Reading and Writing Blogs

A day of reading literary blogs thanks to Simon sending me a link to his article at The Nervous Breakdown. Now I want to read Stick This In Your Memory Hole by Tristan Clark care of Unwakeable's link to Aduki , Room Service by Frank Moorehouse thanks to Literary Minded and really to be honest with you the next time I need a book this is the first place I'm going to find one. Great reviews. And I just stumbled over Free Danger thanks to Print Fetish. I could go on and on but, oh, I love blog world, there is so much to explore.




See ya when I finish exploring...



xx j.

Busy, busy.

Finally I have started knitting again! This time I will get it finished because the winter is almost over and it's a beanie, and because it's for a friend and he picked some really wicked colours so I'm excited. (Yay, two rows are done!)

We had to say goodbye to our bar of choice in Fernie, as the season is winding up everything is gearing up for the exodus of seasonal workers. Bye Bye A Bar Named Sue. Lastly we just spent 2 days down at Big Mountain Resort in Whitefish, Montana, USA. It was an amazing mountain made better by it's wicked terrain park and the 12inches of snow we got on Tuesday night. I had the best 3 runs of my life on Wednesday morning. I cannot even describe the feeling of floating (really fast) across 12inches of fresh, untouched snow. It's something everyone should do in their life. And I had an amazing group of friends to ride with, nothing like a discussion on whether or not that cliff is big enough to drop off!

That's me getting Sweet Sweet Air! And Mr J Peanut Butter in the powder... ahhh... pow pow.

I can't believe the winter is almost over, better get back to that knitting...

xx j.

Oh Frankie My Darling...

I picked up my wonderful package from my mum today- WAAAAY bigger than I thought it would be - totally packed with things she thinks I need or knows that I would like. A pajama top, multi-vitamins, Vegemite, Milo (um... please don't tell her they sell these last two everywhere in the world now), pizza shapes, Easter eggs, an Easter card (that dad accidentally ripped and mum had to explain was him and not her) and the best part of all issue 28 March/April of Frankie. I have a love affair with Frankie that started at issue 1 and has continued to be everyone's birthday presents since. And funny how these things happen, here I am sitting at work on the front desk of the lodge - in Fernie, BC, Canada - and a guest says "oh, is that the new Frankie? I just read that one how good is it?!". Why, yes my friend, it is good and you're pretty switched on to pick it from page 50-51. Nice work tiger.

Ahhh... a mag that is about so much more than boring celebrities and their kids. Did someone say refreshing?

xx j.

The "this-is-not-going-to-make-your-ass-any-cuter" Breakfast.

I just had to share my breakfast with all you peeps. It doubles as the best hangover cure ever. They call this wonderful beast the "Sasquatch Breakfast Bun" and it is a whole lotta awesome.

Yes my friends, that's a hash brown, sausage, egg, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato topped with mayo and served with oranges and delivered by my fav maintenance boy Rory.

Yum Yum

xx j.

Five Friday Thoughts...

1. "ARRRGH, I haven't blogged in a week!" (Blame killer hangover and preoccupation with St Paddy's Day)

2. "I can not wait to pick up my package from the loveliest of all the Mummies, it's waiting for me at the post office!"

3. " I feel sad for Rihanna, no one should be treated like that by someone they love."

4. " Yay, Party tonight!"

5. " Four years with my lovely Mr J the Peanut Butter Man..x xx"

Five Friday Thoughts...

1. "They just don't make 'em like they used to!"

(Found this gem of jumper at the Fernie ice rink after watching the Ghostriders win 5-1 over Kimberly!)

2. "There are sooooo many beautiful and wonderful designers out there!"

Makool Loves You is just one of the geogeous ones!

3. "Can I make doughnuts heart-shaped?"

(Krispy Kreme can!)

4. "It's going to be sad to leave Fernie in a month's time"

(Looking at the avalanche gun tower at the top of the Bear Chairlift, out towards Ceder Bowl)

5. This article, The Pudgy Country on size made me think about how my winter layer is going to jiggle when we get to Mexico! "HAHAHAH, is what I think!"

Happy Friday!

xx j.

I love my mum.

I just had to share with everyone a little of my mum's email. She writes the BEST emails. Just look at the detail! Look at the love! Oh, mummy!

Just had a fabulous weekend in Tassie with Meredith, Tim and Steph and brought along Guy...but the match make didn't work out...no chemistry there. We drove Guy's 4WD on to the boat at 7pm..was the 4th last to board which meant the 4th off the boat in Devonport @ 6am Sat...after a long stint in the Cinema from 8.30 till 1.30am (Voyage to the Centre of the Earth [2 **] & Australia [3*]....tried sleeping on the lounge floor but the TV's run 24hrs and the particular film was f___ this and f___ that...bit too much for the subconscious especially when I hear it constantly at school!!! ....moved to our allocated deck chairs on the upper deck...just like sleeping in an aeroplane recliner....lots of snoring around you...woken @ 5.00am).....cleared quarantine @ 6.00am then drove west to Launceston and along the east coast (love the gorgeous beach views) had a coffee in St Helens and refuel, bought fresh apricots, plums and peaches and plum jam along the way......fell asleep and woke at Biceno....ate Guy's peanut butter and jam sandwiches.....drove to the historic town of Richmond to see the 1813 convict bridge and buy lovely treats in the old fashion sweet shop (settled for stuffed licorice, curry corn, honey peanuts and coffee..biggest decision in my life...took ages!!!) ...bought a lovely bunch of flowers and 3 yummy bottles of wine...then headed west to the Mt Fields National Park which is one hour from Hobart on the NW and backs onto the Lake Pedder/Mt St Clair/Cradle Mountain...arriving @3pm.....had a light tea of pumpkin and potato soup made by Steph, hot spicy mead and a bottle of red...lots of talking and bed.

Sunday morning we woke late, had a leisurely brunch then walked around her 500 acre property. She has approx 300 lambs [lost 90 in the summer drought], 20 black/white cattle, 4 horses [Arabic] 2 dogs [Sharny,14 yrs is blind and on her way out] then we went to Russel Falls [10 min walk from the car park] ....Lake in the ski fields [cross country/no snow] ...very pretty...sunny, beautiful weather....home to make wallaby stew [Tim shot it the night before, skinned and cut it up before we woke on Sunday] and we made a gooseberry/apple/rhubarb tart....Monday.....drove to STYX Forest to see the big tree & bigger tree....then had a 3 hour lunch in a trendy place by the river....then headed back to Devonport via the lakeside route stopping at the famous Angroves cheese/chocolate place where I indulged in ice cream, cheeses of every kind, mustard's and lemon-myrtle dressing [$62!!l later] before boarding the ferry. Dined in their restaurant and watched more films [-1*] then slept or I think I slept a bit before landing @ 7.15am where Ken picked me up and we drove to school just in time for me to shower and make it to the worst teaching day ever [teacher tired plus students tired = hell]....

hehehe... :)

xx j.

Firsts

I officially had my first Jam and Peanut Butter Sandwich the other day. Yum. Delicious. And yesterday, I went snowmobiling for the first time. Ever. Now that is something that I probably won't do every weekend, but I would if I could. We were in the middle of nowhere on these Ski-doo's just going fast and getting hit in the face with powder snow. Brilliant.

(you really have to lean into them! Do I look like a Storm Trooper?!)

That's Mr J in the second one, he went super quick.

Off the Ski-doo and into waist deep snow, nothing to do but crawl out! So untouched and beautiful...

It got me to a-thinkin' about some of the other things I have done for the first time in Canada...

* Got a joint bank account

* Had a seasons pass to something (Fernie Ski Hill)

* Been to an outdoor music festival in -40 degrees

* Had frozen hair

* Been attacked by bed-bugs

* Knitted a beanie

* Driven in the snow

* Built a snowboard jump in the backyard

* Been to Hot Springs in the middle of a state forest while it was snowing.

* Drank Clamato juice (tomato and clam juice -yuk)

* Owned my own snowboard



Wow, quite a lot really. It's nice doing things for the first time!

from here

Music

Oh I have a love hate relationship with websites that play music when you open them. Sometimes I'm trying to do things with a little stealth people. But, I found a good one: The Sasquatch Festival , killer tunes. Nice work guys. Of course I really (really) want to go to this festival at the end of May in Seattle but I'm not sure the Big Bad Money Monkeys will let me. Damn BBM-Monkeys. I would also love to go to Coachella in California, but the BBM-Monkeys. We did get to the wicked Exit Music Festival in Serbia last June, which honestly was sooooo much fun. I still think my fav is the Meredith Music Festival in Melbourne though, it's relaxed and easy and fun.

Photo from Flickr taken by Ben Loveridge

It would be great to finish our round the world trip with a music festival, but then again Mexico and tacos, mojitos and sombreros are pretty damn good too. And to be honest with you I'm a pretty lucky girl I've been to heaps of festivals in my time including Exit in Serbia, Nibe in Denmark and the Mogul Smoker here in Fernie (at -40 degrees!). But if I could I would go to these ones (including all the ones I've mentioned already - read: to lazy to retype!) :

* Roskilde, Denmark - because I wasn't allowed to go in 2000 when Pearl Jam played

*Electric Picnic, Ireland - because I didn't get to go last year and it sounded awesome via the radio

* Burning Man Festival, Nevada - because it would be like no other music/art festival

* Glastonbury, England - because I should, really.

* Blues and Roots, Byron Bay - because I really like blues and roots and don't listen to it enough

* Mt Fuji Rock Festival, Japan - because Japanese bands are crazy and ski hills in summer are beautiful

* Queenscliff Music Festival, Victoria - because it's so chilled

* Sziget, Budapest - because Hungry is the coolest place

* Pukkelpop, Belgium - because Jono went and said it was wicked

* Sweden Rock Festival, Sweden - because Sweden has the best rock bands i.e. The Hives

All this talk of festivals and this guy has written a book! A Year of Festivals by Jarvis Hammond. I know what book I will be reading next. What a great idea. Nice one Jarvis.

xx j.