La Belle et La Bête: Farm

Thursday

The Wizard of Aus

The last time I did a travel post, I was living in Bristol, savouring the last of the Summer sunshine at St Paul's Carnival. Well, in the last month, I've packed up my bags and job, and moved 17,000 kilometres across the globe to my birthplace of Sydney, Australia. It's funny how even in this day and age, with the technological advantages of Skype, email, Facebook, and the various apps on our smartphones, we can still physically feel distance. I've been back 3 weeks and already, my 12 years spent in the UK feel like a lifetime ago; at times, like a prolonged dream sequence. I've missed this place - the sights, sounds, and smells. The proximity of the ocean, the light, the lifestyle.

This Easter, I travelled 2 hours south of Sydney to the small town of Bowral in the Southern Highlands, where my grandparents lived and where my friend's family has a country bolt hole. The climate down there is noticeably cooler and less humid than on the coast and in the city; making it perfect for walking and exploring the beautifully typical Australian landscape that surrounds it. The smells of Eucalyptus from the gum trees and freshness of the tall pine trees mix with the dry earth; bottlebrush trees shade cultivated roses and camellias. Under the pure azure of an Autumn sky, we rubbed shoulders with wombats (quite literally), explored the lush surroundings of the house, and walked through the countryside with Diesel, the beloved family pooch. Here are some photos of our adventures…

Oh hey, Elton.

Mr. Darcy, the Wombat.

Mr Darcy & Elizabeth Bennett

Wish you were here.

Love,

Belle x

Going Off The Grid

Once in a blue moon, I get the opportunity to get away from it all. To escape to somewhere in the country that has no signal, terrible internet service, and a roaring fire. For the past few days, I've been at such a retreat: my friend Iona's farm in Leicestershire. As a life-long urbanite, I'm one of those exasperating people who gets excited by fields of sheep, coos at cows, and hadn't - until Tuesday - ever picked up a live chicken. Yes, folks, while you've been waiting with baited breath for my weekly music instalment, I've been frolicking around on snowy hills with a couple of dogs - Milly and Teasel (and Iona..!) - and warming my frozen tootsies on an open fire. To make you slightly jealous (and to prove that I haven't just been holed up watching TV in my PJ's), I thought I'd do a little photo post of what we got up to on one of our walks...