Passport, luggage and our Google Spreadsheet.......

We have been preparing for our up coming trip to Europe and doing research on galleries we plan to visit.   I love this time prior to going on holidays.  The pre-holiday research time, to me, is where my holiday begins.  This is where I get to read about the places that are off the tourist track, a little bit odd or unusual and very interesting. This time ALWAYS involves the birth of a big Google docs spreadsheet.  It is then filled with places we want to check out.  Cafes to walk to, restaurants to sample, exhibitions to see, little fabric/handmade shops to visit (me)  and bicycle/shoe shops (martino) to check out. Its like putting together our own personal guide of the cities we will go to.   We have been very fortunate to do this for many cities we have visited.  Tho, not something we stick to in absolute, its good to know we have a list of places we can walk to after a long and lazy lunch and bottle of Pinot ;-)

Researching Copenhagen at the moment I came across this Brooklyn based artist Tom Fruin. His work Kolonihavehus is located in the plaza of the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen.  Tom works with reclaimed pieces of coloured plexiglass sourced from various locations in the cities he has installations in.  For the Copenhagen installation he used plexiglass from a frame shop, a closed down plexi glass distributor and even the trash from the Danish Architecture Centre.

Kolonihavehus:: Allotment in Danish

His most recent work :: Watertower ::  is located in DUMBO,  Brooklyn until June 2013.   For this work he used thousands of scraps of plexiglass sourced from such varied locations as from the floorsof Chinatown sign shops, to the closed DUMBO studio of artist DennisOppenheim, to Astoria’s demolition salvage warehouse Build It Green!NYC.





A beautiful addition to an already magnificent cityscape. 

Hope to share more of what I discover......

Enjoying every moment.......

I have been enjoying these crispy wintery days.  The air fresh, the sun warming and very welcomed as I walk to work.  Along my walks I think a lot.  About how lucky I am to live this life, at this time.  To be surrounded by people who make me laugh, inspire me and are kind.    People who are interested and interesting.   I love that my days are filled with these interactions.   To me, it is important to recognize this and even more important, to be thankful for it.  

I am also enjoying  this yummy creation.  DIY Muesli!

I received homemade muesli as a birthday gift a few weeks ago. A very scrumptious and nourishing gift made by my beautiful friend Theresa (si chica...).    The cold mornings and my power walks to the office require a little treat and having this with boiling water (no milk for me thanks) has made THE best breakfasts this season. 

Having finished the supply I received, I asked for the recipe and found it very easy to make.  So I got to toasting the organic oats under the grill.  I sprinkled ground cinnamon and cardamon before placing under the grill for a few minutes.  The apartment filled with the scent of these beautiful spices. 

After toasting the oats for a few minutes and setting them aside.  I toasted a selection of raw nuts, seeds and shredded coconut.  For my selection I used :

Macadamia, pistachio, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds and shredded coconut.

The smell of toasted coconut and cinnamon.....if you close your eyes, you could be wandering the spice bazaars of Morocco and India!!  ahhh...my senses taking a little trip from my kitchen.

I wanted to add some natural sweetness to the Muesli so I opted for some  of Queenslands finest little raisins (of sunshine) as well as tart cranberries.

Ready to be enjoyed this winter......

Loving these days.......