going batty.

I've missed this lady.
Natasha Kahn, aka Bat For Lashes, has been off the scene for a couple of years now and it's so exciting to have her back.
Her latest album, The Haunted Man, is a beautiful example of her elaborate musical craftsmanship. The raw instruments, such as the flute used in Winter Fields, creates depth and texture. Her trade mark haunting, smokey vocals are intricately layered and rich, drawing you in and evoking the senses.
My personal favourite is "Laura".
Have a listen.

there is a door.

There is a door that is open wide,
I stand,
Just inside,
Waiting.
All my opportunities come at once,
They push and shove,
They jam together,
They are stuck.
Just.
My.
Luck.
Won't one of you push a little harder?
Make yourself clear!
I'm standing here,
Waiting.
I'm trying hard to reach a little further,
I want to pull you all through,
What to do?
Time is passing,
Here I stand,
Nothing yet planned.
Life is so bland.
I shut the door,
I just can't wait anymore.

a letter to my dog.

Dear Pippin,

You lay sleeping on "Daddy's" lap next to me on the couch as I write this. Your squishy little nose is twitching in the midst of some dream where you are probably chewing a bone or chasing your frisbee. You're kinda snoring and I want to pull on your whiskers and annoy you.

I wish you could understand me when I tell you how much I love you. I have never experienced love quite the same way as i have from you. You are never mad or angry at me and it's so nice that you are ridiculously excited to see me every time i walk in the door, even if I've only just gone out for 5 minutes.

You are always ready for a cuddle, especially when I'm feeling particularly at odds with the world. Your favourite spot to sit is in my lap and you always want to be near me, even when i've just been exercising and smell like old socks.

You don't care if i wear no make up and my hair looks like a birds nest in the morning. You don't mind if i forget to feed you at the same time every day and you don't judge me if I spill half my dinner on the floor every time i eat. Actually i think you like that about me because you come straight over and clean it up for me. Saves me a lot of mopping!

You are incredibly intelligent and I'm so impressed with how quickly you learn things! Sometimes i even think you understand what i'm saying to you because you give me a knowing look. Sometimes you just tilt your head to the side like you think I'm a crazy person.

Sometimes you chew my slippers and it upsets me a bit, but then you look at me with your goggly brown eyes and put your head on my knee and all the anger melts away.

Thank you for loving us unconditionally. I hope you feel as happy and loved being with us as we do being with you.


I love you my little squippies,
Love Mummy

bionic = boring.

I am struggling to find positive things to talk about in terms of the human race as a collective. I feel as though We have morphed into an egotistical, selfish, demanding and unsatisfied race of beings that instead of asking the question "what can I do?" ask "what can i do for myself?".

I know i sound like a 75 year old woman who chases the "whippersnappers" off her property with a broom but I honestly believe that the imminent advancement of technology is largely to blame for our self preservating ways. We have been introduced to a state of being where everything is instantaneous. We can access anything, talk to anyone, learn about anything we want to know and go wherever we want to go in heartbeat or less. We are spoilt and ignorant and it deeply disturbs me.

Don't get me wrong, I will be the first to admit that at least 40% of the time my iPhone seems to be an extension of my arm, and I spend minutes, hours (sometimes even days) surfing the internet for my own personal gain. I guess i am just a little concerned that we take this wonderful world of opportunities a little bit for granted when we could actually be putting it to good use. 

On the bus the other day i had a lady sit down next to me and comment admiringly on my perfume. I am sad to admit that I was extremely shocked that she had spoken to me at all. But the the sad part isn't that she had spoken to me, the sad part was that I was surprised. Despite this she truly made my day, all in the simple act of giving a stranger a compliment. 

Trust me, you don't need another pair of shoes from net-a-porter, or to keep your eyes glued to instagram whilst riding the train to work. Maybe try something different, go on, get out of your fluffy little html world. Take a friend out to lunch, give a stranger a compliment, have a chat with the check out chick (or chap). 

I challenge you to give back every once in a while. Instant gratification for yourself has nothing on potentially making someone else's day.

This has been another rant from P.

catching the curve balls.

I think it's really safe to say that the last 3 days have been an extremely low time for me. After always hearing the saying "bad things come in 3's" it turns out that now i can confirm this theory via personal experience.

On Wednesday the 15th i got a phone call from my Pa breaking the news that there have been cancerous mass's found on his liver and we are due to re-live the last six horrifying months all over again. Of course I am devastated to say the least as this whole damn thing just isn't fair. After the initial reaction of wanting to destroy everything in my path with a baseball bat i have since calmed down and allowed myself to re-assess everything with a clearer mind. I know we are being tested by Life and I know that for a while to come we will be fighting this battle with all we are worth. It's strange because initially you don't quite believe it and you kind of shut it out. You lie in bed and any thoughts of impending doom (which are unavoidable as we are only human) are blocked and pushed from your mind. It's almost a defence mechanism and a way of the brain saying "don't let these thoughts in because they will crush you". Thanks brain for making this possible, i owe you one.

On Thursday the 16th, after a heavy and exhausted sleep, christian and i had the luxury of a day off together and thought we would treat ourselves to breakfast in the sun. Once settled in the car with the dog in the back seat, christian turned the key in the ignition and we were greeted by the deafening sound of silence. The starter motor was completely dead and the battery nearly gone. Instead of poached eggs on toast with a cappuccino we found ourselves dishing out for a new starter motor, battery and a Lube Mobile call out fee which left the bank account considerably lighter to say the least. (despite this the call out mechanic was an absolute champ and helped out as much as possible).

Today, Friday the 17th, I have woken up with what I can only describe as the worst flu I have ever had. It feels as though there are mice living inside my nose and my head is full of sandbags. I'm not a catalyst for calling in sick but today, unfortunately, was unavoidable. So here I am sitting on the couch feeling sorry for myself, trying to warm my ice cold hands as the heater broke last week.

Alas! Life, don't be fooled. We're not as weak as we seem! I know now that bad things do come in threes and i'm hoping you are getting bored of watching me squirm. Also lets pray that your throwing arm is getting tired as i'm getting sick of the curve balls!

However if you decide to pitch a few more I have my baseball bat here and waiting to hit a home run!

Thank you all for letting me vent. I feel considerably better now.

Till next time..
P

dad.

So, i'm sure most of you know my dad is unwell. He has bowel cancer and got diagnosed about 3 months ago. Since being diagnosed he has gone through kemo therapy and radiation which was quite successful. Now myself and the family are anticipating his surgery which will be on the 12th of July.

I don't mind talking about it because somehow i have dealt with the situation. At first hearing the news made me really pissed off and angry with the world. I couldnt comprehend how someone that doesn't smoke or drink, looks after themselves and is such an asset to so many peoples lives could be cursed with this horrible disease. It's really not fair, but for want of not going completely insane I just have to accept it.

I know we are not the only ones having our lives affected by cancer. 1 in 3 people will at some point in their lives suffer from it and it's amazing the stories that people come out with when you confide that someone you love has it too. It makes us feel less alone but definately doesn't dull the anxiety. Despite it all we are positive people and we are trying with all our might to only envision the best possible outcome.

The point of this post wasn't to ramble on about cancer so much but rather tell a few short stories about my dad that our family friend Lucy Forbes shared with me about half an hour ago.

I have always known him as my father and a bit of a goofball. He has an incredible sense of humour and always finds the funny side of life (im sure if you have been recieving his email updates you will be able to relate to this). But today i learned about simple side of him that has stuck with the people involved and will undoubtably stick with me.

My dad is a bus driver and has been doing it for a few good years now. He used to work for Qantas but decided that he was missing out on too much at home and bus driving is what he has ended up doing instead.

Lucy has recently organised a benefit concert for my dad which will be on the 5th of July. We have had so many people eager to help out the family and Lucy has taken it upon herself to organise a night where people actually can and pay tribute to my dad.

We spoke today about the concert and she wanted to share with me two little stories associated with both dads bus driving and the concert.

Recently it was all advertised in the local news paper and lucy told me she was working at her husbands practice on the reception desk when a little old lady walked in the door. She came up to the counter, purchased a ticket and told her that David Furey was the best bus driver she had ever met in her life before waddling out the door.

The second is from when Lucy ran into someone she knew. At the time she was holding the flyer about dad and the concert and the lady she had run into said ''I know that man, thats David Furey''
Lucy said to her ''Oh how do you know David?''
she replied ''on my son's first day of school i was really nervous and my son was absolutely terrified of catching the bus. Finally the bus pulled up and the doors opened and behind the wheel was a friendly man with a huge smile that said to the little boy ''Hello i'm david, whats you name?'' from that day on her son was more than excited to attend school and she was completely at ease with him catching the bus.

These stories are quite simple but they make me so extremely proud of my dad for being such a good person and impacting on peoples lives in such a positive way. It is so easy for all of us as human beings to get completely lost in our own needs, cares, wants, moods and problems. It takes an extremely selfless heart to put it all aside so other people can be happy too.

If there is anything I have learned from my dad it's that a smile and a kind word can move mountains.

luvya Dad.

welcome home.

You know those songs that resonate throughout your entire body? Everytime you heard it no matter where you are you just lose youself and imagine you're somewhere else. This song called Welcome Home by Radical face is definately one of those.

There are so many layers and meanings and it's just truly beautiful.

Have a listen it will change you life.

baby its raining!

Most people despise the kind of weather we are currently having. Needless to say i LOVE it. This kind of weather is one of my favourites. I don't really know how to explain it but i feel like consistant rain that lasts for days is really cleansing and in a way nourishing for the soul. It kind of forces you to stay inside and get things done, like the cleaning you've been putting off for weeks or cake you have been wanting to bake since you first saw the recipe. We all need down time and I have really been enjoying mine!
Today i have been pottering around and working with my camera a little more. I discovered a cool backdrop conveniently located in my room where i could create silhouettes and shadows. It's fun to experiment in the early stages of learning about photography. I also went for a walk during the half hour when it was bucketing down to see if i could capture anything interesting with my EF 50mm lense.

Here a few snapshots that i have edited slightly.

 

 Here i was trying to capture the moment when a drop hits the water surface and explodes.

I think i kind of got it but between juggling my camera, umbrella and phone i forgot to change to the macro setting.

Two hearts on the same path.

 This is my favourite of the day.

I really love the colour of the sky when it rains. It turns into a dirty cream colour and seems to make the rich blue of the ocean look even more intense. There is something peaceful about being next to the sea while it's raining.

Even if you hate the rain you will appreciate the sunny weather even more when it rolls around again. Until that day i hope you all stay cosy! 

-P

four seaons in one day

This week has been one of the most turbulent in my life. Due to this i have been feeling extremely emotional, crying sporadically and feeling peaks of excitement and happiness to lows of pure devastation. I promise i'm not a crazy person but now I can really relate to the metaphor of "life is a rollercoaster".
The weather matched my moods perfectly with sun, rain, wind and thunder and i have been experiencing all four seasons in one day.
I have honestly surprised myself with how emotional i really can be and it is interesting and enlightening to learn this side of my personality. Despite everything i feel like my clouds have a silver lining and i have found that sometimes these peaks and plummets can actually help you to understand yourself a little bit better and see the big picture a little bit clearer.
Since dad got sick i have been feeling the urge to tell people how i feel about them or thank certain individuals for whatever contributing factor they may have had in my life. If you recieve a random message from me in your inbox don't be surprised!

I am also trying to focus on my creative side and work on discovering an outlet that lets me express myself without words so that i don't seem like a rambling crazy.

Today Manny and I lounged on the couch and i tried to befriend my camera a little better. I took some random shots of Pippin (perfect subject as she is cute and funny). Here is the end result with some slight editing.

For all who have the queens birthday off enjoy every minute!

so.. where to begin?

With multiple attempts at blogging (without much consistancy) i'm finally actually going to try stick to something.
I have so many ideas and thoughts brimming over the overfilled (and overthinking) cup that is my brain and sometimes i feel sad that these thoughts feeling and ideas get lost rather than recorded.
This may just be the outlet i need for the rediculous rambling that i currently only share either with myself or the unfortunate people who I either work or live with who can't get away from me.
I'm interested in fashion & interiors, travelling, food, music and health so i hope to post some pictures, ideas, opinions and life stories on this blog which co-incide with these interests (which may, or may not be worth following).
So..
here goes nothing..