As part of Relaxation August I decided I needed to give my body a bit of a break from the usual stress that I put it through. And a part of that has been giving up coffee, for now at least.  This is a VERY BIG DEAL for me. I LOVE coffee, and I love it in it’s pure, unadulterated creamy black goodness. No sugar, no milk, just me and a thick black creme.  So going cold turkey from this nectar hasn’t been easy.  Still, given the amount of time and money we put into all these ‘anti-stress’ skin care remedies I thought it was about time to address one of the causes and not just deal with the symptoms.  So for August I have given up coffee.

I may be aiming to give my body a bit of a break, but I can’t go from hard core coffee to only spring water,  so tea has once again been my saviour.  I already have a fairly extensive tea collection, (although not as huge as some of you I hear) but when trying to give something up I find it helps to have something else to obsess about. Hence, finding new varieties and new ways to drink my tea.

This morning’s tea – White Tea with Rose in my good old 1970’s Finnish enamel tea pot. Nothing fancy, just keeping it simple and delicious!

One of my favourite local tea houses is Serenity Tea House out in Boxhill, Melbourne. It isn’t the easiest place to find, but when you do it is like stumbling into a hidden Alladins cave of tea wonderland. Their tea comes from Taiwan somewhere high up in the mountains, as I learnt when the proprietor told me wonderful stories about the growing area and collection methods.  She sat me down with a gorgeous yellow, traditional tea set and we talked and drank tea for over an hour, uninterrupted.  It was clear that tea was her passion, not just her day job, as I learnt so much not just about the tea itself, but all the nuances of each tea set. The different clays that help to absorb the flavour, the scent cups used for capturing the fragrance of the tea allowing you to drink in the experience on a different level.  The process of drinking tea became so much more than I was expecting from a visit to a local tea store.

Of course it wouldn’t be a tea odyssey without a visit to T2, once a smaller concern and fast becoming a Goliath of the tea world here in Australia. I’ve had my regular favourites from here, The Vanilla, The White Tea, The Gen Mai Sen Cha; but I wanted to try something different.  T2 is the perfect place to explore by yourself if you want to be left alone with your thoughts, or if you need help there is always some at hand. The girls there were very helpful walking me through my coffee free options, as I wanted to try and choose teas that also had a low to nil caffeine content to aid this relaxation plan.  I found myself stocking up on even more tea accoutrements; pot sized infusers, strainers, pots sized for one. Walking out with only one small box of tea from here is a surprisingly difficult exercise in self restraint.

They have a great website, which as I’ve just discovered, does online Tea dating! They match your personality to tea choices, which I tried and the selection came out bang on for those I just adore. I’m also rather partial to their fancy china selection from the super fancy bone china right through to the unbreakable enamel ware.  But then, once you start looking it is possible to spend all your pocket money in one fell swoop.

The stunning deco lines of the Avanti tea pot is something worthy of coveting.

If you’re looking for a brilliant and inexpensive tea shopping option, head down to your local Chinatown or Asian grocer. Not only will you find more tea varieties than you could poke a stick at, you can also find some gorgeous tea pots and cups for only a couple of dollars each.  One of my favourite tea pots is a $4 pot from one of these stores. It has lasted me so well, even though it has had a few minor accidents, it is still going strong and used for tea every day.. and even occasionally as a vase! As far as tea selection goes, it is a little more tricky if you can’t read the languages the packaging is written in, but that is half the adventure! Another great thing about tea found in Asian grocery stores is that it quite often comes in very pretty re-usable tins and other containers. So you don’t have to fork out extra cash to keep your tea fresh and you can create your own special collection of canisters as you try each new variety. Oh, and my other cracking find in these stores has been the humble thermos. Perfect for on the road, keeping at your desk or even behind the shop counter for sneaky sips.  You can get some excellent basic models for $10 in these stores and even some more beautiful versions like this one if you’re lucky.

So far, the lack of coffee is proving to be a good thing.  It did take a few days to get past the nasty headache stage, but with the aid of some White Tea and Rose brewed with a teaspoon of delicious honey, it is proving to be just the tonic that my stress levels and my skin needed.

Where do you shop for your tea? Do you have any secret tea addictions? Confess all!

Recently I’ve been asked the same question by a number of people, both readers and good friends. That is, “How do you know who you are?”.  What they want to know is that in my role as wife and mother, how do I retain such a strong sense of self?  Let me tell you, this hasn’t always been the case.

Just like anyone else, I have had times in my life when I’ve “fallen off the wagon” so to speak.  Times when work took over everything, time when appearances were the last thing on my mind, and time when I thought, “Is this it? Is this as good as it gets?”  But by and large, these moments have been blips on the radar of an otherwise colourful and memorable life.

One such time for me was after the birth of my first daughter. I had a body that no longer belonged just to me, in a shape I didn’t recognise and responsibilities that I hadn’t even contemplated before hand. A demanding schedule with very little sleep and only a small baby for company did nothing to help the situation.  Like so many women before me, I would look through old photo albums barely recognising the woman I was just twelve short months before hand. But it didn’t make me sad, melancholy or wistful; it made me mad. And just like Dylan Thomas said, I could feel a “rage against the dying of the light”.

Of course, my life wasn’t literally over, but as many mothers know deep down there is a little grieving that goes on for the girls we used to be. And frankly, I wasn’t having any of it. I didn’t want to be surrounded by Wiggles music and the life of a homogenised happy baby commercial; I wanted something that was mine, that was ours and that was a unique reflection of the people we are.

Yes, that is all a little deep and raw but it applies to so many situations. Those times a job is lost, when children leave home, when we go through a bad break up; any life situation that we have allowed ourselves to become overly content in and sneakily, it has come to define us. That’s when it is time to take measures into your own hands and rediscover what makes you you. It can be a long slow process, but it is ultimately a joyful one. So take heed my friends and I’ll give you the secrets that help me keep my groove each day.

ART -

Image via Patrick Ng on Flickr

In order to think about who I am I also have to think about who I was. Fortunately I kept my school art folio with pieces dating right back to early primary school.  Each piece contains a memory of a time, of friends, teachers, passions and stolen kisses behind the shed. This is super powerful stuff and a brilliant place to begin your journey.

Whether you draw, paint, doodle or whatever; now is the time to pick up your tools and start to create something for yourself. It never needs to be seen by another person, but the process of creating it, what inspires you and learning to look at the world with different eyes is something you need to retrain yourself to do.  These are the skills that you will use each day when doing the most simple things like choosing an outfit, picking the tea set that makes your happy instead of the one that is just on sale, or finding beauty in the small free moments that each day brings.

MUSIC -

Image via Buttha on Flickr

I still have a little child’s suitcase full of my very first cassette tapes.  The first cassingle I ever bought ( Poison’s ‘Unskinny Bop’!), Mixtapes with love messages from high school boyfriends and even recordings I made myself with a little microphone and a portable tape recorder.  Some of it makes me cringe but I never fail to see the influences of this music on myself. The times I bought albums to impress a boy but really hated the band, and those that I never played for anyone, my heart set to music. The albums I would dance to like my life depended on it ( Jive Bunny & The Mixmasters anyone?), and the albums I have bought many times over that still appear in my collection. Music feeds your soul. Don’t let it starve.

Also, never say never. When asked to define my music tastes I used to say, “Oh everything but XX, I hate X.” Mind you, I had never really given X a good go and neither had I explored it properly. So I took off those blinkers and made a foray into previously forbidden territory only to discover a brand new passion that set my soul on fire. This is how I found New Music Me and she can make even the worst day shine!

FOOD -

Image via Sifu Renka on Flickr

I’m not the greatest cook. In fact I’m downright lazy. But when you have to do it and you have more than yourself to cater for, the things you love often go out the window. You find yourself living on a diet of spaghetti that pleases all and indulging in a block of chocolate afterwards as if that will make up for the neglect your palate has been suffering. Allow yourself to eat something that you really want. Something that may not be loved by all, may not be PC or even cheap. But do it, and do it just for you. If you want to eat a whole dozen natural oysters with caviar, then by golly  you’d better do it! Even if you have to hide in a tub of bubbles, or eat the sitting alone on the front porch, it is just you and your food. Treating yourself like the King of the Castle every now and again with nary a thought for the other occupants whims is key to true decadence and a great way to get in touch with what you really love.

There is so much more I could say on this topic, but this is the place to start.

So I’m offering you my challenge, my life line if you will.  Try these three simple things and tell me what a difference it makes to you. You can come back here and ask me questions or leave me comments to let me know how you get on.

Remember, life is for living – do it with all the passion and verve you can!

This year’s Wintersun held the first inaugural 1950’s Cake Bake Contest, and what a hit!  All the Ladies, and Gents, were invited to enter a cake of their own creation to be judged on looks, taste, presentation, as well as their own personal presentation. We had no idea what sort of reception such an event would receive, but it was such a hit it has already been made a part of next year’s calendar.

I was honored to be asked to judge this year’s heat and made sure I brought my best CWA judging criteria to the table.  Each cake was cut and prodded, tasted and tested, contestants grilled about secret recipes and outfits appraised with a critical eye.  But what a difficult job!  These contestants brought their ‘A’ game, and without a complicated points system I never would have been able to determine the winners.

It was a very windy day down by the seaside, so precautions had to be taken to ensure we arrived looking our best. Mistress Chrissy was there to whip the contestants into line and keep proceedings moving along.

All the contestants arrived to set up their creations and present them to an eagerly awaiting crowd.

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All the best dressed at the festival turned up to either participate or simply to watch and hope for a taste.

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This lovely lady had on the most gorgeous Eiffel Tower print vintage frock!

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We began with a little coffee to set the mood.

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But the competition was fierce! Play nice girls.

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The entries were all unbelievably good, with this stunning entrant even matching her cake’s colour to it’s flavour, to her outfit, to her car!!

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And so the judging began. Knowing I had to slip into a swimsuit in the next hour I kept my taste tests small, but what a job!

So, who won this test of sugar, eggs and will?

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3rd Place went to the delightful Mz Vicki and her rather ugly
(by her own admission), but unbelievably good Marshmallow Cake. Made to an original 1950’s ladies magazine recipe, this was one tasty delight!

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2nd Place went to Amanda and her “Flamin 57 Chev” which was a work of art inside and out. Layer upon layer of vanilla and red velvet on the inside, with each flame and a total car created entirely by her, by hand!

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But the 1st Place Winner?.

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Mimsy of Mimsy’s Trailer Trash Tattoos, created a replica of her trailer right down to the Flamingo’s on the lawn and the picket fence!

It looked amazing and tasted out of this world!

So Ms. Mimsy took home the winner’s silver cake server and added another title to her string of talents.

It was such a highlight of the weekend for me, as my childhood memories of the wonderful cake competitions that used to be seen at the Royal Melbourne Show, came flooding back.  The bar has been set so high by the contestants this year that I can hardly wait to see what next year has in store!

A big Thank You to Nicole Jenkins of Circa Vintage Clothing and Miss Kim of Vintage Charm by Kim, for providing these photos, as once again my hands were otherwise occupied.

After a month of illnesses at our place, everyone seems finally to be back on deck. A little tired and worse for wear in some respects, but all the better for the unexpected time together. So with the previously house bound in mind, we headed out the other weekend for Anzac Day on a family picnic.  The weather is just holding off, with sunny days, but chilly winds reminding you to make the most of it while you can.

We packed the basket, filled the thermos with hot tea, grabbed some extra layers to keep warm and a bottle or two of cider to keep the chill at bay. Way back in the day, family picnics were the norm when it came to weekend entertainment. When I was growing up, the whole extended family would meet in a park with baskets and bikes in tow, while Nana filled the blankets with all manner of home made slices, cakes and tea.  I have very strong memories of my Grandmother standing in the middle of the park in her apron, handing out golden Anzac Biscuits from a large tin. Some even had that soft, squishy texture of goodies baked that morning and hastily packed away for the day. I would then spend the day eating egg salad sandwiches under the shade of a large tree, reading with only ants for company until I was compelled to risk the safety of my knees on a little blue bicycle.

These are the sorts of things I’d like for my girls to remember. Not childhood memories filled only with Saturday morning cartoons, but the sorts of adventures they had themselves, exploring, eating, experiencing.

Miss Five in her Tram Conductor’s best

My lovely friend Mistress C.

Outfit Details

Pink Angora Cardigan – Made by Mum circa 1980

Pink knit top – Retrospect’d clothing

High waisted plaid pants – Retrospect’d clothing

Shoes – Keds

Snood – eBay

Flowers – by me

Cherry hairclip worn as brooch – My Little Rockabilly

Bag and scarf – Vintage

As promised last week, I am going to attempt to take pictures at different junctures of my day to show you just what happens in and to my outfits.  Generally I try and make time to take outfit shots every day or two, standing up my little tripod and snapping away quickly before popping the kids in the car to school.  This week, I’m roping in Mr. SKM whilst he is convalescing, to give me a hand and take some photos on the hop.

So to start this out, today’s outfit photos were taken at the end of the day. It was a day of school runs, errands and a little shopping before heading home to cook dinner for everyone.  After a day in heels I generally remove them on getting home and depending on just how much walking I’ve done that day, either swap them for ballet flats or house shoes. This week was so chilly I decided to up the Nana factor and went out and bought myself a pair of classic, fluffy, brocade slippers – exactly like the ones my Grandmother has!

Outfit Details

Dress – 1950’s Vintage piece

Apron – Ladelle

Stockings – What Katie Did

Slippers – Grosby

*- Also, a very big thank you to everyone for you kind comments, emails and messages after my last vlog. Your words of encouragement and support mean the world to me.  Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, my troops are on the mend and yes, I am planning a day at the salon later in the week to recover myself!  -*