2013: blink and you'll miss it...

Yowsers... Where has this year even gone?! December?! Who even are you?! Where did you come from?! And come to think of it, September, October and November, I don't even remember you happening!!

An even scarier thing?! In a month's time I will have been living in Melbourne for ONE WHOLE YEAR. I just can't even deal. Thinking I need to do something totally Melbourne-kitsch, like go on the restaurant tram or something... Any suggestions throw them my way ;)

So let me fill you in! I've been finishing classes for the year, getting wisdom teeth pulled, finally finding a new place to move into, smooching Pen, watching lovely friends get married, waiting for summer to come (I'd even take Spring right now?!! 16 degree days do NOT belong in December, Melbourne!), getting assignments done, studying for exams, walking the tan, becoming a two coffee a day girl (yikes)... You know, things that keep you from being a good blog-keeper... Life things.

This week is my first week that I haven't been tethered to my school schedule, and I have to admit, I'm really liking my discipline so far. I've still got two exams coming up that I need to get my head around, so I've been setting myself little goals each day... "get through reviewing 4 weeks of notes this morning and then we'll go out for a leg stretch and coffee break" type goals. I need them. I like them. They keep me focussed and determined and on track (most of the time). Although there has also been a fair bit of overdue cleaning... organising... other usual procrastination suspects taking place, I'm feeling ok, feeling prepared. A little bit of structure and lot bit of rosemary essential oil (GREAT for memory/retention), getting me through the pointy end of the school year.

Even more exciting than finishing my first year back at school would most definitely have to be finding an amazing place to move into with Dunc and Biz. Holy moly, it is perfect! Massive living areas, a back patio!, an open fireplace!!, an amazing kitchen and most importantly, space that feels like my own, my home. Pen is not going to know herself in the wide open space of the new place! We move the day of my final exam, so hello party time! I'm already planning the jugs of Pimms for the hot days and the big vats of red wine by the fire on the cold ones - I know your tricks Melbourne, you sneaky devil!

But for now, before the hilarity and the chaos commence in the lead up to a move and some hefty exams some little snaps from the last little while.

Enjoy my darlings xx

(A little afternoon date with Monet at the NGV - such an amazing exhibition)

(Half in my cat in a hat costume for Alex's hens)

(These girls!!)

(Hiding behind this big, huge zippy bag full of ice is my big fat post-surgery face. I'm doing you a favour by not letting you see it. Trust me.)

(My life for three straight weeks. Study, study, study. Coffee, coffee, coffee.)

(So this. The best Japanese curry I've ever eaten within walking distance and 10 days later I move neighbourhoods. Prahran East, I'll be back, you hear me?!)

(Sometimes instead of studying Microbiology and Biology I read a novel the size of a house)

(Melbourne, you can be freezing but you can also be a gorgeous little cricket.)

(Ding dong the witch is dead - at my bank)

(Christmas is comingggggg!!)

(That sleepy face?! Those furry paws?! My heart!)

(This book made me cry. I mean... It is totally about Microbiology and helped me prepare for my final exam)

(This little beauty is MINE ALL MINE!)

(Despite being beyond ecstatic about moving into a new place, I was a little sad to leave behind my coffee at Final Step and my buttery, heavenly croissants at French Fantasies. Naturally, I had to take a little time out during packing and moving to soak up some sunshine and say farewell)

Field trip to the Botanic Gardens!

Ok so one of the most amazing things about studying to be a Naturopath is that you get to study some pretty cool stuff. The way plants grow and develop into things that can be great for our health is only one example of the truly, truly fascinating (and sometimes freaky) things we're learning about.

A couple Wednesdays ago on one of the more stunning Spring mornings Melbourne has been gracing us with (keep 'em coming! this girl can't get enough!) we had a lil field trip to the Herbarium and Herb Garden at the Royal Botanic Gardens right by my house, a little added bonus :)

May I just say... wow! For a gal who's pounded the Tan track a few bazillion times like any self-respecting Melburnian, I can. not. believe that the treasures of the Garden were but a slight detour away! My favourite by far was our visit to the Greenhouses. Those colours, that humidity (Hi Sydney. Miss you. x), man oh man. Just. Wow.

It helps that my giggly besties were there in attendance too. Next time we go back we've already decided we're having a scone date at the Tea Rooms afterwards. It's what any Naturopath would do, der!

xx

Wednesday night hangs in our city.

When I first moved to Melbourne back in December last year, Sally was my saving grace, taking me into her home, letting me crash in with her gorge daughter Amelia and annoy her husband Rothy til I found my feet (read: til I wasn't homeless or jobless anymore).

While Sally and Rothy were like my new little Melbourne parents and Amelia my new little sister, Rachael was definitely my mischievous older sister, always up for some cheeky fun. When I was bored in the daytime and had nothing to keep me occupied (read: a job), Rach was always at hand, never poo-poo-ing the idea of a drink in the sun before 3pm.

Now all these months down the track, the three of us are often getting together, not so much to drink in the daytime, but definitely still to annoy Rothy, and on this occasion, the three of us went on a date with Melbourne on a Wednesday night. We had cocktail hour at a classic, The Toff and some of Mama Shandongs finest dumplings for dinner. But not before we'd had a bunch of fun in the late night random stores along Bourke St.

A classic Melbourne night with some classic Melbourne dames!

xx

what are you trying to tell me, my dear body?

I have officially been in the wars. And when I say officially I mean not a single soul other than I have made anything official and when I say wars I mean not actual wars. But my poor, aching body has been trying to tell me a little something of late.

I've battled head colds, fevers, racking coughs, fainting and spewing in the street after blood tests (embarrassing!) and now! to top it all off! my wisdom teeth are being the biggest jerks in the entire world and making half of my face look squirrel-hiding-nuts-ish. Geez! Gimme a break already!

Now while I know this is absolutely nothing, and so many people deal with so much worse, I do have to think there's a little somethin' somethin' goin' on here. I get it, body, you're not happy with me. And I hear ya! It might have taken me the whole month of August but I hear ya. Better late than never/in hospital, right?! I've really been making an effort to hold up my end of the bargain and prioritising my health and sleep and healthy food and taking deep breaths and letting go of stress. While the symptoms suck, I'm so grateful for the slow down message and even more grateful for a body that can heal.

And in the meantime, before these sucky wisdom teeth get pulled the heck out, I've decided the best thing to help me smile with a big, fat face is some bright-ass clothes and lipstick.

(spot the fat cheek!!)

xx

let the bookclub good times roll!

We've finally done it! An inaugural meeting date was set! The book has been chosen! The rules have been established! Book club has arrived!

Bianca and I have been threatening to start a book club for a few months now. I was just so excited to have made a friend who has that kind of devour-y, scribble-in-y kind of affection for books like I do, so you can imagine how my happiness multiplied by like, a squazillion when she suggested we get together and eat food and drink wine and talk about books. Hello heaven!

So, this Tuesday just gone, we met at Bistro K in Fitzroy for a bit of dinner, Bianca cheekily with our first book wrapped in spots as a birthday gift (Just Kids! Patti Smith! This girl knows me oh so well!!), we talked so much the lovely waitresses were getting a little sick of us not ordering... and continually getting sidetracked by talk even after we'd look at each other with every serious intention in the world saying, "OK WHAT ARE WE ORDERING?!"

The food was magnificent (completely recommend it if you're in the mood for some Kimchi (kim-chee) or Kimchi (Kim-chye) depending on your preference), the company was even better (the first meeting of the page-scribblers also included a cameo performance by Bianca's sweet manfriend, Jack. Not as sure he's into the book thing as us. HIS LOSS).

For now, until we meet again, it is the two of us and our copies of Just Kids, marked at page 131 for halfway discussions, waiting for the next delicious meeting. And I know it's early days, but there is a LOT of scribbling going on. I adore this book already. I even felt guilty reading it standing up on the most over-crowded train I have ever been on in my entire life. It's like I wasn't paying her the attention her words deserve, or something. So I put her away. To be picked up again when I am all hers.

Bookworms uniting to use their powers for good instead of nerd. I love it.

xx

the weekend. iphone evidence.

This weekend just passed was a lot of fun.

Friday: drinks and dinner with some wonderful friends we had just been to the U.S with. It was so great to see their faces again and to hear the rest of their adventures after we all farewelled beautiful Alaska. There were even a few mentions of heading back for another trip in the Winter, so look out AK!

Saturday: a little bit of work in the morning, a little bit of unsuccessful possum rescuing at Dunc's Mum and Dad's ( we tried little guy! :( ), a quick sushi lunch date then some home hangs in the afternoon. I was in a top 10 foul mood on Saturday so it was probably a great reason to hibernate a bit. Watched movies and read books in bed. No study was undertaken despite the best of intentions. Whoops.

Sunday: the sun was out, we ate bagels and drank coffee in the morning rays, visited my new favourite place, the nursery, looked at potential new homes (!!!!!) checked out the pop-up People's Market in Collingwood with my dazzlingly pretty friend Bianca, held an impromptu food truck picnic in a car park, ate tacos and corn and talked and talked, nearly got blown off a rooftop bar, ate a beautiful sponge cake after dinner (still celebrating my birthday! luckyyyyy!!), and finally caught up with some  friends for some late night cricket watching while the boys drank espresso martinis. My friends are the coolest/craziest.

xx

27 years old and still watching kids movies...

So last week, out of nowhere, I turned 27. I know, right?! Twenty freaking seven?! How did this even happen?! Luckily my two (already twenty seven) comrades were in my wintery town to help me deal... I mean party. One of these said comrades flew into Melbourne on Saturday night! Just for the night! Just for me! She is a little slice of heaven and it was wonderful to see her face.

breakfast just the way i like it: eggs and coffee with a side of two of my three favourite people, and eaten well past midday

 

the ultimate surprise gift. a bag i lusted over in nyc but couldn't bring myself to splurge on. (side note: i think this birthday i finally kicked my surprise hating/ruining habit! success!)

a little bit of cupcake love with my lady love. don't even care they were packet-mix. they were delicious.

not even a wet, rainy melbourne weather interruption could dampen the birthday spirits!

another surprise! ice cream ball cake, candle and a very loud rendition of happy birthday in the middle of a pub! my melbourne gang are probably the best gang going around.

some bloomin' birthday tulips were delivered to work. big, bright, shiny yellow tulips!

I felt very, very blessed to have such wonderful humans in my life to make me feel so special and loved  on my birthday. It was so, so lovely to spend the entire weekend with my melbourne family, and a few classic hits from my sydney family too. I love them all to bits.

And when the stress and stress lines of being 27 gets all too much? I can remember I'm still the girl who drags her boyfriend to see Despicable Me 2 at the cinema. And is currently watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. On a Saturday night. Forever young at heart!

xx

big day out.

Our trip is slowly coming to an end. To make the most of the few remaining hours we have in NYC our day today consisted of an early trek to the Met for an amazing view of the city before the crowds, the most amazing lobster rolls we will probably ever track down in our lives (I looked just as guilty as Dunc about chowing it down before snapping a shot... trust me!), an escape to the park for some much needed shade and cool before hanging out in the Book of Mormon lottery. We're currently 0 from 2 but are heading back in the morning for a final crack at the matinee.

The only things that could console us after such a soul-crushing loss were cupcakes from Magnolia. Der.

Tomorrow is our last day in this hot, glorious city. I'm feeling a mix of sadness and excitement. Sadness mostly because we have to say goodbye, but excitement because life is waiting for us back home, and after this little three week breather from our normal routine we're both feeling pretty keen to jump back into it.

San Francisco, Alaska, New York, thanks for having us you beautiful towns.

xx