Ootong & Lincoln

South Fremantle is a great place to have Sunday breakfast.  One of our new favourites is Ootong & Lincoln on South Terrace.

The decor is 50% retro and 50% quirky.  The food and coffee are 100% terrific.

Rottnest Channel Swim 2011

It was an early start today.

My son went in the Rottnest Channel Swim today.  I was under instructions to deliver my son, the kayak and its paddler  to Cottesloe Beach no later than 5.30 this morning.  He was swimming in a duo.

There was a terrific atmosphere on the beach, even though it was barely light when we first arrived.  The escort boats were already all offshore and twinkling in the half darkness. I took a few photos whiclst we were waiting for the swimmers to start.

The escort boats waiting in the dark

My son

Getting ready

Lots of media attention

Starters' checkpoint

Starter's orders

And they're off! 

There are over 2,000 swimmers taking part this year so it was pretty crazy in the water as each swimmer tried to find their paddler.  It is a 20k ocean swim - so no mean feat.

Rare Sightings - February 2011

Blue sky in Melbourne

Grey sky in Perth

It's been a really strange Summer so far!

Fashion Trends

The expensive boutique version of shabby chic

My new winter shoes from Melbourne (but it's far too hot in Perth to be thinking about wearing winter shoes)

I am into prints and stripes in natural fabrics until the weather cools down

The new winter fashion trend seems to have a "shabby chic" focus.

Personally, I find it difficult to justify spending a ridiculous sum of money on something which, with a little effort, I could easily replicate by scouting around vintage shops or (even better) op-shops and markets.

Look for old leather school satchels and pre-loved boots and you can achieve the same effect at a far more modest cost.

The Letter I

I have to admit that I struggled a bit to find three suitable candidates for the letter " I " but here they are:

Ice

Iodine

Ivory

Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home

A ladybird landed on me the other day in the garden.

I picked a leaf and let it crawl on to the leaf so that I could move it somewhere else, as I had always been taught as a child that if a ladybird landed on you it was lucky but that it was very unlucky if you killed one.

Apparently that was the reason for the rhyme "Ladybird, ladybird fly away home". If a ladybird landed on you you were supposed to say the rhyme so that it would fly away again!

Full Moon

Did anyone notice the wonderful moon last night?

Treasure Hunting

The next time you are at a swap meet, in an op shop or in a junk shop make sure you have a rummage through the inevitable small dish, box or tin which will be lurking somewhere.

That  is often where you will find the best treasures - old clock keys, bits of fob chains, old charms - all of which can look really great it you put them on an old chain or even a piece of ribbon.

Tiny Things in Tiny Boxes

The tiny Haberdashery Boxes I got in Cottage Industry on Gertrude Street in Fitzroy at the weekend prompted me to take these photos.

Tiny things in boxes have a definite appeal - and are a great gift idea.

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Shell Collecting

I grew up on the east coast of Ireland near a very stony beach.  The fact that it was stony made it even more interesting as there were lots of  things to collect - beach glass, round pebbles, shells and even coins.  So my beach-combing began at an early age and still continues.

Treasures

I thought I would share with you some of the vintage treasures I got at  Camberwell Markets in Melbourne at the weekend.

It was only when I put them all on the table to admire them that I realised there is a common floral theme.

Camberwell Markets is a must for anyone who enjoys fossicking for vintage treasures, but bring an umbrella as you will either get sunburnt or soaked!

Bunting

There is something very cheerful about bunting and it is a very easy way to brighten up a space.

You can make it out of scraps of colourful material or even out of old paper (as I have done).

There is a great little online store called http://www.festoon.com.au/ where you can buy bunting if the prospect of getting tangled up in thread and tape and triangles of fabric is too daunting.

Valentine's Windows

Melbourne is getting very excited about Valentine's Day and some shop owners have gone to great lengths to decorate their windows.  These are just a selection from Fitzroy.

It was a sunny day so there was lots of reflected light bouncing off the windows, but I am sure you get the picture anyway.

Going on a Trip

I'm off to Melbourne for a girls' weekend with my two daughters, so next week I will have some Melbourne things to share with you.

Bird on a Roof

There is something rather incongruous about a large wading bird sitting on the roof of a house in a suburban street.

This bird is an Australian White Ibis, usually seen in marshlands, but which has been driven to urban areas as a result of drought in its usual habitat.