New Home, New Season

I love that just as Autumn has settled firmly into the atmosphere, so it is that I have settled firmly into my lovely new home.

I love autumn - it's a close 2nd to Spring. The temperature is dropping, there aren't so many bugs around, hayfever is non-existant... it's a wonderful transition time - and change is my middle name right now.

I spend the whole of Saturday moving - I got the keys to my new house that morning, and moved in immediately. It was a good move - all things considered - I was really organised, everything was in boxes, the removalists were fabulous. Then they left and I was surrounded by a mountain of boxes, so what did I do? I did what any new home-occupier in their right mind should do... I went shopping. ha!

I had a ball, I purchased some practical goodies - food and flowers : ) Then it was time for the real work to kick in, and I must say I was surprised at how far I've come in just a couple of days. I have worked my butt off and I'm very smiley at how things are coming along. I even made it to a yoga class yesterday afternoon (after much debating) to stretch out this sore and tired body of mine - and how grateful that I didn't listen to my head and stay home. Sometimes I really just need to get out of my own way! I also have today off work (phew) to settle some more.

The only thing not so fabulous in this whole move is the $$$ going out. Double rent, connection fees, removalists, ugh! But it's probably a good thing in that it will make me tighten my belts - let's see how little it is possible to live on this month!

Till next time with photos,
shiny xx

Change of Scenery

I'm moving to a new home! I'm really really excited - within 24 hours the decision was made AND a new home was found. I'm moving back out on my own (share housing, pah!) and it's a beautiful one bedroom studio in a gorgeous old federation house. Big windows, wooden floorboards, and checkboard tiles in the kitchen and bathroom - bliss : )

Living alone in Sydney obviously means there's lots of $$$ going out in rent, but it's worth it. I am so in love with my new home and sign the lease today. Hoorah!

It's amazing to realise that while I've been working on paying off my debt and doing quite well at it lately, there is much more I can be doing. I will be tightening the reigns on the budget and am actually looking forward to it. And with no flatmates to eat your food and never replace the toilet paper, I am sure there will be some expenses that actually come down ;)

Hope yr smiling x

Lady Beatle : )

Was stocking up on some yummy summer fruit & veg early this year and came across a pretty little ladybug, travelling in some grapes.

Too cute : )

Can you see her? On the sign, hiding up the top in the red section!

If the world could vote...

Interesting site - see what the outcome would be if the world could vote in the current US elections right here!

GO OBAMA!!!

Noodle Markets & Fun

I've been really busy lately. It seems we all have. Seriously - I need to take a breath! There have been awards celebrations + working till late + airport pickups + gigs with 10 000 italians + egos + early morning starts + yoga classes + noodle markets + new haircuts + so much more.

Art & About in Hyde Park - artworks in the outdoors!!!

Good Food Month & Night Noodle Markets!

Day trips to Spotlight to make eyepillows for yoga classes!

Water fountains in Hyde Park - a 2 minute walk from my office. Sometimes life can be smiley.

: )

Eating Local

I have just finished reading “The 100 Mile Diet” by Alissa Smith & JB MacKinnon, and it was so interesting.

While eating local may not be the answer to everything (yes, it may be closer, but costwise it may not be sensible as just one fact) it raises the point that we really have become so far removed from our food. Not just physically – but on so many levels. I have no idea where my food comes from – whether in Australia or overseas. I have no idea how many pesticides it has been sprayed with, or how old it is!

Over the last 2 months my flatmate and I have been getting an Organic Fruit & Veg box deliverd (by The Organic Grocer) and the quality is amazing. See? Fruit really isn’t meant to go off and soggy within 2 days of purchase!! haha..

So I'm making a promise to myself to eat more local foods - and while I am not sure how things will go with this goal, I am interested in just finding out where my food comes from. How far it travels. Where it originates from.

It will be interesting : )

Has anyone else got any tips or does anyone know about this stuff? If so, please help this city gal out!!!

Fun posts:
Organic news and small family farms

ABC Local Challenge

The 100-Mile Diet – the book & site

Slow Food

debt free by 30 three

I love books. I actually have a very real problem where if I walk into a bookstore, I walk out with 1 or 2 books, it's addictive. So it's exciting to now love Amazon, because even with all the postage, it's SO much cheaper than purchasing them in the physical stores. *Bliss* My latest arrival is the gorgeous Living Out Loud by the fantastical Keri Smith. Ohh this lady is a genius! So creating, loving, amazing and inspiring! The book is full of colour and creative ways to make your life full of beans and joy. I just had a huge grin on my face whilst reading : )

And even better, she has a new book out! Yay! So the fun will continue! I just wish it came a day earlier so I could have taken it with me on the flight to Perth. Yes - I made it over to WA for the first time this week, for some work stuff. Of course I also managed to go on the wettest day they've had in years, but still, what a beautiful city. And you gotta love inflight movies! I finally checked out The Other Boleyn Girl, and not really knowing much about it - WOW! Such a fantastic flick, and great cast. It always sounds so cheesy when people say that (oh yes, fabulous cast, dahhhhling), but with Eric Bana, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanssen, it really did.

On the way back I got to see Lars and the Real Girl, which made me cry - really moving and yummo Ryan Gosling is tasty (even if he falls in love with a doll). What a movie - really touching. I started to also check out Manufacturing Dissent but ran out of time. That is the doco made about Michael Moore and I need to get it out! Looked great.

On the home front, I was all set in my pj's last night but ended up going out to see Something For Kate, a band who I used to lurve, but then kind of moved on from. However, so so glad I went - they played a whole mixture from all their albums and I was singing along.. fun night. Got to catch up with an old friend as well which was really nice.

So feeling a little heady today and am still in the pj's, but hey, that's what Sundays are all about, right? ;) So yes, most of the day has been spent in bed and reading. I've just started The 100 Mile Diet, which I'm just devouring. Raises so many interesting points and it's a little (lot!) scary to realise just how far removed we are from our food.

I've also been back on the lookout for new Personal Finance blogs, as I'm finally making movement on paying of the debt. It's looking like I could well be debt free by 33 and that makes my heart shine. Bring it on!!!! Anyway, so I found some cool blogs (will update my sidebar soon) and the best couple of links are below. 100 great tips for saving money & 100 things to do during a money free weekend. Some pretty cool ideas : )

So right now I'm checking out some good books, loving some interesting PF blogs and also found a new dangerous link - the Top 100 Aussie Women Blogs - because I don't already spend enough time online as it is! Eep! Some awesome new discoveries to be found.

Now though, I've got to focus on the task at hand - deciding what to cook for dinner. I am needing some more peace, love and brown rice in my life so the food is gonna be healthy and wholesome, and even better, I'll get to share it with my gorgeous flatmate.

Life is good : )

**Honourable Mention has to go to Mad Mex - an awesome new mexican place on Crown Street in Surry Hills. YUM YUM YUM. I love Mexican - but let me tell you, it's damn hard to find good tasting Mexican deliciousness around Sydney. This goes part way in helping ammend that problem.

Colour Week Mash-Up

You should never be somewhere and just say "Fuck it."

It should be a calculated, scheduled, premeditated choice. (Skinny Bitch)

Lucy at Nourish Me had this fun exercise where you turn to page 123 of your current read (for me, Skinny Bitch), count in 5 sentences, write the next 3. But for me, the next 2 just summed up a lot of where I am right now.. and where would that be? Sitting in the living area of my brand new home! Yes, I finally moved house on Thursday and while I am exhausted and want to cry from tiredness, I am so happy and somewhat all rosy inside.

I am now a Summer Hill resident, the furthest I've lived away from my 'hood since moving to Sydney nearly a decade ago, but it's gorgeous. AND... a lot cheaper.

So while this move is definitely calculated and premeditated, I have to say there's been a bit of universe involvement. I was looking for months, then decided to share house and came across a gorgeous old friend I went to uni with. This couldn't have been easier. The world really listens when you ask. : )

So apart from having a weekend at home unpacking and cleaning and purging (oh, and going to have a massage as I pulled a muscle in my neck lifting boxes, yow!), I have also been very still in myself and really loving life away from the busy-ness of N-Town. I've had numerous cups of tea. I've read and re-read the new issue of Yoga Journal without interuption. I've meditated (!!!). I've gone on a wander around the local streets and discovered the fabulous organic store (aka heaven!) just 2 streets away from 'home'. And I've even cooked.

I did however, miss out on the yoga course this weekend, which I'm pretty upset about. Spending the whole weekend with Simon Borg-Olivier is my idea of heaven - that guy is a modern day guru, or as close to one as I've ever met, seriously! - but I had to get the last few things from my old house, and really needed the time to settle. I've got a band in town this week from the UK so I know I'll have a busy busy one, so home time, when and where I can grab it, is good : )

So I'm very excited and inspired on the home front, obviously, but also on the blog front. Hula Seventy has given us the challenge of a Colour Week and I've been longing for a photo challenge for a while, so here goes. Tomorrow, it's all about green! Oh, and Hula Seventy gave me the inspiration from the official hostess - Curious Bird. Need some ideas? Check out all her links from participants!!

monday: green
tuesday: yellow
wednesday: orange
thursday: pink/red
friday: blue

In other news.. well, there's not heaps of other news. Moving takes up a lot of energy haha! So I'll leave you with that.. oh, and a big welcome back to Kachtus who brightened up my day when I saw her email.

Stay rosy guys xx

I wear my sunglasses at night

Today is a long weekend, and I wrote a list of things that I would like to get done. I woke up early, all excited, and then started to have a panic attack as I didn't want to leave the house, and couldn't decide what to do. Ai ai ai!

But I put a load of washing on (2nd in there now), and texted a friend, then started reading a book. Then yippee, my friend texted back, and we went grocery shopping, then we ended up going round the shops for a while. It was nice and sunny out, and as we were walking home we couldn't deny the most amazing smells coming from the Thai place across the road. One lunch special later and it was home for an afternoon nap.

Parts of NSW have been declared a natural disaster over the last couple of days - we've got insane flooding, winds and rains, and we're in the middle of a drought. (Just another obvious fact that global warming is REAL folks!) However, today was really nice and sunny here in Sydney, and my mood matched it.

Oh, and B is going on a date - so good things do happen to people that deserve it : )

On that note, there's the cute piccy of baby A up above, to leave you with a smile.

x

Low Impact Week

So over at Crunchy Chicken they're talking about a new month (already?!) and come June, it's time for LOW IMPACT WEEK. And me, I'm taking part in it!

I guess it's a good reminder for us to remind ourselves that even when we think we're doing well at things.. that really, we can probably do a little more for our beautiful planet. There is a great post with plenty of ideas about what YOU can do to take part: check it out.

Another thing to give snaps about is the World Environment Day events happening at the glorious Chauvel Cinema in Paddo, for you local kids. On June 4 and 5 there's going to be some fab films (Detour de France, and Crude Awakening) followed by some equally (if not more!) fab discussions and drinkies with local council members and other interesting peeps. Can't wait!

the footprint!

Sorry kittens, I completely didn't think but the brain is back in order and THIS is how you measure your footprint, for all of you that asked below.

http://www.myfootprint.org/

Share the love - what is yours??
If everyone lived like me, we'd need 3 planets.

Hmm..

My foot isn't that big?!

Well, yes ma'am, it actually is.

I admit it - while I'm very much a fan of the environment and use my green bags to go shopping amongst other things, I still have quite a large environmental footprint. I love my clothes dryer. I catch (too many) taxis and eat too much take out that I bet a very small percentage of is locally produced. The list goes on.

So here is a bit of a committment (do you like that, a bit?) to start living in a more compact friendly lifestyle from now on. I have hesitated at making this semi-commitment before, because I know that I'll not be as great as some, I know I'll leave some of my habits open for ppl to pick at. But you know, like Ghandi says - Be the change you wish to see in the world. By doing one small change, hopefully it will make an impact somewhere along the line.

And if I slip up, so be it. I'm human - and I hope someone learns from my mistakes!

First baby steps:
* No spending this week - except for essentials (toiletries) and food. When purchasing though, it must be mindful. Oh, and this means no alcohol too.
* Cut back on using my clothes dryer. This will be tough. I live in a small unit, and have a busy life. But I've done it before and I'll do it again.

Stay tuned...

Green, Gorgeous & Inspiring Blogs

** A work in progress list... the blogs that are rocking my world at the moment, and the bigger world in general.

Makes me green with delight :)

A Path to Simplicity

Cindy's Porch

Daily Granola

Enough! (a Sydney compact who go without spending for a year)

Fix (an artist stops spending money for a year)

No Impact Man (a New Yorker who swears off plastic, goes organic, turns off his power, composts his poop and turns into a tree-hugger)

No More Stuff (a Melbourne compact who go without spending for a year)

The Compact (the original SF group who decided to go a year without buying anything)