Feel Good Friday

I've been incredibly introspective as of late. Questioning many things about life. I should explain why I seem to be filled with all of these questions. Partly as I've spent a week in isolation with a nasty virus. Partly as my birthday is mere days away.

Birthdays don't normally terrify me. Turning 30 didn't even register on my radar. It came and went in a whirlwind of decadent bubbles. Yet the prospect of 32 feels like I've stepped out onto a windy ledge with a fraying rope for safety above a deep crevasse.

I came across a brilliant piece of writing which has helped me feel more at ease. It is definitely true being in your 20's you feel like you know everything but once in your 30's you know better and realise that for every answer resolved there are infinitely more questions seeking resolution. I have not found peace with these questions yet but I am starting to accept that they will always be there.

Since I had so much free time on my hands this past week I have created another music mix for your listening pleasure and please have a wonderful weekend.

Mix from lanavsmith on 8tracks Radio.

Thank you to artist Alberto Seveso and Arte Limited. The artwork above is called 'A Due Colori V'.

Dreaming of New York

Next week I will be bouncing-off-the-walls excited as I will be boarding a plane and heading off to the US. It is my first trip to the States and I have no true idea what to expect. The city I'm most excited to visit is of course New York.

New York has been hiding in my dreams forever. It has felt like an angry itch that has been exponentially amplified. It was never should I visit but when and the time has finally arrived.

I find myself drawn to unique and non-touristy experiences usually when I am away. I am curious to see if I can find those though as New York looks to be quite the cliche. Here are some of the places and experiences that I am most looking forward to.


I am a huge art fan so of course, MoMA is high on my must-do list. I might not be able to visit the Rain Room Exhibition as the wait seems to make it not worth the effort but it is still MoMA and there will still be a mountain of work to see.

A walk through Barney's Shoe Department.

To find a secret in the city.

A Skate Party in Central Park. I have packed my roller skates!

A cocktail on a Manhattan Rooftop.

A stroll along the Highline.

I usually set myself a challenge for each new travel adventure and as yet I haven't found an appropriate one for New York. Maybe I will just commit myself to saying yes if a wonderful strange opportunity appears. Have you been? Is there something that a really should 'must do' whilst there?

How to find calm in Sydney

Ah Sydney, my second home. An utter diamond of a city thrusting up out of the East coast of Australia. My heart flutters with endless possibilities every time I visit. It has a wonderful night life, fabulous shopping, a great art scene that just keeps growing and a steady bustle of people. There is no such thing as a quiet Tuesday night at the Pub in this town, it is always in party mode. At this time of year there are fireworks going off around the Harbor every night of the week.

Some days however when I'm in town I crave a slower pace. Here are some of my most loved relaxing adventures in this crazy hustle bustle town.





If you havent visited Sydney before I highly recommend doing what the locals do & catch a Ferry from Circular Quay to Watsons Bay. Not only will you see the gorgeous Harbor from the water but also some of the most enviable real estate in the Southern Hemisphere. Hop off at Watsons Bay and grab some Fish & Chips from Doyles. Doyles is an institution in its own right and incredibly popular so you have the option of dining in the pricey Restaurant or from the Cafe on the Jetty. Pick a shady spot in the Park overlooking the Harbor to sit and you have officially found the best relaxing spot to while away a few hours.







If you have a whole day or weekend to spare I recommend escaping the the city entirely via hire car & head to the Blue Mountains. It is a bit of a long trip but its well worth the effort. It will provide you with spectacular views, quaint small towns that serve you a high tea style afternoon tea and the lush national parks filled with hiking trails.





But to be honest, if you truly want to do what the locals love you need to hit the beach. Sydney has the best beach culture in Australia. Being quite fair in complexion I've always had to avoid the dangers of the Aussie Sun which meant a whole lot of slip, slop and slap. I had never been much of a beach babe preferring to keep out of the sun until I lived in Sydney.

There is a beach or cove close by to most suburbs and the locals are fiercely proud of their sandy spot. Bondi and Manly are the main beach attractions (& well worth checking out) but I prefer the secluded spots. My personal favourite sandy bum spot is Camp Cove. Nestled in between limestone cliffs just inside the Harbor entrance you can swim in the water without being pounded into the sand by strong waves. Lots of history (Captain Cook camped here when he first discovered the Harbor) and the walk there is as much fun as being at the beach.



I love Sydney's hustle and bustle. But if you are caught up in it all and feeling quite stressed it really doesnt take much to step away from the rat race pace. All you need is your bathers, a ferry ticket and a sense of adventure and you can be suddenly a million miles away.

The Grinch who stole Christmas

Christmas is the time of year where the rest of the world falls in love with snow, egg nog, lavishly large hot family dinners, daggy sweaters, romantic comedies and twinkly lights. It is utterly foreign to me and there is zero appeal.

My earliest memory of this forced institution involved me being trapped sitting on a sticky & sweaty lap of Santa who was wrapped in a red velvet suit. 40C with no air-conditioning makes for one stinky and scary Santa.




Yes, I am a Grinch. I dont put up decorations. I dont subscribe to buying a Christmas CD so I can listen to carols whilst driving my car. I hate wrapping 100's of presents. It does not give me Christmas Cheer. It is a waste of money, a stressful day and no matter how big a smile I plaster over my face I cannot wait for the 25th December to be over fast enough.

So it was with huge amounts of joy  when my eyes saw these lovely images by Alan Sailor, (thank you Expundit) . He has quite literally done what I've only ever dreamed of doing - vaporising Christmas into a billion little pieces.







Check out the full list of images on Flickr.

Let there be light

Recently I got a ticket to attend the Adelaide Festival 2013 Season Launch. Under the applause and hushed vibe the poster was lavishly presented to the crowd. It is eerily dark and temptingly inviting at at once. I wanted to crawl inside the light square box and see what was inside. All the launch was missing was a Wolf howling to the moon & I would have had goosebumps.

It was love at first sight, again. I knew at once that I'd seen the work of this artist before - Benoit Paille.

Benoit Paille is a Canadian Artist who takes incredible thought provoking photos. I particularly love her illuminated landscape images. So enchanting you feel like you have stepped into another world. I cannot believe that they have not been edited digitally later in Photoshop.I was able to find some of her work on This is Colossal. I recommend you check out their cool blog.





I am really looking forward to the Adelaide Festival in March 2013. Known for being the risk taking Art Festival in Australia it dares to be different. I have traveled to festivals interstate and you can definitely tell where Adelaide dares and succeeds, the other festivals follow.

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.

Bike Adventures