Naomi Pelletier's blog

Nudity, Art, Sex and Death – Tasmania Awaits You | Travel | Smithsonian Magazine

Even by Australian standards, Tasmania feels strange and remote. Lost at the continent’s southeastern tip—quite literally, down under—the island is a hauntingly beautiful expanse of gnarled forests and rugged mountains, where exotic flora and fauna have thrived in windswept isolation. Its colonial history verges on the gothic. As if the Australian penal colonies weren’t harsh enough, the British settled Tasmania in 1803 as a holding pen for its worst criminals—a gulag within the Antipodean gulag, whose convict work camps were renowned for their cruelty. By the 1820s, settlers were embarking on a brutal frontier war with the Tasmanian Aborigines, whose last members were rounded up and removed to a smaller island, Flinders, where they died of disease and despair in one of the most shameful chapters in British history. Since then, Tasmania has stubbornly remained the least developed and least populated state in Australia, enduring unkind jokes among mainlanders, who often regard it as a refuge of hillbillies and yokels on a par with the stereo typed Appalachian here. Its main attraction for visitors has been its savage natural beauty, luring adventure travelers to raft its wild rivers and hike the succulent expanses of temperate rainforest in its national parks.

via www.smithsonianmag.com

Interesting article on MONA gallery in Tasmania. I saw a documentary on this gallery last year and wanted to get on a plane immediately and check it out. It now turns out, I could get off the flight and go directly to have a quick nap in what their website decribes as their 'super flash' pavilions. My French husband loves any Australian slang, so the fact that they are described as 'super flash' would bode well in his books. He's adapted this phrase to describe anything that happens quickly; 'super flash fast'.  This can be applied to a variety of circumstances i.e 'We need to pick up the laundry'. I reply 'Already done'. He responds 'Wow, that was super flash fast!'. SO if your in the mood for some very contemporary art, head to MONA super flash fast and stay in their super flash pavilions. 

Cinemagraph anyone? Don't mind if I do!

 

via blytheponytailparades.typepad.com

I saw this post the other day on Violet Short's blog and thought it was super, no dare I say uber cool, the coolest of cool! As soon as I get some time, away from the plethora of diseases and ailments currently plaguing our little home (seriously I'm writing this post on a host of painkillers) I'm going to have a go making one. What images to use? I like the idea of a bird sitting on a wire. This little dog adorably blinking his eyes at me is also looking good. Maybe Louis, if he will sit still for 40 frames (he won't), I'll do a little Louis smile (not gonna happen, must crawl all the time now mum). Other ideas anyone?

Amy Borell - CAKE WITH GIANTS

These whimisical illustrations are from Amy Borrell. This little fella holding a ballon sky reminds me of my favourite childrens book The Little Prince. Big dreams, dream big. You can find more of these lovely little moments on her blog cake with giants or if you would like to put it on your wall go to her shop. I love the name of her blog, although I'm not sure how much cake you'd end up getting, when your sharing it with a giant.

Marriage Proposal

 

 

You'd have to be smiling if you were sitting in the back of this car. Nothing like watching people feeling happy to give you a smile. I have seen a few classic proposals on youtube and I'm pretty sure there must be some kickbacks (in this case maybe a Honda CRV) but weddings are costly and it just might mean you'll get invited to a wedding with an open bar. Another classic success, is the movie theatre proposal. It turned out to be her boyfriend on screen and the cinema was filled with her family and friends. Sceptic’s might question what is the need to share your most private moments with the world. I would think that’s a little of what marriage is about to a lot of people. I mean your the the main act of the extravaganza. People aren’t watching the footy while your saying I do, all eyes are on the two of you. Soppy romantics like me think it takes a bit of bravery and I look forward to the next Youtube proposal. I’d like to see a few more props in the next one and maybe a smoke machine.

 

 

Lovely

 

 

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Found this image this morning and it made me imagine walking in beautiful places in beautiful shoes. You can see the blog here and the shoes here.

 

Can 'diet glasses' help you eat less? - New York Daily News

OK so Lou is ready to get his exercise on but apparently that new gym membership we just purchased isn't needed. According to Japanese researchers, all we really need are some 'diet glasses'. The old adage of your eyes are bigger than your stomach, rings true here. Need to cut back the calories? What do you do? Just whack on some glasses to make your food look bigger. It's like a super sizer for your meal. The article explains that a 'camera and viewing system are built into the glasses. As you bring your hand towards your mouth, the camera captures an image and after processing it on an attached computer, replays it back through the glasses but with a different size.' Which in turn makes you feel like you have eaten more. Now that sounds super easy! The other more complicated answer of course is just eat less. 

Hut in the sky

So I have been dreaming of travelling lately. Traveling to places far and near, little huts on beaches and treehouses swinging from Australian oaks. Maybe because it is starting to get cold, I'm remembering my travel to warmer places. Image 1 is of a little hut my husband and I stayed in when we first met in Thailand, called P1. It was highly coveted because it was right on the beach, throw a stone from the balcony type situation. The water was crystal clear and I still remember how delicious their tempura prawns were. All I really remember the island having was hut, sky, water and of course those tempura prawns, either that or we didn't notice because we were in that first giddy light of falling in love. Image 2 is from a Vogue Living article I read recently about two journalists travelling into the Peruvian Amazon jungle. The peruvian government relie mainly on eco tourism to perserve its near pristine jungle. What better reason do you need to visit this little cabin in the trees. Which is part of the Reserva Amazonica. No holidays on the horizon just yet, it will be a while until we're jetting off to Peru. So, I will just have to start designing a treehouse for the mango tree in the backyard.

A Fortune-Teller Told Me by Tiziano Terzani

via www.harpercollins.com.au

This is a great book. I recently bought this to read again but I got swept up in a spontaneous book review to a friend and I got so overwhelmed that I lent it before reading it. Unfortunately said friend then moved to New Zealand. I kinda don't mind the idea that my books (I do feel ownership over them) are traveling round the globe making people happy and this book is after all a travel book. The author Tiziano Terzani consults a fortune teller who warns him not to fly for a whole year. Skeptical but up for a challenge he spends a year traveling South East Asia by foot, boat, bus, car and whatever mode of movement he can find. Being the Asia correspondent for Der Spiegel makes this a particular challenge. It is part travel adventure, political satire and philosophical mediation. Time to buy it for the third time.

Chewing gum may impair short-term memory - NY Daily News

via www.nydailynews.com

Now this is a concern! I have such a small amount of short term memory as it is, I really can't afford to lose any. Example 'Oh I'd love a cup of tea, think I'll make one.' Look down still warm cup of tea on table in front of me. 'Wonder when I made that?'. My husband brought our 7 month old into sleep with us the other morning (it was 5am and cold). I passed him over to my husband and sleepily told him 'Just rock him a little more, he'll go back to sleep". Now I thought he'd been in bed with us for 10 minutes, looked at the clock over an hour. Like I said it's a concern. I say we ban gum or put gratuitous health warning on all packets!

Talita Hoffmann

 

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I feel transported when viewing Talita Hoffman work. Not sure where to, somewhere exotic and possibly complicated. She is based in Brazil and her work has some qualities reminiscent of folk art. In a strange way it reminds me a little of Frida Kahlo's work, minus that excessive self portraiture. It also reminds me a little of the new cartoon on ABC Mouk without the bright colours. Mouk is about some crazy cats that travel around the world on their bicycles (it's pretty awesome). You can find more of Hoffmans work at her website . I've also included a clip of Mouk crusing in Peru.