Awkward Family Photos (Not!)

Just some friendly siblings hanging out with nature, yo. Here's two of the pics we got taken to give to my Mum for her 50th birthday this week. Not gonna lie, was a little worried we'd end up with some awkward family photos but I think they turned out pretty well (apart from my arm pop - the photographer made me do it I swear!). It even looks like we love each other a little bit!

The experience was actually kind of traumatic for me, not because I don't like getting my photo taken but because there were BEES. As soon as we started taking the photos at the location of the first pic, we were swarmed by bees. I happen to be allergic to them and they just wouldn't quit it! Cue me freaking out, breaking out in a sweat and becoming super agitated and jumpy for the rest of the shoot. Was actually wondering whether it was my dress that was attracting them? Is that scientifically possible?

We also got some individual shots but I'll spare you the extreme close up of my face - I'm saving that one for LinkedIn!

Photos by Xanthe Roxburgh.

Classic Celebrity Photos

 

1. Jodie Foster

2. Marlon Brando

3. The Beastie Boys and Billy Idol

4. Robert Downey Jnr (hubba hubba)

5. James Dean

6. Queen Elizabeth during WWII

7. President Obama and his grandfather

8. Picasso

9. Elijah Wood & Leonardo Dicaprio / Marilyn Munroe

10. Kate and Leo being directed by James Cameron on the set of Titanic

I stumbled upon this set of gorgeous and somewhat rare celebrity photos recently. I'm kind of fascinated by celebs. Not in the sense that I know heaps about them or read heaps of gossip magazines, it's more about the fact that they're regular people but the way we think about them is far from that. With the advent of social media it can start to feel like you almost know these people. We can follow them on Twitter or Instagram and see photos from their lives. Sure, their lives are a lot different to ours, but at the same time, these people have gotta do normal people things sometimes. For example, have you ever envisioned a famous person sitting on the toilet? Save the details of what they're doing there and allow yourself to laugh for a minute. It's even better if you picture someone really posh, like the Queen. Guys, the Queen's gotta do what the Queen's gotta do! Alright, I think I've shared too much of what goes on inside my brain. Have a lovely weekend. x

Elkington Park

Yesterday I had the pleasure of working at a wedding with a friend of mine who is an event stylist. I'll be sharing more photos from that soon (once I sort through the hundreds of them) but for now I wanted to show you the park where the wedding ceremony was held. 

Elkington Park can be found in the suburb of Balmain in Sydney's inner-west. I've visited Balmain's main street (Darling Street) quite a bit but had never spent any time down by the water. It's almost a shame that I only discovered this park just as summer is coming to an end as I could have made good use of those swimming baths! Though yesterday was warm enough I unfortunately didn't have my swimmers with me. Dang.

As a 'country girl', it's so easy to only focus on the traffic, terrible rail system, weird smells and busy-ness of daily life in the city. Finding places like this is always a much-needed reminder of how beautiful this city is.

The House

My mum and dad are visiting at the moment so I took half a day off work yesterday to spend some time with them. Since one of my goals for 2013 was to be a tourist in my own city, them being here was a great excuse to go out on adventure into the city.

We took a walk down to Circular Quay, marvelled at the massive cruise ship docked there at the moment and also watched another one depart. We spent quite a while on the steps of the Opera House watching the beginnings of a wedding that was happening on a boat. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the bride which is usually the most exciting part. Mum loves a good wedding and will take any chance to sticky beak. The poor thing is still waiting for me to get married - sorry mum!

It had been a while since I'd stood underneath the Opera House sails and I'd forgotten just how impressive they are. It really is such a magnificent structure.

We finished the evening with dinner at Darling Harbour. I often walk past the restaurants down there thinking they'll be too touristy or overpriced. We'd done a lot of walking so when we spotted this Italian place we decided to just stop there and rest our feet. It turned out to be an excellent meal and while it was a little expensive the food and service was fantastic. It was so nice to sit there as the sun set and watch all the people go by. I'm looking forward to being a tourist again soon and snapping some more photos to share here.

Have a wonderful weekend! xo

Old Melbourne Town

I spent three nights in lovely Melbourne this week for another work trip. I spent a lot of time around South Bank which isn't the most exciting area but I was pleased to score a pretty sweet view from the apartment I stayed in. I always love my trips to Melbourne. The city has such a different vibe to Sydney. I'm allowed to say that because I'm not originally from Sydney - if I was it would be blasphemy, or something.

As much as I do love Melbourne, can we just talk about the weather for a second? Over the four days I was there it went from scorchingly hot on day one to actual winter temperatures when I left last night. I've been caught out before, walking out of the airport into 11 degrees Celsius in just a skirt and blouse (in Summer, mind you) so I now know to always pack a pair of tights and a cardigan when I visit Melbourne. Somehow, I managed to forget my umbrella this time and of course it rained on two of the days I was there. Being stubborn (and strapped for cash) I chose to get soaked instead of purchasing yet another umbrella. I mean, not that Sydney is any better at the moment. That wet stuff just keeps on falling.

I'm not painting a very good picture of my time in Melbourne, am I? I actually had a lot of fun. Even though I was working, it was the fun kind of work. I was attending a big expo at the convention centre for the events industry. So basically, it's a massive event for people that run events, which means they've got a tough crowd to please! The first night started with a literal bang (fireworks on a Monday, holla) down at the South Wharf Promenade. They worked with a number of the restaurants and bars down there to put on a massive welcome party with fantastic food, drinks, live music and dancing! Quite impressed with myself for staying out dancing until 11pm, especially since I had been up since 5am!

Another highlight was an event the next morning which featured a live performance by James Morrison on the trumpet, followed by a bunch of motivational and somewhat famous speakers (including Layne Beachley, which I was quite stoked about!). Before I knew it (and before 10am) I was dancing to 'Shake Your Tail Feather' with The Voice winner Darren Percival. What a morning!

No trip to Melbourne is complete without a catch up with one of my good friends, Tia, which we did at Vegie Bar in Brunswick. I also took my horse-print jeans and boots out for a stroll to get some Lord of the Fries - vegetarian fast food like no other. Note to self - horse-print jeans attract unwanted attention from strangers.

Thanks for having me Melbourne, see you again soon!

Seaside Pastels

Just wanted to share with you these amazingly dreamy photographs taken by my brother, Sam. Sam has always had a natural gift for photography and is one of the reasons I decided to buy a DSLR camera not so long ago. I have a long way to go but with someone so talented in the family hopefully my skills will only get better and better. These shots were all taken around Newcastle and its beautiful beaches and ocean baths. They make me miss the simpler lifestyle back in Newcastle and time spent counting the endless ships out at sea.