The couch

One of the biggest differences between the houses I know in Argentina and those in Australia is the absence of a comfortable couch (in Argentina that is).  Maybe it's a question of space or money, or a difference in culture, but it is a rare luxury to find yourself lounging on a sofa when you visit a friend.  I am much more likely to be positioned at the dining room table, my slouching posture begging to slump onto a couch.  There is something warm and inviting about a room with a couch... it's there to be enjoyed with a book, or a cat on your lap.

Living without one for the last two and a half years has left me planning the perfect purchase.  I spotted this beauty at my local second-hand store...

Belize

Belize is an interesting place, with lots of conflicting ideas.  It's in the Carribean, but was settled by the British, so everyone speaks English.  Arriving by boat, it is picturesque with pastel, weatherboard houses, but as soon as you step outside the port it looks like a typical third-world country and kinda like Guatemala.  The people all want to sell you something or take you on a tour, but if you say no and that you are not interested, they politely let you go by and wish you a nice day.

We took a tour of the city with a local guy called Bernard who seemed passionate about education as he pointed out every local school (and there were a LOT) and explained that they each have a different coloured uniform.  We went past a parade that some school kids were doing for red ribbon day, which promotes saying no to drugs.

To escape from the insane heat, we went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered a local beer from a Spanish-speaking employee and drank it while listening to a remix of songs that included Gloria Estefan and Reggaton.  I quite like Belize...

Adelaide House

The house of my friend in Adelaide is full of light, art and colour, and the backyard is an oasis of trees.  The house itself is a lovely old building with lots of space, quite distinct to the places in Buenos Aires and it's interesting to see how people share a house with a lot of space or just a little.  Here there is so much room to move that you could sit on the front porch, in the living room, the kitchen space, or venture into the enormous backyard, which means there is always the opportunity to be alone.  For me this is the deal maker.

Everyday Adelaide

Quilts, magazines and peacock feathers are just a few of my everyday things back home.

Melbourne vs Buenos Aires

I realised that no matter where I am, I'm attracted to the same things: buildings, tiles, art, graphics, and I saw a lot of similarities between Melbourne and Buenos Aires, which both scares and amazes me.

Strange days

The weather is moody today and seems to be affecting people strangely, myself included...

Blue House

Walking back from paying the rent one saturday morning recently, I stumbled upon this lovely blue house in the barrio of Boedo. 

El Cuartito

Another of Buenos Aires´ legendary pizzerias, El Cuartito is a mix of sports bar meets traditional eatery. Typically eating two slices of pizza will be enough, and along with the cerveza that you are drinking, you once again wonder how Argentinians are not mordibly obese.  Things that I love about this place include the old-fashioned decor, sports memorabilia posters, the interesting mix of clientele, the greasy and delicious pizza, the strange, sometimes cheerful, often moody waiters and the neon sign outside...

Missing the beach

I never used to miss the beach, but I also used to have it in front of my house for most of my life.  I have been living away from the beach for two and a half years now, and sometimes I miss the air, the sand, the smell and the noise, in summer and in winter.  This image is from Ultra Bar in the centre near calle Florida, and sits behind the stage where the band plays.

Pale blue house/pink bathroom

There is a cute pale blue house on a street corner near my work.  It has some great features, like the cut-out shape around the door, the feature above the garage door, and the contrast of the blue and white. 

A friend has just moved into a new place that has a crazy pink bathroom. 

Yes I like colour and I like it in unusual ways...

Barzon Magazine

I love magazines.  Mainly interior design and decoration, but also fashion, culture, travel, food... and I am quite an expert when it comes to magazines both Australian and international, and now, Argentinian. The magazine scene in Argentina is quite shameful, and you really need to know your stuff to be able to choose a good one.  They have some sort of secret if you touch a magazine you WILL buy it code amongst the newspapers stands, which makes flipping through various mags impossible.  It is inevitable that you commit several purchasing errors... lured in by the seemingly edgy and well-designed cover, but sadly, inside there is rarely more than 10 minutes worth of entertainment.  Barzon is not one of these magazines.

My favourite magazine by far, Barzon is a mix of culture, style, fashion, interiors, architecture and art, and it focuses on Argentina, and stretches sometimes to other parts of Latin America.  The photography is amazing, the houses they feature are too, and you can actually spend hours leafing through the content and learning about the life of a local artist or the history of a city in the north of the country that contributes to the culture of Argentina.  If you are looking for THE best mag, Barzon is it!  The text is all in Spanish, but if you don´t speak it, you can at least enjoy the photography and great design.

 Images from Barzon, issue 14

White Houses

Following a complete lack of photo-taking, I found these pics I took a while back of different houses that happen to be white (ish).  I really like the effect that the light has in the images.  The first two are from Santa Fe, and the last three are the house of a friend who lives in Villa Urquiza in Buenos Aires, and always has huge parties.  I love the art deco facade of his place!  The wall actually looks like marcasite and sparkles!!