A little...

This evening I'll be attending opening night of The Hills Musical Company's newest production, A Little Night Music.

It's set in a Swedish country-house in the early 1900s/late 1890s, an epoque I'm not very familiar with.

The burning question: whatever will I wear? Big sleeves and a long skirt, it seems.

I guess I could always just go as Mary Poppins...

Any last minute advice? Help!

Daily Outfit: London Life

I've been a bit more talkative lately, haven't I? Let's thank/curse No Excuses November for the latest chattiness.

For those who prefer their images to text, this one's for you (and thanks for your patience!)

Somewhat belated, here's London in July 2013:

Middle of summer, thick black tights.

I'm not usually the biggest London fan, but I definitely appreciated the city more third time round. I got to have all the fun with my parents and friends.

I realised I had accidentally dressed in American flag colours on July 4th.

Styling at the Tate (was streetstyle snapped here!)

Drinks and a talk at the Alain de Botton Institute, The School of Life.

Finally some warmth! Edwarde Sharpe, Mumford etc @ Gentlemen of the Road festival.

Same, dress, bare arms and legs! Sunday cider sesh with friends.

I won't be doing the Aussie expat thing and overstaying my tourist visa, living in a warehouse with nine other foreigners and working a bar job cash in hand. Not the life for me! But I am really glad for my friends who are making London Life (and its gloomy climes) work for them.

(PS. Not looking too bad for someone living out of a backpack, am I?)

Wednesday Wrap-up

What better season than No Excuses November to resurrect dormant post series like Wednesday Wrap-ups? Admittedly, these are more enjoyable whilst cruising the world, no?


Yesterday I shared what staying put has looked like lately.
Here's a more thorough account of the week that was!

Wednesday: a full day of relief teaching and a challenging band rehearsal

Thursday: another day of work and an evening hang with the parents (before they headed overseas)

Friday: Not working! A small sleep in, some opshopping (or should it be oops shopping??), bike riding, an appointment with the doctor where I got to see my vocal chords! and a musical in the evening

Saturday: I dropped parents off at the airport at 6am and then went back to bed for a while, 2 village fairs (it's fete season!), a delicious lunch date, afternoon at home, and I cooked a green curry

This lady.

Sunday: Domesticity Plus! After a late breakfast there was a 9k run, dropped in on a friend, washing, cleaning, reading, podcasts, cooking. I just love getting things done!

Monday: Supervised my first exam, went shopping at the Asian grocers, lunch at home, went for a run, cat time, dancing

Tuesday: Another small sleep in (working part-time is wonderful!), Skype date with the Viking, chatting to my sister, exam supervision, an evening 10k when the heat of the day had died down.

Which brings us to today, Wednesday! (teaching and exam supervision and band)

What a lovely domestic week. I've also been looking after the garden in the heat, tending to the (needy) cat, filling out paperwork and planning meals. I'm really enjoying my running at the moment too (having great podcasts help; I plan to share what I'm listening to soon!)

I love my salt moustache for Movember.

Of Late

It's already been six weeks since I arrived home, and I'm having some funny thoughts about that.

I didn't work for a good four weeks upon my return and felt conflicted about enjoying my time off before the life of a teacher swept me up again (what I'm doing at the moment). I guess I've just been on the go for so long that to actually be still and relax makes me feel like I'm wasting time. Backpacking for five months will do that to you.

But here's what I've been enjoying of late. Nothing groundbreaking (although I have been doing really fun stuff and hence not spending much time on the net), but this is more about appreciating simple pleasures.

Tea break with a dear friend

• Lunch dates
• Watching beauty videos on youtube (I even bought some mineral makeup!)
• Cooking with mushrooms. YUM!
• Apple and raspberry juice
• Reading a previously unpublished John Wyndham novel, and magazines from the library
• Dancing every Monday night
• Listening to a slew of new podcasts
• Riding my bike (this spring weather is pretty variable!)
• Watering the garden in the morning when it's going to be a hot day
• Drinking vodka on the rocks when out and light pilsener when at home
• Listening to French hip hop: Abd Al Malik (really good!)
• Running (both solo and newly with a group!)

A lovely life by all accounts! It's just different adapting to this change of routine.

I graduated high school ten years ago.

Today marks the beginning of year 12 exams in South Australia. I'm wearing my other chapeau: head supervisor at my new school. For the next three weeks, I'm working every day, watching over the students as they do their final exams.

It's making me think about when I finished high school, this time ten years ago. Ten years ago! My friend had her class reunion on Friday night, but I'm not sure I see much point in organising one these days, given that we all know what we're up to thanks to the joys and privacy invasion of facebook.

At school, it won't surprise you to learn that I was a bit of a nerd. I'm totally okay with that! In my final year, I studied maths, specialist maths, physics, chemistry and French.

So what would've happened if I didn't study those subjects?

I wouldn't have studied physics, which means:
I wouldn't have travelled to Iceland and Norway to see the Northern Lights, which means:
I wouldnt be dating an Icelandic astronomer now.


I wouldn't have backpacked to France aged 19, which means:
I wouldn't have friends all over Europe, which means:
I wouldn't have stayed on in France after my band tour in 2009, which means:
I wouldn't have had crazy adventures in Paris, and worked at EuroDisney.
I also wouldn't have lived in Bordeaux autumn 2012 - spring 2013 and drunk all the wine, and then had all the adventures.


I wouldn't be a high school physics and French teacher, that's for sure.


I've never known what direction I want my life to take, and certainly didn't have a clue ten years ago when I graduated from school, aged 17.
I still don't really know where I want my life to lead, but given the last ten years, I am thankful for forward momentum and confident that things will work out.

Daily Outfit: Highland Fling

Take out the fling bit.

After a quick visit to Iceland in June, I popped back down to Great Britain to spend some time in the Scottish Highlands. Once again I was happy to still have a bit of cool-weather gear with me!

Brief stop at the side of the road for this amazing view.

Happy to be sleeping on a real bed! Loch Linnhe

Busting out the (faux) fur at Neptune's Staircase (Caledonian Canal)

No way I'm taking my spotted trench off at Loch Ness. Brr, that wind!

Travelling with my parents for this leg means that theoretically there should be better photos of me (and my stylez) around the place, but so far, I have seen no evidence.

Next stop: Nodnol!

The Empty Bookshelf

I'm a big reader. This year alone, while jetting (and jettisoning!) around the world, I've read 54 books.
(Shall we be friends on Goodreads?)

But if you come to my house (which is kind of temporary at the moment, admittedly), you'll find my bookshelves surprisingly sparse. Little evidence of my love of literature and respect for the written word. Not even an e-reader sitting on my bedside table.

What gives?

Don't you browse the books when you visit a new friend's house? Silently weigh up their tastes, and hence the prospects for your budding friendship? I know I do.

I worry that someone looking at my shelves would make the wrong assessment. And I don't want to make an uneducated impression!

Getting my book fix on a quiet afternoon at Reykjavik library.

I was discussing this with a friend today as we went shopping for second-hand books. How to balance a love of reading with a desire for minimalism and not accruing stuff? Rarely do I reread, but I do like having my favourites close to hand. But even without a stocked shelf, I am never without something to read.

It all comes down to my love of libraries. What a brilliant system! Being able to share in collective knowledge, read, and let go without occupying valuable storage space at home! I love it all the more now that South Australia has introduced the one card system, where you can reserve, borrow and return books from any collection at any library across the state.


So should I be holding on to my last few boxes of books (currently stored in a friend's garage - thanks S!), given that I can request my favourite titles easily and speedily? Is there much point these days in having a bookshelf? Is there another way that I can keep track of those tomes I adored? I'd love to hear your thoughts about what having your own library means in this era of the ebook.

It is Happening Again

^Snaps to you if you get the Twin Peaks reference.


Anyway folks: Hello! Yes Yes! It's time once again for me to attempt the blogger marathon: No Excuses November. This month, I'm going to do my gosh darndest to post each and every single day.

My blog's been kind of sluggish since, um, November 2012. And before that, January 2012.

From a lovely book I'm reading at the moment, When Wanderers Cease to Roam by Vivian Swift

Yep, lately I have been staying put. Which means I have plenty of time for blogging, right?

So much to tell you all:

• The month that was Frocktober
• More travel tales
• What I've been reading lately
• How to keep that holiday feeling
• Travelling tips for young and old, experienced and noviced
• Adventures round Adelaide
• My favourite podcasts (and why!)
• Vegetarian delicious times
• My op-shopping addiction (and fave places to snap up a bargain)
• Summer plans

All the things!

Bearing in mind that none of this is written yet I might be setting myself quite the challenge.

Check back tomorrow for a new post this No Excuses November!

Spring Flowers

Spring showers = spring flowers?

Don't get me started talking about the weather (brr, says the girl who kept popping up to Iceland this year!)

The roses are magnificent at the moment.

I've also been seeing my favourite blooms everywhere:

Alstroemerias. Not sure just why they're so appealing to me.

Are things looking pretty your way? Or are all the flowers going into hibernation?

Daily Outfit: What to wear for a summer weekend in Iceland

I mentioned that this was a bit of a cray cray year, travel wise right?!

Aside from a fortnight in Japan, backpacking round Europe and a six week trip to North America, I also headed up to Iceland five times this year.
(and found myself a Viking too!)


So, what to wear for a long weekend up in Iceland in the middle of summer? Your winter gear, of course!

Thingvellir National Park

The site of Iceland's first government, and the groaning apart of the European and North American tectonic plates!

I can't BELIEVE we made it up this glacier. In June!

Geothermally active Haukadalur, with Geysir and the more active Strokkur

Volcanic caldera (wish I could remember its name!)

Looks like he caught me but actually I found him.

Styling while caving through a lava tube at Thingvellir.

Reykjavik city planning at open-air folk museum Arbaejarsafn

This house was from the 1970s or something crazy, no joke.

There'll be more Iceland photos so I hope you're not tired of them yet! Who could get tired of that strange light and surreal alien landscapes....