The National Lottie

This week we are looking at Sydney Wildlife. We want you to take inspiration from the various animals that can be found in and around Sydney, and create your own Australian creature – whether it be a mash-up of existing animals (platypus, koala, wombat, emu– there’s plenty to choose from!) or a completely new species.

This is the weird and wonderful world of crOZbreeding. Thank you all for your bizarre but fantasic suggestions over the past week.In the end it was  Ms. Keogh’s DidgereRoo that was fed into the test tube and committed to immortality.

So what is the DidgereRoo I hear the masses exclaim. Well, it’s quite simple, the DidgereRoo is a rare musical marsupial creature which plays hypnotic music from it’s throat through a vestigial Didgeridoo. The hypnosis is used to stun it’s prey which is actually a pretty useless technique as they are herbivores.

The off-spring of the DidgereRoo, which can be seen in the above sketch are called Youngerangs. They have, much like the Irish male, a habit of returning home to the Mammy at the slightest sign of trouble.

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[Image Via: Half Heartedly]

You Are My Sunhine

The Boy brought me off to Bunratty on a whim last weekend for a bit of Irish culture.

We spent a whole day wandering the castle grounds and most of a night listening to the roof being raised in Durty Nelly’s bar. I so often forget the beauty we have right here on our door step and intend to make more of an effort to explore Ireland.

If you do go for a visit I highly recommend The Bunratty Castle Hotel too as it has the most amazing spa & leisure Center. I really didn’t want to leave.

This week we are looking at Sydney Wildlife. We want you to take inspiration from the various animals that can be found in and around Sydney, and create your own Australian creature – whether it be a mash-up of existing animals (platypus, koala, wombat, emu– there’s plenty to choose from!) or a completely new species.

As always, the medium in which you deliver your entry is up to you, and you’ll be judged on creativity, community involvement and use of the resources available to you.

Here are some of the suggestions so far:

@sineaedkeogh has come up with the DidgereRoo – The marsupial creature which plays hypnotic music from it’s throat. The off-spring of the DidgereRoo are called Youngerangs. They have, much like the Irish male, a habit of returning home to the Mammy at the slightest sign of trouble.

Sinead also suggested the Tazmanian Trible, the Springbokadile

Rick thought a Duck Billed Flatypus, the flattest animal in the world. Just how flat is flat?

Darren had the Kanga-Dingo and the Wala-Bee.

Sharon & her lovely man sent me a list of potentials this morning:

A Wana-be : small furred marsupial who hides amongst other animals by disguising itself with twigs, leaves and berry juice (to fake markings on it’s fur)

There are 3 schools of thought on the Wana-be; some feel the animal has been extinct for centuries, others believe it has become so adept at disguising itself that humans simply can’t tell a wana-be from the animal it has chosen to imitate. others believe the wana-be fossils are merely pranks by the students at Sydney uni with clay, paper clips, toilet roll inserts and far too much time on their hands.

A shock-odile : born of the unlikely union between a crocodile and an electric eel. It is important for outback backpackers to note these animals, when prodded with a dry stick they produce a spark which can be used to light a camp fire. These creatures rarely grow beyond 2ft long which is good as their electric shocks increase with size, but bad because they have been known to swim up pipes and get into toilets giving their unfortunate victims what is known as the ‘down-under burn’.

The Ram-a-lama-dingos : This unusual breed of outback hunting dogs has been known to lure it’s prey of small mammals into the open with a strangely harmonious howl described by zoologists as “funky”

What did I forget? Oh yes, the Kookoowallo Bear and the Kanga-Boo. Do you think animals believe in the afterlife?

I need lots more ideas and as for the execution of the challenge…I haven’t a clue. HELP!

Can anyone draw? (more…)

If ever I have been truly envious of a “real” person it has to be Jessica Schroeder of What I Wore. The woman seems to have a infinite wardrobe and copious imagination in creating different looks. To top off the envy she also looks a little like Jennifer Garner.

Check out the Tumblr bog here but be warned, it is highly addictive.

Now one of our own, @RosemaryMacCabe has created a little haven of voyeurism on Style Bitches Are Vicious. Go check it out, rate her, slate her, steal her look.

The third challenge is themed around Sydney icons. We want to see you recreate a well-known building, monument or geographical feature, and have your photo taken in front of it.

How you go about making the icon is entirely up to you – we’re thinking about going down the mashed-potato Sydney Opera House avenue (seems perfectly sane to us)!

I thought about superimposing myself as the Digger on Anzac Bridge or taking center stage at the Opera House but then, inspiration, finally a use for the ridiculous amounts of make-up that clutters my bedroom, handbag and bathroom cupboards.

So I took this picture of the Sydney skyline…

and in the style of my make-up bag, created this…

And if you look carefully, you can see me about to enjoy some dinner in The Tower:

The Awesome Tour of Sydney Challenge – What it’s all about.

Week 1 – A Sporting Chance

Week 2 – Fashionably Late

The Tumblr Blog.

New South Wales.

With thanks to Brown Thomas make-up counters & the bountiful patience & awesome photo-shopping powers of Mr. Byrne.

I’m looking for a bit of a sympathy vote this week as I’ve been a very unwell bunny blogger and as a result tardy with this weeks challenge.

Sydney fashion is eclectic, there’s a little bit of everything on the streets. One of my favourite places to visit when I was there were the markets where you can find pretty much anything from trinket souvenirs to cut price couture.

As I have a wild love of dresses, I’ve come up with a pretty little number.  A blue satin dress that reveals a glimpse of the Sydney Opera House through the pleats as it moves.

I had planned to try my hand at making the dress but turns out sewing on the occasional button is the extent of my tailoring  skills.  Anyone else up to the challenge of a bit of dress making so that I might float around Bondi in one of my own designs?

Also check out the Awesome Tour of Sydney Tumblr blog to keep an eye of what everyone else is up to.

Previous Realted Posts:

What it’s all about.

Week 1.

Thanks to Maxi Cane, sex-toys.ie and some-one’s over active filthy imagination (it was only coffee) I received a lovely big package in the postbox yesterday.

Now I am attempting to bribe some suggestible blogger into modeling my prize for all you lovely people.

I can be very persuasive.

There’s coffee in it for you.

Okay, so week one was a bit tough. I know nothing about sports, least of all cricket.

Thanks to everyone who attempted to explain the rules of the game to me and more so to @Irlbinky who actually created a whole new “spin” on 1000head’s version.

Ultimately I decided that an Aussie Rules (footy) game might be easier for me to get my head around.  So, after picking many brains,  it was Mr O’Shea’s suggestion that I thought would work best. When I was in Oz in 2002, I did get to see a game. It’ s much more fun that regular football stuff.  None of that falling around like ladies-who-lunch nonsense.

The pitch:

You can print it out a sheet or just draw the oval and goals on a piece of paper with a line across the  centre.

You have to flick the coin (a la Subbuteo) into the goal.

Goal gets 6 points, little goal gets one, outside gets none.

It can just as easily be a drinking game, or, if you’re feeling a bit naughty, strip poker rules apply. For each goal you miss you lose an item. For each goal you make, you’re choice of opponent loses an item.

Now go play and I want proof.

Thanks to @irlbinky,@pluincee, Hugo, Darren,  Rick and everyone who helped & retweeted on Twitter. (more…)

At five minutes and six seconds after 4am today the time and date will read 04:05:06 07/08/09.

Just saying.