Karma gods

I've been so lucky of late with all kinds of goodness finding its way to me. My postman has been a super busy dropping off some gems this week. I received a beautifully wrapped package from my best friend Lucy, filled with NZ goodness, and an amazing letter set gifted from the lovely Hello Sandwich. Kawaiiii! Lucky me.

Then finding out about The Kitten Covers courtesy of Cat Party. Oh. My. Goodness.

Miranda July's The Future - "A Handy Tip For The Easily Distracted" from robgwilson.com on Vimeo.

And watching the trailer and deleted scene for Miranda July's The Future. It's so exciting. I can't wait to see it! You can see more on the movie here.

Learning about the Flower Appreciation Society.

and Yotam Ottolenghi's food blog for the Guardian. YUM.

A good week!

Happy friday

Images from the latest issue of my favourite Japanese magazine, Ku:nel

Not my week

For whatever reason, this week simply wasn't my week. -10 degree mornings made it hard to tear the duvets off myself in the morning and the combination of a cold and a Monday morning hangover meant the week was off to a bumpy start. I somehow managed to scratch my eye on Wednesday which lead to one side of my face covered in an unending stream of tears, making me look like an off kilter emotional wretch in front of grocery baggers, co workers and the ladies at the post office. Yesterday my computer crashed evoking a now crazed touch pad and a loss of files I didn't back up. I figure I must have got all my bad luck out of the way for the next few months so I am trying to focus on the things that brighten my day

-thick wooly socks that turn my numb toes warm

-Japanese winter strawberries

-unexpected emails from strangers and long lost friends 

-gifts in the post

-a weekly fix of trashbaggery

-the seven rolls of film awaiting development in my handbag

this band

this video

this photostream

rereading kafka on the shore

banana smoothies

snowball fights

costumed skype dates

this blog and this blog

Chilly days

Sorry I have been out of action for a while. The weather has just started to get a bit cold and drizzly which is making me want to hide under layers of duvets and not do much at all. I wish the weather didn't affect me so much. 

On the bright side the local onsen (nudey baths) have become a haven of warmth and I can finally wear my spectacular fur hat outside without feeling overly ridiculous. I know that winter and snow is just around the corner. 

I have never lived in such a cold climate before so I'm not sure how I am going to find it. Pluses include rugging up warm, winter festivals, making snow angels and skiing every weekend. Minuses include the all encompassing coldness that strikes to the core, the need to eat spicy hot delicious (fattening) ramen every day and the fear I am going to burn myself alive courtesy of my fancy new kerosene heater. 

I hope you had an amazing Halloween, I dressed as an evil swan. I feel the evilness of swans is definitely underrated. Speaking of swans Black Swan looks amazing. Can't wait!

All this hibernation has meant I have been devouring quite a few amazing Japanese interior design/fashion magazines that I will put scan on the blog TONIGHT.

I'm off to Taiwan tomorrow with some friends and am extremely excited about trawling the night markets, lounging on the beach and drinking bubble tea.  Alas no blogging for a week or so but then I promise an onslaught of Taiwanese photos. I am quite intrigued as to what it's going to be like because I know so little about the place.

I hope yours is a bearable Monday and you're not still suffering from the remnants of a halloween hangover. I know I am! :)

Paintings by Ben Reeves

Monday playlist

Bros - Panda Bear

I don't want to get over you - The Magnetic Fields

Skinny love - Bon Iver

I am the cosmos - Chris Bell

Ballad of big nothing - Elliot Smith

Eternity - Jens Lekman

The red telephone - Love