Woven & Spun

Autumn

It’s one of those afternoons, those autumnal afternoons that are warm enough to sit outside on the balcony without a cardigan. You know those days, where the sky is a mix of pale blue and white and the only music you need is the chirping of the birds and the soft rustling of leaves, although Bach’s Air on the G String wouldn’t be out of place (in fact, i’ve just turned it on). In the yard next door, i spot a black and white cat. A car drives past. And then another one. I have spent the afternoon on this balcony. I have looked at beautiful kitchens with black cabinets, marble bench tops and a splashback made up of subway tiles. I have seen porches so elegant and effortless that they make me dream of what is to come. The sight of a tree, crimson, makes me swoon. Well-written sentences move my heart (see Joan Didion). 

Now, afternoon is turning into early evening and the light streams through the trees in a gentlemanly way. I start to think of the washing that needs to be brought in and dinner that needs to be prepared. Maybe a walk to the park so we can run around and play with the ball or maybe some tea at home.

These are the mellow days of autumn that invite one to slow down and see and listen.

Cafes

I had breakfast with Elisabeth and a friend at a lovely cafe in Five Ways, Paddington today. Five Ways is a very charming suburb and i could see myself living there, if not for the fact that the beach is a drive away. I love being a 15 minute walk away from one of my favourite beaches, Bronte and it will be very difficult to give that up, even for charm and excellent coffee. So, in no particular order, here’s a list of my favourite cafes in Sydney:

• Tiger Mottle in Five Ways, Paddington. My soy cap comes with real grated chocolate on top. Yum! And their Bacon and Egg sandwich and Bacon and Egg tart are so tasty…and i am not a big fan of bacon at all!
• Gertrude & Alice on Hall St, Bondi Beach. Best pot of chai ever. And it’s a bookstore cafe. Very cool. Although it doesn’t have space for a pram so probably not very child friendly.
• Luxe in Westfield Bondi Junction. It’s my local and they know my coffee order so it makes me feel very special. 
• Campos on Missenden Rd in Newtown. The coffee is spectacular every single time.
• Luxe on Missenden Rd in Newtown. I went there for the first time last week and loved it. The portions were quite small though.
• Bertoni on York Rd, Sydney and Darling St, Balmain. Wonderful food and coffee.
• The Little Marionette on Booth St, Balmain. It’s such a cute cafe and you can borrow one of their picnic blankets and take your food and coffee to the park across the road. 
• Three Blue Ducks on Macpherson St, Bronte. The food is amazing and now that they have expanded the cafe to include the store next door and the alley way inbetween, i will go there more often with my big (but handy) pram. I remember driving past in summer at 7pm. It was still light out and people were seated for dinner in the alley, with their glasses of wine and strappy dresses. It reminded me so much of Italy. 

Television

I always tell my husband that when we have our own home (we’re renting at the moment), i want a television in our bedroom. I know many people who think this to be a terrible, terrible thing but to me, it is the ultimate in luxury (along with a padded headboard for the bed to make reading more comfortable, air-conditioning and a double-door fridge in the kitchen).

I love watching tv in bed, especially in winter when my body is warm and toasty under the quilt and tv shows have picked up from lacklustre broadcasting over the summer months.

I can already see myself watching Revenge (i’m so hooked) or Parenthood (love, love, love) or (gasp) Gossip Girl alone, at night, in bed while my husband works diligently in the study. It goes without being said that some form of dessert will accompany my tv viewing. Sunday afternoons, i will tell the rest of the family that mama needs her ‘quiet time’ and climb into bed with a hot cup of tea and watch reruns of Gilmore Girls or Felicity. 

Homeland, however, will have to be watched on the television in the living room, with my feet on my husband’s lap. It’s too stressful (but SO good!) a show for me to watch in the bedroom. 

To summarise, i love tv and i would love a tv in the bedroom. 

That’s all. 

Savouring beauty

The days have been flying by so quickly, especially now that Elisabeth is a toddler. Every morning sees us in a rush as we get ready to walk with my husband to the train station. Elisabeth is not fond of breakfast at all so it is quite a struggle to find her something she enjoys eating, which makes mornings even harder than they already are. 

It makes me think back to the days of catching a 378 to Paddington to watch a French film on a weekday afternoon, followed by a pot of chai in the cafe across the road- those halcyon days, they make me a bit nostalgic. My life now is marked by routines that revolve around my child’s sleep and eating times. I worry about how much she eats and her seeming inability to sleep through the night without some form of comfort.

There are some days where dissatisfaction weighs upon my shoulders so heavily that i start to become angry with the way things are now. It’s not the good kind of angry but the kind of anger that makes me grumpy, depressed and bad company. I am a big proponent of savouring the beauty in our ordinary, everyday lives but some days, i struggle to do this. Here, a beautiful flower; there, the smell of the salty ocean breeze; and again here, the lower and gentler autumn sunlight streaming through the French doors in our study. Some days, these mean very little to me.

But today, there are fresh flowers in the house; the sheets are drying in the sun; my hair is freshly washed. And it’s all good. I may not be able to watch a movie when i feel like it or have long, leisurely breakfasts (my favourite), but for today, i have flowers, clean sheets and clean hair.