Cornices

Do you notice cornices when you walk into a house?

Old cornice throughout our house

According to my site manager when trying to match our cornice and finding he couldn't get a perfect match - it is fine if they are similar, as only people like him would notice the difference.

Well I don't know about you but I also notice and so we ended up asking them to replace the whole cornice in our bedroom so it did all match.

New cornice (called three step) in our bedroom, WIR and ensuite - obviously needs painting. I actually love it as you can't tell here but makes the ceiling look higher. I am a big fan of old houses and their features so this fits with that.

Just a little Christmas red

Out in the garden this morning weeding and pruning. Who knew that Lilly Pilly tree cuttings would look so good in a Christmas display.

It is now raining so we are slowly decorating the house with red, being our favourite Christmas colour and my daughter's favourite all year round.


I have even painted my toenails red and got a red mask for an upcoming masquerade party.

Hope you are having a good weekend.

All I want for Chirstmas is a shower

A shower for Christmas in the house that is or a fantastic outdoor one, I have been having regular showers, just not at home.

We are now into our fifth week without a bathroom but we have at least had movement. The plasterer finished yesterday and the waterproofer was here today. The tiler is due on Monday, after that I am not sure but here's hoping by the end of next week we can have a shower at home. Or is that just expecting too much from our builders?

Luckily it has been warm this week which meant we have been able to wash the kids with a bucket of water out on the deck. Nothing as glamorous as these outdoor showers.

Keep out!

Sometimes you have to laugh or you might cry - it is my daughter's fifth birthday in a few weeks and yesterday we gave out her party invites at kinder.

Then last night got home from work to find plasterboard mess and dust in the driveway (the plasterer has finally been) and all over the footpath and front porch and a sign on the fence saying - Danger, construction site, unauthorised persons keep out. Now that is going to go down well with parents rocking up with their kids for my daughters birthday party. Maybe I should tell them we are going with a Bob the Builder theme, rather then the fairy / magic one we are having.

Oh the joys of living in a house you are renovating!

Christmas in the City

I find the Melbourne lane ways, arcades and streets beautiful in Spring but when you add Christmas decorations to this it is even better. I am happy to see the City of Melbourne has gone with red, silver and gold, just what I am planning for our house.

Beautiful Royal Arcade - love the stain glass window - blue and red my favourites

My father in law and his partner were visiting from Adelaide this weekend and so we spent most of it in the City - enjoying the buzz, trying out different places for coffee, visiting Santa's cave in Myer and today walking around the Botanic Gardens - perfect weather for it all.

Kids enjoying the water path in the Ian Potter children's garden

Love a vegetable garden like this, how good is the seat around it.

Out in the garden - getting ready for birthdays and Christmas

The sun is out today and it is a perfect 23 degrees, great gardening weather. Wonderful to be outside and get away from what's going on inside.


Our beautiful Canadian Maple we planted a few years ago is going well and so are our herbs and geraniums, we have had good rain fall this year but now time to mulch before the hot summer arrives. Especially as next week it is predicted we will have a week of days all over 30 degrees.

Next plan is to weed, tidy, plant flowers in pots and get ready to set up a fairy garden for my daughters birthday in December. Shhh, its a surprise!

Happy Friday and hope you have a great weekend.

Timelines?

On an episode of the English show Grand Designs I was watching the other night, Kevin McCloud stated something along the lines of - when building people want three things, a great design, to meet their timeline and budget, but unfortunately you hardly ever get all three.

So if this is the case what would you give up? I suppose if I really had a choice probably timeline and at this point that is exactly what is happening, so maybe I should be sort of happy about that?

Anyway on a bathroom that was meant to take three to four weeks we have really blown our timeline. We are now nearing end of week four and still no sign of a plasterer. We have been told we may get one this Friday but not sure as yet as they haven't chosen which one they are going with. We are meant to find out tomorrow exactly what is happening, so fingers crossed.

Basil - smell, taste and colour

Basil, the perfect plant to adorn your kitchen table or island bench. The smell is divine, the colour of the leaves vibrant and uplifting and a great addition to that summer pasta, bruschetta or salad.

So even though the weather was fairly wet this weekend and so couldn't do much in the garden, with basil now in season I just had to get some for inside the house and I think it looks great in this blue pot.

Brief moment of sun shining through

Hope you had a great weekend.

I have been tagged - 4 things about me

I have been tagged by wonderful Trish at A Dream House for Trish to share 4 x 4 things about me. This is the first time I have done one of these so a little exciting and lots of fun for me. Thanks Trish.

4 things that..... are usually in my handbag

Besides the usual purse, money, keys

1. Small tube of Paw Paw Cream
2. Aseop hand cream
3. Mentos
4. oh and things for the kids - tissues, wipes, museli bars, and a spare pair of undies for my daughter!

4 things that..... are in my bedroom

Hubby and I on our honeymoon

My usual bedroom has currently got a lot of dust, builders tools and boxes filled with bathroom fittings but ignoring this, normally though:

1. My antique dressing table which was the first piece of furniture I bought.
2. Turquoise vase filled with leaves or flowers from our garden.
3. Various pretty boxes containing costume jewellery.
4. Last but not least my gorgeous brown eyed hubby (he has the longest eyelashes which everyone comments on and luckily my daughter inherited).

4 things that ..... I would like to do but never did

The main piazza on the island of Capri, Italy

Like Trish, I too think never say never and don't really have any regrets...but things I haven't done or haven't done enough of yet:

1. Travel - have seen the East Coast of Australia, Japan, UK and parts of Western and Central Europe but want to see Eastern. Also love to see New York and Canada, South America, more of Asia, South Africa and of course more of Australia. On this I do wish I had lived in London when my friends and brother and sister did but maybe something I will just have to do down the track.
2. Learn Italian past the basic beginners Italian I do know.
3. I often wish I studied Architecture or design at University, but renovating the house and this blog lets me dabble in the area and who knows maybe one day.
4. Do all the piano grades.
   

4 things that .... you don't know about me

Hmmm this is a hard one as trying to think what would be most interesting....

1. I have worked as a DJ in a night club and ran a music street mag for a short time.
2. I suffered postnatal depression after my second child, my little boy was born and even though I was 'better' by the time he was six months probably didn't really feel myself until he was about 18 months (he is now nearly two and a half).
3. I love music and dancing and love to sing and dance madly around the house with my kids to pop music, even Britney.
4. A little accident prone, as a child fell down stairs in the Eiffel tower and a week later fell off a swing in Switzerland. Now continually stubbing my toe or hitting fingers - mind you have never broken a bone (touch wood).

Now I know I have technically given more than four things to some of the questions but that is another thing to add as my Mum says I started talking really young and haven't stopped since! Probably why I now work in communications.

Now the deal is I have to tag 4 people. This is really difficult because I read so many great blogs and have met wonderful people. So I have chosen 4 I enjoy and women who often leave lovely comments on mine. Enjoy!

Laura at My Summerhouse
Bec at Memory Garden
Sonia at Rain and Sage
Nessa at NessaKnit

Christmas, birthdays, toys and storage

Well Christmas is fast approaching and we also have my daughter’s birthday five days before, so with this in mind I have started lists and shopping.

It quickly made me realise that I also need to think about storage or reducing the amount of kids toys in the house before they get all the new ones (especially as of January we will be living in half a house for six months).

As the only grandchildren on both sides they tend to get a lot. We are always telling family not to buy them so much but living interstate they see it as a great opportunity to make up for time not spent with them.

This reminded me that the second post I wrote on this blog was all about the toy invasion in our house – see here.

In summary I have found Ikea a great place for good, inexpensive storage options, use bookcases as much as possible and regularly reduce the toys by giving to friends with younger children or to the Salvation Army.

I also am looking at and recommending to others gift ideas that aren’t toys that I know the kids will still love, like a family pass to the Zoo, books, craft things and outdoor items including mini garden sets.

Week three and counting

Magical picture we bought at the St Kilda markets - maybe for one of the kids new bedrooms.

If you are a Seinfeld fan you may remember the episode where George's father kept chanting serenity now to remain calm, well that is what I am trying to say to myself today - serenity now!

Why, because we are heading into our third week without a bathroom and were told today that we still don't have a date for when the plasterer is coming. I was told at the beginning of this there would be days when no one turns up and so was expecting it but didn't think it would be consecutive days on such a short job. We were told the new bathroom (ensuite) and walk in robe would take three to four weeks, hmmm!

So this could mean another few weeks of heading around to friends houses for showers and bathing the kids, my daughter and I sleeping in the lounge on the sofa bed (not overly comfortable for two adults, so hubby still sleeping in her bed) and on the days we have various tradies, cleaning up after they have left. All leading very quickly into Christmas and my daughters and my birthdays in December.

So serenity now! Not as hard because at least we are having beautiful weather this week. Good for getting out an about. And tomorrow I am heading off with my daughter to a getting to know her school session, I can't believe she turns five soon and is starting school next year, very exciting but a little sad at the same time.

Sea (or tree) change

Ever thought about or actually had a sea (or tree) change?

Every Friday night Hubby and I watch the English show Move to the Country. We love it and often think, wouldn't that be a nice thing to do, especially if you could get an old character filled home with land. Also just recently a good friend of mine announced that she is moving from an inner City suburb of busy Melbourne to the beautiful, somewhat more peaceful surrounds of the Adelaide Hills. This got me to thinking could I do the same?

The Grampians, Victoria - cottage we stayed in last Christmas

Funnily enough I already have but the other way around. As a young child I lived just outside a small English village and walked down a country lane surrounded by green fields to school. I had a beautiful forest just down the road that we would go for walks in every weekend. Then at the age of 10 I moved with my family to the Adelaide Hills where I could see a hill with sheep and horses out of my bedroom window.

Melbourne laneway - http://www.sydney-australia.biz/victoria/melbourne/

But then in my late 20s (10 years ago) decided to move to a inner City suburb of Melbourne with my then fiancé, now husband. So the question I suppose is more, could I go back? Part of me would like to, especially as my parents still live in the Adelaide Hills and my oldest close friends are there, but a lot harder now with children and I do love the buzz of Melbourne.

Brighton beach and Melbourne skyline

I also wonder how easy it would be to sell our home, one we have now lived in for nearly seven years, are currently renovating and last but by no means least brought our children home to just after they were born. We have planted trees in the garden and watched them grow, we measure our children against them.

I know from reading others blogs that some of you have renovated then sold or made big changes. Love to hear your thoughts.

Italy - my colour inspiration

Packing up bookcases has meant a trip down memory lane as we pull out photo albums and the photos of Italy are certainly among my favourites.


My colour inspiration - Mediterranean blue, blooming bougainvillea, pots of red geraniums, white wash buildings, natural stone and the list goes on......

The insight of children

My four year old daughter turned to her little brother on Sunday and said with a happy smile on her face 'Mummy and Daddy are being nice to each other today.'

This follows on from the night before of her saying ' Mummy why are you and Daddy always angry? Be happy Mum smile.'


This comment certainly hit me. Hubby and I talked about it later that night realising that even though we thought we were doing ok with our stress levels around the renovation there was an obvious tension.

So Sunday we decided to have a bit of fun and embrace Halloween with the kids.

And since then we have been making more of an effort to remain calm, go take time out if needed and try and just enjoy the process. As they say 'life is about the journey.'

A blue hallway?

From: http://www.idealhomemagazine.co.uk/ - June 2010

All our rooms in our house with the exception of the kids bedroom are currently painted an off white, which makes a great canvas or backdrop for our pictures, furniture, wooden floorboards and ornaments.

I have started to think though it would be great to inject a little bit of colour onto the walls and what better place then the hallway, the main entrance into our house - maybe a blue but what blue? There are so many options. Maybe I could try different ones throughout the house but not sure how Hubby will feel about that.

From: Homes-Designing.com

Currently we have a very decorative chipboard over where our bathroom door used to be, obviously not staying but that doorway is going to be filled in so that wall re-done. Perfect opportunity to paint. With this in mind we got a test pot of I'm Blue by British Paints which looks a little different to the photos below, but you get the idea. And yes both these pictures are using the same colour just a trick of the light, that is what I like about this kind of colour.