Apparently Frank likes Hello Kitty

I kid you not - spied this at Franks house during christmas...I would suggest it was hand crafted in Vietnam - how it came to be in Franks house I do not care to know. I would just like to celebrate in its awesomeness.

52 Books in 52 weeks - # 1 A Fine Balance

I've decided to give up pay tv, which is a bold move - but not really seeing I haven't turned the tv on in over a week...Instead of watching tv I'm going to read, which is something I have forgotten I enjoy doing. And a book a week can't be that hard, surely?

I started with A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It is an amazing book set in India during the mid 70's, and follows the story of four characters from very different backgrounds. It provides a wonderful illustration of Indian culture, the government during those troubled times and the injustice of the caste system. I couldn't put it down. It will make you laugh and it will shock you, but you should read it. Plus it did make me crave Indian food - but that's just because I'm shallow and uncultured and motivated by food more than I should be.

Blue Valentine

This is a beautiful film. Or maybe that isn't exactly the right description, but I think it is beautiful in its honesty and rawness. I don't know what more you can ask for when a film deals with the everyday stuff of life, relationships and just the ordinary, but does so in a way which is just extraordinary.

O Tannenbaum

Merry Holidays

Because we are not from these parts, we celebrate Christmas on the 24th...in Sydney, in the ghetto that is the northern beaches. We pretend it is like a little village in Austria, but it isn't. The suburbs are filled with cars wearing antlers!?!?! and the houses luminescent in christmas lights. In fact there are streets (maybe including the one in which I am staying) where people drive by to look in awe.

This house is one of those houses and I must remember the pleasure the christmas lights bring to others as I'm struggling to find sleep...which is hard due to the bright glow from outside encroaching the darkness that is supposed to come with bed time. You would think the soft hummmm of electricity might lull me into dreams.

The dog of the yellow house has joined me again this year and when I'm on the computer he is curled up in the smallest space under the office desk. Just like when he was little so many years ago, but he kind of fit better then. It can't be comfortable, but he likes being in the way. When he isn't stalking me from room to room, he can be found in the kitchen where he gets fed horrible amounts of food. Last night I caught my mum sneaking him organic bangalow ham. When she saw that I saw she loudly scolded 'last one Barney' - like it was all his fault. Yeah bad dog for hanging around who is projecting her desire for grandchildren on a four legged stooge.

Anyways - I hope you are enjoying the break from work / study / usualness.

Stripes

Something tells me I should diversify my wardrobe...

Best christmas card ever

Look - a biscuit tree!

I love handmade gifts and this one is particularly awesome. You can't see the detail, but it has little prett baubles decorating the tree. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to eat it. I'm having flashbacks to that damn gingerbread house! (which went in July just gone)

She's apples

Christmas Crackers

He was scared of the crackers, thought the jokes were lame, but liked the hat.

It's Saturday!

And it's a Saturday that two people I think are pretty tops arrive in Canberra from lands far away. It's Saturday!

Bicicletta

Today I went to Bicicletta for lunch with a great friend who pops in and out of Canberra like magic and helps me escape the world of work for a catch up over lunch.

So, Bicicletta is an Italian cafe specialising in simple regional produce and it is smack bang in the middle of New Acton.

We had an outstanding antipasto of crispy fried bread with silky smooth prosciutto, followed by pizza with potato sausage and cheese - all washed down with Italian beer. The name of the beer escapes me but the glass was icy cold and it was the perfect way to break up a crazy day.

Get on your bike and go! (sorry)

Lanterns and new artwork

Places in America - pinned out my trip

Places in America - I mapped it out, and put it up in my room....

It went...

Sydney to LA

LA to Santa Maria

Santa Maria to Monteray

Monteray to San Francisco

San Francisco to Merced

Merced to Bass Lake

Bass Lake to Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa to Eureka

Eureka to Corrallis

Corrallis to Clarkston

Clarkston to Bozeman

Bozeman to Jackson

Jackson to Nephi

Nephi to Bayfield

Bayfield to Gallup

Gallup to Seligman

Seligman to Las Vegas

Las Vegas to Palm Springs

Palm Springs to San Clemente

San Clemente to Needles

Needles to Albuquerque

Albuquerque to Shamrock

Shamrock to North Little Rock

North Little Rock to Memphis

Memphis to St Louis

St Louis to Chicago

Chicago to Maumee

Maumee to Cleveland

Cleveland to Marietta

Marietta to Greensboro

Greensboro to Atlantic Beach

Atlantic Beach to Aiken

Aiken to Birmingham

Birmingham to Jackson

Jackson to New Orleans

New Orleans to Pensacola

Pensacola to Kissamee

Kissamee to Fort Pierce

Fort Pierce to Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale to Melbourne

Melbourne to Fayetteville

Fayetteville to Washington DC

Washington DC to Groton

Groton to Lexington

Lexington to Plymoth

Plymoth to Barre

Barre to Westminster

Westminster to Lexington

Lexington to Cape Cod

Cape Cod to New York

Christmas tree

Hive Braddon

I went christmas shopping at Hive, and ended up with something for myself...

They always have the most beautiful window displays, and beautiful handmade gifts. I even saw some stamps from the yellow owl workshop which I wrote about last christmas. I love shopping in that little strip of great stores in Braddon.

I got this for you

This was given to me as a housewarming gift - to celebrate the yellow house now being mine (and not his and mine). This kitty cat came all the way from Kentucky to Canberra town. Checkout Kin Ship Press for more beautiful and affordable original art.

Bread Top

And suddenly working in Belconnen pays off.

I don't like crocs

Some people know I like sausage dogs, so they send me pretty pictures and things about sausage dogs. Other people know I don't like crocs and send or take pictures of that...this one is courtesy of a friends holiday in Mauritius....it is a camp of displaced crocs and is hideous.

Sausage dog magnets

I received a lovely surprise in the post yesterday from a very thoughtful and generous person.

Thanks Helen xxx

Look at this fucking hipster in Afghanistan

Honestly, only he could get away with wearing that get up with a flak jacket in the middle of a far away war torn province in Afghanistan.

Canvas Project - Volume 3....The Show!

Remember the Canvas Project and the sausage dogs I sent to the U S of A? They landed and are part of the show!

Great idea from the lolly factory #23

Got some left over bits of candy from Emma and Marks wedding? Made a mistake spelling Jacobs name? Cancelled candy order from IBC Construction?

I know - lets put all the leftovers together and repackage it and call it Scramble!

When my house grows up

It wants to be this house.

Happy Birthday

So it is my brothers birthday today and he is 8 years older than me - that means he is turning 42*. Amazing!

The first photo is taken with my brother and dad on Sydney Harbour I think. I love this photo - my dad looks cool and my brother looks as cute as a button wearing that cable knit cardigan. The 2nd photo is just to embarrass him - sorry awkward teenager , but look how cute I look. My blog, my prerogative!

Anyway - Happy Birthday Bernie. I love how you read this blog, and mostly you are the only person who comments. Not only do I love that, I'm grateful for it! I also love that we are so different but still have so much in common. I love that you helped form my taste of music, and looked after me growing up. I also love knowing that you would still look after me now that I am grown up if I needed it.

*Lying

If you ever feel sad

Go visit Vinnie and Rosie!

Kate McCarthy

I seem to have created a tradition. Remember last year when I accidently bought this and then pretended it was for my birthday? Well I may have done it again....plus I've made an internet friend as part of the bargain!

To defend myself, this was meant to be. Last year I was away for another friends birthday and I came across a painting by Kate McCarthy. I loved it, but didn't buy it....then I went to buy it and got distracted by life. I thought about that painting a lot, and one day I saw a postcard with that very painting on it, you know on of those free postcards...and then I went to buy the painting and it was sold. I was sad about that.

About six months later, I tried to look online again, and I'm not sure how it happened but I stumbled across Kate on Facebook. One thing led to another and all of a sudden there is a very special painting made just for me. I'm sitting across from it now, and I can't stop loving it. Want to have a look?

And the other great thing? Kate is a super nice person, so generous, and an amazing talent. She shared some kind, personal, generous words with me, and I really like that in a gal. Fingers crossed one day we might meet in real life, but for now I have a bit of Kate in my lounge in the yellow house in the u.

Secret Lives of Dogs

So I'm watching this show about the secret lives of dogs, and they had a piece on this awesome dog, who could understand 340 words. Umm my dog can do that:

1 - 20 various peoples names including Karin, Gina, Brookes, Bernie, Len, Julia, Amy, Andrew, Lucy, Rhys, Frank, Mami, Stacey, Magda, Girls, Jo, Justine, Ann, Ollie, Mal.

20-30 His own and other dogs names: B Head, Barney, Bingles, Chop Suey, Barn Head, B Dog, Owen, Oscar, Fynn, Barneyliscious.

30-40 Toys - Star, Ball, Starball, hedgie, frizzabee, boomerang, Saucisson, monkey, square, footy ball.

40 - 80 Commands in English. Sit, stay, wait, roll over, look at me, gruss gott, hola, you can dance, come, off, up, stop, enough, do it quietly, get the birds, where is the ball, come here, inside, drop it, no, give me a kiss, give her a kiss, give him a kiss. Where is XXX ? XXX is coming.

80 - 100 Other stuff - do you want dinner, go for a walk, in the car, have a drink, who's here? Do you want a treat? I'm going to go. See you.

This is boring. He is a genius, just take my word.

Vacuum...

This is what happens when you argue with the vacuum...

You bark a lot, grab it by the wheels, doing that, you manage to back into a door. You let go and somehow you cause a hello kitty lolly necklace to smash from the door handle to the ground and scatter into a million different directions.