Tennis, the Beatles, Bob Dylan – three obsessions of mine at varying points of my life collide in these ace photos.
(from here)
24 May, 2013
So…
I’ve been flat out researching and writing assignments, seeing a couple of gigs, tending to my herbs and succulents and well, enjoying autumn and life in general. It may not be frequent, but I’ll pop up here every now and then.
24 February, 2013
Of Herbs, Helmets and Hearts
It’s been a cracking summer weather-wise (although after a week of dry 30 something celsius heat, a little rain would be welcome) and my herbs are coming up nicely. The coriander showed up after 10 days, one sprout proudly bearing its seed as a helmet. The sage seedlings are proudly wearing their hearts on their err… heads.
6 November, 2012
School’s Out
Lots of sleep and general idleness. Family and friends, old and new. A spring wedding. Quiet introspection and contemplation. Watching, waiting, just being. Savouring unscheduled, unstructured no-study freedom! Good coffee. Summer lightning. Splashing through puddles. Liberal lashings of Frédéric François, Mark Linkous and a touch of Paul and Art. Hamstrung by my camera’s departure to that big electronic junk heap in the sky. Paul Auster’s Leviathan and The New York Trilogy and Henry Miller’s Big Sur and the Oranges of Heironymous Bosch – all roads lead to Thoreau. Thinking about lightness v heaviness and Milan Kundera. Sloe gin cocktails. Looking forward to the next Paul Thomas Anderson film. Perservering with the guitar.
4 December, 2011
What I Have Been Doing
Getting finger bunions and whittling down my ‘to read’ pile.
6 August, 2011
Le printemps
A couple of unexpected 21 degree days… Such a relief to slough off one’s coat after a chill, numbing winter. The days are getting longer and there’s a tang in the air, the unmistakeable sense of the reawakening of all green things. And in the depths of one’s being, vague, anticpatory stirrings… of short sleeves, languid days, al fresco meals and the burbling, verdant, vibrancy of life.
23 January, 2011
The Cool and the Pulped
I love January in Australia. Christmas and the New Year might be over, but it’s still summer. The days are long, and hot and spending it in a pool or in a cinema are the only real options to escape the heat. The muted sounds of cricket and/or the tennis on the television provide a comforting drone in the background. And when the evening creeps up, accompanied by the cool change you’ve been waiting for all day, you joyfully throw open the windows to let in the breeze. The warm temperature, that summery, holiday vibe has even permeated my office. There are still plenty of things to do but they’re getting done in a slightly more relaxed manner.
A few random photos from the weekend. Literally, a basketful of apricots from our tree which caused an intense six hour jam-making session on the part of a housemate. The resulting apricot jam. The film Gainsbourg. Apricots, nectarines, muesli and Greek yoghurt for breakfast.
Oh, and I’m a little obsessed with Serge Gainsbourg now. Beirut’s rendition of La Javanaise is particularly fab.
9 January, 2011
Home
Back in Canberra after almost two blissful, relaxing weeks in Melbourne staying with family, getting to know my little nieces better and catching up with close friends and their families.
It’s unexpectedly lovely to be back in one’s own space, sufficiently refreshed and invigorated and ready to take on 2011.
Just as unexpectedly, the tree in our backyard which provided such gorgeous spring blossoms, has yielded a veritable bounty. Not a sakura tree, as I initially expected, but an apricot tree. Its branches are heaving with the fruit which, I suspect, are just a few days away from perfect ripeness. The birds have, surprisingly, left the apricots intact. Given the wet, wild yet sunny weather over the last few months, I suspect our apricot tree is not the only one bearing beautiful fruit this season and the birds are having an absolute field day with what is on offer.
I’m looking forward to fresh apricots with my muesli in the next week!
27 December, 2010
Reconnect
Aah, Christmas. ‘Tis the season of over indulgence, awkward social moments and terrible versions of clichéd songs. Like millions of folks all over the globe, I headed home for my annual dose, driving the 700 odd kilometres south from Canberra to Melbourne.
When I crested a rise north of Melbourne, seven hours after I began my journey, and saw the city towers rising in the distance, like the spires of Oz, I was well and truly exhausted. But heartened by the sight of my home city, I turned the music up and headed unerringly for home, like homing pigeons of yore. An hour later, I was settled down at a dinner table heaving with food, wine, aunts, uncles, cousins and the familiarity and ease of people who had known me since I’d drawn my first breath.
And now, the over indulgence is – thankfully – over for another year (bar New Year’s Eve!). It’s time to sleep, rest, reconnect with friends and family and get ready for the New Year.
And a restful, reinvigorating, lovely holiday season to all!
A Turtle's Salon du Thé 
