bird house

i am so sorry if you've seen this picture one million times. it just is perfectly suited to my new family here in lija. it all erupted from a drunken conversation one evening with the proud owner of two new finches, which ended up reproducing at an alarming rate. she was going to deliver them to a petstore, until we jumped in and said we would take them and because small cages are cruel, would build an aviary! it was a drunken idea taken beautifully, much too far. and so, me and sandy, and with the help of ed, built a mother freakin' aviary. and quite a fine one a that.

sandy and ed hand drilling the frame

to celebrate our new home, and the birdie's, we had a lovely party last night which to be quite honest, am still feeling the sideeffects of. we decked out our new project in some glowsticks which helped the aviary quickly adapt the name of the 'ravery'. 

ravery in the garden!

last night we introduced our new roomies [two of which are now dubbed frankie and gertrudis] to their new home. only two of them were able to fly. 

this morning i woke up to this scene. 

jesus has now become a permanent fixture of the aviary. she happily..or maybe not so happily, sits and watches not two, but all four of the birds flap their tiny wings around and fly across the entire length of the aviary! its amazing how only after a few hours they have all learned to fly! with such zeal it seems! i also have to mention the amazing squeaking sound they make. its a really pleasant squeak that i can actually hear from my bedroom and makes me smile every time! 

sandra's ipod

this just came on her ipod.
je veux te voir - yelle

dusty hats

i always loved this hat. it was actually taken from an abandoned secluded home in montserrat. good memories to go with a good hat. 

sorry about the weaksauce post! but i had a lovely and busy day painting and finishing the wahsroom here! and im off to a pal's birthday party! goodnight all!

oh, but first, here's a nice song.

him and her - really got a hold on me

sweet dreams

my beautiful new sleeping space in lija, malta

some nice songs about dream:

sleep talking - human highway


cubism dreams - local natives

sleep walking - modest mouse




flying dreams - elbow

on the road

the book was given to me by a dear friend named dax.  i never usually read the intros or authors note, until the end of the book, as often i fall into a groove where the tone and my image of it sets the tone for the rest of the book. i don't know why i decided to read this intro - maybe 'cause i thought i would get something important to the story line, have points of reference, or maybe i thought it would be important because it is a classic novel. whatever the case, i should have left it to the end as it set the beginning of the book off on a wrong note for me! it took me a while to get into it. but after a few chapters, i started getting into it and from that point on i don't think i put the book down!

the extremely enthusiastic, passionate and wild tales of young men in the beebop era have granted me a new appreciation for jazz music. and if i hadn't been planning that "all-american roadtrip" before, i sure as hell am now!

truly, a must read. and it inspired some pretty nice music afterwords no?

leavin' on a jet plane

well folks, i'm off! but not before a promised wednesday post!

no big move is complete without a little help from a good suitcase. found this at vv boutique for 7 dollars and couldn't resist - and its samsonite! my favourite part... the air canada luggage tags left from 15-20 years ago.

i need to get back to packing. or rather, unpacking. my dad thinks my suitcase will explode on the travels so i will take a few things out. wince. but better safe than sorry!

a few favourite travelin' songs
loving this song lately...and cute animation!

the way we move

great track!!!
langhorn slim - the way we move

l'odyssee de cartier

"Discover the new Cartier film, a journey between dream and reality.
For the very first time, Cartier has decided to create a cinema epic focusing on its history, its values and inspiration, its artistic and universal scope."

Directed by Bruno Aveillan.

absolutely stunning!

skinny love

the greatest 'heartbreak' album possibly ever. besides being my go to album when i'm feeling blue. its just a damn good album. - for emma, forever ago.

cowboy 101

ah, to be a cowboy in the early 1900s. also one of my most favourite photographic eras.

while i was browsing some interesting old western shots i came across this and thought it was really wonderful. i love the conversion of old photographs to colour - of course there is something that colour could never fulfill in comparison to old black and white photos, especially from this era, but they are fun to look and almost graphic-art like. they would make fun postcards and wall posters!

 the old west as presented by the detroit photographic co

wanna be cow-folk? here is some inspiration: a list of all the top cowboy [and girl!] western stars AND their horse's name!

some interesting finds. one almost never associates african americans with the wild west, but they were there.  intrigued when i happened upon an image of a black cowboy, so i did a bit more research and was fascinated by the results. here is a quick and interesting read. i'll have to get a hold of a copy of lonesome dove as well [and of course blog about it later.]

and of course, for some music. there are just too many good cowboy songs out there. but here are some that i enjoy.

 

 

please be mine, mr. cowboy!?

oh mojave

as promised - a wednesday post!

found this great wolly navajo print sweater for $16 at envy. gotta wait for the sales at that place.& my new favourite beautiful leather purse, found a few weeks ago at value village for $4. always been fan of 70's style influence -  always will be! some vintage glasses for our beautiful sunny halifax spring days! [not.] i think i picked them up in whistler.

bdg highrise cigarette jeans & tee.

a favourite from the ruby suns - oh mojave. whoever put these clips together - kudos to you!

a scrumptious cover of the canned heat original.

sounds of brazil

a personal favourite. so soothing. wait till his voice kicks in at 1:49

luiz bonfa - manha de carnaval

wednesday week-ly

i was chatting with a friend at work the other day, who recently started a blog. he didn't know i had a blog but mentioned that if you don't keep it consistent you will loose followers and they more than likely won't come back. in the world of blogs keeping it consistent [and hopefully interesting] is what it's all about. clearly consistency isn't my middle name. but it's going to be! you can look forward to a bigger, and hopefully clothes related, post on the worst day of the week, every week! every wednesday i will be posting, and when i get the inspiration, minor posts during the week. but at least one post once a week, every wednesday is my goal. didja get that? every wednesday.

and now to start it off on a good note: a great 'wednesday' related jam from the 80's by the undertones.

c r a z y h o r s e

ah. a horse [or pony] makes the greatest accessory. but since that is quite impossible for me right now, i will just have to stick with my crazyhorse [a branch of liz claiborne] handbag. it was found at non other than value village for a mere $7. In immaculate condition, it's the perfect bag for toting around a laptop or binders, or when I'm feeling more professional and put together. Its slightly metallic beige faux-leather straps and a beige-gold fleur-de-lis weave will do well with my primarily neutrals wardrobe.

zara blazer ss11, sheer tshirt from natural germany, bdg highrise cigarette jeans, & a little black velvet bow from when i was 3 years old! paired with black keds for comfort.

the office

as promised [a long time ago] photos of the newly redone office. also known as the ugly purple room.. if you've seen photos from the 'before'. a fresh coat of paint, new window treatment and a few simple, meaningful accessories and the room is complete! simple and elegant and fresh!

and yes. that is an .. earth fairy panting of sorts.. and YES that is a 'signed' photo of indiana jones & skelly [my aunt's figurines that she continuously poses and takes photos of.. which i get a huge kick out of.. perhaps i will post about them sometime!]

theskirt

for the past two years or so i have been really enjoying long skirts. i am happy to see that they are coming back into style a bit and the options available now are many.

not usually a fan of tight clothing, in my mind, maxi skirts and dresses are a blessing - baggy[and sometimes messy!] yet stylish, effortless yet chic.

moving to the mediterranean soon, it's also the perfect place for them and thus, the perfect excuse to stock up on them! you can expect me to be posting more about these comfortable and versatile items.

happiness

how love and marriage should be... a little willie nelson is always good for the soul, have been listening to this one a lot lately!

south of the border

i just haven't had the time to make a few posts. and i felt as though i was recently posting much too much on just books and music [although that's all i've really had time for!]. and now that i've taken so much time to post i have too many ideas for posts! ah!

anyways, in the midst of trying to get ready for my big move to malta in well, just about 10 days now, i took a quick jaunt down to toronto, then mexico city. the trip came and went in a flash. a day in toronto, the next morning to mexico city for three days, then back for a night in toronto. this easter weekend was filled with good food and good company [but minimal chocolate! :( but i suppose it was in exchange for a few beautiful faces... faces that i won't be seeing for a very long time.]

i wanted to make a quick post about my honest to goodness growing love for mexico. every time i go i fall more and more in love.  i have been blessed to travel so much [thanks to poppa's airline tickets] and recently discovered i have official been to 26 countries but not always do they leave such an impact. 

mexico is a country full of culture and strong passion. i am also blessed to have been able to travel parts of it with a native. visiting a country is always better when you're with someone from there, especially when its one currently in the limelight for well..not being the best for tourists, hell, not being the best for it's own people at times! but i'm lucky and did not come across any problems in my two recent visits.

but i'm here to mention mexico's beauty, not its flaws. it's such a colourful country, rich in history and spirit. it's bright, loud, colourful, noisy, cheerful, cramped, lackluster, musical, dirty, serene, ruthless, breathtaking, bizarre, vast, warmblooded and utterly staggering! its every and any adjective you could possibly think of and its antonym. as soon as i got home i whipped out my laptop and started to write! i started to write about a particular experience i had floating down some canals in brightly coloured boats in the south of mexico city.

i was and am extremely inspired. mexico has conjured up all sorts of ideas in my head.

anyways...i'm sorry frank sinatra, i just don't think you can compete with this rendition..