books i read - purchased from North Rocks Sunday market

an exquisitely honest foray into life on Montreals redlight streets as told by a 12 year old girl called Baby

Heather O'Neill's enchanting observations provide a sweet tone for her bittersweet story

fresh, compassionate, tragic yet hopeful

*my mums pavs

are the best in the world

she makes them for all special get-togethers, they're awesome

she's awesome. my mum is a master culinary creative - works of art are whipped up in her kitchen. she has her favourites *see pavlova above, that take their rightful pride of place, but there's her colourful and tasty sweet potato, pumpkin and dried tomato salad, her generous meatballs, her cheesecakes with their gorgeous biscuity base, her stewed apple and rhubarb that's fresh and yum for breakfast, her better-than-store-made jams and marmalades which she shares around instantly upon making. her scones are an introduction to a whole new world, her hot-cross buns are without peer and her single perfect meringues transform a humble kids party to a place more genteel!

and that's not a 100th of the magical masterpieces she has cooked and created along the way! thanks mum!! XX (and keep it up!) hehehe

in the bag

some days i feel like santa as i heave my pink sack onto my back. don't you ever feel this way?

it has gym gear: shorts, a singlet, toe shoes and a qwik-dry towel, plus a book and a mag for the stint on the stationary bike; my swimmers, cause it pays to always have them with you in summer in sydney + sun-screen, a sarong and my cap. ever close is my trusty bottle of water and the daily essentials: sunnies and their case, wallet, keys and...a small packet of tissues.

after reading back over what i've just written, complaining about a heavy bag, i'm a bit embarrassed - i can ride a bike (abeit stationary, my knee's still crap), i can read, i can swim, i have clean water to drink, i have money, so what if i've get the sniffles sometimes.

when is a palm tree not a palm tree?

when it's a street light!

ain'it true ain'it true

perfectly discribes oli and my feelings about being back at the grind after spending the last month in Phuket in a waking dream

every one of us is on an individual journey here on earth, yes i'm getting all hippy on you

pause for a moment and think how differently your life rolls along to your sisters’, or your best friends’. your parents’ experience is completely different to yours and your kids see the world differently again - see?

we’re all on some sort of field trip. most of us with general goal in mind. whatever group we belong to has an overall navigational map.

i wear a tibetan symbol on a chain around my neck. i have a personal goal that requires faith and discipline - that’s just my thing (i’ll give YOU hippy!), and i have no right to expect that it’s yours.

it's not for me to figure the weirds and whys people do the things they do - and life is not a competition, there’s no real wrong or right, just a series of motions, producing one outcome or another, leading to where we don’t know.

all i can espouse, teach or learn is up to me.

greetings from phuket