New Zealand so far.

Ok so it's been so long since I last posted on here so there are a good few months of my life missing which I will try and fill in soon, but right now I am in New Zealand- about 3 days into a 10 day holiday. I say holiday rather than 'trip' because we are making a deliberate effort to relax and do holiday-ish things.

Today we went on a very sophisticated wine tour around the Martinborough region. It was fantastic. We tried all types of wine and I have eaten so much cheese and so many crackers that I don't think I can ever look at another one again!

The region is famous for Pinot Nior, but we had a try of everything. Super proud of ourselves because we managed to stay relatively sober for the entire day. Never thought I would say that haha! The countryside on the way there from Wellington was so beautiful and green, and we rode the train along the coast for a short way too. We have been so lucky with weather, even managing to get in some sneaky sunshine.

Last night we met up with these 3 lovely guys who live just around the corner who had invited us over for dinner. We went for a walk up Mount Victoria and had a little picnic overlooking the whole of Wellington and Oriental Bay. We watched the sunset and talked about everything and nothing, it was such a great way to spend the afternoon. We went back to their little place which was absolutely adorable and cooked up an amazing meal of fish, salad, potatoes, lamb, sausages and asparagus. It was actually a feast. Haha.

Wellington so far has been incredible, I am so glad that we decided to spend all our time here rather than exhaust ourselves running from town to town. We have discovered some gorgeous little cafes and gelati shops, even stumbled across some giant free beanbags down on the wharf that we promptly fell asleep in :P

I just bought tickets for a NYE party at a bar on the wharf, it is a live gig in this incredible old ballroom with wooden floors, chandeliers and an incredible view of the bay. The bands sound pretty sweet too, so we're getting pretty excited about it. I can't believe how quickly the new year has come around, it's actually incredible.

Tomorrow we are going to wake up, have a coffee and go from there. What a fantastic way to live :)

lookbook.nu

Oh my god.

A picture began circulating in November. It should be "The Picture of the Year," or perhaps, "Picture of the Decade." It won't be. In fact, unless you obtained a copy of the U.S. paper which published it, you probably would never have seen it.

The picture is that of a 21-week-old unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner. The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr. Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr. Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr. Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity. The editors titled the picture, "Hand of Hope." The text explaining the picture begins, "The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr. Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life."

Little Samuel's mother said they "wept for days" when they saw the picture. She said, "The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person" Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

Reset.

I have been feeling all scattered today, probably due to lack of sleep and exercise (broken foot- I'll explain later). I have had so much caffeine and I was pretty much running laps of my room and swinging between neurotic happiness, helplessness (soo much work) and ridiculously angry at absolutely nothing. I was so mad at a slice of red onion at lunch- it was really bad. But I've managed to reset my day, and I feel so much better. It happened by chance (yes, I was procrastinating) that I found these things, but they were the perfect combination of what I needed to get my head back together. The universe just sent me a little help, so thanks to whoever orchestrated the whole thing. Just in case anyone else is having one of those days, I thought I'd share it. First, watch the video and then click the link and do what it tells you. It's the right dose of the right emotions. Promise you'll feel better after :)





Click me!

Guaranteed, this will make your day.

Holga

All these were taken by me in the last year. Some are in New York, some at home in Ballina and some since I have moved. Taken on 120mm film and developed matte with a white border. Scanned with a terrible scanner...sorry about shit quality. 

Black, White and Grey.

 

 

  

   

 

 

 

All of these photos were taken by me on standard 35mm black & white film. I use a little camera that is one step up from a disposable, nothing fancy. They are all taken around Ballina, just things that caught my eye in one way or another as I wandered around. Hope you like them :)

Picnic on the headland.

 

Claire sitting with our beautiful spread. We found a little spot on the edge of a cliff, looking out over the ocean. We had a blanket, lots of munchies and even a few cups of tea in a sneaky thermos! 

 We managed to fit so much into this basket, it weighed about a hundred kilos. We looked hilarious trying to lug it up the hill. So not graceful at all!

 

The view. How magical is it? The water was actually sparkling.

 An hour before we left, we realised that it wouldn't be a real picnic without some scones! These are Claire's home made raisin scones, and they were incredible.

 

We made this amazing salad, with roast pumpkin, grated carrot, roast walnuts, chickpeas and baby spinach. Ate so much of it, it was gone in about 2 minutes!  

 

My Grandma used to pride herself on the cumquat jam she made-she even had a little cumquat tree in a pot at the front gate of their Brighton home. Mum and I both love it, and so whenever we see any we just have to buy it- especially if it's been made by a sweet little old lady. Somehow our combined efforts mean we have accumulated about 7 jars in the last 6 months, and it's getting ridiculous. 

 

  

How adorable is my tea set? I managed to get four cups and saucers, four small plates, four large plates and four bowls all with the same rose pattern and gold trim. The best part? I got the whole set for $5 at the salvos! And the lovely lady in there said she might have a teapot that would go nicely that she would bring in for me. Amazing!

    

Claire's French book, I have no idea what it says, but it looks pretty! 

  

The beginning of my little art book. I'll explain more when I have some art to show ;)  

 

It was such a perfect afternoon, tea, snacks, sunshine and salty air. It's raining today, so all I have are these photos to remind me that I live in a summer holiday destination.