Thursday, June 28, 2012

Furniture Painting

When we moved into our house we found this old pine buffet in the shed. I must admit that I didn't give it much thought at first except as a place to store the gardening tools.

excuse the horrible photo..
But I was soon inspired by all the wonderfully talented bloggers out there, especially by Paint Me White. I figured I had nothing to lose but the cost of the paint and (quite) a few hours.
So here is the finished result. I left the original handles on except for the drawers which needed replacing. I painted it 'Chalk Blue' by Dulux.

Its new home in the dining room
I'm quite happy with the way it turned out even though my painting left a bit to be desired. I was going to leave the interior display in its natural pine but now I'm having second thoughts. It makes the interior very dark so I was thinking maybe just paint it white.


 Or should I be very daring and paint it a contrasting colour? Any suggestions?


Fabric depicting Kinkakuji temple from Kyoto

T
xxx

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Love the ugly

In a previous post I bemoaned the fact that we have the world's ugliest gas heater and I longed for one of those sleek gas fires.

These last few days however I've learnt to love the ugly. It's been cold and wet and every evening we turn on the heater for a warm and cozy room. Admittedly the rest of the house is still freezing but that doesn't matter. I can enjoy my cup of tea on the couch toasty warm and bathed in an orange glow.

I feel so shallow for judging my heater for its (lacking) looks. It really is what is inside that counts!

T

Monday, June 11, 2012

Lost World Weekend



via Worendo.com
I promised to reveal the most beautiful countryside in south east Qld and here it is:  The Lost World Valley.  Even the name is wonderful.  It perfectly describes how you feel when you arrive at Worendo cottages: removed from the real world as time slows down.

We stayed in the Wild Lime cottage which is down a steep driveway from the main house.  From Wild Lime you feel totally secluded.  No houses or roads in sight, just rolling green hills and beyond the big, green mountains.  No mobile phone or tv reception (though there is a tv with dvd player).



Last time we'd stayed here it was bright and sunny and the countryside felt cheerful. This weekend however the skies were overcast and the mountains dark and forbidding.

R teaching the boys manly stuff - lighting a fire... grrrr
We lit the fire and spent the days reading on the window seat and playing Scrabble, occassionally venturing out for a windy walk.


The boys also got to go horseriding for the first time at a neighbouring farm.  They both loved it and want to go again.  Shame it's such an expensive hobby!

Alex on Arrow

Eoin on Tiffany

There was also feeding the chickens and petting the lambs.  There is a flock of black sheep that wander around the property, including around the cottage.  Sure to delight any child.

I'd bought the boys the dvd of the children's classic "The Secret Garden" to watch while we were away.  It's 'G' rated so I thought it'd be fine for them, but they were both in tears by the end.  In a way I was glad that they could be so moved by such a simple film (no animation, fight scenes, superheroes or other boy stuff), though of course I didn't like to see them upset.  It just goes to prove the power of a good story.


So it was a wonderful weekend and we hope to go back again next year.



The only bad point was the trip to the doctors today to get a tick removed from Eoin's tummy - ouch.  Note to self:  remember not to take the kids walking through long grass in the countryside!


T
xxx

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Wintery days

Well, winter has definitely arrived in Brisbane. Cold nights and chilly, windy days have got us all scrambling to find our scarves and jackets.
My slippers fell to bits yesterday and they were only two months old. I suspect the fact they were only $8 had something to do with it. I couldn't resist this pair yesterday.


Expensive but at least they'll last a season (and how can you resist leopard print slippers?)

Our new house also has the world's ugliest gas heater that I've had covered up with a beautiful hand woven fabric since we've moved in. But I must say the weather has suddenly made it a lot more attractive and is keeping me toasty warm at night. I think we'll hold onto it and maybe in a few years we can upgrade it to one of those gas fireplaces.


It's a long weekend this weekend and we're off for our annual weekend in the countryside. We're staying in the most beautiful spot in SE Qld (seriously) and I'll share some photos when we get back. It's totally secluded - no mobile or tv reception, no neighbours and the nearest shops are 30 mins away at Beaudesert - forced relaxation!

 This is a photo from our last visit there exactly two years ago.  I find it hard to cope with how quickly the boys are growing

T
xxx