no photography expert, but I know those photos are going to be crap. All you end up getting is the illuminated heads of the people in front of you and then a vague resemblance of the band in the background. Of course, that doesn't stop them trying to take the photo a few more times in the hope that they'll improve, when all you're doing is momentarily blinding people around you. So remember friends, if you're taking photos at gigs, turn the flash off, it's just good manners. End of rant.

Now I'm sitting at my desk humming their tunes to myself and watching their video clips on youtube because that's what I do after I go to concerts.

the missing scooter

2012-01-04T14:47:00.001+11:00

I like to think I'm quite an observant person at the best of times. I pick up on things as I walk past and then expect other people (Lachlan) to notice them too. 'Did you see that woman with a cat in her handbag?' 'Nope' 'How could you not see that? Seriously? A cat. In a handbag.' 'Didn't notice it.' Cue expasperated sigh. Anyway, that's only vaguely related to the rest of the story.

So I was walking home yesterday afternoon being my usual observant self when I saw the above scene. Pretty boring, nothing unusual you would say? Well it was unusual for me becuase something was missing, namely a blue Vespa scooter that should have been parked next to that motorbike. I was so surprised it wasn't there that I actually stood there staring at the space thinking it would somehow materialise in front of me, or perhaps it was just hiding behind that bus stop. But no, it was gone and it wasn't going to magically apear any time soon.

Now, I will point out that the missing scooter does not belong to me, it's Eddie's, my sister's boyfriend and they're both currently in Japan on holiday. Since we live in the same block of flats, I was keeping an eye on it, like their own personal neighbourhood watch service except of course now it was gone so a fat lot of good my services were. ( I will add that they never asked me to take on that responsibility, that was entirely my own doing).

The question was, what did I do now? Do I ring the police? Not much point since I don't even know the license plate number. Do I email Beth (my sister)? I really didn't want to ruin their trip but needed said license plate number to report it missing.

Instead, I let myself into their apartment in the hope that said details would just be lying around, making it easy. Of course that wasn't the case and I didn't find anything so I contacted her best friend in the off chance that she may have borrowed it since she has a bike license also. She hadn't. Then I happen to see the red bike's owner walking down the street and asked her if she'd seen the scooter this morning, which she hadn't but her boyfriend had, so I figured out that it had only gone missing a few hours earlier (call me Sherlock Holmes).

After pondering a bit longer, I realised I was going to have to email my sister and be the bearer of bad news. It's not like someone had died or anything, they didn't have to come home, I just didn't want to put a dampner on their trip.

Luckily they happened to be checking their email not long after and reported back that they were reasonably confident that Eddie's brother had borrowed it since he had a key but would email him and get back to me. Basically I had worried myself over absolutely nothing. Typical.

Once they confirmed that his brother had indeed taken it for a joy ride, I went to bed relieved, glad that my neighbourhood watch duties were over. The end.

(One thing I omitted from the email was the scratches I saw on it the other day where someone had apparently reversed into it and knocked it over but I figured they can deal with that when they get home).

back!

2012-01-03T14:53:00.000+11:00

It almost feels a bit weird to be writing here again even though I was only gone for a week or so! Today is the first day that I've actually known what day it is though even that took me awhile since I woke up this morning convinced it was Wednesday when apparently that's not the case at all.

Did everyone have a nice break? Lachlan and I drove all the way to Armidale on the 30th for a friend's birthday which falls on NYE and then all the way back on the 1st (it's a 6 hour drive north west) so it was a bit of a whirlwind trip but it was nice to catch up with people I hadn't seen in awhile.

I have a good feeling about 2012. I can't quite put my finger on it but I feel positive about things to come. I don't have any resolutions per se (though anyone who follows me on Instagram will have seen I'm trying to use my cookbooks more) but I think goals are always a good thing, I like having something to aim for.

What about you? Do you have any goals or resolutions? I haven't really articulated mine just yet so I might try and write them down tonight so I can keep track of them. First short term goal: emerge from the craziness that is wedding planning relatively unscathed. Fingers crossed!

until next year

2011-12-23T11:36:00.000+11:00

Have a fantastic christmas/hannakuh/holiday everyone! I won't be on here until the new year and I figure that's going to be the case for most of you as well.

I am doing a post over at Anne Kristine's blog next week if you need a blog fix and I'll be back here on the 3rd.

It's been so great getting to know people through this blog so thanks for coming by every week. See you all on the other side!

The Beards

2011-12-22T10:35:00.000+11:00

Second live music show in a week! This time we went and saw The Beards at a gig in Newtown. My friend Harry is a huge fan and encouraged lots of people to come along and I'm so glad we did because it was such a funny night out.

Basically these guys all have beards and they sing songs about, you guessed it, beards. How they've managed to push this concept over three albums, I do not know but they're very entertaining. Check out this clip if you need a laugh.

Thank you all for the get well wishes, my cold is pretty much gone and I'll definitely be all better for Christmas. Man I can't wait for some time off, I need a couple of sleep ins!

on the weekend

2011-12-19T14:04:00.001+11:00

So this is pretty much where I spent most of my weekend. Lachlan was getting into the Christmas spirit of sharing and passed on his cold to me.

Having said that, after taking some of the 'good' cold and flu tablets (good in that they actually work and you have to hand over your drivers license at the chemist to get them), I managed to be somewhat productive at times.

I booked a hotel in Kuala Lumpur where we're stopping on the way home from Sri Lanka in April and I have to say, I put waaaaay too much time and energy into that one night of accommodation. I looked up reviews, compared prices on various websites until I finally made a decision, all for a hotel that we'll spend very little time in.

I did venture out a couple of times and thanks to the above mentioned cold and flu drugs, I went a bit crazy and cleaned the house quite thoroughly Sunday evening. I woke up this morning and looked around and said to Lachlan 'wow, those tablets really make you get things done!' And that my friends is why you need to hand over your drivers license to acquire them.

I hope the only things your family and friends share with you this week are food, drinks and presents. The flu is never a nice thing give to someone at Christmas.

crash

2011-12-16T11:18:00.000+11:00

I think the Christmas season has finally got to me. I'm completely exhausted and I think my immune system is trying to tell me something - that it might be time to stay home and rest.

Last night I went to a gig in the city, something I haven't done in aaaaaages and now realise I need to do a lot more often. Lachlan and I saw this video clip when we were in NZ of a band called The Checks, and while I had forgotten about it, unbeknownst to me, Lachlan had pursued it further and found out they happened to be playing in Sydney. I personally preferred the support act before them, but I was just happy to be out with friends enjoying some live music.

But tonight I'm going to go home straight after work, have dinner and go to bed nice and early and prepare myself for the craziness that is the week leading up to Christmas.

Have a great weekend everyone.

bats

2011-12-14T09:08:00.000+11:00

Every evening in the summer, the bat population of inner Sydney head from the Royal Botanic Gardens to Centennial Park.

It just so happens that they fly right over my apartment and at 8pm (you can pretty much set your watch by it), I watch as hundreds of these flapping creatures fly overhead ready for bedtime in the trees of the eastern suburbs.

on the weekend

2011-12-12T11:00:00.001+11:00

I only have this one picture from the weekend which I already posted on Instagram but oh well, it's all I've got. Lachlan and I had a very indulgent lunch at The Boathouse at Glebe as a belated anniversary celebration. We don't really do fancy restaurants, I always feel a bit out of place but this food was amazing and when we arrived the maitre'd said 'Oh you've got table number one!' which we knew meant good things and we weren't disappointed. A perfect view over Blackwattle Bay while we enjoyed delicious seafood and tasty wine. Yum yum yum.

As I mentioned on Friday, this weekend the intention was to do some wedding planning. While I did meet up with our wedding helper Anushia on Sunday morning to discuss where we were up to thanks to a handy checklist, that didn't really happen. BUT, we ventured out in an attempt to find Lachlan a suit for the wedding so I think that still counts.

Did we find anything? Of course not because Lachlan apparently has freakishly long arms. That's not to say he's out of proportion but they are rather long (which is very handy when playing most ball sports) and it makes buying any long shirt or jacket virtually impossible. We came very close a couple of times but at the moment it looks like Lachlan's getting married in a t shirt.

We finished up the weekend with a couple of beers for a friend's birthday and then an early night after Parks and Rec. December really takes it out of me!

can't think of a post title

2011-12-09T08:30:00.000+11:00

Have a great weekend everyone. I'm hoping that this crappy weather takes a break but I have a feeling it's here for a little longer. Probably for the best since we have a lot of wedding planning to do and it may be the perfect opportunity to create a blanket fort which I have been obsessed with since reading Johanna's post. I can probably handle wedding planning if it's happening in a fort.

And remember, if you'd still like a little Christmas gift in your mail from yours truly, leave a comment here as I'll be picking someone at random tonight.

Lozano-Hemmer

2011-12-08T10:08:00.000+11:00

I'm looking forward to the Rafael Lozano-Hemmer exhibition at the MCA starting this month. Interactive art always make me happy.

(image from the exhibition website)

containers

2011-12-07T12:11:00.001+11:00

I mentioned last week in my post about Christchurch how shops were created out of shipping containers but never actually posted any photos. I just found some on my phone (hence the crappy quality) and thought I would do just one more post on New Zealand.

The whole idea was executed really well, so well that I had no idea it was temporary. While this might be a very presumptuous thing to say, I think it really helped the morale of the city. Clothing shops are by no means the way to solve the problems the city is currently facing but a place where people can meet and enjoy themselves is probably a good start.

presents

2011-12-06T08:45:00.000+11:00

I love giving presents and with Christmas fast approaching, it seemed like the perfect time to send a present to one of you, my lovely readers. Just leave a comment below and I'll pick someone at random on Friday to send a little parcel of goodies to. You can be local or from far away, and with any luck it will arrive in time for Christmas!

on the weekend

2011-12-05T10:12:00.001+11:00

Since last week was so photo heavy, I took a little break from the camera this weekend. As usual it went too quickly but had a very American theme. Thanksgiving on Saturday (mum is from NY) and then football on Sunday watching the Oklahoma game (a friend's boyfriend went to OSU) at the only pub that was showing it in Sydney.

It was also Lachlan and my dating anniversary on Sunday, our last one as from March next year we'll have a new date. We don't really make a bit deal out of these things but we did buy a giant tub of Messina gelato because it seemed as good an excuse as any.

Anyone get up to anything exciting? It's only 3 weeks 'til Christmas just in case the shopping centres hadn't made it in your face enough for you.

NZ: Nelson and Christchurch

2011-12-02T08:58:00.000+11:00

We had a day in Nelson before our flight left at 6.30pm so we wandered around this little town, ate a yummy berakfast, admired the cute little houses and nearly walked up a mountain before I saw that reaching the top was an hour away and there was just no way I was in the mood for that.

We had to spend the morning looking for somewhere to stay in Christchurch becuase again, our spontaneous travelling style meant that we had nothing booked in a city that lost a lot of its hotels in February's earthquake and most of the remaining rooms were occupied by builders.

We found something eventually and then hopped on our mini plane for the quick flight south. No security checks, no xray machines, no complicated check in, it was the easiest flying experience I've had in a long time.

Christchurch is a beautiful city and while the city centre is closed due to the earthquake and will be for awhile I believe, its slowly rebuilding. Colourful shipping containers have been set up as shops creating a clever outdoor mall which doesn't look temporary at all.
We went on another kayaking journey, this time just for an hour up the Avon river and ate lunch at the boatsheds until eventually heading back to our hotel completely exhausted.
I don't normally try and cram so much into a one week trip like this, we were basically on the move the whole time, which wasn't a bad thing, just different. I would love to go back and explore the country a lot more, it was so much more beautiful than we expected.

So that's NZ wrapped up, thanks for sticking around! Hope you all have a great weekend and it will be back to regular/irregular posting next week. Meanwhile, I'm off to sort out my terrible christmas party hangover.

NZ: Abel Tasman National Park Pt II

2011-12-01T08:42:00.000+11:00

While you wouldn't know it from the photos above, one of the three days was completely miserable on the water and we spent most of the day next to a camp fire with another couple who needed to get warm and dry off. It was nice to meet people that we could chat to easily and I gave them my email address for when they're in Sydney as that was their next destination.

We saw seals and penguins as we had hoped and spent the rest of the last day reading on the beach enjoying the sun before a water taxi came to take us back to where we started. After a hot shower and some food, we spent the evening trying to figure out the most economical way to get back to Christchurch since our spontaneous way of travelling was not really serving us well this time. Turns out it was easier to fly then bother with a car which was disappointing since we were hoping to drive back through the mountains. But Lachlan was happy as he had his first experience on a tiny propellered plane.

And so our adventure in New Zealand was nearly at a close. It was time for a day in Christchurch and then back to big ol' Sydney.

NZ : Abel Tasman National Park Part I

2011-11-28T12:29:00.001+11:00

The main purpose of our trip was to go to sea kayaking in Abel Tasman National Park which is right at the top of the South Island. We've never beem sea kayaing before, it sounded like a bit of an adventure, us and our belongings all on a little boat. We decided not to take the option of a guide figuring it couldn't be that hard and thankfully we were right (though I did have my doubts before we left wondering who are we to think we could take on nature in such a tiny little vessel?)
Thankfully kayaking was as straightforward as we had hoped it would be and we paddled along happily over 3 days which sounds a lot more impressive than it was. The group that left at the same time as us with a guide did a lot more kayaking than we did and I'm kind of glad we did it on our own and went at our own pace. I'm not a big fan of tours etc and have a tendency to get a bit impatient when people move really slowly (I think that has something to do with living in a city) so doing our own thing was the best option.

I must say, a holiday makes posting a hell of a lot easier. There's still two more days of pics to go! (just thought I would give you a warning).

NZ mini road trip: Christchurch to Nelson

2011-11-28T12:05:00.001+11:00

The day before we left, AirNewZealand called me to say that our flights had been changed and that we would no longer be flying to Christchurch directly, but going via Auckland instead. No big deal except that the flight was late and we missed our connection which made our travelling day a little longer than we had expected.

We hired a car the next day which as can see by the shape was appropriately named 'The Cube' (by us). It was a crappy little car which loved to drink fuel and felt like it was going to blow over on the highway because of the crazy wind but despite this, it got us to Nelson safely.

We drove along the coastal highway which took most of the day, taking in the beautiful scenery of mountains and vineyards and adorable little lambs in the fields. There are so many sheep in New Zealand, some areas just seemed to be covered in them which was awesome for me because I love baby animals .

Along the coast, we saw seals including that giant lazy male who was separated from the pack and barked at us a lot, had a yummy lunch and just enjoyed the scenery padding us by.

And New Zealanders are so nice. It's possible this stood out so much because while Australia and New Zealand are quite similar culturally, our customer service is often lacking (to put it mildly). Across the Tasman, everyone was just genuinely polite and friendly. My only issue? Everything closes very early which meant Nelson was a ghost town after 6pm.

Tomorrow, lots of pics from Abel Tasman National Park!

NZ

2011-11-28T11:20:00.001+11:00

And so I return! New Zealand was fantastic, I can't believe I haven't organised a trip there before. Organising my pics at the moment but prepare yourselves for a photo heavy week!

cya!

2011-11-18T10:30:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow I'm heading to New Zealand! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay! I haven't got anything scheduled next week but I'll be back on Monday the 28th where you will be inundated with photos of the trip assuming everything goes to plan. Have a great weekend and I'll see you in a week!

(btw, i've never been able to do handstands. No matter how hard I've tried, I always end up landing on my head because my pathetic upper arms can't hold my weight. Life is so hard sometimes).

via

lino

2011-11-16T16:00:00.001+11:00

I'm working on a lino print series of insects and here is the first (apologies for the average photo). What I love about printing with lino is the contrast between the ink and the paper and I always find the process of carving it quite cathartic. Plus it's cheap (tools and ink can be purchased from an art store for not much), simple and you can pretty much do it anywhere with a solid surface. Definitely my favourite style of printing at the moment.

X O P?

2011-11-15T10:20:00.001+11:00

This was the test picture on the screen while the stage was being set up before Portishead. I looked at it and said to Lachlan 'Why is that girl playing Naughts and Crosses with a letter P? That doesn't make any sense' to which Lachlan replied 'That's what you noticed? Not the fact that she's playing with a creepy clown doll?'

on the weekend

2011-11-14T11:36:00.001+11:00

All phone pics today since most activities this weekend didn't allow DSLRs. First off, yes that is a picture of my thigh. Ugly no? That is from playing paintball, an activity that I will not be partaking in again, ever. It was Meagan's husband's birthday and I agreed awhile ago to do it despite what everyone told me. Within 10 minutes of starting I got that bruise (and it wasn't just a bruise, I still have a lump as well) and that's when I decided that I would not be getting in the way of any paintballs for the rest of the day and did my best to take cover at all times. I'm not generally a coward about such things but when you know you're going to get hurt (and boy do those stupid paintballs hurt), it's kind of hard to convince yourself that it's worthwhile.

The next day was Harvest festival in Parramatta and I was only there for one act- Portishead. This is a band I have been wanting to see since I was 15 and it's been a very long time since they were in Australia. I didn't care about any of the other bands and I missed The Flaming Lips in order to camp at the front of the stage for an hour and a half as I figured I might as well be front and centre. I'm so glad I did, it was one of the best shows I've ever witnessed and well worth the 14 year wait. Beth Gibbons even came off the stage and hugged fans at the front, it was awesome. I couldn't sleep properly last night I was still on such a high.

I apologise for the lack of photos, apparently DSLRs are now considered 'professional photography equipment' at all gigs so it had to stay at home. And I'm sorry my posting has been so light, I'm not sure why exactly, I guess a lack of things to post really. Is there anything you're particularly interested in reading about? Do you like lots of photos? I don't really post consistently about the same things (expect the weekends) so if there's anything you'd like to see more of, let me know. Suggestions gladly taken!

spring!

2011-11-08T09:26:00.000+11:00

One of the things I love about Spring is when the Jacaranda trees flower. Sadly once those flowers fall off, it's over for another season but for now I'm enjoying seeing the pops of purple around my neighbourhood.

on the weekend

2011-11-07T09:58:00.000+11:00

Lachlan was away all weekend which meant I was a whirlwind of productivity. Lachlan is a lovely distraction but it's quite satisfying getting everything done that I had planned for the weekend.

I purchased a lamp for our living room, lugging the box all over Surry Hills since I got distracted by the markets, handing over $3 for that stripey apron. I wore it around the house when I got home despite doing no cooking the whole day. It made me feel very domestic.

Sunday I cleaned and organised our apartment. Oh did I ever. I moved all the winter coats and sweaters to storage bags and chucked out a whole heap of clothes I don't wear anymore. I also tried to decorate our bedroom a little as it always seems to come second to our living room, perhaps because people actually see that space. This old map from my National Geographic collection is a start.

The weekend rounded up with a belated housewarming at friend's place down the road and next thing you know it was Sunday night and Lachlan had returned and we caught up on each other's adventures. We both agreed that this week we need to do some wedding planning since all of a sudden March 24th isn't that far away date it once was. Thank goodness for Emma's post about DIY wedding flowers!

Anyone have exciting plans this week?

woot

2011-11-04T08:52:00.000+11:00

Aww yeah, it's Friday!

via

bits and bobs

2011-11-01T09:03:00.000+11:00

While life has been a bit hectic the last few weeks, I have managed to organise a few things for myself....

I booked tickets to see Fleet Foxes at the Opera House in January. Can't wait!

I've stopped checking Facebook. Woop di do I'm sure most of you are saying, and rightly so but I had put it off because I had assumed I would feel disconnected from people if I didn't have it. The truth of the matter is that most of my close friends don't even use it regularly and I was only checking it out of habit, not because I actually cared what was on there. Lachlan told me to be prepared for the barrage of emails I'll receive from Facebook HQ telling me I have notifications waiting.....

Hot yoga is going well even if it can be hard to fit in to my schedule sometimes.

A friend of a friend has volunteered her services as a day of coordinator for our wedding. After dealing with a few idiots, this is a huge relief and will mean less stress since the logistics of having a wedding on an island have become a bit more complicated than expected (surprise surprise).

Speaking of weddings, I received this in my inbox yesterday. Not sure why you would do this but I'm secretly looking forward to seeing the results.

Lachlan and I booked tickets to NZ for the end of the month! We're flying to Christchurch and from there we're heading to Abel Tasman National Park for a kayaking adventure. We're both very excited to be getting our passports out again.

I have a feeling November is going to fly by and soon it will be time to put up our Christmas tree (which we haven't purchased yet but we will).

on the weekend

2011-10-31T10:22:00.002+11:00

I have returned. After a fortnight of extreme busyness, I am back to blogging!

The weekend consisted of exchanging a table at Ikea, homemade pizza on Saturday night and a gelato appreciation class at Messina. I'd been looking forward to this class all month and it more than met expectations. I booked it with my sister but one of the guys who attended asked if anyone knew someone who wanted his spare ticket so I quickly rang Lachlan and told him to hurry up and get dressed and get his butt up there. We basically spent three hours eating gelato and got to take home a tub each so we're well stocked for the next few days (even though I'll probably end up going up there tonight to try their halloween flavours- yes, I am obsessed).

Sunday afternoon Lachlan and I cleaned and organised the apartment chucking out all those pieces of paper you somehow accumulate until eventually I couldn't stand it anymore and demanded we go outside because it was too nice a day to spend indoors.

Definitely back in blog land now (despite false promises) and will be able to actually read other people's blogs and enjoy them. October was just a whirlwind of chaos.

While we don't really celebrate Halloween here in Sydney (pumpkins and Spring don't really go together) Happy Halloween to everyone who does!

delayed

2011-10-24T09:18:00.000+11:00

Lachlan and I went to our friend's wedding over the weekend but I haven't had a chance to go through the photos (I have a bad feeling they're pretty average unfortunately). In the meantime, here's some pics from over the last few days. Life has been a bit crazy busy the last couple of weeks hence the lack of posts but with any luck, I might be back on board this week.

chaos

2011-10-19T09:48:00.001+11:00

While it's nice to post the pretty pictures, the reality is my apartment is generally a whirlwind of chaos because life gets in the way and if I had a choice between going out to meet friends or staying home and tidying up, I'm always going to pick the former.
This is what my bed generally looks like at the end of the week and needless to say it makes getting dressed every morning incredibly tedious. It's an endless cycle of clothes on bed, clothes on floor, clothes back on bed until I eventually can't stand it anymore and make the effort to put everything back in the closet and drawers. You'd be amazed how much bigger our bedroom looks right now.

on the weekend

2011-10-17T12:07:00.000+11:00

Saturday morning began a little earlier than usual when an alarm decided to go off in the building across the road and stay on for 5 HOURS eventually stopping at 4am. Needless to say, not much sleep was had. A bit exhausted, Lachlan and I enjoyed a day of nothingness, wandering around the neighbourhood, eating gelato and generally being lazy. The day concluded with a roast chicken dinner at his sister's place

And Sunday involved breakfast with my family to celebrate mum's birthday, walking home across the bridge and Pimms happy hour with a friend on Sunday afternoon. It was nice to just be a little bit busy, not overwhelmed with things to do.

Anyone get up to anything exciting?

until then

2011-10-14T09:02:00.000+11:00

I've been a bit lazy and uninspired with the blog this week. Have been super busy and a bit run down but I'll be making a bigger effort next week I promise. Have a great weekend!

(photo taken in the Czech Republic)

on the weekend

2011-10-10T11:31:00.000+11:00

No photos this weekend which is a bit sad. I feel like I've actually taken less photos since buying the new camera which doesn't make any sense at all.

My weekend consisted of a disastrous trip to Ikea on Saturday and spending most of Sunday at work. I did watch 'The Business of Being Born' though which I thought was pretty good.

As someone who would like to have kids in the near future, it was really interesting to see different perspectives on childbirth and how the process has evolved over the last few decades.

Anyway, now that daylight savings has begun, I'm going to try and take some photos in the afternoon if I have time. It doesn't cease to amaze me how quickly Friday comes around and it's nearly mid October - the Christmas decorations will be in the shops in no time!

cheers

2011-10-07T14:41:00.000+11:00

Thank you all for your comments yesterday. After feeling pretty low most of the week, you guys have made me feel a hell of a lot better so thank you.

I hope you have a great weekend!

mean girls

2011-10-06T13:19:00.000+11:00

My friend Erin and I in Mexico in 2006. One of the easiest girls to hang out with and a perfect travel companion.

A question for you all: how do you deal with girl competition? Social competition that is, not say, the WIlliams sisters on the tennis court.

You know what I'm talking about - when girls shut you out of conversation for no good reason, when you get the look up and down and are immediately judged, or the look of indifference when you try and have a conversation. And the worst bit? It's quite likely that no one else will even notice this is happening.

When I was younger, it just seemd par and parcel of being female but as I've gotten older, my tolerance levels for this sort of behaviour are a lot lower. I don't deal with it very well at all, I still find it as stressful now as I did when I was 16 at an all girls high school. And while I know all the reasons for it (insecurity, jealousy, general nastiness), I can never get my head around how to handle it.

I had some luck with a colleague when I first started my job last year where despite her blocking me out, I persevered and continued to be nice to her even though it would have been very easy to be mean back. It worked and it felt like a huge victory when I finally won her over. But that's definitely been the exception, not the rule and I'm still struggling to work my charms on a couple of girls who are in my extended social circle whom I have to see on a semi regular basis. After the long weekend, I certainly questioned why I was wasting time on some of these people when socialising with them is unpleasant and stressful (the answer being, I don't really have a choice when they're friends with my friends.

So what do you do in these situations? Do you ignore it? Try and win people around? Or perhaps a bit of both? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

on the (long) weekend

2011-10-05T12:05:00.000+11:00

Can't believe it's Wednesday already!

The long weekend was spent camping in a pine forest a few hours south of Sydney and it. was. freezing. There was a music festival on and my friends Pip and Sara showed of their belly dancing skills. They had the entire crowd transfixed.

Not many photos taken. We didn't bring the new Nikon with us for fear of losing it which in retrospect is a bit silly because cameras are meant to be used.

A woman of few words today, I think I need more sleep....

delayed

2011-10-04T08:53:00.001+11:00

Long weekend = exhausted. Haven't had a chance to look at photos but I'll deal with that tonight.

Until tomorrow friends!

hump day

2011-09-28T15:27:00.000+10:00

Some new things I've tried the last week or so....

Hot yoga. Not Bikram, but it's similar in the sense that I'm doing yoga in a very warm room. The first class was tough, my friend and I agree that we were close to throwing up (tmi?) but today we felt much more confident about it. The only downside is the cost - $200 a month! But there seems to be a few other (namely cheaper) studios in my area so I'll do some research.

Apple cider vinegar as a toner. I found the idea here and decided to give it a go. I've been doing it for a week and so far it's been great. My pores are something that frustrate me in the summer months thanks to Sydney's ridiculous humidity so this might be my saviour! I particularly like that it's completely natural and has much better results than anything I've bought from a cosmetic counter.

Gelato class. I haven't actually been yet but I excitedly signed up to the last Messina gelato class in October. I can't wait.

That's about all really. My life is thrilling.

on the weekend

2011-09-26T16:07:00.001+10:00

This weekend was busy busy busy. It started early with Oktoberfest on Friday night which turned into a shocking hangover on Saturday morning. Worth the pain though.

Saturday I drove with a friend to Bowral to meet a friend halfway who lives in Canberra. Seems winter wasn't quite ready to say goodbye yet as it was freezing and raining and miserable but it was lovely to catch up and there were pretty flowers to look at.

And Sunday, I hosted a bingo afternoon with my friend Harry. It's someting I've been wanting to do for awhile, because these are the sort of things I come up with when I'm bored or avoiding doing something productive. I perused eBay and bought a bingo cage, stocked up on prizes at second hand shops, found a ridiculous outfit for the occasion and booked a room at a pub. The wet weather meant it was the perfect excuse to stay indoors and based on emails this morning, I think everyone had a great time.

I have to admit, I get really nervous when I organise events like this as I get paranoid that no one will turn up. I don't know where this paranoia comes from as I've never hosted anything where no one has turned up but there's rarely anything logical about social anxiety is there?
I highly recommend a bingo party as a I way to kill a cold, rainy afternoon. Silly outfits just make it more entertaining (who knew furry eyebrows would be so popular?!)

Hope you all had a great weekend!

out and about

2011-09-23T09:08:00.000+10:00

I had a relaxing afternoon this week with Michelle before she headed back to Zimbabwe for work. It was like being a tourist for the day, in fact a man even came up and asked us if we'd like him to take our photo. We ate, we drank, we chatted and just enjoyed a stunning day in Sydney. Indulgent indeed!

swim swim swim

2011-09-22T09:00:00.000+10:00

The new Gorman swimwear range is pretty fab.

pottery

2011-09-21T11:06:00.000+10:00

I was in Glebe on the weekend and visited the Clay Workers Gallery, a space I've been meaning to visit forever. I couldn't walk away from this bowl by Barbara Mason, that glaze is just perfect.

on the weekend

2011-09-19T11:32:00.001+10:00

How was everyone's weekend? The weather was perfect in Sydney though I'm actually starting to get a bit nervous about how hot it's going to be over the summer. I think Sydneysiders have incredibly short memories as the hot weather always comes as a complete surprise, despite the fact that summer is Sydney is ALWAYS hot and will continue to be so for a long time to come.

The weekend consisted of a failed pancake breakfast (the mixture just wasn't working), meeting up with friends, hanging all our various prints etc on the wall, dreaming of a possible holiday in November and heading to bed early both nights. I will point out that the photo of Lachlan was not taken in our apartment, that was a serviced apartment my friend was staying at and is far cleaner and whiter and slicker than our place (and not my style at all). I'll also give credit where credit is due and say that Lachlan took some of these photos, but I was there when he took them so that has to count for something right?

quack

2011-09-16T12:31:00.001+10:00

Hurray for Friday!

Tonight I'm heading to the student show at the art centre I do printmaking, (I submitted one print) celebrating Lachlan getting a new job with some champagne and watching the Swans (hopefully) get one step closer to the grand final. And then, a sleep in tomorrow.

Hope you all have a great weekend, I recommend starting it with lots of pancakes. You can't go wrong with pancakes.

just because

2011-09-15T14:08:00.000+10:00

Not much to report today but I'm writing anyway.

Playing netball has been awesome. Our first game was a complete disaster, which probably had a lot to do with the fact that half of my team had no idea how to play and we were playing people who definitely knew what they were doing. The opposition were a little too competitve and took themselves very seriously and probably should have been reminded that we're not playing at the Olympics (which wouldn't be possible anyway because netball isn't played at the Olympics).
Anyway, I love my team, I've met lots of lovely new people and we all look forward to Tuesdays which is pretty much the most nothing day of the week really.

Other random tidbits of my life...

This morning I ate a blood orange for breakfast. I've never tried one before and can confirm that it was tasty.

I bought some fancy new shampoo and despite my skepticism, my hair is actually thicker than normal which probably just means my hair is coated in something which is giving it the illusion of thickness. Time will tell.

I just finished reading Elegance of the Hedgehog which I loved and am now reading Bossypants which I am undecided about.

I'm really excited that I didn't have to wear tights with my dress today.

And that's about it really. Until tomorrow friends!

stellar

2011-09-13T09:44:00.000+10:00

Awesome.

on the weekend

2011-09-12T09:48:00.000+10:00

This is what my whole weekend looked like. From Thursday evening, I was at the Sydney Underground Film Festival at the Factory Theatre and it felt like I practically lived there by the end. Obviously I wasn't there the whole time but it certainly consumed most of my weekend and it's safe to say I don't need to go to a cinema for a few weeks.

Some of the films were good, a lot of them were average but I liked walking in with no expectations whatsoever and in a lot of cases, not even knowing the plot of the movie at all.

When I wasn't in a dark room with lots of strangers, I did get the chance to catch up with friends, watch Sydney win their AFL quarter final and eat lots of junk food (we were at the movies after all) and enjoy the sunshine. I think this week I need to eat a lot of vegetables and go for a run.

Have a great week friends.

shut up crime!

2011-09-08T09:25:00.000+10:00

Lachlan and I and a few friends have passes to the Sydney Underground Film Festival which starts tonight with 'Super'. While we've picked movies for every session, I'm not 100% sure we'll make it to all of them but we're certainly going to try!

suspended

2011-09-06T10:14:00.001+10:00

A beautiful image to start your Tuesday.

photo by Kurt Arrigo

on the weekend

2011-09-05T11:48:00.001+10:00

While I was very motivated on Friday to take photos, the same can't be said for the weekend. And of course when I did get the motivation, I realised too late that the SD card was sitting in my computer. Typical! So here's just one photo from the weekend after my sister decided my flamingoes would be much happier if they were among plants. The glass of wine to the left may have had something to do with that decision.

Spring is definitely here! Saturday I went to the football at the SCG after lying in the park all morning enjoying the sun and Sunday was Father's Day so my parents came over for lunch and Beth made some delicious food. We rounded up the weekend with gelato and an episode of Breaking Bad and then an early night.

Did you get up to anything exciting?

on the day off

2011-09-02T16:32:00.000+10:00

I woke up on Thursday morning thinking it was Friday which really wasn't the best way to start the day. Solution? Bring the weekend forward by taking Friday off and bam! all of a sudden, Thursday kind of is Friday. There is no better feeling then waking up to your alarm and then realising that there is no need to get up and rolling over again. I really do love my bed.

And I've been productive! I tidied the apartment, picked up groceries, made some beads for a necklace, made said necklace and had my hair dyed, all before 1pm! The weather was crap that whole time so I got home and was just about to settle in to watch True Blood (I'm giving it another go despite thinking the first season was pretty ridiculous) when I looked out the window and actually exclaimed 'oh shit it's sunny!' (yes, talking to myself again) and grabbed my camera and walked back out the door.
The light kept changing so the photos are nothing special and I'm still trying to figure out the new camera but it's a start. I went to Messina for a cheeky daytime gelato (milk gelato with honey cornflakes and milo, they outdid themselves this week) and then a wander down streets I've never bothered to check out before. I was particularly amused by all the backpackers trying to sell their campervans on Victoria St before they head back to their respective countries. There were about 10 vehicles, all needing new homes and I have to admit, it was pretty tempting to go withdraw a chunk of our savings and relieve some travellers of their 4 wheeled burden. Lachlan then pointed out that one of them is probably wanted in relation to a murder somewhere in the country but I took a far more positive/less morose view on it.

And now I might return to my True Blood watching before Lachlan gets home and we possibly head to the pub. Have a fab weekend friends and thank you for all your comments on Wednesday, I am well and truly out of my funk.

ugh

2011-08-31T12:13:00.000+10:00

I'm having one of those 'meh' days today. Links to amusing websites/youtube clips/happy disctractions are most welcome.

(pic via )

awhile ago

2011-08-30T11:55:00.000+10:00

As I mentioned yesterday, time has flown by so I thought I would look through Flickr and see what I was up to on this day a year ago - driving through Albania with Lachlan, my sister and her boyfriend Eddie it would seem!

Albania is not an easy place to get around without a vehicle so my companions very generously hired a car (we were broke) and we loaded our bikes in the back and off we went in search of beaches away from the smog of the city. And beaches we found, most of them deserted as the holiday season was coming to an end, leaving us with plenty of space to stretch (which was a relief after the crowds further north). They were also spotted with bunkers, a reminder of the paranoia that consumed Albania's dictator up until the mid 80s and one of the reasons I was curious to visit the country.

On a completely different topic, I'm playing netball again tonight, a sport I haven't played in about 3 years and the last time I did, I broke a knuckle on my left hand the day before my friend's wedding. And of course I was a bridesmaid at said wedding just to make things more exciting for the poor bride.

Anyway, hopefully I'll remember what I'm doing and not collapse due to lack of fitness. I did purchase a new pair of sneakers for the occasion which actually ties back to the original theme of this post as I left my previous pair on a bus in Albania! A completely unintentional full circle!

on the weekend

2011-08-29T11:53:00.000+10:00

While I had big plans for photo taking this weekend, it didn't really happen. Saturday was consumed by work and a trip to my parents place for lunch and Sunday we did exciting errands like buying a new toaster and vacumming the apartment. I know, it screams fun times doesn't it?

But friends gave us a call later in the afternoon and asked us if we wanted to come over for table tennis and cider and of course we said yes even though playing with our new toaster was proving very entertaining. Once we got there, the table was actually still in pieces on the floor as they hadn't put it together yet but I 'supervised' while they built, which just means I drank cider while watching them labour away. As you can see though, I got right into the action once the table was constructed and some LED lights were added later in the evening to create disco ping pong!

I'm really blown away by just how quickly this year has gone by. I tell myself that we got back from overseas just a few months ago and then I realise that actually, it's been nearly a year. Insane. No wonder I'm getting itchy feet again!

nearly Spring

2011-08-26T12:04:00.000+10:00

It's such a beautiful, nearly Spring day today and I wish I could be outside! I hope you've all had a great week, mine has been busy busy busy. I finally finished bracelet making so they'll be in the post shortly, I've been catching up with friends but eating out too much so next week I need to do some more cooking! Plus, I'm booking our 'post wedding getaway' flights today! (I think honeymoon is a weird word and avoid it as much as possible). After much deliberation, we decided on Sri Lanka and I can't friggen wait! Beautiful mountains covered in tea leaves, stunnings beaches and lots of yummy curries with delicious beer. It should be sweet.

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

hump day

2011-08-24T16:31:00.000+10:00

Having one of those days where I don't feel like much is being achieved. But this crazy zebra is fun to look at!

found via

on the weekend

2011-08-22T12:39:00.000+10:00

So after telling you all I have a brand new fancy camera, here I am with iPhone photos. Lachlan's mum is in town so he went off with the new toy and took photos with her most of Sunday while I did some errands and went to an art exhibition with a friend but hopefully next week I'll have some better photos to show you.

I got started on some bracelets for those that requested one (they'll be sent out this week!) and baked some brownies and got a few things done but I really have no idea where the weekend disappeared to. Next thing you know it was Sunday night and I felt like I didn't even have the chance to relax! Oh well, there's always next weekend.

chillin'

2011-08-19T09:31:00.000+10:00

Have a lovely and relaxing weekend folks!

found via

30 days completed

2011-08-18T12:11:00.000+10:00

I was meant to post this last week but for who knows what reason, it didn't happen.

I also had a much longer post written but I got bored when I read it and if that's not a reason to start again, I don't know what is.

So in conclusion, 30 days of knitting completed. I am now a much more confident knitter and can actually fix most of the mistakes I make. I even managed to finish a scarf even if it is a mini scarf due to running out of the same coloured yarn but it's something.

Next challenge, I'm not sure just yet. Obviously there are only so many activities you can do in a day so I think I'll stick with the knitting while the weather stays cool and then find a new hobby to work on. An excellent one would be to try and bake everyday but I think my waistline would be the loser there. Helloooooo brownie belly!

bracelets

2011-08-16T10:40:00.000+10:00

I took part in Jennifer's friendship bracelet swap and I just received this beauty from my swapping partner Grace. The colours are awesome and hers is a lot neater than the ones I sent her which I should have expected since she obviously has some impressive sewing skills based on her blog posts. The other bracelets were picked up in Turkey in 2009 and still going strong!

Anyone out there want a friendship bracelet? I really love making them (it reminds me of working at a summer camp in the US a few years ago) and I would much prefer to send them to people then cover my arms in my own creations.

Send me an email (address listed on the right) or leave a comment if you fancy one and I'll get to work. Oh and there's no obligation to return the favour by the way!

on the weekend

2011-08-15T12:31:00.000+10:00

Have you ever read the blog Stuff White People Like? Lachlan and I often joke about 'white people activities' and it felt like the ultimate white person's morning on Saturday when we rode our bikes to Eveleigh farmers market. For those not in Sydney, Eveleigh is a somewhat newly gentrified suburb and the farmers market is the ultimate example of this. Walking around looking at the stalls of fancy organic food, I felt very white and middle class and we didn't stay very long because I found it overwhelmingly crowded and I didn't want to wait 20 minutes to get a coffee.

We continued on to a friend's place and had lunch in a park near their house then rode home and hung out for the rest of the evening watching Generation Kill and Wilfred.

Sunday we headed down to watch the start of the City2Surf run start at Hyde Park. I was more than happy to be on the sidelines as I've never been much of a long distance runner but it was impressive to see how many people turned out for it despite the crummy weather.

And after much contemplation and researching, Lachlan and I ended up purchasing the DSLR we had been looking at a couple of weeks ago. It's a Nikon D7000 and while we haven't had the chance to play with it, we're pretty excited about all its features. The bottom 7 photos were taken using it as we quickly went out for a walk while there was enough daylight. Lots more experimenting to be done!

I can feel a cold coming on but so far I'm still functioning. Fingers crossed it stays away this week!

time lapse

2011-08-12T08:28:00.000+10:00

Yesterday Lachlan put together this short time lapse video of photos from our living room window. There's not a whole lot going on but now that he's fixed a few bugs with the camera, we can try it out when the sky is looking a bit more dramatic.

Happy Friday!

Jurassic Lounge

2011-08-10T12:00:00.000+10:00

Last night Lachlan and I went with some friends to the Jurassic Lounge at the Australian Museum. Basically, every Tuesday for a few weeks, they transform the museum into a lounge, with bars, entertainment and access to all the exhibits. My favourite bit was the silent disco, where you danced to music only you could hear in your headphones. I got a little too into it and dropped my half full glass of wine. Oops.

If you're in Sydney, definitely check it out, it's on until the end of the month (and hopefully starting again in the summer).

on the weekend

2011-08-08T10:34:00.000+10:00

A weekend spent half outdoors and half indoors. Saturday Lachlan and I went on a cycling adventure with our friend Alec and rode all the way to Cronulla which took nearly 3 hours since we had to stop for a beer on the way for 'fuel'. I followed them as they seemed confident that they knew where they were going but in less than 20 minutes we ended up in some industrial wasteland near the airport. We could see cyclists on a bike path on the other side of the overgrown grass but stupid fences and canals were making it impossible to get onto it. We made it eventually and the weather was perfect for a ride, I even wore a sleeveless shirt and applied sunscreen!

Sunday, the weather wasn't as impressive and it rained on and off which actually didn't bother me as I had lots of indoor activities I wanted to do like list a few things on eBay which just seems to take forever. I now know why I was putting it off for so long. We then headed to Alec's house to watch the very high end film 'Rubber'. Just watch the trailer, it's hilarious/bizarre (no, it's not porn, I promise it's work safe).

All pets have now been returned to their owners. It was fun to take the dog for walks around the neighbourhood as we checked out a few streets we'd never checked out befor, it's definitely a good excuse to go exploring.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. And so another week begins!

pets

2011-08-05T11:28:00.000+10:00

I'm pet sitting three different animals this weekend! My sister's cat (albeit only for a few hours), Lachlan's sister's rats and my friend's dog. They won't all be in my apartment at the same time (though wouldn't that be fun times for all involved?!) and I plan on taking the dog for walks and sitting in cafes and pretending I'm a petowner for 48 hours.

Have a great weekend everyone. I'm feeling inspired to take more photos so hopefully the beautiful weather will hold up for me.

splash

2011-08-04T10:27:00.000+10:00

It's a beautiful nearly Spring day in Sydney today. It won't be long until I'll be able to do this.

Photo by by Mark Tipple found via the NG site.

man card

2011-08-03T11:21:00.000+10:00

Lachlan can punch a few of these tasks from the Man Card.

(source unknown, if you know who created this, pass on the details and I'll add them)

on the weekend

2011-08-01T13:58:00.000+10:00

As you can see from the pics, Lachlan and I joined the Sydney Tweed Ride yesterday. It was a lovely winter day so we couldn't have asked for better weather and it was nice to get out for a ride. It was definitely a slow ride thanks to Sydney's narrow bike lanes and a bit of miscommunication about the route but it was fun to ride in such a big group. We ended up riding past our apartment block so we decided to call it a day rather than head to the picnic at the end. (Oh and that photo of me doesn't portray how I felt about the experience, a lack of sunglasses just made it hard to see!)

We headed up to Newcastle on Friday night (camera was left at home) to go suit shopping for a friend's wedding which was surprisingly painless and the rest of Sunday was spent lost in the labrinth that is Westfield Bondi shopping for various things, including checking out wedding bands for Lachlan. He had no idea what he wanted so while we didn't buy anything, at least we know what he likes. We also found a very nice camera which we ogled over for awhile (another thing to add to the wishlist) before eventually heading home completely drained by the experience.

And can someone tell me where July disappeared to? How on earth is it August already?!

serenity now

2011-07-28T12:19:00.000+10:00

I had a few too many birthday beers for a friend last night and feel very average today. I would like to be recovering this way.

image found here

2011-07-27T12:34:00.001+10:00

I'm finally on Pinterest. I was reluctant at first (despite everyone raving about it), I think because I get a bit overwhelmed by all the social networking sites. But after emailing myself another link to check out later, I realised this was a far better option as I always forget to check the link I've sent to myself anyway.

So let me know if you're there. I'm already following a couple of you but the more the merrier I say! Let the new addiction begin....

portishead

2011-07-26T14:40:00.000+10:00

I am one happy lady today. I just got tickets to Harvest Festival where one of my most favourite bands, Portishead, are playing in November. I can't stop grinning.

on the weekend

2011-07-25T13:06:00.000+10:00

It's been a strange weekend with a lot of sad news, specifically the awful events that happened in Norway. I am lost for words really, I can't even comprehend what the people there must be feeling.

My weekend was not particularly exciting, but in light of what has happened I can appreciate the mundane nature of it. Watching the football with friends, spontaneous dinner parties, bike riding again after a 6 month hiatus and just hanging out with Lachlan was a really lovely way to spend a weekend.

I hope you all had a great weekend and I'm thinking of everyone in Norway right now.

from the archives

2011-07-22T10:05:00.000+10:00

To the photo archives today. These are from Lindisfarne/Holy Island off the coast of England. There's a monastary on the island and it can only be accessed depending on the tides as the road to the island floods. We didn't get much time there for that very reason but it would be a great place to stay and explore more thoroughly.

Any exciting plans for the weekend? The rain in Sydney doesn't look like it's going anywhere so it looks like I'll be spending a lot of time indoors.

Btw, if you're interested, join Annelise's journal project. I love the idea of a book going around the world with everyone adding something. Who doesn't love getting mail from far away places?

around the neighbourhood

2011-07-20T09:16:00.028+10:00

This was scheduled for yesterday but somebody, namely me, didn't press the right buttons.

What I did do was take a mid week break. I ran some errands, had my hair done and ate bakery treats. The only downside was that it was the wettest day in the history of forever. There was so much rain it felt like being in the tropics during monsoon season except without the heat and the exotic plants and wildlife. I don't think I've ever seen so many broken umbrellas in bins before.

These pics are from around the neighbourhood on the weekend when mother nature was being a bit nicer.

snug

2011-07-19T09:04:00.002+10:00

Of course I see this after my birthday. I'm a little obsessed with necklaces at the moment and there's just so many awesome ones out there. *bank account weeps a little*

Photo via the Snug shop

Found via Park Street

on the weekend

2011-07-18T12:31:00.000+10:00

This weekend felt hectic, maybe because it started on Friday night in Ikea. Don't go to Ikea on Friday night. You would think it would be empty because why on earth would you go there after a week of work when the pub would be a far nicer option? Good question. Seems other people had assumed the same thing and there were plenty of others hoping to avoidt he weekend crowds. And of course it wouldn't be a visit to Ikea without also getting lost in the carpark while trying to push a trolley of flatpacked furniture. Oh joy!

Despite this, we still got our shelves and all the other random things you manage to collect as you walk through, including a cactus which then fell over in the car, spreading the contents of its pot everywhere. It's really not fun sticking your hand under the seat in the dark knowing full well that the whole exercise is only going to end with sore pricked fingers.
We now have two shelves in the hallway so my National Geographic mags now have a home plus all the other little things we've collected along the way.

Lachlan headed to the snow Saturday afternoon for a few days. I'm not much of a snow sport enthusiast so he headed off with a friend and his sister who actually enjoy that sort of thing. Before that, we put together the shelves (and when I say we, I mean Lachlan), enjoyed a stroll around the neighbourhood and some people watching, picked up some flowers and made a mess of eating mexican (that was just me, Lachlan was actually capable of eating his food like an adult).

Sunday I headed to the airport to welcome my favourite lady Michelle back to the country. We only had a few hours as she had a domestic flight to catch but I'll be seeing her again in a few weeks. It's been two years since we've seen each other and I'm so glad we're now in the same timezone.

The weekend was rounded up with a dark beer and roast pork dinner at a friend's place. I've never really cared much for dark beer but after trying samples of the large selection people brought, I think I'm now a convert.

I hope you all have a lovely week!

World Press Photos

2011-07-15T11:43:00.000+10:00

Every year I like to check out the World Press Photography winners. Not just for the photos (which are always great) but to give me a bit of perspective on the world. I think it's very easy to get caught up in your own life and forget what's happening in other places and I always find looking at these photos an eye opening experience. It reminds me that I'm incredibly lucky to live where I do and I think that sort of perspective is needed on a regular basis.

Go check it out if it's touring in your city. In Sydney it's free at the State Library until July 24th.

top 1st Prize Arts and Entertainment Single. Andrew McConnell, Ireland, Panos Pictures for Der Spiegel. Joséphine Nsimba Mpongo practices the cello, Kinshasa, DR Congo

middle 2nd Prize Spot News Stories. Corentin Fohlen, France, Fedephoto. Anti-government riots, Bangkok, Thailand, May

bottom 1st Prize Daily Life Stories. Martin Roemers, The Netherlands, Panos Pictures Metropolis

happy socks

2011-07-14T10:49:00.000+10:00

After Johanna wrote a great guide to Stockholm, including a note on the Happy Socks store, I thought I would investigate their website. It's a rare online store that does free shipping to Australia (seriously, sometimes the shipping is triple what the item is. I know Australia is far away from pretty much every country in the world except New Zealand but it's not on Mars and I don't think it costs $80 to put a tshirt in an envelope and then on a plane. End of rant). So with the promise of free shipping, combined with the paint fumes from a DIY project I was working on, I found myself typing in my credit card details. Now I don't recommend shopping under the influence of paint fumes, 90% of the time it will probably lead to some misguided purchases, but on this occasion I believe it has served me well.

pajaki

2011-07-13T11:19:00.000+10:00

After seeing this post on Design*Sponge, I think I've found my wedding decorations for the hall.

Now I just need to recruit friends for a crafting afternoon...

photo via the Polish Art Center

30 days

2011-07-12T14:53:00.000+10:00

I was listening to the above TED talk the other day where the speaker, Matt Cutts, discussed the idea of working on a new project for 30 days. Basically you pick something you've been thinking of trying but you just haven't gotten around to it and you give yourself the challenge of doing it every day for 30 days. Like he says "the next 30 days are going to pass whether you like it or not" so why not do something with that time and start something that you've always wanted to try?

He suggests rather than going with big projects, you should start out small and that way you're more likely to stick with it. The photo a day challenge is a common one and I've seen fashion blogs where 30 items are mixed over 30 days. They're both challenging but manaegable which means you're more likely to follow through with it.

I'm going to start small. I've had wool and knitting needles in a bag just waiting to be used again. I have a terrible habit of starting knitting projects and never finishing them or getting frustrated when I don't know how to fix a mistake.

Yesterday a colleague told people to bring in their knitting to knit squares for Knit with Love. She was on hand to help anyone start and answer any questions. It was the kick up the butt I needed and I'm now on my way to knitting again! So every day I'm going to make the effort to knit, even if it's just 5 rows before I go to bed and with any luck, by the end of 30 days I'll have my first completed knitting project. While certainly not ambitious, it is achievable and that's the most important part I think. If you want to start your own 30 day project, let me know and we can keep each other motivated!

on the weekend

2011-07-11T12:19:00.000+10:00

Pretty lame on the photo front I know. It was just one of those weekends where I would have been taking photos because I felt like I had to, not because I wanted to. Instead, you get an Instagram photo of the birthday cake my friend made for another friend's birthday. He didn't understand why he was getting a crab shaped cake until she pointed out that his star sign was Cancer.

I had a great, low key weekend. After last weekend's craziness, it was nice to slow down and just get stuff done. Saturday was a lovely rooftop party and then over to another friend's house for a Wayne's World marathon. I had no idea just how bad the second movie was. Why did Tia Carrere's character nearly marry Christopher Walken?! It made absolutely no sense.

Sunday I woke up and was just itching to get stuff done around the house. We vacuumed, we cleaned and we took posters to a shop to get block mounted that have been sitting in poster rolls for months, if not years. I also made a delicious dinner of pork sausages with apple, thyme and cider and more bread to enjoy for breakfast. A domestic goddess I am!

I think it's going to be a good week this week. Sydney's weather has just been so damn good lately (it's the middle of winter and the average daytime temperature has been about 15C/59F) and you can't help but feel positive when it's like that. More importantly one of my favourite people in the world is returning to Australia on Sunday and I can't wait. I haven't seen her in 2 years and I've missed her greatly.

Have a fantabulous week everyone!

prettiness

2011-07-07T12:10:00.000+10:00

I just received my carefully wrapped maple and leather necklace I purchased from the lovely Belinda. She's just opened her stores Alchemy and Alchemy Botanicals on her blog and I couldn't resist. This necklace is different to what I normally wear as I tend to go for smaller pieces but I love how striking this one is. In fact, as soon as I walked into work this morning, someone commented on it.

(please excuse the terrible photos, my phone is all I had on hand).

presents

2011-07-05T15:58:00.000+10:00

Lachlan gave me these lovely ladies as part of my birthday present. Sure, their pointy metal legs are probably more suited to an outdoor setting but I think they make a lovely addition to our living room.

on the weekend

2011-07-04T13:38:00.000+10:00

Skydiving was AWESOME, that is probably the easiest way to sum it up. The downside? After being on such a high yesterday, I now feel incredibly flat. Sadly chocolate isn't going to replicate that on this Monday morning.

We were up nice and early to get to Wollongong at 9.30am which is about 1.5 hours south of Sydney and signed all the paperwork and got suited up in a delightful pair of bright blue and yellow pants. The safety lesson was strangely short and sweet but you end up forgetting all of those instructions anyway because all you can think about is how far away the ground is while you're in the plane.

The weirdest thing is that I was completely calm the whole time. Sitting in the plane, I just had this stupid grin on my face the whole time and even when my legs were dangling over the edge while we waited for the green light, I wasn't nervous at all. Job interviews have scared me more than this experience!

It's hard to describe what it feels like once you jump but one of the instructors pointed out that most people experience a sensory overload. Essentially all your senses are still working but your brain is overwhelmed by everything it's experiencing and for a split second you sort of feel nothing. I think that sums it up pretty well!
It was also really cold while you fell and I had a really bad icecream headache at first and it was a relief when the parachute was pulled and we slowed down and my poor head could recover. After that, we just floated down gently, looking over the most stunning views of Wollongong where the water was crystal clear and the temperature was perfect. I seriously could not have asked for a better day to do it.
Lachlan was our ground crew and took the photos for us as he had no desire to jump out of a perfectly good plane. He looked relieved to see us all safely back on land and while we were all super excited and just high from the experience, he had no regrets about missing out, he was just happy we had the experience we were hoping for.
We ended up up at the Scarborough pub afterwards which has the most fantastic unobstructed view over the ocean and we just sat there still digesting what we had experienced. We headed back to Sydney and then off to another pub in the city to meet more friends for birthday drinks so it was definitely a long day but basically I had a pretty kick arse birthday and I'm lucky to have such wonderful (and brave) people to celebrate with.