Have yourself a purr-fect Christmas and New Year!!

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Hello my lovely Gadabouts! Just wanted to give a quick message to say thanks for your readership this year, even though I haven't posted regularly, it has been a year of big changes, challenges, transitions and clutter clearing in all forms. How has your year gone by? I'm looking forward to creating 'space' in my life in 2015 and filling it with only what I truly value and love on every level! I encourage you to do the same and look at things that are causing you stress and eliminate them, as your life and your health deserve so much more.

Silvan in the Springtime

Hello Gadabouts! How have you been keeping? Apologies for the silence here, don't mean to leave you in the lurch this way. I have been having all sorts of technical issues with my computer, including wanting to throw it out the window (we are in the thick of Mercury Retrograde so it is to be expected after all) and before I knew it- Spring had sprung and we emerged from another cold winter shedding all sorts of layers, de-cluttering, forming new routines, trying to break old bad ones and re-awakening from the winter slumber! Hooray!!

For the love of Darcy

This is what I love about Melbourne. One minute you can be at the market interacting with strangers talking about health and their dogs, feeding the seagulls basking in the sunshine, then peruse organic products and then a quick walk into the city and a tram ride away, your in a whole new world. The world of Mr.Darcy.  

Happy 1st birthday GT GADABOUT!

Hooray!! My Etsy shop GT GADABOUT is a year old today! What a year it has been learning and creating and having fun doing it! To celebrate, I'm offering you wonderful gadabouts 10% off any purchase till the 30th of June. As today also marks the last day of Gemini (boo hoo) and the Winter Solstice, it is quite an eventful day for me!

To take advantage of my offer- just enter the code 1STBIRTHDAYPARTY at checkout! And while you're there, take a look at all the other great Etsy sellers-as Etsy also celebrated their 9th birthday the other day! Festivities all round! Happy shopping :)

It's all in the sign!

Marilyn Monroe-Image source here

OK. So indulge me in a moment of narcissism. It was my birthday on June 1st, and I often think about who are all the other people I share the day with. We like to think it is just 'our' special day, but there are thousands of other people sharing in 'your' special day. After all, each day has certain attributes and qualities associated with them, and as a Gemini, well, we are after all a whole other story an an interesting mix. 

Cannes the magnificent

Image source here

As the Cannes Film Festival comes to a close, and the best and worst dressed lists are being analysed, deals have been made, films have been watched and hair has been blowing in the breeze, so too dresses as photographers all hustle to grab a winning shot. The standard was high this year, with both men and women dressed impeccably, but for me, it was the women of a certain age who stole the show. Namely Joan Collins who at 80 years of age, showed that if you take care of yourself-age has nothing to do with it! She held those photographers attention as much as any young starlet walking the red carpet. So good to see amongst Sophia Loren and Jane Fonda! They truly are in inspiration on how to live your life! Bravo!

Still, she will rise-the great Maya Angelou

Image Source here

It was very late on Wednesday night, the 28th of May, when close to 3am, I made one last check on Twitter before turning off the phone to go to sleep. There it was written that Maya Angelou had died. I let out an audible gasp, because people like her I thought never could die, their spirit would be eternal. Perhaps yes, her physical body had grown weary at age 86, but her spirit was as youthful and full of energy as ever. That's what I loved about her. Her eyes told so many great stories, her laugh was full of joyous childlike wonder and her wisdom would quieten any room gathered round to listen to what she had to say. She had lived a full life, and had left us so much to treasure in her writing, her activism, and as a human being who faced her challenges in life and didn't let them beat her, but turning it into the most inspiring pieces of work that will outlive her on bookshelves and libraries all over. The world was richer for having her, but we are poorer for her passing. But somewhere up above, it has now become a richer place for she has entered it.

Eurovision rises like a phoenix!

Image source here Eurovision winner-Conchita Wurst from Austria

Hello my lovely Gadabouts! Well as they say how time flies, I sure didn't think it would fly by so fast that it would be so long between my visits here. My apologies for being absent in the blogosphere, but rest assured, my fingers have been well rested and are looking forward to tapping on the keyboard more often. I trust you have all been well and keeping yourself amused with my previous posts, but I could not let an occasion like Eurovision pass me or you by.

Summer fun on the horizon

Image source here

Hello peeps! Long time between posts for me. There has been way too much going on in my brain so I thought I would spare you all the outlook into that and concentrate on trying to tick off my mega to-do list. 

I always like to stop and reflect though on the changing of the seasons. We here in Australia just celebrated our 1st day of Summer yesterday-and it sure was hot indeed! Today it is going to be 36 degrees and I'm already wondering what it was I had against cooler weather? Yes- you get more done because you are not collapsing wishing you were sitting under a palm tree with a cool drink in hand!

Tiptoe through the Tulips!

 September has been a rather jam packed month. It began a new season, the colours changed, the weather became more warmer if not more windy, fashion week rolled out, my blog turned 2 (let's hope it's not the terrible two's) and many many more occasions and happenings to list here. So, when it all just gets too much, sometimes you just have to bake yourself some gluten free muffins and hit the road for a scenic road trip moving far away from the bustle of the city. That's what we set out to do last Sunday when our intention was to visit the National Rhododendron Gardens in Olinda, up in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges. It was a special day to celebrate Hanami day, when the cherry blossoms were to be in full bloom, only Melbourne weather sprung early and the blossoms had already had their peak, leaving only 20% of them left. Once we got off the train though to catch the connecting bus and saw the cue of Japanese who were not deterred by the lack of blooms, we knew there was no chance of getting on a bus that only runs 1 per hour! So-back on the train where another wonder of nature awaited at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Silvan.

Fashion schools grace the runway at MSFW

Wrapping up MSFW, which already feels like a long time ago with a first for Melbourne Spring Fashion Week history. A show featuring students from varying fashion institutions in Melbourne, giving them a platform to share their designs with the retail hungry punters which filled the Melbourne Town Hall. The avant-garde met with street wear and ready to wear all the while wowing the crowd with their creativity and expression in design. A high standard to come out of these schools and I hope a continuing staple in the MSFW calendar.

The weird and wonderful on show from RMIT at MSFW

Each year, this runway show draws a crowd of enthusiasts hoping to witness some bold, unique and daringly wacky fashion catapult down the runway. Well, this year was no exception. The 4th year RMIT school of fashion and textiles students provided us with a spectacle that we expect, clothes that may never be seen other than on a runway and practicalities of fashion that in this instance, get thrown out the window.  It's a chance for these students to throw creative caution to the wind and let their imaginations run free(I think some may have let them run wild) before the reality of creating a lucrative career in the fashion fickle world begins upon leaving the safety of the institution. Good luck to them all I say, it is a bold endeavour and always great to see unbridled creative freedom.

Levi's rock the runway at MSFW

This is a show I look forward to- being a free show is a bonus indeed, but the Levi's runway show at the MSFW hub in the city square always draws a fashionable crowd both on and of the stage.

I absolutely love denim as I think it just looks good on anyone and is easy to dress up or down. Levi's have been carving out great denim ensembles year after year and their clothes tell a story for me which is what I love-and rather appeals to the tomboy in me.

MSFW Designer Series Runway 2

When you think how much fashion passes down the runway by the end of fashion week, it is staggering, and also sometimes a bit of a blur. Hence it is always nice to look back at your photos and re-live the event and study the clothes further. Wednesday night was the 2nd designer series runway with a great collection of designers on show. Lots of digital prints, animal prints, metallics, white was a dominant colour with splashes of blue, orange and green thrown in the mix.

MSFW Designer Series Runway 1

What may already seem like a long time ago in fashion circles, last Saturday night was the official opening of MSFW with the 1st runway show gracing the Melbourne Town Hall. It's hard to keep up sometimes but as each model whizzed past me and my camera struggled to click on time, I was rather pleased with what I was seeing come down the runway, with both the clothes, hair/make-up and styling.

Dress yourself in red, white and blue-the Brits are coming to Acmi!

Image courtesy HBO

Spring is rolling around once more, and the annual way to celebrate it is with the launch of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week! And what better way to dress than in red,white and blue as we celebrate the newly fashioned film season at ACMI, curated by James Nolen, From Twiggy to Westwood-great British fashion on film. A highlight event in the MSFW calendar, and presented in association with MSFW and Great Britain Arts 13, each year we are presented with fashion films to highlight a week of runway festivities and cultural exhibitions, giving us time to pause and experience fashion from a behind the scenes angle, which is always far more interesting than what is presented front and centre on show.

Only want to see you bathing in the purple rain

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Let me take you back to 1984, when a certain movie by the name of Purple Rain came out, starring my all time favourite musician Prince. Also released that year, was an album by the same name with Prince and the Revolution. It totally changed my world. It is in my Top 5 all time most listened to and loved albums and I still get chills whenever I listen to the title track and love doing a zany dance to Let's go crazy.

Melbourne opens its doors once again with Open House 2013

I look forward to this calendar event every year as I like being a tourist in my own town. How often do you actually go exploring your own city, looking up at details of architecture, taking lots and lots and lots of photos? Well-actually, I do that all the time, but sometimes I see tourists get so excited about our city and yet others just walk along not noticing anything as we 'live' in it and take it for granted. Open House Melbourne is a great excuse to stop, look up and appreciate our wondrous city with fresh eyes and perhaps learn a little of its history along the way.

Welcome to GT GADABOUT!!

Well I have certainly dreamt about this day for a very, very long time and I'm glad it has finally come! As I hinted at in my last post, something new began for me on the night of the winter solstice. I officially opened up an Etsy store under the name of gt gadabout of course!

Winter solstice, longer days and new beginnings

A calendar year has dates that etch time and give reason to pause or celebrate. June marks for me two of them, the 1st being my birthday which is almost like a mini New Year half way through to stop and think how the year is panning out. Then followed on the 21st of June with the Winter Solstice- the shortest day of the year, but the one that is rich with hope of what lies ahead as we crawl towards longer days willing those Spring buds to take shape as we remove our heavy literal and philosophical Winter layers.