FCT #22: canberra winter

 

It's taking me some time to warm up (haw haw) to the topic of the Canberra winter. It's quite simply NOT my Favourite Canberra Thing. And I've had a rough start to the season due to personal stuff that I'm determined not to jibba jabba on about here. I know, I know. I can barely believe my restraint either.

It's a challenge to find a positive focus for something so bone-bitingly cold... but many peeps manage it... or else they lie quite convincingly. There's talk of 'cozyness' and 'sunny winter days' and 'the opportunity to slow down'. I would prefer the opportunity to remain consistently warm. But I'm here and I have to make the most of it. (And yes, I do realise that we're not talking about Alaska or Siberia or Pluto.)

So how best to do that?

Clearly comfort food, Nana's bedsocks and some good quality teev are crucial. (AZ and I have been working our way through Game of Thrones, Archer, Episodes and Man Stroke Woman - all excellent.) However, as tempting as it is, bunkering down in bed with a season's supply of hot chocolate, hot chips and hotcakes isn't going to work as an ongoing survival strategy. Just imagine the crumbs between the sheets for a start. 

Broader options include...

--Time outside. Unlikely unless it's 8 degrees as a minimum, I'll admit, with at least a splash of sunshine.

--Time with friends. A challenge given that I still don't have many here but definitely something to aim for.

--Time escaping. I'm heading to Melbournio later this week and I CAN'T WAIT! There have been plenty of short escapes too. Day trips to Bungendore and Braidwood, a choir excursion to Wagga and Albury, and a few days at the coast the weekend before last. It all adds up to time somewhere slightly sunnier.

--Time creating. There's not a lot of creating going on. Let's be honest. But it does help when it happens.

--Time adequately attired. My winter wardrobe SUCKS! A couple of ratty jackets worn with 15 layers of t-shirts. Winter must be easier when one is clothed in a decent coat and a woolly jumper or two. Hopefully lazy-broke-me will get it together in time to test this theory next winter.

--Time with eyes open. Remembering that there is always something special out there to be noticed. Even if it's the long legs of frost on my windscreen in the morning.

Reviewing this list, I realise that it captures strategies to work on rather than strategies that are actually working well. It's good to have somewhere to start, right? Whaddaya reckon? Do you have any favourite winter warmers to share? What keeps you defrosted throughout the winter?

In other news: the king parrots came back to the bean tree this morning and put on a spectacular show. I wasn't fast enough with the camera to capture the 15+ of them, crimson bellies flashing and tails fanning. They reminded me that there is beauty everywhere - even in the grey - if we take the time to connect with it.

They reminded me that winter will be okay.

FCT #15: art + dreams + purple tights

One of the weekend's brekky conversations revolved around street art - its proliferation in Melbs and its illiteration in the Berra. (Yes, I know that's not the right word, but wouldn't it be nice if it was!) When held up against the street art mecca that is Melby-town, the Berra is clearly lacking. So it was a lovely surprise to stumble across a brand spanking new paste-up on my walk home today. Technical difficulties are preventing me from posting a picture of it -- now remedied, see above and below -- so let me paint you a word-picture: a huge image of Mr T's head, next to a huge send-up of the 'keep calm' poster that we're all sick to death of. I've actually got to the point where I'm sick to death of the send-ups, but this one is pretty good. Keep calm and quit yo' jibba-jabba. 

Anyone aware of my previous blog will be aware of my fondness for Mr T. In fact, let's refer quickly to the Mr T novelty eraser taking pride of place in front of me as I type...

I took Mr T's words as a sign on my walk home. His message is clear. But there are days when all you have is jibba-jabba and that's just what you have to roll with. Today is a jibba-jabba-ing flibbity-jibbit of a day. Emotions are up, down, round and round, here, there, everywhere. The internal jibba-jabba is ceaseless.

In response to this emotional rollercoaster I went shopping. What would Mr T say? Fool! 

Yes, ditching work early to go shopping was foolish on many levels. Hang on. You decided that rather than earn money you would spend money you don't have? Hang on. You decided that rather than soothing your soul with a long walk through autumn leaves you'd spend time checking out cellulite under fluorescent lights. Hang on. You decided that shopping in a funk encourages wise purchasing? Huh? 

For some utterly inexplicable reason, shopping sometimes becomes attractive when I'm feeling low. In the same way that watching the shittiest rom-com I can possibly find becomes attractive. Or drowning myself in a tub of Peanut Butter Disaster ice-cream becomes attractive. What's with that? None of those things make me feel good in the light. Why are they going to make me feel good in the dark? Am I so indoctrinated in consumer culture that my fall-back position is a handful of cliches?

To be fair, there were a couple of other factors at play:

1. I need more winter clothes.

2. Last night I dreamed I was walking through a sweepingly grand garden with my old boss. We were looking for flowers to pick and as I pointed Stephanie would say "Peonies? Oh no no no. We need something simple." It continued with every flower I chose. "Ranunculus? Oh no no no.", "Delphiniums?", "Gladioli?", "Lisianthus?", "Oh no no no." It was like my brain was trawling its database for flower names and not coming up with the right record. Dodgy search terms or sumthin.

Eventually we came to the end of the garden - sans flowers - and walked into a large, wood-panelled hall. There was a huge wardrobe at the end of it. Stephanie motioned towards it and said "Go on. It's yours." As I opened it I realised that the wardrobe was mine, and that it was filled with the most amazing array of outfits I had ever seen. Each one a delight to behold. Each one a coat of many colours. Each one a squillion times more enticing than anything I actually own. I pawed through the contents in a frenzy of excitement, pulling out beautiful garments one after another, examining all the things I could clothe myself in. Then suddenly the choices overwhelmed me. In a split-second I flipped from excitement to overwhelm. And then the dream ended.

When I woke up I was still feeling overwhelmed, but I was also thinking about buying purple tights.

Now if that's not jibba-jabba, I don't know what is.

FCT #13: zine love

I love zines.

Always have, always will.

I've been missing Melbourne's purveyor of all things ziney, the Sticky Institute, since moving to the Berra. I used to visit regularly for a candy-striped bag of goodness, and whilst I can survive without my hit, I'd really rather not. So it was exciting to trot along to a zine fare at Canberra Contemporary Art Space on Saturday. Many tiny tomes found their way into my must-have-pile. My budget got blown.

But hey... you can't put a price on love right?! 

And now I have an entire brown paper bag's worth of goodness to wend my way through.

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--A fresh trail of paper

--Culture slut

--Emergency poncho

--I am my cats keeper

--I wish I could fly

--June graveyard

--Sketchbook sampler #1 

--20 dudes

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Yay!

PS: Yes, Sticky does have an absolutely amazing mail order department. But how dangerous is that!?

PPS: Just discovered that the National Library has a zine collection... go Nat!

FCT #9: fang clothing

Oooh, oooh, oooh... yesterday I stumbled across a hidden gem that I must share... Fang Clothing!

Back in ol Melby-town, Lulu and I regularly dropped in on a local boutique that stocked just the right blend of goodies to add excitement to the wardrobe. It had the Melbourne boutique feel without the Melbourne boutique price tag. Fang has the same feel and the same price tag! It's a fun space, jam-packed with goodies for women and kids. They have a great range of those fold up shopping bags (Enviro-sax?) as well as some interesting jewellery pieces.

I nabbed myself a perfectly fitting t-shirt. Thank you very much.

Yippee for cool young entrepreneurs choosing to do their thang in out-of-the-way places. I've found me a new regular drop in.

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Fang Clothing

13 Edgar Street, Ainslie

T: 02 6249 1054

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