One of the things I find most relaxing in summer is the power of a lush and shady garden. Huge, broad branched oaks, arms laden with leaves. Violets growing in the shade and the perfect seating to lie back and enjoy the view. While it is too hot out to leave the comfort of my lounge, I can at least look out the window and fantazise about the garden I would like to have. This shot of the simple, lush front porch over at Deluxeville really got me thinking about the power of greenery to calm the senses. I’ll be off to add a confection of hanging baskets to my veranda this week I think.

I am lusting after this 1950′s garden setting currently listed on eBay, but am loathed to pay the interstate shipping costs when I could probably find something similar searching junk shops here. Damn you eBay and your powers of instant gratification.

I’ve been wanting to put in a pond for ages, however it is a long way down the list of things to do at the moment. But this beautiful specimen puts me in mind to bump the project up the list. From Berkely University’s gardens, this is a stunning example of good design, using a single colour palette (aside from the blue of the Iris when in season), and focusing on form. You just want to float away..

It is dry as a bone here in Melbourne at this time of year, and our water supply is all but non existent. But fortunately we had rain water tanks put in last Christmas, and this year they are full. So aside from the scorch factor of the heat, I have some of that precious water and may just be able to start creating my summer oasis. Anyone have the number of a good gardener?

We are about to hit a heat wave here in Melbourne. We’ve had quite a number of hot days already, but the prediction is for 40 degrees plus until Sunday. For those of you in the Northern hemisphere this may sound appealing, but I can tell you that the type of sun here is so scorching you can feel it stripping layers from your skin the moment your are exposed. It has a very nasty sting to it that is accompanied by super heated winds, making you think of life in the Gobi desert. In preparation for this unpleasant event, I’ve put on my thinking cap to provide you with some creative ways to stay cool this week.

Photo from Exotic Events

Host a Moroccan tent soiree and take advantage of the cool of the evening with friends. Drink oodles of iced mint tea and have several types of Turkish Delight on hand to choose from. All you need then is a handsome someone to hand feed you your choice of sweets, and peel you a grape or two.

Burlesque feather fan from Mame Clothing

Make like an Edwardian Lady and carry a large feather fan with you. Perfect for the still of the afternoon, just accompany with a scintillating mystery novel and a sneaky G&T.

Strangely enough, it seems that the practice of carrying a sun umbrella is yet to catch on with the masses here in Australia. A common scene in Asia where days are also long and hot, it makes sense to bring this one back into vogue. Hats and sunscreen are all well and good, but they don’t help to keep you cool. A parasol with help save you from an early grave and keep you looking cool in both sense of the word!

Photo by Blary 54 on Flickr

You’ve heard me mention the powers of iced tea on a hot day before, a nice change to plain water and a million times better than soda (ewww). Rather than spending a bomb on the pre-packaged kind (although its thirst quenching properties are undeniable), here is my recipe that will only cost you a few cents a pop.

Iced Tea Recipe
4 tea bags ( I like to use White Tea or Orange Pekoe)
2 cups of freshly boiled water
Pop your tea bags into a large, heat proof 2 litre jug
Cover with boiling water, add 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and let steep for 20 minutes.
Discard tea bags and fill the remaining space in the jug with fresh cold water.
Refrigerate. Add ice cubes and lemon slices before serving.

Photo by Alaska Teacher on Flickr

The power of the mind on these hot days is something not to be ignored. Change you wallpaper to winter wonderlands, start planning a ski trip or research the lives of Eskimos. The more time we spend talking about how hot we are, the hotter we get. So close you eyes, feel the arctic wind on your face and think yourself cool.

…You could also…

• Have a water balloon fight with your boyfriend, children, employer, grandmother…
• Make a slip and slide in your backyard.
• Use old fashioned slang to amuse yourself, fanning yourself with your handkerchief if you get the ‘vapours’.
• Eat tiny finger sized cucumber sandwiches for tea.
• Wear fancy silk bloomer style knickers under your long cotton dress.
• Sing sea shanties.

In a bid to find a few more ensembles to add to my hot weather wardrobe, I came across this number. She was almost forgotten as she’d been living in the dress up box for some time. My mother made me this dress when I was about 14/15 years old, and I wore it on my beach side holiday with visions of Grace Kelly in To Catch A Thief, dancing in my head. Now, I am more than twice that many years old, she sees the light of day again! I gave her a bit of a clean, iron and she still fits!

I am so thrilled with the way this dress looks now. I always had a tendency to dress older than my age, (as my tastes haven’t changed much) and it seems I have now ‘grown’ into my style. But today I had to wear things just a little differently as that pesky broken toe is still preventing me from doing anything other than posing in my heels. So I popped on a cardigan pilfered from mums closet, a super cute pair of wide eyed bear earrings and my new pair of shiny red thongs (flip flops) from Duchess. This is how I actually met the day and headed off to grocery shop with girls in tow.

Outfit details: Dress by Mum, Cardigan – Katies (recycled), Shoes – Duchess, Earrings – SIX

I’m off tonight to see my other brother’s band play for the first time. They’ve been getting all these rockstar gigs, and I haven’t had an opportunity to see him strut his stuff. So I’ll be getting ready for a night on the town and preparing for a huge long weekend tonight. We’ve got Chinese New Year celebrations, dinners, parties and I’m even holding a stall at the Camberwell market on Sunday in my ongoing attempts to purge. So If you don’t see me this weekend, just picture me sleeping, exhausted in a pile of clothes.

So many times I hear people say, “Wow, I would love to dress like you, but I just don’t have the confidence to pull it off.” Rather than responding with platitudes, I’ve decided it is time to let you in on a little secret. Yes, my confidence is down to my personality, but there are a few tricks you can use to manufacture a bit of style chutzpah for yourself.

What is it that stops you leaving the house in your favorite hat, tutu or monocle? It is all a matter of context and peer pressure for most. If you were heading to a gallery opening, chances are you would be bolder, and tap into your artistic side hoping to show the punters that you are indeed, an individual with artistic sensibilities. But take this same individual grocery shopping in the same ensemble and you’ll see their confidence melt away before your very eyes. Now I am not addressing the larger issue of event appropriate attire here, as this is a longer and even more subjective discussion. I am instead, simply attempting to shed some light on why some people always appear their true, brave and colourful selves no matter the situation. This is the kind of confidence you want to have.

Let’s assume that you have nailed your personal aesthetic. You know what looks good, what makes you happy and how to mix and match to your hearts content. But when it comes to stepping out in that electric blue suit, all the confidence you had whilst posing in front of the mirror is now in a puddle at your feet. So what has changed in this dynamic? Your audience. When it is just you looking appreciatively back at yourself, you only have yourself to please. But when the thought of Shelia from Accounts, the Check Out Girl or the School Gate Mum crosses your mind, you find yourself quaking as you see yourself through (what you believe to be) their eyes.

So what to do? Firstly, reevaluate your thinking.

You don’t actually know what any of these people are thinking of your sense of style. They may throw you a negative comment but be secretly jealous, just like mum used to say. There may be whispers of “bold choice” tinged with sarcasm, as these peers seek to validate their own style choices through one mass mind and group acceptance. But this is not always way they honestly feel on the inside. Ask yourself why being accepted as one of the flock is so important to you and if perhaps staring your own trend may be more rewarding.

Secondly, change your audience.

If the biggest peer group in your life are all buttoned down and prim, where you seek to explore your wilder side, you need to find a more appreciative audience. Now, don’t go rushing out to dump all your friends and start hanging out in biker bars, all you need to do is find your pals online. Your already here so, put your style out there and get some feedback. You don’t need to start a blog as there are loads of online style diaries you can try. People will give you feedback (be prepared for positive and negative) on your style, helping you to refine it, and gain more confidence in your look. There is an amazing power hidden in this. If you have hundreds of enthusiastic peers with whom to exchange ideas, and to tell you how fabulous you are, you will carry these virtual friends with you all day. So when Shelia gives you the evil eye for your choice, you can smile a little smuggly in the knowledge that there a hundred people out there giving you a round of applause.

Thirdly, be the you YOU want to be, it is your civic duty!

Yes, we all have to make accommodations for our situations, be they work, cultural or religious; but you have the freedom to chose how you want express your style. This is an amazing gift you can give to others. As you feel the confidence and freedom to dress yourself the way you want daily, those around you will begin to see the power this gives you. No longer a slave to the sartorial conventions of the masses, you’ll encourage those around you to start experimenting in their own way. This may seem small on the outside, but the change of attitude and to their own confidence will be immeasurable. Fashion doesn’t just happen, it takes innovation, risk and daring. Raise the bar and others will follow.

Today I felt something that must only happen very rarely. I felt a part of history as I watch the inauguration of President Obama. I feel a sense of gravitas, of optimism and of patriotism. And I’m not even an American.

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Originally uploaded by Bo