floating world

back online

Yippee, I am back online after my unscheduled computer-free time. Normal programming will resume shortly. In the meantime, a warning to Apple owners: keep an eye on your power cords.

Scene I, Last Thursday
Apple "care": Hello, how are you today?
Me: Slightly alarmed, because my iBook cord just started melting and there was a lot of bad smelling smoke. I think if I hadn't noticed and turned it off it would have caught fire.
Apple: Oh, really? How old is the cord.
Me: I got it last August, so about 9 months old.
Apple: Well, it only has a 90 day warranty, so you'll just have to buy a new one.
Me: *!?!**!?!!!! Your cord nearly turned me and my baby into toast and I just have to buy a new one?!!!
Apple: Can you hold please?
(Much, much later)
Apple: Well, we have decided to make a very special exception and send you a new power cord.

bird textiles

(photo from the Bird website)

I visited a gorgeous new fabric shop for the first time on Thursday: Bird Textiles sell beautiful handprinted fabrics, original clothing designs and a range of homewares. AND they support sustainable design. Their Sydney store is in Surry Hills in the most divine old pharmacy - it still has all the original fittings and is heritage listed. For anyone in Sydney I definitely recommend a visit, and for everyone else their stock is available online - have a look. It's expensive, but very cute.
 

a top, and other things

Ali had a decent nap yesterday, so I finally sewed together a top I'd cut out weeks ago. It's a lovely gauzy fabric from Tessuti... they have such great stuff. Not much to say about this one, since I've made it twice before, although I think it definitely works better with soft fabric like this - the first one was in a stiffer cotton and doesn't get worn nearly as often. I did french seams on this version, and the tidiness and lack of loose threads is very pleasing.

More exciting things:
- I met up with some other Sydney based crafty types today for coffee; it was lovely to put faces to blogs and swap tips for finding buttons / buying fabric online / good Japanese food etc.
- Ali's jumper is coming on a treat... I have 1.5 sleeves to go, which shouldn't take too long, thanks to the chunky 10 ply yarn I'm using.
- I saw The Namesake this week on DVD and it is excellent, well worth looking out for at the video shop.
- There's a new issue of Mixtape coming out! You can preorder here now. I can't wait!
- I don't have room for a compost heap, but I am investigating getting a work farm from here. They look very cool!

walking photos

When we first moved to Tokyo I took photos of everything. Vending machines, garbage, people on trains... it was all so new and exotic. When I moved back to Sydney last year, the opposite happened. Everything seemed so familiar, and not really worth noticing. I hardly took any photos at all (except of Momo and Ali, of course).

But recently I've got my enthusiasm back. Walking around the neighbourhood yesterday there were so many little things that caught my eye.

Some made me proud

and some made me smile

and it felt really good to be excited about taking photos again.

warning: random collection of bullets ahead

• It finally stopped raining. Hooray!
• I made these bibs as a gift for a new baby before we went to visit yesterday. They were very quick to sew, and it was great to actually make something I planned to make. So often I want to sew something but it doesn't happen because of nap schedules or whatever. But yesterday the stars aligned and I was able to get these made and wrapped in under an hour.
• Seeing the new baby made me realise how big Ali is now. He's nearly 5 months old, and more than double his birth weight. He was rolling around on the floor, chewing on toys and smiling... so different to a newborn. It amazes me all the time how fast he is growing and how quickly he's learning new things. We took the capsule back to the hospital yesterday too, because he didn't fit anymore. The next step is solids, so I'll need to get him a highchair (despite my best efforts the house is slowly but surely being taken over by baby stuff). And does anyone have suggestions on how to get a breast-only baby to take a sippy cup?
• Ali and I went to the MCA earlier in the week, the first time I'd taken him to a gallery. And we caught the bus into the Quay and back, which was an adventure in itself. He seemed particularly taken by the amazing Tim Hawkinson sculptures (maybe because they whirred, shimmered and moved) and the Callum Innes paintings (nothing like big abstract stripes to transfix a baby). As much as I love being a full time mum, it's nice to go and hang out in the real world sometimes.
• I'm looking forward to the long weekend and heading to the beach for a couple of days... fingers crossed that the sun will stay out.
• That's all for now - over and out.

frangipani

These are in flower all over the place right now, and they smell gorgeous. It reminds me of walking to the station on my way to school, there was a frangipani tree on the way and I used to tuck one in my hair when they were in flower (I am sure this was in breach of uniform regulations).

I saw Atonement today. It was so sad, but the production was beautiful... amazing costumes, especially Cecelia's green dress. And the scenes on the beaches in France were mind blowing.

viva la resolution

I'm not a big one for new year resolutions, but here are a few things I'm going to aim to do in 2008. I thought I'd post it here so I can check back at the end of the year and see how I went.

Sewing
Use up more of the stash of fabric that is taking over the study, and only buy new fabric for specific projects, rather than "just because"
Learn to sew clothes "properly". I am a big fan of quick patterns, so I usually make simple tops and elastic-waisted skirts. I'd like to try some more difficult patterns, even - horror - zips, pleats and darts.
Make a queen sized quilt for our bedroom.

Knitting
Finish the projects I started for Ali before he was born!
Sew a jumper for me. So far I've only done baby knitting and scarves.
Knit a hoodie and some pants for Ali to wear over winter.

General creative stuff
Make time for making things...
Take some kind of class (knitting? screenprinting?)
Use the gocco more, and maybe even put some prints on Etsy
Have some more coasters made from photos
Aim for handmade gifts and cards as much as possible

Other stuff
Wardrobe Refashion until the end of February at least.
Go to the library instead of buying books.
Yoga once a week.
Wear sunscreen every day!
Try buying food at a co-op, and cook from scratch as much as possible
Post here 3 times a week (I am aiming for Monday, Wednesday and Friday)
Use better vocab! Enough of "really", "good", "nice", and "..., which...". I think my vocabulary shrunk when I was living in Japan and speaking to non-native English speakers a lot, but that's really no excuse.

Okay, I think that's enough... let's see how it goes. Anyone else got goals / resolutions / ideas to share?

dainty

This tree covered in gum blossoms was the highlight of my walk with Ali this afternoon. The flowers remind me of May Gibbs' Gumnut Babies - the Flower Babies have skirts and hats made out of them.

new year, again

Wow, new years eve. Again. I can't quite believe it's the last day of 2007, this year has been such a blur.

I'm spending tonight at home, watching the glimpses of fireworks we can see from our balcony and doing a barbecue for dinner. The plan is for lamb cutlets with cumin, potatoes with rosemary and tomato salad, fruit salad for dessert (all Nigella recipes), and a glass of champagne. Trying to go out on new year's eve usually makes me cranky (although only in the planning stage - once I'm there it's fun), and attempting anything with a baby seemed potentially disastrous, so I'm feeling very contented about an evening at home with this little person. Because really, even with the house buying and country moving and everything else, 2007 was all about him. Becoming his mummy is by far the best and most exciting thing I've ever done.

Wishing you all a great new year's eve, and a happy and healthy 2008.

東京 nostalgia

It's 1 year today since we locked up our apartment in Tokyo for the last time and headed for Narita. I'm very happy to be living in Sydney, but there are still lots of things I miss about my old life.

• the smell of tatami in our apartment
• the clear winter light
• our neighbourhood shops - we lived between Ebisu and Daikanyama and there were so many quirky boutiques and great cafes
• Shibuya. I loved the whole area, and especially the big crossing, from the first time I visited Tokyo in 2000... it has so much energy, and there is always something new to see.
• the trains. Especially the Yamanote line. Here in Sydney, clean, air-conditioned trains that turn up on time seem like some kind of impossible dream. And catching a shinkansen always felt like an adventure.
• the newness. Even after almost 3 years there was always something unexpected. I think living in any foreign country gives flashes of the exotic, but because Japanese and Australian cultures really are quite different there were far more "what the?" moments in Tokyo than in London.
• skiing. Especially in Niseko.
• the food. Onigiri from the shop near the station, bento from the supermarket, and the massive diversity of good value restaurants. And it was fun trying to work out what things were in the shops. (See my Rude Food gallery)
• the clothes. Not so much for me - it was hard finding things that fit. But I loved seeing what everyone else was wearing, and how quickly it changed. Plus there were the unfathomable clothing rules, like the day that everyone suddenly started wearing beige stockings instead of black, or brought out their spring coats.
• the defined seasons, each with their own food, activities and festivals
• And, of course, the fabric shops.

Hopefully we'll be able to go back for a visit before too long.