I want to go to Iceland so bad right now!

Who's with me?! Hope you all have a good weekend dreaming of travel...

Thanks Loobylu for sharing this video!

Up, Up And Away!

Doesn't this delightful sculpture from Anthropologie just take you up, up and away to some wonderful place far, far away?

New blog alert!

You have to check out this blog - Paris vs New York, a tally of two cities. It is just gorgeous and very smart in its visual comparisons between the two cities. I love this so much...

I've been on holidays...

...and today I wish I could be still making snow angels like I did in the New Zealand Alps.

Have you ever made snow angels? They are ridiculous fun, although I wasn't wearing waterproof trousers and ended up with a snow drenched backside! The ride back down the mountain wasn't so comfortable after that...

Photo: Amy - taken in NZ at a little ski field called Mt Lyford

An interactive world on your wall...

Featured on one of my favourite flipboard sites 'babyology' is the "interactive world globe" by Jennifer Talbot.  As an Occupational Therapist (and an Aunty of one with a few more on the way...) looking at this from a child developmental point of view, I love the visual and tactile stimulation that it provides!!

Guess I had better put in my Christmas order for my already very smart little nephew...!

May your week be as beautiful as this sunset

I took this photo this evening at Gemstone Bay in the Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand. The sunset was gorgeous and I feel lucky to have seen it.

A hotel in a tree?

Yes - opening 17th of July in Harads, Sweden!  The company Treehotel ask, "How are you going to spend your break? Will it be with both feet on the ground or will you be living it up with the birds?"

You can choose from six different styles, from "The Mirrorcube" (as shown above) to the "The Bird's Nest".  Check out their facebook page here for more photos and information!

I'd definitely, give the opportunity on my travels some day, love to experience this incredible architectural creation!  How about you?

(Treehotel via Gizmodo and facebook)

A rosy week

I'm spreading some Monday morning cheer with this wildly beautiful antique looking rose bush I found in the Barossa Valley a couple of weeks ago. It was climbing up the end of a row of gnarled old grapevines which are probably older than I am!

Hope you all have a 'rosy' week!

Proud as a peacock

I took this photo outside Maggie Beers' farm shop in the Barossa Valley (South Australia) last week. How beautful is this peacock? I was trying to cajole him in to fanning out his tail (just a little), but he just shook his feathers and stared down at me from his perch on the wall.

That old 'gezellig' feeling...

We have just spent a long weekend in Adelaide and visted the Barossa Valley which is one of Australia's great wine making regions. It was so gezellig!

This is the view across a part of the Barossa from a small little vinyard called Bethany Wines - one of the oldest established winemakers in the valley. If you get a chance to visit, I highly recommend their white port. It is delicious!

Also - now that we've had a few posts with the word 'gezellig' in them, I thought I might try and explain what this fabulous Dutch word means. There isn't just one english word that is equivilent - but the closest might be 'cosy'. But it also means friendly and comfortable and homely along with any other word that can be associated with warm and fuzzy feelings. So now when you see us say something is gezellig, hopefully you understand 'almost' exactly what we mean...

Craving...

Oliebollen... Mmmm!  It's been waaaay too long between Oliebollens.  Might have to go find a deep fryer, yeast, oil....... Or I could just fly to Holland for Christmas and get one from this stand! :)

And while I'm there, I would satisfy my croquette craving also!  It is hot here in the USA, which is making it feel like it's Christmas time for me.  My Mutti would make delicious oliebollen and croquette's around this time of year, and it's been a while since I've had Christmas back home in Australia, thus the cravings!  Ah, Dutch food, home, hot Christmas!  So Heerlijk!  So Gezellig!

(Via Accidental Hedonist in Flickr)

Looking for the next view

One of the greatest things about travel is coming across an amazing view that you wouldn't find anywhere else. I think this is what stirs the 'travel bug' and makes finding the next new vista so irresistible.

This is a view across Lake Wanaka in the South Island of New Zealand. There's something about the crispness of the winter air (it was taken in July) that makes every photo I took during that trip look too good to be true!