sunday may twenty-nine to weds june one

Sunday. On my back stoop in Clare's beautiful linen dress.


Cligger! Scarf bought on a business trip to Paris.


My sister Trace at lunch on Sunday with me and my Mum. If you know her, you'll know this look means she's not sure whether to laugh or cry.


It's been raining here all week. This is Monday.


Tuesday.


And my friend Adam came in and gave me this tee-shirt later on Tuesday, a nice memento of the summer that was. We got a good result today.

I'm leaving now to get a flight to Melbourne and will probably take a break from the blog while I'm on holiday, till the 12th. Yippee! Later, skaters. xx

Wednesday June 1

Happy winter everyone!!

It's sunny and clear here, if not extremely freaking cold. I dressed for happy days today and I am walking around like the cat that got the cream.

Hope your day is shaping up as well as mine!

Tuesday May 31

Bought this dress in Sydney a few weeks ago with my partner in crime; Mum washed it so now I can finally wear it! It cost maybe $4 or so from the Salvos in Marrickville.

Check out the old man old man pyjama print! It's a teal blue with brown and orange and cream patterns all over, and it's long sleeved like a proper winter dress. It's a bit clingy though, and gapes in all the wrong places, ie round the front (neatly covered by my stoopid pose). It's also got a wierd velvet ropey belt that is in a really awkward spot around my 'waist'. Jury's out on this one in my view, but it's getting a good response round the traps so can't complain too much I guess.

Skye has been on leave for a week and is still basking in a post-holiday glow. She's bought the sun back with her and I'm loving her for it. Also loving the killer new boots that arrived yesterday I'm told! Note the slightly upturned toes and the awesome lace work. Clearly she knows how to match an outfit and has done it to perfection - nice one lady!!

Monday May 30

If I had a bedframe I reckon I would have fallen out of bed today - a sunny morning!! Here I am soaking it all up! Couldn't be arsed putting on make up today (though I will admit I put on sunscreen, as I do every day by force of habit); luckily I am wearing a top that is far more interesting from the back than the front.

I got this at Myer back when it was still called Grace Bros. It is probably 10 years old and I have worn it precisely 3 times in that period. I first got it to wear to a wedding of 2 people Poofy and I used to work with in 2000. It was quite an amusing wedding - a woman on my table caused a huge drunken ruckus in the middle of the speeches which was extremely awkward for everyone involved. We laughed our arses off at the wedding though, and had a good time. The second time I wore it was to some ra ra event with Handsome Dan at the Museum of Contemporary Art - I'm sure I still have a photo of me pretending to be camoflauged in the fake plants, glass of wine in hand, will try and find it and post it.

Anyway the top is silk and has a brown background and pea green print that I think has a name but I don't know it. Best part is the lovely draping back and flowy sleeves that billow when I go outside. I've got on black pants, long sleeved black top and brown boots to top it off. I think this one is definitely going to come into general circulation.

Sunday May 29

Up at stupid o'clock to deposit Mum on the train back north today. I spent the rest of the day feeling a bit glum about her not being here anymore, which was made quite easy by the gloomy grey sky.

Trace took pity on me and invited me over for dins, bless her cotton socks. She cooked me lamb shanks, let me drink all her wine, and patiently explained the msyteries of Dancing With the Stars to me. I love it and am converted.

It reminded me of a 'career counselling' session I had a few years ago, that inexplicably came up with the recomendation that the most suitable vocation for me was "Dancer. May also sing or act". Anyone who has seen me do any of those things would be in vigorous disagreement. At the time I was bemused, and extremely pleased that I had not paid for that peice of advice.

And in case you are wondering what a fashionista looks like on her off days - ahem - now you know. Black woollen trackies, red t-shirt, blue jumper with a red stripe, spotty socks. Spotty socks courtesy of Mum (told you she buys them for me). The woollen goods are all Icebreaker who make really warm merino wool gear and come highly recommended.

Saturday May 28

Big day out with mi madre today. We packed a whole lot in - a trip to the Convent (there will be no jokes, this is my mother we are talking about folks), the farmers market, beautiful autumnal gardens, art galleries, wine bars on the river, and rounded off by a nice dinner at one of my locals.

Mum was dressed for the shiteous weather - behold the trackies I so often complain about! On top, a freebie waterproof jacket courtesy of Foxtel and my scarf (well it's only nominally mine nowadays, I suppose).

I was wearing a similar get up - sans trackies of course - but there's no pic, thankfully.

At the end of the day something odd happened. The sky turned a really odd colour I've not seen for a long long time - I think it was bla... bli.. bleee... no wait, it was BLUE!!! Then this odd bright object lingered in the sky for about 10 minutes before disappearing behind the city scape.

Crazy times in Melbournetown!

sat may twenty nine

Clare bought her superhero jacket from an op shop in north america, most likely winnipeg. it was $8. Green top underneath was $6 a few weeks ago, at the equivalent of a cheap arse supre. on the face of it it's slagwear, but inside they had some treasure, she says. Boots she bought this year in back lane florence, hand made, were $100 and "the best". hair by karen - clare had a hair cut last night and i got a fringe trim, too.


So nice to have Clare in my loungeroom again.


Clare calls this my rolling stone cover, she took it. i'm wearing my old black jeans from gap, a woolly short sleeve top i bought secondhand somewhere, and a bonds hoodie i bought two for $40 just before easter (mike got a blue jumper). old cons i inherited from kimmy and they are super comfortable. couch was gifted from jess, who found it, & guitar is dandy's.


Me and my girl.


I went to this excellent conference yesterday called TEDx. they have them all over the world, heaps of different speakers across science, music, history, theatre, health, anthropology, technology... it was streamed all day on youtube too and i watched quite a bit at home rugged up while clare was out with her folks. at 4pm i hauled myself off the couch and rode down to carriageworks in refern. was weird to be standing ten minutes later among what i had been watching on tv. lovely vibe in the foyer - where what was going on in the auditorium was broadcast on a big screen.


carriageworks is a beautiful old space, an old ... carriage works, now used for art events. i've seen some great stuff there. this is the roof as the sun was setting. i was lying on a massive cushion in front of the screen, was even MORE comfortable than my couch and they had beer. score. met a nice lady called justine who i shared the cushion with.


here's me, about to watch paul kelly. he read from his book, how to make gravy, which i have and am still grazing and then played the song of the same name live... such a treat. i went to the bathroom after and ended up on the right side of the rope for the cocktail party afterwards and had a couple of free reds and some salmon pancakes, pastitsis. also ran into a few people i know, including my old boss and had a nice catch up. it was a really enjoyable, relaxing afternoon and i should go out on my own more often, it's nice.

Friday 27 May 2011

Good news - I just worked out how to change the settings so people can comment without having to be registered!!  Knock yourselves out, people!!

Not many folk around here today, so I resorted to trying to take my own pic from the comfort of my own chair. Someone walked past just as I was doing it and asked what on earth I was doing, which made me laugh out of embarrassment as I took the pic. She then took a few extra ones for me - I like this one to the right the best (thanks Di).

I told Elise I can wear yellow - but this shade doesn't do a lot for me I'm sure you'll agree. I bought this top in a really sweet little town in Croatia or Slovenia (can't remember which) -  I think Croatia, in around 2007. Man I could go a holiday in Croatia round about now. It is a sublime part of the world. I have a really strong memory of getting off the ferry at Korcula (spelling?) and falling in love with it.

Anways, as you can see the white top lives yet another day. The green pants are so comfy, but not so flattering - not to worry. And as usual my purple cons top off a casual outfit. My jeans are out of order at the moment on the grounds of having an inappropriate hole in them. Feel free to place bets on how long it will take me to actually shell out for a new pair.

Special guest star today is my Mum. We had a great evening last night, hopping in an out of wine bars before a night at the theatre, ooh er! We saw Anna Karenina at the Alliance France in St Kilda and it was great. I love me a Ruski play, or novel for that matter. They are just so overwrought and dramatic! Love it.

Mum didn't wear her trackies - hooray! She had on nice black pants, some white patterned shirt, her favourite long black woollen cardie, and my scarf which she had a nasty habit of referring to as her scarf. Think I'm gonna have to check her bag when she leaves on Sunday.

thursday may twenty six

I had dinner at the Vogels last night. You might remember Zia and Rein from an earlier post (there's also momma Emma and little Mika, too, in the Vogel clan. I love them for a lot of reasons but they also feed me fairly regularly).

Here's me and ZZ post bath, pre dinner, hamming it up for her dad Rein who made us delicious burritos. ZZ stayed on my lap the whole meal and ate all the cheese off the top. I also bought her a jar of pink mini musks from Darrell Lea on my way over and she fed me pellets throughout dinner. Musky chicken ... mmmm.


Here is ZZ in her new Dora the Explorer dressing gown. It cost $25 and her Jannie (Nanny) bought it from Kmart. I know this as ZZ generously said i could keep the tag, which had a picture of Dora on it. If you know three year olds, you will know this is big props. The dressing gown is made of all sorts of synthetic blends that I don't even know the names of but my, it is cuddly. I doubt however, it is fireproof.

I love dressing gowns. I have two but I think it's time I got a new one for winter, save me from getting dressed. I have also started going over to the cafe in my white bobbly one, as Lucky and I fancy ourselves as roguish Rakes. I'm a lady Rake, obviously.)


Here's me today. I have given up pretending that I give a shit what I look like - this week is a write off. I picked up my best mate Clare (Cligger) from the airport at seven this morning, and by a quarter past we were at my back door, trying to smash through the rotten wood using a statue as a battering ram that Cligger had found on the back step. (Yeah, I locked myself out). The door is a mess and we still didn't get in, gave up and went for coffee. (Funboys are not going to be happy when they see the door).

Poor Cligger has just flown in from San Fransisco overnight, has a terrible cold and had to trudge up to the real estate to get our spare key when it opened at 9am. I tried to convince her I have my shit together these days but frankly, she wasn't buying it. Can't say I am either; it's been that kinda week.

I will blog Cligger tomorrow as she always looks great.

Thursday 26 May

In today's chapter of consumer crusaders taking of the world, here is Elise showing her pretty face on Today Tonight again last night. I was only alerted to this by a text from Trace, but don't worry my first task of the day was tracking it down and taking the pic.

This face is built for television, is it not?? To see all this and more, check out the video called Phone Bill Fight Back.

I am going to see a play with Mum tonight - Ana Karenina - so I dressed for thelong haul day.

I'm wearing the great new navy linen skirt from Lush (you can only see one button, but it's better than none I guess, the long sleeved white top which has managed to escape the garbage still, and the floating layered paisley top I got a few weeks ago, topped off with a thin brown belt that brings out the warmer tone of the top.

I don't quite match, but it's about as good as it gets.

About to go on a coffee run, which will be interesting. The last time I saw my barista a few days ago he was in tears which was extremely awkward for everyone, so here's hoping today's dramas will only be on stage tonight!

weds may twenty five

I'm listening to Dylan's song to Woody now Sarah... 'Nooooot many man gone done what you do'. Love it/him/them. My feet are getting itchy, too.

Busy day. Lots of media calls/interviews, including TT (on tonight), other stuff... My eyes are hanging out of my head and i haven't made any effort to dress well today as i had to be in early.


Here's me getting up from a brief lie down on the floor.


i'm going to get coffee - we're not there yet.

Wednesday 25 May

Someone's looking a bit rough around the edges today, eh? Feeling it, too.

Went out to dinner with my Mum last night in miserable, rainy old North Fitz, and on the way home we spied a little bar that had a Bob Dylan 70th birthday tribute going down!! Yeeeeeeeeeha!!

I love me some Bob Dylan on the best of days. We drank wine and listened and enjoyed and it was all kinds of awesome. They played a song I had tried and failed to find on my iPod earlier that day, so I was extra pleased - it's called Song to Woody and I've had it in my head ever since. I also love Woody Guthrie, and yes, I am about 150 on the inside.

On the outside today I am wearing a white shirt that hasn't featured previously (so far as I can recall) because I haven't been arsed to iron it. I still haven't but I gave up today! I bought it in H&M last year I think. It makes me look very tanned. The vest is the same as the ACCAN blue one, but is a mushroom colour and has a mothball hole in the back.

One of my colleagues came up to me earlier and said "now Sarah, you seem to have lost a lot of weight very quickly, should I be worried about you?". Leaving aside the fact it hasn't been quick I was STOKED that I am noticably less porky than usual. So I stood on the side for the pic. As you do.

Meanwhile, Janine is looking great today - she's wearing a grey baby alpaca wool hand knitted shawl. Initially she started knitting it with a friend, but her friend's Mum took over them both when the pattern got too complicated.

A little while after, her friend sent her a message saying: "Mum has critiqued your knitting, she thinks she can resurrect it. She also thinks you must be very busy and have a lot of things on your mind when you knit".

Then she proceeded to unpicked the whole thing and start again! We have been cackling away over that one - now come on don't be shy Mrs whatever your name is, tell us what you REALLY think!

Also note the sweet necklace from her husband Ben - it was someone's birthday last week but I wasn't allowed mention it, but it's OK now right?? Happy birthday Janine!! Coz I'm nice I made her a little something...

Yeah Ok that was another fib. We had piles of cakes and other goodies for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea today and I feel ill from eating one of most things. These are the leftovers after everyone has given it a few good go's.  I think everyone here is in the same boat.

tuesday may twenty four

We had our radio show last night, and I took some photos of the guys I work with. This is Anton, our producer/musical director, who is Irish and organises all the bands we have in to play at the cafe Bondi FM is broadcast out of.

Anton is a really dapper dresser and this cap he is wearing is made of old, soft brown leather. His coat is a soft tweed and the scarf was a cheesecloth hippie thing that sounds like shit but worked to liven up the jacket.

We had some really good acts last night, including Old Man River - Ohad - and Tiki Taane from Salmonella Dub, who brought in a massive crowd. Anton gave me a copy of OMR's album Trust and I've been listening to this song ad nauseum today called 'No Religion' - can't find it online, sorry folks*. He played a really nice acoustic version of it last night. Here's the opening track 'In this World', which sounds better acoustic but is pretty lovely all the same.

OMR was telling us last week that his second album really tanked, hard, after a pretty successful debut, which has set him back a bit, professionally. I've been listening to the album today and I think it's the India effect - when musos go and have a really spiritual awakening in India and then try to write about it and incorporate the Eastern style of music into a Western sound - i've seen it fail with Eskimo Joe (is it Eskimo Joe, or that other, similar, band? Either way that album was shit), the Beatles did it, Ben Lee, and now River. I hope his third album gets him back to where he needs to be 'cause he is a talent and his music deserves to be heard by a wider audience.

Here's Patty. He is almost always laughing. We had a muso tell us last night that he got the wrong impression of Patty when he first met him, and while I see how that could happen - he has no filter, whatsoever - it's one of the things that I like about him. Patrice has a strange mix of emotional intuition coupled with a dr's no nonsense (ie, complete lack of bedside manner)- but it's people like him who keep things interesting. Besides which, he's got my back and I need him, 'cause technically I am pretty useless.


Every week we have a theme where we get to choose songs along that theme, to play in between acts. Last night it was Stars. I dressed up for it in this cheapie I bought a couple of years ago at an Asian store at Market City. The guys didn't notice until I pointed it out to them.


Here's me today. Our hot water is on the blink at home so I never showered this morning, have been to personal training and forgot to bring a towel, so my cunning plan to shower here has been foiled. Unless I ask a colleague to loan me their towel but I am too tired/emotional/cranky to converse with anyone. I've got my headphones on, head down and am going to just focus on getting through this enormous pile of work ahead of me so I can get back home again. Hopefully the hot water tank will have been fixed 'cause it's turned cold today.

* just found it. you can listen to Ohad's 'no religion' here. It's on the left-hand side, track seven.

Tuesday May 24 2011

Morning folks. Today when I came out dressed to the elevens for a second day in a row, Mum insisted on taking a photo for posterity and to prove she wasn't still asleep when she saw me dressed respectably. Nice one Mum - lets me get my post up quick sticks today!

Last night I came home to find that she had done me a favour and put my 'hand wash/dry cleaning' pile of filthy clothes into the washing machine (as opposed to the hand wash/dry clean option, which I would have got around to in about 2019). I was a bit horrified but there was no damage done, so I decided to crack out (the new clean) polka dot black and white dress that I got just down the road from work not long after I got to Melbourne. The red jacket was 20 dollar from the Fitzroy school markets that are held once a month - bargain.

I am a sweaty mess after the walk in, that coat is warm!

Note the boxes in the background? No I have not just moved, I am just goddamn lazy and disorganised. Yvette is moving and dropped over some bookshelves for me so I had to move the pile of shit in the corner to another corner so I could fit them in.

I am determined to unpack it all in the very very near future.
Just don't hold your breath for it to happen.

sun may twenty two

Here's us ladies on Sunday. We went to the Spanish Fly in randwick for lunch. A council worker passing by kindly took these shots for us. He really had a flair & insisted we all cross our legs in the same direction. Perhaps he has a shoe fetish.


Then he made us look into the light. He was pretty awesome.


Here's julzie. I am going to call her juice from now on. She bought this beautiful Japanese inspired dress at made in newtown for about $140. Karen is hiding behind her.


Gab. She's all windswept & gorgeous. It's great that she is looking & feeling so good atm.


Tiny, tiny, tiny... Was heartbreakingly cute as usual. Dress was about $100 from grandma takes a trip, plus $25 to get it taken in.


Here's me. I'm wearing a top i bought ages ago from Sarah Jane in Newtown for about $80. It's julzie's favourite.


Last but my favourite, Kimmy. You can't see the detail properly but the shirt has all these folds in it, it's intricate yet crisp & she looked a million dollars. Shirt was from sheike & cost about $90. Girl is in love and you can tell.

Monday May 23

When I got dressed this morning and came out of my room, Mum did a double take. Apparently I look very respectable, which she said repeatedly and with a tone of great suprise. I think she was shocked (in a good way) to see I don't always dress like a homeless person.

Today's outfit is a new one. This top I got at Dotti on my shopping adventure with George the weekend before last. It has a sweet round collar (unlike anything else I own) and cascading layers - I don't know how else to describe it. It's a warm peachy/salmon colour and I guess a chiffon fabric?

On the downside I went to the bathroom and under the flourescent lights I could see the shadow of cleavage. That is not cool, especially for work. At least I have a skin coloured bra so it's not that obviously see through.

Note to self:  look in the mirror before leaving the house.

I think it would go better with a different skirt though. This skirt I've worn before - it's a shiny brown with a fine red and peach stripe through the skirt (which you can't really see), which makes the outfit 'match', kinda sorta. It's rounded off by the new black boots and stockings.

Sill cannot believe I wore see through clothes to work. Argghh

Sunday 22 May

Great today pottering about town with Mum. I failed to get a pic of myself because she would have had to take it.

I haven't told her about the blog because it will just encourage her to stalk me, which she did on Facebook til I un-friended her (we have never discussed this particularly awkward action, and I think that's a good thing).

Instead here is a pic of the roast carrot and ginger soup I made last night! It was freaking delicious, if I do say so myself.

monday may twenty three

Yo. Working from home today and slobbing around. Had a big weekend, have some great photos to post of the beautiful ladies at lunch yesterday but got a buttload of work to get through before that can happen.

Saturday May 21

It is a glorious here in Melbs today - 20 degrees and WARM!! As a result I am extremely excitable, so brace yourselves for an onslaught of exclamation marks (even more so than usual).

Last night on my way home from work - and as an aside, might I add I worked LATE on a Friday night, grrr - I ran into Nico, Ryan's partner, wandering down Smith St. He was talking to Ryan at the time (he's in Newcastle at the minute) and so I grabbed the phone and started yelling excitedly at him. After a while the shock wore off and he started responding and we had a little chat. Thinking of you handsome - we'll talk again soon.

Nico and I took ourselves off to the nearest bar to have a few beers, dinner and a catch up - he entertained me with stories of his 2 hour dance classes and ideas for a book he's hoping to write before he starts uni next year. It was warm enough to sit outside all night without shivering - fantastic. Not that you can tell by his outfit - a poncho with a scarf. He looked like he could fly when he lifted his arms, so I made him pose for DTTE, as it is lately known.

Spent most of today cleaning my house! You know something big is going on when I crack out the mop - yes folks, my mum is coming to visit! Yeeeeha!! I messaged her earlier saying I was in the throes of cleaning and her response was "Ha ha so you should just have wine ready". See the family resemblance yet??

I also made time to go out in the sunshine with Yvette, AKA the Scuzz. She had come from the studio and was in her art gear - velvet top, jeans, and pink scarf complete with paint stains yet still looking quite chic. We had some pear cider and hung out in the park, which is fast becoming one of my favourite activities. She also pointed out we were in fact in the dog park, which explains why I always get accosted by doggies when I go there (I am not very quick on the uptake sometimes).

In honour of the spring-like weather, I donned this cute candy pink stripey singlet that I got in Esprit god knows how many years ago. I remember wearing it on me and my ex's 5 year anniversary, and we broke up over 4 years ago after 7 years, so if someone could do the math on that, that would be great.

When me and Scuzz lived together in Newcastle we watched the AFL for a season (we barracked for Carlton).

She got a good giggle when I told her I'd been at the gym earlier, running on the treadmill in front of the fan and the TV which had the Carlton - Geelong match playing and how I had by reflex CLAPPED a good mark.

Clearly I have been here too long!