demiurge

There were castles in the mountains.

2011-07-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

"I read there that all things live by a generous power and dance to a mighty tune; or I read there that all things are scattered and hurled, that our every arabesque and grand jeté is a frantic variation on our one free fall...

...It has always been a happy thought to me that the creek runs on all night, new every minute, whether I wish it or know it or care, as a closed book on a shelf continues to whisper to itself its own inexhaustible tale."

-Annie Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek)

I've been reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, and Annie Dillard's description of the natural world, and our relationship to it, have been stopping me in my tracks.

I'm moving into Anchorage soon, into the cutest little house, and we've been looking into getting a flock of laying hens. I've been planning out the coop and where we can buy the ladies. We visited JM's friend who has a full garden and 8 chickens, and we came home with the little ivory egg in the picture, as well as a grocery-bag full of lettuce and carrots and zucchini (that we promptly made into this).

Mountains that look like castles, and pancakes with percolated coffee, and swimming in the lake in the early mornings. Today is a steady drizzle of rain, but I made this roasted tomato soup and seeded flat bread and we drove around looking for apple orchards last night.

fireweed farm, and two views from my lap.

2011-06-28T09:57:00.000-07:00

2011-06-23T11:23:00.001-07:00

Honey-yogurt scones from the Fiddlehead cookbook.

2011-06-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hiking this weekend. It was Narnia the whole way.

I listened to John O'Donohue speak on one of my favorite podcasts, On Being.

He spoke about beauty, and real friendships, and mentioned Blais Pascal, who said

"In difficult times you should always carry something beautiful in your mind."

2011-06-20T15:18:00.000-07:00

There are such things as lavender cupcakes on rainy days.

"Peril, lonelieness, an uncertain future, are not oppressive evils, so long as the frame is healthy, and the faculties are employed; so long, especially, as Liberty lends us her wings, and Hope guides us by her star."

-Charlotte Bronte (from Villette)

hearty: two definitions.

2011-06-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

A Man's Man.
from here

I made this, I ate this with marmalade, and learned soda bread is so easy.
And Seeded Soda Bread from 101 Cookbooks

2011-06-14T01:32:00.000-07:00

"Rest is not idleness,

and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day,

listening to the murmur of water or watching the clouds float across the sky

is by no means a waste of time."

John Lubbock

Starting Summer Off Right.

2011-06-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

Oh, domesticity.

2010-10-26T20:55:00.000-07:00

A new coat, walks in the woods, time spent drawing, reading, and eating dried cherries (thanks, Dad!).

But really exciting is house-sitting and having a kitchen and piano of my very own for a while.

Saturday was a fun night with the girls, stir-fry and Chocolate Beet Cake and Bananagrams.

On Sunday afternoon, I was the happiest girl in the world. Baking banana bread while listening to public radio (I pledged and they mentioned my name on air!) and walking the dog and curling up on the couch with mug of tea and book (currently The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver.)

little bits of my october

2010-10-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ignoring the fact that I have been gone from here for quite a while, let's jump back in to how lovely October has been.

Writing lots of letters, doing lots of drawing, Value Village finds (the dress is going to become my Halloween costume!) and getting lovely etsy things in the mail. That I wouldn't open until I carried them down to the coffeehouse and got an americano and pumpkin-raisin loaf. And promptly read my novel afterwards. I love mornings like that.

Lots of listening to NPR, lots of knitting (one mitten down), lots of walks on the trails, lots of writing in journals, talking on the phone to long-distant friends, art-galleries with close-distance friends, going contra dancing for the first time, and taking myself to see a play on a Sunday afternoon.

Have a lovely Thursday, and a lovely week :)

2010-09-13T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here in college. Living in a dorm, meeting people, taking classes, riding my bike around town, live music, yarn shops, vintage clothing, Thai food, library time, coffeeshops.

These photos are from a walk I took last week to the campus botanical gardens. I reached into the foliage and found a cucumber and a baby pumpkin. The pumpkin is now my dorm's autumnal decoration, and the cucumber is participating in many of my lunches.

I really like it here.

2010-08-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

My mom calls him "peanut".

2010-08-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

Berry-picking in the sun.

2010-08-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

Saying a lot of goodbyes this week.

On The Road

2010-08-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

A few shots from the road trip to Seward with Annie...

2010-08-01T21:46:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to do a bit of art and writing every day, and it feels really, really lovely.

In the City; a photoshoot

2010-07-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

I was a pretty happy girl to spend the day in town with Megan yesterday, to take pictures with my new camera.

And there's a new face poking around the house (and jingling, with that little bell on his collar); this is Charlie, a Siamese my friend found on the side of the road in the rain, wet and starved and scraggly. She was so happy when I asked if I could watch him for the weekend, to see if he and Fly get along. I find he's perfectly happy curled up on my stomach, or feet, or...wherever, really. He kind of has an attitude, but he's a pretty sweet guy.

I call him Charles.

2010-07-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

Hello.

It's been so long!

This is my breakfast. But more excitingly, this photo was taken with my new camera.

I think I am in love.

2010-03-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

Loving Alaska. Loving mountains and the snow and the crispness.

Doing a lot of dreaming about cabins, dogs, herb gardens, wilderness, art studios, VW vans.

Planning on starting some kombucha, learning to make ricotta, and getting a job!

Hoping to volunteer at the college radio station and I've been peeking at buying a car.

Ira Glass comes to Alaska in April! I've been listening to This American Life every week.

I'm not totally done with the blog, but computer troubles for now...

hippies in the valley

2010-01-10T11:38:00.000-08:00

Aron and I made our way South-via 3 cities in 3 days (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch). Out of Christchurch we caught a ride with the hostel owner as far as Hanmer Springs, and then managed to hitch-hike as far as this sign:
And we knew we had found the World Rainbow Gathering. Another hitched ride with a van full of Japanese and a 40-minute walk along a very, very muddy road, we started seeing more the tents, the dreadlocks, and the pots of chai warming over little fires.

The walk in was quite a trek. My new Tevas showed their worth! Although I got some pretty serious blisters.

Just as we were setting up our tent, a rainbow came out. It's been said that there's been a rainbow at every single World Rainbow Gathering. We got there just in time to see this one:

Twice a day there was Food Circle. A couple of times we helped out in the kitchen, rolling huge masses of chappatis, stirring vats of rice and polenta, tossing salads in storage-size plastic boxes. Before dinner was ready, there would be a "1-2-3.." and we'd all shout "FOOD CIRCLE!!" so people could start congregating. Then, once the meal was ready, everyone would stand in the circle, holding hands and singing songs like;

We are circling, circling together
we are singing, singing our heart-song
This is family, this is unity
this is celebration, this is sacred

and then an "omm" would start, and vibrations from everyone's voice would grow, and lift the whole circle up. It felt very special, and very unifying, it was a really awesome feeling. Then we'd lift our hands, bring them down namaste-style in front of us, and then all kneel and bow and give thanks.

The food was usually pretty good-staples were things like dal, red cabbage, chappatis, and soaked oats. Sometimes we got special chutneys, or rice pudding, or once even a dessert of stewed apples with seeds. Somehow there was always enough, with the servers running around yelling "First time chickpeas?" and people would respond "Chickpea connection??"
In between meals, there were workshops, things like meditation, laughter-yoga, energy channeling, baton-twirling, juggling, and discussions over the nature of the universe. I did laughter yoga, and it was a lot of silly but really hilarious exercises, we shouted things like "Very good, very good, YAY!!!!" and all giggle.

The valley was beautiful, 2 of the days we were there the sun was very hot, and we spent a lot of time lolling and reading and meeting people. I grew really fond of a girl named Tal, from Israel. But random people told me I was the sweetest person they'd met at Rainbow, or if I was ever in [their country] I could stay at their house for free, because they could see in my eyes that I was a good person. It's always nice to hear things like that.. :)

On our 3rd day, the rain started, and our little tent didn't hold up too well. We moved it a couple of times, but it was absolutely pouring, so our efforts were kind of in vain. We managed to warm ourselves by the fire before finding a communal teepee to spend the night in...

It was a really beautiful experience, the amount of love and shared excitement for life was infectious, and you really couldn't help at smiling from all the good energy there. Of course, between the rain and the mice eating our food, we were pretty ready to head out, but it was sad to leave the friends we had made.

There are Rainbow Gatherings all over the world, sometimes just regional, so there's always one going on somewhere, it seems like. Some people just hop from gathering to gathering, following them and never really settling down. I don't think I could every do that, but I can understand how addictive it is to have a family like this.

"Another Beautiful Day in Paradise", Christmas in Tuateawa

2009-12-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

After a few days of hostel life, we were picked up by Bexie's friend Jon, a conservationist who has a spot of land that he's been working on, planting native trees and creating a home for volunteers to come and work on it.

There's a shanty and some storage containers on the land, and Jon was still waiting for approval of his house to come through, so the first night we camped out. It's a beautiful place, right next to the river, surrounded by native bush.

The next day the deal came through, and he got the keys to this place. It's a cool house, an upstairs (the girls floor) for Bexie and I, and an open kitchen and communal space. Bexie and I were instantly excited to be able to "move in" somewhere. This will be the house the volunteers will be living at, when Jon's program starts in early January, and goes through the summer.

Our first dinner in the house--the quirkiness of this picture is fitting, as everything was still jumbled and packed, but we managed to cook anyway.

After working that day, we drove over the hill to Coromandel to pick up Aron the next evening. So good to see a familiar face in New Zealand--the first time since leaving in August! We were all smiles as we drove back, and captured this photo..
It didn't take us long to make ourselves at home, and to madly decorate for Christmas. Jon even went out and cut down a little pine tree (they're an invasive species here, and everyone hates them, so there's no grief about cutting them down. I still like them, but I'm not a native Kiwi..)

Here's our day trip into Thames, before Christmas. We spend a lot of time in the library there, because there was free internet, but we also managed to get a lot of grocery and Christmas shopping done too.Guys, this is a golden kiwi. I don't even know if you can get them in the U.S., because I had never heard of them before I got here. But they are waay good.

Bexie spoiled me again, and baked me a birthday-cake, and we had a combined house-warming/birthday/Aron's arrival celebration. And I got to blow out more candles :)This cake is so good, chock-full of seeds and fruit, it's a total treasure hunt to find everything in it.

Another lovely evening, I was popping popcorn to string on garlands, as we watched Star Wars and ate brownies.
Christmas day! Jon woke me up early in the morning, because I had volunteered to help him collect the fish from his net. I hung out on the beach for an hour as he paddled out and back, and then, before breakfast or festivities, we had to filet it. Goo and blood and bones later, I learned how to do it.I mean, who doesn't want to filet fish on Christmas morning?

Then we gathered around our Charlie Brown tree and opened the gifts. The package from my mom was packed with warm gear, lovely bits, and candies. Aron gave us each affirmation bracelets, and Bexie knitted me a headband, and Jon gave me socks and chocolate! Apparently, the goal of Christmas is how many things you can adorn yourself with. We played charades and drank champagne and had a lot of fun.

Bexie in the socks I knitted for her from the end-bits of the other socks:
On Boxing day the weather was fine, so Jon decided to take us all out for a paddle. It was beautiful, we hugged the coastline of cliffs and crumbly rock formations. The rocks were volcanic, and we called the "chocolate chip rocks", because they were made up of lots of light and dark little pieces.

We stopped in the middle at a little rocky cove to swim and sit in the sun and snack, then checked out a mussel farm, where Jon collected the ones growing on the edges, before we paddled back--and some penguins swam up to say hello! It turned out we were gone for 4 1/2 hours, but it didn't feel like that long!

In between working and adventures, there's been a lot of reading and knitting and playing games. There's been a few evenings of Settlers of Catan, a game of trading and building empires-those games can get pretty intense.

Spending a lot of time going to beaches too, to swim or just sit. This rocky beach at sunset had some great creatures in the tide pools.

These are called something like "cat-eye snails":Not a bad place to spend Christmas, not at all.

Sittin' underneath the putukawa tree...

2009-12-29T20:43:00.000-08:00

It was holiday time. I met Barney and Susie in Wellington, and we took this little jet to this little one-roomed airport in a little town of Kataia, a place you blink and you've passed it.

The bach (beach house) we stayed at was in a stunning place. A staircase led straight down to the sandy beach, where we swam in the mornings, and afternoons and whenever else the urge overtook us. A lot of reading, walking along the beach, napping, lounging, holiday-making. The beach is lined with putukawa trees, which bloom with red flowers around Christmas, making them the "Kiwi-Christmas Trees."

The "town" nearby was called Manganui, made up of a few small shops and restaurants. Barney took me out for awesome Thai food one night, an early birthday dinner, and some lovely gifts. :)

We drove to Kerikeri, about an hour away, to visit a yoga studio that Bexie had WWOOFed at her first month in NZ, with Louisa. The studio was beautiful-made out of an old church. The class was Iyengar and very strict (Louisa had studied with Iyengar's daughter and had learned yoga in a painful and tough way), but also very apt and huge into alignment.

After the class, Susie had a private session, so Louisa invited Barney and I to check out her house and make a cup of tea. I loved this house--big and open, with a mural on the wall and surrounded by gardens and chickens, geese, llamas.

Another day was the long drive up to Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of New Zealand. So beautiful, and such a cool feeling to have reached one end, knowing that across that ocean lay Samoa, Australia, and eventually the rest of the world.

We visited Susie's friend Fernella, who lived in an isolated valley and was trying to become as self-sufficient and eco-friendly as possible. Her line of work was building coffins that break down over time and become part of the earth. Her house was beautiful, a little octogon surrounded by trees and garden, with a composting toilet and a waterhole.

After a rough patch in the social dynamic, the group ended up in Auckland, and I ended up in a hostel. Being back in the same big city 4 months later felt really bizarre, almost like I had never left. But there were a few things that had changed about me. I knew how to take things slowly and pleasantly, I knew what I could spend money on (like food), and Barney was with me most of the time. We hung out and read and explored.

It was Christmas there. It's hard to convince yourself into the Christmas spirit when it's 75 degrees and the flowers are blooming. But in Auckland it seemed to be a little easier...

I went to this cemetary on my own, and was surprised at how peaceful it was. All the gravestones, mossy and crumbling and sitting quietly in the dappled sun under the trees. They didn't call for your attention, they just sat. These two were my favorite, leaning together like companions.Cute store. Stores like this kind of suck for travelers, because you can't afford much in it and you wouldn't want to carry it anyway. That didn't stop me from looking, anyway. One of my future projects is making bunting--the flags.
Before Barney and Susie left, we went to her friend's house for lunch. These people were in the business of traveling to France and buying things from flea markets, then selling them in New Zealand. Their house was beautiful. Especially the window seat. And the computer sitting next to the sewing machine--something I envision for myself when I have a craft business in the future.

After Barney left, I busied myself wrapping and sending presents. The ugly hostel was not the ideal setting for such a festive thing, but I guess I can't be picky.

Then, thank goodness, Bexie arrived. We spent an evening wandering around, we found a Japanese store where everything was $3, and had some fun there. We also went to a tattoo parlour-art studio-tea shop-radio station, where an opening was going on, and got some free food from the refreshments table. I loved the idea of combining those 4 things though--it made for such a cool and interesting place to hang out.

Here's our findings at the Japanese store: pens, oragami, a lunchbox, ribbon, a sewing kit, galore...

The next morning (my birthday!) we high-tailed it out of the city, taking the ferry across to the Coromandel Peninsula. We did stop at Muffin Break before we left, and Anne and Megan, I thought of you!

The hostel we arrived at was %1000 better than in Auckland--here there were no locks on the doors, random art everywhere, and such a relaxed atmosphere.

I felt so special on my birthday. We had some relax time to read and drink tea, and Bexie bestowed me with presents, which we let the elephants in our room guard as we went out for the day...

To Driving Creek Cafe. This is such a cool place, very laid-back, very comfortable, great food. A little bungalow, with local art on the walls.
I loved the screenprinting that was being showcased. This one was named "Root Cellar".
We had the best lunch of tomato soup and a huge sandwich of greens and chutney and goodness. Everything was delicious!!

After lunch we walked up the road a bit to the Driving Creek Railway. This was a little train that was built to haul clay down the mountain for the pottery at the bottom, but has turned into a little touristy place, where you can see the art and pottery, and then take it up to the view at the "Eyefull Tower" at the top. The pottery was awesome, and so was the scenery. Along the way, there is walls of wine bottles and sculptures hidden in the forest- all very cute.Bexie and I at the top. She's such a lovely traveling companion. Afterwards we stopped again at the cafe for a pot of tea, and bagged our truffle and cookie to eat after dinner. Sitting and talking for a while.

When we stopped at the little grocer's to buy veggies for our pizza that night, we grabbed this, and enjoyed it in the park--soo yummy. And where else but in NZ can you get kiwifruit ice cream?
We pride ourselves in becoming expert-chefs of hostel-kitchens. We managed to make pizza that night, with flat bread and sauteed veggies, and it turned out beautifully. Paired with a Marlborough wine and finished with our treats from the afternoon, which became my little birthday cake...I had such a nice birthday. I felt so blessed to be turning 19 in such a beautiful place, with a good friend to share it with.

enter: Nelson

2009-12-10T01:06:00.000-08:00

Nelson is the arts-and-crafts capital of New Zealand. No surprise then, that I loved this place.

We arrived by a windy bus-ride, and were spit up at the station with time to wait. I was so eager to explore the city, but turns out carrying large backpacks asnd duffels makes it a little hard. We did get a coffee, while we waited to be picked up by Gwenny, our WWOOFing host.

Originally from England, very matter-of-fact, Gwenny was a character. She lived in this 150 year-old house, with many of the original decorations and tins from when her parents had moved in during the 1960's (she admitted to us that she didn't like change.) But we found another side of her when we met her partner, Jace, an American with a common passion for Latin dance. Our first night there, we tagged along to join the Roeta class Jace was teaching, a type of salsa. We learned turns and partner changes in a small restaurant (I think we were good entertainment for the other customers.)

Our main jobs as WWOOFers were weeding thistles and foxglove in paddocks, cleaning porches, and stacking firewood. The land was nice, with lots of fruit trees and some sheep. We daily shook grapefruits from the tree, though these were very sour grapefruits. We tried baking them, with sugar and butter and cinnamon (I had seen the recipe before), but they didn't turn out very good. Way too sour.

Our trips into Nelson were nice, we saw a lot of art galleries, watched a man blowing glass, and stopped in the many bookstores, yarn shops, etc. The feel of the city was really nice, very laid-back and walkable.

This is Zippy's Vegetarian Cafe, just one of the more colorful ones we stopped in. Found out that ginger-oat slices are a very good thing.

We did stop in a few Asian markets, too. Hi Megan, I thought of you. These Japanese snacks were so cute! They had like, ones blowing bubbles and skipping rope, and behind the cupcake one there's a spatula.

We got baby carrots (and rosemary-infused honey) at a small market. Organic and fresh and oh-so-tasty. Photographed here with the packets of tea we had picked up at their Green Grocer.

The Market on Saturday made Nelson light up. The market itself was full of wood-workers, soap-makers, seamstresses, painters, bakers, coffee-makers, jewellers, potters, and knitters.

I was especially inspired by the screen-printing and sewing I saw, like these bird wallets. Bexie and I each bought one of the badges on the right.

And origami. The mobile on the left is kiwi-birds, and the guy told Bexie he would teach us how to make it, if we found origami paper to learn on. So we searched, but couldn't seem to find any. So we went online at the hostel and tried to learn. The ones we made weren't as good, though...

After the market we caught a bus back to Picton, and got straight onto a smaller ferry ( making for a much more bumpy trip than the first time), but had a good picnic of Nelson-market buys; gluten-free seed bread, the rosemary-honey, and really salty and good feta.

I think Nelson would be a good place to start a business, or raise a family, or start an action group. There's so many artists and alternative-thinkers there, but at the same time it's a really calm and close-knit feeling. Even though it's the sunniest place in New Zealand, it did rain half the time we were there. But rainy days make for good reading and knitting days, so I don't particularly mind...

Double Cove, lazy days

2009-12-03T06:19:00.000-08:00

We waited at the Picton harbor, searching for an orange boat.

"How big do you think it's going to be?"

(We pictured a big, orange boat. Not so.)

Turns out 'orange' is also a good indicator that the boat will be small. And small it was. Trevor convinced us that our bags and selves would snuggle in, and we jetted off across the sound, to their little home tucked into the trees.

Lynn and Trevor had had a holiday "bach" (beach house) in Double Cove for 30 years, before retiring and deciding to build a home next to it. Bexie and I stayed in their old bach, and walk over for mealtimes and tea. The bach was still decorated from the 1970's and really awesome. We were excited to have a whole house to ourselves. I was especially jazzed by the wallpapered bathroom.

They didn't have much work for us to do. We were supposed to be painting the bach, but it rained the first day, so after breakfast and chatting, they let us just hang out in our bach, where we spent most of the day knitting and reading and doing yoga, and in the evening we lit the fire in our little stove, put on Bexie's honey-cinnamon-nutmeg face-mask and listened to podcasts. It's nice to travel with Bexie.

Trevor took us out on little explorations around the cove, to see other bachs, and to see blue cod and sting rays, and collect mussels from docks (to later steam for afternoon tea).

I thought these flowers looked like forget-me-nots (Alaska's State flower, of course) and was happy to see them.

The sun did come out the next day, though, and after some light cleaning, we were allowed to lay on the dock, and them go swimming. The water was full of jellyfish! But Trevor told us they didn't sting, and proved it by picking one up with bare hands. Still apprehensive, we initially screamed every time we'd bop! one on the head while swimming, but after not being stung, decided he must have been telling the truth.

Here's a jellyfish, on the right of the picture.
And a weka came to visit our home! They're like small hens with very sharp beaks, and apparently have a taste for WeetBix. It did accept this VitaWheat cracker that I fed it, though.

Before we left, we made an origami fish mobile for the bathroom. They emailed us later to tell us how much they liked it, and how much they enjoyed us staying with them. Bexie and I agreed it was really lucky to have a few easy days to just hang out in such a beautiful spot. The whole trip felt a little like staying with our grandparents, and I don't think we minded that one bit.

Thanksgiving by the Sea

2009-12-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

A beautiful day in Picton. Bexie met me at the bus stop and showed me around the incredibly cozy hostel, Sequoia Lodge, that is by far the best hostel I've ever stayed in. With free internet, free hot tub, free breakfast, and free chocolate pudding every night, it was like a mini-vacation from all the WWOOFing.

On Thanksgiving day, we hung around the hostel in the morning (free breakfast!) and then slathered on sun screen and strolled around town. Checked out a Dutch "Bakerij", poked through some clothing shops, and then plopped down in the grass next to the sailboats and had a picnic.

We did stop in a great second-hand store, that had a good collection of glass bottles, antique postcards, and amazing salt-and-pepper shaker sets.

We took a 3-hour hike up "Queen Victoria's Viewpoint", and it totally deserved it's name. It gave us a chance to see all the way up into the sounds--I love how the hills become lighter shades of blue as they're farther away.

Hungry and tired, we threw together a rice, chickpea, carrot, red cabbage, and yellow pepper salad with avocado. We figured it had all the colors of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, anyway.

I was thankful to be traveling with Bexie, and to be in such a nice place, to have a yummy dinner, and to be headed to Nelson the next day.

And for the free chocolate pudding with ice cream, for dessert. :)

Christchurch Part 2: The Sun and the Shops.

2009-11-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

My next encounter with this city was the few hours walking around while I waited for my bus to leave. Luckily, it was hot and sunny, the market was in full swing, and so were the ice cream vendors.

There was a lovely park next to the river, where it seemed like half the city was camped out with their ice creams and books, so I joined them for a while.

There was one awesome shop I found, just a little boutique with a lot of handmade New Zealand things, jewellery, journals, home decor, etc.

And then I hopped on the bus, and wound through these lush, green valleys at sunset.

A stop for dinner in Kaikoura, a tiny town on the coast, known for it's awesome dolphin-spotting. I sat on the rocky beach with crackers and pumpkin-kumara hummus, and had a nice conversation with Joe, from Wales. Meeting people while traveling is different than any other circumstance, it seems like people are more honest and open, and you get to know their life story before you stop and ask "Wait, what's your name?".

Christchurch Part 1: Food and otherwise.

2009-11-29T21:05:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend at the sheep farm, I went into Christchurch to run some errands and see the city, with 2 of the girls also working at the farm. We went to second-hand stores and the mall, and ate some yummy foods.

Megan, I ate this and thought of you. We started the day at a cute bakery in Darfield, a tiny town outside of Christchurch. I had a strawberry cupcake, and thought of our Saturdays, because we went to like, 3 Salvation Army's afterwards. I wished you were with me:

This next dish isn't particularly attractive, but I took the picture mostly to remind myself that pumpkin, chickpea, spinach, and red bell peppers taste mighty good together.

Christchurch has a lot of old architecture, because apparently it was designed to be a classic English town. I didn't see a lot of the city on the first stop in, but this was driving though.

In the morning we went to the Raspberry Cafe, a pick-your-own berries farm. Everything looked really yummy, but I landed on the Lemon-Buttermilk Pancakes, because I've been missing that particular breakfast. And they had raspberry coulis and whipped cream on top, not bad at all.

They're half-eaten in the picture though. Gotta eat 'em while they're hot, you know.

We also went to a chocolate lounge (Megan, again, missed you) and they chocolate in the shape of almost everything. I only sampled the dark hot chocolate, not that I regret my decision.

There was a really cute stationary shop in the mall. Everything in this store was just so darn cute (and unfortunately pricey). I loved the bicycle-planners.

And we watched The Boat That Rocked. It was a good movie.

The Sheep Farm

2009-11-26T15:42:00.000-08:00

I woke up early in an attic room in a big white bed in Roy and Annabelle's house, with a view of mountains from the window.

After a big breakfast, they took me out to meet the crew, made up of Kiwis, Canadians, and Italians. It was a really nice group, some girls in vet school training and some people just learning how to farm. We'd take lunch and tea breaks camped in circles on the grass, laying in the sun and eating our sandwiches and tea.

The first 2 days I came along for the "mustering", which is rounding up sheep from a large area. We'd hike over hills in a long, spread out line and yell and wave our arms at the sheep, trying to budge them and their lambs out of the gate. Sometimes it worked, or sometimes there would be "lamb breaks", when a lamb would get scared and run behind us and we'd spend an hour or more trying to persuade it to leave, and finally catching it with the dogs.

Those dogs were amazing. They'd follow different whistles to go left, right, stop, round up sheep, or catch a lamb around the neck without killing it. They had endless amounts of energy too, and seemed to be really excited about their job. Although, sometimes they'd get too excited, and Roy would scream expletives at them.

While some of us were mustering, the other half of the group was "tailing" (the process of removing the lambs tails), which I got to help out with later in the week. It is hard work. There's a rotation of jobs from catching the lambs, putting them on the chute on their backs (they look so funny, like a little lamb-conveyor belt), or cutting a chunk off of the ear to indicate boy or girl (this was a bloody job) or vaccinating them or squirting penicillin into their mouths or castrating them or putting a rubber band around the tail, so it loses circulation and falls off in about 3 weeks. This process was not for the light of heart.

The time in between I helped out around the house, because that was what they most needed, and I wasn't exactly a pro at the farm-work (I tried my hardest, though!). So I would bake bread for lunch, muffins for tea, walk their puppy, and baby sit their 2 adorable kids, Joe and Georgie.

Farm-life is a non-stop lifestyle. Everything was big, the house, the land, the dinner-plates...I admire the people working there, and how much they handle every day. I don't think I could do it, I love the occasional lazy-day, and in this place you couldn't take a day off- the animals wouldn't get fed, the sick ones would die, things would fall out of order. I'm glad to have had the experience, but I was also relieved to leave...

To the South Island I go...

2009-11-26T14:16:00.000-08:00

The ferry trip was exciting and beautiful. It felt so similar to Alaska, as we wound between Marlborough sounds to reach Picton. The blue ocean and green hills was achingly picturesque. So, I obliged by spending most of the time on the top deck, thrashed by the crazy-strong wind. But worth it, so worth it.

Picton is a cute little town, which I'll talk about more later. The first time seeing it was a brief passing through, before I hopped on a bus to Bleinheim and then a train to Christchurch.

The train ride was along the coast, and involved some fur seal and dolphin spotting. It's so nice to zoom along with a book in the lap and mountains and the oceans out of the windows to look at.When I finally got to Christchurch, I waited at the train station to be picked up for a nerve-wracking 2 1/2 hours. The sun went down and it started to get cold, and I was a little scared. The only place open was a pub, so I used their phone to call a taxi into town to..get a hostel somewhere? But luckily Annabelle called my cell phone right after that and told me they were on the way. I was so happy to see them pull up. And then we drove in the dark another hour to their farm, and I went to sleep in a warm bed, curious as to what I would see out of the window when I woke up...

Around Wellington with Bexie.

2009-11-26T13:27:00.000-08:00

After 10 days with Ian and Alicia, it was back to Wellington for a few days. Bexie met up with me and we had a chance to do some café and bookstore meandering.

It involved a vegan chocolate-raspberry cupcake-castle.

And a stop at low-lit Fidel's, for coffee and a brownie and apple cake. We checked out some live-music bars, but they were either too expensive (the Buzzcocks were in town) or not interesting. We settled on going to the Penthouse cinema to see Away We Go, which was cute and funny and sad all at once and I loved it.
Indigo works as a cook at Parliament, so one of the days we met up with Ian and Alicia for a tour! We actually did 2 rounds, the first time we were shown all the behind-the-scenes of the cooks in their big industrial kitchens. (We were required to wear hair-nets.)

Then we tried to tag along with a formal tour but the woman motioned for security to escort us away. Apparently we weren't wearing the right badges. After these were acquired, we found out we weren't supposed to take pictures, but I had already snapped some the first time around. Here I'm standing with Indigo (Bexie took this).

By the way, Parliament looks a lot like how I envision the Ministry of Magic.
After, we went out for tea.

Belmont Park Retreat

2009-11-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

I came from Wellington on the train and was greeted by a man with gray hair and a sweet smile. This was Ian. We drove into the hills, until we reached a little house next to a river. Here I met his wife, Alicia, and their daughter, Indigo. I started off straight away planting trees, and Ian brought me tea (with milk and honey) for an afternoon break.

The first couple of days were long and labor-intensive, as we dug holes and planted lots of trees. Hard work! I was so proud of my blisters and sore muscles. But after the work was done, it was so nice just to wander around the property. Bexie arrived a few days after me, and in our free time we knitted together and watched movies, went hiking, and swapped stories.

More people started arriving for the meditation retreat and everyone went into silence. Bexie and I were on cooking duty, so we made meal plans and sorted through the pantry searching for ingredients. It was fun, while everyone else was meditating silently, we were talking and laughing in the kitchen. But then we'd make sure to be quiet when the others came in from meditation.

She taught me a lot of new recipes. Here we're chopping a pumpkin that turned into pumpkin soup, pumpkin hummus, and roast pumpkin frittata. (We both love pumpkin.) There was baked bread, vegetable stir-fry, and banana curry.

Between cooking, we got to sit in on the meditation, 45-minute sits that sometimes lasted forever. The monk who taught was from Sri Lanka, and we called him Bhante Ji. He had a special meal plan; porridge for breakfast, curry for lunch, and cheese and chocolate and tea for dinner. We served him all of this on a silver tray.

After the retreat was over, and everyone came out of silence (and complimented the meals), Alicia took us hiking, and this was the view of their valley.

On my last night Bexie and I decided to cook, even though we'd been in the kitchen all weekend. This is the night we made the frittata and I made an apple crumble, and we had a nice dinner saying goodbye. They were such a sweet family, in their peaceful little valley. I loved staying with them, and am so glad I met Bexie.

in town

2009-10-21T18:45:00.000-07:00

Art:
Thistle Hall is one of the many galleries around. I like Thistle because there's a new display every 2 weeks, and it's always multiple artists collaborating on one common theme.

And random art on the street is everywhere. It is one of my favorite things about this city.

Vintage clothing:

The amount of vintage clothing stores here is amazing, and so fun.

There's so many dresses and cardigans and blouses and pumps and Mary Janes and bonnets and church hats to sift through.

The fashion here incorporates new and old, and it's not rare to see girls in dresses from the 70's, 60's, and even 50's, walking downtown.

Madame Fancy Pants:

This is a really cute shop to browse through, unfortunately everything in it is over the price range for a student or traveler. Really cute jewelery, clothes, and other bits to wish for, though.

Martha's Pantry:

Absolutely lovely tea shop. Scones and cakes and tea rule the cabinet, all served on antique cups and saucers.

I tasted a chocolate cupcake, accompanied by my book and my knitting. I had more than one person come up to me and tell me how impressed they were by my sock!

So yummy.

rain.

2009-10-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

I won't lie. Today is lonely.

I woke up around 6:30 this morning and just laid in bed, listening to the rain falling.

I knit and finished reading The Gentle Art of Domesticity, which made me long for a cozy home, a veggie garden, to make a quilt, to snuggle with someone.

I did find:

A pinhole bird on flickr.

I'm longing for a train trip like the one she describes.

And I'm in love with their house.

Hopefully the sun will come out soon.

happily October

2009-10-17T17:23:00.001-07:00

image from here

Even though the flowers are emerging, animal babies are being born, and the weather is warming up, my internal calendar still persists that I should be wearing scarves and cuddling in front of fire places with books and socks and quilts. I'm still dreaming about pumpkins and spiced ciders and everything else lovely in October.

However, yesterday was a trip to buy a lot of flowers, vegetables, and herbs from the garden shop, to plant later this week. We'll have tomatoes growing in our room.

And the rain is persisting. At least it does give me an excuse to snuggle up indoors.

I love this woman, head scarf and fiddle. Maybe I'll look like that after my trip to the farm next month.

And this Ethopian Honey-Spice Bread seems appropriate for autumnal fancies.

just some good links.

2009-10-15T17:15:00.001-07:00

Due to my lack of camera, I have no pictures for you. However, nice person that I am, I found some things worth looking at online, just for you lovelies.

Like, a car full of watermelons.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur_shuraev/3352218518/

And, a blog devoted to beards.

And a hot-air balloon ride: This has gone on my to-do list.

And a lovely post with lovely things.

Maybe I'll have more, later. For now I'm going to doodle and watch the end of Miss Potter. As a movie it's so-so, but it feeds my love of Beatrix Potter, and her drawing and tea-drinking and strolling around the hills of England.

Ta-ta.

mister golden sun

2009-10-11T16:02:00.001-07:00

The weather has finally smiled. After torrents of rain, hail, frosty winds and blustering clouds, the sun has peeked out. A hike on the coast was a satisfying way to celebrate it, and afterwards a short scavenge of "Treasure Beach", which yielded sea glass, paua shells, and other magical finds.

And this morning I'm enjoying another sunny day in a very different way- with chai, muffins, knitting, and books. This organic loose-leaf vanilla chai I bought at the organic shop the other day is so worth it; you can't beat good spice.

Pair with some blueberry muffins topped with cinnamon crumble, and enjoy while sitting in a sunny spot in the kitchen and reading The Gentle Art of Domesticity, and I swear I don't need much more out of today.

On a solemn note, I lost my camera on a bus the other day, while op-shopping. So unfortunately don't have the beautiful pictures I wanted to share of the beautiful books I browsed in the sewing-shop, or the coconut-almond macaroon I relished at a cafe, or the awesome second-hand finds I discovered. These pictures were taken with a borrowed camera, and even a few days without my own makes me realize how much I love taking pictures. Hopefully I'll find a replacement soon.

So in lieu of the sweet lost pictures, I'll share some links that have inspired me this morning:

How much I love being close to the sea.

How awesome these owls are.

Blanket fort competition. Is anyone else looking forward to Where the Wild Things Are?

I wish you a lovely day, sunny or no.

colour.

2009-10-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

The weather today has turned windy and rainy, but it makes it nice to be indoors by the fireplace, with a book, some tea, and the socks that I've begun to knit.

It's Susie's birthday today, so B and I went into town this morning to buy presents and groceries for a Chocolate Banana Cake and mulled wine. We stopped into a hand-craft shop, where this beautiful wall of ribbons was found. Then we came back as the weather turned nasty, and he's working outside with wood and metal to make his mom an armadillo to hang on the wall (sounds weird, but it's looking cool.) I felt so cliche, he was sawing and hammering outside as I sat in the kitchen and knitted while the cake was baking.

Those pancakes (yes, they're pancakes) you see up there are amazing. I even burnt and mangled them, and they still tasted amazing. They're these spiced pancakes with carmelized apples from eatmakeread and they tasted perfect for a wind-blown morning.

Speaking of keeping house, I was listening to this episode of This American Life, and totally loved Act 3, where a girl fell in love with Little House on the Prairie and actually makes an homage to the original town where the Ingalls lived, and found it was just as perfect as the books. I loved those books when I was little--I still love them. I dream of living in a little cabin, and drying venison, and woodfires, and playing with dolls in the attic with pumpkins.

We're making mulled wine right now, a lovely mixture of red wine, cloves, cinnamon, sugar, oranges and lemons. Should be nice for a chilly night like tonight.

2009-10-06T13:52:00.000-07:00

A nice day.

A apple-cinnamon pinwheel from Midnight Cafe, while reading "The Gentle Art of Domesticity".

And watching "Once" with Maegan. It's slow, but has really good music. And the guy is so cute, with his beard and guitar and sweaters and Irish accent.

And in the first picture you can see my new bag. It's purple like Megan's, and square like Ava's. Just what I wanted. :)

WWOOFing

2009-10-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

So farm life is pretty cute.

I've decided that collecting eggs must be one of the best joys. When they are still warm from the hen sitting on them, and they come in soft pinks and blues and greens and creams.

And weeding paddocks, while the cows watch you, mooing and chewing. And if you get too close to the sheep, they bolt away from you in a pack, their woolly masses sprinting and leaping with surprising grace.

And the baby lambs, with the long wagging tails as they drink their mother's milk.

Here's the kitchen, with the wood-stove in the front:

My room, underneath the house and frigid cold at night, so I'd go to bed snuggling hot-water bottles.

And dinner. They were a raw family, so we had a lot of salads, sprouted grain casseroles and luke-warm soups.

I loved farm-life just as much as I hoped I would. I'm inspired to keep chickens and animals, there is something so homey and substantial about it.

I did come home early, though, because I felt uncomfortable with the family dynamics. I suppose no one's life is picture-perfect, and I was sad it didn't work out, but my first taste of WWOOFing has me inspired to do more, learn more, and experience more.

Wellington

2009-09-29T13:35:00.001-07:00

So finally, I'm back, with pictures. It's taken me forever to find a computer I could load these onto, when (silly me!) I could do it at Susie's house the whole time. Hopefully I can update a little more frequently from here on, but for now I'll just exhibit some of my experiences so far, with a little narration.

First, Susie's house. This has been my main home for the last 6 weeks.

Even though most of my time here is spent reading, drawing, doing yoga, taking walks, baking muffins, and watching bad TV with Susie, the most exciting parts have been the trips to the ocean, both to Waikanae and Taranaki. This is when I see the parts of New Zealand that are really classic, and which I hope to see more of as I start to travel here.
The land is really beautiful here. I can't wait to travel around and see more of it. Right now I'm enjoying the small moments of beauty here in the city...

the winding streets...

the random art...

the purple houses...
unexpected and amazing sunsets...

and reading Charlotte Bronte with a latte...

That's it for now, dearies. Oh, and I'll leave you with some of my favorite sayings here.

"Sorted." = okay, that's fine
"Mean." = sweet, cool
"Heaps." = as in, 'love you heaps'
"Sweet as." --You can put 'as' on the end of anything. 'Cold as.' 'Sunny as.' 'Tasty as.'

Enjoy! I'll update as soon as I have more exciting things to share. I miss everyone!

In Auckland

2009-08-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

Here I am! It's still very surreal to be here. Being in the city is definitely hectic, but I'm starting to calm down now that I know my way around and am starting to meet people and get situated.

The hostel I'm staying at is on Queen Street in the shopping district, so there's a lot of cool fashion, a lot of expensive cafes, and a lot of people rushing around. Here's the Sky Tower, that people frequently bungy jump from, and the view from the window right in front of my bed in the hostel:

This is Albert park, right up the street from the hostel, and I laid in the grass in the sun the first day I was here, and read a book on a bench this morning. Lots of people jogging around, it's very cute.

And yesterday, I took a long walk to a cuter part of town, and I picked a lemon! From a tree in someone's yard, but I'm sure they don't mind; it was hard as a rock.

I took an amazing Ashtanga yoga class at a studio I found when I was walking around. It was an awesome class, with a lot of people, and the studio was so light and airy. I felt right at home, and I'm definitely sore today, it kicked my butt.

And some of the many bookstore's I've poked around in...

Here's a view of the ocean, there's a lot of sailboats and the city extends across the whole bay; it's huge.

And here I am in the hostel, happy but feeling dazed. I'm starting to get used to it though, from the orientation I went to today I'm getting very excited to feel at home here and explore.

I'm off to Wellington early tomorrow morning on an 11-hour bus ride...wish me luck!

2009-08-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

Post-Op.

2009-08-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

Sitting in bed, minus 4 wisdom teeth but plus a lot of yuckiness.
Reading a lot of books and watching movies and sleeping.

I just found Celeste Potter.

An artist who did a video for Sarah Blasko. Click. Watch.

The illustrations are so good. So good.

2009-08-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Last night was spent out in the small cabin by the lake. I woke up and did yoga on the porch while the fish were jumping, and took a walk.

Everyone will be leaving really soon. To college, and for me, to adventure. I'm having mixed feelings, between the excitement of leaving and the reverence of how long we've been friends.

Right now I'm making lemon-lavender shortbread and cleaning out the room we'll be giving to a boarder.

I'm reading The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp, and it has me examining my creativity as a responsibility--to learn about it, to give it time every day to grow by sitting down with a pencil or a paintbrush, by finding out more about it by exploring my own creative tendencies, by respecting it enough to let it lead me.

It has really interesting exercises, like going a week without looking in a mirror to see how your perspective of yourself changes, or not speaking for a week, to absorb your surroundings instead of add to them. Also, it has questions that delve into the nature of your creativity, how you view the world, what makes sense to you, how you express whatever is inside.

It's making me think about my future in an entirely different way.

pretty things. REALLY pretty things.

2009-08-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

I love this ring. If I could make jewelry, I would make this ring. The whole gallery is beautiful.

I want to sit in this room. Lay on this bed and read books. Just be listless.

Somebody please buy me this bag from moop. I love all of their bags. And their photos of them make them just so enticing and pretty.

Listen to the Teacups. They are adorable.

Also, this video of Emily Wells. Watch it and listen, it's cool.

Also, Rebecca from playful noshings is so inspirational. She teaches yoga on farms. I read that and immediately thought "I want to do that!". Growing my own food, teaching yoga, baking good things, living happily in each moment...it's exciting.

Love, darlings!

Added Later: Okay. So I've been reading more about Moop, and falling more and more in love with them. It's a couple-run business, and check out their studio:
I love it.

This interview with them is all about the good and bad of running their own business. It seems totally worth it, despite all the hard work, because they're doing what they love. I think that's the most important part.

Oh, and we have a lavendar plant outside, maybe I could make this lemon-lavender shortbread. Yum.

2009-08-06T19:00:00.000-07:00

Not much to say, just pictures.

Make These Scones Now.

2009-08-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

We're having a garage sale today, I made scones to sustain us. They're healthy and yummy and ridiculously easy. I should probably get down to the sale now!

       Scones from Babycakes Bakery

Ingredients

2 cups flour (original recipe calls for spelt, to make them gluten-free)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup agave nectar

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup hot water

1 cup fresh raspoberries (I used frozen blueberries)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, whisk the spelt with the baking powder and salt. Stir in the oil, agave nectar and vanilla. Stir in the hot water, then the raspberries.
Scoop 12 mounds of batter 1/3 cup each onto the prepared baking sheet and lightly brush the tops with oil. Bake the scones for 20 minutes, or until golden. Let the baking sheet cool completely on top of a rack.

in defense of cute

2009-07-31T13:57:00.000-07:00

Kittens. Heck yes. This flickr photostream, eros turannos, has merit.

Bakeries. Totally.

Babycakes-- a vegan, gluten-free, wheat-free bakery in NYC. I really want their cookbook.

There's these brownies, scones, and banana bread online. I might be trying these soon.

And you haven't forgotten about Baked, have you? Still want their cookbook toooo.

Speaking of homemade, here's a recipe for fresh mozarella, which I've wanted to try since I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Making cheese always seemed harder. But it looks pretty easy.

Farming is pretty cute, too. Well okay, it's sweaty and dirty, but these 40 Farmers Under 40 make it look all sweet and homegrown. Hooray for the locavore movement! Hooray for homemade!

And I've added some new blogs over there --->

Here's some of my favorites:

Little Lost Love

Lobster and Swan

The Lost Princess

automatism -some cool apartment pictures on this one.

And I can't remember if I've mentioned Kelsey Genna on here before, but she's from New Zealand and has her own clothes line, and it's totally cute.

From this quirky blog; chokoladeis.

2009-07-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

I wish I knew who did the last 2 drawings--apologies for not giving credit!

Mattress dominoes: this made me laugh.

I love this idea. It reminds me of rooms that have trees growing up through the floor. Not that I've actually ever seen that, but I would love it.

The Rockstar Diaries is a cute blog by a cute couple doing cute things---sighh.

It's raining right now, and I have a few things on my to-do list, both important and not.
I might go see a movie or go shopping, I need to tidy up the house, I want to make a cheesecake.

Check out more of these sketches at Kate Doodles' flickr page.

2009-07-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

I love this purse one heck of a lot.

New creative inspiration. I just read Lena Corwin's book on printing and I really love it.

I made this stamp yesterday and I was having fun with it.

And once I can get my camera hooked up I'll show pictures of the Art Fair my mom and I did this weekend--I had so much fun, and made a little cash too. The funnest part was people admiring all the things I had made --bags, tea wallets, hats, and cards, and actually...liking them! I was so pleased. I really want to keep doing this! I'll get pictures up soon.

Yay for cute socks.

2009-07-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hahaha love it. This guy makes replicas of the posters in Murray's office from this awesome show.
I leave for it in 24 days! Though I'm not taking my mum..

Originally from milk.

link love

2009-07-26T15:15:00.000-07:00

Fine Little Day: the photography of every day life makes me so happy.

High up in the trees: just good stuff.

A blog for Tilly: has inspirational close-ups.

Bloom, grow, love: has beautiful photos.

This old dress: follows good things.

Abby try again: the pictures and subjects, again, sweet.

cold antler farm: I picked up her book at the library; I love her homesteading.

eiikii: on flickr, has beautiful photographs.

pia jane bijkerk: totally inspirational.

2009-07-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

2009-07-17T01:15:00.000-07:00

via: showertilethoughts

Dear Samuel Beam

2009-07-12T01:50:00.000-07:00

I would like to inform you that I am pretty sure we are soulmates.

Every time your fingers touch the strings of your guitar, and your voice mingles with it like Polaroid photographs and reluctant love, I am convinced.

We could live in a house with a garden underneath the trees or on a misty beach and wear wool socks.

I would grow you flowers and you would play me guitar, and we could spend all day in a soft white bed or walk by the ocean and the world would be like roses and sea glass and we would be perfectly, perfectly happy.

Sincerely,

Robin Joanne

(If you have not gotten the new Iron & Wine album, Around the Well, please do.)

this is a tribute to lazy summer days

2009-07-08T11:04:00.000-07:00

I'm baking kuchen right now. (Easy breakfast cake.) I totally just felt like baking a cake. At 9:30 in the morning.

If you're worried I haven't been sleeping enough, so have I. My problem is I have so many things I want to do, and when I get home from work I feel like, "Ok! Now I can Do Stuff!!" and so I stay up late "doing stuff", and then I wake up early because I'm so excited to "do more stuff!". It would seem unhealthy, but can it really be bad if I'm this excited about life?

Reading+beds+summer+trees+barefeet.

Oh, the kuchen is done, and its golden-yellowy-honey-perfection. And the coffee I just made is Really Strong.

I just downloaded the new Iron and Wine album, and he's done it again. It's goooood.

I'm purifying water right now to make kombucha.

I want to make my own crackers.

I love the photos here.

The pictures in this blog are all airy and light.

Oh! This blog---the artwork is incredible. I'm so inspired.

I'm going to pick out some new glasses today and maybe stop by the library.

Hopefully go camping tonight!

Summer, you are my friend.

i'm scared, and that's how I know it's Real.

2009-07-08T01:46:00.000-07:00

2009-07-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

2009-06-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

I biked into town today.

Went to the thrift store and bought some cute fabric.

I explored a new bookstore that just opened up.

Stopped by the Tuesday Market and looked through jams and fresh veggies.

I bought some bokchoy and the woman gave me a free turnip when I told her I was going to make a stir-fry.

I also laid outside for a long time, and read a lot (I'm in the middle of Wicked, by Gregory Maguire, really good) and basically had a good day.

Now there's sugar cookies in the oven, and I'm going to watch Stranger than Fiction and make some cards.

To my foreign friends, I miss you all.

2009-06-30T03:16:00.000-07:00

Unknowingly, you set me free.

I harbored something underneath your skin

and I can see it growing out in your beard

And now, it is not for you my heart pounds
but for the pieces of me left in you

stashed there like the valuables they are

hoarded and tucked
into the folds of your mouth when you smile.

-Robin Standley.

small pleasures.

2009-06-26T23:21:00.000-07:00

I made a tea wallet today.

I took a long bike ride and lied by the side of the road and watched the wind ruffle the leaves of the trees.

I picked some of the lettuce growing in garden for a dinner salad.

I finished a painting I've been working on.

This morning was a lovely mixture of coffee, pastries, talk between friends, and clothing.

All simple, all lovely.

spend more time in nature. preferably naked.

2009-06-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took a walk and it was raining and sunny at the same time. And I walked up a hill, and there was this huge rainbow, and at first I just thought "Okay, rainbow." But then I really stopped and looked at it, and realized rainbows are REALLY COOL.

I've been playing a lot of guitar lately, too. I wrote a new song (bringing my total to a proud 3!) and not that my singing is any great shakes. But by golly, I love it. And why do it but for that reason alone?

From tumblrs: http://iwantmybearsuit.tumblr.com, http://foresting.tumblr.com, http://ironlionzion.tumblr.com, http://petitdejeuner.tumblr.com

2009-06-09T23:13:00.000-07:00

Been trying to stay positive.
This has been involving steering clear of the internet for a while.
But here's a coolish site anyway:

http://printish.com/

2009-06-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

This wall...dude. My wall is crying for a mural like that.

(.)

sometimes the world needs to be dealt with horizontally.

2009-06-02T01:11:00.000-07:00

summerlove

2009-05-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

I saw those and I decided that I definitely needed one.

So I'm making myself a friendship bracelet. :)

Next project: inspiration wall.

via Loveology

Alela Diane's style (and her music) is awesome.

Yesterday's book hunt was both unsuccessful and very fruitful.
I didn't find any of the books on my list (who knew other people used the library? and how dare they check out those books before me!) but I did find two books to buy:

This girl decided to go green, but isn't glamorous or self-righteous about it. I already love it, because it addresses the problem that yeah, we all want to be greener, but it's tough, it doesn't always work, and it's frustrating to not see the air immediately become cleaner or the ice caps to stop melting. Here's her blog.

An AWESOME book. I am so excited to start making my own clothes. It goes through EVERYTHING, the types of fabric, the tools you need, problems you'll come across, tips to make things easier, everything. And it's done in a really stylish, modern way, a relief after reading all those sewing books made in the 80's (that make me feel like a total square for making my own clothes).

Oh! Does anyone want to buy me this ring?

I've decided...

2009-05-29T23:34:00.000-07:00

feeling insecure sucks.

good space

2009-05-29T11:50:00.000-07:00

(.)

It's been rainy outside, and my days of lying outside getting a tan are turning into days spent sewing, baking, and watching movies (this and this and this; all perfect for rainy days). My only big plan today is a trip to the library for these books:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

A good summer list. God, I love books.

Other than reading, I'm having a graduation party tomorrow! So my mom and I have made it our mission to spruce up our house to prepare for all the guests. I've been looking at designs for rooms and finding I'm really into the white, clean feeling right now.

So fresh and clean.

Also:

I found a project I want to try. What would I use a tea wallet for? I have no idea. But the idea of it makes me really happy.

In a muffin-y mood I guess. Here's the next recipe I want to try.

And this blog, Le Love, makes my heart explode into thousands of tiny pieces.

xx

feel giddy

2009-05-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, for no reason, happiness strikes.

mornings

2009-05-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Some morning loveliness:

-Regina's new singles (soo good);

-One pretty blog about tea and recipes and prettiness;

-Another pretty blog, Lobster and swan, and her brilliant project;

-Inspiration for doing random and fun things;

-I want to try this;

Enjoy,preferably with a cup of tea (I've got Lipton with milk and sugar in it).

I just want you.

2009-05-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye...basically sucks. I'm wearing his ring that he hated so I stole from him and now that he's gone it suddenly means a lot more and I'm clutching onto this ring because its the only solid bit of him here.

Images from this tumblr site, and weheartit.com.

In Regards to Cooking...

2009-05-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

I want to get better at it. Period.
Here's some pretty food blogs I've found:
a chow life
the wednesday chef
sassy radish

and a whole-wheat pizza crust I want to try, next pizza dinner I make.

Also, from Molly's Orangette, I know I've made this before, and I really want to make soba a steady part of my diet. Because it is so yummy and good for me. Ah, and for simple lunch ideas, this one seems right now.

Ah, yes. Some other beauty I have been loving:

-This online book. It makes me want to make a children's book just so I can illustrate it
-Some lovely images on this blog
-A screen-printing how-to I will be trying in the near future

I'm writing all of this from my NEW LAPTOP! It's a white MacBook and just about the prettiest goshdarn this I've ever seen. That is, until I paint it. ;) which I might.
So I'm loading all of my pictures and music onto it as I type this, so I'll add some pretty pictures to this post shortly.

2009-05-14T07:58:00.000-07:00

Goal for today: make it special, make it wonderful, make it new, make it mine.

skin and cloth and nature

2009-05-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

a new kind of heartache.

2009-05-10T20:52:00.001-07:00

Oh, let me disappear sometimes. From this world, from this uneasiness.

Sometimes I think that my emotional heart is too big for my being.

ink on paper

2009-05-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

2009-05-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

2009-04-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

2009-03-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

tats.

2009-03-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

I think the one in the next two is my favorite.

All pictures found on (you guessed it!) weheartit.com.

i wrote a song.

2009-03-15T23:06:00.000-07:00

In your eyes I can see
That you’ve forgotten how to be
Lost all sense and sensibility
Lost the concept of I, myself, and me

That you feel like a water droplet in the sea
Your world is sideways and can no longer see
The straightest way and the place you belong
And I’m here to hold your hand and take you home

You must realize that something’s happening to you
That life has not forgotten you
That it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall

Whispers in your ear and comes running when you call
Its time for you to lift your eyes off the ground
The bold and the beautiful have been sought and finally found

What if you could make a space
Full of light and to your taste
Windows big and flowers sweet
The ground is warm beneath your feet

You’re weaving love into the loom you work
You pause to watch the wind and listen to the birds
Though everything is perfect under your perception
How painful it must be to be an exception

All pictures found on weheartit.com and inspiration for the song taken from 3 poems found on loveology; credit to Bert Schierbeek, Alfred De Musset, and Rainer Maria Rilke for the loveliness.

i felt alive today.

2009-03-12T01:06:00.000-07:00

lovely in every way/I was never not going to be here.

2009-03-10T19:28:00.000-07:00

These words are my tiny anchors. Strung together they create a weight that connects me to something a little more solid. They hold me from floating away. They float with me, solid and weighty and good.

today

2009-03-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

The sun will shine and I will bask in it.

I can take care of myself today.

I can be completely unfettered. Completely undone. Floating in freedom.

2009-03-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

somedays should be entirely spent in bed.

2009-03-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to road-tripping, to becoming free on the road and exploring wherever and whatever comes along, taking turns at random and discovering places along the way.

Loving braids. Wanting to do something exciting to my hair. Something braided and layered and unkept.

I think everything is going to be alright.

Pictures from weheartit.com and cacaococoa.tumblr.com

January=warm weather and good life

2009-01-19T21:27:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day of barista training--and I picked up all the coffee-making fairly quickly. It's satisfying, blending the sugar-free tall one-shot tan skinny mochas with whip, etc, etc. I work every day for the rest of the week, and I'm still on a 30-day trial period to see how I fit, but so far every one seems really nice and if I'm confused I can just ask question after question. It wasn't too bad, though.

This warm spell means crappy skiing, but due to the work schedule, I won't have time to ski ANYWaY. I hope the coaches don't throttle me when I break them this news.

Other than writing songs with Elles, my creativity hasn't been blooming, a little painting is about the extent of it.

Otherwise, I'm really okay with life. I've been applying to colleges and just being myself.

I love it.

2008-11-18T21:14:00.000-08:00

Well!

Here is a sample from the senior picture shoot Megan and I had on Sunday-- freezing cold but successful.

Speaking of cold, today was the first day out skiing on the trails, and we had such a good time. I love skiing! It is about the funnest thing!

On Thursday Dad and I fly to see Aron (YAY) in Seattle and explore the area. I am Excited with a capital E.

Finished Jane Eyre (a quality book). We just read Heart of Darkness in English (also one of the best I've read) and I've just started Memoirs of a Geisha. And Walden. And the Canterbury Tales. I love to be waist-deep in literature.

Exchange to the Netherlands news: Her parents said they would take me for sure!! This is huge. And I've talked to a couple programs...they aren't outright refusing me. Which is good.

I've started up yoga after a miserable non-yoga hiatus, and looove it (duh duh duh) and want more than anything to stay home, make scones in the morning, and then go skiing when its still light outside, and then maybe go to a college drawing class....a nice alternate reality to imagine while I'm sitting in school.

Oh, and I've been reading up a lot about lucid dreaming and working towards it...right now I'm just writing down all my dreams and periodically doing reality checks...we'll see how far I can go with this.

Stay wonderful. It's nearly the holidays!

Novembertime.

2008-11-02T12:46:00.000-08:00

I'm still alive.

I'm joining the ski team.

I met Elles, an exchange student from Netherlands. The Netherlands? Netherlands.

I'm still applying to colleges.

Megan and I are becoming coffee-house connoisseurs.

Election day is Tuesday.

I've been playing a lot of guitar and piano and writing songs.

I've been reading Jane Eyre.

I'm thinking more about combining a college degree to include both writing and visual arts.

Things are Happening.

2008-10-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

I really have been doing things.

Like playing a lot of tennis.

And spending copious amounts of time in coffee shops.

And planning parties.

And going to parties.

Lovely lovely
lovely.

2008-09-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

The state fair, an old movie, some hiking, some camping, some singing and some frustration, some tests and some easy classes, some pottery throwing and some swim meet cheering, a lot of rain and a little sun, reading the newspaper and staying up later than I should, hating the DMV and loving Katherine Hepburn.
What a week.

By the way, watch the little picture-show on this website. I would definitely work there:
http://www.bakednyc.com

extensive list of links I have been accumulating and needed to store somewhere. so if you've got the time, check some out. it's worth it.

2008-09-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

http://aviewto.blogspot.com/
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/grandmas-grain-recipe.html
http://maizeinspiration.blogspot.com/
http://www.rodarte.net/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lawns/favorites/
http://wikstenmade.blogspot.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/justlooking/favorites/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/polgaroid/page2/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bang-bang/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elo/1985848685/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yeldalynn/page2/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bang-bang/965718181/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetsetandtrash/1204669448/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlegirlblue/484887551/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/notheories/page25/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daytrips/page6/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16875925@N06/2070773099/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonesareinside/2307380575/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jetsetandtrash/2674599428/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/christianlycke/page4/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastleaf/2696142655/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/amaliachimera/page11/
http://andrewbush.net/BH%20pwg%20complete/pages/19.html
http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/one-fat_shot/2469845269/

2008-08-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

I loved pottery the most today.

2008-08-24T22:59:00.000-07:00

Weekend teaser of a hike.
The first half of Crow Pass.

Hello? I LOVE BEING OUTSIDE.

Anyway, it was freaking beautiful, and I am going to do the whole trip in a weekend or two.
I am feeling absolutely no pressure from school right now.
Big agenda: finding oils for soap, making henna, tennis matches, some fancy cooking this week, and getting up early to work out in the morning.

I'm sorry, but I'm in a Good Mood.

last pieces

2008-08-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Mmmm. Summer.
Buttermilk lemon cookies, playing around with my camera's macro setting, tennis matches, the olympics, napping in the sun, fresh fruit for breakfast, last-minute summer reading, loving the Office, incredibly puffy clouds...

2008-08-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's August! And with only a week and a half left of summer vacation! I haven't felt like posting in a while, but here's a quick recap of the ~last month:
-lived in Palmer with friends-went sailing in Whittier-canoed and camped at Eklutna
-got baley certified with friends
-saw Wilco in concert-baked Oatmeal bread, blueberry crumble, oatmeal-yogurt cake with orange cream frosting
-started tennis season, am girls varsity #3
-taught a yoga class
-have seen good movies, spent days reading, hiked with A, been lifting weights in the A.M., watched the Olympics with 4 very excitable swimmers, had conversations with a French family at a dinner party (in French), crocheted a hat, registered for my senior year and got a good schedule, gone to a Conscious Living festival and gotten a henna tattoo for free from a woman named Snow, gone running in pretty places, and cleaned houses for money.

And now I need to finish (start, actually) the summer reading, go climbing with friends, hike Crow Pass, go sailing again, mix this henna that I bought, eat some Thai food because I am craving it, and summer will be complete.

its RAINING

2008-07-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

But not in Paris...

Added later:
Almond milk! I made almond milk! From Joy the Baker's blog. Soaked the almonds overnight, then ground up in a blender, then squeezed out the liquid and voila! It tastes like...almonds. Its like drinking almonds. Who knew, eh?

vineyards of italy

2008-07-15T09:21:00.000-07:00

pretty.

today I saw

2008-07-13T00:33:00.000-07:00

creations lately

2008-07-11T16:19:00.000-07:00