.

Tea. Sleeping Kittens. The Smell of Old Books. Expensive Cheese. Painted Toenails. Lounging Around. Coffee Beans. Weddings. Poached Eggs. Napping. Candles. Secrets. Photographs. Harry Potter. Sex. Hand Holding. Fabulous Hair. Ribbons. Dinosaurs. Rage comics. Air Guitar. Montages. Swooning. Red Grapes. Sleeping. Paper Bags. Stockings. Canvas. Daydreaming. Piles of Book's. Cheap Dvd's. Cheeky Emails. Hand-made anythings. Whispering. Red Hair. Roller Derby. Jam. Laughing. Raspberry Lollies. Hugs. Letter's. Family. Batman. Flowers. Avocado. Art. Text's. Love.


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

SIX. First round of farewells.


Last night i had my farewell drinks and nibblies at work.
It was such a gorgeous night and wonderful to see everyone out of the work environment letting loose and relaxing. It was a really emotional night too. People kept pulling me aside and letting me know what i meant to them in their own special way, it was so sweet and so sad. I'm more attached to these amazing people than i realised. After seeing everyone last night and listening to what they had to say, i can't even think about the next few days there. Even now as I'm writing this I'm getting a little teary. I know that even though we've all made promises to catch up and keep in contact, there is always that closeness that you lose along the way. I know it was my choice to leave and move away, but damn, if i could pack everyone up and move them to Brisbane i would in a heartbeat.

After the little function was over a few of us headed out to St Kilda for a night with the three best Drag Queens in Melbourne, so I'm making up for the fact that i have a terrible hangover and have written such a short post with these photos. I had a brilliant night and i thank everyone that showed up.

The Tulip and the Fox. Losers always, friends forever+ever.
Mad-dog and I. Professional dance-bummers.
The two coolest table dancers you will ever meet. Dashing Dillon and Magnificent Maddie.
My coffee machine, Leon. My love, my life.
My beautiful Ella. One of the most caring and brilliant people i will ever know.

Karen and Margaret, two of my favorite customers in the world.
My bosses. Nat and Kev and their daughter, Delicious Daisy.
The wonderful Eva and I.
My baby Max and his mum Melissa. Two of my very best customers. Max bring me fresh flowers every Sunday and calls me his Bat-girlfriend.

Align Center

Rita. Not a visitor at my work, but one of the highlights of Mink. My Monday night haunt. She's AMAZING.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

FIVE. Packing.


I just packed up my DVDs.
Anyone who knows me, knows i have a lot of DVDs. A heap of DVDs. I love my DVDs. Sure, there are many, many things i love more than my DVDs. But you can't alphabetize expensive cheeses, the sound of grinding coffee or kittens and display them proudly on a shelf.

The packing of the DVDs for me symbolizes the "Oh-god-it's-actually-happening-I'm-packing-my-things-and-moving-interstate" phase of the new return to my Old Life. My Old Life was in Brisbane, where i had a bunch of the greatest people I've ever known as my friends. I love them so, but i love my Mumsy more. So when she got sick, i made the choice to move back to Melbourne and look after her. I wouldn't of been anywhere else. Anyhoo, Eighteen months on and now I'm sitting on my bed, atop a pile of clothes, books, knick knackery and rubbish in a room that looks something like this -


Except messier, trying to sort my life into neat, organised and clearly labelled boxes.
Where on EARTH did i get all this stuff from? I've fitted my life into my car on two other occasions and that seemed to go fine. Heck, the second time i did it, i didn't even need the roof racks that i bought to attach extra boxes. Now, sitting on my throne of crap, trying hard to be ruthless, I'm panicking a little.

I seem to have accumulated double the amount of things since I've been here, i have more cookery books, home wares and figurines than is necessary for someone who has technically been living out of one room for the past year and a half. I keep pulling things out of my seemingly never ending wardrobe and wondering how it all fitted. My Mum always did call me a squirrel. I'm a keeper of things. Collector of the unnecessary, a hoarder. I can;t chuck anything out. What if i need that pamphlet on the 2007 Expressionists exhibit on again in the future? I know this cup is cracked and technically useless, but one day i may use it as a planter in my future home. You never know when you'll need a 200 pack of tea light candles, or two giant, broken preserve pots without handles. I have all of this stuff.

The problem is, I'm not in a particularly ruthless mood tonight. I accidentally started looking though old photos and i got all sentimental/teary and had to settle my extreme bout of emotion with a cup of tea and a few pieces of individually wrapped dove chocolates with pretty sayings on the inside of each wrapper. Ugh. That's why my DVDs are packed. I would never throw away a DVD. I still have a copy of Cheaper By the Dozen 2 that i borrowed for the kids at my old job and forgot to return. I've watched it twice and it's been shit, twice, but i can't get rid of it. They are easy to pack and all fit neatly into banana boxes which can them be stacked on my backseat ready for their big journey back home. I guess i packed them because now without them my room looks less like my room and it has slightly encouraged me to attack my piles of belongings with more vigour and start to really get the ball rolling.


Next stop is my bookshelf, because like DVDs, i can't get rid of a book.


On a completely different note. I bought Mr Spomes and myself matching and ADORABLE Keep Cups for our giant drive back to Brisbane. They are all environmentally spiffy and as a Barista, they make my job of caffeinating the masses less guilty when people bring in re-usable cups.

I also got them in matching colours!!!

They look like this, except Spomes has a dark blue band and i have a red band. Nerdy, coffee related Bliss.

Friday, June 25, 2010

FOUR. Family.



I have an odd family. I often get told this. We are a little bit mental and a little bit wonderful. We have our issues, we have our drama's but we do actually love each other to bit's.

There is just four of us in our little family. There is Me, My brilliant Mum, My step-Dad Bill and my little brother Stephen.



Bill and his dog, Wesley.

Bill has been married to my Mumsy for fifteen years this year. He is a courier by trade, a avid lover of all creatures great and small, an insane Geelong Cat's supporter and a real bloke.
He judges a man by his handshake, he doesn't do lettuce. He has the most wonderful collection of bizarre sayings that come out at the best times. "She's off like a brides nightie" "He hit him in his three k's head" "OHHH it's on for young and old"
He gives everything nicknames and has gradually re-named all our family pets with his own personal names, most of which are related to his football team. He is a hilarious 80's style dancer, and sings like William Shatner when he is drunk. He is terrified of carnival rides and roller coasters and makes a mean Bruschetta.
He also affectionately calls me Primrose because of my rebellious youth, he used to joke that i was as delicate as a little flower in my giant, doc martins and permanent grumpy face.


Me and the Boy on one of our finest moments.

My baby brother Stephen. Or Sctheve, or BOY as i refer to him.
Best brother in the world. Fiercely loyal and protective of his family and friends. Spectacular hugger. Manager of my favorite pub in the world, owner of probably the most indestructible liver in the world. Loves his Westcoast Eagles. Makes a mean Spaghetti Bolognaise. Turns into a softie around kittens. Sings all the time.
The conversations between BOY and I are usually made up of equal parts movie quotes, the mocking of our mum when she's around, talking about Max and singing various mash ups of our favorite songs. Many people cannot understand our language.
We also have the ability to make each other crack up laughing with just a look at each other and often do so for uncomfortably long periods of time.
When we were little we used to fight over fresh air. Now, we still still fight over fresh air, but with better swear words. My brother is the most honest, clever and awesome people i know. His laugh is booming and infectious and a night out with him is a night you will never forget.

Me and my lovlery Mums.

Ahhh my Mum. Ahhh, look at her. Awwww.
She's everything to me.
She is my hero. The strongest, bravest, toughest and most intelligent woman i know. She raised us around a close circle of family and friends, taught us to always depend on ourselves first and to be fiercely independent. She taught us right and wrong, honesty, passion, integrity and true strength. she worked (still works) full time, even after battling Breast Cancer and a stroke, thus making her the hardest working wonder woman in the world. She loves cuddles and kittens, peppermint tea and white lindt chocolate. She has an obsession with matching shoes and accessories and owns more of those two things than anyone i know. Daffodils are her favorite flower on earth and anything yellow makes her smile. She knows how to make me feel better with a few words, a hug or her special 'eggy in a cup'.
Everyone that knows her, loves her to bits. She is the life of the party and the centre of attention. She makes the greatest roast dinners in the universe, is passionate about her garden and will settle at the end of the day for a nice G & T.
I love her more than anything else.
















We are dysfunctional and awesome.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

THREE POINT FIVE. Fail.






I'm sorry.
I can't blog tonight. Family things.
I'm hoping to bribe you with a few of my favorite pictures until return.
Much Love, see you tommorow.



Tuesday, June 22, 2010

THREE. A place to call my own.

It's happened much sooner than i thought, i was only a house hunter for a mere two weeks and I've already landed my little dream house!
So I'm not homeless or hopeless any longer, I'm now officially a soon-to-be-resident + renter in Bardon!


Meep.

I'm saying 'Me' and 'I' waaaay too much, the majority (read - all) of the credit should really go to Mr S. My darling Spomey, without whom i would be a homeless lass with nothing but a car full of home wares and knick knacks and nowhere to hang my hat. We'd done some casual browsing on the Internets and found a few places that seemed to suit us perfectly, Spomes had then faithfully gone too many open for inspections and taken millions of photos which he had emailed back to me with full descriptions. A house is a better option for us because i have solid dreams of bringing my own itty bitty kitty home soon and most units do not allow for such adorable to be confined within their walls. We also wanted a big balcony for entertaining and lounging and i dreamed of a decent kitchen to domesticate myself into a frenzy in and a spare room for the already thousands of people that I've invited to come stay with us. This house has it all.





Here are some shots that he took on the open inspection day.





Nice, big balcony.





WONDERFUL kitchen. Look at all those shelves. EEP!





It also has a Breakfast Nook which i have been utterly obsessing over since i saw it a few days ago. Now it is mine, and i shall love it and sew cushions for it and sit on it lovingly and sip my tea (in proper china)





Also, look at how pretty it's outside is! Best of all, it's a mere twenty minute walk to Amy's!


I've always dreamed of staying in a house that i can call my home. In the past I've only ever stayed in spare rooms of friends or places that were already established as someone elses. This little house is mine from the beginning and i can't wait to start adding my bits and pieces to it. 23rd of July is the move in date. I will keep you posted with photos of how it's going.

I'm so excited!

Monday, June 21, 2010

TWO. Moving.

So, after many months of scrimping and saving, dreaming and worrying, I've finally made a date to move back to Brisbane. Probably one of the toughest decisions I've made in a long time. I originally moved to Melbourne sixteen months ago to help my wonderful Mum battle breast cancer. While she will never be 100% clear of her cancer, she is at the tail end of her follow up treatments, and has finished her chemotherapy, had her surgery etc etc. Being the superwoman that she is, she has also built a house and will be moving down the peninsula at the end of August too.

I'm not going to lie, this greatly helped my decision to move when i realised she will be around her best friends in the world, who can take over the girly when I'm gone, she'll also be closer to her doctors and surgeons, be in an area she loves and a house that she can call her own whih is a relief.
I originally moved up to Brisbane in 2007, i was in a bit of a rut in Melbourne, i had just moved back home, i wasn't really enjoying my job and i needed a big change. I packed up my car and with a head full of crazy moved two states away to be with a boy that i thought was the one. Fast forward two years, that boy was not definitely not the one, but in the time i had spent in Brisbane i had made some of the best friends i've ever, gained a bucket load of self confidence, a new trade and was truly happy.





I'm talking about these sexy losers.


It sucked leaving them when my Mum got ill. But i couldn't be anywhere else. She needed her daughter and i wanted to be there to help her battle what turned out to be one mother fucker of a disease. Fast forward another sixteen months (I'm really making a long story short here, but I'm dedicating an entire other post to my beautiful Mum and i don't want to ruin all the juicy details on this one) and my Mumsy is all but a few pesky cells short of better, I've saved enough dough to move over in relative comfort and I've handed in my months notice at work.


I got my job a mere week after arriving in Melbourne, i needed something that would be flexible around Mum's treatments, let me take days off whenever i needed it and if there was ever an emergency, treat that as my priority. Cue Nat and Kev, two of the most wonderful bosses a girl could have in her situation. Leaving those guys is one of the main reasons this decision to move is so hard. Although i never really made any new friends outside of work, the ones i made within the little Our Kitchen Table family are some of the best people I've met, some more than others, they know who they are.



I'm talking about these fine folk.


So there you have it in a nutshell. In two and a bit weeks I'll be finished packing, saying goodbye to everyone and moving back to be with my besties in Brisbane to begin the next stage of my life.

Me and the mum.


Wish me luck?

Sunday, June 20, 2010

One. A little about me.







Me. Almost twenty-five year old, Barista from Melbourne-soon-to-be-Brisbane. Lover of felines, home wares and Harry Potter. Runs on caffeine and chocolate. Budding foodie. Baker of brownies and maker of jams, Queen of the homemade. Proud owner of a mane of fiery, red hair. Fan of knick knacks, good books and neckerchiefs. Will happily choose a night at the movies with a dinner of popcorn over anything else. Will dance for expensive cheeses. Greatly comforted by a bear hugs and Earl Grey tea in proper china.






Always the height of fashion. Washcloth hats were all the rage in 1986.



Love my Mum, Step-father and Brother to death - will maim you if you hurt them. Temporary surrogate mother to one derpy, fat spaniel called Max and one portly and pompous terrier called Wesley. My friends are my everything. Proud of my job and work hard to be the best at what i do. Domestic Goddess in training, current house-hunter. Yearns to have the fashion sense of two of my best friends and the freckles of another, the cooking skills of the boys at my work, the gaming prowess of my two best dude pals, the drinking ability of my brother, the accent of my aunties, the strength of my mother.





Sullen, bored. Oh-so-cool fourteen year old me (left) with bf Jako.




Interested in anything..


Except sport.



Thursday, June 17, 2010

Lightbulb!

I've been a bit lazy lately. Not just in blog, but in life.
I am supposed to be sorting it all out because i'm moving two states away in a mere 25 days.
Instead, i want to do this.

30 blogs in 30 days sounds like something i'd really get into.
It should be interesting too, because in the next month i'm changing jobs, packing, driving across two states and house hunting. Not to mention saying goodbye to my wonderful Mum and family and generally turning my life upside down.


The 30 Days of Blogging campaign is meant to:
- Enrich the bloggers responsibility towards their readers who wait for them for months to write new posts, and might sometimes give up and stop following their blogs.
- Force people to sharpen their talent and come out with new ideas to write about, and not to wait for blogging ideas to come to them.
- Encourage readers to read a blog post each day, even if they are just going to read a short post.
- Increase the number of visitors and followers to blogs, who will be more confident to find new posts every time they visit those blogs.


Let's give it a whirl shall we?



Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Way to ruin the environment, BP.

oily hermit crab woe.


This BP oil spill is depressing the shit out of me.
I keep reading the reports and looking at the photos and feeling completely hopeless. They still haven't successfully managed to stop the massive amount of oil that is spewing out of the damn pipes. It's so sad. The incredible impact this spill is going to have not only on the environmental side of things, but the effect on millions of people's lives, businesses and futures too. I can't even fathom how many years and how much money and effort that this is going to take to fix. I only hope that BP do the most noble thing and help see the clean up and all future spill-related aids all the way through.
Short of flying over there and helping scrub birds clean and and gather tar balls (i wish i could, but sadly i'm in no position to do this) there seems to be nothing the other side of the world can do but watch the news and donate our money to the wildlife preserves and foundations that are tackling the clean up. I'm certainly not going to be buying my petrol from BP again (or any sort of BP product), but i doubt that boycotting their products is going to have any effect, short of them going bankrupt and someone else having to pay for their mistakes.

Anyway. Enough sad for now.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Meep.



Meet baby Leah.


My friend Naomi and her fiance Will brought her into the world last week. Today I got my first cuddles.







She's perfect.