Island Wanders

Helicopter Seeds

Remember these? In primary school my friends and I would spend entire lunch times gathering together as many of these seeds as we could, filling a baseball cap to the brim.
Then, just before the bell went at the end of lunch, a nominated someone would climb to the top of the jungle gym and fling the hat in the air, while the rest of us would jump around below amidst the spinning 'choppers'.
And you know what? It still makes me smile just to toss one up in the air, even now.

Self Portrait

Read It

Feel like educating yourself? These books are totally worth the feelings of doom and gloom you have after reading them, and are all really interesting reads (once you've gone back and re-read most paragraphs 3 times just to decipher the big words).



I don't particularly want this blog to become political or controversial in any way whatsoever, there are certainly a million other places you can go for that stuff. But lately I've been learning that it's so important to not stick your head in the sand over matters that, even though they may be far away, still have an affect over all of us. Nothing is ever what it seems. Don't be the sucker that thinks it is.

And after all that's done, go and get crafty. Much more fun to think about!

Mr. Talented

Here is a sneak peak of an outdoor table that my clever fiance is making for our workaway hosts. It's made entirely from cedar, and that top is around 6 feet in diameter... it's HUGE! They're gonna have some wicked outdoor summer dinner parties round this thing.

The top sits on a podium type base which is actually a clever cupboard in disguise, holding a tap and garden hose, as well as wiring for some outdoor lights.

C has been lovingly staining, sanding, sealing, varnishing... it's taken him weeks and weeks worth of evenings I think! Every time I wonder where he's gotten to he's outside, slapping on another coat.

He's a pretty clever chappy you know, maybe one day he'll make us a table just like it for our house??

Op Shop Love - Value Village

A few weeks ago I had one of those op shopping experiences that comes along once in a blue moon.
I'd been hearing a lot about about this 'fantastic' second hand store in Victoria called Value Village, so I dragged Corey across on the ferry and made a pilgrimage to see what it was all about.

Umm, New Zealanders, think of a place the size of  'The Warehouse', but it's all second hand and vintage clothing. Apparently there are 'Value Villages' all over America and Canada, so... can we have one in NZ? PLEASE!? (Hang on, who am I kidding, there's probably one in Auckland or something I just don't know about it...).

We spent, maybe an hour and a half in there, and I could have spent a lot longer expect Corey was so bored I think he may have been frothing at the mouth and doing that 'lying on the ground on your side, spinning in a circle' thing that Spongebob does.

At one point I recall a tantrum on my part as I discovered an aisle, yes that's right, a whole aisle of vintage fur coats. The cause of the tantrum was one particular coat, and it was in the cutest 60's swing coat style, and it was so perfect... except it was fur. Real fur. I left it on three occasions only to wander back down the aisle again to check the label to see if it actually miraculously said 'Acrylic' or 'Feaux fur' but no, it was very much real. I couldn't do it. Even though it's $15 price tag screamed at me as I left, I couldn't do it. Plus, travellers reality check, how the heck would I have gotten that all the way back to NZ in my pack anyway??

That aside, I did get a couple of goodies which I will share now... I think all up I didn't spend more then $40!

                               Alterations: Took back darts in a little to give more shape

                                Alterations: None

       Alterations: Were skinny jeans, cut off and hemmed to make shorts

                               Alterations: None

                                Alterations: Was ankle length, cut and hemmed to knee length

Note: Sorry that most of those items need ironing, and for the bad photos. I live in a caravan peeps, this is the only mirror I got and we don't have an iron!

Crack-o-Dawn

                                          'Jaw bone'                                                                       Ink on cotton rag paper

I have started working at a cafe in the little township here on Salt Spring, which means 4.30am starts for me. Yes, you read that right. I'm on the road by 5, dodging deer in the glimmering dawn light and trying to keep my eyes propped open in front of the steering wheel by blasting my eyeballs with the air-con. All of this while sitting on the 'wrong' side of the car and driving on the 'wrong' side of the road. Yeah, still haven't quite got the hang of that yet. Not the safest or most ideal situation I tell you, but we do these things, especially when it's a means to an ends, right? I just keep telling myself, 6 more weeks. Just 6 more weeks. 6 more weeks til our European jaunt. That means 2 and a half months til I'm home, like HOME home, New Zealand home! I'm just a teensy bit excited...!

PYO In Our Backyard

I planted these. I picked these. I ate these. Apart from the plums. Our neighbour came over yesterday and gave us a paper bag filled with golden plums from his plum trees. If we don't eat them, the raccoons will. So of course I was happy to help out and take them off his hands!

Moonlight Sketches

I couldn't sleep last night, so I sketched. I sketched by moonlight, and watched it fall on sleeping faces.

Evening Colours

I Think I'm Back Now

I think I'm back now, slowly finding my mojo again. I've been working, relaxing, and planning things for the near future. I'll tell you all about it soon...

Over It

I'm so over blogging at the moment. I've completely lost my blog mojo. To top it off, my camera has crapped itself so I can't even take photos of random things to fill in with.

I never even thought I'd say this but I'm over my list of blog subscriptions in google reader too! Not over the blogs or the people themselves, I just can't even bring myself to get excited about everyone's new posts for the day like I used to, I'm sorry! It's nothing personal TRUST me, I just gotta find my groove again. I love all my fellow bloggers, really, you have no idea the tension it causes even in my relationship cos' usually I would rather sit and read through all your lovely blogs then watch a movie with my man. But my head's not where it should be right now, I'll let you know when my mojo's back. Promise!

Before & After

It's a miracle, something I planted has actually grown! Maybe there's hope for me yet...

Allie Moss - 'Corner'

I've had this song knocking around in my iTunes files for yonks, but I recently re-discovered it. Don't ya love when that happens?

Quick Line Drawing

Love, is having someone to gallop around with playing tag and hide-n-seek. Love, is sharing your special pattern of spots with another. Love, is having someone lick your butt for you. Nice.

Weeds

Lately it's all just been about weeds.

Weeds and bugs, and rocks and weeds, and sticky grass things that get stuck to your socks, and weeds, and thistles with stems the thickness of my wrist (well not quite...) that stab you through leather gloves when you try to pull them out. And weeds. And sunny days which are gradually killing the clover. And weeds. And waking up in the night to feel something crawling on you and flicking back the covers to find a spider heading up your arm to find a nice home in your ear where it can lay all its spidery eggs and have babies...

Not Far From Home

No Frills

Savin' It For Later?

For the past week I have been at a complete loss as to why I nearly always seem to have melted chocolate on the fingers of my left hand. It was seriously eluding me. I just couldn't work it out.

But now, I have just discovered a massive splodge of chocolate moulded nicely between the 'C' and 'V' keys of my laptop. Ahhh, might have something to do with this...

Self Portrait

Via here.

Today I am Listening To...

'Ghosting' by Freelance Whales, found via this beautiful blog.



What about you, peeps?

It's Only Me

I find I am taking a lot of photos of myself these days, and studying them all the time. Not in a vain way, but in a pure fascination with how unrecognizable I am to myself. I struggle to comprehend how much I think I've changed in the last few years.

You know when you're 'younger' and you hear so many women talking about how 'this' changes and 'that' changes and you have to look after 'that' or 'this' will happen... and you kinda think yeah yeah, one day, one day when I'm much, much older.

Ummm so all of a sudden, I think I'm there. It's almost like I woke up when I turned 25 and my skin is freckled and a bit tired looking, my hair is a bit oily and lank, my face has pudgied out... could be that I haven't been wearing enough sunscreen, could be that I have a thyroid condition wreaking all sorts of havoc on my body, could be that I have gone back to being a natural mousy blonde and I don't have chemicals in it to keep it stripped and dry, could be that I've put on nearly 20 kilos in the last 5 years. Yikes! Did I just admit to that? Yes, yes I did. And I don't have kids to blame this on either!

I'm not saying this cos I'm getting upset about it - I've done what I've done and I am who I am, I take full responsibility. It's just so crazy how it seems you can go from one day looking in the mirror and being really content with how youthful you are, to the next thinking, 'what the heck happened!?'  The body is a fascinating thing, it really, truly is, and man it's so cliched but if you don't look after it, it starts to show that's for sure!

Funny, unrecognizable me.

Penned Poppets

Clogged

I can't believe these babies are all the rage again, I think I was in Standard 4 at primary school when I was begging my mum for a pair of clogs (not heels like these mind you).

I can't decide whether I'm feelin' it or not,  however I do find myself developing a soft spot for those yellow strappy jobs... but then again, I have a tendancy to love anything if it's yellow...!

All images from Topshop.

Glad Heart

On Sunday I had a 'glad heart'.
I think of having a 'glad heart' moment as when you are just so darn happy with the world for a small moment, everything seems A-OK and then something else happens that just tops it off, cherry style.

We picked up a hitch hiker on Sunday morning on our way out exploring, (hitch hiking is about as common on this island as getting in your own car and driving somewhere would be - it's considered totally normal and safe).
Said hitch hiker turned out to be the coolest chick ever from New York, travelling around the Gulf Islands for two weeks before she heads back to the east coast to start her summer internship in Chinatown. She is doing her post grad on art therapy, and after she explained this to me I decided I have perhaps missed my calling.

We got along like a house on fire, and as a thank you for the ten minute lift, she shouted us to a beer at a local cafe, and gave us her contact details for when we head off to NY on our whirlwind three day adventure in September.

That was the biggest 'glad heart' moment I have had in so long. Sometimes the world just rocks, as well as the people in it.


Image from http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/06/a-nation-of-hitchhikers.php