Okay, so Christmas in July was happening way back when we took a road trip to The Blue Mountains now it is only a few weeks away! Basically, I'm am a shocking excuse for a 'blogger'. I don't think you could call this visit to Katoomba a road trip or not but we were travelling from The Illawarra on the South Coast it was about three hours in the car. But there is something about an open window and the blurring of colours on a long drive that makes me recall Kerouac and youthful bliss.

We drove through heavy rain most of the journey to far Western Sydney and the mist blanketed the region's vast tablelands and valleys it formed droplets on my outstretched arm and made the scenery more beautiful. After a couple of quick pitstops by the time we reached the windy observation platform at National Park the clouds were moving low and fast above us, almost creating a mirror of the rolling landscape. I 'grammed a picture of a polaroid my sister and I on that platform and I was so petrified my hat would fly off.

Katoomba area is so lovely with it's cobblestone roads and old buildings but after spending so long in the car we were all feeling a bit feverish and conveniently we stumbled across a lady with two fluffy dogs she recommended  Station Bar pizza  Obviously, pizza cures travel sickness and we were feeling so much better and ready to continue our day. P.S I'm convinced the manager and I are musical soulmate because the playlist he was playing was awesome. We then explored the nearby streets and did a bit of retail shopping in the charity shops and used bookstores.

Lincoln's Rock is this magical place where the sky blends into the land and I could of lived the rest of my days here. I will let the photo's articulate the beauty of this phenomenal place. After spending a good hour at Lincoln's Rock we followed the chilly winds that swept off the mountains home. Part two of this Blue Mountain series will have photos from Grand Budapest Hotel themed shoot when we gate crashed an retirees Christmas in July function.

 

Hill 60 War Tunnels

Local legend says that these bunkers are haunted; so during daylight we went to judge for ourselves. Spoiler: they were not in fact haunted. Like any third year history major I researched the history of the tunnels whilst procrastinating on what to wear.  The Hill 60 bunkers were once built to protect the nearby ports in World War Two, although these bunkers were never actively used in wartime events, the foundations for large guns are visible overlooking the ocean. The bunkers comprise of two tunnels, equipped with a series of rooms that branch off from the main walkway. Now abandoned, the two tunnels are used by locals to graffiti the walls and to party as quite obvious by the debris. The bunkers are not the most hygienic place to be spending time in so I don't plan on returning anytime soon.  On the day we visited the tunnels it was quite overcast weather and it had a prominent winter chill to the air. I chose a preppy-Wednesday Adams themed outfit paired with my new Mui Mui glasses and black statement bag by Cambridge Satchel Company. I'm wearing an old button down black dress with white collar, underneath a Peter Alexander daywear Mickey Mouse sweater. My lipstick is Limecrime's Poisonberry.

white teeth teen

Happy saturday to all you lovelies! I hope the weather is treating you to the same delights as it is here in Sydney. I would like to share a few images of my saturday uniform, I wore this out to get some San Churros signature Spanish hot chocolate's and churros with my sister and a few friends. However, this is sure setting a poor first impression for outfit posts when I decide to break a wardrobe commandment and pair navy and black. I'm sorry. Thank you to my sister for taking these shots of me; I am so awkward behind the camera.

Also please excuse the tiredness I was up late last night seeing Lorde perform at Horden Pavilion. Lorde was absolutely amazing! She has incredible stage presence and is entirely captivating with her dance moves. Establishing the vibe for the night Lorde opened with Glory and Gore a very powerful song to open with and my favourite. Lorde surprisingly remixed and sung alternate versions of songs and it felt so natural with the flow of the set. She was very interactive with the audience and just before Ribs she spoke of the influences behind the song. Specifically, she talked about her life as a young women dealing with fame and adult responsibilities. It was very sweet to hear that she thought Sydney-fans are the coolest and she wished she could be best friends with everyone of us. A World Alone as the finale was out of this world brilliant. It might have something to do with the confetti explosion or maybe the gold gown that she wore whilst she sung it. The night was magical and I am completely riding on the post-gig vibes well into the weekend.

Outfit details: jeans: ASOS, cardigan: vintage, top: Millers, brooch: Something For Doris, bag: Cambridge Satchel Company

SHOP: Olivia Burton

Three cheers for Olivia Burton hip-hip-horray! The London based accessory designer causes my heart to flutter with all sorts of swoon and smitten. You can browse the entire watch collection at the Olivia Burton official online store. Alas, my wrist will remain bare and barren if my purse is concerned as I am saving every last penny to get me across to Europe in 2015. I absolutely adore the tan leather with golden bee face (second from the right). Please feel free to share your thoughts on the collection and which is your favourite.

rosegold hummingbird // butterfly // golden bee // woodland butterfly 

Vivetta FW 13/14

Doesn't Vivetta's Fall Winter 13/14 lookbook inspire cravings for a bag of liquorice all sorts! This collection includes some of my favourite things; pastel blues, peachy pink hues, ribbons, velvet and gold embroidery. 

Out & About | Finders Keepers Market

Source: 1, 2 from Finders Keepers Facebook page, 3, 4 my own fuzzy phone photographs

Last weekend (Saturday 7th of December) I attended the Sydney Finders Keepers markets with my sister. If you aren't familiar with these Finders Keepers it is essentially a showcase of the latest designers I like to think of it as 'real life' Etsy. I wrote a post about the happenings of this charming event and because it is a little lengthy I have split this post!

Out & About | City Adventures

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(ii)

 

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(i) Mini-photoshoot outside the Sydney Vintage Fair featuring a steam train, myself (left) and my darling friend Charlotte (ii) Another shameless candid inside the fair with Charlotte & myself (iii) My autographed ticket (iv) Weekend nostalgia a collection of memorabilia (v) Foals - Milk and Black Spiders  

I've used this blogging space before to document my musings and share special moments, however this has taken me quite some time to clearly print in words my absolute happiness expressed on the last weekend of September. Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th are two days that still bring a smile to my face, it was when I ventured up to Sydney to reunite with my darling friend Charlotte who now studies and lives in the city. During these two days we planed to visit the Sydney Vintage Fair held at Australian Technology Park Eveleigh which was such a lovely convention cateloguing treasures from the past. We both had visited an earlier vintage fair before however this blew those out of the water! The stalls were filled to the brim with beautiful antique trinkets and the stall keepers eftpos friendly and more than willing to chat. We were both throughoully impressed by the range, the quality and prices offered; this was further exceeded when the venue hosted a mid-afternoon vintage fashion parade that was fun, flirty & frilly! After strutting (what seemed like 50 laps of the venue) in our heels we decided to shashay I to the neighbouring city of Redfern for gin & tonics and retire for the afternoon. 

As afternoon transcended into evening Charlotte trotted off to visit her partner & I busied myself with getting ready for a concert I have been counting down on my calender for months! Foals has been a band that has supported me lyrically & acoustically through some rough times. Their albums are filled with moments in music where the instruments climb to ascension and fill me with a surge of power. This year I have upped my live gig game and have seen some of my favourite bands play music such as ALT-J, Snakadacktal, Jinga Safari, Josh Pyke and a few more local bands. Foals did not disappoint the gig was phenomenal Yannis crowd surfed twice, managing to dive into the crowd from level one designated seating balcony (risky) and the band played a awesome set. This was experienced from a fence position right up the front of Jimmy at a sold out show. Besides some minor issues with drunken guys pushing and being rude the night was amazing. I caught the guitar pic and managed to meet to boys & the support band Alpine after the show who were happy to chat and sign my ticket. The hour I spent chatting with my favourite band will go down in history. I always tried to envision how I would react when meeting a celebrity and now I can say I kept my cool and tried to act as down to earth as possible. I didn't have a camera with me on the night to take photos however regrets are pointless and I loved the night.

The next morning we rose late and ventured into Newtown stopping in at Goulds bookstore, then a pit stop at Campos coffee before popping in and out of boutique stores picking up miscellaneous goodies along the way. Both of us live busy schedules and trips to the cinema are rare so when the Dendy theatre on King St advertised Mood Indigo we jumped at the chance to view it! I am a big fan of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by French cinematographer Michel Gondry. We both adored it and couldn't have thought of a more perfect way to wrap up a lovely weekend. I took the train back down the south coast and back to reality. (Sigh)

Ta for reading,

THE BEGINNING; A VERY GOOD PLACE TO START

"Sir?" she repeats. "How soon do you want it to get there?" - Jay Asher Thirteen Reasons Why

Greetings and salutations lovely readers,
This post is typed with the nervous excitement that I'm sure like many authors of first sentences of prose struggle to write. So, in order to assure confidence in this first post, I have included the first sentence of the fiction novel I am currently reading. Indeed my many thanks is given to Jay Asher whose prose I am reading with gusto and zealously indulging. Thank you.
Three facts.
One: Paige is the name I respond to when heard called.
Two: I am a librarian student with a passion for literature.
Three: To my dismay, after spending months suffering the burden of a 'quarter life & existential crisis' love child, I now find myself enlightened as to the trajectory of my future* if all goes fine and dandy this shall be a singular yellow brick, on my golden pavement to Oz. Please bare with me with the overall layout of the blog as I am sure this will evolve into a brilliant blog with the nurturing hours of procrastination.
*Okay, marco-manage planning

Ta for reading,