After the storms?

Sydney has seen some epic storms lately - both of the literal kind (see above) and then of the inner turmoil variety. I'm not sure what to say really apart from, well, things have been tough. It's been four months since we left London and it's hard not to wonder if we made a mistake coming home when we did.

Missing..... Martin Creed

I'm going to do my best not to be that whiney person who never gets over the fact they had an incredible overseas adventure only to move somewhere else in search of other adventures. No one likes that person. Not really.

That being said....

Martin Creed, Work No.200. Half the Air in A Given Room, 1998

Wylie's Baths

It's a fairly undisguised fact that I'm really not hugely happy at the moment, between the London homesickness, the loneliness and the lack of employment opportunities currently being afforded to me. It's been the ultimate exercise in mindfulness really; just trying to be in every moment and not go screaming off the rails with anxiety, or worse, regret. 

Which is why I've been getting back in the water, seeking ablutions for my head as well as my body. 

Up at Avalon, it was here, slalom swimming amongst the bobbing grannies, looking out towards the surfers:

Now that we're in Coogee, it's here, at Wylie's Baths...

There's no place like.... Coogee

So we're now officially residents of Coogee. It's the Australia Day long weekend which means, like all self-respecting Australians, we spent it trawling Ikea for random bits of shit we thought we'd packed but clearly ditched because 27 boxes was enough.

Stalking art heroes

So I went to Carriageworks on Friday and hovered, as expected, awkwardly and mostly alone by the buffet. When I wasn't hovering by the food making blind date awkward eyes at people I thought I once knew, I had the huge privilege to take in the extraordinary work of Christian Boltanski, whose work I've always admired. 

Chance was first shown at the Venice Biennale in 2011 (the one I didn't manage to get to...) but this is it's first Australian outing and it's a hugely contemplative experience and yet another deft expression by Boltanski of the randomness of life.

A big week

I can't believe it's been two years already since I sauntered through my Mum's garden and married my Lovely Boy.

More than that - I can't believe it's been a year since we celebrated our first wedding anniversary in a Mexican emergency room. 

Please can we hit the pause button for a minute?? For reals, if things move any faster, I can see myself, cartoon-like, slipping off the back end of the treadmill that is Life.  

It's been a big week. And it's only Thursday.

2013. The year that really, really was.

Well 2013 has definitely been one for the books. As its final moments eek away I’m still grappling with everything that I saw, did, ate, accomplished, learnt, discovered and appreciated. I’m really not ready for 2014 to start and feel like I’m being dragged along, heels firmly entrenched, towards Getting On With Things when I’m still not ready to let go of London. So, really, New Years Eve is the perfect excuse for some indulgent looking back. And there’s a lot to twist the neck for….

Crafting Christmas

So it rained on Christmas Day. My sardonic inner Londoner appreciated the nod to all things internal winter of discontent and/or Christmas 2012. My outer trying-to-be-literally sunny Sydneysider however, was a little concerned the downpour would ruin her decorations.

Someone has been channelling their angst into craft.