The Magnificent Valley

On a chilly, misty morning, we piled into the car and set off for a weekend of back-to-basics in my favourite area of New South Wales – Kangaroo Valley. We found a tiny cottage, nestled deep in the woods and totally surrounded by fields of enormous kangaroos (not to mention the wombats… who eluded me once again, even though I could hear them thumping around outside). The weather was foul, our first real taste of our second Aussie winter but we spent countless hours nestled around the wood burning fire, listening to the thrum of wildlife right outside the front door.

Images via Wishful Thinking

Miniscule

Living in a small apartment in London for as long as we did, means I have a new-found appreciation for the clever use of space. Small doesn’t necessarily have to be pokey and awkward - it can be cozy, snug, comfortable and welcoming, and if you are smart about it, storage doesn’t have to be an obstacle. This is what you can do with a 290-square-foot (prefab no less) house…

Source | Remodelista | Photography via Ábaton Architects

Without Sleeves

I’m all about layers. Especially those that involve a sleeveless blazer. I have a well-worn black New Look blazer ($40, thank you very much) that I practically live in. It dresses up a pair of ripped jeans better than a Rolex and it’s functional, in both summer and winter. Images for demonstration were not hard to come by.

Click on the image to go to the source

Kenneth

Did I tell you about Kenneth? He’s this little fella - complete with impressively fluffy ears, tiny beady eyes, and a cute little toosh. And, if you zoom in close enough, you will notice two little front teeth resting on a very pink chin (my all-time favourite feature of a koala that I had no idea even existed until Kenneth came along). Another surprising feature about koalas? They are surprisingly agile when disgruntled about incessant photo taking. That’s Kenneth, in a nutshell.  

Images via Wishful Thinking

Something for Everyone

What? It’s Monday already? My itchy feet got the better of me and we managed to slip away for a weekend in Byron Bay. I already miss waking up without an alarm and the very warm winter sunshine of the far north coast (it was so warm that the Mr is currently sporting a rather pink face and neck). I maybe, just maybe, had enough sunshine to see me through the next couple of months. Back to business then?

I managed to find a house for my blog post that suits my mood perfectly. Cosy, laidback, casual. I was initially in two minds about that yellow sink but the more I look at it, the more I like it.

Source: Homelife | Photographer: Fiona Galbraith | Stylist: Nicole Valentine Don

Rolling Hills

Are you tired of South Australia yet? I hope not because I still have a few pics up my sleeve. Today I wanted to share my favourite shots of the rolling hills in both Barossa and Adelaide Hills. It’s definitely farming country in the south and more than once, we felt like we were slap-bang right in the middle of the bread basket of Australia. Sheep, cattle, grapes and apples dot the landscape as far as the eye can see (we even stumbled across a vineyard on the outskirts of the city!), it baffled me how anything could grow in what seemed/looked like such dry conditions. It made for some beautiful scenery.

All images via Wishful Thinking

Just the Absence of Colour

I had an art teacher in high school that deplored the use of black in any paintings or pictures. Claimed it was the “absence of colour”. This is my rebellion to that notion. An ode to monochrome on a Sunday afternoon.

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Beaches of South Australia

Ask any Sydney-sider for their thoughts on Adelaide and they are likely to wrinkle their nose and ask you why on earth you wanted to visit it. On this occasion, I am so glad that I didn’t listen to the critics. Not only did we eat like kings for 4 days but we encountered some of the most awe-worthy scenery I have ever seen. The beaches were a particular source of wonder for us – the turquoise glassy water of the ocean against the dusty reds and browns of the mountains rendered us speechless. The diverse landscape of Australia (beaches in particular) continues to surprise me.

Above is a picture of my favourite NSW beach (Jervis Bay) and below is the stark contrast of the beaches of Adelaide.

Images via Wishful Thinking