Music Monday ♫

The past few days have been a really difficult time for me and my family, and I've been listening to a lot of James Taylor. This song is actually my all-time favourite and most-played song, but the lyrics have never been more relevant. It's weird having your favourite song take on new meaning, and I know I'll never listen to it the same way again, but it adds even more emotion and connection for me so I think the love and appreciation has only grown stronger, despite the sad circumstances.

If you listen to only one of the songs I've posted on here throughout the course of my blog, please make sure it's this one. Go into your room, close the door, lie on your bed and really listen to the words he sings. 

Fire and Rain - James Taylor

It came out 43 years ago and I still think it's one of the most beautiful pieces of folk music I've ever heard. In searching for the video to post here I found clips of James performing this in 1970 when it was released, as well as performances within the past year, and if you closed your eyes you wouldn't be able to tell a difference. The quality of this music; the lyrics, his voice, it's all still amazing and proves that true passion and honest songwriting is timeless.

Grigons & Orr ૐ

A while ago one of my lovely followers, (alitabuffalo) very thoughtfully recommended a 

cafe to me because she thought I would appreciate the decor - and boy was she right!

This place is super 70s kitch-style, all the furniture was something you would recognise from your grandparents home and it was filled with lollies and boardgames that scream childhood memories.

The cafe is Grigons & Orr Corner Store in North Melbourne, and I'm so glad to have discovered this gem (well, have it discovered for me). It really is everything I love all in one place - flowers, retro style, friendly people and, best of all, bircher muesli. I forgot to take a photo of the menu but in true 'corner store' fashion, they have spiders, floats, and about 10 different amazing flavours of milkshakes - my favourites being the 'Tim Tam' and the 'cake shake', which is literally a piece of cake in a milkshake. Have you ever heard of anything so perfect in this world?

Who else remembers Trolli gummy pizza and burgers? They were the best. Also, Melody pops!

In addition to all the old school sweets, there was also homemade baked goods.
I bought a rocky road cookie for $2 and it was incredible. A++

My muesli partner in crime, Mez

One of the best birchers I have ever had! Perfect ratios all round. I give it a solid 8/10.

Here is my outfit! I got quite a few compliments from strangers so I thought why not share it with a few more?
Flatform shoes - Asos
Sunflower Jeans
Cropped shirt - Ralph Lauren (thrifted)
Flower crown - made by a friend
Very Hungry Cattepillar bag - Lions and Unicorns

I hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

Let me know about your favourite cafes or childhood memories!

☮

Music Monday ♫

In true Ally fashion, I've left this post to the very last minute and am racing against the clock to hit 'publish' before midnight. I don't know why I choose to live on the edge like this, I guess I just like the thrill.

This weeks little ditty comes to you from a film I watched a few days ago. I was at my beautiful friend Rachel's house on Friday all snuggled up in bed and we decided to watch the classic film Dead Poet's Society. My parents had raved about this to me and I know it's many people's all-time favourite but I'd never actually gotten around to seeing it myself. If you haven't seen it yourself I strongly recommend you drop whatever you're doing right now and go watch it. Forget about assignments, commitments with friends or pets that need to be fed - this movie is a game changer. It's the kind that you can just tell is going to have an impact on who you are by the end of it. 

It's basically an inspiring story about a group of teenage boys at boarding school, and how they become inspired by their English teacher to truly 'seize the day'. At one point in the movie, one of the boys goes to a party at the house of a girl he is head over heels in love with, and this song started playing. I made Rachel rewind it twice so I could Shazam it because I loved the tune so much. 

The Cadets - Stranded In The Jungle

The verses are cool, but it's the chorus I'm obsessed with. It's a little rhythm and blues, a little funk and a lot awesome. It's that kind of music you just can't help but smile when listening to. The chorus makes me conjure up the image of handsome men and classy ladies of the 50s swinging and swaying to this groovy kind of doo wop tune on the jukebox in an ice cream parlour one warm afternoon.

I can't help but wish we still played music like this at our parties. There's something about

swing dancing that just pleases me a little bit more than the beloved harlem shake.

If you have any recommendations for music you think I might like or just want to share your
favourite song, band or artist, please comment and let me know! 

☮

Sunny Sunday ☀

Today was a really nice, lazy, relaxing day (as my Sunday's usually are) so I thought it was a good opportunity to finally do an outfit post. I went out for brunch in the morning, where something happened that I will have to save for another post because it's just too big to get into here.... then I went and watched a hockey game, attempted a few hours' study at uni but didn't achieve much, and went to the market in the afternoon to get some fresh produce for the week. Now I'm curled up in bed with a giant bowl of watermelon, some greek yogurt and some tea which I've been drinking a lot of lately, wishing that Monday morning didn't have to come. ANYWAY, here's what I wore today!

(I should probably apologise for my total inability to take a good
photo ever but it's just something we all just have to accept)

Boots - K-Mart, Skirt - American Apparel (I think?),  Purple Shirt - Cotton On,
Cropped Jumper - Camberwell Market, Flower Crown - Trash for Cash Market

I hope everyone had a superior weekend and was far more productive in their academic endeavours than I was. If you ever have any suggestions for what you'd like to see on this blog, please let me know! My follower count has soared to a mighty 9 and i'm trying to not let it get to my head but I can't help but feel like I'm becoming internet famous on here so we'll see. Catch you on the flippety flop!

☮

Music Monday ♫

I'm glad I have this weekly post to make, otherwise I might have gone even longer than a week and who knows when I'd remember to come and write something.

I actually posted this video on my tumblr a few days ago but decided it was worthy of a higher status, and is being officially announced here as my song of the week. It's not a particularly new song, in fact it's not even new for me, but it's one of my favourites and most played songs so I definitely want you guys to hear it!

Andy Grammer - The Biggest Man in Los Angeles

Although I much prefer the studio recorded album version, I wanted to post this live performance because it represents great memories for one of the happiest times of my life.
This video is at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica LA, a place I discovered and fell in love with last July. I spent hours walking along eating froyo, shopping, listening to buskers, watching street performers and pinching myself that I was actually there, soaking up the California sun.

Almost all of Andy's songs are upbeat with positive vibes and uplifting lyrics, so they're great to listen to if you're feeling down, or to make you feel even better on a great day! You only need to look at the YouTube comments on the above video to see what a great influence he's had on so many people's lives. His album is my go-to shower playlist and also a favourite for bike rides on beautiful summer days. It's hard to pick only a few to show you guys but these are a couple of my other most-played:

(I'm still trying to figure out how to make those lil YouTube players where it's just the bar...
if you know how to do this, help a homegirl out!)

I really hope you guys like his music, I absolutely love every song and have only known about him since last year, even though sadly he came here in Australia. This breaks my heart so hopefully he has (or can get) a big enough fan base that he might come back and tour again asap!
 If you know any other artists or tracks that you think I might like, leave a comment below :)

Music Monday ♫

I thought I might share what I've been listening to over the past week, and if you guys have any suggestions for songs or artists you think I'd like, leave a comment below!

Sister Wife - Jojo (LIVE from the Fender Sessions)

I consider myself to be an avid JoJo fan and dedicated 'Leave' enthusiast, with soft spots also for Baby It's You, Disaster and Coming For You, but I really didn't think it could get much better than that. On discovering this little jam sesh, part of me thinks it has. I can't tell you how many times I've listened to this song over the past 7 days. Actually, I can, but the iTunes play count is embarrassingly high and something I should probably keep to myself. This is a cover of a song originally by Alex Winston, but I love this version so much more. Just when I thought I'd never love again, JoJo pulls through with this super catchy little ditty. Ten year old me is dying with happiness over rocking out to my girl again.

Fun fact: JoJo's full name is actually Joanna Noëlle Blagden Levesque.
I can understand why she decided to shorten it.

Market Haul ❀

If you know me, you know I'm a girl who loves her bargains. Last weekend I discovered just how much, when I visited The 'Trash for Cash' flea market in Brunswick. The market stalls were displayed inside and out, selling a mixture of new, pre-loved and vintage clothing, unique hand made jewellery from local designers, books, records and more. One stall even had some homemade deathly hallows necklaces, golden snitch lockets and felix felicis bottles. What made it even better was that I knew many of the stall holders, so I got to chat with old friends while I shopped up a storm.

Here's some of the things I bought!

Floral crown - $8
Floral sunglasses - $15
I think I'll be wearing both of these a lot, especially in Spring!

Homemade dungaree dress - $7
(You can't see because of the overexposure, but the pockets
have little mushrooms on them to match the buttons)

Woven bag - $3

Knit jumper - $10
Boyfriend jeans - $15
This jumper makes me feel like a cross between
Aria Montgomery and someone from the Brady Bunch

Cropped striped tee - $3

American Apparel skater skirt - $6
(I still can't believe Joolz let me buy this so cheap! It's my new favourite wardrobe essential)

Ralph Lauren cropped shirt - $5
I can't wait to wear this in Hawaii with high waisted denim shorts, or under my overalls!

My favourite buy of the day - two new plants! I got both of these for $7 together because Sofia is a beautiful soul, and she explained how I'm best to water, love and care for them so they can bloom pretty flowers)


I've made a lot of great purchases in my day, but I'm definitely counting these as some of my best finds yet! Let me know what your favourite local markets are, or the best bargains you've ever bought :) 

☮

Ally

March in photos ✶

Here's a little peek into my life lately

You can find me on Instagram as agirlnamedally 

☮

Hello April ☽

The first of the month brings many things. In this case, we have April Fool's Day, Fred and George's birthday, and Edible Book Day (I'll admit, that one I had to look up). This month however, the dawning of a new month means a new beginning for me. While I'm usually against waiting for a particular date or occasion to change one's lifestyle, right now I feel like a fresh start is definitely what I need. Lately I've been crazy busy and haven't had time to prepare my usual fresh food or enjoy regular exercise, two things I'm passionate about. Especially with Easter recently, I've just finished eating my last chocolate frog from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, numerous hot cross buns, half my body weight in chocolate covered almonds and infinite amounts of Cadbury mini eggs. 

I'm not one to stress over food or what I'm eating, but lately I can definitely feel my skin, mood and energy suffering the consequences of my actions the past few weeks, so I'm more than ready to get my healthy lifestyle back on track. For the first week of 2013 I was happier and healthier than I ever have been before, eating mostly raw foods (acai bowls galore) and each day meant a bike ride and pool swim before breakfast, a walk and beach swim in the afternoon. As the weather gets colder, uni assignments and social commitments pile up, I tend to fall into lazy habits which I'm definitely ready to break. Now I'm feeling motivated and excited to stock up the fridge with lots of delicious ingredients, as well as giving my beautiful bike, runners and sports bras a good work out. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Ally