Words to remember.

"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through."
— Ira Glass

(via Good Reads)

Second homes.

I think the concept of home has shifted so much in recent years. Although my childhood home will absolutely always be home, after travelling so much I do feel at home in a many different spaces.

One of my favourite second homes belongs to the MMs in the English countryside. Aka base camp for my treasure hunts. And, I fear, the scene of future dance-off crimes.

Oh, the glories of waking up on a misty English summer's morning. 'Til next year, adieu.

Catherine Campbell.

I adore illustrator Catherine Campbell's work. In fact, I think I own more prints than I could possibly fit on one wall. Whoops.

Usually, I love her elaborate, colourful, collage-y ones. But, it's this latest limited edition print that has caught my shop-a-holic eye.

Check out Catherine's Etsy shop here.

First Stop: Cotswolds

These lil pics are actually from our last stop in the Cotswolds but I was desperate to share these now.

Who can walk past a church bake-up?

In a sleepy, little village where they have a weekly market stall, they also had the sweetest group of ladies manning stalls for little treats, including a cup of tea and a cheesy scone that we bought.

Oh, and some lavender for 20 pence that kept us company in the car all the way home.

We smiled. A lot.

English paradise.

I'm going through the THOUSANDS of photos I took on my 6-week English countryside adventure.  Will be posting some gorgeous ones of the Cotswolds.

But, in the meantime, some pics of my last train ride on a rainy, melancholic day.

Homecoming.

I'm home. Back in Australia after over a year in the States.

The snowdrops were waiting.

Ah...the joys of a country fete!

A couple of weeks ago I stumbled into a country fete in the 'garden of England' - Kent - just south of London.

I was instantly transported back to my childhood.  There were old vintage cars, a bric-a-brac stall (that I spent a lot of time at I must say!), yummy cakes and even a Spitfire flyover.  Absolutely heavenly.