heat wave

 

We're in the middle of our first heat wave of the summer, and I'm not coping. I'm grumpy and lethargic,  and all I want to do is lie under the air conditioner eating popsicles. Other attempts at cooling off include: closing all skylights and blinds so no sunlight gets in, eating watermelon, swimming, drinking ice water, and letting the whirring of the fans lull me to sleep.

Here's hoping the cool change arrives tonight!

bump: 16 weeks

 The bump turned 16 weeks old on the weekend, and although you can see it in these photos, most peoples' response when I tell them how far along I am is: "Wow, you can't tell at all!" I'm actually looking forward to the stage where I look pregnant, and not just like I ate too much.

In other pregnancy news, this weekend we booked our doula as well as Calmbirth, a weekend birth preparation workshop. I feel really good about both decisions. There are so many choices to make surrounding pregnancy and birth (choices that many women don't seem to realize they have - though that's a topic for another post!) and it feels great to be ticking things off my list.

Yesterday was hot, and I felt it keenly. Even still, I pried husband away from the cricket to come to a friend's class at a new yoga studio, then cooled off with a dip at Clovelly. We took these shots after, until we, I, was too grumpy and hungry to continue. Ah hormones!

the yoga of closet cleaning

The weather in Sydney has been all over the place lately, but as I looked at my calendar this weekend and realized that December is less than a fortnight away, I decided to ready myself. We keep hearing that this summer is going to be hot and dry and, truth be told, I'm scared. I don't like Sydney heat in the best of times. We're already sleeping with a fan and keeping bottles of water in the fridge at all times, sure signs that summer is near.

On Saturday I packed away my wintery woollens, and pulled out crinkled summer dresses from the boxes where they've been hiding. I like the ritual of changing my closet as the seasons change. It's also nice to be reminded of how much I have, and see that I probably don't need any more (except for maybe some elastic waist shorts...). The theme of the month at Jivamukti Yoga is aparigraha, greedlessness. Yesterday one of my teachers, Keith, reminded us in class that the smaller our footprint, the more power we have. Live Simply so that others may simply live. Something to remember as Christmas draws closer...

at the pool

It's amazing how the weather can change in a week in this city. Last Friday I was complaining about the cold; this Saturday I whinged about the heat (it reached 33 degrees in Sydney!) until husband took me for a swim. It definitely felt like the first summer weekend. We spent our time puttering around the house replacing heavy duvets with lightweight blankets, eating ice cream and enjoying lazy afternoon siestas.

On Saturday, when the heat got to be too much we headed for an outdoor "pool" and rejoiced in the cool breeze and cooler water. It was exactly what I needed.

Tonight we'll watch Homeland, my new favourite show, and I'll eat a hot fudge peanut butter brownie sundae. Homemade, of course.

summer dreaming

It's cold, wet and grey here today and some parts of the state have woken up to snow. Highly unusual for this time of year, to say the least. So while I spend the day inside drinking tea and reading my book, I'm dreaming of the perfect summer outfit. Here's mine:

1. Gorman Sunglasses. Love this shape and the great colours.
2. Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin. I just finished reading The Happiness Project and I figure this follow up book would be a terrific summer read.
3. Etsy camisole. Antique underwear makes for the perfect summer top.
4. Madewell shorts. Can't beat a pair of worn in denim shorts.
5. Gorman backpack. The one thing on this list that I'm coveting above all else - a fashionable mochila. There's a Colombian tribe called the Wayuu who are famous for making these beautiful bags. This one is right up my alley.
6. Tan Saltwaters. My favourite summer shoes.

I went to the beach

And it was lovely. You know when you're going through a hard time and then you have one of those days that makes you think, "it's all going to be ok." This was one of those days. There's just something about a good ocean swim and some sunshine that makes me feel better.

bicycles and beaches

Above photo by husband

It rained this weekend. A lot. But in between storms there were pockets of blue sky and bright light, the kind that makes you want to run outside to soak it up. On Saturday afternoon husband and I took advantage of one such pocket of time and hopped on our bicycles for Surry Hills.

Just as we got there the skies opened up and we were lashed with rain. We ducked into a cozy cafe to wait it out, where we enjoyed chai and fries in the meantime. On the way home, the sun came out and I stopped to pick these stems, now adorning the walls. I'm not even sure what they are, but I love them.

These 2 pics by husband. On another note, isn't it the best when you rediscover things in your closet? I've had this skirt for oh, about 10 years, but had completely forgotten about it. Now that I've remembered, I don't want to take it off.

Yesterday the pocket of sun was in the morning, so husband and I headed to Dee Why for a swim after I finished teaching. The power of an Australian ocean never ceases to amaze me. Where I grew up in Vancouver, the ocean is almost always calm. Here, you're pummeled from all sides as soon as you step in.

But the thing is, once you get used to it, you start to crave it. There's nothing quite like ducking and diving through big waves to make you feel alive.

I need your decorating advice

Source: boho-storm.tumblr.com via Gabriela on Pinterest

Now that the summer temperatures have arrived, I'm once again wondering how on earth to make my bed. This happens every year when summer rolls around; I want a pretty bed but it's hot as hell and most nights we're sleeping with just a sheet, a fan that goes all night and sometimes even a cold towel over our faces (not just yet, but give it another month or so...).

And as much as I love this floating bed, - which is really the perfect summer bed, don't you think? - I'm stuck with the bed you see below. In winter, it's all made by me flannel and wool. But how, oh how, do you make a bed look pretty in summer?

An impromptu retreat

In the midst of this week's frustrations, I got to escape for a night to an impromptu yoga retreat at one of my favourite retreat centers (see my other trips here and here). It felt a bit irresponsible to run away to the bush when I had so much to do in the city, but I decided that it was more important to pause. To just be. However briefly.

It was amazing to me to think about just how different it was last time I was there. Just a couple of months ago I was bundled up in scarves and boots, drinking tea and sitting by the fire.

This time I spent most of my time melting in my swimsuit, drinking cold water and going for swims in the billabong. Just as good, but in a very different way. There was also some yoga, but not a whole lot to be totally honest. Relaxing, staying cool and playing with the kids took up much of our time.

Practicing my adjustments with another yoga teacher.

Eating alfresco.

Sunlight hitting the outdoor living area.

This billabong was our saviour!

p.s. Happy 11/11/11 everyone! I'm heading off to a chanting extravaganza to celebrate. Any other yogis have any plans for the day?

A birthday weekend

First of all, thank you so much for your kind words of encouragement on my last post, they mean the world to me! I'm a busy girl this week, trying to get everything ready for the craft fair, but this weekend I let it all go and celebrated my husband's birthday instead. His birthday was yesterday and he was quite clear that he just wanted to relax. He also woke up at 5 a.m. to go on a 2 hour bike ride, so I'm not quite sure how one could consider that relaxing, but my husband is kind of nuts. Once he got home though, we were both too hot to move and we did indeed relax for the rest of the day.

We happened to be dog sitting our favourite beagle, so we spent lots of time playing with him in the garden and taking him for walks. Since we can't have our own dog, we're always thrilled to take care of other people's dogs!

photo by husband

Husband requested the honey cake from Tessa Kiros' brilliant cookbook, Apples for Jam. He's not a big fan of sweets, so this cake suits him perfectly as it's not too intense. And it has rosemary in it, isn't that cool?

photo by husband

photo by husband

I got husband a couple of shirts as a present, and here he is wearing one to his birthday dinner.

At the end of the day we went over to husband's mum and step-dad's place and had a wonderful dinner of prawns, oysters and salad. It was a small group, but it was just what he wanted. In fact, husband's only other request aside from relaxing, was to eat prawns and oysters for dinner. He was a happy guy.