House Dreaming

From a very young age I have designed my house. I always had trouble sleeping and on these nights I'd fill my sketch book (or the back of an envelope, or whatever was at hand) with detailed versions of my latest house plan. It did occur to me to do architecture, but I never was very good at maths or neat drawing. Over the years, the designs changed as I became inspired by the book I happened to be reading or what era we were studying in school. I remember always loving open plan, wooden beams, a wide kitchen and deep set bathtubs, with the house set on a wild block of mountainous or coastal land. As I have travelled, influenced by the local architecture, my ideals have begun to take a more consistent form. Functional, minimal, mindful. My recent trip to Japan has only intensified my love of wood, space, nature and the beauty of simplicity. I guess we do become our parents ;)
Here are a few of my pinterest pins to illustrate my current plan...

all images via my pinterest page

Cuppow!

yay, finally bought some cuppows! off to buy my wide-mouthed Mason jars now... oh, fads.

A political snow weekend

This past weekend was spent among the snowgums, breathing the sweet mountain air of Falls Creek. It was also election weekend in Australia. The sky was blue, the snow was groomed and powdery, if a little grainy. I was pretty fired up about the election, and we showed our Greens solidarity from atop the mountain. It was an amazing weekend, I'd spend all winter skiing if i could. The election results were mostly awful, I guess somehow we'll make the best of the next three years, maybe I'll escape somewhere! 

viva la skiing!

Spring musings

 I never remember how incredible spring is. The frogs in our yard are loudly clacking all day and night, windows are open, the moist garden has been turned over and re-composted. All is verdant and alive, soaking up the sun and warm north wind, beginning to move again, waking from winter's dormant months. 
Blossoms everywhere, blushing at the sides of muddy roads and gracing the lines of orchard trees. 

 I can feel the spring cleaning bug coming on, the need to overturn and pare back to just the things I need. As William Morris so wisely puts it 'Do not have anything in your house that you do not believe to be useful or beautiful'. 

Yesterday as I weeded the garden, uncovering fecund soil, I watched my chickens peck at the grubs and critters as I blow their cover, loving the gentle (and not so) rhythm of nature. My feet and knees filthy, my heart contented from sitting amongst the humus and debris of my spring garden. 

I came in and ordered a batch of organic spring seeds, hoping the warmer months will send my plants thriving. 

Today was slow, I cooked, washed, sat and wrote. We're going skiing this weekend. 
Loving spring...

snippets: Cafe in Nara, Japan. Umeshu (plum wine) in the window, bonsai arrangement, wooden door. x

Where to start?

I have been putting off the post Japan blog for a few weeks. i apologise. it's just impossible to choose a segment to start with. here are a bunch of photos to feast upon meanwhile. ok, embarrassingly i just tried to upload 46 photos and that was just the beginning so i'll break it up. ha. 

Flying

photos from my pinterest

 We're off on a little adventure to Japan! Most of it will be spent wandering around Kyoto in little laneway shops, temple gardens, baths and hiking in the mountains. it's going to be hot, hot. Summer dresses and shorts are in my bag, knitting and books too. I'm unplugging for a couple of weeks from this online community and looking forward to bit of mind de-clutter and peace.
lots of love, i'll bring home photos and goodies and stories. xo

Making almond milk

Yesterday I decided to make almond milk. I had been drinking soy milk previously but decided it was making me too blocked up and sinusy so I wanted to give almond milking a try. It was so easy and perfectly delicious. I simply put a rough handful of almonds into my blender with 2 ish cups of water and blended on high for 3 or 4 minutes. Then lined a large jar with a fine cloth and poured the milk + almond meal through the cloth and squeezed until all the milk was extracted from the meal. the fresh almond meal i then dehydrated in the oven on low for a while to use in smoothies and baking. The milk I made into a Latte and saved the rest in the fridge. Perfect for these chilly autumnal mornings and doesn't make me blocked up like milk and soy do. Since I've been playing around with what i eat, what feels good in my body and what I feel right about eating, I've been so much busier in the kitchen. Every day I come home from uni and experiment with whatever is in the fridge and it's really opening up a new world of food-making to me.
At the moment i am loving:
kale and silverbeet from my garden
salads with nuts, seeds and dried fruit on top
soups with nuts and seeds on top (actually anything with nuts and seeds on or in it!)
grated Kohl Rabi (seek it out if you don't already love it!)
cinnamon and honey in warm water
these crisp mornings and all the rugged-up, woollen people at the station
Offspring is on again (i know, i know)
seeing edible weeds everywhere after the rain

speaking of edible weeds, I did a weed walk a few weeks back and it was amazing. the leader, Adam Grubb of VEG (very edible gardens) walked with a group of us along Merri creek to demonstrate which weeds are safe to eat (and which are not!). There is so much good, nutritious food to be foraged in and out of the city area, wild kale, dandelions, plantain, nettle, wild lettuce! my favourite was wild kale or cabbage, a yellow flowering brassica which grows wild, tastes like kale, is more nutritious than the domesticated versions and is completely free! I have already started to try to include some 'weeds' into my diet as some of them are highly nutritious and can be 'shopped for' in your backyard! so nifty
does anyone else forage for weeds? i'd love to learn about mushrooming. we should have a weed feast.
x

††† Twenty †††

I am now 20 years old. fancy that!
As per tradition, we went to the Dandenongs (with dear Callisha and Michelle) after University to sit at Ripe cafe and soak up the gorgeous sun through the Mountain Ash trees. Oh boy I love those trees, they feel like a mother, safe and comforting around me. I'd like to build a house amongst them.
I was given such beautiful presents, it seems as i get older, people begin to know me more and find things i really love. I now have a Swift (!), a handmade wool poncho, a leather punch tool, a new pair of leggings from Blackbirdtees, my own moomintroll mug with Snuffkin painted on it! and a few other knick-knacks to add to my life. joy.

    

           

Then a delicious dinner with friends - black bean noodles, beet/potato sauce, salad graced with my microgreens, lentil loaf, roast vegies and yellow dhal. yum.

Poem.

'Life can be a river' I once read, 

So I leapt silently into the Atlantic, 

My skin akin with the water, 

Breathing the piney, coastal air. 

written by the sea, in the sea, for the sea, with Jake and Elsie after the Maine Country Ground Fair (Jake with his wine and cheese, Else with her ukulele, my with my bare feet and writing tools).
On the Coast of Maine, US. 

x

King Parrot Party

a King Parrot party on our deck, such a lovely, rare surprise. Look at those feathers!