31 Griffin Street

My Pa is selling his house soon. Selfishly, I am very very sad at the thought of him not living there anymore. This is the house in Geelong I have been going to my whole life. It's where my mum, aunt and uncle grew up. It's the house my Nanna passed away in. And when it sells it will probably be demolished to make way for flats.. the same thing that is happening in almost every city around the world.

Of course it makes sense that he moves somewhere more manageable for him and his wife Leila. But I struggle to think of him living anywhere else. He has been there 62 years. The bird cage out the back, the back room where his train set is, the swing in the back yard that I remember from my childhood, and even from my mum's childhood (seen in photos) - it's all a part of my memories visiting as a child and as an adult. 

I luckily got the chance to take a few photos when I was in Australia a month ago when I visited for a couple of days. These will help me never forget the front room full of family photos, the spoons that my Nanna used to collect and the cabinets in the kitchen full of fancy china never used. 

A weekend with the bluebells

Day one of the bluebell weekend..

And day two! Not as many photos but just as beautiful. 

A couple of months ago there was a long weekend here in the UK and it coincided with the end of the bluebell season! It just so happened that I had organised to go on a couple of walks with some friends - on the Sunday Debs, Vivi and I were booked in to have afternoon tea at a very fancy hotel so we went for a walk just before.

We happened across a couple of fields of bluebells - oh they are so pretty! And very magical.. I could stare at them for hours. The photos do not do them justice.

We also came across a very cute doggie friend mid way through our walk. We could have walked for hours but we had our afternoon tea to get to - which included bottomless tea (yes!) and scones. 

On the Monday I had organised with the girls to do something and after the success of the bluebells on Sunday we headed to Alfriston to check out the bluebell walk there. Oh wow.. I thought Sunday was good and then this! An entire woodland covered in bluebells. It was so special that I think I have convinced my parents to visit in May next year so they can see them. I already can't wait!

The many faces of one eyed Ted

This is a very indulgent post. About a cat. A cat called Ted. He belongs to my lovely flatmate Rose, and he is the best kitty ever! 

It's no secret that I love animals...I don't have a preference for dogs or cats, I love them all! Teddy has been living in the house for almost a year and I just love him being here. 

As you can see he only has one eye, which means he sometimes runs into things. He is not as light footed as most kitties - he lands with a thump whenever he jumps down from a ledge which always makes me giggle.

Ted is a handsome chap who loves a scratch behind the ears, and tuna. I think tuna more than a scratch. 

He meows at nothing, tries to jump up on things and fails and purrs only when he really loves you. I don't think anyone has met Ted and not loved him back. I especially love the last photo of him curled up on my pillows. He has recently taken to sleeping on my bed which (hopefully) means he loves me as much as I love him. 

A weekend in the Cotswolds

Yay Debs, you are now officially in the blog!!

Why are these Christmas trees suspended from the walls?? I saw this in a couple of places!

The Cotswolds is one of the areas of the UK that I've wanted to see since I arrived. There are lots of districts that I would still like to see, including Devon and Cornwall, The Peak District and the Lake District just to name a few! So it was great to tick the Cotswolds off the list with a weekend trip to a market town in the southern Cotswolds called Cirencester with two of my best friends Debs and Vivi. 

We wanted to go somewhere for Christmas markets and we read that the ones in Cirencester were some of the best in the UK. Unfortunately the markets weren't great, nor was the weather! But it didn't matter - we had a good giggle watching youtube clips and Bridget Jones while drinking loads of wine and eating cheese in the cottage we were in for the weekend. The best!