Today Is Wild And It Is Yours

Hey guys!
It's been a while..greetings from Melbourne!

It's been just over a month now that I've made Melbourne home and man is this city ever great. I swear there is something cool hidden around every corner. Wether it be an awesome lane way of graffiti, a quirky hole in the wall cafe or an amazing vintage shop or market stall of hand-made trinkets..I'm continually discovering new spots I love.

I wanted to write this post though, to share a recent little project I've done here, for an online T-shirt company based in Montreal. Mister Dress Up was started by an community of artists in Montreal, Quebec to showcase their work and the work of designers and artists from all over the world, of all ages and all walks of life. Weekly, new designs are being added to their online store and this month I am one of the featured artists!

It's pretty awesome to be given a project like this, free range to do whatever you want..
but at the same time with so much freedom how do you ever choose what to do!!

I was indecisive for awhile, my usual. But then remembered a sketch I done awhile back of the words "Today is wild and it is yours". This quote is great and thought it would look sick on a shirt, so I
re-created it a bit and voila!

Obviously Im a sucker for quotes and I love rendering type and playing around with pattern so this piece is very much, me. But I love how it is a reminder to never stop looking at each day ahead with excitement..curiosity..wonder. Because today is all we have, why not make the most of it?

This notion has never been more significant as it is recently, with the passing of such a beautiful and special person I had the pleasure to know..and her equally beautiful mother. Both taken from us far too soon after battling a hard fight against cancer, I am still in disbelief that such a tragedy struck so close to home. Although my heart is filled with sadness for them and their families, I have never felt so grateful to be alive, and be healthy and to be able to travel and explore everyday. Far too often we forget how lucky we are.
Ashley and Roxanne, you're truly an inspiration.

Check out my profile and T-shirt, its for sale here until April 24th !!


Until next time,
thanks for reading  x

The Talbot's 'Straya Adventure

I'm back! And oh how I've missed the blog life..

Theres a lot that's been going on over here, but to tell you about all of it would take ages and ages so I just want to write about the last month I spent with my lovely family! ..and what a month it has been...

26 days ago my parents and sister stepped out of a cab, (with massive amounts of luggage in hand) out front of a hotel lobby in Sydney after a long journey from Vancouver. 

To see my family again after 9 months of traveling was amazing and weird all in one. Conversing through a computer screen every week does not compare to having them right there in front of me..in real life..and giving them huge hugs! The fact that they were actually there, in the far away country I've called home for nearly a year, was pretty surreal.

I don't even know where to begin to tell you about our four weeks together..it really was a total roller coaster. Happily though,  with more ups that downs…hah for sure a family adventure that I will never forget in my whole life.

Looking back on our weeks together, to say that  traveling with my parents was easy would be a lie. I love them to pieces (sister included) but anyone who has been a backpacker for any length of time would know that the way you go about your day to day is just a little different than how many people "holiday". Things that are simple as a solo traveler suddenly become a mission with three stress-head family members (sorry guys). 

A few days in, The wild gypsy in me missed the spontaneity and "go with the flow" way of life that I once knew as a backpacker… and started to get frustrated with the lack of relaxation that comes with family vac ay's and the unessessary stress over little things… Lets just say it was an "adjustment" for both parties involved..and a test in patience :) 

But then there were moments, so many moments, that made all the chaos, completely worth it. 

Snorkling the great barrier reef, holding my moms hand with the biggest smiles on our faces as we flipper along through the clear blue waters. Seeing Meg light up after spending a day at the australian zoo and finally getting to hold the koala she dreamed about! And seeing my dad fired up at the Australian open.. also a dream come true for the biggest sports fan I know.

Not many people I've met traveling over here can say that their family would even THINK about coming to visit them let alone actually undertake the long journey to do so. Oh wait, no, my family came to watch the Australian Open…and then second, to see me..can't forget that.. (thanks dad) :P

Never the less!  I commend my parents for taking the leap and throwing themselves into something they had never done before. A holiday far from all-inclusive resorts and structured cruise ships.. But I think they realized, just like I did 9 months ago that in doing so you will learn and see so much more than if you were too scared to even try. For a couple of "play-it-safe" travellers, they did pretty freakin' well! 

It was a tearful goodbye this morning with mom and dad. Because I really don't know when or where I'll see them (in person) next…Im gonna miss hanging with my sis, cuddling up with my mom while drinking tea and reading a book and chatting with my dad over a couple of happy hour bevies (or usual 3pm routine). And those are just a few of the things I'll miss.

I love you guys more than you know. Thank you for making the journey:)

Here are some photos from our Talbot 'Straya Adventure!

Thanks for reading,

until next time..

 

First day of the trip in Sydney, wandering the harbour

Meg in "The Rocks" in Sydney

A day at Manly Beach 

Bondi Beach Art !

Sunny Darling Harbour

First views of the Australian Open

Meg and I trying to beat the heat with a couple of frozen bevies at the Australian Open

Cruisin' the Great Ocean Road

Luna Park, in Melbourne, close to where we stayed in beautiful St Kilda

 Port Douglas 

Meg and I feeling festive on Australia Day

Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef

Our luxurious pool in Noosa

Hard life for these three…at Little Cove beach in the Noosa National Park

Byron Bay Lighthouse

Watching the sunrise at the Light house on the morning of my "aussie birthday"

Amazing sand art in Byron Bay

Second Birthday dinner at Miss Margarita's in Byron 

Dad and I in Ballina 

The Tea Tree Lake in Lenox Head

Wandering the cute little town of Bangalow

Our last dinner together at Fish Heads on the Beach in Byron <3

DAY 81 // Well, That's it.

Today was a sad and lonely Saturday..not to mention freakishly quiet without the crazy Cammie wandering around talking about random things and singing.

I spent all day at the farm skyping my fam and a couple friends..doing laundry and packing up all my crap. My bulging backpack is staring at me in the face as we speak screaming, " have fun carrying me tomorrow suckaaa"….I guess I bought more things at the op shop than I thought?

Other than the usual pre-leaving to-do's I also stocked up on some new tunes for the bus rides I'll be taking this week (A MUST)
my faves:
The Neighbourhood- Female Robbery
Wolf Gang- Lions & Cages
Yahtzel- High with me

 and doodled a little.

It's crazy to think how 81 days can fly by before you know it…
When I look back and think about all the positive things about our time here, it feels cool and good knowing that we experienced a part of Australia that many wouldn't. We stayed in a town where we were one of few backpackers, met locals everyday, and lived the life of one.. in a old rickety farm house, with a farm dog and chickens in the backyard and geckos in the bathroom.

At the end of the day, as much as we bitched and complained and had tough days, I wouldn't have done it any other way. I learned and was a part of the day to day workings of a small farm and have more knowledge and a new appreciation for how our food is grown and where it all starts..and the hard working hands that are involved in the process. I can truly say I will never look at a watermelon the same way again….

SO, we may not have completed the full 88 days ..but it doesn't matter.
We got what we came for and much more..a new perspective, some funny stories, a mastered skill of chipping weeds, larger biceps muscles, more endurance and stronger willpowers and of course the mother of all rewards.. a second year visa.

A big thanks to Ian (who knows if he'll ever read this thing..) who was one chilled out, funny and kind boss not to mention one hardworking and devoted human being. Thanks for making our time at the wee ol' farm a good time..you know you'll miss us crazy canadians...

And thanks to Hayley, for saving our asses from that damn brown snake. One badass chick you are. And we'll never forget it.

Oh! And since I've become pretty much addicted to this blog..stay tuned for more posts down the road..whenever I feel like I have cool things to share, I will continue to share them with you lovely readers. Thanks for all the positive feedback and all the love :)

This isn't the end!

Until next time xo

DAY 80 // Saying Goodbye to the french girl

Alright!
Woahhh time for an update of what is going on over here because I know I didn't post yesterday.

Camille and I celebrated our LAST work day at the farm today. WEO!! This means no more gardening, cleaning, chipping weeds or picking watermelons EVER again. how fantastic!!

{Cam in the garden today looking stunning with her leaf hat}

I know, I know what you're thinking.."well what happened to 88 days?" . What happened was, since the rain pretty much wiped out the watermelon crops before we could pick them all.. and the pumpkin crops won't be ready to pick for a couple more weeks, Ian has run out of work for us..or rather ME. So I will be leaving the farm on Sunday. HURRAYY

So, in preparation for our departure, Cam, Ian, Hailey and I had a little hangout after dinner last night and we ate brownies and ice cream and laughed and reminisced about our first days at the farm while talking about our excitement to finally leave!

{ Ian with his card and brownies from Cam & I ..he loved them!}

SO, it's a sad, sad, Friday.
Camille JUST left on a bus out of here tonight..we had a teary goodbye sesh after work today as she gave me the sweetest card ever and I gave her the photo album/aussie adventure story that I posted about the other day. She loved it and I had a smile on the face the entire time she was reading it aloud to me..tears streaming down her face with laughter and sadness all in one.

I honestly will miss the crap out of that girl. As much as we bickered and frustrated each other at times, it never lasted long and without fail we'd be back to buddies again in five minutes, watching x-factor and making dinner together..and whining about how sick we were of chipping weeds..

Working on the farm tested our patience, our physical and metal strength and ultimiltly our friendship . We conquered (almost) 88 days together and were there for each and leaning on one another every step of the way. Lifting each others spirits when we were feeling like crap and sharing heart to heart talks on the weekends over wine and cheese.

With almost four months of memories to take away with us, I am so so grateful to have met such an awesome human being. She truly is a character :) and a lovely one at that..
I admire the way she is able to roll with the punches and take life as it comes (with plenty of laughs.) And I love the way she can make people laugh without even trying… And I love her unwavering ability to see the good in everyone she meets throughout her travels.


So Cheers to her..and to US, together, conquering the farmlife in Australia..
Bring on the next adventure!

{Wise words (and very fitting) from an amazing man. RIP}

{Our first day on the farm..}

 {Our last weekend together..ready to hit the town in Bilo (as twins) }

{The many faces of Cam and Steph}

{Ian & Cam saying goodbye!}

{Time to run free.}

DAY 79 // Getting ready for departure...

Alright, this will be a short and sweet post tonight as I am knackered!! (british slang.. it's my new thing..)

No but seriously..so tired.
This evening I've been working away on a little gift for Camille for when she leaves. And though it's silly (keep in mind I'm working with limited supplied here..) , I'm using it as my creative bit for today ! It's a little photo album and story about our "Aussie Adventures" featuring highlights of our trip and funny moments along the way..

She's leaving the farm on Friday because she's catching a flight home for christmas and needs to get down to Sydney and to the airport ASAP to get a flight on standby. So that's when I'll be giving it to her and we'll be saying our tearful goodbyes after almost 4 months together ! AHH!

let's hope she doesn't read this before Friday…...

Also I made a card for Ian, saying our thank you's and some funny things about our time here at the farm..as well as baked and decorated some brownies for him ..which we'll probably present to him tomorrow night!

JEEZ..it's been a busy one.
Okay here are some photos of these goodies!

Thanks for Reading xo

DAY 78 // Calendar Countdown

Alright, so there's plenty of exciting things coming up in my life..and coming up in everyones life, because it's December!! Everyone's got their advent calendar's going on and the countdown till Christmas has officially begun. SO, I thought I'd make a little countdown calendar of my own tonight to remind me of all the awesome things ahead and keep my eyes on the prize while I finish up my last  days here on the farm..

Oh and thought I'd post a photo of the AMAZING home-made advent calendar that my mom does for us every year back at home ( my sister sent me this photo the other day to make me jealous :S ). For as long as I can remember we've had this thing around, and still..at 25 years old, I look forward to the little treats hiding in each pocket every morning. Did I mention my mom is a complete rockstar? 

Thanks for Reading! xo

See you Tomorrow

DAY 77 // Purple is the new red.

So I dyed my hair purple last night….AND I LOVE IT.
After my semi-disaster with blonde and spending a week with orangey/yellow hair I thought it was time to go for it. After all the blonde was just a transition colour while I grew the balls to attempt a wild colour like this.

I was pretty stoked with the result considering I've only coloured my own hair a handful of times..half of which was in high school.... I usually just leave the matters of my hair to my hair stylist friends..(which I do still recommend! if you can..)

I used the brand, BRILLIANCE in "Violet Wild Silk" .."the latest catwalk colour trend" apparently? Perfecttttt.  I have used this brand before (in noosa), in a shade of intense red and I really liked the vibrance of the colour..and I found the colour stayed brighter longer. You can find this brand at Woolworth's and Coles, If I remember correctly from Noosa. Some Chemist's may carry it as well.

Well, thats enough hair advice from me for one day..
Here's some photos Camille took for me this afternoon !

Thanks for Reading xo