Spring in my step

Had an accidental sleep-in this morning, but still made it to work in good time. A surprise morning tea was just what I needed :)

Corica apple strudel

At lunch, I enjoyed some pretty, crumbly, melty, sugary macarons from Brownhaus, in the 2 brightest colours available. A good friend offered encouragement, advice and understanding while I sipped on amazing dutch coffee.

Admired the Perth skyline as I headed back to work. Seriously, how gorgeous can this city be? It's sunny, sky is blue, grass is green and I can practically hear the first cherry blossoms bursting into blooms.

That night, I went to meet Alfred Dwight, a young tabby adopted from Cat Haven and a new addition to a family of four (two humans and two 10 year old kitties). He is such a pretty boy, has a healthy streak of ADHD and is utterly loveable. Cannot wait to babysit the three kitties next month!

better known as Alfie

I was fed a hearty home cooked meal of Sri Lankan chicken curry, dahl, veggies and paratha. My friends spoil me to bits :)

It was a tough day at work and storm clouds eventually rolled in, followed by heavy rain. 
But nothing can dampen this first day of spring. 

A cuddle-filled night and lying next to this purring machine, I am feline the love.

♥

Happy sky

Dear Winter,

I'm so glad that you're back to your gorgeous self today :)

Over the past few weeks, you've blown my fence over (again) and threw hailstones at my car (yes, again). I also appreciate that you've surprised me with a pretty water feature, though I wish that you didn't put it inside my house.

But I forgive you.

Today, you've hugged me with sunshine and blue skies and I'm happier than I've been in a while.

Thank you. You're awesome.

Love,

Chinwei

♥

Morning on the beach

So I'm housesitting and totally loving it. The guest bed is a lush cloud so a little sleep-in is a must on this gorgeous Sunday morning. 

I hop out of bed only because I'm ravenous and have been looking forward to breakfast at John Street Cafe in Cottesloe. After the vegetarian lot and a coffee, I head down the street towards the beach.

John St

Cottesloe beach

It's super sunny and it's really comforting in that sense, but I have to remind myself that it is the middle of winter and I hug myself against the chill as I stroll towards the groyne. I sit on the rocks for a while and stare at the blue green ocean and there's no where else I'd rather be. 

Seagulls swoosh past, waves crash around me and 2 dolphins swim past.

Taking the scenic route back to the car, I revel in the sand squishing between my toes and manage to get seaweed on my jeans. Good look :)

obligatory footprint shot

Vitamin D and happiness levels are back up and I think I'm ready for the working week ahead.

♥

Pinterested!

There is beauty in everything if you'll only stop for a moment to notice it. I love love love looking at photographs, exploring spaces, admiring landscapes, listening to nature, running my fingers over textures, picking up trinkets, smelling roses...just taking it all in and hoping to imprint it all in my brain.

I've bookmarked Pinterest as one of my go-to sites for my daily dose of beautiful and am really happy to find a couple of my paintings on it :)

Water Dandy on Etsy

Blanketed on Etsy

I always see something on Pinterest that makes my heart skip a beat. Here are some of my favourites from browsing today:

Source: vintagethorns.tumblr.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: mycolorfashion.com via francyface on Pinterest

Source: core77.com via Joshua on Pinterest

Source: oldbrandnew.blogspot.com via Tory on Pinterest

♥

Piggy

Today was grey, rainy and dreary, perfect for a warming brunch, followed by a trip to a new-found creative space. I whipped out the piggy scarf for a bit of playfulness :)

Scarf: Ebay
Top: Supre

I love brekky/brunch at That Little Mexican Place. Today I had cafe de olla, churros con chocolate, some chorizo, and finished off with jalapenos rellenos. 

tasted amazing. apologies re grainy mobile pics

The coffee is sweetened and steamed milk is available on the side, cute! The churros come with 3 dipping sauces...strawberry, caramel and chocolate...my favourite was strawberry (surprisingly) and I licked that clean ;) Jalapenos for breakfast? I'm a chili freak, chili freak, chilly freaky *to the tune of Super Freak*.

Then a visit to Venn, a shop + cafe & bar + gallery + studio.

This used to be an old factory, so naturally, I'm in love with the combination of brick walls, steel beams, wooden floorboards and concrete. 

Industrial architecture genius:
The shop area is slightly raised and features an expansive glass wall
Up some wooden stairs, a gallery where exhibitions are held
Glass panels provide a glimpse of studios on the lower level
Down the back, a bar and cafe with access to the roof terrace

The shop is filled with the interesting and innovative. Many goodies pulled at my heartstrings but I couldn't justify letting go of my purse strings.

hardly a winter-appropriate drink :)

The bar and cafe is grey and modern, yet had a nice amount of warmth. 

And even though I could only peer into the artist studios, it was oozing creative energy and I hope that some of it rubbed off on me :) 

♥

Pamper sesh

I purchased a discount voucher for a hair pamper pack at Element Aveda Concept in Subiaco and have been looking forward to it since making my appointment in January. My hair is in bad shape and today couldn't come soon enough.

At the salon, my session started with a Blue Oil head and shoulder massage. The scent from the oil was completely unexpected; it was an instant pick me up and the massage melted the week's stresses away. Glorious.

Next, hair colour. I wanted a warm yummy chocolatey colour for winter so on it went. Half an hour later, I plonked myself on the shampoo chair. Well it was more like a massaging lounge chair, I was nearly reclining and didn't have to crank my neck back very much at all. Here's the best bit...the scalp conditioning treatment/massage went on for what seemed like forEVER. Bliss.
By then I realised that my parking ticket would expire before I'm done here...well I thought that allowing for 2 hours was plenty. Anyway, I was having too much fun to worry about that. My hair was swiftly and expertly cut (I got my fringe back, yay!) and I had a hand massage at the end of that. Incredible.

blurry shine

Today, sitting in front of a mirror for nearly 3 hours, I realised that I no longer give myself grief over my imperfections and flaws, perceived or otherwise. I still whinge about them but instead of wishing that they weren't this or that, I now tell myself that sure, it sucks balls but it could be way worse. As my makeup was touched up at the end of the session, I say a little thank you for concealer and bright lipstick :)

I stepped out onto the stylish streets of Subi and lap up the winter sun. Man I love Perth winters!

oh hi there, parking fine.

meh.

♥

Fabulous fabulous day!

The day started with a makeup workshop. I dabbed, blended, shaded and contoured with at least 20 products and 10 brushes till my eyes were smokey and the last of my blemishes (and face, for that matter) disappeared. I love the look but doubt I'd have the patience to perfect it. So much work just to look effortlessly put together!

I headed around the corner to Vans Cafe, one of my favourite places for brekky. My latte was a little weak but that was probably best considering I haven't had coffee in weeks. I tend to order the oddest thing on the menu and decided pretty quickly to go for the roast stuffed fig + gorgonzola + pancetta from their lunch menu.

Knew it was going to be pretty, and it was :)

One fig was stuffed with gorgonzola and the other was red, springy and juicy, both roasted to perfection. 

The stuffed fig was oozing cheesy goodness. The salty pancetta was half-crispy-half-soft and I thought that was a really nice touch.

The other fig was sweet, with a slight zingy-ness and it was a joy to crunch on the tiny seeds. 

Together with the fennel fronds, coriander and micro herbs, they held a party in my mouth ;)

The atmosphere was very pleasant, with the air filled with laughter and lively chatter.

Lunch was followed by a bit of exploring...

And on the way home, a quick stop at a much-loved spot.

A few hours later, it was time for the customary Chinese New Year eve reunion dinner...

And to top it all off, fresh typewriter ink arrived today :)

I always wish for fabulous days and occasionally, I get an epic one!

♥