Pretty new things

I went shopping for winter clothes on Saturday and came home with a spotty scarf (on brief), a pepper grinder I've been admiring for ages and some bright wrapping paper. While I'm not so great at wearing colour, having a few colourful things around the house always makes things that little bit cheerier.

Clothes-wise I tried on lots of different things but didn't find anything that was hands-down great, and so I've decided to change my approach. Instead I'm going to save so the next time I see something I really love, I can buy it.

Also, I have a little goal in mind. I've never been camping (I came close last year only the weather got in the way) and would like to save for a little tent, so I can try out super short camping trips with Tony. I might practice here first to see if like it :)

I hope you're having a lovely long weekend. It's back to work for me on Monday but I've had a super relaxing weekend and am ready for it.

Real Girl Wardrobes - Rebecca Keane

Rebecca Keane is the boss lady behind a string of successful Sydney cafes (she opened her first one at 24!)  and a new mum to baby Harrison. She’s clever, down-to-earth and gorgeous too, and today she shares some of her favourite brands and how moving from inner-city Sydney to the Central Coast has changed her style.

New things ahead

This weekend I'm going camping for the first time. I am really excited and only a tiny bit nervous. It was one of my hopes for this year and a good reminder to continually try new things - big and small.

I've been loving this Instagram series about doing something for the first time every Saturday, whether it's catching the train to a city or having a milkshake at the beach. My friend Angie has the best approach to trying new things, she gives everything a go twice, just in case she was nervous the first time round.

Aside from camping, I have a few new-to-me things on the horizon. I'm booked into a one-day yoga retreat next month and now that I've mastered a white sourdough, I'm going to make an orange, yoghurt and poppyseed loaf. I'm also producing a short radio series at work.

Right now, I'm putting a few things aside for our camping trip, including jumbo marshmallows and my first aid kit! We're going away with our friends Sophie, Tim and Edwin so we'll be in great hands but if you have any tips for a first-time camper, I'm all ears.

P.S When was the last time you tried something new? A few months ago I held a puppy for the first time and before that, I drove from Berry to Wagga Wagga, my longest solo drive to date :)

Photo by John Mayer (CC-BY-2.0)

An adventure blog + mini interview

I'm reading the best blog at the moment. Kasey Koopmans is hiking the Pacific Crest Trail and posting an addictive day-by-day account on her blog The Importance of Elsewhere. She started in Mexico in mid April and will hike all the way to Canada, the PCT's northernmost point.

I knew nothing about the PCT until I read Wild a few years ago, Cheryl Strayed's memoir that details her 1995 solo hike. The book divided my friends but I loved it and found it unexpectedly empowering. It also made me really curious about camping - I've never been before!

If you're reading Kasey's blog, resist the temptation to start with latest post and go back to Day 1 and read until you're up to date. I recommend this because it's a joy to follow her progress in what feels like real-time. She posts most days and is funny and candid about her experience of the trail so far. The photos are stunning too and it's amazing how much the trail and scenery can change each day.

Kasey also does a great job of conveying the simple things that make can her day, from encountering puppies to a bowl of homemade spaghetti, which sound awesome, even to non-campers like me :)

There seems to be a lot of generosity, community and trust on the trail. I love reading about the different Trail Angels Kasey's met in the first month of her trip, generous folk who live in towns along the trail and open their homes to PCT hikers. Many of them are happy to cook for their guests, and drive them back to the trail when they're ready.

This family even came up with Kasey's trail name - Double Happiness, or DubHaps as she's now known.

Over the weekend I emailed Kasey to see if I could share some of her photos here, and snuck in two short questions. Here's her reply from somewhere in California:

How are you writing and posting your blog from the trail? 

I take little notes through out the day - funny things I overhear, songs that are stuck in my head, memorable views, run-ins with fauna - and then before I go to bed I string it all together in the comfort of my sleeping bag. Whenever I have good enough service, I upload to the blog which is usually in towns.

What are you most looking forward to at your next town stop?

What am I looking forward to most?! Big breakfasts, pizza and washing my hands in hot running water.

Thank you Kasey! I hope you can check out her blog, and here's something fun, you can send trail mail or virtually shout her breakfast.

Photos by Kasey Koopmans.