Shoulder kitten

One of the little fosters currently residing with our friends Sandhya and Gaurav. Kitten season is here! Head down to the Austin Humane Society to meet some of them (these ones are still too small to be adopted out).

Someone else's words

“I am like a person turned inside out, flowering to the utmost through my senses, mind, emotions. I wear a big white straw hat at a rakish angle. I discover a whole forest of strange new flowers. No ideologies. The realm of pure senses.” – Anais Nin

Review of The White Shadow in The Guardian

I woke up to a review of The White Shadow from The Guardian this morning:

Eames's novel opens arrestingly in the carcass of an elephant, where a young, half-crazed Zimbabwean boy named Tinashe takes refuge during the country's second war of independence: "I don't know what I expected to find inside the elephant – a beating heart? Intestines waving gaily like torn flags?" What follows is a tersely mediated account of the chain of catastrophe that follows the birth of his younger sister Hazvinei, a disruptive and rebellious spirit whose attempts to consort with the local river gods are believed to have brought a curse upon the family. Eames grew up in Zimbabwe and conveys a strong sense of political turmoil enflamed by sinister witch doctors, brutal guerrilla factions and superstitious misogyny: "Women were dangerous. Everyone know that. It was as much a fact as the wetness of water, or the heat of the sun." But the Job-like stoicism with which Tinashe endures the painful deaths of everyone closest to him becomes grimly compelling: "Dzepfunde, we say, when the storyteller pauses. Go on."

- Alfred Hickling.

Statesman Capitol 10k

Yesterday was LOML's birthday and, to celebrate, we ran a 10k. Well, not really to celebrate, but it was a great way to start the day. Along with about 23,000 of our closest friends. It's a spectacular run, right down Congress Avenue to start and up by the river to finish - we ran the whole thing, which was our only goal, and finished in just over an hour. Our New Year's resolution was to take part in one race every month, and so far we're sticking to it!

Tess 2012 Spring Collection!

The Tess 2012 Spring Collection is out, and I love it. These are my two favourites - aren't they just gorgeous?

Sarah in Spring Garden

Audrey in Gingham

Shop the looks here.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to run the Capitol 10k and possibly collapse on the sidewalk.

MARMAGEDDON

It has come to my attention that there is a critical shortage of Marmite (or, as I call it, 'black gold') in New Zealand. Production was slowed and sometimes shut down entirely in the wake of last year's earthquakes. This worrying occurence has been covered by dozens of major news organisations, including the New York Times, The Telegraph, Fox News, and the Washington Post. And rightly so.

Luckily, we stocked up on a bulk order from Amazon when we moved here. Phew! It's good to know that we're prepared in case such an emergency occurs in Texas.

(No one else in Texas would want it, probably).

Sandhya and Gaurav's wedding! (Nathan Russell Photography)

Sandhya and Gaurav have received their wedding photos - all taken by the talented husband-and-wife team, Amy Prien Russell and Nathan Russell! - and they look absolutely stunning. It was such an amazing, rich and colourful experience, and we are so grateful to have been a part of it. Congratulations again, guys!

Yawns

My first Two Squirrels online purchase (and a giveaway!)

My first package from the Two Squirrels Vintage online store arrived on Friday - so exciting! I love that I can support them now, even from all the way over here in Texas. As you can see, my purchases took on a somewhat nostalgic character.





Vanessa and Warren are currently giving away a package to one lucky follower - visit the Two Squirrels website for the details!

Flailing to floating

It has been a year of ups and downs for me so far - ups outweighing the downs, of course, but the lower points are in there. After such an expansive, outward-looking couple of years (my first two books coming out, moving from New Zealand to Texas and starting a new life), this year has been about looking inward. So, less blogging! But lots of thinking, and lots of working. It's kind of like moving from a wide, establishing shot to a close-up, and that means cutting out everything around the edges. I'm doing less this year, but I'm doing what matters.

"And it feels so great to finally dive into the water; maybe you splash around and flail for a while, but at least you're in. Then you start doing whatever stroke you can remember how to do, and you get this scared feeling inside you - of how hard it is and how far there is to go - but still you're in, and you're afloat, and you're moving."
- Anne Lamott

Graffiti spotting

Spotted on Mary Street, between Congress and South 1st.

Shop Vanessa's closet!

Miss Stripe 1950s (Large)


1960s Peach Dream (Large)

Polka Dot Smock Dress (Large)


1960s Autumn Wonderland

Vanessa is selling off some of her favourite vintage dresses at the Two Squirrels vintage store on Etsy - aren't they lovely? If you're lucky enough to fit them, snap them up! I love the polka-dot one.

Nap time

Connecting the dots

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

– Steve Jobs.

Fredericksburg wine tasting!

We discovered a gorgeous new restaurant - Sugar and Smoke. They specialise in smoked meats and lovely desserts, and the place itself is just beautiful, too.
A chocolatier's right next to the winery? Chocolates filled with wine? Yes, thank you.

Two Squirrels Vintage goes online!

I am so excited about this. I really miss Vanessa and Warren and their gorgeous vintage treasures - and now I can find them online! View their new website here; shop the Two Squirrels Etsy store here; and read their story in their own words here.

Head over there and say hello - and, if you see something you love, snap it up! As a new online store, they could really use your support. And they ship internationally! Here are some of my favourite pieces:




And if you've missed it, catch up with the full Two Squirrels story here, and find out what happened to them in the wake of Christchurch's devastating earthquakes: Parts One, Two and Three.