Gregarious in grey

I may have mentioned this once or a million times before but my favourite colour is grey. What does that say about me? Apparently I act with sophisticated diplomacy. I’m well mannered, know all the appropriate etiquette and am comfortable playing the role of peace-maker….. pffffttt! Not quite accurate. Regardless of the meaning behind it, grey seems to find itself all over my wardrobe (and home). It’s particularly fitting for the cold snap we are currently experiencing here in Sydney. Here’s some of my grey outfit inspiration…

The Winter Solstice

On Saturday, we saw in our first Aussie winter solstice with a morning walk on the beach, a trip to our local deli and a night of pasta making. I use the term “winter” quite lightly though as the temperature topped 20 degrees and we broke out the t-shirts and sunnies (a far cry from the icy bitter chill of London… even in the middle of summer). Although I can hardly complain about the mild winter we have had, I am very much looking forward to longer days and shorter nights and well if I am honest, getting my Aussie tan on again. So as I look forward to the return of summer, I hope my northern hemisphere visitors will be looking forward to the return of a cozy winter?

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Clever with Copper

My fondness for copper is very well documented here on Wishful Thinking (case in point). I can never quite turn down the opportunity to immortalise the clever use of it on my little corner of the internet. And so we travel to London’s East End to Trade restaurant and coffee shop. Copper is abound – from the balustrades, the screen covering the bar to my personal favourite, the overhead lighting frames and pendant stalks. Finished off with open shelving, spot on signage and textured bricks, it gets a very big *sigh* of appreciation from me.

Source | Remodelista

Photography | Dominic Harris

The contrasting architecture of Sydney

Having worked for a historic architecture firm in London for over 5 years, it’s no surprise that I developed a serious affection and passion for the conservation and preservation of historic buildings. I knew leaving that behind for the modern high rises of Sydney would be akin to removing a limb but I had no idea that Sydney would have it’s own architectural charm. We waited for a break in the winter rain on Saturday and headed out to soak up some culture along Macquarie Street in the city. We meandered down side streets, skirting along the edge of St Mary’s Cathedral and then off to Hyde Park Barracks (where the first convicts made their home in Sydney). It’s an incredible site to see the ornate lime-washed historic buildings standing proudly against the city backdrop of glass and concrete monstrosities. A quick visit to the museum and we were ready for lunch – we took a slow walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens, passing several weddings and sail boats in the harbour – and grabbed a seat shoulder-to-shoulder at the famous Opera Bar on the steps of the Opera House. Several beers were scoffed in the late winter sun while snacking on some delicious food and listening to the live music ringing out across the harbour. All in all, a perfect winters afternoon.

After lunch, we headed back home to watch the sun set over the city and the cold front move over our favourite beach…

Images | Wishful Thinking

Swellendam, Western Cape

I have been spending less and less time away from the screen. Not a conscious effort, just lack of time. It’s become almost impossible for me to blog or even visit blogs (sorry, I miss you guys) during the week and then by the time the weekend comes along, I need a time out from a desk. My creative energy has been antsy though and I have needed to fill the void – I bought a sewing machine and am sewing my angst away, I’m researching studies and taking a good hard look at where I am in my career, I’m unpacking the last of the boxes and planting my feet firmly in Australian soil. It’s coming together, slowly but surely. In the meantime, I am blogging when I find a spare few minutes because, well, I love this little corner of the internet. I love the connections I have made with people I have never met. And it’s as simple as that.

I’ll leave you with some pictures from our trip to the sleepy little town of Swellendam (on the wine route) to visit Jordan’s grandparents. His gran lives in a little retirement cottage nestled in the mountains with one of the most incredible views I have ever seen. We stayed for a day and were mesmerised by the sunset, rolling mists, twinkling lights and breath-taking sunrises (jet lag throughout our holiday meant we were up for most sunrises). If jet lag doesn’t get you up, the franklins and guinea fowl will make sure you are up. We had a rollercoaster of emotions with a fleeting visit to his ailing grandfather in frail care and then moving on to visit childhood spots, historic landmarks and picking clementines straight from the tree. It was a bittersweet time.

Coming out of the hatch Jordan’s gran had built into the floor. We are pretty sure it’s not compliant with any sort of Building Code…

Ellies of Knysna

I have an endless list of stories I want to share about my trip back home so brace yourself lovely readers. I wanted to start with one of my favourite highlights – the day we walked with the Knysna Elephants. I actually grew up in the small coastal town of George, not very far away from the Knysna Elephant Park, but being an ignorant local, I never ventured inside. We decided to rectify this wrong this past holiday and armed with a hefty feeding bucket of chopped vegetables, we gingerly made our way over the grass to the herd of 15 something elephants roaming the forest. The sanctuary provides refuge for orphaned calves, relocated ellies and ellies rescued from culls and circuses, so some of them are a little shy and battle scarred but I think this made them even more special. We spent some time feeding these greedy giants and then were able to walk amongst them. They were surprisingly obliging, letting us rub their ears, trunks and tails and on occasion, giving us a subtle nudge when we stood in their way. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and if you ever find yourself in Africa, do yourself a favour and walk amongst an elephant herd.

Just take a look at that wrinkly fuzzy head!

We were fascinated to watch them eat - they grab the grass with their trunks and then hold their trunk in place with their foot to make pulling the grass easier!

Had to get a close up of the fuzzy head and the stubby feet!

All images via Wishful Thinking