IT'S BETTER TO TRAVEL ALONE THAN WITH A BAD COMPANION

How does that William Morris mantra to minimalism go again? “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful". (Great advice dude, but there are some people out there that think their room full of beanie babies is a beautiful thing, just saying.)  Granted, my idea to take a camera around more often as a better way to make use of my downtime was exactly what I needed (my DSLR is great, but it's not very practical to carry around day to day), but it seems my go-to point and shoot impulse buy from a couple of years ago is an awful piece of gadgetry...well, that is to say it works but doesn't come close to what I want out of a camera. Maybe I'm too picky, but it's decided - I don't like it and we're not friends.

STICKY MOMENTS

Storm, incoming!

Right now in the Top End we're full swing into the build-up. Also known as troppo season as the eternal sticky, muggy and downright oppressive conditions, mixed with the generally high levels of alcohol consumption in these parts has a tendency to send people a little off the rails.
Some mornings start with grey skies. Black clouds on the horizon show a hint of a promise, and though you know rain is unlikely so soon in the season, a downpour would only make it worse anyway. But for a blessed 20 minutes, it's slightly cooler morning than normal. After a while the breeze drops, and even the cloud cover can't keep the heat away. As the humidity gradually climbs, the slightest exertion makes you break out in a sweat. In between showering and changing clothes you're not entirely sure if you accomplished anything worthwhile at all. By the way, it IS actually possible to sweat in the shower.

WASTE NOT

The first question people generally ask about Buy Nothing New Month is 'does this include food?' Well, no it doesn't (unless the freegan life is the life for you, ho ho) but it doesn't hide the fact that food waste is a huge problem in our convenience society (think about it, if we had no waste and ate less meat then we could easily feed, house and clothe 9 billion+ people). Collectively, we Westerners throw out anything up to 40% of the food we produce (this includes food that spoils or is discarded before it even makes it into our homes). I grew up in the New Zealand agricultural/horticultural sector and even by the late 80s, when I was still a young teen, I had a disturbingly clear picture of what soil to plate food production looked like, as well as an insight into how free market trade could crush a local industry.

LOW TIDE AT SUNSET

CORNER OF BISHOP AND SNELL

There's not a huge amount of street art in Darwin unfortunately (though we do have an active collective of decent artists in the city). So whenever I see anything clever or insightful, it tends to catch my eye. I spotted this illustration in Darwin's industrial area of Winnellie during my commute home. Pretty on point for a Buy Nothing New Month I think!

ROMA

The Roma Bar has been a Darwin fixture for as long as I can remember, which isn't surprising as it opened in 1973. Once further down Cavenagh Street (and on the other side of the road) than it is today (which used to be a cafe by a different name - possibly the Groove Cafe, I forget), it's a great spot for a coffee and a reasonably priced meal, by Darwin city standards anyway. Open from 7am, they have ample indoor and outdoor seating and a stack of decent newspapers on offer, including the Guardian (international edition). Their signature sandwich is a pan bagne, and they also do a mean Virgin Mary. Although their standard menu is a simple affair, it's worth keeping an eye on the daily specials. Today's offering was esquites - a Mexican corn salad served in a lime and chilli mayo with coriander and feta garnish and a side stack of tortillas.
Roma Bar
9-11 Cavenagh Street
Darwin
Open 7am-4pm

SHADES OF LUNCHTIME

One of the upsides of working in the city is I can go for a stroll by the waterfront, the park, or wander round the mall. One of the downsides of working in the city - at this time of year - is that it's stinking hot, and a casual wander generally turns into a casual browse in an air-conditioned shop, which often leads to the casual purchase of a casual item.

Not shopping is super easy when you don't go to the shops, I've discovered (call it a eureka moment) - but when the beckoning CBD is a useful and healthy excuse to get out of the office, then what?
So as an alternative to casual consumption, I've decided to do mini photo-walks instead. Whatever I can find and shoot in half an hour, give or take. At the absolute worst time of the day for photography. The added bonus is that it will hopefully kick-start my photography mojo, which has been flagging these last few months. And, as I'm waiting on a new (secondhand) battery charger for my DSLR, I'll be using my neglected point and shoot. I've never really clicked with it (no pun) so it'll be a good time to figure out if we're going to get along in the long run.

SLEEPY SUNRISE

My dog isn't a bed sleeper per se, but every morning at about 5.30 he hops up for a morning cuddle and will loll around for as long as he can get away with it (or until he gets hungry). It's quite a sweet ritual, so I'm pretty indulgent... (i.e, a sucker)

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM (BUY NOTHING NEW MONTH)

I always fancied myself as a professional beachcomber. You know how that daydream goes - tanned, lithe, living on a tropical island (the food magically grows itself, probably), living in a driftwood hut and scouring the shoreline every sunrise and sunset for ocean treasures which are invariably useful and/or beautiful in some existentially meaningful way . I would make wonderful art and decor from it and there was probably a ruggedly handsome Spaniard somewhere in there doing some useful things on a boat. We would have no need for pah!, money, because th..

THE HUMBLE JAR (BUY NOTHING NEW MONTH)

Last month I had the chance to spend a wonderful afternoon in San Francisco's mission district with a couple of old friends. At the end of the day we decided to pop into a funky restaurant and grab a round of cocktails because what did you expect, really? Made and served in the same vessel, our mojitos came prepared in reused jam jars...which I instantly decided was the coolest thing ever and have since added a couple to my meagre home collection of glass tumblers.

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING USED

Because I enjoy my challenges;

October is Buy Nothing New Month!

It's no newsflash that we first world citizens overconsume. Between planned obsolescence, rapid upgrades to technology and the constant consumer drive to makeover our lives to whatever post-modern retro minimalist bohemian trend is in next-last season, we're consuming at levels far beyond what our planet can sustain. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but creating artificial need is her evil twin.