Feel Good Friday

A slow yawn of reality is hitting me. I realised today there is no more Roller Derby for a little while*. The Roller Derby Grand Final is behind me (Salty's won) and we are now officially in the off-season. It has been an abrupt segway from intense training, team strategy sessions and tingling nerves of excitement to nothing. Initially I noticed the small things. A huge decline in the volume of washing. Do I really own this much training gear? What is this thing you call Free-to-air Television? A sneaky drop of alcohol on a training night. Just plain unheard of! 

I'm slowly finding my rhythm again returning to my normal Derby-free life. Reconnecting with my music. Befriending my running shoes. Showering love and attention on my friends outside of Roller Derby. Going out seeing shows and art exhibitions on school nights just because I can. Building fun dreams for the future.

Change is always a little unsettling being caught somewhere between the excitement of the future and melancholy of losing the past. So this is just a reminder to myself to be present in the now as truly this is all we ever have.

winter melts from treeofenlight on 8tracks Radio.

*Technically the League season is over however there are still some Bouting opportunities on the distant horizon. Just not soon enough!

The photograph taken by Molly Strohl. You can find more of her work on Flickr. 

A New Look For Pineapple Dazzle

“If we don't change, we don't grow. If we don't grow, we aren't really living.” - Gail Sheehy

Nothing makes a girl feel prettier than a simple quick change. A fresh hair-cut, new lipstick or pair of shoes can do wonders to a girls confidence. A blog doesn't get to be as introspective.  They should always at least try to look their best.

What do you think of Pineapple Dazzle's new look?

Choose Your Own Adventure in Turkey

Earlier this year I jumped on a plane and flew to Turkey for my Honeymoon.

It completely blew me away. The people were generous & kind. The food was addictively good. The weather was warm and I barely saw a single cloud in the sky the 3 weeks we were there.

One of the highlights of our trip was taking a hot air balloon ride over Cappadocia. At one point when we were floating over the land we were up in the sky with another 50 balloons. I took as many photos of the balloons (250 photos in 2 hours) as I did the alien landscape.

My personal highlight was our boat cruise down the Turkish coastline from Fetiye to Olympos. Our days were spent swimming in the warm buoyant Mediterranian water or climbing over small remote islands scattered with ancient ruins. By the end of our cruise I had turned a gorgeous honey brown colour from all of sun. Absolute heaven.

I will always remember how Turkey made me feel. The sweet smell of the orange tree's lining the streets. The comforting & mood lifting apple tea. The quiet solace of a tap dripping in a Public bath. A refreshing chill creeping up through my feet from cool floor tiles.

It truly is an old ancient place where old superstitions die hard and the land offers up so many unique almost mystical natural wonders.

I tried to bottle up a small amount of Turkey and take it home with me but it was hard to recreate in the cold dark days of winter. Now that summer is finally here I can stand outside in the sun, shut my eyes and dream that I'm back climbing up the side of a mountain, walking through a field of wild growing thyme in search of another lost city.

Dream a little dream

My beautiful friend Sarah is currently living a charmed almost fairy tale dream existence in New York City. Whilst we are sleeping in Australia she is sipping coffee in bodegas, dating ridiculously hunky men, taking ballet lessons & walking the High Line (pictured above). And yet it wasn't always like this. Rewind the clock to earlier this year.

Sarah and I caught up over a rare sunny lunch in the dying days of winter. So far she had quite a deflating & dejected year. Trying to make the best of a bad situation Sarah was updating me on her latest job prospects, a job interview set for 2 weeks time. It wasn't an inspirational dream job she was applying for but one of those keeping the toe in the water numbers. Sarah then told me about her wild & terrifyingly non-conservative dream of packing up a suitcase & moving to New York for 3 months to dance & absorb the wonderful city.

Sarah is a very rational person so she was caught up in a huge tug of war between head & heart. She had the means & the desire, all she needed was confirmation that her dream wasn't just the mad raving delusional ideas of a crazy woman. Sarah was in a lucky position the universe had given her the ultimate motivation to follow her dream.

In the end Sarah cancelled the job interview because she was already enjoying the leaves changing colour in New York. I'm so proud of her following her dreams of being a Ballerina. Even if it is only for a short period of time her life will forever be enriched. I keep my fingers and toes crossed that she finds a way to stay over there indefinitely.

She was made to be a New Yorker and follow her dreams.

Check out Sarah's blog 

LVS