what I've been reading...

Yes, well...the best laid plans and all that. I was meant to give you a list of what I'd read each month but it appears I haven't done that since the March list I published in early April. Oops.
So, this is a biggie...all the books that I've read since then in one fell swoop. The ones I can remember that is...perhaps there have been a few others :)

In order:

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison - fiction

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua - non fiction

Shiver by Nikki Gemmel - Australian fiction

Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier - fiction

Stealing Picasso by Anson Cameron - Australian fiction

Odd Socks by Ilsa Evans - fluff

The Other Half Lives by Sophie Hannan - psychological thriller

Affection by Ian Townsend - fictionalised account of real people set in Townsville during an outbreak of the bubonic plague in 1900

Lessons in Letting Go by Corinne Grant - Australian memoir

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (my favourite author) - historical fiction

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt - historical fiction

The Last Magician by Janette Turner Hospital - Australian fiction

The Memoir Book by Patti Miller - Australian non fiction

Writing your Life by Patti Miller - Australian non fiction

(Patti was the brilliant teacher and wonderful writer who nurtured our writing experiences in Bali)

Good Harbor by Anita Diamant - fiction

Last Chance Cafe by Liz Bryzki - Australian fiction

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas - Australian fiction and winner of many prizes

As I work on trying to establish my own writing life I am more and more grateful for all the authors who've been in my life and thrilled me with their words for decades. I had no idea how hard it was! Or how rewarding. Reading and writing. Don't hang out for the 'rithmetic though...that's not about to happen :)

do yourself a favour...

My latest favourite song...trust me on this one :)

Have the happiest of weekends.

top ten pictures from the week ~ 3 August 11

I've come to love the top ten

seen on belle maison

not just because it's a repository of pictures that take my fancy

seen on decorology

filed away where I can find them...a bit like my very own pinterest

seen on tiny white daisies tumblr

but I also get to tell you

seen on the design files; photographer paul barbera

in just a few lines

seen on pretty space tumblr

about some of the important things in my life

seen on design sponge

tucked in here among the pretty images of gorgeous homes and gardens.

seen on decorology

Like how this week I entered my very first short story writing competition

seen on bazaar of serendipity

I don't mind telling you...

seen on a perfect gray
I'm a little bit pleased with myself 

seen on greige

and I don't give a toss if it wins or not 

seen on dustjacket attic; photography by stefano corso

because my very clever and extremely well read children both love it. 

 And that's prize enough for me :)

the 100 day challenge: half way point...

Just over half way actually...53 days to be exact. So what's it all about? You can read the original post here but essentially I challenged myself to go 100 days without buying anything I didn't really need, in order to think a bit more deeply about what I needed as opposed to what I just wanted.
I had a long list...here's how I'm travelling.

• Magazines: Remember that I am a self confessed magazine tragic. I have bought one magazine. One. This month's Country Style at the airport  last week.

• Appliances: the kettle gave up the ghost about two days after I started the challenge (of course!) and it was dangerous to continue using it, so I had to buy a new one. I suppose I could have boiled water on the stove, but nah, that wasn't going to happen.
• Clothing, shoes and accessories: Clothes ~ nil. Shoes ~ one pair of beaded thongs when I was in Bali for the princely sum of $8.33. Accessories ~ two beaded rings in Bali at about $2.50 each. I didn't buy a beautiful necklace there that cost $300. It was a close call!
• Craft materials: some fabric to finish Ruby's quilt and some wool for the first born's crochet blanket. Alas neither of them are quite finished yet!
• Anything decorative for my house: nope, not even a Buddha in Bali!
• Linen and towels: that's another no. But I did buy a new ironing board cover the other day. Does that count?
• Cosmetics: a bottle of duty free perfume on the way to Bali. Femme by Boss - 'tis very nice and one of my perfumes had run out so it was a replacement, sort of. Don't you think?

• iPad applications: Blogpress. Well that's an essential for a blogging girl on the go isn't it??
• Op shop purchases: haven't set foot in one for 53 days!

Pretty impressive don't you think?

What's that you say? What about books Kerry? Weren't they on your list too?

Ah, yes, well...I may have bought a few of those.

But I'm certainly not going to beat myself up about that. They are, and of course I knew this already, my one necessity. I have always answered "a book of course" whenever asked the question "what would you buy with your last $20?" 

Not that anyone's ever actually asked me that question, but that's hardly the point :) And I have been doing an awful lot of reading lately.

I feel really good about this challenge. I am most surprised by the fact that I'm not missing the magazines very much at all. I still have a subscription to Real Living and that's doing me nicely, and I'm not all that interested in going shopping. It's a bit of a revelation actually.

So I will continue until September 18th when my hundred days are up and then I'll see how I feel. I'm not even all that inclined to reward myself at this point, but I probably shouldn't speak too soon!

Has anyone else been on this challenge with me? How are you going with it?

my creative space...ripplicious

I'm having a lot of fun making this for the first born...

It keeps my knees warm at night while I'm hooking and watching countless reality tv shows:) 

...and this is proof positive that the sun doesn't always shine in Sydney!

Off to Townsville this afternoon...bloody long way to go for a meeting :)

Creative spaces this-a-way.
all images a tranquil townhouse

top ten pictures from the week ~ 26 July 11

Oh my, what a roller coaster these past few weeks have been...

seen on if the lampshade fits

Lots of ups and downs

seen on the diversion project

...and a few in betweens. All good now though thank you.

seen on 10 rooms

I went to Sydney last Thursday for the 20th anniversary dinner of the Australian Republican Movement...(no emails from monarchists, I can't be swayed)

seen on small space style

finding myself in the same room as the famous Australian author Thomas Keneally 

seen on from the right bank

the famous Australian designer Jenny Kee (oh my she looked glorious, just like in this next picture...love her to bits)

seen on miss speculiar

the famous Australian journalist Geraldine Doogue

seen on compulsively compiled

I have to tell you I was more than a little bit star struck...

lonny, seen on design manifest

and then walking back to the hotel in the worst rain that Sydney has seen for decades...

seen on little french nest

I got drenched to the skin while waiting at the traffic lights, by a taxi driving through a huge puddle...

seen on design sponge 

luckily I'd had a few red wines by then and thought it was hilarious!

what katie ate

You probably had to have been there :)

handwriting...

I've been doing a lot of writing lately.  After my wonderful Bali experience, there seem to be an awful lot of first sentences for novels or short stories floating around on bits of paper, banged out in a random word document when the computer's up and running or typed haphazardly on the iPad if that's the closest thing to hand.

One thing I have been trying to do is my morning pages...three pages of handwritten stream of consciousness. Oh the drivel that sometimes comes out of the end of a pen onto lined paper in the early hours of the morning is something to behold. Or perhaps not :)

I use one of these lovely Christina Re journals that I won on Louise's blog

But it makes me think about handwriting. I like to write, provided I have the right pen. A fine nibbed ballpoint is the weapon of choice for me. Cheap pens from hotels I've stayed in seem to be the best for some bizarre reason. And my handwriting is not too shabby. Not fancy or anything. No clever embellishments, no swirls and twirls. But when I'm 'in the flow or the zone' or whatever it is, my writing looks pretty good. It too is fluid, languid, easy to do, and easy on the eye. I can also do a reasonable imitation of a type font when I put my mind to it. But that requires a different pen...and a whole lot more time!

But when I'm in a hurry or my thoughts are jagged, my writing takes that form on as well. Do you find that? Or is the art of handwriting just dead and buried, used only for shopping lists or by very well mannered people who write thank you notes? I hope not. There's such pleasure in reading something that's been lovingly written don't you think. 
I will leave you with the words of Norbet Platt...I don't know who he is or was.. not even google helped me with that..but I stumbled upon this quote yesterday and I like what he says. I think my morning pages are doing this for me.


"The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium."


And speaking of equilibrium, thank you to everyone who left a comment, emailed or facebooked after my last post...you're very kind you lot. And while the zen may not be completely back it's certainly getting there. Some balance has been regained. And that's a very good thing. The top ten might even make it back next week at this rate :)
images 1 and 3 found on pinterest