Alice & this looking glass....

I'm all the way over here

You're all the way over there

Then I say something you like, you loathe, you laugh at...

... maybe you even shed a tear

I love your images, your recipes and the way your day to day struggles mirror mine

I love that we can marvel at global similarities in the midst of comparative prose

I love your photos, your lucky junk finds, your taste in clothing, your pain and your voice

I think about you when I see things you might like

I hook up with you on Instagram... you know ... as you do

You leave a thoughtful, cheeky, self deprecating comment on one of my posts

You reference your truth and it's a mirror to mine, a challenge to mine... 

..... a new perspective even

Your talent inspires me and your authenticity is a benchmark

You talk of apple pies, mountains, stitches and love

I talk of them too

The connections are like dew drops on a spider web

Fragile, beautiful, real... but evaporative

You know me - or at least the parts of me I share

Maybe you even know me better through that which I omit

I'm here and I'm so glad you are too

It's all different and yet the same

It's all frivolous and yet serious

It's all truth and yet edited

This stuff we share on the net

This stuff we give away

This stuff we contribute

This stuff we create

This stuff we critique

This stuff we devour

I've been immersed in it and when I take a moment to step back 

and see it from a distance... it simply blows me away

♥♥♥

Peoples I hope you've had a great week thus far?

I've had newcomers comment and private emails from people

with crazy, stunning, stupendous feedback.

I've had ideas galore.

I've had an exam and I aced it! (Yay for me!)

I've stumbled on new blogs - and I've left a few behind 

(does that happen to you too?)

I've had family truths bring about greater strengths within.

Wowsers... I am blessed

Sending you all some of my Eternal Sunshine.... & big love.

On colour... or rather lack thereof....

I'm wondering.... do you have a favourite colour?

Does it surface in many areas of your life?

Are you brave with the use of it?

Or do you just love colour? Period?

Bright and audacious?

Pastel and muted? 

Do you find that some people know there colours better than others?

Are you one of those people?

Go on tell the truth.

I bought my first ever colour wheel recently.

I thought I knew colours...

... really I did.

Turns out I do not

You see this course has challenged me in many ways - but none

so strongly as in the way I understand (and view) colour.

Ok let's clarify a few things first.

I'm not colour blind....

.....I love certain colours more than others....

....I dislike certain colours and colour combinations - immensely.

I have a deep love for muted pastels...

...I have a wardrobe FULL of grey.....

I think black, white and all the shades in between are truly, truly beautiful.

However... (and this is a big however)

... I do not KNOW colours - how they work together, how they clash, WHY they clash, 

what they are made of, what they represent, where they fit .... *

I know how they make me feel though...

... and right now I'd say that I feel pretty overwhelmed.

If you work with flowers you need... no MUST... know colour.

Is this something I can learn? 

I sure hope so....

Otherwise I'm in trouble!

Thoughts?

*******

*Ironically when I went to link back to my post about the course I'm studying I noted that the image I used that day was full of colour - and rather nicely composed too I might add. 

I suppose there's hope yet. 

School Holidays and Sloth-like Tendencies...

So this will be a lazy post  - so lazy in fact that I cannot even be bothered editing & ordering the images or apologising for the close-up of my toes or the medium close-up of me straight out of a bath and into THE onesie*... the one that was bloomin pricey but had the ever essential "bottom flap" (which I consider nothing short of ESSENTIAL given that the whole point of a onesie is to remain cocooned and how then do you achieve this when it's time to take a twinkle???) 

It's mid-winter school holidays (or break or vacation whichever you prefer) here peoples. That means we stay in bed late when we can - and we conduct ourselves as sloth like as is allowed before life truly gets in the way. We have the bush radio on most of the day whilst crafting, we venture out to feed the chickens and walk the dog, drink lots of tea which we accompany with sugary treats and allow the pooch to act as lap warmer whenever possible. 

School/study is going very well. My lovely tutor allows me a day of work experience in her shop as well (which I looooooove) and the practice is making all the difference. We have exams coming up so I have to squeeze study in to the sloth timetable ... as well as a few "Mother-Son Milkshake & Soy-Chai-Latte Dates"

Yes... life is looking pretty horizontal here in the hills peoples. It's all about squeezing out every drop of hedonism the day has to offer and making zero excuses for it. After all what else is a vacation for?

Now if you'll excuse me I need to make some hot chocolate and fish out some knitting... and possibly emerge from the onesie so that it can be washed. 

* I have desired, dreamed and wished for a Onesie for most of my life. I first spotted one on Little House on the Prairie - when I asked my mum why they didn't make pee-jays like that anymore she laughed... whereas I was being serious. It seemed like the most logical outfit for any cold winter climate and I adored the fact that someone had the genius to incorporate a "loo-flap" - after all who wants to strip halfway in the middle of the night? It's bad enough that the toilet seat is like an ice-block! Are these thoughts just mine or do I share a camaraderie with other "onesie wearers" out there?

♥♥♥♥

PS - I mastered the paper crane... sans a swear word. Not sloth-like but noteworthy.

The Beach and Chocolate Chorizo...

Firstly I'd like to thank all the gorgeous ladies who left comments on my last two posts. They moved me and made my heart sing. Although I usually like to keep things light around here I never want to shy away from being authentic. The internet is a crazy place and even though we choose what we want to share we can never be completely sure of how it will be received. Face to face communication gives you that instant feedback whereas with blog land there's a leap of faith involved when you push that "publish" button. So many thanks to those who read and responded with love. 

Anyway today I decided to go light and easy and share my weekend with you all. Myalup is a very special place - stunning beaches, an awesome holiday house (which belongs to my in-laws) and great company that makes a quick jaunt down south an ever worthwhile expedition. To top it off it's just over an hour away...  the perfect weekend destination.

We explored the beach, lit the fire pit, toasted marshmallows, cooked yummy food, slept in and even went out for lunch on the Saturday. 

My Dad is a diabetic so I took down a sweet treat that fools the tastebuds with it's decadence but in fact is packed with nutrition (as well as having complex sugars for a lower glyceamic index) As you can see in the last image - it looks a bit like a fatty Spanish sausage (the white bits are chopped cashew nuts) yet fatty is not what this sinfully delicious desert is all about. What's the down side you ask? Well to be honest I don't actually have a specific recipe to follow. I tend make it up as I go along. I wanted to share the basic ingredients though and that way you can adapt it to suit your taste. I think the only ingredient you wouldn't want to leave out is the coconut oil - it's really the glue that helps bind the roll.

Chocolate Chorizo 

Medjool Dates  - remove the pips before you process

Cashew Nuts  - chopped first 

Almond Meal - about three or four desert spoons

Instant Oats  - small amount to help bind it - I used about a desert spoon

Raw Cacao - this is pretty strong stuff so go easy (you can always add more if you prefer)

Maca Root Powder - A desert spoon should suffice

Maple syrup - just a drizzle 

Coconut oil  - a few tablespoons melted

Glace Ginger - I looove ginger so I went nuts here but you could use dried berries, apricots etc

Cinnamon  

Mix everything in a food processor (except the chopped cashews - mix them in by hand afterwards so they aren't completely ground up) form it into a log shape, wrap it in wax paper followed by cling film then refrigerate so it will firm up and slice easily.

Go on peoples - give this recipe (or your own modified version) a go and let me know how it turns out. I'm a particular fan of the caramel flavour that Maca Root powder gives it, so you may want to go the extra mile and source this stuff (it's a bit pricey here in Oz, I know - but you don't need much) from a health store. 

Enjoy! ♥