Spring in London???

We are so fortunate to be housesitting a good friends house here in London (Thank you Ladle & B.F.) Jet-lag has had us walking the floor boards at all hours of the morning.  So it's been amazing to have a beautiful & familiar space (I've never been here before but I recognise so many of Ladle's things from her former life in Melbourne.  There are even, much younger looking, photos of us hanging in the hallway) to ourselves so we are not disturbing others..... or nodding off mid sentence around 6pm when they are eagerly returning from work.  It's been 6 years and we both have a child the other has never met before!  I haven't seen Milky (Ladle's eldest) since she was 15months and she is about to turn 7 in August!  Ladle and I can laugh about the most ridiculous things for hours on end.  So I imagine the L.F. & B.F. will be taking themselves off to the pub for a bit of down time!  It will be a mad house and I really am so excited about it.  Come on home guys we can't wait. xx

Loving:

• Ladle's early morning coffee pot, decaf of course.
• Queens Park
• Little Venice
• Z's first Double Decker Bus trip. Such glee! Z's convinced it should be called 'Double Decker Town' rather than London.
• Mastering the underground again.
• TATE modern  although it was so crowded due to school holidays.  I'd love to sneak back on my own to see this.
•  Southbank.  You could spend days down there wondering around and still not see everything.  It is such a fantastic space....Jubilee Gardens has a brilliant adventure playground...Queen Elizabeth Hall rooftop garden...London Eye, Hayward Gallery....
• Wondering around London City.  The buildings are so beautiful. Mmmm, yes, we are Australian tourists!
•  Z has been totally mesmorised by the street performers.   He gets quite involved and his enthusiasm for their act makes me laugh.   

Not loving:

• the weather!  Really London, Spring?  I had to buy myself a jumper on the way to the supermarket yesterday. We expected to layer but didn't expect we would need wool!  Brrrrr.

xxx

Singapore stop over

and we're off......

I'll confess straight up, this is a 'scheduled post'. By the time it goes to air we are hopefully flying somewhere between Melbourne and Singapore...........whhhooooooooooo, we did it. Here begins Our Big Adventure.
It could be a few days until we find out feet, recover from jet-lag and generally come up for air once we hit London. So, in the meantime, I thought it might be a good time to rehash an old post and who better to get us in the mood for exploring new frontiers than Paula Constant. For those of you who missed this interview the first time around it goes a little something like this......

Originally posted on: Friday, 16 March 2012
Interview # 3... with Paula Constant


Walking is so damn accessible. It's something we all , pretty much, do everyday. We walk to the shops, for a coffee, to work, around the supermarket, to the pub and possibly around the block for a bit of exercise. We walk without thinking about it, all day.

Yet, what Paula Constant achieved is almost unfathomable. In 2004 Paula and her husband, Gary, walked out of Trafalgar Square, London, carrying packs that exceeded recommended hiking maximums by about 20 kilos, to commence their dream adventure. They were to walk, ....with very little training, from London & finish in the Sahara Desert.

From London they walked through France to Spain...across the Pyrenees and along the Camino de Santiago.....down through Portugal and back into Spain. Exhausted yet? It's starting to sound a little like the Demtel commercial...'But wait there's more'....(no steak knives, sorry)...but Paula then walked to Algeciras, across to Morocco and down through the Western Sahara.
Just thinking about it tuckers me out. Over 12,000km's. One foot in front of the other, day after day.

(Photo courtesy of constanttrek).

Good times ahead

Good Times Ahead from paige1887 on 8tracks Radio.

Just to set the mood. Happy weekend. x

Thank you moochus

The time has come.  We're setting off in 3 more sleeps.  Whoo hoo.  It feels a little surreal.  Most things are organised, I hope! 

I just wanted to say a big thank you here to everyone who has encouraged, supported and inspired us to take this trip.  The L.F. & I have made it happen but not without an amazing amount of support around us.  So to the house-sitters, dog-sitters, mail sorters, lawn mowers, logistical coordinators & neighbours, a huge thank you!  ........ To the L.F.'s colleagues for stepping up and stepping in, I salute you.  A million thank you's to all the U1 team.  To the friends who have been so generous with imparting information and for offering up their homes to us, my deep gratitude to you...... huge squeezes will ensue once I get my hands on you!  I can't wait.

Lastly, to our mooch..... We'll miss you. xx

Just a thought

You know how I have a rather romantic dream of moving to the country.... well, is it crazy to dream of this house?  It's legitimately for sale.

Just a thought. x

Berlin Guide

Taken outside Berlin Zoo,  January 1992

That's me in the middle & my friend, A, who we are meeting up with in Paris this time around, on the right. 

I can't tell you how excited I am to be visiting this city. 20 years on and I'm sure I'll see a huge difference, visually, culturally and energetically. The wall had only just come down 2 years before my last trip (crikey, that makes me sound so old). I loved the feel of Berlin then and I have a feeling I'm going to love it even more now.
My friend, Bruise Mouse, spent some months there last years so has been full of insightful information and handy tips.... some of which I've listed below. A huge thank you to you BM for your enthusiasm and knowledge on Berlin. You've really sparked my interest to discover the hidden treasures of Kreuzberg...and beyond.

Guides to get you going:
Sandra's Guide to Berlin...makes me want to be there right now!
Slow Travel Berlin
Still in Berlin
Kreuzberg'd: Everything you Never Knew You Wanted to Know about Kreuzberg.
Design Sponge's Berlin City Guide
Unlike Berlin City Guide
ExBerliner magazine for expats is a brilliant hard copy magazine with feature articles and guides to whats happening around Berlin.
Petite Passports retail guide to Berlin for some consumer spending.

Galleries:
Too many incredible galleries to list here.  Grab yourself a guide or check out:
TimeOut's top picks here.
BerlinList Gallery Guide.
My Premium Europe: Top Contemporary Galleries Berlin.

366 Project

Here's a little video I made which takes a glimpse at my recent 366 project, using Animoto.  Enjoy x

Something for the little man.

 

I've been keeping my eyes peeled for great things to entertain our little man while traveling. I came across this publication today by Joy Paton a graphic design & illustration student currently studying in Leicester, UK.   It's one to add to the bag of tricks.

*also loving the DIY wall masks in the Lille Nord 04 magazine..... and the idea of sleeping in a Yurt in Central Copenhagen!

Sweet. Thanks Joy. x

This time last year.

Happy Anniversary Al & Jen x

Repost from : Tuesday 15th May 2012

We spent the weekend in Sydney celebrating a wedding. The wedding was absolutely stunning. A beautiful couple in an incredibly breathtaking setting.
I fell in love with Sydney's East all over again. Autumn definitely is a beautiful time to be perch up above the streets of Surry Hills.
Morning tea at Neilson Park, a Mother's Day stroll around Centenial Park, a visit to Object Gallery to see the Women With Clever Hands exhibition, walking the streets of Paddington and meeting our new nephew for the first time, a lunch date with my cousin here, were amongst some of my favorite things.

There were some smaller but no less enjoyable moments like the chance meeting with a prophet behind the counter at the Salvos store on Crown Street (who gave me some rather sage advice on the Z man), spending a rainy spell bunkered down in the light filled space of Surry Hills library an incredibly beautiful public space, walking the back streets and discovering this, yum cha and of course Chee soon Fitzgerald, so many fabulous places...too many to mention but here's a snippet.

What were you doing this time last year??
xx

Going on around here

Lists...... and yet more lists.
Went to see Beth Orton play here. Such a thrill.
Wondering how I manage this?
Cooked up some Mung Dahl from these guys.  Thank you BM, we're hooked.
Miffed as to why I can NOT find accommodation in Oslo? Ahhh.... Nor-Shipping Conference = huge crowds. Really?? Those damn vikings!
Researching travel insurance..... anyone else used TDI?
Loving it 'hot' lately.
A great evening here, with friends.
Tossing up Sri Lanka or Cambodia?
Plenty of comfort food. Tessa Kiros' Fish pie has been on the menu. Which means it's officially Autumn in my kitchen.
Eying off Emma Gale's artwork.
Craving sleep...which reminds me. I best be off.

Night, night

..... I'll be dreaming of lists .....

I Am...sterdam

3 weeks today until the big departure. The countdown has officially begun.
I took these photos 20 years ago when I was last in Holland. I spent most of my time there in The Hague staying with friends but we did manage one rather eventful trip to Amsterdam. As fun as it was at the time I'm rather thankful we wont be staying at Bob's Youth Hostel this time.

I've made a list of links to help us navigate more than the obvious....coffee houses, Anne Frank's House, Van Gogh Museaum and red light district while exploring this crazy and notoriously colourful town.

Guides:
I amsterdam
NY times travel article 'The Amsterdam of Playgrounds and Pancakes'
Babyccino kids Amsterdam
A day in Amsterdam with LUXE City Guides
36 Hours in Ansterdam, NY Times.
Off the Beaten Track in Amsterdam, Nomadic Matt
Petite Passports Favorites Guide to Amsterdam
All the goodness over at This Girl Lel.
103 weeks: An American expat in Amstaerdam.
A selection of expat blogs on I Amsterdam