City Recital Hall



Beach House - absolutely delightful band to see live - I love them so much more now.

you MUST put "Seeing Beach House Live" on the list of things to do before you die.

Music Monday featuring Hungry Kids of Hungary

Hungry Kids of Hungary - Escapades
I had been told by someone (I can't remember who it was) that this album was overrated and I shouldn't bother getting it. They were wrong, it's a wonderful album and I regret not getting it sooner.

Tracklisting...

1. Coming Around
2. Wristwatch
3. Closer Apart
4. Let You Down
5. You Ain't Always There
6. Scattered Diamonds
7. No Returns
8. Eat Your Heart Out
9. Set It Right
10. China Will Wait
11. The Vacationer
12. The Window Shopper
13. Airsick

Standout tracks for me include "You Ain't Always There" which sounds kinda old school - I get a kinda Hall & Oates vibe - it's my favourite from Escapades, "China Will Wait" which is a little more up beat but good all the same and "Coming Around" which has a Little Red/60s feel to it.

Pretty awesome album, I'd recommend buying it - it's available on iTunes too. They are a wonderful band to see live as well and they're a bunch of lovely boys too.

http://www.hungrykidsofhungary.com/

Clontarf

I took this photo in February 2004 in the backyard of my Dad's house in Clontarf.

It is still as beautiful as the day I took it!

Mixtape vol. 2

My second mixtape.

1. Sally Seltmann - Dream About Changing
2. Hungry Kids of Hungary - You Ain't Always There
3. Paul Dempsey - Safety in Numbness
4. Sarah Blasko - All I Want
5. Simon & Garfunkel - The Only Living Boy in New York
6. Little Red - Fool
7. MGMT - The Handshake
8. Animal Collective - Bluish
9. Frightened Rabbit - The Wrestle
10. Yeasayer - I Remember
11. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home
12. Born Ruffians - Foxes Mate For Life
13. Little Red - Forget About Your Man
14. Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You
15. The Maccabees - William Powers
16. Gypsy & The Cat - Sight of a Tear
17. Little Birdy - Six Months in a Leaky Boat
18. Washed Out - Belong
19. Fleet Foxes - He Doesn't Know Why
20. Beach House - Silver Soul

a lot of these artists are Australian - all songs are available for purchase on iTunes though you'd have to check if you have overseas versions of iTunes because I'm not sure if they're all the same! 

Bed

Bed –noun

1.

a piece of furniture upon which or within which a person sleeps, rests, or stays when not well.

 

A bedroom is a place where you can unwind, rest and even simply exist. Your own little world - yours to decorate however you want. Here are a few inspirational bedrooms I have found.

 

 

Sources for all: Designspongeonline & Apartment Therapy

And with that, I will bid you farewell and sleep soundly in my bed.

My Country

Australia. I thought this iconic poem by Dorothea Mackellar perfectly summed up Australia.

She is beautiful but she can be furious, and furious she is at the moment. This poem might help you understand a little more about Australia, its beauty and its darkside.

This is one of the poems better known by Australians. Written by Dorothea at the age of twenty-two years while she was living in England, and missing her home country, Australia.

My Country

The love of field and coppice,
Of green and shaded lanes.
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins,
Strong love of grey-blue distance
Brown streams and soft dim skies
I know but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!

A stark white ring-barked forest
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon.
Green tangle of the brushes,
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When sick at heart, around us,
We see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady, soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the Rainbow Gold,
For flood and fire and famine,
She pays us back threefold -
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand -
Though earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Dorothea Mackellar

 

http://www.dorotheamackellar.com.au/archive.asp

Robert Frost and my favourite poem

Queensland Floods

9.11am: Baby Montana being carried from a helicopter by a member of the Defence Forces is one of the iconic images of the Queensland floods. Here's the original photo, taken by Jack Tran yesterday at Gatton after Montana was evacuated from Forest Hill.

The photo of this little baby shows the state of helplessness that thousands of Queenslanders are in at the moment.

If you have time, please give to them. Even your spare change will make a difference. Donate here. 

- Donations can be made over the phone, online, in the mail or in person at any branch of the Bank of Queensland, Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ, NAB or Suncorp.

news.com.au                               Sydney Morning Herald

Designer spotlight: Charles & Ray Eames

"Eames furniture is built on the philosophy "what works is better than what looks good", and indeed function over form is the ethos of husband and wife team Charles and Ray Eames. Their unique furniture creations had their origins in the 1940's as innovative experiments in low-cost, functional, and organic design, which included the new technique of wood molding. Today, Eames furnishings are still in the vanguard of pragmatic and ergonomic offerings, reflecting a stripped-down mentality while also conforming to the human body in groundbreaking and still-popular ways."

Eames furniture helped kick-start my passion for design. I remember my Dad mentioning Eames and I took a peek at a few of their chairs and fell in love instantly. Their chairs are aesthetically pleasing (to me) but the emphasis on functionality is what shines through the most. Although expensive, these timeless classics are worth it.

The things I'd do for an Eames Rocker are pretty outrageous. Here is some eye candy for you.

Want so bad.

Marimekko Fabric

I am a huge lover of Scandinavian and European design and all the little things that go with it, so it's no surprise that I adore Marimekko fabric prints.

Marimekko is a leading Finnish textile and clothing design company that was established in 1951. The company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality clothing, interior decoration textiles, bags and other accessories under the Marimekko brand, both in Finland and abroad.

Their bright prints are definitely not afraid to make a statement and their fabrics look just as good on you as they do in your home AND not only do they design fabric for clothes or the home, they have upholstery fabric for chairs and lounges, bags, accessories and even plates and glasses.

Here are some examples:

for more information about this wonderful brand, check out Marimekko and to buy online Finnstyle have a wide range of Finnish style products available for purchase! ENJOY!