Can we fix it?...

Yes we can!! Well, at least make it better. That's the intended purpose of our impending extension. We're in the process of choosing a builder at the moment which makes the finished project seem but a glimmer on the horizon. That hasn't stopped my imagination going in to overdrive. I'm seeing our humble home with fresh eyes now and have fallen into the practice of regularly dropping everything to rush to my husband with yet a new suggestion.
My proudest and most highly anticipated alteration, which is written into the plans (yay) is the re purposing of my son's bedroom into a library room. Now, don't worry about him, he'll be very comfy sleeping in the letterbox. Anyhow, this library room is a splendid vision of floor to ceiling, wall to wall book shelving with a glorious vintage arm chair some funky lighting. In order to gain convenient and stylish access to my collection, there is one of those ladders you see in posh movie houses. You know the kind, they are connected at the top and slide horizontally across the shelves. Too cool. Oh, and what about a special book on which you tap three times  and the whole wall revolves to reveal a secret room? Even cooler.
Along side this beautiful, grown ups room will be a teeny courtyard complete with weeny table and two chairs amid an array of lush greenery in pot plants and hanging baskets. A perfect place to spend those post kiddie bedtime hours with a glass of red and a stack of books. Mostly cook books.
I've come to a point where I need to confess a serious obsession with books of the cookery kind. I reluctantly admit there are easily more than a hundred residing at my place, and that's after my husband took two boxes of them to sell at the market. As we speak I have a tidy pile of two newies waiting for me including an internet purchase parcel containing a new bread book and the latest Donna Hay magazine courtesy of my straight to the mail box supbscription. Thanks Santa/Mum. (The kangaroo in the pic is there for his looks.) But, because they make up such a large, expensive collection and are my first choice of entertainment above even telly watching, I've begun pondering my relationship with them. What drives my obsession?
My latest theory links cook book reading to my creative brain. While I read I'm imagining all the flavours and their combinations. I'm pondering the textures and absorbing the glorious colours in those beautiful photographs. When I'm feeling particularly organised I'll flick through and write a menu. This exercise contains a design element. There's got to be function, as in the kids will eat this but not that and we need to have some red meat and plenty of vegies. Then there's a bit of form. In my mind this means for example, such and such sounds like an interesting flavour combination and I could use those sweet little glass bowls to serve it in. Beautiful.
I've always been a bit disturbed by my unwillingness to cook from a recipe, considering I could feed a third world country with my cookbook and food magazine budget. Especially if it's a complicated one. But on reflection, this too links in with my creative process. To follow a recipe is like following orders and to follow orders is to see creativity stifled. That's not to say that my wonderful collection is a waste of shelf space, because as I sit flicking and reading I'm also absorbing information and formulating ideas. So, when you eat at my place you won't necessarily get Jamie Oliver's tray baked salmon and Mediterranean vegies, but you'll get something like it with bit of my own free form, ad lib. It can be a bit like Russian roulette, scary but delicious if you don't get a bullet! Rest assured when it comes to baking I follow the rules so it's much safer for all concerned when I turn up with a cake. Baking is a science and science does my head in, so I do as I'm told!
Well that's my theory and it is a bit of a stretch so maybe I'm just a greedy, hungry guts.

Why do I blog? It started as an adjunct to my buntyandsars making. Initially I wanted to give an insight in to the place from which all those buuntyandsars goodies come from and update you on what's new and coming up. Kind of like full time access to buntyandsars. Now it's taken on a life of it's own and I've started to really enjoy the writing. I even have a special book I carry around specifically for the jotting of ideas and thoughts.
My brain knows only two speeds. Flat out and just had a glass of red, not so flat out. That means for most of the day I'm either pondering intently, creating voraciously or up on my soap box banging on to anyone who'll listen. This blog has allowed me to put to good use all this hyper thinking. It brings clarity to the thought process, drives me to keep up with the buntyandsars-ing and hopefully entertains you!
Over the last few weeks, with a husband on holidays, buntyandsars time has been largely replaced by "what day is it? Lets have yet another ice cream" holiday mode. He's back at work tomorrow and I'm a bit apprehensive about how I'll manage as full time Mummy maker after so long. I'm excited too because routine will be back and my drawing room and I can get reacquainted. With Sugar and Spice Children's market coming up on the 13th February, it's time to get busy. Very busy.