b e h i n d . t h e . w h i t e . p i c k e t . f e n c e

photos courtesy of Beck Rocchi from commongroundbyron.com/

Byron is a funny old town. People are always on the move. I don't mean that in a 'can't sit still' way, I mean that people come and then they go. As we welcomed the last day of Summer I couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic. Not only are the tourists leaving but so too are the people who have lived here over the Summer. It's a bittersweet time.

Making friends in any new town is difficult and I'll admit that it has taken a good 6 months to establish a social network here. A few weeks ago I was talking with a friend about the difficulties of making friends with real locals and not just the "local tourists".

'I just don't see the point in making friends with people who are just going to up and leave in a month or so' I complained.

She smiled and replied 'That's the beauty of Byron I guess. When someone leaves, another person arrives'.

So your social circle is an ever-contracting, ever-expanding "organism". I was recently invited by a friend to an Inside Out Project Gallery exhibition. A Byron share house had transformed their rental home into an exhibition for underground and emerging artists with all proceeds being donated to charity. It was a night full of beautiful prints, photographs, woodwork, recycled threads, as well as trendy people in recycled threads, laughter, drinks on the porch and even a wade pool. It was the best night I've had in a long time and the best part...it was full of locals.
It's hard to capture and illustrate life in Byron. However I think the Swedish twins Sebastian and Jonatan Lundmark have managed to get pretty close. Check it out for yourself...


xx

t h e . t h i n g s . w e . d o . f o r . l o v e

pictures from weheartit

'This has to be the cheesiest post yet'.

That's what I mumbled to myself while uploading the pictures for this blog post. Still, Valentines Day is almost upon us and I do really like all these cute photos...how could I resist? I'm still undecided on whether I love or loathe Valentine's Day. It seems a little "love-on-demand-ish" to me. When you're single, you dread it. Not only can you not go out to dinner for fear of smoochy couples ruining your appetite, but all your girlfriend's are always "busy" that night. Suddenly you find yourself at the cinema (alone) watching that god-awful Valentine's film that they release every year. Same plot-different title. For every single girl who doesn't receive a Valentine's message, she undoubtedly feels like that 8 year old kid who forgot their swimmers to the pool party and has to watch from the side, while all the other kids practise their bombs and underwater handstands. Such a let down.

My point? If you're lucky enough to have someone, let them dote on you. Just make sure that they do it all throughout the year! If you're single, grab your single girlfriend and go see that soppy Valentine's movie. I guarantee you'll have more fun than the poor sod, whose girlfriend dragged him along to watch the film.


xx

m u c h . a d o . a b o u t . n o t h i n g

I'm not going to say that cheesy line that all blogger's use. You know the one... 'wow I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!'. Or maybe I just did? I can attribute my hiatus to two things:

1. I'm so bored and uninspired by my favourite blogs at the moment. (If I have to see another leopard print jacket or heels in an outfit post I think I might scream).
2. I haven't really sat down and browsed the web properly in a good fortnight

Anyway who cares. I've been pretty bummed about my bike being stolen from my house the other night. Yep, the one that I had for not even a month. I'm trying to think of a positive out of the whole situation and the only thing that springs to mind is perhaps walking will be better exercise for me. Definitely scraping the bottom of the optimism barrel with that one. I've also been fairly homesick this week. I have no idea why or what brought it on.

I'll finish with a nice list...everyone loves a list. Although, I've never been one of those people who wakes up and writes a 'To-do' list everyday. Maybe I should start? Top of that list would be:

#1 Start a 'to do' list every morning

So in no particular order, a few thoughts of the week:

1. I've realised I'm really not into the Australia Day patriotism thing, I prefer Anzac Day.
2. I don't think Angus and Julia Stone deserved number 1 on the JJJ Top 100 list. Do you?
3. Maybelline Great Lash BIG mascara has to be the best mascara I've ever used. One lady even asked me where I got my lashes done. She thought I had gotten lash extensions. I highly recommend it...ie the mascara, not lash extensions.
4. I discovered a new band and felt that tingley feeling when you know you're onto something
5. I should never try to pick the winner of a sporting match. I now have to do my housemates dirty dishes for losing a bet.
6. I hate the awkwardness of a situation where you say something completely stupid, like calling a stranger's toddler a she instead of a he (yes I did) or when you reply 'yeah you too', to the girl behind the cinema ticket counter when she says 'enjoy the movie!'
7. Donating money is the best way to cheer yourself up
8. I find grocery shopping extremely therapeutic. Is that weird???
9. Breakfast picnics by the beach are the best start to the day
10. Always lock up your bike.


xx

s u m m e r . h a r v e s t .

 

Today, in an effort to make the most of the miserable weather we've been having, we decided to go for a drive into the beautiful Byron Hinterland. I'd heard many good things about Harvest Cafe and wanted to see for myself if it would live up to all the hoo haa. It did. Ben and I couldn't resist the confit duck leg dish and happily washed it down with a glass of rosé....followed by dessert. As you could probably guess, we "ummed" and "arred" for about 10 minutes before deciding on which one to order. And that was after the 45 minutes of sitting right next to the dessert cabinet.

On our way out of Harvest I happened to notice an antique furniture shop across the road that had an interesting sign out the front. Going by the look on Ben's face I'd say he wasn't nearly as amused as I was.

I've also included a couple of photos of the retro bike I received as a gift from Ben. After a little restoration and much anticipation, I finally got to stretch her legs one evening and rode to work. Despite having to ride home in a torrential downpour I was extremely happy to finally have some wheels.


xx

Ps:  for those of you who are wondering, no the bike was not from the antique shop.

 At least I don't think it was.

t h e . a g e . o l d . q u e s t i o n .

1. feelings for something lost 2. & 3. baron-wells 4. mary robinson 5. anne he 6. unknown





Eighteen months ago, around the time of my birthday I remember having one of those existential crisis' you normally associate with balding middle aged men, spiralling celebrities or a Shakespearean protagonist. It wasn't a particularly significant birthday it was just that- well, it was closer to that dreaded age of 30. In my mind, 30 is the age where I imagine I will have life figured out, know exactly what I want to do in life and (more importantly) be on the fast track to achieving it. Whatever "it" may be. You see, not knowing what "it" is while cruising through your 20's is for the most part, acceptable these days. There's plenty of time to figure it out, after all we're still young... right?! Gulp.

I realise now that once I turned 21, I stopped celebrating my birthday and begun dreading it. Another year older means another year has passed by...and life is passing by quickly. I recently read about a women who went through the same thing. She admitted that she felt helpless and overwhelmed and that she just wanted to stop the world in it's tracks until she could get a grip on herself.  'Of course, my efforts and worry were futile. The closer I watched time, the faster it spun...'

It's intriguing how the smallest idea can begin to consume your thoughts and control your emotions. Eventually it will direct your choices in life. My decision to move away from my hometown was one that was prompted by this very idea. I need to experience everything in life before I'm too old to enjoy it or tied down by age's old friend - responsibility.

This morning I woke up and while I was making breakfast, I noticed a pile of colourful cards resembling coasters sitting on the kitchen bench. Each one had a inspiring statement written on it. I was astonished that the first one I picked up would read:

'I am at peace with my age'

I turned it over to read the follow up statement ..

'Each age has it's own special joys and experiences. I am always the perfect age for where I am in Life.'

Brilliant.
xx

i t a l i a , t i . a m o

images courtesy of cubagallery

Like most girls, I have always been in love with Paris. Or maybe it is the idea of Paris that I love- who knows. I remember sitting in my first French lesson in grade 7 and while we listened to cheesy educational conversation tapes and ate bread sticks with brie, I thought to myself  'If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to live there'. Of course, that was over a decade ago and I am still yet to visit "Gay Paree". Sigh.

Truthfully, I have no one to blame but myself. When it comes to planning and saving I am, to say the least, "easily distracted". Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with my life to date and as a friend put it, 'Paris will always be there'. Despite this admission, there is a hole in my heart that only Paris can fill and nothing tears at my Paris heartstrings more than the endless torrent of Eiffel Tower photos on Facebook.

Recently, another hole in my heart has appeared. And this one belongs to the charming Italy. I don't know why or when it appeared, but I am obsessed! It could have something to do with the fact that I'm reading 'Eat Pray Love' and the author travels to Rome to learn Italian and just...well... be Italian. It could also have something to do with the fact that I watched the awful film 'Letters to Juliet' which was set in Verona*.Or maybe it's that recently I was introduced to a rather large book called 'Made in Italy: Food and Stories'. Or it could be the assortment of Italian wines at work or the fact that I'm missing Lorenzo's food. I should think it's a combination of all of the above. Either way, those of you have been to Italy (and no doubt posted a torrent of facebook photos) will surely be able to understand what all the fuss is about.

All I can say is 'Italy, I'm on my way'. I'll avoid every op-shop, vintage store, restaurant, festival/concert, clothing store, Dan Murphy's, Ebay and even the chocolate aisle (Damn you Lindt!), just so I can...well...be Italian too.

Buona Notte
xx



*Do yourself a favour and cross this one off the must-see list. The only reason to watch this film is for the Tuscan scenery...something which you can find on google maps/images anyway. Also, you'll save on the rental fee AND you wont feel the need to roll your eyes (or vomit) every 5 minutes. You can thank me later.





molly orangette