I did not go to yoga this morning and felt all the better for it. Instead I pottered around attending to Palacely Action Items while listening to TED talks. I even opened the doors to both balconies and let some air in! While it is still a little chilly you can definitely feel spring on the way. 

I spent some time on the lower balcony attending to the neglected worm farm and generally tidying up (sweeping, pounding loose nails into the decking) – all was going wonderfully until I kicked my left little toe as I walked in the door. It hurt quite a bit but I ignored it and went about my business. After a little while I looked down and there was blood everywhere. All is good, but owwwww, still a bit throbby several hours later.

Even despite the injured toe, it was a beautiful day – though a little smokey. They’re burning off in the Mountains, so a bit of a haze settled over the city, making for a good photo opportunity.

The kitties were not terribly interested in allowing me to change the sheets:

And they now sleep on the bed at the same time – depending on the time of day, whether the stars are aligned, whether there’s an r in the month, or whatever else influences the delicate balance.

Tomorrow? I have no idea – though I do want to drag out the sewing machine for a bit. Not, I hasten to add, for anything for me – I’d like to complete hemming a pair of golf pants Don bought when we were in Japan! So much procrastination!

In this instalment of the Exotic Jetset Lifestyle of carolbaby, our heroine leaves the office at lunch time to buy new bras (25% off) and socks.

She’s also thinking about skipping yoga tomorrow,  but guilt will probably ensure she puts in an appearance.

Rock and roll.

xxx

The most excellent Stacy from Blake Hill House has a 30ProjectsIn30days challenge happening in September. While the last thing I need is another challenge, I’m kind of tempted to participate to get some of those niggling items crossed off the Action Items list.

Things like:
1. Hang rack in the third floor bathroom
2. Put window screens back into windows
3. Put away winter coats (though maybe not quite yet!)
4. Paint balcony exterior door frame

We’ll see if the motivation holds to do any of these or to even complete the list.

I can’t say I’m a huge fan of these five day working weeeks, I’d really much rather be going to yoga and pottering about making skirts and trying to embrace meditation.

Some Actions for the weekend:
➕ acquire a couple more fish for the wee tank
➕ attack 5 of the remaining 50before50 items
➕ hang two shelves
➕ agree plans for spring planting
➕ hem Don’s golf pants
➕ yoga (didn’t feel it last week, so hope this session is better)
➕ catch up on blog posts

Bobs is currently on two week’s leave and the peacefulness at SML is really unnerving. 

You’d think this would be a great time to get a whole bunch of work done, but I’m clearly so accustomed to this high-energy, high-drama, action-packed, chaotic environment that I feel a little lost. Heather and I agreed that it’s really kind of boring.

In three weeks when I’m bemoaning the all-round craziness and lack of structure, feel free to remind me of this.

Holy Goodness! It’s been over 8 months since the last film! Excuses – I could make them, but will refrain.

I finally busted out Lantana on a gloomy Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago to accompany red-beans-and-rice-making.

In 10 words or less: Wonderful! slow-moving, character-driven, almost European, but totally Aus.

I have never visited the Museum of Contemporary Art.

For someone who lives in Sydney and purports to enjoy contemporary art, this is pretty shameful.

I should really do something about this – but maybe only after I’ve crossed some more things off the 50 list.

Today Don and I ventured out to watch American College football. We’d had fun last year at the CAL v Hawaii game and given Stanford were playing this time, we dropped a bunch of cash on tickets and dusted off Don’s well used and very grody Stanford caps.

Stanford were playing Rice (yeah, I had no idea who they were either). But I’m highly entertained by the idea of Rice Owls.

Given that I have no idea of the intricacies of American football, I took the zoom lens along to entertain myself. I should do this more often and wish I’d thought of it for the local baseball.

And I just had to include the very excellent mullet rocked by one of the Rice players!

Stanford absolutely ran away with it 62-7. 

The weather was gorgeous and we had a very nice time, but I’m still no closer to understanding quite how the game works! 

From my lovely-but-too-short break from SML …

xxx

Monday yoga with candles and chanting-as-background-music:

Challenging session, and very different to the usual Saturday class. I felt pretty amazing afterward.

I don’t know what’s happened in the five years since I last did yoga (semi) regularly, but I seem to have much better focus and ability to breathe. I daresay the improved breathing is due to the running and cardio. I think the focus is likely due less of the comparing myself (unfavourably, of course) to everyone else around me and just getting on with it.

I definitely need more in my life.

xxx

We finally treated ourselves to a small aquarium and bought the first inhabitants!

This is so wonderful and relaxing and quite the best thing ever.

We’ll slowly be adding more inhabitants over the coming months.

xxx

I made Scandinavian coconut biscuits as recommended by the excellent ganching

very ordinary photo, but incredibly delicious – A+++ would make again

I’m a little unconvinced as to the Scandinavianness of coconut, but you should definitely make a batch!

xxx

And despite my intention to Stay Away from the InformationSuperhighway, I discovered a couple of new-to-me blogs and have been devouring the archives:

Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. Local, loads of excellent food, great resources and many other good things. How I had not discovered this blog before is a mysterious mystery because it is pretty much everything I like.

Foxs Lane. Organic farming, crafting, photographs to die for.

You should go read them!

xxx

On my first day of hols after pilates I popped down to Glenmore Meats to grab some chicken wings to make stock, only to find it closed – forever!

Nooooooo! I knew the building/land had been sold, but one of the staff told me the lease had been extended for a couple of years. Clearly something had changed. I’m sure it will become yet another of the dozens of new apartment blocks in the area – for which there will be absolutely no improvement in infrastructure (thank The Universe I’ve started riding my bike to work).

We have such fond memories of that place – long time readers may remember my attempt to capture the fleet of impressively painted vehicles.

Glebe is becoming less and less familiar as time passes and favourite places close down or move away. Though really it’s been FIVE YEARS since we moved here – you’d think we’d start thinking of Petersham as home at some point (we’ll have soon been here longer than we were there!).

I’d definitely call myself a sewist (sew-er?), but I don’t think I’ve really sewn a garment for myself since I was in high school. I’ve bought fabric and downloaded patterns several times in the past which I’ve procrastinated over and then abandoned. This challenge was an effort to stop dithering – and maybe explore what was holding me back.

As is my way, I agonised about what to choose for some time. Naturally my initial thoughts were around something terribly complicated and structured (why do I do this to myself?). Then I had stern words with myself about decision paralysis and conveniently the Scarborough Fair skirt pattern appeared on Posie Gets Cozy and I decided to JFDI (Just Do It).

I really struggled to find appropriate fabric – searched Lincraft in the CDB at lunch, the remnant warehouse and finally found spotty navy cotton at Lincraft in Alexandria on the first day of my holiday. As an aside, I should have just gone to Spotlight, I visited on Tuesday an attempt to find elastic that Lincraft didn’t stock and they had loads of amazing options – lesson for next time.

The pattern was interesting in that it required no pieces – just a bunch of rectangles based on your measurements. I won’t lie that this was a little confronting, but it actually turned out to be super-simple. I made a couple of minor changes – lowered the pockets, hand-stitched top-stitched the back edge of the waistband – otherwise made as directed.

On with the pix-or-it-didn’t-happen:

sewing helper

work in progress

all the helping

finished! front

and back

I was really pretty pleased with the result, but I couldn’t mark this challenge as done until I’d completed the and wear it part.

So I wore it to work today! It’s pretty great and I think I’ll wear it often.

action shot: desk

action shot: elevator

action shot: uniqlo change room

This has definitely worked as intended – it really has kick-started my sewing for myself motivation. I’ll also make this skirt again – though I think I’d go for in-seam pockets rather than the patch pockets in the pattern.

As for what was holding me back? Like most things I think that I really have problems spending time doing things for me!

And that’s another one off the list! No way am I going to get all of these done – but even 75% would be Winning.

And just like that, my break has come to an end.

I don’t think I did even half of what I’d intended, but it was really brilliant nonetheless.

I meditated (or tried to) every morning and went to yoga 5 days out of the 7 (one of those days was pilates, but I’m totally counting it). My goal is now to be a retired lady who goes to yoga every morning – there are a couple of ladies at the studio who do this and I am consumed with envy.

Honestly, I don’t think I can remember the last time I felt so calm and relaxed and dare I say, content. The meditation? The yoga? The not being at SML?

My only regret is that I didn’t take another week off, but I’ve booked in three weeks for the end of November / beginning December to make up for it.

And TheUniverse was clearly rewarding me because there were particularly good sunrises and sunsets which I was actually around to photograph.

Monday (21/08):

Tuesday (22/08):

Wednesday (23/08)

Back to reality tomorrow – prediction is I return to curmudgeonly self by around 10am.