Ma nouvelle bicyclette.

I recently bought myself a new toy…

It’s been on my wish list for a while and since living in Australia, it had to jump straight to the top of the list!

A vintage-inspired bicycle to call my very own.

I call it an early 30th birthday present to myself :-)

It's a limited Alloy Ladies Retro bicycle in a lovely shade of champagne with a black leather saddle which will over time mold perfectly to my backside. It’s accessorized with a woven wicker basket and a rear rack for toting my picnic essentials, reading material, sun lotion and maybe the odd bit of shopping if I make it that far.

Micky also bought himself a bike, but not a vintagey-looking one.

Haven’t quite got used to these gears and cycling uphill yet....

Perth roads are clogged with big, noisy vehicles, too many road works and endless traffic, so it’s really nice to take a ride along the river or follow one of the cycle paths after work and at weekends and enjoy some nature and tranquility. Now the weather is hotting up (30 degrees today), cycling  with the sun following your track and feeling the push of a warm breeze is lush.

Will have to give mum a go and take her out for a ride when she arrives next week! :-) I’m sure it’s been a few years since she's hopped on one. 

Will take more pictures ;-)

Weekend wedding celebrations in Mandurah

We just celebrated a special weekend.

Our close friends Youngy and Ally tied the knot after five years together. They had decided several months ago that they wanted a small, simple, no-fuss kind of do in Mandurah by the marina. So small and low-key, that aside from their two daughters, Micky and I were honoured to be their only guests. And we didn’t serve just as guests; we were their witnesses, music composers, and I was also hairstylist to the bridesmaids and had the slightly bigger responsibility of wedding photographer. There’s a first time for everything I suppose and what fun we had....

We were all ready at 2pm. We’d spent the late morning slowly getting ready to an 80's mix playlist. Then we walked the five minute trail along the boardwalk to the hut on the jetty overlooking the ocean which was the location for the ceremony (just in front of our hotel). I stumbled upon the location back in May when the four of us were there for the weekend. Micky and I did a tour of the Mandurah foreshore on some rented bikes and and approached this gorgeous lonely-looking, rustic hut on the end of a jetty which was partly secluded with beautiful ocean views, and I thought it would be perfect alternative for them.

It was the perfect day for them with perfect weather.

At 33 degrees, the sun was glaring but there was also a slight breeze coming from the water.

Ally wore a long strapless, silk gown with a cobalt blue sash and blue suede wedges to match and add a comfortable edge. The bridesmaids wore cute ivory dresses with matching blue sashes and ribbons and they all carried yellow tulip bouquets. The groom and best man wore dark suits with matching cobalt blue ties.

The service which was carried out by a celebrant-friend was lovely and sincere. 
There were a few tears floating amongst us. In fact, I don’t think there was a dry tear in the hut.

After the ceremony and signing, we celebrated their brand new nuptials with champagne!



Even little Lacey, (their 20 month old daughter), enjoyed a little skull!

I snapped another 100 or so photos.....

Keeping in line with the colour theme, I wore a cobalt blue dress to match the party which I'd coincidentally bought before the wedding was planned. Funny also as I'd bought the dress from an Australian womens' clothes shop appropriately called ‘Ally’.

Then we walked back to our hotel with passersby admiring the bride and groom and bridesmaids. In true laid-back Aussie style, the bride and groom and Micky got out of their wedding attire and changed into casual clothes and then the cakes were cut and we scoffed our faces on white iced chocolate wedding cake.

Later we went out for a wedding dinner to celebrate more.

The 30th Birthday Countdown…

In exactly 3 months today I turn 30.
Golly, when did this happen? To be honest, I’m not quite sure.

My birthday: the twelfth day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year is fast approaching yet in many ways I still feel like I’m 25…

I'm very excited about this milestone and marking the occasion as I enter a new unexplored decade. Adding to my excitement is a special family member who will be here to celebrate this milestone with me - my mum arrives in Perth during the week of my birthday!

Also, it will be my very first birthday in Australia and in the sunshine. I have spent 29 birthdays in the cold, rain, snow, ice…  all wrapped up in thick layers. Mid December in Perth will be a scorcher!

It seems many of us approaching/turning 30 spend this time reflecting on what we have achieved in our lives throughout our twenties and where we are from many perspectives. For me, I can happily say that I'm healthy, I’ve just started an exciting new job, I have an amazing boyfriend and wonderful and supportive family and friends. And whilst I might not have yet reached some of my pre-30 goals, (notably becoming a home owner and maybe getting married), I have a lot to be grateful for…

Also, I can tick off some accomplishments from my list:

• Pay off my Student Loan in full - tick
• Get a promotion/progress in career – tick
• Travel lots - tick (five continents)
• Live abroad - two ticks
• Improve my cooking skills (esp. Turkish) - a work in progress!
• Slim down to a perfect 10, not quite there yet…

It’s quite ironic because every year, as my family and friends will agree, I tend to go a bit crazy with the lead up to my birthdays and organise events and big birthday nights out months in advance. Now the big one is approaching, I’m more for taking it as it comes and going with the flow. Who would have thought I’d say that? Maybe Australia has had a ‘laid back’ effect on me already after just 6 months.

I’ve decided I'm going to really enjoy the last few months of being a twenty-something girl... I am the first one from my group of close friends to turn 30 and am not sure if I’ll feel any different at all, but I will embrace this time. It's not long before I'll probably be compiling another list of goals for the next decade (I LOVE lists!). How funny will it be if I continue to get ID'ed in the supermarket or at a bar! "There's my drivers license, you see I was born in 1982 which makes me 30 years old but thank you thinking I might look up to 13 years younger than what I actually am!" :-) So many people say that  in  your thirties you become more confident, feel more self-assured and are more self-aware and just feel more comfortable with who you are and what you're good at, so surely there’s a lot to look forward to just there...

D xx

Back over to Sydney...

So I got offered the job I attended that interview for in Sydney! It was a pretty quick turnaround because a week later, I was on the same Monday morning flight to Sydney en route to start my first week of work beginning with five days of training in the city. So glad it was longer than a day trip this time!

I took advantage of being over in Sydney for the week by meeting up with a couple of Sydneysider friends who like me, made the move to Oz from the UK, but some time before me. At the start of the week, I met up with my friend Mel who is an old work colleague from London. Mel suggested we go to the Summit Restaurant & Bar; a revolving one located in the heart of the city in Australia Square, 47 floors high above the city with 360 degree views. What a great way to  start my week; absorbing endless views of Sydney by night with a cocktail in hand after the first day on the new job.

 

 

 

 

Sydney really has an energetic vibe. It's a fair bit bigger than Perth and you can feel it. It has a real buzz which I particularly experienced on my walks to from my hotel in Wynyard to the offices on Pitt Street each morning. The buildings are grander and you almost forget for a moment that you’re in Australia and feel like you’re in a European city. Although I didn’t have time to visit many shops, I was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar sight when I spotted one of my favourite shops from back home!!

 

 

 

Wynyard Square - view from my hotel room

 

I was excited to also meet an old secondary school friend dinner and drinks  who has lived in Sydney for the last few years and who I hadn’t seen in at least 10 years. It was a fun reunion, catching up on all that we had done since our school years; from university and to life in our twenties and our moves to Australia and experiences. We both agreed that neither the other had changed and enjoyed gossiping about old school friends and laughing about silly high school behaviour! We started at The Russell Wine Bar and then Jennie took me around The Rocks to take in the nocturnal views of the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney skyline before going for a night cap at a great newly opened bar on George St called The Morrison.

 

Drinks at The Russell Wine Bar



Wondering around "The Rocks"

 

 

Oh, and I managed a much closer, more illuminated view of the bridge this time!

 

Day-return ticket to Sydney, please!

Having lived in little ol' England for 29 years, it’s astonishing when you then relocate to a very large country (which also turns out to be a continent), how big a scale it sits on in comparison.

On Monday I flew from Perth to Sydney AND BACK within a day! The long round-trip day journey was for a job interview I had been invited to attend with a company whose head offices are located in Sydney. I spent the best part of 4 hours in Sydney which included interview time and public transport travel to and from the city. Talk about a whirlwind trip!



Double-decker train into the city



Pre-interview self check



My last job in the UK saw me travel from London to Paris by Eurostar a couple of times per year, but that was just a comfortably quick 2 hour train journey within which time I was transported to another country. In Australia, it’s crazy how you can fly for 5 hours and still be in the land Down Under! If you flew for a 5 hour flight from London, you could be in Turkey, Cyprus which are over the other side of Europe, or even Egypt which is in Africa! My outbound Qantas flight was 4 ½ hours and 5 hours flying back; apparently the winds blowing in the opposite direction make the flight home that bit longer. The interview went well. Afterwards, I took a quick tour down George Street in search of a bite to eat and took in the city sights and atmosphere for an hour or so before making my way back to the airport. I said a brief ‘hello’ to the Sydney Harbour Bridge on my passing double-decker train at Circular Quay at the start of my journey back home…

George St, Sydney

View of Sydney Harbour Bridge from Circular Quay station



My Week in Review...

Cultural outing of the week

Yesterday I was in the city centre for some appointments and wanted to do something for free with my free afternoon. After popping by the WA Visitor Centre for some recommendations, I decided to head to the Art Gallery of Western Australia and check out their collection of artwork by Australian artists.

I took in the works of historic and contemporary Australian artists including some indigenous artwork. The Aussies are so laidback that you’re even allowed to take cameras in, so I took advantage of this and snapped some of the art that grabbed my attention…

"Sunbathers" by Albert Tucker, 1955

"Goolgool the owl with four young" by Rover Thomas, 1987

"The persistence of language" by Gordon Bennett, 1987

Sunset of the week

I’ve seen lots of amazing ones here in Australia already, but I loved this one from Friday night over Yanchep Lagoon; a small coastal town where our friends live, just under an hour north of Perth.

Winter sunset at low tide, little breeze, nice.....