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Places to visit: Elliðaey, Iceland

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I woke this morning with the memory of this image in my head:

Elliðaey: offered to Björk as a gift from the Government of Iceland

[Source: The Chive]

It’s so beautiful, so haunting, so … isolated.
Who lives there?
What do they do there?
Do they go mad?
What do they see from their window?
How do they exist in such an isolated environment?
It’s all just fascinating.

The first time I saw the photo was a few months ago. It was mentioned that the singer Björk lived there, and I guess that made sense to me, knowing the strange and interesting music she makes…

So I did some investigating.

The island is called ‘Elliðaey’ and is near Vestmannaeyjar, a small archipelago off the south coast of Iceland.

From what I could find out, exclusive use of the uninhabited island it was ‘given’ to Björk back in 2000 as a thank you from the Government of Iceland for putting the small nation on the map.

The sheer remoteness of this place makes it stunning.

[Source: Daily Galaxy]

Initially, she had requested to build a small house on the island and live there part of the year, and then they offered her the whole island.  Eventually, the singer declined the offer of the ‘royalty payment’, citing privacy concerns.

There’s certainly no anonymity in being alone on a rocky, deserted island that every one knows about and having tourists boats camped just offshore, their long lenses capturing your every move. But it could be heaven on earth, if very few knew about it and left her to her own devices.

Elliðaey at dusk

[Source: Kristin Sig on Flikr]

Nevertheless, I adore this place and would love to see it in the flesh. It’s so majestic and so beautiful when you look at them whilst listening to this:

I hope to get there one day. And maybe stay long enough to cross one of my Life List goals:

  • Be the only person on a [desert] island (for a few hours)

What’s one place in the world you’ve always wanted to visit?

An Aussie in the City

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I have been sadly non-communicative here for the past week and a half, and with good reason. For the American (to borrow a similar moniker from Amanda) and I have finally moved!  HURRAH!

We’re living right downtown in San Francisco: full of noise and energy and life. I love it! Even down to endless crazies on street corners accosting you for money. And by all our efforts, I have accomplished another item on my Life List:

  • Live in Downtown San Francisco

Tick!

Hello, downtown!

We still have a few kinks to work out (there’s no counter space — none! And we’re making coffee on the floor), but nothing that can’t be solved  or rectified with strategic purchases over the forthcoming weeks.

But at the moment, it’s my little piece of heaven, even if I am sporting the most dreadful cold. Two blocks to Walgreen’s for drugs and I was sweating like a pig. Not good. Two days and counting. Fingers and toes it disappears in time for netball tomorrow! I am dying to go play…

More for you when I am feeling better. I will go rest and feel pretty proud of what we accomplished and went through to get here.

xTRP

Tuesday crafty inspiration

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Drive off and be crafty!

[Source: Craftzine Blog]

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2010/07/crochet_covered_smart_car.html

A new home?

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Well, our search for the perfect downtown home is (hopefully!) over. It was the second place we looked at and we both fell in love with it instantly. There may or may not be 400 sq feet (we’re thinking not), but it’s on a corner with two large, amazing windows which let so much sunshine in, it’s incredible.

Look at these windows!

It just feels like a space both of us believe that we can be really happy living in. There’s enough room for the most basic of furniture, and I have even been downsizing my rather modest wardrobe in preparation for a scaling back of space.  The less clutter, the more free I am, we are.  A slight modification from when our lives were packed into one hiking pack…

AND with a clawfoot tub!

We have so few household items and didn’t register for anything last year when we were married (registering is a most  HORRENDOUS and totally presumptuous western practice), but that’s what makes this part of our lives fun! The selective acquisition of homewares is part of the home-building aspect. I don’t necessarily like ‘brand new’ anything. I prefer the old, the loved. Those with stories. And I certainly don’t like my spaces to be all ‘matchy-matchy’, even though I enjoy appreciating other people’s coordinated spaces.

Did I mention walls of beautiful, Art Deco San Francisco windows?

I have been looking forward to this for donkeys years, and it all is finally coming together. I am feeling so buoyed that another one of my Life List goals will be able to be crossed off by the end of the weekend!

For ideas on how to arrange and decorate our space, I have turned to Apartment Therapy’s Best of Small Spaces –  Teeny Tiny nominees.  There’s a few nice features for the spatially challenged in their featured rooms, but none I totally adore.  But one thing is certain:  in a small,  Downtown studio, function is key.

Keep your fingers and toes crossed for us!

xTRP

Hilariousness

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[Source: Yay!Everyday]

Currently obsessed with: Cellist Zoe Keating

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For well over a year , I have been loving the avant-garde cellist, Zoe Keating. She uses a cello and a foot-controlled laptop to layer her cello, making it feel as though there’s a dozen cellos right there with her. It’s so interesting and ethereal and beautiful. I love listening to her music when I work, particularly because it makes me feel.

Tall, red haired and cello-toting.

[Source: Zoe Keating]

She has over 1.3 million followers on Twitter, has geeks flipping out over her set up, and she lives in a cabin in a forest full of redwoods just north of San Francisco. Most recently, she (finally!) released her long-awaited new album and gave birth to a baby boy (otherwise known as #cellobaby).

She's just so cool

[Source: Zoe Keating]

For her current album, Into the Trees, she recorded in her studio in the woods, as well as producing , engineering and mixing it. She has even taken on the role of distributor, so you can buy her work on iTunes, Bandcamp or or directly through her website for a hardcopy. She’s really pushing the envelope when it comes to an alternative  way to make and distribute her work.  Good for her!

You can geek out with Zoe here: