A weekend wander through Granville Island Public Market. Oh, joyous, joyous, Granville Island. I hope you had a fabulous weekend.
Wandering Neighbourhoods:Granville Island Public Market
Category Archives: Vancouver
The First Morning
in our new abode.
A new look.
Foodie Weekend
Here is a sneak peek of something beautiful that made its way to my letter box last week. Come back later in the week to see my photographs and the story behind the gorgeous little boat and lace. I’m one lucky lady.
One thing I’m really loving about Vancouver is the love of the foodie lifestyle. I’m no adventurous foodie myself but I so badly want to be. Maybe that’s why I take photographs of food. Over the weekend, we moseyed around the amazing and very crowded Granville Island Market which is always filled with wonderful food stalls. There are fabulous bakeries, fruit stalls galore, fancy cheese stores and local fisherman selling their catch. I really love the atmosphere at the market and enjoy weaving in and out of the narrow halls gazing at the giant sized pasta and French baguettes. Photographs to come…
On my foodie expedition of the lower mainland, I also stopped in at the most fabulous bookstore. Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks is a bookstore packed to the rafters with nothing but cookbooks. It even has its own kitchen at the back for lessons and demonstrations. I have already eyed about 5 different books that I want to add to my very empty cookbook shelf.
I’ll be back later in the week to share more of that delightful gift in the Polaroid with you!
A Bright, New Window
Hello lovely friends,
I am settling into my new life oh so swimmingly and am adoring my new neighbourhood which is chock full of sweet smelling restaurants, art galleries and yummy patisseries. Our new neighbourhood is quite similar in that way to our old neighbourhood in the Inner West in Sydney.
I am looking out my bright new window which is filled with glorious sunshine so bright that I can barely see my MacBook screen. I tilt my head up to ponder my next sentence and I find that I am typing whilst glancing upon rolling mountains that seem to wear low lying clouds as a hat. I think these mountains and I are going to be bosom friends…like Anne and Diane. I sit and look across to the North Shore, at houses dotted amongst the hills, wondering if there is another girl sitting opposite me looking out her window while she writes away with a smile on her face.
The apartment is coming together slowly with picture hanging and artwork making its way up the walls. We are eating off a coffee table but that’s OK because it’s this lovely one that I kind of adore. I have once again realised that I am extremely lucky as I have very girly tastes and a man who allows me to have my girly stuff around without too much complaint. It’s a hard balance!
I hope to be back blogging here on Mocking Bird more regularly now as we are pretty much set up. I would love to share some of the place with you in the coming couple of months. I’ve got some great ‘Before’ shots right now! ;)
Tell me all about what you’ve been up to lately. I’d love to hear. Now to catch up on all your blogs!
Moving Weekend!
This time next week I will be writing from my new desk which rests beneath a gorgeous, big window gazing out towards the local Vancouver mountains. Said desk will be sitting in new apartment that the Canadian and I are moving into this weekend. I cannot contain my excitement. I am being a total nerd about it. You’d think I’d never had my own place before the way I’m carrying on.
I plan on using our picturesque viewing area second bedroom as a study/photography studio. I’ve already scoped it out..the light in there is awesome and I’m super excited about that. The best light in our old place was in the bathroom, so it will be nice to set up my mini studio without having to rest against a toilet. Classy!
As hard as it was leaving all our old “stuff” back in Sydney, we have had some fun picking up new pieces to make our rented apartment seem more like a home. Some of it has been packed in boxes since Christmas, so I can’t wait to get into them and see what’s what. New couch and new bed, here we come.
I plan on blogging my new home and neighbourhood experience here on Mocking Bird in the coming months. Even though my first year in Vancouver is coming to a close, it’s like a whole new chapter is beginning and I cannot wait to get right in the middle of it- like jumping into the discarded wrapping paper pile on Christmas morning.
Signing off for the last time from my temporary Vancouver residence…
Wish me luck!
p.s. Thanks for all the wonderful conversations in the Inspiration Overload post. You guys are awesome!
Summer Things I’ve Noticed
Experiencing summer in the Northern Hemisphere for the first time in my life means lots of little observations falling into my pocket. Yes, I keep them in my pocket as I’m out and about, taking everything in. I like stock piling them for another day, to sit on and ponder. Here are some of my Southern Hemispherian brain’s observations:
Light: There can still light in the sky on the horizon at 10.15pm. Even during daylight savings, we (those of us down under) are pretty much lights out by 8pm.
Feathered Friends: The prettiest, sweetest sounding birds appear during the fairer seasons. Australian birds are loud and squawky and make themselves known. Sitting around the back patio here makes me feel like I should be dressed as Snow White waiting for the little tweeties to land on my fingers.
Fashion trends: As soon as the temperature hits 17 degrees celsius, Vancouverites whip out the shorts and mini skirts. The first day the sun came out, there were literally girls in bikinis on the beach, yet I was freezing in a cardi! My Canadian noticed the same things in Sydney but to the opposite effect- as soon as it hits below 20 in Sydney, out come the scarves and beanies.
Play time: People take full advantage of the sunshine here. As soon as the clouds disappear, it’s like a mass exodus from indoor dwellings. There are people everywhere riding bikes, roller blading, having picnics and laying in the grass. Rejoice, the sun is here, we can live again!
Explorations: I suddenly feel the need to go exploring and be outdoorsy. I want to find that cabin by the lake, to pitch a tent in the back yard, to wander where bears may roam. I never knew that The Great Outdoors actually existed somewhere in the world.
Now that the summer is coming to an end, I will be able to say that I have spent a full set of seasons here in the Northern Hemisphere. Yes, I’m one month away from having lived in Vancouver for a year. I cannot believe how quickly it has gone by.
Summer in Vancouver is very different to summer time in Sydney. I’ve realised that a lot of what I adore about summer is to do with the beaches, cricket, Christmas, the end of the year and all the parties and celebrations that go along with that. I didn’t realise that until I lived a summer in another country. Summer in Vancouver is beautiful and certainly nowhere near as harsh as one in my home town but it’s been beautiful and I don’t want it to end.
A Cafe Weekend
How’s your weekend going?
Summer Baseball On Film
One thing about living abroad that I find totally inspirational is just getting out there and doing things that you wouldn’t ordinarily ever do at home. One thing that I can say I’ve never done in Australia, is go to a baseball game. Seeing as Vancouver doesn’t have a Major Baseball League team, we go to the minor league games at Nat Bailey Stadium. It’s a beautiful little field with all the right colours and sounds to create beautiful memories.
This is what I love about living in a foreign country. You get to experience little snippets of a very different life that you would never get to do while holidaying. I love embracing this part of a culture that I’m learning to fit in to.
Going on these little adventures are a great way to stretch the photography skills and I can totally recommend getting out there and doing these things in your own city. Things that you may not have necessarily ever thought about doing or experiencing. Imagine you’re that tourist for the day or the new kid in town. Take your camera and explore, shoot a photographic essay of the day. You never know the gems that may follow you home.
