Just a quick one, then.

This Totem "Safi" blouse from Bird Motel is my favourite item of clothing at the moment.



What do you think? It got the thumbs-up from my Italian teacher, anyway!



(Totem blouse, age-old Jeans West skinny jeans, typical inner-north backyard)

Snapshots.

Not much has been happening lately. I've been out and about trying to soak up as much sunshine as I can before I depart for the wintery northern hemisphere (22 sleeps yo!), and I keep forgetting to take my camera with me.

Nevertheless, for my fan (hi Dad!), here are some random snaps from the past couple of weeks.



This is a hole in the fence in my backyard. You can kind of see the play equipment set up next door - I'm completely jealous of the small child who lives there! When I was younger we used to borrow toys from the Toy Library, and one of the coolest things was this huge toy that my parents made forts for us with in the loungeroom - it was fantastic! Did anyone else get to play with this when they were small? And does anyone know what it was called? My dad and I are going crazy trying to think of it!



This lovely couple is (are?) my friends Sam and Adele. Sam and I have known each other since before birth, when our mothers played hockey together while we were in utero.

We're at Silly Yaks in Westgarth, a cafe that is totally, completely, ONE HUNDRED PER CENT gluten free. Coeliac Adele goes a bit nuts whenever she enters this store - "Argh! I can eat EVERYTHING! Where do I start!? Ack! Head explode!"

Interested persons should note that Silly Yaks has recently changed hands, and the new owners are planning a whole swag of changes, including a market-style set-up out the back of the cafe, where you will be able to buy gluten-free ingredients, fresh produce, and all sorts of things.



The gardens at my university are pretty nice to hang out in on a sunny day.



Last Friday was Saudi Arabia's national day, and all the Saudi students at uni were celebrating in the uni centre. It was crazy - lots of singing and dancing and laughing - but I did feel a bit sad that the Saudi women were sitting down and watching quietly, not partaking in the festivities.





Here's my best friend being a tourist in the middle of the city on the weekend:



And here's the coolest mid-life-crisis car I've ever seen:


My papa, in North Carlton on Friday night.



And... last but not least - my new haircut!



It's not a WHOLE lot different to how it was, but it feels so nice to have short hair again. I made sure the hairdresser cut lots and lots of texture into it, and I really, really like how it looks. What do you think? I'm not 100% happy with the highlights, but I can live with them.


Don't you think my wonky mouth is a bit weird? I never notice it except in photos - I wonder if that's how it looks all the time?

Here's what I'm wearing today - my very favourite summer dress. Apologies for the bra strap hanging out the side, but I didn't have time to fix it before the timer on my camera went off!



Love!

xoxo

Desperately seeking (AKA Jacketlust).

So, I'm a bit of a Neighbours junkie. Actually, I'm a TV-as-a-whole junkie, but let's not go into that right now... my parents are probably reading this.

(Mum, if you do read this, I just want you to know that I know you spent more time reading Georgette Heyer novels in your second year at uni than you did studying! You have nothing on me now!)

Anyway, I was watching a particularly exciting episode where Elle and Lucas are trapped in a shed and the bad guy's coming for them, and the sparks are flying, and then...



"Argh! Elle's jacket! I must have it!"



So, I spent a good half hour on the Neighbours website, screen-capturing, copying, pasting, and cropping, and now I'm applying to you, dear readers, for help in identifying and locating this jacket.



(How cute is the silver birdie brooch?!)

Frocklust.

MUST. HAVE.






By Cocotte of Barcelona. This gorgeous frock, and many more, can be found at the website, the blog, and the Etsy store.

The irony is, I already HAVE a little black dress that's pretty much identical to this one. Same tulip skirt, same pockets at the side, same buttons, except the buttons on mine are down the back, not the front.

However, as I'm sure my female readers will understand, Frocklust knows no logic.

*sighs*

Hair tales.

I need a haircut.

Can anyone recommend a hairdresser in Melbourne? I'd prefer somewhere close by to my home in North Fitzroy, but I'm willing to travel for the right haircutter.

Those who know me well know how true this statement is. My regular hairdresser, Elli, lives in Hobart, and I go to see her whenever I can, but right now I just can't justify that luxury. It's killing me to have to let someone else touch my hair, but I'll just have to deal with it.

Please don't tell Elli, though...

This is the kind of style I'm after, first spied on Camille's brilliant blog:





My hair isn't as thick as hers, but it boufs up nicely with a bit of texturising spray. I really like this look because it looks versatile, easy to style (see the previous sentence!) and easy to maintain and look after myself while I'm on the road.



The model's name is Freja Beha Erichsen. Isn't she lovely!

Budgie-sitting.

Meet Flori!



Flori is going to be staying with me for a few weeks.

Right now I'm trying to figure out what kind of music she likes. She didn't like Woody Guthrie or Pikelet, but she seems to be enjoying Louis and Ella's take on Porgy & Bess. Maybe she's a jazz bird? What do you think? What music do your animal friends enjoy?



Right now she's zooming around the room. I think she's annoyed that I'm not paying attention to her! Better go!

(I'll be back with more later!! xxx)

Zoom-zoom.

1. Come fly with me, come fly, let's fly away...
I forgot to mention yesterday that I booked my flights to London and back! I'll be flying Milan-London in early December, and London-Pisa a month later. So exciting! This whole trip is getting more and more real with each passing day. Only 41 sleeps to go!

I'll be spending a month in London with a very tight budget - anyone got any tips for things to do for free? Obviously I'll be visiting all of the many galleries and museums! I can't wait to visit the British Museum, and in particular I want to visit the Hunterian Museum at the Royal College of Surgeons. I've just finished reading a biography of pioneering 18th-century surgeon John Hunter, and it'd be wonderful to see all of his specimens in the, er, flesh.

Obviously, visits to markets, vintage stores and H&M are a must, too! I'm taking the minimum of luggage with me so I can stock up while I'm away!

2. Speaking of H&M..



I spotted this in a shop in Northcote Plaza this afternoon, and it made me laugh out loud! Here's the real H&M logo...


OK.. it's getting late and I have to get up at 5am tomorrow! I hope everyone's weekends are lovely, and I'll be back on Monday!

xxx

Mighty Ducks 8.

1. $60/kg cheese.
I couldn't help myself! I dropped into Maria's Coffee House & Deli in Nicholson St on my way home from uni to stock up on capers (an essential in my larder) and this little wedge of cheese caught my eye.



It's parmigiano di bufala, or buffalo parmesan. I tasted it in the shop, and it's much sharper and zingier than cow's milk parmesan. The woman in the shop told me firmly to hide it! For the price it was, I'm going to use it for something special. I'm Googling recipes as I type so hopefully I'll find a dish that complements the cheese perfectly. I shall report back!

Side note: OH MY GOD. As I was hunting up recipes just now, I found this on a menu - "Spaghetti alla castagne: Spaghetti sautéed in a chestnut cream sauce topped with cocoa powder. Like Pip says, that sounds like it should be illegal.

2. People on public transport.
It was a bit scary on the bus home from uni tonight - a young man got on and sat up the back of the bus near me who was very agitated. He was muscled, and dressed in trackies and a tank top - not someone you'd want to mess with ordinarily. He was talking to himself quite loudly, and bouncing up and down in his seat, occasionally coming out with bursts of manic chuckling. I don't want to say "crazy," or that he was dangerous but he definitely made me and some of the other passengers that I spoke to later feel very uncomfortable. What do you do in those types of situations? I just kept my head down and my sunnies on and read my book. The whole bus breathed a sigh of relief when he disembarked.

3. Cute thing cute thing!!.
Everyone! One.. two... three.....

...AWWWWWWWW!






I spied these cuties at uni, enjoying a walk in the sunshine around the campus with their mum. Awwww!

Go panda go!

Not much interesting has been happening lately. Sorry for the lack of blogging! I really wanted to be able to post every day, but I didn't want this thing to become an "I did this and then I did this" type of blog - boring!

So instead, here is a roly-poly panda:


(isn't he cute! Apologies to Miss A. H. Cayley for stealing her idea..)

Ooh, so in attempt to spice up this post, I just went around the house and took some photos of things I like. Maybe you'll find something you like too!

#1: yellow tights.

This is what I'm wearing today. The pink shirt is a Love Of Diagrams tee, and the shoes are Docs that I'm trying to break in. They're beating me so far, but I am determined!

#2: silk scarves.

One of the easiest ways to add a splash of colour to your Melbourne black is with one of these babies knotted casually around your neck. Mine are all from various op shops and vintage stores, except for the skinny arlecchino one, which is from Gorman.

#3: my window menagerie, plus teapot.

Some little things I've collected over the years. Here there are in more detail:


My friend Preethi gave me this cat money-box as a housewarming gift when I moved into my last house, in Thornbury. I've never put any money in it, though.


A pig from Vanuatu, and Three Wise Monkeys from Botswana, both gifts from my parents from various overseas trips. Take note, potential suitors - this pig is my dowry, as is traditional in Vanuatu. Form an orderly queue, now.


Half a tiki, from New Zealand. My dad brought this back years ago - it used to scare me a bit.


An elephant from South Africa, and a teapot from Savers in Greensborough. Isn't it funny how teapots and elephants are similarly-shaped?

#4: vanilla tea.

My very wonderful and talented friend Pip sent this to me from Tasmania. Aren't I lucky!

(also note my baby-blue kettle!)

(psst.. Pip! I've nearly run out!)

#5: dictionary.

This Chambers dictionary was a 21st birthday gift from my grandmother, who thinks every home should have one. It's definitely one of the most useful gifts I've ever received - it gets used on an almost-daily basis. Ask me a word - any word - and I bet you $10 it's in there.

#5: organised clutter.

This is a recurrent theme throughout my house. My mother will scoff when she reads this ("Ha! There's no such thing as 'organised clutter'!"), but I swear I know where everything is, except when someone else has moved it. In this example, you will see (from left to right):

A Vancouver moose, brought back from Canada by my mother, my film camera, Bear (who was a gift from my first love), my zoom lens, a mint-green clock from an antique store in Hamilton, a robot birthday card which I was supposed to send to my father for his birthday almost a month ago, a Butch Vig drumstick, a Glomesh purse that belonged to my grandmother, and a couple of candles brought back from Malaysia by my father.

Phew!

Black storm clouds.

Some people liken it to a black dog, but mine is like a dense, black storm cloud.


(Storm Clouds by Tom La Pierre)

So dark and stormy that not even the faintest chinks of light or love or hope can get through.


(Black Cloud by Thomas Henriksson)

Sometimes it seems like the storm will never break.

Night cats.

One of the things I love about my suburb is that at night, all the neighbourhood cats come out to play.



I encounted this one just before on my way home from the tram stop - it didn't want to sit still to pose for the camera!



Like my shiny golden shoes?