butternut pumpkin soup

It's been pretty chilly here in Sydney this week, and even chillier inside my house. Whereas in most parts of the world winter means bundling up to go outside, and shedding layers when you're inside, my experience of Sydney is the exact opposite. When I'm home I'm usually wearing about 10 layers (which often includes a toque!), but outside I can still get away with cardigans and open shoes. Oh, and I should mention that it isn't just me, everyone says the same thing!

But what I actually want to talk about is soup, glorious soup to warm your belly. I picked up a butternut pumpkin at the market on Sunday, which became this simple soup last night.

Butternut pumpkin soup

- 1/2 of a butternut pumpkin (otherwise knows as butternut squash)

- 1 big onion

- 4 cups veggie stock

- salt and pepper

Peel and roughly chop your pumpkin. Do the same with your onion. Throw your pumpkin, onion, 4 cups of veggie stock and some salt and pepper into a heavy pot. Cover with a lid and leave at medium heat for about half an hour, or until the pumpkin is soft. Throw it all into a blender (I did this in 2 batches - nobody wants hot splattered soup all over the kitchen!) until smooth. Enjoy!

puttering

One of my favourite things about getting home from a trip is puttering around, making way for new things and settling back into my space. Right now in particular I'm longing for simplicity, and I've been de-cluttering like a madwoman. For the first time since I've lived in this house, my room feels home and it's such a nice feeling.

on a cloudy morning

On a cloudy morning last week I woke up at 5 a.m. to teach. At 7 a.m. I was standing on Bondi Beach, by myself, taking photos of all the early risers. Surfers, joggers, swimmers (!), and people walking their dogs. Not my normal crowd.

But it's good to mix things up. In fact, I have come back to lots of new beginnings. Scary, but also exciting.

to market we go

Since getting home from Canada, jet lag has been seeing my rise much earlier than I normally do. Yesterday morning, Sunday, I was up at 7:45 am. By 9 I was cycling to the market to fill my front basket with fresh bread rolls, butternut squash, apples, mandarins with leaves still attached and some wintery purple flowers.

Of course I also had to fill my belly, with coffee and an organic muffin followed by the yummiest fresh pasta and sauce once I was home. On days like yesterday, winter in Sydney is glorious. Bright light, mild temperatures and lots of time spent outdoors. What's not to love?

Edit: For those of you who asked, my bike is this one from Giant. I love her.

in l.a. - what we wore

My friend Aisha happens to be one of the most stylish people I know, and ever since she started her blog I've been harassing her to do outfit posts. It was harder to ignore me when I was standing there, in front of her, with a camera in hand. So we did it; we took photos of our outfits...

Necklace: House of Harlow, Top: Forever 21, Belt: Cherry Pick Vintage, Skirt: Urban Outfitters.

Top: Anthropologie, Jeans: H&M

It's progress I tell you, progress!

In L.A.

I arrived in L.A. at night, a bit groggy and worn out. Goodbyes always make me sad. Saying goodbye to my family, well that's the saddest. But I was excited to be there because I hadn't seen one of my oldest friends in 2 and a half years. Despite the fact that we haven't lived in the same city - let alone country - in over a decade, our nearly 20 year friendship is still going strong. We're lifers, as Aisha calls it.

Aisha planned a wonderful 48 hour trip for me: eating, exploring, shopping, laughing and then eating some more.

First, we popped in to visit Aisha's friend Nina, owner of this fabulous vintage shop tucked on a street corner. I walked away with a cute yellow cardi; Aisha found a perfect dress for summer.

Aisha & Nina, cuties

Getting our zoolander on outside the shop

After visiting some of my favourite shops (Anthropologie, Victoria's Secret, Madewell, J Crew) we wandered through the Santa Monica Farmer's Market. Aisha assured me that being the granola gal that I am, I would love it. She was right, of course. Nibbling on the little offerings from the vendors was a food revelation; so this is what a strawberry should taste like! Oh, this is what fresh fruit juice tastes like! Wow.

And speaking of being a hippy... I think Aisha said it best when she described my current eating habits on her blog:

"As for fooding, homegirl has been teetering on the edge of crunchy for quite some time but finally bit the bullet last year and became a full-fledged vegetarian which meant multiple meals at Cafe Gratitude."

If you'd like to read Aisha'a version of events, head on over to her blog.

xo

last vancouver weekend

I love this shot because there's a couple making out in the corner.

My last weekend in Vancouver was filled with family, friends, trips to the beach, bicycle rides, delicious food and cuddles with my dog, of course. It was marvelous, which made it all the more bittersweet when I had to leave.

I'm so grateful for the chance to go back to Vancouver and recharge for a while. It was just what I needed. Familiar sights, familiar faces and seeing the mountains everyday did me a world of good.

This week, I'll be posting a bit about my time in LA and then it'll be back to regular posting. Thanks for coming along on my trip :)