Bar-be-Que Blues after a big lose.

So myself and 5 other young ladies gathered around an oversized television to watch England play against Germany this afternoon. What a disgrace. 4-1. And yes, the linesman did cheat England out of a goal... but in my eyes that would of still only brought the score up to a dismal 4-2 to Germany. So pitiful, pitiful effort team England. No longer shall I claim to be half english! Hahaha, no actually as much as I do in fact enjoy rallying at a game of footy, I am not that bothered by the loss... so would not go so far as to deny my british heritage.

A lovely follow up to the game however was proceeded with two doors down at Amy and Emma's in their O' so quaint back yard.... the cutest little bar-be-que you ever did see; baked brie, scorched scallops, and grilled garlic prawns.. yum-o for my tum.
Accompanied with a good half a bottle of wine for me and I was set for the eve.

Here are some of my pictures from the sun soaked tale.. Lucy got Millie to sit still and pose for me (with the aid of a little food).

I now have a headache from having just a little too much wine I think, so am downing copious amounts of water to ensure I aleviate any and all struggle my liver may be undergoing.

Not feeling "homesick" so much so yet (I am hoping this keeps at bay 'til at least the 6 month mark), but I rather sometimes just miss being around people who know me, so i can skip any and all small talk... or the rather common question "so what brought you to England?" This is a perfectly reasonably question of course and I do not resent anyone who asks it. However it conjures up a longing in me to be around someone like my sister, my mother or an 'old friend' (cannot be too old though huh, because let us admit it; I am just a mere child) who I could potentially yell at upon greeting them and not be thought of as completely insane based on my well-rounded history with them, upon which they could draw a well-rounded opinion of me and not be bothered by my moments of mere insanity...

... in other words; it is nice to be around people who already know you sometimes.. a little less tiring.

My hair looks and smells great tonight.

Pity no one but me gets to see it.

Not even Millie the dog, she has gone to stay at her other mums house.

toodles ladles and jellyspoons.

all my love,

- katie joy merryweather

Parsley and Chives

50p Parsley and Chives watercolour paintings. I have been wanting some of these a long while and managed to happen upon them in a thrift store, there was a rosemary one as well but it was awfully faded and almost unable to be seen properly.

I also treated myself to a £2.99 as-high-as-a-waist-can-be skirt. Isn't it lovely and ladylike?

Well, I'd like to think so anyway.

I haven't been up to much. settling in to my new room and house quite happily though and starting (FINALLY) as a Residential Child Care officer on Monday. Looking forward to meeting the kids and getting to know them and care for them.

I hope you are all chipper out there in the world.

- Katie Joy

shit a brick.

okay, so not a very eloquent or ladylike title for a post. And the funny thing is that despite my being brought up, taught not to swear, to be a polite and kind young thing (and i do recall her saying to me after I said "Damn!" circa age 11 in the car once; "I hope you are speaking of a dam that cattle might drink from instead
of something else Miss Merryweather!") by my mother, it was from her I acquired this saying. Naturally, she did not create this little phrase, someone else must of a wee while ago I think. I do not use it often, indeed I use it very seldomly in fact. But I feel it is a sharp and astute phrase that quite often seems to adequately match what I am feeling..

.. and that is the following...

..frustration
..dismay
..mild anger

of course the literal imperative that this phrase instructs is absolutely horrible and unseemly.I do not recommend it to any soul on this earth but surely - it would be an awful experience, that might make one feel those 3 emotions I listed above which is why it is so fitting.

Do not worry, I will make sure my next post is stunningly beautiful and femine and completely void of any and all coarse or unattractive speech.

the pictures in this post were taken by my sweet self on a weekend in Melbourne in October in 2008.

"sheesh, it was that long ago??"  "Shit a brick" (dismay!)

- so this is for you mamma;

"shit a brick"

if you're feeling frustrated,

are in dismay at life's sneaking strife,

or are experiencing mild doses of anger.

I love you so.

so.

much.

muchly.

- kate attack

x

DAMN the man!

I don't know who still reads this. But lets just say I have selfishly turned it in to some kind of outlet to all my musings and bruisings... I know my mamma reads it!

I have just one statement to make today:
"Damn the man!"
We are all worried about what everyone else thinks and I am having to swallow my pride quite a bit lately with some of the decisions I am having to make, especially in regards my whole current state of employment .
It is not particularly fun. But as long as i am happy with my decisions I have to remind myself to mentally tell everyone else to stick it where the sun don't shine if they think otherwise. Admittedly I would like other people to think of me in certain ways sometimes, and a lot of the time I actually have no real proof of how they truely do think of me - just my assumptions or fears. But people will think what they will.
always.

This is not supposed to be a depressing memo to shed light on how judgemental people are of people but rather a word of encouragement to say "stick it, I am just going to do this because I think I should.. regardless of whether Cindy-Lou thinks I am a retard as a result."

the sun is out.
I am going to eat lunch. then weed the front garden.
yay.

-katie joy...


      ...i miss my brother cowboy.

3 mad hatters.

So I moved into a new house on Wednesday last week. We are a residence of 3; Lucy, myself and Millie the dog. I had very little sleep on my first night - due to an over active imagination my mind would not shut off, and when it did it then decided to wake me up again 2 hours later!

Despite that first night I have been settling in well. I spent the weekend house sitting the house I just moved out of, ironically. Looked after Patsy the cat. She is swell. We sat out back the house in the evening sun in the garden, with a coffee and cigar on Saturday after I got home from work. I am worried about her, she seemed to like my cigar smoke a little too much. Cats and addictions eh, trouble, trouble!
I left the house with a sweet treat on the table to say thanks for letting me stay with them - another cake! Unfortunately I didn't pack my camera so no cake pictures :( Pity as it was my Mamma's Classic 1 egg Chocolate Cake.. with a butter cinnamon chocolate icing... prettily decorated with a big pink 'Thanks' and squiggle trim which took me an age with the piping tube as I made the pink icing too thick initially!!

I wanted to do a 'new room' blog, but I have too many plans for it to take any wide lense shots,
so here are a few detail shots of my new room... when I do a little work on it then I'll do a proper report.. it's not pretty enough for my spacial vanity at this point!

I realised that all my shoes bar a pair of jandals (called.. something else over here i forget, and 'thongs' in Australia) are either black or brown leather... a little boring, but quite cute when all lined up in the bottom of my new wardrobe. That picture, with the cigars - take note Patsy; 'SMOKING KILLS!'

I tried to take a nice picture of Millie and I,  but she was too hyper, so I only got half shots of us...

these are all highly unattractive of me, but we were having a fun wrestle.

Til later days.

-katie joy

On hold..

I called and cancelled my hair appointment this morning.  For 3 reasons:
1) I am moving into a flat today (finally) and have to do it this evening, which is when my appointment was for.
2) I am wavering on what to do with my hair still.... but leaning towards the chop.
3) money is depressing.

I will book another appointment soon.. fear not. I straightened my hair a day or two ago though, and thought;
my, my, it is lovely when it is so long... maybe I should cherish it just for the summer then give it the chop??

still not sure.

In other trains of thought I wish to share my adoration for 3 things:
1) Vanessa Bruno's clothing.
2) Musical, fashion, advertisement infused clips.
3) Lou Doillon.

Vanessa Bruno - "Le bel été"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK4v6NAv4fg&feature=related

who wants to dance barefoot in flour on a wooden floor now eh? me me me.

Vanessa Bruno - Feat Lou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGNDGLrfQbM&feature=related

The first track is called 'Chimacum rain' by Linda Perhacs, a 70's singer, who got little recognition for her one and only album - 'Parallelograms' which admittedly, I am not fond of the title track, but chimacum rain is delightful. And I like it in this clip very much so.

Witchery - loves first looks / modern love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aYbU4keXaU

featuring 'Only One' by Angus and Julia Stone... one of the easiest songs to play on the guitar.


-katie joy merryweather
i don't know how to make the video boxes appear on the blog - only links :(
sorry.

Make me feel...

like swimming in the ocean..

like flying..

like becoming a florist..

like dressing up..

like keeping my long hair, and dancing in a garden in my underwear..

like learning to paint with watercolours..

like living a life in hazey hues, and buying a 'mini diana'..

make me feel..

..awake

and full of purpose..

..please.

Fix You

So 'Cold Play' are one of those on the back burner bands for me. I used to adore 'Parachutes' - and I still do, but I have not listened to much Cold Play for a few years really... they were rather thrashed in the general expanse and I have mixed feelings as to what I think of them exactly - as a band, as music creators.

But this afternoon I was strolling through my itunes and thought I'd lend them my ears.. I was looking for the song 'Such a Rush' but it appears I do not have whatever album that song is, which is a pity as it is my favourite Cold Play song. (just looked it up - 'Blue Room EP') Anyhow, I have come to the conclusion that some of their lyrics are brilliant. Not necessarily profound or amazingly poetic or complex all the time, but very resounding to me just right at the minute... in regards to how I feel today... and besides, as poetic as I am; a lot of the time simplicity is just the ticket.

-------------------------
fix you...

when you try your best but you don't succeed,
when you get what you want but not what you need.
when you feel so tired but you can't sleep,
stuck in reverse.

and the tears come streaming down your face
when you lose something you can't replace
when you love someone but it goes to waste
could it be worse?

lights will guide you home
and ignite your bones
I will try
to fix you.

----------------

so they are so simple (and rhyme-y) it is almost cheesy, but not quite as they are just so realistic and relatable.

they described almost exactly how I feel today in some respects.

Referencing someone elses lyrics and saying that they grab you and relate to you always seems like some lame claim to feel connected to someone else's art, but sometimes it happens, and I think it is nice.

I hope that someday I get my act together, get my music heard by more strangers and that it relates to them somehow. like I said; I think it's nice.

I won't try to fix you, but if what I do in some small way?
and if what I create manages to make someone happy - or to 'feel' something?
that would be nice.
don't you think??

-katie joy.
post script -  i know, I am indeed a melodramatic person.
but that's what you get with passion.

house tests, hair mess, let me de-stress my mind.

kirsten dunst looks almost edible in this photograph.

She has inspired me to cut my hair in a similar style... 

I have been swaying too and fro with the idea of keeping my long locks or cutting them off into a bob. These lovely pictures have made me dicide to pop myself somewhere in the middle. Also, I now want a subscription to Lula, an American created magazine full of delightful treats which is where I found these lovely pictures. I think it may be in danger of becoming my second favourite mag after Frankie.

I have booked my hair appointment for Wednesday and am far too excited, here's hoping the hairdresser does a smashing job and I come away all smiles and prettiness.

In other news I am meeting a Lucy tomorrow to view a double room she has for rent.. hopefully the house is lovely (as it appears to be in the ad) and she is just as lovely, but how could she not be with a name like Lucy?? I already want to live with her just so I might be able to say;

"Yea, I live with a girl called Lucy, she's swell." Plus she has a puppy labrador, nothing better than the joys of a pet without all the responsibility. And also meeting up with a Landlord who is going to show me 2 or 3 different flats. Both Lucy and the landlord's properties are all in the same vicinity. Close to the lovely park that I so dearly want to live near.

I shall keep you posted.

here is the park.

-kate attack

circus tents, folk trends, team bends, evolution festival lends, me some sun.

'Evolution' bank holiday festivities.
Circus tents housing folk trends.
Team tennis ball throws.. where she goes, nobody knows
(well, maybe just over the fence,
just out of reach.. )

My highlight acts of the weekend:
Lissie
Danny and the Champions of the World
The Unthanks

Dawn Landes

Other highlights of the weekend:

• 2nd breakfast at 'Butterfly Cabinet' in Heaton because...

1. The Ceiling looks like this

2. It was free, due to an order mess up.

3. It tasted like heaven in 2nd breakfast form.

4. I left nothing on my plate.

5. My breakfast consisted of:

-5 buttermilk thick pancakes
- maple syrup / butter
-2 sausages
-2 hash browns
-2 strips crispy bacon
-HOW ON EARTH DID I MANAGE?
6. I had the BEST coffee I have had since
arriving in England - 2 macchiato's yum.

• Meeting Dawn Landes, cos she is a babe, and I'd date her. ha!
• Tennis throwing slash drum footstomp dancing time.
• pretty, battered doors on the boardwalk.
• Esther and her 4 shot cam-dam-era.

that's about the whole kit and kaboodle kids.

-Katie Joy in her 50p - polka - dot -tee.