Summer's Last Hurrah

This morning while the sun was still asleep, we woke up and drove to the ocean to give the day a proper welcome. It's amazing how easy it becomes to wake up in the wee hours of the morning when it isn't for work. We arrived with minutes to spare before the sun peeked over the horizon. I tend to associate most places with the memory of particular colours. If you ever want to speak to me about Currumbin Beach, I'll be lost in a daze somewhere between orange, pink and gold.

After a good, long soak in the ocean and breakfast with an impressive view, we jumped back in the car and headed for Fingal Head. The coastal side of the Head is divided into Dreamtime Beach and Fingal Beach, but before hitting either one of them we strolled up the light-dappled trail towards Fingal Head Lighthouse. The view from the Lighthouse is spectacular, but the day was getting hotter and soon the water looked just a little too good to be enjoyed from afar. 

Our third and final stop along the coast was to Casuarina Beach, just south of Kingscliff, and by far our favourite. The headland soars to 15 metres above the water, and the many nooks and crannies in the cliff provide perfect spots to sit and watch the waves roll in and crash on the rocks below. We sat for a long time, speaking little and resting our lids before our unwelcome yet inevitable return to reality.

If there are three keys to a perfect Summer road trip, it's spontaneity, a killer playlist and a brilliant fellow adventurer. Fortunately, I had all three. It's not every Tuesday you get to throw your cares to the wind and escape on an adventure, but as I say there are exceptions to everything, and this one was worth it 100%. Besides, we can double up tomorrow.

My top 5 Mother's Day Picks

1. Admittedly I've had my eye on a couple of Small Bar Earrings for a while now, so I am slightly biased towards these golden beauties. They come in silver, copper and gold. $35.23.// 2. The Horse Watch, she'll be asking you to ask her what the time is just to catch another glimpse of it. All The Horse watches are stunning, however the polished steel/white face on polished tan is my personal favourite. $129.00. // 3. Like The Horse, you can't really go wrong when selecting products from Aesop, but if you're as indecisive as I am, the Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm is a tried and tested winner. $29.00. // 4. A girl can never have too many phone cases, and may I say how cute is this little pretty? Pressed Daisies iPhone case from Anthropology. $14.95. // 5. And, last but not least, the Rose Soak by Soak Society. Everybody loves a good, long bath soak, and nobody more than a mum. Rose works as an excellent detox, and helps to calm and relax. $22.95. 

Friday | Atticus Finch

Well, as of six weeks ago, Friday has become the day of the week set aside for escaping the shop and having an adventure. This last Friday, in the hours just after noon, we walked down along Latrobe, stopping to smell the roses (literally), soaking up the sunshine, window shopping and discussing marketing strategies. We came to rest at one of my favourite cafes on the Paddington strip: Atticus Finch. The little white and timber shop is located just past the Paddington Centre and Mechanic at 83 Latrobe Tce, and is just about as smart and sophisticated as its namesake. Apart from serving up some pretty exceptional coffee and a variety of teas and tisanes, these guys make a mean vege melt, salmon miso and mixed berry banana muffin among other things. While Catherine sipped her chai and wrote down blogging ideas and to-dos, I buzzed around with the camera, occasionally pausing to skull a bit of my double-shot flat white and mull over an idea with her.

If you're ever stuck for a coffee destination, or just want to try out a new place, give this one a go. I can vouch you won't be disappointed.

Atticus Finch Cafe // 83 Latrobe Tce, Paddington, QLD.

Brisbane's Finest: CBD Edition

Last week, boss lady at Showroom Catherine and I took a walk among some of the finest cafes and shops Brisbane's Central Business District has to offer. It was a well-earned breather, stepping outside the office for the morning to explore the city and get heavily caffeinated. For the heads up, the salted peanut butter hot chocolate from John Mills Himself won hands down. Here's a little taste of our day, I apologize in advance that I don't mean that literally.

Customs House, 399 Queen St // Molten Store Pop-Up, Winter Garden // John Mills Himself, 40 Charlotte St // Archives Fine Books, 40 Charlotte St // Java Coast Cafe, 340 George st//

A Celebration

 Last Thursday, a very special lady turned 16, and to celebrate we got dragged down the river on a rubber donut. It was the best. 

Connor holding an entire basket of flowers (which later turned out to be our living party bags) was a photo opportunity too good to be true. Enjoy it, it probably won't happen again.

Once the sun had gone down, the boat had been packed up, dinner had been served and the cake had been cut, we all wandered down to the dock. Sarah had obtained a number of giant floating lanterns to finalize her first day of sixteenness in style. many of us were unable to control the urge to burst out in "And at last I see the liiiiiiight!", and so various pitches of the Disney song rang out as the lanterns rose into the sky. 

There are a few pinnacle moments in life: taking the training wheels off the bike, the first time in an aeroplane, getting your Ls, graduating High School, etc. Turning 16 means a lot of these happen all at once, in a way it is the beginning of the end of childhood. I don't know exactly what a perfect way to celebrate that would look like, but I reckon if I had to choose, it would look a lot like this.