New blog: FINE SCENERY

I'm always stumbling across amazing artists, whether it's online, in magazines or galleries, and planning to blog about them. Of course I always forget, don't get round to it, or wonder if this blog is really the place for it, what with being so hap-hazard n all.
So I've finally started a brand new blog, which already features lovely little illustrations by Brooke Weeber, and beautiful landscape photography by Carla Andrade, plus I have plenty stored in the drafts ready to go up over the next couple of weeks. I'm pretty excited :)
The idea is pretty much to keep rollin' out these interviews from artists who I've admired for a while. If that sounds like your kinda thing, take a look, have a read, and start following :)
finescenery.tumblr.com

Undertow

... Warpaint.

Last post... 5 January!? Insanee.

This no internet thing is not doing my blog any favours. Add to those New Year resolutions - write drafts in Word ready to post. It's not like I don't have anything to say, I'm just writing them in my head and forgetting that I haven't actually posted anything.

In the meantime, here are a few photos from a recent trip to Brighton (it was our 1 year, awwww). Weather was v. windy and grey and cold - but it was great. Being used to miserable looking seaside towns I was quite prepared to get wrapped up, plus the fact that Brighton is so cute with all its independent shops, antique stores and cafes in pastel painted town houses made the greyness irrelevant.

(warning, there are no cute pastel pictures just yet, only grey. Little Dianna still needs to finish her film.)

Sprawl II (Mountains beyond mountains)

...Arcade Fire

Despite the swarm of tourists that congregate at Badaling to see The Great Wall of China, the view is pretty amazing. When we were warned about climbing the wall in such heat, I had no idea we actually had to CLIMB. Vertical slopes in flip flops meant I made it the closest high point, took a moment or so to poke my head out and catch some cool air, before retreating.

Opus 36

...Dustin O'Halloran

A misty day at the Summer Palace. It rained all morning. Then it stopped and we took a peddle boat out on the lake. It was rather surreal, a mix between peaceful and eerie, I half expected a huge dragon boat full of warriors to emerge from the mist.

Skippin' Town

...The Drums

As usual my lack of efficiency has meant that I forgot to write about going to China, possibly the only exciting thing that would have made for good reading. But I did do a little post on the Meshed Media blog, so you can read that instead if you're interested.

Have slowly been working through some photos though, so can write a bit with those...

1. This was at a restaurant by the side of the lake at Houhai. It just so happened that this was the only resturant with a table free by the water, and it had the most beautiful turquoise sequined tablecloth, with pink cushions. Lovely.
2. At the end of a long day, David and I were too lazy to walk all the way back to the subway from the Forbidden City, so we risked our lives and took a ricksaw through backstreets and rushhour traffic. (even though it's always rush hour in Beijing centre) It was great fun though.
3. This day I walked around Beijing city centre for hours and ended up going in a massive circle. It was in the mid-late thirties. Very very hot. But this was a cute park I passed through.
4. This is the market street inbetween the University and my hotel which I walked through every morning and night, in rain and shine. Lots of people stared at me, but after a while I gave a smile and a wave to the street food vendors, and picked up some sweet bread from the same man with his little bread stand, yummeee.
5. Another little street, this one was by a great shopping street - so good we had to go twice, I cant remember the name, but it's amongst lots of Hutongs.

The King and all of his Men

...Wolf Gang. Cutesy of Neon Gold.

Long time no blog. Sorry James Singer, reading from your Blackberry.

Last couple of weeks have been BUSSSY. Photography assignment was a major stress, but literally just got it in on Friday. Self portraits... I cannot do. Took 2 days to try and shoot what I wanted, resulting in Jaime, Alex and I trying to construct a dream-esk set in their garage. Result= A stressy Alex, full of regret for agreeing to assist. Ain't she cute!



So yet again I found myself running from a taxi far too near to a deadline - not to self: THIS CANNOT CONTINUE. Never again.

This weekend has been a massive chill out. Not a sniff of work or anything productive has been done. We had Tom and Jack down for a visit, so Friday we went to Gatecrasher for the first time this year. Ah how I missed it. DJ sets were from Late of the Pier and Russel Lissack (Bloc Party), along with pre-ring of fire drinking equaled to a pretty god night. Saturday we ventured to town for the German market - baddd move! Was ridiculously busy due to the council and BRMB's tragic failure to deliver that spectacular light switch on (see the news, it's been on every TV bulletin). So we returned to the warmth of our living room, where we spent the rest of the weekend, filled with Snatch, Forrest Gump, Four Brothers, Spiderman, Dr. Who, shit TV, hot chocolate, pizza hut, cookie dough, popcorn, marshmellows, cable sweets, chippie chips and blankets. Now time for the mammoth clean up and getting on with some work. GREAT.

Empire State of Mind

...Jay-Z feat. Alica Keys

FINALLY got my disposable developed.



Love.

Photograph.

...Donora. From that Postsecret video which is awesome.





So. What's new?
1. Today Tanya and I went over this weeks photog ds, choosing our favourite of each others piccypictures. Those were mine. My bathroom & garden.

2. I'd been contemplating taking a pair of scissors to my wrists for a while now. And so the other day I let go of a few things which have been slightly weighing me down. Particularly the left side of me.

3. Friday was Alex & Adams birthday house partay. I made butterfly shaped cakes. They didn't quite look as beautiful as I'd imagined and the pipe bag burst - yet another example that no pipe bag is strong enough to do it's job.

4. I also had friends to stay this weekend, we Snobsed it Saturday night. Was much fun.
Okay. Enough blogging, must get back to work slash watch Being Erica whilst doing work.

Hype.

...Tegan & Sara.

Beautiful Lula. Issue #8.










Saturday was my sister's 18th birthday, so Friday we spent the day preparing our garden with fairy lights and balloons ready for the pre-going out party which managed to fill our garden, driveway and kitchen and gave me a great excuse to get through a large portion of a bottle of rum, making Pina Coladas, strawberry daiquiris and mojitos. Yummee.

A few Canada photos on Flickr.

Yeeeah! New York!

...Yeah Yeah Yeah's

Yeeeah Big Apple.

And a few from Brooklyn:










Expect more from New York in due time.

New York, New York, New York.

...Tellison

Finally finished sorting through my New York photos - one album down 4 more to go.

A few of my favorites from Manhattan to sum up our trip: