Autumn Longing

As you can probably tell by my new blog header, I am craving the Tasmanian autumnal weather. We are in the middle of our summer and, so far, it has really been very enjoyable; spending time with friends, reflecting on the previous year, planning, praying and growing etc. but I feel it's almost time to come out of holiday mode and start getting to work!

Autumn is by far my favourite time of year, especially in Tasmania; all the leaves turn golden brown and begin to fall, littering the streets, the rain comes to wash away the summer dust and make the city luminous, ah! It's just beautiful!

So as I look forward to this, I decided to, once again, pull out some old photos and retouch them to enjoy a taste of what is to come. Enjoy!

Here's a great folk song I like to listen to during said season; Kingfisher Sky - Big Fish. And, of course I have to share my favourite cups of tea to have in Autumn; Blue Mountain, Melbourne Breakfast, and Creme Brulee.

God bless!

- tom

London Fog

Happy 24th of January guys! Today is a wonderful day because I discovered a great new way of enjoying my cup of tea which, I'm sure at this point in my blog you realise this is a big thing for me! This wonderful concept is called London Fog, which is essentially a tea gone latte style with a dash of vanilla! One word resonates in my mind; YUMMY!!!

Steam your milk with a dash of vanilla extract/essence or vanilla syrup/flavouring so that you have a thin, fine froth, pour it through your lose leaf tea infuser (which, of course, will contain tea), and voila! You have a warm, sweet, and light cup of London Fog!

It's traditionally enjoyed as an Earl Grey (or T2 French Earl Grey as I had it), but the person who introduced it to me today loved it with Monk Pear so go mad with the experiments! I know I will be.

Unfortunately I didn't have a camera to document this momentous occasion so I thumbed through my old photo archives for the foggiest photo I could find; I think this will suffice...

Thanks Andy for the great chat and for introducing me to this wonderful way of enjoying creation!

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Note: I tried this for the first time at home today and I would just like to say that it's still wonderful! But vanilla syrup or flavour works much better than essence. Also, make sure your milk is hot enough for the tea to infuse and give it at least four minutes to steep. Enjoy!

- tom

Salt Water (Sorry; no Photo)

Once again, like my last post I am holding back on the photography (mostly because I haven't actually taken a single photo in about 4 months) and replacing it with some poetry!

This concept was written at a stage where I could finally see light and healing begin to seep into my life and I felt like I was beginning to breathe for the first time. Part of the inspiration, particularly for the lyrical style, came from the wonderful jazz/folk/alternative singer/songwriter, Katie Noonan who you remember from the band George (check her out, she is an AMAZING singer).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Salt Water

In the briny water you hold my hands,

And wash away the dirt.

Brush away these stains, the shadows beneath my eyes;

They are the remnants of the longest night.

Wash through my eyes, my mind, my heart,

Let salt water rust the chains.

Scrub the wounds you know too well,
I see them on your face and hands.

After laying in the gutter,

Where smoke cascaded in my head

Where leaves festered in my heart, it feels so good to know

That, finally, the cuts can be seen.

Thank You.

- tom

Poetry

So it's Christmas and I was thinking I should upload something in the spirit of the season....But I got nothing other than, God is good and I rejoice in His humility!

Instead here's a song I wrote when I was in a very comfortable dark place.


Reading too Deep

I’m lost in a world of no sound

Speak no words to me for I am deaf to you.

Tossing and turning in this breaking silence

Where lightning falls without noise.

With shelves and desks scattered with books,

You would think I would learn.

With my mind full of fire and thought,

You’d think I could start to function,

But the tower is always falling.

I’ve analysed myself countless times,

That I’m numb to my need for you,

Now I’m reading into things you never said,

Into dusty words long since discarded.

In a city that shatters with every breath,

Pillars of white powder, so very fragile.

Spinning and stirring in this broken skin,

Where oceans can never reach.

Dissecting every syllable till they’re dry;

Asleep in a sea of dirt.

Every word dissolves,

As it drains through my fingers.

- tom

Facebook + Your Daily Photo

I'm back on Facebook *sigh*

I left because I used it for things far from the right reasons (e.g. pride, gossip, nosiness, etc.) but now that I'm back on I know what NOT to do and what I need to watch myself with. But hopefully it will be useful in organising events and contacting people throughout the nation and so far (for the three days I've been back on) it has proven useful for that which is a good sign, I hope.

Also, here is my "daily" photo which, lately, has become something more like a "weekly" photo for which I apologise.

I have been thinking about prayer a lot lately and so this picture is what I think half of one's prayer life should be and what I am really craving for. When I say this I really don't mean that external appearances or surroundings have grounding significance in prayer but rather that the posture of our heart should look something like this; i.e. at peace, still, reverent/awed and yet close and personal, being able to put aside life's business/distractions and finding time to be outside of that (and of course, that involves a cup of tea).

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this scene :)

- tom

Phone Call

My photo for today. Two very silly people who make me laugh and yet also some wonderful deep conversations. Here's to you!

- tom

Nightwish "Imaginaerum" Review

I have been listening to the new Nightwish album "Imaginaerum". At first I was a wee bit skeptical when I heard the first single, Storytime and I still say that is the weakest song on the album but now that I listen to the rest of the songs I really quite like it!
      Rest Calm, Turn Loose the Mermaids and Scartale are my favourites I think, but that might change once I have seen the movie which I'm quite excited for; it should be very interesting. The more I listen to the songs the more I like the folky, circusy feel to the album and the depiction of the story.  
      Song of Myself is a beautiful epic poem; it is a deep insight into the mind and heart of Tuomus Holopainen, the pianist/songwriter/composer of Nightwish.
      There are some negatives for me every now and then. For instance, I don't really like how the trumpets are implemented (I can't really put my finger on it but, there it is). Some of the songs seem to lack polish and can be quite repetitive without any interesting form. I believe this to be due to the way it will tie into the movie but we will have to wait and see.

These are my thoughts, I would love to hear yours! :)

- tom