water.

i am having a serious love affair with the textures and patterns water makes.
these photos are from a visit to caloundra a few weeks ago where i must have spent hours watching the water. seemed like a normal thing to do at the time.

paris. some words.

I know I promised you words about Paris many weeks ago. If you are still waiting, thank you for being patient. If you left long ago, I don’t blame you. To say that settling back into ‘real’ life has been difficult would be a bit of an understatement. But that might be for another post. And let’s be honest, anything compared to Paris is a bit anti-climactic.

The plan for Paris was a bit of a spur of the moment thing. My sister, Nicole, had been planning 5 weeks in Europe for over a year and she mentioned in passing that Mum and I should head over for our 2 weeks of school holidays. We had a bit of a joke about it and didn’t think too much of it until Nicole called a few weeks later with accommodation and flight options. Within 45 minutes we had booked ourselves onto some super cheap flights to Paris. 

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We lived as ‘local’ as possible, popping down the stairs and out the gate to the bakery for breakfast croissants. 

We wandered the streets of Montmarte, stopping for fresh berries; some for now and some for later. 

We got caught in a crown that we thought was for Kanye, but it turned out to be for some French reality TV stars. 

We bought moccasins. 

We visited the graves of Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison. 

We stayed out until midnight. 

We got caught in the rain. 

We went back to Laudree 5 times to try new macaroon flavours. 

We spent hours exploring the treasures in The Shakespeare Company. 

We loved the summer sunshine that stayed until 10pm. 

We took hundreds of photos of the Paris skyline. 

We got lost. 

We cruised the Sienne at sunset. 

We wandered the flea markets and wished for unlimited baggage allowance and unlimited funds. 

We bought vintage dresses, ribbons and shoes. 

We searched, unsuccessfully, for a perfectly rustic bread board. 

We fell in love with Versailles and vowed to read more about French history. 

We were so enchanted by the RoseBakery that we ordered the cookbook via the Book Depository while still sitting at the breakfast table. 

We picnicked in front of the Eiffel tour and then read until the sun set. 

We found that the best crepes were at the ‘tourist’ spots. 

We almost missed the train to Belguim. 

We sat in the sun for 6 hours to watch Cadel for 5 seconds – it was beyond amazing. 

We got completely swept up in the joy and atmosphere of ‘le tour’. 

We convinced ourselves that bread and cheese counted as a full and balanced meal. 

We left Paris 15kg heavier than we arrived (I promise that most of this was baggage). 

We believed in magic. 

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p.s - it was totally awesome to get home and see hubby and puppy. if only we could all move to paris together :) 

paris in pictures.

the words are coming soon. i promise.

thrifted

a few treasures of the vintage book variety picked up from the lifeline bookfest a few weekends ago. seriously - how do people throw these out??

paris.

i'm on my way.

i have a few scheduled posts for you but will hopefully be popping in a couple of times with photo updates for you all. i'll be a bit more regular over on instagram (kelliebenard) if you should care to follow me.

see you soon xx

logic.

with just over 24 hours until i fly out of the country and a 'to do' list as long as my arm, it's a good idea to start sewing pretty bags and pouches from vintage pillowcases... right??

weekend walking.

those of you who have been reading this blog for a while would know that over the last six months or so i have been training for the oxfam trailwalker endurance event. because of the amount of training that we have been doing, my knees have been struggling to keep up with some of the demands i was placing on them. i posted over here about a training walk that resulted in some super sore knees. my physio and i worked really hard to have both knees as ready as we could for the big event which happened this past weekend.

the good news is that my bad knee held up really well. the bad news is that my good knee decided it had had enough about six kilometres into the event.

it was a truly amazing experience and quite honestly, the hardest and most challenging thing i have ever voluntarily done in my life. it is an incredible thing to push your body to its limits and back again. unfortunately, for me, that was at the 75km mark, after 68km of walking with excruciating knee pain.

i would not have been able to make it that far without the awesome support crew that we had and the rest of our fabulous team. seriously. in the early hours of saturday morning, the boys would let me lean on them as we walked down hills and through creeks. at one stage they even offered to carry me!! who says chivalry is dead??

i was beyond disappointed that i didn't complete the full 100km. to be honest, i'm still working through that disappointment and those feelings of failure but i am really glad that i could be part of such an amazing event and help to raise money for such a worthy cause.

p.s - half of our team made it the full 100km's. how awesome are they??

adventures.

we packed a picnic and drove.
without a plan. without a destination.
out past where we would usually go.
he found good coffee in quiet quiet book stores.
i found that if you mix soy milk with chocolate it doesn't taste too bad.
we uncovered treasure at overcrowded op shops.
we sat by the dam and drank lukewarm mediocre coffee from the thermos.
but not for too long because of the wind.
we walked for a bit.
in newly thrifted knitted beanies.
on the way home we stopped for roadside fruit and vegies.
and spoke about moving to the country.

thrifted.

1. thrifted threads
2. mismatched cutlery (for our new outdoor eating set up - i'll keep you posted)
3. baby knits
4. staffordshire

have you found any treasures this week?

from my kitchen.

eating has taken on a new meaning at our house.

it has been a lot of whole. clean. made from scratch type eating.
and as a result i am enjoying it more.
the planning.
the shopping.
the preparing.
the cooking.
and the eating.
all of which is usually done together. which might be the nicest part of all.

when we eat cake they have walnuts and oranges in them. and they are so yummy.
breakfasts are smoothies made from freshly picked fruit and vegies.
we add nuts and seeds to salads.
we bought a pasta maker.
we know what is in the food we eat. and we love it so much more.

walnut and orange cake recipe from over here

walking.

on the weekend i went for a walk. it was long. 44km long. by sunday night i could not walk anymore. literally. my husband had to carry me from my car to the house. because at about the 35km mark my knee decided that it did not like what i was trying to make it do. and gave up. fair enough.

i have been making good friends with my physio so that she can fix me up because in a little under three weeks time i'll be doing it all again. plus another 56km. yep. crazy. if you have been reading this blog for a while you would have heard me talk about the oxfam trailwalker event that i'll be competing in with three friends. we will be walking 100km in less than 48 hours (our aim is 32) and raising some money for oxfam along the way. my physio is optimistic that my knee will hold out and i am determined. if you would like to make a donation to oxfam via our teamspace you can head over here.

feel free to send me lots of healing and happy thoughts between now and the 15th of june. eek. i'll keep you posted!

to do.

im a list girl. it makes my chaotic mind feel a bit more ordered. plus it makes me feel good when i can cross something off

my week (hopefully) looks a little bit like this.

. : frame and hang that awesome 'let's get lost' print from this etsy store.
. : go to the physio. and the doctor. (more on this tomorrow)
. : attempt to make vegan cheese for pizza night. and then eat it.
. : get my year 10's ready for their exam.
. : plant some more kale seeds.
. : transplant the herbs.
. : floss. more than once.
. : find my water bottle.
. : play with the dog. properly. don't just growl at her for jumping up on you.
. : list those last few things on ebay.
. : start putting together a 'paris book' of all the places you will visit.
. : send gran that thank-you card.

thanks for indulging me. what is on your 'to do' list?

quinoa and vegie salad

thought i would share a quick and simple recipe* that really hit the spot on monday night. and then again on tuesday for lunch. and then again on tuesday night.

1. cook some quinoa on the stove as per packet directions
2. steam whatever vegies you feel like / have floating around in the bottom of the fridge (i used brocolli, potato, carrot and capsicum)
3. mix together in a big bowl with some roast pumpkin or sweet potato** (or both), baby spinach, mushrooms, hemp seeds, mung beans and chia seeds
4. serve with dressing. mix equal parts lemon juice and olive oil, minced garlic (i used 2 cloves) plus some fresh mint and parsley.

feta might be nice in here too but im trialing a vegan diet for the next 26 days to see if it makes much of a difference for me. will keep you posted.

*i use the term recipe very loosely here
**i have started roasting a big batch of pumpkin and sweet potato at the start of the week and adding them to meals as desired. saves a LOT of time for us and helps up the vegie intake.

what i have learned.

this week i was asked to speak with my students about some of the things that i wish i had known as a teenager. gosh. i am often struck by how little i knew and understood as a teenager and, perhaps as a result, how difficult those high school years were

here are just a few of the things i have learned since then...

. : that everyone looks nicer when they smile

. : that you should not cut your own fringe on the day that you graduate from highschool

. : that it doesn’t take much to make someones day

. : that a real man treats all women right all of the time

 . : that family holidays are not lame

. : that what is 'weird' as a teenager is 'quirky' as an adult. and quirky is kind of awesome. 

. : that if you find a spider in your car while you are driving you MUST stay calm. punching yourself in the legs to kill the aforementioned spider will not help.

. : that parents are not perfect but they do their best

. : that staying healthy is not just for old people

. : that your world will not stop if that boy doesn't like you back. even though it feels like it might.

. : that manners are important

. : that outside is full of magic and dancing is better if it is done in the rain

. : that everyone should jump fully clothed into a swimming pool at least once in their life

. : that going out for ice cream with your grandparents will not always be an option. do it while you can.

. : that sometimes it is better to be kind than to be right

. : that being happy is different to being joyful

. : that everyone has a story worth hearing

. : that Jesus is a really good decision

how about you? what do you wish you had known when you were a teenager?

thrifted.

a few treasures picked up over the last week. i also managed to find a couple of johnson mugs but they seem to have disappeared into the abyss that is my house. haha. will try and round them up for next week.

hope your op shops are being kind to you.

x

weekending.

1. backyard fires in brand new fire pits
2. being still
3. pretty scraps
4&5. testing out the new holga lens

i hope your weekend was full of beauty too.