The rest of the day was spent trying to stay cool, getting the dogs wet, eating icy-poles and drinking iced coffee.
Ah, summer!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Hot hot hot!
Today was a scorcher - we went to the Camberwell market in the morning but didn't find anything too amazing; I bought a mirror and G found a lovely antique chess piece coloured red with coccineal.
The rest of the day was spent trying to stay cool, getting the dogs wet, eating icy-poles and drinking iced coffee.
Ah, summer!
The rest of the day was spent trying to stay cool, getting the dogs wet, eating icy-poles and drinking iced coffee.
Ah, summer!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
A new project
Last year we spent a few days in the pretty seaside town of Port Fairy and it got us thinking that we'd really love to live there, or at least have a holiday house there ...
... and this week we bought one! It needs a lot of work, but we're planning to take our time and gradually transform it into a cosy retreat.
The main bedroom (presented here as a sitting room) has an open fireplace, as does the lounge room, and the kitchen has a quirky vintage feel.
I've already spent several sleepless nights planning a wonderful garden upgrade (Tanya, I see more fruit tree orders heading your way!), a bright and relaxed kitchen (retaining the older styling), light and cosy soft furnishings, fresh paint on the walls ....
G is researching and planning lots of tricky-looking, very manly*, DIY stuff too.
I think we may have bought the worst house in the best street, and I can hardly wait to bring it back to life so we can enjoy many happy days there with friends and family.
A big project, but so much fun!
* I was prompted to put that in, but I won't disagree. I'm grateful for the hard stuff being taken care of!
... and this week we bought one! It needs a lot of work, but we're planning to take our time and gradually transform it into a cosy retreat.
The main bedroom (presented here as a sitting room) has an open fireplace, as does the lounge room, and the kitchen has a quirky vintage feel.
I've already spent several sleepless nights planning a wonderful garden upgrade (Tanya, I see more fruit tree orders heading your way!), a bright and relaxed kitchen (retaining the older styling), light and cosy soft furnishings, fresh paint on the walls ....
G is researching and planning lots of tricky-looking, very manly*, DIY stuff too.
I think we may have bought the worst house in the best street, and I can hardly wait to bring it back to life so we can enjoy many happy days there with friends and family.
A big project, but so much fun!
* I was prompted to put that in, but I won't disagree. I'm grateful for the hard stuff being taken care of!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Animal rehab
We seem to be operating an animal rehab centre here these days ...
Our sweet little adopted dog, Bracken, is settling in and making progress, but he still has a lot of psychological issues as a result of his traumatic past. Poor little guy! He so desperately wants to be part of our pack!
Last week while I was mowing my neighbour's lawn I saw (and heard!) a little ring-tail possum fall out of a tree onto the concrete driveway... *crack!* ... Ouch! The possum was stunned but didn't seem to be badly injured, so I wrapped him in a warm towel and let him rest in a box for a while before taking him back to his tree, where he promptly scurried on up to a high branch. This is the second tree-fallen possum I've found nearby in the past year.
Our sweet little adopted dog, Bracken, is settling in and making progress, but he still has a lot of psychological issues as a result of his traumatic past. Poor little guy! He so desperately wants to be part of our pack!
Last week while I was mowing my neighbour's lawn I saw (and heard!) a little ring-tail possum fall out of a tree onto the concrete driveway... *crack!* ... Ouch! The possum was stunned but didn't seem to be badly injured, so I wrapped him in a warm towel and let him rest in a box for a while before taking him back to his tree, where he promptly scurried on up to a high branch. This is the second tree-fallen possum I've found nearby in the past year.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Straya Dye
Oh yes ... I almost forgot that today was Australia Day. I had a nice quiet day at home with G, enjoying the mid-week holiday.
Through Betty Jo's lovely blog, I found this artwork by Tony Albert which is probably quite relevant today.
A little note ... I found out last year that the architects who designed the National Museum of Australia included a message of apology and reconciliation in braille on the facade of the building, but it has been covered over with metal discs; ~ too controversial for some, apparently!
Through Betty Jo's lovely blog, I found this artwork by Tony Albert which is probably quite relevant today.
A little note ... I found out last year that the architects who designed the National Museum of Australia included a message of apology and reconciliation in braille on the facade of the building, but it has been covered over with metal discs; ~ too controversial for some, apparently!
Beat Up Creations
They're very cheesy, but for some reason I quite like these printed images on old plates, by Beat Up Creations:
Sunday, January 23, 2011
There is light at the end there ...
My mum is going in for surgery tomorrow, before starting the difficult journey of radio- and chemotherapy.
Ugh. Not fun at all.
I'm sure there are better ways to spend the summer!
(image source)
I'm sure there are better ways to spend the summer!
(image source)
Friday, January 21, 2011
What happened to the future?
These lovely postcards, produced by a German chocolate company in around 1900, show predictions of European life in the year 2000.
A gentle stroll across the water:
Moving footpaths:
Televised outside broadcasting:
Personal flying machines:
Weather control machine:
Combined steamship and railway locomotive:
Personal airships:
Summer holidays at the North Pole (not so farfetched, sadly!):
Police x-ray surveillance machine:
See more lovely cards here and here, along with many other wonderful predictions, at Paleo Future.
A gentle stroll across the water:
Moving footpaths:
Televised outside broadcasting:
Personal flying machines:
Weather control machine:
Combined steamship and railway locomotive:
Summer holidays at the North Pole (not so farfetched, sadly!):
Police x-ray surveillance machine:
See more lovely cards here and here, along with many other wonderful predictions, at Paleo Future.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Potato guy
One thing I love about living in Brunswick is that it's really urban yet it also has a relaxed and cool community atmosphere. When we moved house a year ago (admittedly only 5 blocks from our previous home), we wondered if we'd still be able to buy food from the 'potato guy'.
He's a farmer who drives slowly through the streets with a ute (pickup) full of produce (generally root crops, but also sometimes pumpkins, apples etc. ) and a loud speaker to call out to customers like a market merchant: "Fresh potatoes! New potatoes! ... Come and get your potatoes!".
When I hear him coming, I respond the same way as when we hear an icecream van tinkling through the neighbourhood in summer - I scramble madly to find my purse, trip over the dogs, and then dash out onto the street (usually with bare feet), trying to wave down the potato guy as by then he's usually passed our house. Today I was quick and caught his attention easily, and I bought 5kg of delicious-looking blue potatoes .... yum!
(Click pic for source)
He's a farmer who drives slowly through the streets with a ute (pickup) full of produce (generally root crops, but also sometimes pumpkins, apples etc. ) and a loud speaker to call out to customers like a market merchant: "Fresh potatoes! New potatoes! ... Come and get your potatoes!".
When I hear him coming, I respond the same way as when we hear an icecream van tinkling through the neighbourhood in summer - I scramble madly to find my purse, trip over the dogs, and then dash out onto the street (usually with bare feet), trying to wave down the potato guy as by then he's usually passed our house. Today I was quick and caught his attention easily, and I bought 5kg of delicious-looking blue potatoes .... yum!
(Click pic for source)
Blexbolex - colour and life
On my summer break I bought a beautiful book called 'Seasons', by talented French illustrator Blexbolex.
I'm in love with the gentleness of this book - the combination of simple words and softly-coloured illustrations is a perfect prompt for creating your own stories.
Here are a few more illustrations by Blexbolex, gathered from around the Web:
I'm in love with the gentleness of this book - the combination of simple words and softly-coloured illustrations is a perfect prompt for creating your own stories.
Here are a few more illustrations by Blexbolex, gathered from around the Web:
Mmmmm ... nice!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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