Swathed in Magic and Ferns

Flowy anaarkali dresses in cotton block-prints and bandhani are my go-tos all year round, in all sorts of locations, these photos were taken bushwalking in the forests leading to waterfalls. Travelling to the mountains west of Sydney to explore the canyons, cliffs and waterfalls is a frequent excursion for the boy and I. The plethora of ferns, the swirling mists deep in the jungle, the almost other worldly sounds and smells, all make this place more magical every time we visit. Breathtaking views from the top, almost inaccessible valleys at the bottom, steep gorges and breathtaking rain-forests everything is both magical and majestic at the same time.

I feel like this dress just blends into the fernery, I can hide my warm woolies into its folds and if you know me, you know I have many many dresses exactly like this one. I love desi hand-crafted clothes but I also like my outfits not to limit my movements and like exploring even more, so I like my clothes pretty but functional in ways that makes sense to me.

Rainforest adventures in the cold

The pictures above were taken ages ago when we went walking in a wonderfully green, shaded rainforest full of tall trees and ferns. We walked and climbed for eons to get to the foot of a spectacular water fall and just stared at the sheer beauty of the water cascading down the rocks and the foliage.

The stunning national parks of Australia are endowed with flora, fauna, canyons and beaches that are just a spectacular balm to the eyes. Large areas of untouched forest in many cases sites of many important Aboriginal Australian sites, outstanding tropical foliage and long stretches of the coast backed by lush bush. Most of the national park are a wonderful blend of culture and nature, reminding us that living in nature is natural to us and not the centrally air-conditioned world we live in.

More mountain snap-shots

Dress: Sportsgirl, Flannel: Vintage, Shoes: Converse hi-tops, Beaded necklace: Sydney markets, Sweater: India

As soon as the chill creeps in I start layering wool plus flannel haphazardly till I am warm enough and just grab a beanie and am good to go. I envy people who look put together even when the weather is colder, naaa who am I kidding I love to dress to be me but I do like to look at people unlike myself.

I miss the clean mountain air and the fresh smells of the bush, can't wait to go back. Can you tell I love ferns? I find them beautiful and would like nothing better to be sitting in a forest of ferns but then the thought of creepy crawlies is scary. Shudder! On to better topics, I love this beaded necklace but somehow broke it and now think only my sister (who is bloody amazing at DIYs) can fix this. How amazing is this Ganesh bag I got at the hippie markets in the mountains and am in love with? I mean my obsession for Ganesh and elephants is well-documented here, even if the obsession is ignored the bag is perfect!

There is nothing better than running up and down mountain tracks in dirty canvas hi-tops, by running I mean happily skipping down and panting heavily on the way up. Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the week.

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Mountains days and nights

I was working on Saturday when the boy said he was renting a car and we were going to the mountains, I thought it was just something he said because it was past three pm on a Saturday afternoon and the rental places were shutting soon. But 45 minutes later he let me know he was on his way to pick me up from work and he'd rented this HUGE ass four-wheel drive to go exploring in and I just went SQUEEEEEE!

We drove home, packed in a jiffy and in less than an hour were driving towards the Blue mountains with a bike in our trunk, ah the fresh mountain air does wonders for my soul. We parked by the most breath-taking views of the peaks as well as the bush and settled in for the night in the car. Think loads of block-printed bed-sheets draped all over to make the most magical caravan and sleeping atop a heap of quilts+air mattress. It was the best setting ever to drink ice-tea and watch the Life of Pi before we feel asleep to the quietest quiet I have heard in a long time.

Woke up to the most beautiful morning light streaming through the fabric we'd hung all over and stepped out of the car to the first two photos. Started the day with breakkie at our favourite cafe, shopped around at the various op-shops and hippy markets then proceeded to spend the day walking in bush in a ton of layers to keep warm. I live for days like these. Stayed away from the internet and the phone except for texting our respective Mommies. Here are a few photos of the lovely day. HAPPY MOTHERS DAY world.