March 2007

March 27th, 2007

Astrid’s ebay loot

Well, we have been so excited all day. The Svan bouncer has arrived from the states – 5 weeks after we bought it off ebay and with an absolute treasure chest of free presents for it being late!!!



We got heaps of amazing little Haba toys, a sleepsack and a cute pink sheet with little brown bunnies, plus a litte organic doll. How amazing!! Anyway, we both danced around the house in excitement until leonie arrived and we had to do font things!!

Comments »

March 22nd, 2007

It’s fun having fun!!

Gosh. What a week of blur. Astrid had her first virus – caught, of course, from the hospital. Yes, the respiratory ward. She’s shaken it off very quickly clever girl.

We went to Salvage in Mt Eden the other day and picked up a bargain piece of barkcloth (now a tablecloth) for only $15. I love having my pocket money from skincare sales!! I actually found it quite exhilarating only having $21 in my wallet and I always end up with much cooler stuff than if I spent lots of money.



Astrid also did her first sleep-through today. She woke up at 6:20am and we went and looked out the window at the gentle rain and the lush tress in such beautiful light. I didn’t want to photograph it because I just wanted to enjoy the moment. It’s so nice being up that early with the quiet rain in the cool air. It is such my favourite weather at the moment!!! yay yay yay!!!

Yesterday Astrid dozed all afternoon in the lovely Autumn sun. Not too hot anymore and it’s sooo relaxing and sleep inducing.



1 Comment »

March 8th, 2007

Gypsea delicious

Hmm. I believe I do not know how to spell gypsy. Ah gypsy. Not gypsea. Tonight we took Astrid out to the Gypsy Tea Rooms and got rather merrily happy on rosé – suitably called ‘wooing tree’. Polly was certainly wooing after two glasses. Or did we have three? Astrid had a lovely time all cosied up in her new Nature Sway sling. Now we have the sling we can take her anywhere and she is one happy girl. Cosy, warm, cuddled and well fed.

Onwards and upwards to the top floor at Delicious where we had a delectable riesling, signature ravioli with buttered sage and pannacotta with biscotti and a flat white. Paradiso.

Hooray for Astrid’s first night out. And hooray for the Nature Sway sling. A certain life changer.

Comments »

March 7th, 2007

Rain: favourite weather



Today is my favourite weather. It’s rainy outside.
My other types of favourite weather are:

• Cold and still with a blue sky and frost on a Winter morning
• Heavy heavy rain after it’s been hot and humid
• Crisp Autumn mornings with rich yellow light
• Evening sun on the beach just when the sand has cooled down
• Balmy evenings when I’ve just had a shower

1 Comment »

March 7th, 2007

To do / Birkenstocks

ach. I am spoilt for choice. There are too many things for me to do. Too many fun things. And I now am officially working again. Hmm. And I did promise I would do my assignments this month so I can get my qualification. Right o. Then here is a list of things I must do – preferably in March but I’m not sure that’s possible:

• The Square website
• Meta website
• Do my assignments and hand in
• Finish case studies and hand in
• Business Plan for Anknel and Burblets
• Branding work for new client
• Copy for Anknel and Burblets – this week to write up the stones’ properties

And here is my secondary list:

• Sew camera bags
• Contact clients and tell them I am back working again
• Put all of last years photos in my photoblog site

That lot should see me up to May I reckon once some more bits of work have come in. Polly and Steve gave me a pair of pinking shears for my birthday – they are fabulous and I can’t wait to make some stuff! Next project is camera bags for me and Kevin. They’ll be denim with a bit of Japanese fabric.



Can you tell from my craft table that I’m ready for some sewing action?



Shoes of the day are my Birkenstocks on my magic carpet which I bought in India. The Birkenstocks were bought when I was pregnant and my feet had ballooned up so much they were all I could wear. I secretly wear them every day. And everywhere. I definitely heart my Birkenstocks. Nailpolish is pink, by Anna Sui and smells of Roses.



Comments »

March 5th, 2007

March 5th not 1973

34 today.

These shoes, well, I should have known better. Bought: Cologne, around 1996. They’re made by Casadei. And at the time were on the back cover of Vogue Pelle. I’ve worn them twice. Once to seduce Kevin and the second time today. I am not wearing them now.



1 Comment »

March 4th, 2007

Sunday sketch day / Cheltenham

Got up at 9:30 today. Was so tired – no idea why. I was going to shoot blue slippers today, but I ran out of time because we needed to go to Ponsonby to get my birthday present. We went to il forno afterwards for chai latte and croissant – the only bakery in Auckland that gets it right.

It was Astrid’s first trip out in the baby bjorn which she was pretty happy about until it came time to sit in the cafe and she continually banged me with her head until I took her out of it and sat her on my knee. So there goes the idea of hands free in cafes without the bugaboo.

Was going to meet Tammy at the eco show this afternoon but it hasn’t quite worked out. Which means I can now open my birthday present early and play with that instead. Silly thing was though the entire reason I have bought this pen (Rotring EF Sketch) was so that I can use my own coloured inks in it – but we forgot to buy the empty refillable ink cartridge thing for it.



We went for a walk on Cheltenham beach this evening. Well, no, we went for a walk up the main street in Devonport, had an Amstel (on tap) at a cute European type cafe. I was so easily lured in by the Amstel on tap sign!! We sat at a rustic table and chairs, while Astrid slept in the baby bjorn, and sipped beer. She woke up and started headbutting me so we had to drink up and leave. Then we got hamburgers and potato fritters and went and sat under the pohutukawa at Cheltenham. It was pretty windy and Kevin’s serviette blew into someones property. He went after it and then gave me his rubbish to look after.

Comments »

March 3rd, 2007

Babies and coffee / dare digital

This morning we’re off to babies and coffee with the remaining few of us from ante natal classes who have kept in touch. So for the occasion I am donning my, sorry to say, relatively new, Converse. Purchased in Carnaby Street when I was working at dare, so around January 2006. Gosh that’s only just over a year ago. I wore these shoes just about every day I was there as most of my time was spent running up and down their three floors, organising stuff. It was there I took a wee break from designing and became traffic manager – it was actually quite fun spending all my time talking to people and fitting the pieces of work together with the people. Especially when there weren’t enough people to do the work, or enough desks to sit freelancers at.



Today there is dew on the grass and the light is lower than usual. I am excited – it will be getting cooler soon and it’s strange to think that other parts of the world now are entering into spring. I take my mind back to our garden in London and imagine it being very cold there right now, but the days getting slowly longer and lighter…

Comments »

March 2nd, 2007

Faeries / fashion

It was a slight bugger my two best photos of the day are vertical. This one is of Astrid’s pohutukawa faerie – a lovely gift from Sandii and Jared and Mercedes. It’s very lovely indeed.



And in the shower I was thinking about my daily photography ritual and concluded I may photograph my shoes, each morning, and see how many days I get seeing as I seem to have started yesterday. Which led me to thinking about how we are supposedly defined by which brands we wear, but it really goes deeper than that as to which items of a brand we wear, and how we wear it.

I sometimes have thought, for example, “I am wearing a miu miu skirt and shoes, a versace cardigan and an M&S t-shirt, swinging my little mandarina duck handbag and still look incredibly scruffy.” I secretly enjoy thinking that. I especially like wearing my green nylon raincoat with my camper boots and a knee-length skirt.

Which reminds me of how I decide whether or not I’m going to get a coffee and pastry – only if there is a carpark on the row right outside the bakery can I go in. I like that rule. Some people I know are terrible at making decisions. Like Caroline. She is utterly incapable of deciding anything at all, which she freely admits. But when she does decide or know something she is, according to her boyfriend Lars, like a little dictator. Which I find incredibly funny! Because he is totally right. And she freely admits that too!

Comments »

March 2nd, 2007

Miu Mius from Bath


Today I have chosen my miu miu heels. Bought in Bath when Ben Seymour and I spent a mad weekend there one Winter. We went there in, 2002(?) I would say, or was it 2001? These are probably my favouritest heels. Their heels are high, the leather cracked and distressed. On purpose. Some people don’t get that. They look fab with jeans. Right now they hurt a bit to wear. It was hard taking a photo as standing in them was a bit wobbly. I am definitely out of practice in shoes, let alone heels. Unrelated: Astrid is totally in love with her dummy. So am I. Back to the shoes: They look amazing with beige fishnets. Mmmm. I love these shoes a lot.

Comments »

March 1st, 2007

My birthday wishlist

Just for fun here is my imaginary birthday wish list:

• This necklace
• a glue gun ($2.95 from TradeMe)
• a lomo holger camera and some film for it ($99 from TradeMe)
• some new sewing scissors that are never to be used in the kitchen ever
• a pair of pinking shears (as above)
• a reel of red cotton
• some polaroid film
• a trip to a west coast beach
• a babysitter for the night and dinner at the grove,
  or…
  fish and chips on cheltenham beach with family and friends
• the rotring sketch pen I have on hold at the french art shop ($44)
• a selection of fluidine (especially purple and green and dark canary yellow) from the french art shop to go with the rotring sketch pen
• a trip to the French Art shop for a selection of coloured paper for use as photographic backgrounds for my skincare products

Comments »

March 1st, 2007

March 1st

Well hooray. I have been inspired to start getting up early again. Astrid has only woken up once in the night the past 2 days so I actually feel able to get up at 7:30 again. It’s very exciting – I love the mornings – 6:30 is better as it’s so still, peaceful and clean, but for now 7:30 is good for me!

I have also been inspired by the 3191 site to take a photo every morning, so for the 1st of March here’s my first morning photo – my favourite ever shoes, which must be nearing six years old now, plus some of Astrid’s stuff on the floor of her room.



Another benefit of getting up early is there seems to be time to do those things one has been putting off for such a long time, so today the rosewood spoons got their long awaited oiling – hurrah! Lucky little spoons. I so love them.



I am drinking a cup of tea and I think it is time for me to realise I am totally allergic to caffeine. One sip of my earl grey and I want to be sick. Oh dear. That’s it for tea for me. Boo hoo.



Comments »