Saturday 13 February 2016

Off Line....

Rita Lee

I am here to apologize for my time off line....My computer stopped working over a week ago. It was pretty bad timing as I had some great posts in the pipe line for Moon to Moon and so I booked a whole day off work (without a toddler in tow) to actually get on top of emails, photographs, and interviews I have been too run down to manage recently...

.... but sometimes these things happen for a reason, and actually in hindsight I really needed a day off to chill and recharge with no 'work' to do, or role to play (mum, nurse, blogger etc...). Living in a large concrete city, life can get all consuming. It is so easy to slot into the hectic , one upmanship that seems to happen.... since having my son I have taken a dramatic drop in wages and at the same time found myself walking around my neighborhood a lot more, I have begun to compare myself to others, wishing my house was bigger, that I had nice wooden floors and a roll top bath, wishing I could afford a shiny new car and take my family on warm winter holidays abroad, getting annoyed that the majority of my wardrobe is second hand....and starting to feel a bitter sense of entitlement....

... I really needed a day off!!!

So last Friday my sister and I went to Glastonbury Town and as cheesy as it sounds I kind of 'found myself' again. In Glastonbury there were loads of people shopping in the Charity shops, every shop seemed to be tailored exactly to me and the staff were so friendly, actually taking the time to show us how to play the Hapi drums, giving us free incense because we hadn't tried the shop owners  (Dilliway and Dilliway) favorite brand, and one sweet shopkeeper exclaiming I had 'a new friend' when I brought my new chunk of Quartz!

It was bliss, it was therapeutic and it felt like home. No one was perfectly groomed, the houses were perfectly scruffy and full of character!! It gave me a chance to really consider how exactly I am benefiting from living in a city..... and the answer is despite being able to walk to work and the local shops... I am not. I have totally had enough of the concrete and the pollution and living on top of other people. ..... I don't need a bigger house I really need to move!!!

Rambling over... I will return tomorrow with a new 'My Nest' Interview from Sunny California xxx

 

9 comments:

Rebecca said...

Comparison seldom does one any good...
Looking forward to your next post.
Be good to yourself.

Laura Harwood said...

I have that from time to time Gabi...mostly its over my GHASTLY bathroom. Built on to the house after the war, its a miserable afterthought, damp and chilly with black grime always collecting round the tiles. Its tiny. I hate it, and dream of a moroccan wet room. sigh.

Kath said...

Come and live in Glastonbury Gabi...you know you want to! and next time you come, please call in and have a cup of chai with me x

Desert Woman said...

Been there, Gabi, and thought that. Now that I am finally out of the city and away from the rat race I find I don't really care about what others have or do. But it took a LONG time and lots of move mistakes to finally realize that I am happy just being me. Me with my thrift store clothes and re purposed objects and still with very little money. But now I am finding out what is really important to me and it's not the 'perfect' home that looks like it came off the pages of a magazine or the 'perfect' holiday vacations. Life is good and sometimes I just need some down time to do the things I love. Thanks for being there to help me realize that I am not wrong in living the life I have chosen. I love your blog and am glad you are back.

Lisa Strader said...

Hi Gabi,
I've never commented before, but I follow every post on this blog... it's one of my favorites. It inspired me to fall in love with the idea of having a house long before I was ever able to buy one! Now my husband and I live in our first house, and I continue to draw inspiration, calmness, and encouragement through your photos and comments. Thank you for making the Internet a better place. :)
All the best,
Lisa (Missouri)

Elderberry-Rob said...

What makes you special and different is that you don't conform, you choose to buy thrift, re-invent and repurpose what you have and take the trouble to run a blog that sources creative people and their inventive homes to inspire the likes of me! But having what I call 'magic moments' (days off and excursions) is very refreshing and necessary! As you have realised yourself, it looks like you need some greenery around you to thrive on so I hope you can find a home that gives you the balance you need.

SR said...

HI! I really, really, really love your blog.
I look it up since quite some time, I don't remember how I found it...
I love and have all these books like Handmade Houses and your blog is a little like these books, dreamlike. I always find some interesting ideas!
Thank you so much for sharing!

Rose

kjsutcliffe said...

It is easy to fall in to the trap of comparison but once you realise that you are your own person and celebrate your individualism it is very empowering, I follow your blog as I find it inspiring - thank you.

Scheherazade's Den said...

I resonate with so many of your thoughts and feelings. We don't even own our own house and I have 2 children and salivate about having a handmade space from time to time. This blog makes me think about the beautiful objects that I do own and that aren't from some designer catalogue but are mostly secondhand and have some craftsmanship and quality. Please don't turn this blog into one of those minimalist, bare and ultra designer style blogs, it's what I love about yours, you are really profiling genuinely bohemian spaces, something I feel is disappearing in our conformist and consumerist times. I get it though, I would love more money to buy the exxy secondhand mid-century furniture I see and love about the place but I have to buy true bargains. Bohemians of the world unit and take over xxx Carlie