Bliss and Mayhem

 My reality a few weeks ago was this;   I had been absolutely hanging, I mean hanging for this latest Bali trip. Guys, I can’t really put my finger on it but the place just has a grab on me and I do anything possible to keep finding those cheap flight deals to call Steve and go, “guess what? We’re going back!” It was a great trip. Like really awesome! There wasn’t much shopping or bringing suitcases loads of crap back – but a chill trip, showing my parents the Island of the Gods { it was their first trip to Bali } and getting that R&rR that I desperately needed. And then landing back in Melbourne to sub zero temperatures {okay, not that cold but you get the drift} – I got sick. Firstly, with a nasty, annoying cold that lingered around for about a week. Instead of singlet tops and ripped jean shorts, I was rugged up with 5 layers on, scarf and beanie in tow – Melbourne’s winter was not just coming, it had came. Game of Thrones anyone?  Then the second wave hit, and I looked c

 Well yesterday, Melbourne's fury of the cold hit. We woke to a mild morning but the sky was clear and I was even undecided about turning on the heater.  Well, two hours later, the heavens opened up in all it's glory and Mother Nature brought a storm of all storms to Melbourne. There was flash flooding, uncontrollable winds and the temperature dropped dramatically. Winter is not just coming, winter is here.  I don't know about you but I'm am, through and through, a summer gal. Give me warm sunny days and nights, where the sun takes hours more to set and I'm not feeling like a constant reptile in search for the elusive sun to beat down on my face.  As I get older, I seriously think i have SAD And I am feeling like this:     via GIPHY   But all I am wanting is this: via GIPHY   And this  via GIPHY  My count-down app has hit the magical digits where it is only a few sleeps till I jump back onto a plane and head of to Bali. I cannot wait!      

 I miss you both. Very much.    Written March 7th, 2017 I don’t think that any of the words that I put down here can do justice to the impact losing the both of you has had  the past two years. Every year, the feelings of such sadness and sorrow, that I know so many of us are experiencing just compounds itself and I feel helpless knowing that I will not see you again.   One of my soul sisters suggested that I write it all down, get it all out, or as much as I can to let part of the pain be released so that I can look back on the times that we had together with a smile rather than the crippling grief that I have continued to experience. So here goes. I miss you both. So very much. And I think, because you were both taken is such tragic circumstance, I never had a chance to say goodbye. We all didn’t.  Steve knows, Max, that you and him were and always will be brothers and that If you had not died that there would have been a phone call, a chat and like always over the pa

   The countdown till I hit the tarmac at Ngurah Rai International Airport is quickly coming down to the single digit figures and before I know it I will be soaking in all the things that beautiful Bali has to offer again. Excited, Just a bit. Hallelujah! Not only will I be landing in my favourite place to visit, full us sun, warmth, good food and magical sunsets - my love for the perfect cup of coffee with be gguaranteed. Let me share with you the " must go to " Coffee Shop in Bali and why when you visit - you will be hooked! Melbourne, is renowned for our snobbishness (yes, I admit we Melbournians can be snobby) when it comes to coffee, as we are blessed with an abundance of cafes to choose and our baristas do know their stuff. Even in my "bio" you can see that Coffee is a requirement, more, a necessity to get through my busy days without killing someone. Srsly. So when I started visiting Bali - I hit the JACKPOT when I discovered the BEST Coffee Shop on thi

 Well, that has happened quickly. It is amazing when you actually decide on making a change – how quickly things can start to manifest for you. I wrote about it here . And after I hit publish, I consciously went through my social media zoo and did what I said I would do. I un-noised it. De-activated my twitter account and made a mental note of creating more quiet. Ethan and I lived in a little unit many,many,many years ago on our own, I really struggled with quiet and being alone. My own company was something that I didn’t really know, I loved the chaos of being busy. The chaos of people, the dramas. Even though I loved it, it was completely and utterly draining. So slowly I made an effort to actually embrace the quiet and calm. I attempted to meditate as often as I could. Not having any idea on how to do it – I reverted back to my years of dance training where I would do slow stretches of the muscles for about 30 minutes every day. It calmed the mind. It calmed my soul. Such a smal

     Image Source At the end of 2015, I was seeing beautiful posts popping up left, right and everywhere of vision boards. Of declarations for the “word” which would be their focus for 2016. Words such as, “courage”, “brave”, “peace”, “empower”. All such great words with amazing intention. I thought about doing a Vision Board, for about 20 seconds. Then life got in the way. My word that has been frequenting my mind has been – NOISE. Since Christmas {can you believe we are already 4 months since then!!!??} nothing too dramatic has changed in my life. I still work 40 hours per week. Still have 2 kids that I need to tend to and mother. Still am a wife. Still have bills, groceries and the forever load of WASHING. Washing. Fucking washing. But, I haven’t coped with it. Or am not coping with it. My anxiety has really shown its face a lot. I have felt completely overwhelmed 50% of the time. And it has become clear as this is now manifesting in lack of sleep, unexplained weight loss and

 This was, the last room to be completed in our epic renovation. I call it EPIC, as the process has taken a total of seven years to bring our home from the psychedelic 1970's to now.  95% of our renovations have been done by ourselves. We have recycled many materials and items over the years and re-used wherever possible. It is possible to do things on a budget - you just need to be prepared to live on a building site forever and do bits and pieces over time.  I do say "we" in the renovations, but I need to give credit where credit is due. And that is to Steve. The man is so switched on. He puts his mind to anything and before I know it, it is done. Not a builder by trade but a mechanic, he has literally rebuilt the inside of our house on his own.  Back to my kitchen. This was her before:   > > > > Dated, tired and old. Completely nothing wrong with it but as you can see, for a 4 bedroom house this kitchen was squishy and pokey and lacked storage. Y