goin' up the country

My last few weeks on the Emerald Isle have had the most round house kickin'/ fist pumpin'/ air guitar playin' kinda effect on my heart.

My beautiful cousin and soul sister Finn came to visit for a long weekend. I'll be sharing a house with this amazing girl as well as some other pretty rad house-mates when I move to West London tomorrow (TOMORROW!).

We managed to squeeze in a full day of sightseeing, Irish coffees and pub time in my parent's home-town before packing up the car to head off to Kerry for a big old family knees up.

A 5 hour car journey, way too many travel sweets and one retail park pit stop later we were in beautiful Killarney in Kerry to visit my aunt and her family. It was a girly affair with 4 aunties and three girly cousins staying up way past the witching hour at the kitchen table drinking wine, taking photographs and swapping family anecdotes.

I treasured the opportunity to connect with my little cousin Zio as it's only the second chance I have had to meet her since she was adopted from Vietnam when she was a baby. Such a funny, smart and kind little human being, she just adored getting to know her grown up cousins and we took every opportunity to play with her and get to know her beautiful personality.

When she jumped on my bed one morning and said "Let's play 'Mamas and darlings', you can be the Mama and I'll be the darling" (a game she learned from a tv show apparently) I seriously thought my uterus would go off like a bomb. Sigh. 

As well as the (several) maternal ticks and twitches I also thanked my moon and stars for being blessed with such a huge close-knit family and I relished the chance to bond with some seriously cool female matriarchs. 

Killarney is a treat to visit and if you're ever considering a tour of Ireland it will tick every box~ I particularly fell in love with this time capsule tea room which we all loved so much we ate lunch in it two days on the trot. Smoked salmon and poached eggs and eggs benedict for the girl who wanted to run away with the china. Delicious.

My flight to London leaves at mid-day tomorrow so it'll be an early night for me tonight. I can't wait to check in with my first post from my new home. Thank you to all of you who have left such sweet words of luck and encouragement for me on my journey. Hugs and kisses are on the wind to you all x x x

Thank you so much for reading! Why not hitch your wagon to Stars in Jars?
>.<

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london trip// turning thirty

Turning Thirty was a breeze for this gal, of course it helped that she was spoiled with the company of some very special people ^.^

The rainy weather (and too long taken to gussy ourselves up) caused us to veto our planned Jack the Ripper walk. Instead we raised our umbrellas and headed east for a stroll in Brick Lane.

We wandered through cobbled streets, touched railed clothing in vintage shops and toasted my birthday over fresh mint teas.

Later in the evening we returned for a long awaited Indian curry~ oh how I've craved a good curry with coconut rice and almond pashwari naan!!

We closed the evening at a beautifully ramshackle hole- in-the-wall hookah bar surreptitiously recommended to us by the waiter in the curry house.

We blew apple and mint flavored smoke bubbles and listened to some great 90's R & B until the clock struck midnight.

Here's the birthday breakfast rustled up for me by my cousin that morning using the goose eggs and walnut bread we bought from Borough Market the previous day.

How thankful I am for beautiful family and friends to add a bit of sugar to my birthday cake!

x

may flower

Hallo again friends!

I'm back from adventuring through my old haunts in London these past six days... and my Thirtieth birthday turned out to be my best yet! 

I have tons of photos of my trip to sift through before I start posting my escapades, but I can say that after such a long period away from my home city I kind of saw it anew, as if for the first time... and it sure made me swoon.

The weather was flirting with Spring, April cherry blossoms were putting on a show, the Tube smelt the same and there were plenty of fly by the wind opportunities for doing something completely random...like going to the circus!

The trip was a great salve for my ache for a change in scenery, and not only that, I feel a move back to the big smoke coming on!

But more on that later ^.~

I have returned to Ireland to welcome a fresh new month, sun spots on my bedroom wall, a half-grown pup, birthday card making and lots and lots of planning and scheming for my future....

{craft feather c/o Wholeport}

Oh how short, sweet escapes can do wonders for ones soul!

⋙⋙⋙currently⋙⋙⋙

⋙⋙⋙ reading⋙⋙⋙

{{source}}

I've just ordered a beautiful deck of Tarot cards and a book on how to read.
I had a very interesting first experience with Tarot reading earlier this year and so far every last thing the reader predicted for me has blossomed into a reality.
The future is and should be the wild unknown, but it can't harm to pull out the map and compass and try and explore it a little can it?
Even if I the cards don't show me anything or the right side of my brain ends up rejecting the concept of readings I'll be happy just to own these cards for the sake of their beauty and mystique.

⋙⋙⋙ planning⋙⋙⋙

To catch up with an old beardy-weirdy friend and ex-cohort and a beautiful gal I've only know through the internet but have managed to magically bond with somehow online.

I can't wait to see them and introduce them to new stomping grounds and make a weekend-load's worth of memories.

⋙⋙⋙ watching⋙⋙⋙

My current tv candy is the exceptional HBO series 'Girls'.

I'm in love with Lena Dunham and how she sticks her two middle fingers up at the stereotypical female body type.

I listened to Robyn's 'Dancing On My Own' on repeat for about a week after watching the episode where Hannah starts jamming out to it while tweeting.

Jessa is one of the most amazing tv characters written. To quote: 

""I'm going to look 50 when I'm 30, I'm going to be so fucking fat like Nico, you know why? Because I'm going to be full of experiences."

A to the men.

⋙⋙⋙ eating⋙⋙⋙

Big ol' mugs of hot British tea and toast dripping with butter and marmalade.

Tastes like home sweet home.

⋙⋙⋙ writing⋙⋙⋙

Lately I've been trying to spend less time typing and more time putting ink to paper.

My first love has always been writing stories and I've been scratching out a few picture and idea mood boards in my notebook for a short story idea I've had.

⋙⋙⋙ listening⋙⋙⋙

{{Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie}}

I've been going rock-steady this past month or so. 

Blasting out eclectic sessions that leave drum-beats on my soul...

Jimmi, The Stones, Janis and Stevie Nicks have all been hollering from my speakers and shaking up this gal to her core.

⋙⋙⋙ learning⋙⋙⋙

"Sometimes the healing is in the aching."

.. ▻▻▻◈◅◅◅ ..

little family

Friday nights are for friends and food, bars that allow music requests, painting the boys lips with lipgloss and laughter.

Big, big belly laughs that spill tears from the eyes and hurt the stomach muscles.

We started at the coffee shop and moved on to a local haunt to celebrate two of our dear co-workers departure from our school. 

We had a strange diet of squid and sausage, beer from the tap and requests ranging from Christina Aguilera to The Kinks.

I love my sweet-spirited Noonas (sisters) so much~ and damn but aren't they gorgeous??!

we all march on

February 2013 is a month I won't be sorry to turn my back on.

It left an aching hole in my heart and in my apartment that can't ever be refilled.

It left scars, emotional and physical.

It left circled dates on my calendar that are not of the romantic variety.

We all have bad years and bad months, upheavals in our lives.

Right now it feels like someone changed the record and I don't know how to move my feet to this new and unfamiliar beat.

But the band must march on.

I want to begin this new month with positivity and intention.

Dallas and I are lucky enough to have nurtured a healthy friendship despite the break-up... that is a huge blessing to me. 

Friends were sacrificed, but they left space for focus on new and healthier friendships.

My korean noonas and friends from home have created a circle of love and support around me...and  it tugs and tugs at my bruised heart to know how lucky I am to have them.

There is a lot to mourn, but so much more to be thankful for.

This one goes out to the heart tuggers and how I couldn't have got through this without them.

the sunday slowdown

There's nothing a little tea and a sweet letter can't fix.

I love the peace and the quiet of a Sunday,

the way it bookends the week with a little pocket of solitude and wind-down time.

This day of the week keeps me sane and centered.

I dance to a slower melody.

Today I checked the mailbox and found the sweetest snail mail from a dear friend who knew exactly what I needed to lift me out of a little mood rut.

I made myself a hot cup of British tea to remind me of home, set out fresh roses and set aside an hour to slow sip, read over fond memories and just be.

I'm forever blessed to realize I have friendships that have survived time and distance and prolonged absence.

Swoony, cozy, cups of tea-filled Sundays are where it's at.

^^

great friends bring cake

It's times like right now that I am so glad I took the time and effort to cultivate a good relationship with my amazing co-workers.

Last night these sweetest gals dropped by without a word to brighten up my night.

They knew, without asking, that I was in need of the spoils of such friendships.

They brought cake and beer, party poppers and ears to listen.

They laughed with me, cried with me, gave me great advise...

it was such a treat.

I'm truly blessed and ever thankful to have made a village of friends right here in Korea when home feels so very far away.