I’ve just been out for a walk to the shops wearing my runners in a hope to get the motivation to get running and I did just that and I now feel great.

I like running when I actually Do it, but the thought of it feels me with dread, probable because I’m pretty rubbish at it, but I have to just forget that and ‘just do it’ as Nike would say. I like running most for the wind in my hair, the smells of the foliage, the sounds of the birds and mostly how chilled I feel afterwards, like now, calm clarity, it’s great.

So Lots has been going on over here in the last few weeks.

Number 1, is a biggie, it now looks like my clever Steve is being relocated to the other side of Australia, and as I’m his wife I get to go too, oh and George. So that means looking for a house again and learning about all the suburbs again, which means a combination of looking on real estate web sites and also some sneaky house dreaming on Pinterest which has been fun. I’ve never rally thought about my style and if I could build buy own home what kind of thing it would be like but by doing all this ‘pinning’ I’ve discovered I like white with natural wood, so it’s quite pared down and smile really, I like natural stuff, not flashy modern rooms, oh and I do like a good splash of colour too.

Take a look at my latest Pins here for new house dream and here for things near Brisbane in Queensland.

We’re going to be based in or near to Brisbane, which looks more laid back, more creative and less of an oil town than Perth, less flash & cash more substance, however I’m really beginning to like Perth a lot now, I love being able to go to the city one day, the beach the next or a park or even all in one day. Anyway, we’ll see, we’re going to visit Brisbane for about 5 days in a weeks time, so I’ll post some pictures.

On first hearing about Brisbane move I looked for design jobs and I found a couple, wow, I was surprised and pleased, I’ve decided I quite liked designing clothes, which I always knew but I so needed a break and get some new thoughts in this brain of mine. So I’ve been updating my portfolio, so I’m all up to date, which has actually been fun looking at all the best bits of work I’ve done, including this blog and Melin Maildy it’s looking good.

However since then I’ve decided I quite like just living and not chasing a career where I end up not living, working all the hours and cramming each day. I have this amazing opportunity to just live, to take things slow to take things in, to support my Steve in his work and to be an artist pouring all my creative energy into something great, hey that’s what I’ve always wanted to do, sit in the sun, dream, make things and now it’s like I have the biggest sheet of blank paper you could ever possibly imagine.

So I’ve been out living and enjoying things, taking a day at a time and trying to enjoy things here before we move again which by the way I am so totally laid back about now we’ve made the big move. I’ve been visiting local galleries, local markets, indie shops selling indie makers products and thats all been amazingly inspiring, I want to do that again now, like I said it’s funny this making a new life thing.

I went to see an exhibition about a mile away from my house in Fremantle by a local artist who grew up in Perth called Shaun Tan. I had read some reviews and the gallery had written about Shaun with great enthusiasm so I decided I must go and have a look. The pictures we’re mostly painting so of the local suburbs in and around Perth, mostly in and around a Suburb called “Hillarys”.

I loved his large scale paintings in oil which seemed ordinary when I first read about Shauns work but up close they were more like extraordinary. The use of colour was thorough and detailed, layers upon layers of colour with the addition of coloured pencil here and there adding more and more. There we’re quirky characters, friends and family in ordinary situations like having a beer, leaning against a car with his dog, which showed great warmth and friendship.

Shaun has a great website and you can see much better images of his work, including the painting I’m talking about with his friend and his dog, check it out here.

To be continued….I have too much for one post I think and I’m writing this in a different screen and I can’t save a draft for some reason, so I’ll write up the rest tomorrow. I’m thinking it will include a review of ’Picasso to Warhol exhibition’ and the local ‘Perth Upmarket’, my travel journal and some dress pattern making.