^ Unknown.

We've spent the last week catching up with various lovely people in between some light box packing. Today we got a call from the removalists asking if they can come a day earlier than planned (tomorrow) to pick everything up, so tonight may well be sleepless! I am feeling pretty anxious about it all, and on the flight we can only take carry-on luggage (I think I need to re-read Lauren's 'How-to Cram Your Life Into A Carry-On' post) so after our things have been picked up we have two days left here to clean and won't see our things again for almost a week (clothes, toiletries, stationery, knick knacks, other important things!). However, I am still very excited and I can't wait to be there.

Just to verify, if you've sent me a letter or are going to in the next three months it will still reach me if you send it to my old address and at approximately the same rate. What would I do without mail forwarding!? Here are a couple of pictures I found on my camera from this week to share;


^ I couldn't decide what kind of sandwich to make for my lunch the other day so I made three different slices; vegemite and cheese, banana and honey and nutella. Yum! Ignore disgusting floor!


^ My first packed box. It was like practical tetris. Seeing this now I'm wishing I'd kept that Ghost World comic to read on the plane.


^ C bought eleven packets of cheap organic Aldi coffee for taking to Tasmania because TASMANIA DOESN'T HAVE AN ALDI :( I think that box might last him, what, a month?!


^ Our friend Sylvia came over yesterday with her two delectable little children and she gave C and I gifts each. This is what she gifted to me (there was also a block of Green & Blacks chocolate but it is long gone). I have ALWAYS wanted a Keri Smith book. I haven't found the time to read a page yet but it will be my plane reading material.


^ Low on packing space for paper goods, C said that I could fill his filing cabinet full of stuff - so this drawer was completely full of old letters and postcards.

When next I blog, it will be from Launceston, Tasmania! Hope you have a far more relaxing weekend! :)

Friday Brag: Siobhan of Far Out Brussel Sprout has made a new blog especially for interviews she conducts with creative Newcastle types called The Novocastrian Files. Though I took ages and ages to fill it out, she kindly included me in it and my questionnaire is up this week, conveniently featured in my final week as a Novocastrian! If you'd like to check it out it's here :) It's basically me just waxing lyrical about letter writing and Newcastle. Now back to box packing!

Would you like to meet Alice?



Alice was my great great grandmother and lived in the late 1800's/early 1900's. This photo has a bit of a story behind it. From what I can gather, Alice was to attend a fancy dress ball in the town where she lived and at which there was a competition for best costume. Not being particularly well off and wanting to have a bit of fun with the costume, she made her dress entirely from layers of paper and even made decorations for her bulldog. When she arrived at the ball she was very embarrassed by her outfit after comparing it to the other women there who had professionally made dresses made from expensive fabrics and lace and so she went home. Later people came to tell her that she had in fact won best costume and this is the photograph that was taken of her. I haven't seen any other photos of her but I find her fascinating. A love of paper, creativity and craft seems like it might be a bit of a constant in my heritage. I like your outfit Alice!

^ Bongiovanni (via The Ever Dazzling).


My mail box was smiling this week (note to self: paint smiley face on my next mail box);


^ A beautiful little letter from Crystal in Montreal.


^ Something wonderfully tropical from Sue.


^ A fun postcard from Christine while on her honeymoon.


^ A 'radish' letter from a sweet lady called Ngaire in Victoria.


^ Another expectedly fabulous item of mail from Patty.


^ There are two reasons why this postcard excites me - Audrey Tautou being afront it and it being from Garci. Look at the collection of red!


^ A lovely reply from sweet miss Jennifer - I especially love the little red wooden Australia post truck she included!


^ A cute bit of yellow from Audrey in Malaysia.


Will that mail pile ever get under 40? I need to pick up my game!


^ A map of the USA East coast envelope for Linsey. I love writing to this lady.


^ Some colour for Kati.


^ One of my Redbubble postcards for July's Benevolent Postcard Society mail out to a lady named Silke.


^ A copy of this month's Frankie magazine, an Australian music mix cd and a handful of postcards, for lovely Erika. I realised afterward that I forgot to leave any space on the envelope for the gross big stickers that the post office slaps all over your mail. Boo. The postage fairies aren't going to be kind to me with this one - I think I'm up for about thirty dollars!


^ A long overdue letter to one of my favourite blogger misses, Carly.


^ A little note to Liana. I finally got to use one of my own cards.

I took Sophie and Adam to the Centenary Centre last week and although I saw a million things I could have taken home, all I picked up was this old postcard which was sitting in a box full of other old postcards. As far as I can make out the date stamp is from 1911 in Newcastle. It's amazing to look at a postcard that is almost one hundred years old;



I also picked up this airmail themed Cavallini & Co poster on our wanders which I'm considering framing to put in our new house (or cutting up!);



I made this creepy hand stationery a few weeks ago and never posted it up here. Feel free to use it if you like it! Click on the links below for bigger sizes;


Single page | Double page

Listening to: Pink and Blue - Outkast
Consuming: Tomato & herb soup with garlic bread.