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1. The irresistible aroma that emanates from the pizza shop on the corner of George & Paterson Streets in the early evening (though I’ve never eaten there)
2. The Winter fog
3. The people who maintain the beautiful parks (often very early in the morning, so you never see) and always look like they enjoy their jobs
4. The bustle of the outdoor mall on any given day
5. The facades, oh, the facades
6. The monkeys in City Park, especially the baby ones (and the fact that there are always people there watching them)
7. Looking up at the houses in Trevallyn on the hill from the Seaport walk
8. The clocktower’s reliable, comforting chimes
9. The characters (stressed walking man, Robert the Westbury Road walker, the girl with the plaits, hoodie girl, etc.)
10. Saturday mornings at the Harvest Market
11. All of the food vans (but especially Wanderlust, Burger Junkie, Eats with Beats)
12. The abundance of fruit hanging over fences for passersby to grab
13. The change of seasons, which are impossible not to notice (esp. autumns glowing trees)
14. The cherry blossoms in City Park in Spring
15. The arcades and alleyways filled with happy little shops
16. Seeing black swans and people rowing in the river while walking along the levee
17. The attention seeking seal at Tailrace
18. The passengers on the ferry that wave to people walking to the Cataract Gorge
19. Cheeky peacocks and tame wallabies at the Gorge (also, the scones with jam and cream)
20. Teenagers jumping off the rocks into the First Basin
21. The view from the top of Upper York Street (though the walk up is a killer)
22. The map paintings in the Town Hall building
23. The old Kodak sign above the Shaver Shop
24. The cobblestones along the curbs
25. The water lilies in Princes Square fountain
26. The bike maintenance station at the Architecture School
27. The tram conductors that give slightly too long, friendly waves
28. People watching at Morty’s Food Hall
29. The Launceston Cycling Classic
30. The buskers in the mall, always of an exceptional quality

A few weeks ago, while my step sister Jaime was staying with us, we took a trip to Hobart to show her around. When we visit Hobart we usually just stay with friends, but I thought it would be fun to book two rooms for us at The Alabama Hotel (which I've been ogling online for months). I bought tickets to see Ben Folds with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra 6 months prior, not knowing who we'd get to mind Theo that night, so Jaime was kind enough to stay back at the hotel while C and I had one of our extremely rare evenings out - thankfully Theo slept the entire time.



The hotel was really lovely. It calls itself budget boutique accommodation, so there are shared bathrooms and the facilities are simple, but it has a lovely vibe, comfy rooms, the sweetest decor and a wonderful little bar and reading room downstairs with a balcony that overlooks Liverpool Street. It's a nice big step up from a backpackers/hostel but not as pricy as a hotel. It was very comfortable, cute and affordable ($80/night) and I highly recommend it.







Ben Folds was fantastic. It was probably one of the best shows I've ever seen. Even though I've loved his music since I was a little kid (my brother made me a mixtape in the late 90s which I played a lot), I didn't quite realise just what an amazing singer he is, masked beneath his Southern accent and slightly nasal tone. An exceptionally talented musician. And seeing him with the symphony was a total treat. He even made up a song on the spot and directed each part of the orchestra to play along.




I started reading A Bone Of Fact which was in the reading room at the hotel and I got pretty hooked on it. It's a memoir by David Walsh, professional gambler and owner of MONA. I hope I can buy myself a copy sometime, it was very engrossing.




Theo loved the balcony and wanted to wave at the people in their cars below on busy Liverpool Street.







My recommendations for visiting Hobart:
Stay | The Alabama Hotel
Eat | Machine + Room For A Pony + Shoebox Cafe
Shop | Salamanca Market
See | MONA
Wander | Botanical Gardens
Dance | Rektango

My first assignment for my new course was just to go for an 'awareness walk' around my town and take photos of my observations. I do this all the time, so I thought it would be easy, but I walked around for about an hour without having taken a single photo. I really love the suburb I live in. I grew up in the middle of the bush, so I never thought that I would love living in houses side by side, but I do. I have the loveliest neighbours and there is a big park called Heritage Forest five minutes from my house that has a playground, outdoor gym equipment, trails, a picnic area and a dog park. It's a five minute bike ride into the city, 4 minutes to uni and 10 minutes ride to my work. The houses here are mostly lovely old federation cottages with sweet little gardens. People seem to care about living here and take care of their homes and gardens and say hello when you walk by.

I was hoping I'd get to photograph some of the (seemingly hundreds) of cats that live in Invermay sunbathing, but they mustn't have been feeling photogenic today. C has a hashtag on Instagram he uses to document all of the neighbourhood cats #catsofinvermay. Anyway, here are some photos I took on my walk.



I was taking photos of the bees in the lavender bush outside someone's house and they pulled up outside in their car and gave me an odd look and I was like "Uh, I'm just taking photos of the bees" and they were like "Mhmmm".




There are also two really great opshops a minutes walk from my house. A big plus.










I'd love to see some photos of your neighbourhood if you feel like doing an awareness walk too. Link me!

Today was a beautiful Springy day, so we went for a little drive to Brady's Lookout with C's mum. I've been in my backyard studio working on some commissions all of this past week, with what I think is an ear infection, so I was keen to get out and do something in the nice weather. It was also Father's Day, but C insists that we don't celebrate it!






Brady's Lookout is beautiful on any day. Theo walked all the way from the carpark to the lookout and then all around the lookout, not wanting to be caught - he's getting very confident at this walking thing (a little too confident sometimes, considering we were nearby to a huge drop!). He has been enjoying exploring our little backyard lately, so wide open spaces make him very excited.








I found Theo's cute aqua coloured Pumpkin Patch boots and sweet handmade jeans at an opshop last week. My dress and top are from Dangerfield who conveniently had a sale on when I was in Hobart last week.

I hope you had a lovely weekend.