I have a dilemma.
Many, many moons ago, I bought this retro chest of drawers to serve as a buffet in our dining room.
I absolutely love this shape, and we are in desperate need of more storage space as our apartment has practically none built in.
I've sanded it back, and now it looks like this.
I will not bore you with descriptions of all my aches and pains. I am bored beyond tears myself.
There really hasn't been much opportunity to do anything except lie on the couch, and the cotton wool shrouding my brain for so long may make this my most banal post yet.
These have been the highlights of the past week.
My wonderful mother made me chicken soup.
It's Day 9 of being the most fully sick I've ever been in my life.
Mr K got it four days after we got back from Thailand, and passed it on to me, so it's probably SARS or something.
So, being the good citizen I am, I haven't left the house for nine days.
This has been my constant companion.
I'd like to take this opportunity to offer appreciation to the genius who thought to put aloe in tissues.
My perfectly intact nose thanks you.
(I know it's March, but I found all these things in February…)
***
One of the reasons I love opshopping is because it's perfectly aligned with the reduce, reuse, recycle mentality.
Now whenever I decide I need something – tshirts for exercising, an entertaining platter, an egg slicer (yes, for some reason I decided I needed one and can no longer remember why) – before hitting up regular retailers, I ask myself if I could find it in an opshop first.
I have seen all these things, and countless others I've needed or wanted, all lightly used and perfectly ready to go after a quick spin in the dishwasher or washing machine.
Recently I decided I wanted to replace this picture frame.
All my blogging time lately has been taken up with this.
Game of Thrones is 801 pages long and I need to have it finished by February 9 for the bookclub I joined especially so I would read it.
I've made a fair dent, but it's taken some pretty committed reading. That makes it sound like a chore, which it is in part. Not because it's not a fantastic story full of fascinating characters, but because I already watched the TV series and know everything that's going to happen.
So, some images of what I've been up to inbetween devouring 413 pages of text since I last posted.
***
My Orly thinner arrived.
So far, this summer is shaping up to be an absolutely blissful antidote to the last two summers.
The horrendous humidity and torrential downpours, interspersed with weeks of 40 degree days that typified the summers of '09 and '10 made me utterly miserable and frankly, dreading this summer.
But the perfectly balmy 24 – 26 degrees we seem to hover around (with the exception of last week's heatwave) in Melbourne keeps me in a perpetual good mood.
There are a few other things that put a smile on my face today.
Like this flower given to me by a little old man while I was waiting for coffee.
I used to keep a diary, many many moons ago.
I was always a terrible diarist, though. I'd have intentions of writing every night and then collapse into bed, promising myself, "Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will write."
The problem was I thought I had to write about "the Big Things" that happened to me. What I thought of Life's big questions, how I was changing, how I wanted to change, where my life would take me, etc. etc.
Who wants to do that every night?
Ruminating on the Big Things happens – to me – in passing thoughts snatched in the shower, in traffic, while daydreaming, or in conversation with someone in an equally thoughtful mood.
I enjoy talking about the deeper things when the mood strikes, but I don't really enjoy writing about them. I can never seem to collect my thoughts into anything not resembling an incoherent, pitiful rambling mess.
I stole this really, really long questionnaire from Sophia over at & etc who has the most exquisite eye for all things beautiful and dreamlike.
Being a bit obsessed with illustrating all my posts, I totally underestimated how long this would take me to do!
Which is why I've broken it up into two parts. The next 50 will come… uhhh, when I find the time.
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1: Do you sleep with your wardrobe doors open or closed?
There's no way known (okay maybe very, very drunk…and even then) that I could go to sleep with an open wardrobe.
It's very Sixth Sense, and my imagination goes into overdrive.
Well, I suppose that's an inaccurate title for a post, because clearly I haven't tried every coffee in Melbourne. But I have drunk a lot of coffee in the inner city areas where people tend to go with the express purpose of drinking it.
And while a burnt or bitter brew will often leave me snorting about Melbourne's proclaimed title as Coffee Capital of Australia, travelling interstate does make me appreciate the ease with which you can generally find a decent coffee – often only steps apart – in this city.
Ultimately, though, it all comes down to personal taste, and mine keeps pulling me back to one place – Market Lane at the Prahran market.
One of the lifestyle changes I made a little while back, when I began my journey to beautiful skin, was starting my day with lemon juice in warm water.
I also ordered a glass straw from Glass Dharma so I could protect the environment while I protected my teeth.
As soon as it arrived, I fell instantly in love.
Apples Under My Bed
Boredom Abounds by Julia
Confessions of a Curious Mind
Content in a Cottage
Enamel Coated
Miss Kitty-Cat Goes To Town
Moments That Make Up A Dull Day
not my only shoes...
Partner of a FIFO, Mum, Shopper, Student...
Peanut Butter and Honey
Strangely Incoherent Love Letters
The Autumn Castle