It's 10pm, I should probably be asleep but I want to write. If only for some semblance of normality. I was going to label this post five things I'm loving but that seems trite* so instead I'm just using the somewhat abstracter title of five things. Five things that right now have significance for me and are making my life richer as a result.

1) Walking the dog, more specifically in the Botanical Gardens. I'm very lucky to live only a short drive away from one of my favourite places in Auckland. As well as having many trails and of course plants in abundance, they also have a huge dog park or free-run if you will. Despite it being right next to the motorway I always feel a sense of peace here and it's such a fantastic place to escape to. The dog loves it too.

2) Music through noise canceling headphones. My love of music is perhaps less well-documented although I do slip in albums every so often around here. Anyway, I found my Frends headphones again recently and have been using them to listen to music on my iPod. Ancient relic I know, ahem. It's the perfect way to zone out and appreciate every single element of the song. It enhances the music listening experience and I love it.

3) Familiar reads. Despite having a crazy volume of books to read, sometimes I just need to immerse myself in pages well trawled and familiar. There is something incredibly comforting and ritualistic about it and I love it. My current revisited tomes are; Bloom x Estee Lalonde, It x Alexa Chung and An Extraordinary Theory of Objects x Stephanie Lacava. 

4) This photo (see below). Sometimes I cut up beautiful magazines and their imagery. This was salvaged from a discarded issue of Kinfolk I believe and I am obsessed with it. Whenever I see it, it reminds me of The Secret History, Camilla in particular and also the Lisbon sisters from The Virgin Suicides had they reached adulthood. I wish I'd made a note of who captured it because it's now one of my all time favourite photographs. 

5) My stardust, aka my wonderful friends. You know who you are and probably all prefer the anonymity. Thank you for listening to my rants about life and at the other end of the scale, enthusiasm for ideas and projects in equal measure. Thank you also for sending me cake in the mail when I need it or even just a text. Y'all are the best x.

*Apologies for the cynicism and lack of elaboration. Maybe I'll discuss it someday.