The Reproach of Matilda

She’s there every morning, glaring down at me, when I open my eyes.

“If you’re going nowhere, neither is that extra chin”, she seems to say. “I have limits, you know. If we’re to ever get any closer, you should be out there, not hitting the snooze button repeatedly!”

She’s right, of course, my ideal dress size. I breached her boundaries a long time ago and won’t be fitting back in any time soon, unless I get out there and move. Every single day.

“And cut out the champagne while you’re at it, lardarse.”

By my calculations, transforming Matilda’s reproach into rapprochement is about 720 km away.

Ho hum.

The Matilda Dress

 

 

Back from Behind

I like to do things backwards, don’t ask me why.

When I read a print newspaper (yes, some of us still do), I often start at the back page and work my way forward. Same with magazines. I can’t help it. (Although, I haven’t yet acquired that peculiar habit of reading the end of a book first. Horrors!).

Anyhow, I don’t like the thought of taking a blog break without announcing it upfront, but, somehow, my unintended break got away with me. So I should have told you that I was taking a blog break. But I didn’t. So now you know.

I’m back from behind.

As if you’ve noticed.

The Beauty Of It

Oliver Sacks is loving it. Frederick Wiseman forgets that he’s it. Ellen Langer thinks that it’s possibly nothing but a mindset.

In Japan, they know how to style it.

Ginza O-Fashionistas

Forget the Erololi, Ero-Kawaii and Gothic Lolitas of Akihabara, and the Cosplay kids of Harajuku; it was the quirky, fun and completely unselfconscious fashion sense of the older generation that stood out for me on the streets of Tokyo.

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Adventure!

Saturday Morning Shopping – Ho Chi Minh City

For more entries to last week’s WPC, see The Daily Post.

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

The View from Down Here – Fitness Level Zero

Sludge has been building in my veins and arteries, the accumulation of sitting for weeks on end – working, studying, watching the entire series of ‘Breaking Bad’…

If you don’t start moving, you’ll have a stroke, and die, or worse: and live.

That nagging inner voice kicked me out of bed this morning to tackle what my husband calls the ‘Three Hill Challenge‘ — a 5km route in our neighbourhood, which includes three hills.

Well, that’s hardly a challenge.

I thought I’d do Hill One only today (don’t want to overdo things, after so much sloth) – it looks like this from the bottom.

I don’t remember it being so steep.

That’s what happens when you don’t exercise – your memory goes.

I prefer the view from the top.

And on the way down 🙂

I skipped Hill Two, but Chrissy Hynde and The Pretenders got me up Hill Three – it’s a deceptive but-wait-there’s-more kind of hill.

I suppose it’s a start.

Have a great weekend, and keep moving. 😀

For more entries to this week’s photo challenge, see The Daily Post.

Weekly Photo Challenge: A Day in My Life

This was today – catching up on university stuff – which I enjoyed, but it doesn’t make for a terribly exciting photo subject.

Never mind – it’s nearly champagne o’clock Downunder, and tomorrow’s another holiday (and golf). 😀

For more inspired entries to this week’s photo challenge, see The Daily Post.

I particularly enjoyed these five:

A Nomad in the Land of Nizwa

Brad’s Blog

northumbrian : light

Butterfly Mind

Flickr Comments

Sometimes

Sometimes,
we turn away from work,
inhale others’ gardens,
look out at iridescent birds,
shapes cast by the sun

Sometimes, we ignore our chores,
cycle the distant suburbs,
look at how another tenth live,
eat exotic foods on the streets

Sometimes, we forgo the car,
ride the ferries and trains,
look for treasures in labyrinthine shops,
play tourist for a day

Sometimes, we shun the inner life,
chase the little white ball,
look right, look left  (up at that thieving crow),
rarely straight down the middle

Sometimes, we blow the budget,
wine and dine on the Quay,
watch the passing parade,
the city at play

Sometimes, we forget ourselves,
lie outside in the dark,
look up, and beyond
to the edge of the universe

and close our eyes
in peace