getaway

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
PhotobucketPhotobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

I love being away from home. I love the way time passes without your knowing, without that anxiety or thought or guilt of counting the nonproductive minutes slipping through your fingers. I love the enjoyable things you do and the way you really enjoy doing them.
On a recent South Coast adventure The Berry Tea Shop was one of these things. For me, watching the the redefinition of tea happen over the the past 5 years has been summed up by that (now) chain store with the bright orange bags, slick marketing, black walls, overpriced accessories, upselling employees and too long lines at Christmas. I point this out only so you can imagine how lovely it was to walk into a shop that took me back to what tea always was and should be; warm, inviting, homey, light, humble, comforting and perhaps even a little humorous.
The owner is a seriously lovely chap (pictured) with my favourite kind of British accent who walks around the shop serving and greeting customers with a giant mug of tea in his hand as Tony Bennett plays in the background...yes, I would be all smiles too.
Berry Sourdough had been in mind for lunch but the potential, usual concerns of filling up on desert before a meal fell to the wayside as we shared a piece of Hummingbird cake which floated down a little too easily. On the recommendation of the lovely lady working in the shop (I'm telling you, tea & Berry make people very likeable characters) I sipped a lapsang souchong - a smoky chinese black - with a dash of milk in a beautiful emerald green china set. NB: it is essential for tea & cake to be in your mouth at the same time...ESSENTIAL.
We perused the collection of pots, mugs and cookbooks, made a purchase or two then skipped happily across the road as we realised we had passed enough hours to make it to our next meal period! And then lunch was served....but I should save that for another post.
I really like holidays.

Photos: Rachel Kara

me and....

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket


Photographs that Matt Jones, offspring of i-D founder Terry Jones, take are the hardest kind of photos to track down on the internet...and also the best. I am challenging myself to find something he has shot that I don't thoroughly enjoy. His girls are that pretty type of beautiful...and smile, he let's them smile...or maybe makes them smile. Either way I'd like to be on location with Mr Jones once upon a future time.

PS. PLEASE check out the fine specimen of a woman that is Eniko Mihalik. Woahdaddy.

Photos: Matt Jones for Hugo Boss Orange 2010 feat Erin Wasson, Angela Lindvall (unseen) Jamie Strachan & Mihaly Martins

in ma belly

Photobucket
Photobucket

PhotobucketPhotobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
PhotobucketPhotobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

I don't know why it took me so long to investigate this place. But I now have a new go to when I'm looking for a stimulation of all senses. You seriously see peoples eyes oggle when they walk in not knowing what to look at or be stimulated by first...quickly followed by a whipping out of the ever present iPhone for what I always imagine (and then later stalk the geotag, creep) people are instagramming up a storm.
I am literally moving my chair away from my desk as I write (to jump in the car and head down the coast) this so will save the mouth watering deets for a post post edit.
Just quickly...the macadamia, chocolate and seasalt cookie was a definite highlight.

Oh...and I'm at Bread & Circus, Alexandria. Ha oops, almost forgot.

Photos: Rachel Kara

like

 PhotobucketPhotobucket
PhotobucketPhotobucket
PhotobucketPhotobucket
PhotobucketPhotobucket

Hard day in the office // Home // Magic tree // My happy little baby // Relics // CRAB! // View from my bed // Starting the week walking down my favourite street
 
Follow me @rachelkara1 & tell me tell me your user name and I will follow you and we will like each others pictures and weeeeeee I feel like instagramers are just such friendly people.
Then again - if you don't like the ocean, babies or cafes...

Yes, I think we are all developing approval addiction with the way (social)media works these days...but it ain't changing any time soon so deal with it.

bouquet

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket 
 I drafted this last night and went to sleep hoping I'd wake up with something new to say about this frosted pastel, sweet as sugar, flower toned thing that is unavoidably and undeniably everywhere right now - but instead I have Christina Aguilera playing on loop in my head.

Photos: Frida Gustavsson by Daniel Sannwald for Pop // Zuzanna Bijoch by David Sims for Alexander McQueen 2012 // Katrin Thorman by Koray Birand for Harper's Bazaar Turkey // Jess Stam by Victor Demarchelier for Harpers Bazaar Australia (can I just say she looks as damned attractive as ever in this shoot) // Daphne Groeneveld by Josh Olins for Vogue China // Anouk De Heer by Mark Kean for Wonderland