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Giant horses, huge dogs & puppies, OH MY!

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You’ve heard me rave on about Anatolian Shepherds a lot on the blog, it’s easy to say they are a breed I feel strongly about and absolutly adore. I’m lucky that Melbourne has a pretty amazing community surrounding these dogs and on Tuesday I went and helped out on the Takas Volkodav property. By help out I mean, play with all the animals.

Horse!

This is Geronimo, he’s HUGE! It takes a lot to make me feel small and standing next to him, well, I felt pretty small! There is a picture where his head is in front of my body and it’s pretty much the size of my torso. He was absolutely stunning and so friendly! I fed him a hay brick and then some bread from my hand! It’s true, I turn into an excited 7-year-old around animals.

Anatolian Puppies

PUPPIES! I’d never actually met any Anatolian puppies before, so it was a lot of fun getting to baby sit them! They are crazy cute little terrors who tried to eat all my clothes and hair. I’m not sure of their exact age but they were born in October.

Georgian Shepherd

This is Sunny, who nearly bowled me over with her beauty and her strength, seriously, I couldn’t walk her, she was a bit too strong for me. She is a Georgian Shepherd imported from Georgia. I stupidly asked ‘As in America?’ because I really do suck when it comes to geography. No, as in Georgia, the country in Europe. It then clicked in my head, because while I didn’t know about Georgian Shepherds, I did know about the Caucasian Shepherd/ Ovcharka.

Georgian Shepherd

She was super friendly, I am still surprised when you meet such a friendly huge dog. Not that large dogs aren’t friendly, it’s just that a lot of these dogs are guardian dogs and so much of the research i’ve read points to them being very protective and somewhat standoff-ish. Nope, not Sunny!

Horses

Central Asian Shepherd

This is Shamash, who I got to walk, she was very strong too and at one point was dragging me along the path. It was gravel and I couldn’t get a good enough grip on it. Once he got all her excitement (& pee) out he calmed down a lot and was easier to walk. This was my first time meeting a fully grown Central Asian Shepherd, I’d previously met Baby Sham Sham who is one of Shamash’s progeny. I got to meet a couple more CAS through windows as they aren’t as friendly and loving as Shamash.

Anatolian puppies

Puppies again! George, the brindle (lower left corner) will be heading off on a new adventure to Italy soon! Jicky is now protecting thousands of free range chickens on an organic chicken farm & Rajah will be a working dog on a farm in Dubbo!

It was such a wonderful day and my idea of heaven. Horses, dogs, beautiful land and a view. I learnt that hay gets everywhere, I came home with more hay in my bra than boobs! I’ve learnt that while I love huge dogs, I think Anatolians are still the right choice for me. The CAS are gorgeous, but I think too much of a strong dog for me, strength wise and personality wise.

What’s your favourite farm animal?

The post Giant horses, huge dogs & puppies, OH MY! appeared first on XL as life!.


VLOG – 2016 Anatolian Show

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Oh hey! Sorry about the lack of updates this year, between my mental health and my foot (I’m back in my boot again) I’ve just been lacking in any inspiration. Sorry! I also decided this year to focus more on quality over quantity.

I did, however, decide to piece together some video footage from last years Anatolian show to share! I think you already know how much I love and adore this breed, but I thought this was a great way to show you a bit more of what they are like!

The post VLOG – 2016 Anatolian Show appeared first on XL as life!.

Concert! B*Witched, Atomic Kitten, S Club, East 17 & Liberty X!

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Yesterday was a big day for me, but a brilliant one and I am so glad I pushed myself to do it all. In the early afternoon I went and visited my psych and then in the evening, my friend Mallory invited me to a concert. Now, that may not seem like much for most people, but it’s a lot for me. I ended up spending just over 4 hours on public transport. Oh, and the temperature reached 38°c.

Concert - Liberty X

The concert was a mishmash of early 2000 British music acts, so basically music I LOVED! In my early teens I loved British pop music and would buy Top of the Pops mags all the time. Of course, you probably know 5ive was my one true music love, but I adored so many artists the UK produced.

Concert - Liberty X

The first act was Liberty X, who I didn’t know much about, but I knew most of the songs once they got into it. It was a really great start with a lot of funky catchy music that had you grooving along. Gosh does that sentence make me sound old! Funky, groovy!

Concert - Liberty XConcert - East 17

East 17! Oh man, they were SO fun to watch! I remember really loving “House of Love” and “Alright” when I was younger and seeing them perform them was amazing! They pulled out some old school dance moves and totally rocked their whole set!

Concert - East 17

Concert - S Club

S Club was reduced from 3 to 2 last night as sadly Jo was in hospital in New Zealand after being sick and needing an operation. That being said, I actually think they may have been my favourite performance! They included the crowd, with Bradley getting down in the audience to have fans sign along. They really got into their dancing and honestly, their songs are just great fun, dance along songs that make you feel happy!

Concert - Atomic Kitten

Atomic Kitten! Liz has a fear of flying and so was replaced with Liberty X’s Michelle, and if you didn’t know the band, you wouldn’t have picked the difference. The ladies worked together so seamlessly. Kerry was hilarious and had me cracking up numerous times!

Concert - Atomic Kitten

Again, lots of upbeat dancing, with Kerry joking she was getting too old for it, plus she had broken the heel of her shoe on the way in. Their ballads were gorgeous, I got goosebumps when they performed ‘Whole Again’. I’d forgotten how much I loved that song.

Concert - B*Witched

Lastly was B*Witched, who sadly had to rush through their set and not get to talk too much because the venue wanted them out by 10:30. They were down to 3 members as Lindsay couldn’t make the tour. They performed all their hits as well as a few songs I didn’t know from their 2014 album. I was super happy to see them perform my favourite song, Blame it on the Weatherman. I actually have the CD single of it stashed away somewhere!

Concert - B*Witched

So all in all, I had a brilliant night! Though, I tell you what, my foot is killing me today! A huge thank you to Mallory, for letting me tag along and making my inner 16 year old squee in happiness. We had such amazing seats. Sorry for the dodgy photos, I only had my phone.

What act from your teen years would you love to see live?

The post Concert! B*Witched, Atomic Kitten, S Club, East 17 & Liberty X! appeared first on XL as life!.

Mental Health – My thoughts on 13 Reasons Why

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Trigger Warning – This post talks about Mental Health, Suicide, Self Harming and other similar topics.

Like so many other people, I was drawn into the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why“, based on the book by the same name. I binge watched the 13 episode series over 2 days and was warned by multiple people not to watch the last episode alone. I’ve seen a few facebook/twitter posts and read a few articles and I just wanted to touch on a few things. Share my opinion and my story.

Going into the TV show, I knew the basic premise. That it dealt with a suicide and high school students. Even if you didn’t know that before watching, you pick it up pretty quickly. The following episodes focus on Clay listening to a series of tapes left by Hannah explaining the downward spiral that led to her suicide.

Mental Health - My thoughts on 13 Reasons Why

It’s raw and rough to watch, but relatable. I am forever thankful I went to high school in a time before most social media took off. For me, it was emails and ICQ. High school was still a horrible experience for me, but I can only imagine how much worse it could have been. I share some of my thoughts on my high school years over here “Was high school really hell?

I’ve had mental health issues from an early age. I started councilling in Year 3, I started self-injuring in Year 7, I’ve attempted suicide and I’ve had a good friend, as well as a family member, die by suicide. Watching the show, I understood a lot of what Hannah was thinking.

A lot of people are saying that the last episode is too graphic. It isn’t right to show such a detailed suicide scene, that it glorifies suicide. This is the scene I was warned about, and to be honest, it didn’t shock me. You knew it was coming. Sure, you don’t expect to see such a scene in a TV show, but it’s suicide. It isn’t pretty and they didn’t paint it to be pretty. They showed the helplessness of it, the desperation of it, the commitment, the utter resignation that this is the best possible thing that can be done. Through the whole series, you see the aftermath of what this moment leaves behind, but in this last episode, you also witness the moments straight afterwards. The finding of the body, the shock and the heartbreak it causes. I think if anything, it shows suicide as it can be. Sure, it could give someone ideas, but it’s more likely to save someone’s life.

Mental Health - My thoughts on 13 Reasons Why

One thing that sat with me throughout the whole series was the tapes. I guess these are left as a sort of suicide note, a telling of her side of her story, of pointing fingers and trying to make sure that some people knew the truth. I’m not sure what her end goal of making them was, but I feel that a lot of it was very hurtful and selfish. Then again, suicide is both hurtful and selfish. I can honestly say that the main reason I am still here today is because of other people. I’ve felt and seen the hurt that suicide leaves behind. It’s horrendous. In saying that, she is a teenager, and hey, before my last attempt, I would have been very happy to have left a big “fuck you” in the form of similar tapes to a few people who propelled me into feeling that suicide was my best option.

I’ve also seen a few people saying that Hannah is over-dramatic. No. I can’t stop you for thinking that, but YOU never know what someone else is feeling. Everyone feels things differently. As someone who has BPD, I get this, for me, molehills ARE mountains. Hannah does actually have a lot of the BPD traits, and I find it interesting that mental health was never actually brought up at all in the series.

I think mental health and suicide needs to be talked about more, it’s one of those things that gets pushed aside, whispered in secret, swept under the rug. It shouldn’t, suicide is real and it’s something that a hell of a lot of people consider at some point in their life. I don’t know if it’s talked about more in schools these days, but it was never mentioned when I was there. My school counsellor had me talk to my parents because she wasn’t able to give me the help I needed, but I only visited the counsellor because my friends were worried and told my year advisor.

So yeah, those are my thoughts. It’s been awhile since I’ve sat down and talked through my thoughts and feelings on something, but this show left me feeling a lot of things.

Lifeline 13 11 14.
Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.
Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800.
MensLine Australia 1300 78 99 78.

Have you watched the show? What did you think?

The post Mental Health – My thoughts on 13 Reasons Why appeared first on XL as life!.

Goodbye Tonka

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This is so hard to write. So so so hard. Last night, on Mothers Day, I made the hard decision to have my little man put to sleep. It was heartbreaking, and to say I’m absolutely gutted is an understatement.

12/08/2010 – 14/05/2017

If you follow the blog on facebook or Instagram, you’ll know that Tonka has been unwell. Just over a month ago, we took him for some tests as he was losing weight and vomiting more than normal. We were thinking maybe thyroid issues or diabetes. What it confirmed was unexpected. Kidney disease.

He spent a few days at the vets, on fluids, started on a new diet and medication. The fluids helped a bit, but after a long talk with our vet, the hard truth was that she suspected that if he lasted 6 months, he’d be lucky. He was still acting like his normal self and we decided we’d just make the rest of his life super happy.

The rate at which he deteriorated was drastic. We only found out a month ago and with how he was, we were optimistic that we’d get those 6 months. Even until his last day he was eating SO much. Sadly, over this last month, he’d lost so much weight. I’d never been so knowledgeable about a cat skeleton then I was just from patting him.

The decline was daily and on Friday, I ended up booking him in for next Saturday to see his Vet. I was thinking it may be his time then but was going to see what Claire thought. On Saturday, I rang and changed that appointment to Claires next available, which was Tuesday. Sunday came, Mothers Day, and by 8pm, I wasn’t sure he’d make it to the vets opening in 12 hours. So I made the decision to take him to the AEC.

I had slept with him in my arms, as he so often did, and spent a bit of the day in bed with him. He’d been super clingy. So much so that when I went and had a bath, he sat on me the whole time. He had a whole lot of his favourite food, tinned tuna, some ham, and what I call ‘kitty crack sticks‘. He’d stopped eating and drinking by the afternoon, and was all twitchy, finding it hard to walk. You could see in his eyes he was done, he was just tired, drained and uncomfortable.

I feel so blessed to have had Tonka in my life. I had expected it to be for a lot, lot longer, but the time we shared was special. He was an amazing cat and he charmed so many people. Even people who didn’t like cats warmed up to Tonky. He was loud and opinionated, but loving and clinging. He was well travelled, having flown more than some humans. Sydney to Melbourne, Melbourne to Sydney and then Sydney to Melbourne again.

You can read the blog and watch the vlog about the day I adopted him here.

I love you Tonka, so much and I will miss you more than I can express. I know you are at peace now and will be snuggling away with Mr Frodo.

 

The post Goodbye Tonka appeared first on natatree.

Natatree! The new Extra Large as Life!

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So, you may have noticed some changes around these parts, a re-branding, a new name. Yep, I’ve changed Extra Large as Life to Natatree.

June 6th marks the 16th year of my blogging journey. Yes, that means I’ve been blogging more years of my life than I haven’t. Crazy huh!? I’ve been blogging here as Extra Large as Life for 8 years, and it was a big decision to change that. Why have I changed it? I just needed a change, I felt XLasLife was a bit constricting, that I had grown out of it, that it wasn’t so much ‘ME’ anymore.

Why Natatree? Well, it’s a name that most people already associate with me, it’s a nickname I’ve had for close to 18 years. It’s me, and that’s mainly what this blog is about. Me, my life, my journey, my love of fashion, plus size fashion.

My first ever blog post.

Will the content here change? I don’t know, probably. I want to talk more about important things, get back into sharing more personal posts. I want to share more about local fashion and designers. I want to talk more about plus size fashion, push more for fashion for ALL sizes. I want to try and vlog more, maybe share more beauty stuff.

What would you like to see more of? What do you think of the rebrand? Hit me up with your thoughts and ideas!

The post Natatree! The new Extra Large as Life! appeared first on natatree.

This is 31! Happy birthday to me!

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On Wednesday the 7th I celebrated my 31st year of life! Yep, it was my birthday! Originally, I had a trip to Tasmania planned, but as Tonka got sick, I decided to cancel it. One, because I expected him to still be alive and didn’t want to hassle anyone with looking after a cat who had to have a special diet and tablets he hated to take. Two, because the money saved for the holiday went to his vet bills. It was a bit of a sad week, just knowing Tonka isn’t with me, and that I’m not exploring Hobart. It was brightened by a new kitty family member though. More to come on her soon!

This is 31 - Melbourne art work

How did I celebrate?

With food of course! The day started out with a routine house inspection from the real estate (who can I just take a moment to say, I LOVE!). Then I headed out to the city. Oh Melbourne, you really hold my heart. I swear, every time I visit the city I find new and interesting laneways. Hidden treasures everywhere. I always end up taking a few snaps when I’m walking around.

This is 31 - Lunch at Ruyi Modern Chinese Melbourne

I had lunch at RuYi. A modern Chinese restaurant. The service was great and the food was delicious! If you’re in Melbourne, be sure to check it out. Be sure to order the Wagyu Beef, it was AH-MAY-ZING! I was also very proud because I managed to eat the mains (including rice) with chopsticks! *self high-five*

This is 31 - Lunch at Ruyi Modern Chinese Melbourne

What did I try?
  • Pork & Crab Shao Long Bao
  • RuYi Fried Chicken Wings
  • Pecking Duck Bao Bao
  • Wagyu Beef
  • Steamed Barramundi Fillet

This is 31 - Plus size outfit

ABOVE >> Top – City Chic || Skirt – Be Me || Jacket – Junarose
BELOW >> Dress – ASOS || Sheer Tunic – TCD || Stockings – Sonsee || Boots – ASOS
Necklace – Knockoff of a Tatty Devine piece.

This is 31 - Plus size outfit

Thursday night I headed out to Tommy Ruff for dinner with family. I’d been wanting to try it for ages. I adore seafood and this was some of the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. I also got to have my favourite food, oysters! Oh, and their potato cakes are to diiiie for! I don’t drink often, but I tried their Passionfruit Cider, so yummy! Though I didn’t realise it was 8% and I got quite tipsy from one drink! #cheapdrunkThis is 31 - Dinner at Tommy Ruff

Do you have a favourite restaurant?

The post This is 31! Happy birthday to me! appeared first on natatree.

Dear Mr Frodo. Four years on.

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Dear Mr Frodo,

Today marks 4 years since I last held you in my arms. 4 years since I last petted you, since you licked my tears away. It feels like yesterday, yet it feels like 10 years ago. I miss you so much, but it has become easier. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, but it makes them bearable.

The main difference now is Tonky is with you. I don’t really believe in life after death for humans, but for some reason, the thought of you and Tonka being over the rainbow bridge together comforts me. Hopefully, Bayley, Emily, Betsy, Prince, King, Billy and all my other babies (and fur siblings) are living it up with you somewhere. Thinking that you’d be waiting for Tonka helped make his loss easier. I felt that with losing Tonka I’d lost my last thread to you. I didn’t though, you will always be in my heart and soul.

I still thank you so much for everything you did for me, and still do. My mental health still isn’t the greatest and I actually found myself curled up hugging your urn many months ago. Probably a bit creepy, but when my head is bad the old routine of “Frodo and bed” still kicks in. My brain is weird, but you already knew that and you loved me so fiercely despite it all.

I’m still scared i’ll never love anyone as much as you. I want to, but I also don’t want to. I know you’d want me to. I still don’t have another dog though, mainly because it’s too hard with renting. Luckily I have met some amazing people who have an amazing dog breed that let me come and play with their dogs. I’m not alone though, I have more cats. You’d love them, then again, you loved pretty much everyone. Louis was extra snuggly with me today, he’s not a snuggly cat, but I think he knew I need it.

I miss you so much. So so so so so much. It’s probably bad to say, but I don’t miss anyone the way I miss you. I’d do almost anything just to spend another day with you. I know it may be weird, still writing these letters, but I guess it’s my way of dealing. Of grieving.

Love you, little man. You are missed by so many.
xoxo Mum

The post Dear Mr Frodo. Four years on. appeared first on natatree.


Monthly Catch Up – October

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Right, so my last catch up post was June, whoops! A lot of July/ August/ September were travelling to Queensland and Hong Kong, which all got dedicated posts. I still have posts to share about both destinations, but in the mean time, I thought i’d do an October catch up post!

Event – Power Ranch

I love a good girls night and the Power Ranch was up there in my top five. If I’d being honest, a lot of the gigs I go to these days, I go to spend time with Mallory and Angela. This time, whilst I didn’t know either of the acts, I really loved them, and they played songs I knew! Haha! The night started with Harry Hookey, who I promptly fell in love with. My iPod is filled with similar folksy blues artists that of course I raced homed and added most of his music to my Spotify playlist. Next was Brook Chivell with guest Nat Pearson. A talented handsome man who sings and plays the guitar very well. Nat may only be tiny but she’s got a big amazing voice.

New Tattoo!

I’ll share a better photo once it’s all healed. At the moment I only have the fresh picture. Life has been crazy of late and it’s made me really rethink everything. I wanted to get something for my family, they are the reason I am still here today. They are my backbone, so I thought it fitting I get the first initial of my family members down my spine. Yes, I am aware if you read it down it says ‘dank – scab’, but I don’t care. To me, it’s my parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephews. I love how Dalia made it a bit more feminine with the flowers on the side & I think in the future I may get some flowers on the other side & some colour added. As it was, it was my largest tattoo. To be honest, I didn’t find it hurt much at all whilst getting done. It was later that night when I had to clean it that I felt like I was almost about to pass out from the pain. 

Sydney!

With my nephew and niece.

I spent just over a week in Sydney! Sadly a few members of my family are seriously ill, so I wanted to spend some time with them. Dad had to go into hospital for a procedure and I wanted to keep Mum company. I love living in Melbourne, but its times like this when I hate being so far away from my parents. I had a great time catching up with family and friends, as well as giving out the presents I bought in Hong Kong!

Fashion

Ahhh, fashion. It’s been lacking here on the blog lately, I know. I’m sorry. Here is the outfit I wore to Power Ranch. I didn’t know what to expect of the venue, so I went with jeans and a singlet, with a cardi. Second is a dress I picked up from The Iconic for Hong Kong and I’ve been wearing it so often! It’s so comfy!

Singlet – Dorothy Perkins
Cardigan – Millers
Jeans – Crossroads
Jacket – Crossroads

Dress – Atmos & Here Curvy (Size 22)

Health

I’m doing pretty well! Once I came back from Hong Kong, I had to go for more tests. A few days after I was discharged from hospital in June, I got a call from the hospital saying that they were worried about lymphoma. Que freaking out. Basically after a few doctors visits I was left having to wait 3 month to have more tests. Well, I went for those tests and ALL CAME BACK CLEAR! I’m certainly sleeping better at night now as i’m not constantly worrying.

I think that’s about all! What’s new with you!?

The post Monthly Catch Up – October appeared first on natatree.

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