whirlwind trip

This time last week saw us spending a few hours in Melbourne picking up a car for Rudy. We flew in at dawn, caught the Sky Bus into the city and decided to walk the city blocks to Flinders Station. The crisp morning air was just divine and I love being in a gorgeous city with tall buildings early in the morning. It's so interesting watching as life begins to buzz and people start to stream in off the trains, grab their coffees as they make their way into work, the street cleaners finishing their shift and the couriers on bicycles collecting their parcels and letters for the day's deliveries.

Flinder's Lane is one of my all time favourite spots for brekkie. It's open real early and is always full to the brim, often overflowing with happy people chatting, sipping, and eating.

 After a little more wandering about before catching the train to pick up the car I came across POLLON which thetexturedleaf.blogspot.com wrote about some time ago and I loved the photos she took. I got the butterflies when I saw the front window. Unfortunately it was very early and she wasn't open but her window display was of trunks of silver birch stacked low across the floor (about 4 rows) and then high up one side to the ceiling. I took a photo but glass reflection sabotaged the picture, but it was really beautiful, raw and organic!

Good thing I love road trips..... lots of time for us to chat, stop at country cafes, take in the sights. I must say it's the greenest I have ever seen the countryside.

Happy husband, happy life, right?! Thought it was the other way around but he's much more complicated than I am!!

wordless wednesday

going somewhere?!

                                                          I think this could work....?!

                      Found this picture in Avalon's library. She has a plan and they involve these and her soul mate, Lucy!

happy soul

After a long day surveying contours on site yesterday I was mathematically bamboosalled...which meant my head was kinda hurting...but you mum's out there know how it goes.

I pick the kiddies up from school and the songwriter/singer tells me she has a major science project to hand in tomorrow (being today) breathe, breathe was all I could say to myself. She's an artist type, not the science type, go figure!

One cup of tea, two cups of tea, three cups of tea later I managed to spring off the lounge and get stuck into it with her. It ended up being quite enjoyable actually as it was all about renewable energy, the wind, the sun and all things wondrous, but time was ticking on by now and Rudy's tummy was hungry and he asked what he could do for dinner and he would start it. We were having vegetable stirfry with mongolian spices but what I loved when I put it all in the wok was the way he delicately, lovingly cut my carrots. I almost cried...how beautiful are they?!

Isn't it always the simplest things in life that make our hearts happy?!!

 On a VERY different note the funniest thing happened the other night at a meeting that we go to. Kyland was looking for something to wear and had liked one of my coats that I bought from an op-shop just the other day....anyway he puts it on and we go out. At the meeting before it starts he feels something on the inside pocket and reaches in. He comes up to me and says, "Have you checked these pockets?" I was a little alarmed, worried about what some old man may have left behind but it turned out to be the hugest wod of cash, old money....so funny!!

Finders, keepers right?! It did come as a whole package, did it not? What would you do?

polar blast

Our last polar blast was 2 years ago now....can't believe it and we were reminded of this as the last few days we have been flooded with emails and texts from friends back home wanting us to be there with them...(stop doing that, it hurts!) All that LOVE!!

In NZ you have to brace yourself for such an event as there is no infrastructure to support the snowfall. Power lines can't handle the weight so you have no power which means no warmth unless you have a woodburner, the roads aren't graded in most areas and all the airports are closed and each city and town is totally cut off from one another which I kinda liked, the isolation and all. Best of all no-one goes to work or school especially when the weather lifts as there are adventures to be had like these pictures below....

Back country boarding and skiing is magical to say the very least. It's one of my favourite things on earth to do....a little scary and unpredictable at times but very exhiliarating. The wind creates amazing cut out icy circles at the base of these rocks and we would sit in them for lunch as they were quite sheltered. It's really cold up here, around -15 this day.

Ski-dooed in and ski to your hearts content or until your legs drop off!! The days are short so you must allow enough time to get to the hut or make your way out. I've learnt the hard way and had frost bite on my big toes cause one of our ski-doos broke down and I was stranded and had to ski out at dusk and into the night which is scary cause it's dark and snow turns to ice pretty quickly when the sun dips away. They have only just come right...

Some of our crazy boys built a snowcave for the night. I call it an igloo....

We headed for that tiny speck behind Kyland, in the valley below, a skiers hut. All I can remember was "last one's a rotten egg" and my thigh's BURNING. I swear they were on fire, but it was so much fun and no I wasn't last!

bit of this and a bit of that

After a jam-packed weekend I still managed to indulge myself in a spot of sewing for Miss Avy. We have been collecting these "australiana" pieces for when we have our stint overseas next year as a little reminder of our roots. This one will be for Avy's bedroom. It's a gorgeous linen and I had enough to make a Euro size cushion cover. We have found in the past when we have rented apartments overseas that are furnished just by adding a few inexpensive and lightweight items it's made our new home feel warm and cosy and is always a great talking piece when making new friends.

        These obviously won't be coming but I was trigger happy with the camera this weekend.

Kyland asked me to find him one of NZ as he feels more "at home" there so this one will be his perhaps until I find a better one.

Only 4 egg cups left out, the others are packed away for safe keeping.

Boy, as I was writing this Avy's school rang once again as she has been invited to perform at The Town Hall tomorrow. The offers just keep coming and her diary has been full with performance dates and even a recording and interview last week on Gulf FM. I have the butterflies again!!

She came home last week after being on a Music Workshop Camp with almost no voice and absolutely wasted but ecstatic at the same time. She spent 4 days in a huge house on the beach in Wallaroo jamming and singing with 22 students ranging in ages from 13-18. They got to cook all of their own meals, go on nature walks and not ever go to sleep.

She's really focused, even asking Kyland to create and design her film clips which he has started working on just yesterday....him being him with paints first then he will program on computer later. I imagine a lot of trial and error is to come but they have worked out the colour scheme at least for the background canvas for one of her original songs. I love seeing them work together like that, both creative but in very different ways.

Okay, so I got a little sidetracked but I've now got to get some washing on for tomorrow now and put together an outfit for Avy...I'm sure she will twick it a little but still that's all gooood. Later.

addicted to GOTYE

DARK.....We've got it bad, real bad. We have been insanely addicted to these guys for some time now and what better way than to deliriously end our evening.

a little piece of american indian for me

This little treasure of turquoise arrived in the post yesterday for me. Picture quality is a little poor, (sorry)

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The coins are dated 1938 and the Indians used them for trading....not sure how I feel about that, but at the same time I adore the emblem and what it represents.

Artisan Jeweler Sugarbabe from Las Vegas designs and creates them. She is over at Etsy, of course....where all mystical things are!

Enjoy your Saturday....we've been out this morning and now it's time to play. We are spending the afternoon in the kitchen and planning to feast on Mexican delights with family and friends tonight....how about you?

fangs and feathers

More raw amazing pieces over at xVELVETx at Etsy. These are Coyote fangs transformed...

                                               .... and these are guinea and goose feathers....

                                            ....blue bird feathers with filigree toppings....

                                                         .....simply inspirational....

I have some pretty special whale bone at home, a lot in fact that my brother in law got off one of the beaches one day, rather long gruesome story but we all have some whale bone and I really should do something with it. It's well and truly dried out and ready to be put to good use. These pieces are, and the previous very inspiring don't you think!?

antler

My fascination with antler's include these raw pieces from Lumafina at Etsy...

                                                                        ...divine...

this morning, this afternoon....

After a few days of divine warmth the sun has retreated and the southerlies are present so today called for my woolies and boots on my way out for coffee with girlfriends this morning.

When I got home a quick clean up was in order as I had a rental inspection, (only received notice last night for this) but wasn't too fussed, too many other priorities today to be preoccupied with that.

I'd planned all week to try some recipes from the Master Chef's mag this month and this was my first recipe to try, Spiced Chocolate Cake with Mousse.

So much dark chocolate and butter involved, so much pleasure licking the bowl particularly after 10 days of juicing...can you imagine the BLISS!

When my shining star got home from school she handed me her newsletter from school and showed me the article in which her and Demi were featured. My heart was a flutter with these words I read...

As you can imagine we were very besotted by this public display of incredibleness! They are a fabulous duo and we love their quirky bond...very special.

Then it was Avalon's turn to make us her favourite thing to eat, Rosemary Bread, Roasted Pumpkin, Rocket, Danish Feta and Roasted Capsicum....YUM!!

So now it's raining out and we are tucked up inside by the fire enjoying our family night together. Hope you all are doing something equally as special!