Our house...

...in the middle of our street! Is patiently awaiting it's long awaited renovation. I'm awaiting this aforementioned reno with somewhat less patience. I AM channelling this agitated energy constructively with much pondering of tiles, walls and fittings as I sit here longing for our builder to name the day he will arrive with a large wrecking implement.
All this flicking through house magazines and poking at things on house-y websites has reminded me of my life long inability to settle for what everyone else is having. I'm a passionate "whatever they're all doing, I won't" kind of girl, which suits me nicely but does draw exasperated, uncomprehending eye rolls from others. But I press on.
Over the weekend, a spot of sunshine and Father's Day DIY tuned my dial in to the possibilities for what will be our new great outdoors. Post reno, our ornamental cherry something-or-other tree will be right at our back door. It's so beautiful we've restricted our extension so we can keep it. An umbrella like canopy of green keeps us cool in summer before turning iridescent red and orange in Autumn. Come Spring it's bare branches burst in to pretty little pink blossoms, before dropping the lot on the next windy day. Lucky it's lovely, or I'd hurl much abuse about the mess. The issue is incorporating it into our shiny new indoor-outdoor area.
I'm thinking deck with inbuilt sandpit for the kids and a hole cut for the tree. Perhaps with a table around it's trunk. But, you can stick your streamlined, red brown, modern merbau variety. So, what instead?
I quite fancy some white boards or whacky alternating shades. I do like the idea of dove grey, too, or maybe old school herringbone, brick paving instead. Something that will go nicely with my pots of gaudy geraniums. I can't quite put my finger on the solution, but it's got to be different.
Further down the garden path there will be space for some earnest greenery. Now, I promise not to raise my voice but please, no yukkas, ornamental grasses or mass plantings of structural foliage. No shiny water features, no odd bits of metal hammered to the fence and definitely no Buddha. I really don't want to evoke an image of Jamie Durie over my afternoon cuppa, thanks.
Instead, I'm quite partial to the 70's frippery of a rockery, actually. I'm contemplating some Bonsai-ish plantings of odd little misfit succulents and the like to create a bit of a miniature mountain range. Daggy but cool. My only dilemma is a penchant for food producing plants and I'm not quite sure how to integrate marjoram into my mini mountains.
Anyway, the weather has closed in so I'm retuning my dial to our great indoors and fantasizing about bathrooms. So far, I'm seeing our deep old bath and a funky vintage basin from the shed re enameled in mauve (yes, mauve), mint green and white checkerboard tiles on the floor then a few red feature tiles amongst the white wall tiles. Lastly, a cute polka dot shower curtain and somewhere to display my numerous perfume bottles and I'm ready for my bath. Rubber duckie, where are you?
Insert exasperated, uncomprehending eye roll here.



Have you seen her before? I can't remember if I've shared her or kept her to myself. She's another of my larger illustrations from the last couple of weeks with which I'm rather chuffed. I've started some research into printing options and prices so we might be getting somewhere on that front, soon. Yay!
Buntyandsars has been sulking in the corner for the last few days because I've been sick and miserable on the couch. I was all prepped and ready for Daylesford Makers Market on Saturday, too, but piked at the last minute, boo hoo.
A bit more quality couch time and I should be back bouncing in time for Sunday's Sugar and Spice Market in Woodend. It's always a lovely one and I neverfailingly come home with pressies for kids who are already way too spoilt. Can't help it, you see, there's always too much cool stuff. See you there from 9am!