Weekend journal:

Queensland knows nothing of middle ground, it seems. There's no subtle progression from autumn to winter to spring to summer. It was autumn last week (winter, technically, but in title only) and now, suddenly, we seem to have bypassed spring altogether and fallen straight into summer. The forecasters are predicting thirty this week. Thirty. My soul is not ready.

I haven't done a weekend journal post for ages, but I suddenly missed the old habit of recording those magical two days of non-daily-ness, so I'm here with my pictures. On Friday night, my mum, little brother and I kind of spontaneously headed to Red Fest, a local festival celebrating the launch of strawberry season with lots of music, fairground rides, and ethnic food stalls. In past years we've spent whole days there on either the Saturday or Sunday, but there was such a relaxed vibe going along on opening night for just a few hours. Fewer people were around and we just strolled past the sideshows, burnt our mouths out on purportedly mild Indian food, and ended up in a hall where The Hillbilly Goats were playing a rollicking show. The show was high intensity and lots of fun, and the night itself was chilled out -- a good welcome to Spring/Summer.

Saturday I had to knuckle under and really make some headway on my major assessments for this semester. Both are fairly big projects (a memoir plus exegesis and a picture book manuscript with a number of illustrations and a publishing rationale) but they're also predominantly creative rather than academic, and I'm really enjoying that. When I finished my Bachelor degree, I really knew I wasn't ready to leave school behind, but now I'm nearing the end of my Master's, I can tell that it's time. My fingers are itching to have the freedom to explore some projects. Even more than that, I'm hankering after the brain space to actually remember that I can be a creative person and I can generate ideas. There has to be space in life for that to happen, and I'm looking forward to finding a bit of that space. Obviously, no one knows what lies ahead, but I'm hoping that I can continue in my current work situation (although a few more students would be great) and use the time I would've spent studying on writing instead.

So studying was the order of the day on Saturday, but there was still time to go and vote in the federal election -- and then, of course, to watch the results as they came in live on almost every television station. I felt quite strongly emotional about this election this year, and even fifteen minutes before leaving for the polling booths, I felt somewhat undecided about my vote. Political parties are much like anything else in life, I guess: you're never going to find one that you can say is 100% perfect -- or perhaps that's just my experience. What it came down to for me was not total alignment on every single policy, but weighing up which issues were the most important issues. This is, of course, highly subjective and probably quite ridiculous. For some, straightening out the economy is of key importance, so voting for a government which will make serious cuts to spending and keep out people who might require Australia's generosity becomes necessary. Others are justice-focussed and vote for policies which make the greatest effort to help the largest number of people, whether within our borders or beyond. I really had no feeling about which way things would go, but now that Tony Abbott is our PM, I hope that we'll honour his leadership where we can, support the policies that are great, and work respectfully to bring change where change is so needful. I have really strong feelings about our prime ministers. Even when I don't agree with them, I respect their role and the immense pressure it brings. It's not a job I'd ever want.

Today has been, in this precise order: church, birthday gift shopping for a certain sister and a certain nephew, a really terrible yum cha experience, drooling over stationery at Kikki-K, and weeping over The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I was supposed to study today to make up all the time I've lost over the past couple of weeks being unwell. But sometimes it's good just to take it slow.

Just another manic Monday:

Sometimes it's fun to document a day in pictures and just see what happens. Last Monday I decided to do exactly that. I chose Monday because it's my standard 'normal' day each week. No music students, no English students; the goal is study and errands. I attempted to take a photo an hour, but sometimes I forgot or was late. This is the result! Above, about 8am, I think.

After breakfast, I duck next door into my Mum's kitchen to say hi.

Then I'm into homework -- a project analysing the print serial market in Australia, particularly special-interest publications focussed on writing, editing, and publishing. It was a big job, due the following Friday. And you did not really need to know all those boring details.

Final undergrad results are in which means I've officially completed my Bachelor degree. Wahoo!

Snaaaack time!

A phone call from my sister Andrea, who was reading The Hunger Games -- which we desperately needed to discuss with one another, of course.

An errand trip into town with the little bro. Tain took this photo and I think it's pretty cool. I've never really noticed how insistent that row of pedestrian crossing signs is. And look at that Queensland winter sun!

A library study date.

Here, have a photo of a fourteen-year-old eating a ham-and-cheese toastie with his mouth open. Relatedly, how cool is my local library?

Back home again (now sometime around 3 or 4) and back into the books.

I head into the family home to say hi to my sister Lauren, who has unexpectedly dropped by while James goes off fishing.

Abby's pretty excited about hunting down the cat.

At about 6pm, it's a dinner production line!

Spontaneous sister/mother/daughter time (plus Tain) means watching the season final of Downton Abbey together. Abby is amused.

I discover that I can't watch tv guilt-free when I have a hefty critical book review due in a week. I read some Dickens with one eye on the tv and one ear on the conversation.

James returns a little after 7.30.

More study!

And my wee kitchen needs some attention. I usually wash up about 11pm, which is kind of a dreadful habit.

Downtime -- with ugg boots.

Ablutions. I took a self-portrait brushing teeth, but I decided to protect Laura's anti-teeth-brushing sensitivities and post this shot instead.

Bible and bed at 12.40am. 'Night!

What's a Monday look like for you?

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Conversations:

Andrea -- :D

Staish -- I'm not cut out to be a plumber, though. There was gagging involved.

Asea -- mesh covers sound super smart!

Carla and Alastair -- I suspect that the reason you've never thought to write a letter to your vanity drain is because you're normal.

Katie -- huzzah indeed!

Domesticwarriorgoddess -- your comment made my day! Thank you for enjoying my weirdness :).

Rebecca Simon -- haha, you're lovely!

Jess Axelby -- HARD TIMES foreverrrrr! I have to confess I'd forgotten how it ended though. I wasn't ready for the sadness :'(.

Meaghan -- I DID gag. *shudder*

The Trail of Carnage: an epic adventure

It was a bright and sunny day in south-east Queensland as my friend Meaghan and I set off to visit the newlyweds' cottage. Our day began, perhaps deceptively harmlessly, with promising signs of life: a some-kind-maybe-frilled-neck lizard posed majestically in the middle of the road.

When we saw this wallaby just hanging with his homies in a typical pose, we were lulled into a false sense of security. Perhaps this place was safer than we'd first anticipated.

The first sign that something was wrong appeared when we stumbled across this feather, no doubt plucked from a luckless chicken. We couldn't help but wonder at the poor chicken's fate.

Then we spotted this desolate piece of tree, no doubt yanked from an unsuspecting trunk. We turned our eyes away from the gore but...

It was too late. Our path was blocked by this undeniable image of DEATH. There was some debate about whether the corpse you see above is a dead glove or a dead turkey. Forensics teams are investigating. We, however, pressed on in our walk.

It was at this point -- when we saw the signs for the Forbidden Ground -- that we began to ask ourselves if we should continue. We ummed and aahed, but we all agreed: there was no turning back. And I should warn you that the following scenes may disturb some viewers. For there, blocking our path, was:

THIS.

The Trail of Carnage was complete, and the lonely, dehydrated carcass of the cane toad is an image burned indelibly on our minds. We were so struck by the tragic loss, the sheer waste, that we were driven to interpret and re-enact the scene in our own unique way:

RIP, Toadster.

PS, readers: This post contains 183% of your recommended daily nutritional intake of waffle.

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Conversations:

Samantha -- have fun on your camping adventure -- and please share pictures!

Rachael -- we did have an excellent time :D

Carla -- not just an accessory *wiggles eyebrows*

Rebecca -- I'll drink to that! *cheers*

Mitanika -- my breakfast was so good. Even better because I didn't have to cook it myself :)

Meaghan -- ah, the memories!

Feathered skies.

I am relishing every bit of Autumn. These are the kinds of days that may turn out any which way. On Monday, it might be bright and shining and warm. On Tuesday, it may be bleak and rainy. On Wednesday, a gale could be trying its utmost to shake the house from its foundations. I love it all. It's letter-writing weather. It's candle weather. It's cocoa weather. It's cardigan weather. And these things make me happy.

What's making you happy right now?

PS. My friend Jessica, who is smart, funny, a little snarky, and an incredible photographer, just started blogging. You should definitely check out her blog.

Um, wow.

My disappearance from blogland was completely accidental. Life just zoomed by and suddenly it's been something like two weeks since I wrote anything at all and, well, here we are! So what have I been doing in the meantime? I've been studying (Thoughts On My First Month of School to come soon), keeping house, having sleepovers, and watching the unfolding love lives of my friends.

I am beginning to sincerely believe that cupid has gone on a mad rampage and is shooting out love-darts all over the place. In the last two weeks alone, two of my dearest friends have moved from the Just Smoo stage to the Really and Truly Engaged. Last Saturday was one bridal shower, and this Saturday is another one. I've received invitations to three weddings next month -- all of them on the exact same day, wouldn't you know it. And since two are on opposite sides of the country and one's on the other side of the world, it looks like I'll only be making it to one. But you get the idea: lurve is all around us.

What else have I been up to? Hmm.

I've been seeing red, for one thing.

I've also been guilty of joining my friends in completely taking over the kids' art room in the Gallery of Modern Art.

I've been posing with my sister.

I've been eating tiny blue and yellow penguins that taste as cute as they look.

And I've been spending time with five beautiful houseguests from New South Wales.

You?

Goodbyes, Brisbane-style

On Sunday, our favourite Finns-who-speak-Swedish, Jakob and Nicolina, jump on a plane to head back to their homeland. I keep saying it's a small world, but it seems big when I contemplate the massive miles and flight hours and dollars separating Australia from Finland. But I really hope I can get over there someday to see these fine people. Or perhaps they can just emigrate here. Yes.
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Last night, a bunch of us gathered at Southbank to say farewell to Jakob and Nicolina. We sprawled on the grass and watched the CityCats zip back and forth across the Brisbane River. The more energetic of us played frisbee and others had an impromptu photo session with a bunch of tourists whose only English word was "bye". We guarded one of the few free barbecues with our lives and then cooked -- which, to some, is a loosely-translated word -- our dinner, before heading to the man-made cove and swimming or sitting and chatting while digging our toes in the sand.
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After conversation and ice cream, we drove up to Mt. Coot-tha where masses of people were gathered at the railing of the lookout to see the sprawling city lights and the vivid orange moon poking out from behind the clouds. We talked some more and took lots of pictures, including the top one, in which Lauren is chopped off and Jakob thinks I look like I am trying to kill the camera with my eyes.
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Jakob and Nicolina, we will definitely miss you. Come back soon!

Nine delicious things about Tasmania

Having contemplated it, I've come to the conclusion that fourteen days in a place as beautiful as Tasmania cannot be summed up even in hundreds of words, so I am not going to try. Instead, I'm simply going to present you with a list, a list of...

Nine delicious things about Tasmania:

1. History dripping off the walls. It's everywhere, and so easy to see that Tasmania was really one of Australia's first settlements. New buildings are a rarity, and, what's more, so are old buildings that haven't been cared for. Somehow Tasmanians have worked out that gorgeous old homes are the best homes, if they're loved and looked after. So much amazing architecture.

2. Super shopping. Even Launceston, centre of all things greatness, is still just a delightful overgrown country town. The stores are delightful and unique and often in old, old buildings. There are fewer chain stores and even those few are cooler because of the setting (Sportspower in a palatial stone structure with a painted pressed tin ceiling!).

3. The people are lovely. Apart from the fact that everyone looks lovely because of their warm and luscious winter clothing, the people are actually lovely, too. Strangers smile at you as you pass them in the street. At first I thought, "Am I holding a glowing neon sign that says 'tourist' in large letters?" Then I realised that no, Tasmanians haven't yet realised that strangers aren't supposed to notice each other. It's nice.

4. City Park. Every city should have a park like Launceston's City Park. It's a huge, lush green space with monuments and statues (which you can hug, if you are so inclined) and a kids' playground. But best of all are the monkeys. In the actual park is an enclosure (a nice enclosure, not fencey, with glass walls and no roof) that is filled with rocks and a stream and trees and ropes -- and monkeys. And the monkeys caper away and show off and play for everybody and everybody watching feels like they own the monkeys -- or perhaps just one of the monkeys. It's very cool.

5. Food is cheap. Good food is cheap. I think that says it all.

6. The Evandale Markets. These -- on a Saturday morning -- are the sort of markets you see on television shows or read about in magazines but never actually find yourself. They had a bit of everything, but lots of genuine vintage finds, old books, and homemade cakes and cookies. It was bitterly cold the day we were there, but still a good-sized crowd of stallholders turned out, making us wish we had more room in our luggage...

7. Invigorating temperatures. Everyone says Tasmania is cold, and it's true but, except for a few occasions (see #6, above), the cold was delicious and refreshing and lovely. It whips your cheeks into pinkness and gets you moving quicker, but it's not uncomfortable. Which brings me to point number eight...

8. You can wear a beanie in public and not feel like a noob. Because everyone else is wearing them, too. Not because they're a fashion statement but because it's actually sensible.

9. SNOW! All my little brother wanted to do in Tasmania was to have a "snow flight" and he got his list one Saturday morning when we made the (fate-tempting) journey up the series of hairpin turns known as Jacob's Ladder to reach Ben Lomond, thick with snow that was not too hard. Most of us had only seen teensy bits of snow, so this was as exciting as we could have imagined. We learnt that snow is not that cold when you are having fun, that ice is -- erm -- slippery and falling over embarrassing, and also that Dad packs snowballs far too hard. A most enjoyable education.