Welcome to the Mother Country...

Nathan and I left sunny Perth three weeks ago now - how fast time flies - and we've been getting to know the streets of London. It's been exactly 10 years since I was last here, and I can't remember a thing. It's like I've never been here before, except I remember the black cabs and red buses, so I must have been!

It's been surprisingly sunny, so we arrived at the perfect time. We've heard that London is beautiful in the spring/summer, and I'm starting to believe it. Bring on the sunshine and warm weather I say....although it was hilarious to read a newspaper article declaring a weekend forecast of a searing 21 degrees celsius - that's winter weather in Oz!!!

My 5 favourite things about London thus far...

1. Pre-packed sandwiches - so much choice.

2. Tulips, daffodils and blossoms....everywhere!

3. The Moroccan food stand at Camden Markets - deeeelicious!

4. The Underground - aside from the dust, fumes and crowded carriages, it makes a piece of cake out of exploring London.

5. The markets - I've only been to two so far, but I can't wait to explore the rest.

8 more sleeps....

London, here we come!

Wish I wasn't so sad to be leaving home though :o(

What?????????

As part of a tag, my last post was dedicated to my beautiful darling nonna, who I was looking forward to spending some time with.

She died suddenly this morning. Massive brain haemorrage. There was nothing the doctors could do to prolong her time with us. I am in total and absolute shock, but the worst part - I didn't get to say goodbye.

Spend time with your loved ones today........PLEASE.

I've been tagged...

I've been tagged by one of my favourite bloggers, LJ of Love, Life and a Double Latte to:

* Go to the fourth folder where you keep your photographs

* Choose the fourth picture

* Explain it.

This is a photo of my beautiful nonna (grandma), taken at my parent's house on (almost) the eve of my 30th birthday. She's 82 here. We were having a family shindig, as Nathan and I were heading off to New York a couple days later to celebrate my entry into the next decade of adulthood. If I could do one thing, it would be to spend more time with my nonna. To drink endless cups of coffee with her, etching the stories of her life into my memory forever. What were her dreams? Who were her best friends when she was five, nine, 12 years old? What were her favourite things to do as a 16 year old? Life was a lot harder for her than I will ever experience in my lifetime, yet despite all this, she has remained ever elegant and loving, offering boundless generosity to anyone she meets.

Here's to you nonna - ti amo sempre.

xxxxoooo

Now it's my turn to tag the following bloggers:

New York City Daily Photo
MahaloFashion
Coco's Tea Party
Mostly Mod

I wish I was as talented as...

Kat Macleod

The intricate detail and beauty of her illustrations...

The vibrant colours....

The use of luscious fabrics...

Is it possible to envy the wardrobe of something unreal?

I am left gasping at the sheer loveliness of Kat's work.

Old School...

I've been wanting my own Polaroid camera for a while now and thanks to the inspiration of fellow bloggers who share their beautifully framed, hauntingly grained instant camera images online, I was finally pushed over the edge to get out and source one. First stop - eBay!

I won this Polaroid 636 Instant Camera today and I can't wait to get it in the mail - time to step into Wonder Years mode and start taking some old school photos.

5 things I love about Polaroid photos...

1) The subtle afternoon light that seems to swathe itself across every subject in the image.

2) Their retro sentimental feel.

3) Their ability to instantly transport me back to my childhood.

4) They make everyone smile - bring a polaroid camera out and you can see the memories flood into the mind, and surface on the faces of those old enough to remember the real instant cameras.

5) The excited anticipation of gathering around the still drying film as it morphs from a cloudy blank canvas into images of a moment captured in time.

Images of an Australian summer....

I love bouganivillea, especially the delightfully deep pink variety I photographed the other day. Wish I'd taken a closer shot. Ah well, next time.

We had dinner last night at a place called Soda along Perth's northern beaches. It was a 42 degree celsius day, so we were inclined to bathe in this icy cold water.

Sunset on the horizon of the Indian Ocean - simply magic!

Time to cleanse...

In preparation of our move to far away shores in a couple months, we're having a Garage/Yard Sale this Sunday and boy, have we collected some STUFF over the years.

I've two and four garbage bags of shoes and clothes to sell, respectively, yet my remaining wardrobe is still bursting at the hinges...although I can actually differentiate between my pieces now. I'm pretty embarassed at such waste, but it's obvious isn't it? I desperately needed each and every one of these items at time of purchase!

My new year's/new country resolution is to only buy what I really, really, really, really, really need. Although how will I resist all those markets and their nik nak offerings that await me in London? Plus I feel the need to start collecting antique tea cups and saucers, much to Nathan's dismay :o(

Must get back to covering myself in dust as I continue sorting through our much loved, but seldom used bric a brac....such a nice word for "crap" don't you think?

Happy Thursday/Friday to you wherever you may be in this world!

Fly me to the moon...

Image from Lex and the City

Second and third images from A Cup of Jo

Image from Black*Eiffel

Don't you just love these balloon images?

Being the sentimental creature that I am, they remind me of the simplicity of childhood, where fighting for the red balloon over the pink was the one and only concern of the day.

There's something so very innocent, yet romantic about balloons, particularly in these beautifully captured images.

But their most vital strength is their ability to make me smile.

Hope they make you smile too :o)

I did it, I did it....

I resisted every temptation laid before me, and refrained from eating meat the entire festive season.

Then yesterday, when I was feeling less than energetic and mighty hungry, I declared to the husband that I was NOW going to start eating meat again. The time had come.

No sooner had these words tumbled from my lips that we drove by a billboard exclaiming Go Veg, Be Green.

Well, there goes that idea... :o(

P.S Happy 2009 to you all by the way! Hope it's a year crammed with a multitude of opportunity to make your dreams reality.

Isn't he AWESOME!!!

Source: TIME Magazine

"So?" — Dick Cheney, when told that two-thirds of Americans did not support the war in Iraq, arguing that polling should not dictate the war's conduct.

So I'm at the 5 month mark of my conversion to being a seafood-eating vegetarian, and strangely, it's getting hard again. Not sure if it's the festive season get togethers where delicious aromas and delectable dishes surround me, but I feel like eating meat again.

At the same time though, when I give it due consideration and think what "meat" product I'd actually like to eat, I feel a little queasy and put off by the whole idea.

What to do? What to do?

It's getting hot in here...

I was at a friend's house the first time I saw this ad. I was sitting on her couch conversing with her and her husband, when all of a sudden I went quiet, allegedly. I then started blushing a little, allegedly.

Saw the ad again last night whilst sitting on the couch with Nathan. All of a sudden I went quiet, allegedly. I then started blushing a little, allegedly.

Come to think of it, I do recall feeling a little feverish after that first occasion. Any clues as to why would be greatly appreciated...

Today's musical treats...

Made myself a CD today, so thought I'd share some of the tunes with you. Links take you to their You Tube videos.

Time is running out - Muse....my favourite band of all time

Leave it alone - Operator Please...an awesome and fresh Australian band

Mr Brightside - The Killers...bought their new album Day & Age yesterday and looking forward to playing it on high rotation

A-Punk - Vampire Weekend...undoubtedly my favourite album of the year

I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked - Ida Maria...this song is just so much fun and makes me want to jump around screaming the lyrics

I just can't get enough...

What are we addicted to...

The clothes or the act of shopping?

Hazy days...

I just had Chinese noodles for lunch, and as expected, I now feel like I've been smacked in the head with a baseball bat.

The MSG (mono sodium glutamate) is shooting its way through my bloodstream, causing a dense cloud of haziness to wash over me. My senses have dulled and the effects are similar to that feeling you get after downing a bottle of wine.

I've known MSG doesn't agree with me for some time now, but I'd never really delved further into it, so I thought I'd do a little google search and this is some of what I found:

• MSG is a salt of the amino acid glutamate
• Too much glutamate in the body leads it to change to GABA, another amino acid
• GABA, whilst being waved about as a potential alternative to ritalin and dexies, may be addictive. It has a slightly sedative effect, which helps induce relaxation and sleep, and it affects the same receptors in the brain as valium.

No wonder I'm feeling totally out of it!

I found a really good overview of MSG here, which I think is worth a read.

But maybe you should finish eating those noodles first!

In Blue by Michael Canetti

I love this print by Michael Canetti.

Yours for £70.00 from The Real Art Co.

It's what's on the inside...

The summer sun has finally popped it's head above the clouds, so out came the denim shorts I bought a few weeks back. They were so comfortable, I know I'll be virtually living in them for the next four months.

I was even more chuffed with my purchase when I went to wash them. Turning the shorts inside out, I found this on the inner pocket....

It's the detail that makes the difference, and even though this print serves absolutely no purpose (unless I decide to wear my shorts the wrong side out), I love knowing that someone, somewhere made an effort to put it there.

NEWS FLASH...

I absolutely MUST update my blog.

Just letting you know, I know, that I know I have to.

That's all.

Off to the ballet....

I'm going to see the West Australian Ballet perform The Nutcracker tonight - have been looking so forward to it!

Just hope I can keep my eyes open....it's been a looooong and busy week.