Road Trippin'

Hubby and I have been trying to make the most out of being in a new (remote-ish) location by tripping around and seeing the sights of South Australia and nearby Victoria. South Australia is truly one of the most beautiful parts of this great country - there is a raw honesty to the landscape here, as it is so untouched and there seems to be a genuine appreciation of, and desire to preserve, South Australia's natural environment and the bounty it provides - be it habitat for native wildlife or great food and wine and adventurous destinations for tourists and locals alike.


So far we have done the 4 major wine regions: McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley and most recently Coonawarra. We have literally stuffed ourselves with incredible foods, wines and vistas. We've spent a lot of time in Victoria lately, traversing the Great Ocean Road, and last weekend shopping and eating our way through Melbourne and living it up in spa territory in Daylesford.


This weekend, it is time to slum it. Finally, hubby gets his way and we camp. In tents. Without cooking facilities (other than those we bring ourselves - hello, muesli for dinner!), and I assume the shower will be one of those arrangements where you want to be wearing thongs.  So here's to the less-glamorous weekend. Let the stretcher bed be comfortable, and the milk still cold when I add it to my muesli...

Bow Down

One of the best things about Beyoncé is her mystery. Rarely giving interviews (I think she has done one in about 3 years), Beyoncé communicates to the world via her music, film clips and Instagram account. And as we have seen on countless occasions, while a picture (or film clip) might be worth a thousand words, they are still not the subject's own words, so we really can never know what is going on in that secret gated community of the mind.


After dropping her latest visual album, Lemonade this week, we are scratching our collective heads wondering what it all actually means? This album that bluntly alludes to infidelity, daddy issues and forgiveness. Who is is Becky? Did her dad really hit her? Is Jay Z a cheating swine? Does Good Hair mean good hair, or does it refer to black slavery talk for the whiter slaves with less curly hair who were able to work inside the house and thus able to attend to their hair more often? Was there a very good reason for Solange to attack Jay Z in that lift?


Keeping in mind, of course, Beyoncé has a team of songwriters who assist her on each album - so this is not all necessarily her own stream of consciousness. But who cares really, when we have so many questions to mull over, all as we listen (and watch!) yet more genius from Beyoncé.

Happy Friday: Kate-niss Everdeen

As our favourite Royal couple winds up their tour of India, we are treated to Kate channeling The Hunger Games' Catniss Everdeen with bow & arrow. Apparently neither Kate nor Will were particularly talented at archery, but then again it's a talent that seems rather unnecessary in this day and age of more technologically advanced weaponry, and look how joyously Kate is missing her target! Zero f*cks given.

Have a happy, adventurous and blithely carefree weekend! x

Ivy Park Has Arrived

As a tragic Beyoncé fan, I have been waiting, waiting, waiting for the launch of Ivy Park, Beyoncé's ath-leisure range (catch up!). And now. It. Is. Here.


Although the range was developed in collaboration with Topshop boss Phillip Green, it is being sold at a range of outlets in Oz including Myer (which not at all accidentally is home to capsule collections from Topshop) and via the terribly addictive The Iconic. In the USA it is also available at big names like Selfridges and Net-A-Porter. Girl has reach.


Of course Ivy Park is no fluorescent pink range spouting girl power quotes. And why would Beyoncé need "I run like a girl" when simply her brand is powerfully feminist enough?

Icon made

The tone of her promotional pictures are so wildly divergent from most fitness campaigns as to continue to cement Beyoncé as one of the most unique style icons of this decade (OK, I'm really starting to gush now).

Not only is the collection instantly desirable, happily enough for this little shopper, the pricing is infinitely reasonable (in fact considerably cheaper than Lorna Jane).


Of the Ivy Park range, Beyoncé has noted that: “True beauty is in the health of our minds, hearts and bodies. I know that when I feel physically strong, I am mentally strong, and I wanted to create a brand that made other women feel the same way.”


I love this theme of strength that seems to follow Beyoncé - the body is not waif thin, and the mind is strong. It's a nice change from the #fitspo world which lauds thin bodies and seems to gloss over any mention of a woman's mind, ambition or strength of will.