Summer on Wray Avenue

Black Out Day Six

On Saturday my friend Jess and I headed out to celebrate the first day of summer. Upon stopping to have lunch at the gorgeous Wild Poppy Cafe, we explored Freemantle's only Avenue to find locals celebrating as well. 

We noticed rolled up scrolls around pieces of chalk, on doorsteps and chalk pavement messages and drawings all up and down. While stopping to read them, a man walked up and asked if we lived there, explaining he had given out the chalk. He then told us that he had wanted to encourage his neighbours to express themselves on the pavement. He handed me one of the notes, which tells the story. Given the stormy weather we have had here of late, the idea was to "reclaim our limited public space to make the footpaths a sea of colour and creativity for the first weekend of summer." It then went on to encourage neighbours to meet up and share chalk colours, expressing messages from the heart.
I think given the Black Out challenge, this felt like a fitting way to end the week of banning black. 

Here I was wearing a cotton Alice McCall embroidered dress, which I think I could wear to death, it is so fun and comfortable. There really is something about a soft cotton shirt dress. 

Colour Meanings

Day Six

Silver:

Silver is fluid, emotional, sensitive and mysterious, soothing, calming and purifying. It acts as a symbol of change, reflection, moving forward, it is seen as glamorous, modern and elegant. Silver has a feminine energy; it is related to the moon and the ebb and flow of the tides. It is seen to be respectable and courteous, dignified, self-controlled, responsible, patient, determined and organized and unbiased. While similar to grey, it is more light hearted and optimistic. Watch that it doesn't come across as two faced, vain or deceptive.

Grey:

Grey is a colour of sorrow, loneliness, isolation, practicality, maturity, responsibility, security. It is neutral, lacks emotion, meaning, expression, creativity, warmth,  emptiness. It can be worn with another colour to reduce its intensity, but can also spell out a lack of imagination, initiative and character, instead it suggests compliance and neutrality. Wear carefully!

Wearing:

Alice McCall Embroidered Shirt Dress

Karen Walker Tortoise Shell Sunglasses

Silver belt is a bag strap from a Sass & Bide Clutch

Witchery Silver ballet flats

Mimco Envelope Clutch Purse

You Know Who's Adventures Underground

It is in my mind all the time. I love the story. Woke up this morning and had been dreaming of two little kids dressed up in tribute so decided to sketch them. These illustrations are playing on the naivety of a child's interpretation of playing "Alice in Wonderland" dress ups...

I really want to design for Childrens theatre. Bringing these worlds to life for kids, is just magic. There are some incredible companies out there too. Hope you all had a great weekend. x

Sixty Seconds of Happiness

One of my favorite books ever is 'For Every Minute You Are Angry You Loose Sixty Seconds of Happiness' by Julian Germain, published in 2005 (out of print).

It is a series of photographs taken by Julian Germain, of Charles Snelling, who was an elderly man, living alone that Germain met by chance in Portsmouth, interwoven with images from
Snelling's photo albums. Moments of a rich and simple life with the women he loved.

"Charlie was a simple, gentle, man. He loved flowers and the names of flowers. He loved colour and surrounded himself with colour. He loved his wife. Without ever trying or intending to, he showed me that the most important things in life cost nothing at all." Germain describes.

I picked up this book in a library a few years ago, and fell in love with the beautiful way Germain had captured this man and his home. I suppose he reminded me of my memories of my own Grandfather who had lived alone in a house full of old treasures to explore. In particular I love the image of Snelling on the beach, eating an ice cream, and another of him heading off for an adventure through the woods. The image of him holding his favorite record, as he played it for his guest is a look of pure joy, it is beautiful. Actually the images are full of sounds, the sound of the kettle boiling, the tinker of the tea spoon against the cup as it is being prepared, the buzz of a bee around the flowers in his garden, the crunch of the pebbles underfoot across the beach...

Yet perhaps the most heart wrenching, is the realization, which I did not come to until the end of the book, was that he was alone. All the way through there are images of little notes stuck into things which his wife had made, such as "Put the bin out Wed Nights" and so on. It just didn't click that she was gone until I got to the end. And then I cried so much. But, happily.

This book taught me a lot, if nothing more that appreciating the small things is not something to be ashamed of, as I often felt as a kid that my loving little details of things made me 'simple' minded. Now-days I embrace these things and look forward to the adventures that lie ahead.

If you ever find a copy, cherish it. The link below is to Germain's website where some images can be seen...

Images shown are from the book and of the patch made to commemorate it. See more by clicking the link below...
http://www.juliangermain.com/projects/foreveryminute.php

Also pictured: Mimco Pink hat, Blue Vintage skirt, Wittner Wedge heels, Vintage belt.

Into the Woods

It occurs to me now that genuinely believing that eating all of the crusts will make your hair curl was stupid. Also believing that beaches were separated in the water by fences was the dumbest thing ever. Urgh. My mind as a small girl was soooo gullible. Thank the lord I never had older siblings. Just a nick name like Nelle's Deli was bad enough.

How could you lie to this face? (A young me in the 80s).

Last night I dreamed that my favorite tea cup smashed. I wondered what this may mean, one definition I found- to dream of tea cups, "indicates that you need to be more spiritual." so I think to dream of it smashing can only be a good thing. Perhaps? Well, lets hope so. How embarrassing to dream of being "nonspiritual". I mean, that is really awful isn't it? (Hang my head in shame.)

Today it is raining, and I am thinking about people in QLD and northern NSW. I wish you all the very best, and hope that the nightmare will end soon. This includes you Willie. x


Frozen Jelly polaroid.

Pictured above wearing Vintage trousers, Mimco Emerald bag, Mimi Loves Jimi boots, Raybans and Witchery scarf. Images taken in the woods nearby. An incredible spot.

Mean things come from Adelaide.

CIBO's tramezzini originali you make me so mad. My mouth waters every time I think of you, and that is just mean. My mouth has been watering now since December, and it looks like things will continue along this path till Novemberish. Jerk Sandwiches!

T-Bar's Guava Green Iced Tea, I care very little for you indeed at the moment. If you were in my hands, I might be nicer, but since you are not, I can give you the big finger as it were, to give a beverage "YOU ARE WATERY AND SO SO"! Take that!

Genki, you are horrid. You make me want to hurl your sushi across the room with my chop sticks. Please note, you brought this on yourselves for making a product not available in other states.

Just Tickled Pink, our relationship is over! Your lavender Cupcakes, displayed so elegantly behind glass cases from the 50s are nasty. Your trying to lure me in with walls plastered with Audrey Hepburn does not work anymore!

Waffles at Chocolate @ No. 5 are a crime. They just make me so furious. So furious I am going to screw my nose up in your general direction. I am guessing that Hahndorf is in ----> that general direction.

B.T.S. your mini cakes are NOT Better than Sex!

I stomp my feet all over the Churros at Mesa, and refuse from here on in to think that the Sangria at Sangria will ever make anyone happy. Also Mesa you are big meanies for having such evil cocktail menus, which, are in no way original. No way.

Thali Room, you just don't even understand how a good relationship should work. No idea. You are so naive. You just make me want to poke my tongue out at you.

Cocolat, if you guys went under and your gelati no longer existed, I wouldn't even care. Not one bit. In fact I would probably laugh, out loud, for days.

China Town, I am just shaking my fist at the whole of you right now. If your ears are burning, it is from the curses that I have hurled in your direction for some time now. Particularly the establishments that used to make really great Duck dishes. And I thought you should know that your Laksa's all taste like dishwater.

McClaren Vale all of the wines from your region are off. I tried some and they have all gone bad.

Now that you all know how I feel, I think, it would be nicer, if we could treat each other with respect and just not invade each others minds anymore. Really, if I think about you one more time, I will just have to use bad filthy language at you.

I AM Alice in Wonderland

Monday, October 09, 2006 (an old blog, but a good one).

So, this story is true, and unbelievable. I was ready for work on Sunday half an hour early. So I figured I'd go to work and read Jayne Eyre to pass the time.

I got out my front door, and there on my door step was a big fluffy white rabbit. A BIG FLUFFY WHITE RABBIT! No kidding. I was like, this is not normal. Even for me. So I sat with it for a bit, until it decided to hop away. But it stopped, turned around as if to imply "You coming?" So I began to walk after it. I figured if you come across a white rabbit, you follow it right? This doesn't happen everyday. So I am walking around, following a rabbit, and I left my handbag on my doorstep even! But I had my phone. So by the end of the street, it turned the corner and stopped. It stayed on the footpath the entire time too. I was walking on the road, but it stuck to the path. So I looked around and saw a green sign that said "Lost: A big white bunny". So I crossed the road and the bunny waited while I knocked on the door. But there was no answer. I went back to the sign and called their number. The owners were not close by, so I suggested trying to pick him up, and put him in their backyard, or chase him into my yard so they could pick him up later. By that time there were a few other concerned residents who came by to help me, one of whom knew the owners and had found the bunny a few months back when it had gotten out. So we tried to catch him for about 20 mins, chasing him back and forth down our street, when eventually we picked him up and carried him back to their backyard. He was so cute! And I still managed to make it to work on time, despite my adventures. Today there was a sign on their fence saying a big thankyou to all the neighbors who helped find Snowey. And that they were thinking of calling him Hodini from then on. So I guess I am Alice Kinda, but I am not sure what I learned of the experience, except that I really want a big white fluffy rabbit!