kitchen dreams

Since having renovated an old house once.  Basically  rebuilding it from the inside out.  I have come to realise that I am addicted to ploughing through magazines and blog sites of old country kitchens.    I love the eclectic modern country look with a touch of rustic and industrial. The above image is from Coastal Living magazine.  It is just a glimpse, but to me it has all the features that would make me very happy, cooking, chatting and dreaming in.

There is the walk in pantry with old blue screen door.  The little nook for laptop and desk to blog whilst cooking!  The old enamel sink  and the aspect of looking into many other rooms.  The wide space for kids to rumble about on the beautiful wooden floors.  The cooker is on the other side, someone can be stirring the rissotto  and not be in the way of others making salad on the lovely mosaic tiled serving bench.  This bench has others seated sipping wine and chatting about their daily escapades.  There is a lovely rustic dining table just hinted in the front where we all will be sharing the meal.  Then there is the architectural elements.  The remarkably high ceilings.  The wood panelling throughout painted white.  The angles of the room add so much interest.  The industrial lighting.

When we are ready, and find our  home and then  perhaps set out on renovating again, I hope to return to this image to remind me and direct me to what I really like.

Cross fingers, one day...

thrifty storage

In an ongoing attempt to get organised and be comfy, I put my name on the kitchen dresser above.  Our kitchen is cosy, but the glasses are in with the cereal and coffee mugs are on the kitchen bench.  Everytime  I sneak into Dirty Jane's I have to restrain myself from putting my name on so many lovely vintage rustic gems.  Che really loved the old horsie.  The dresser gets delivered this Friday.  Marty doesn't know yet.

Have discovered that our house that we lovingly restored and sold last year is being sold again.  Don't know why but this makes me feel sad and I am feeling regretful about selling.  It was such a labour of love restoring what most people would have considered a knock down.  But then we were in mortgage stress.  I would not be spending all his precious time with my son.  My days are now blissful.  I have to remind myself that I used to cry  a lot in the car on the way to work.  We have learnt so much and now have a bit more nouse and skills for when the time is right for us to purchase again.  In the meantime, yes being comfy is pretty good.

one year ago today

One year ago today I was 38 weeks pregnant. I had just finished working as a local GP on the central coast.  The pregnancy had been uncomplicated.  I was doing regular yoga and walking meditations.  Positive visualisations regarding giving birth.  I did have quite annoying reflux and insomnia and was sleeping sitting propped up on many pillows.  We had been to the midwife earlier in the week and confirmed that baby was still posterior.  All we could feel was little hands and feet.  I planned this week to get many things into order, as I had left a lot of nesting to the last minute.  Here above we were sorting our all the stuff we had stored in the garage.  This couch ended up going to Vinnies.

I just scored this little cradle on ebay, second hand and was starting only now to wonder how would we all sleep?  Like most things in my life, I would feel what felt right at the time.  Our house was only 3/4 renovated at this stage.  No lounge room, but we had a  refurbished kitchen and bathroom that was the main thing.

I wondered if  I would go overdue due to the position of the baby.  But I could feel the baby was way down.   I felt very calm and it was warm and sunny.  The journey ahead of us was still very uncertain. 

       And a woman who held a babe against her bosom said, speak to us of children.

And he said:

       Your children are not your children.

       They are the son's and daughters of Life's longing for itself.

       They come through you but not from you, 

       And though they are with you they belong not to you.

      You may give them your love but not your thoughts.

      For they have their own thoughts.

      You may house their bodies but not their souls,

      For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,

      which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

      You may strive to be like them, but seek not to

      make them like you.

      For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

      You are the bows from which your children as

      living arrows are set forth.

     The archer sees the mark upon the path of the

     infinite, and He bends you with His might that 

     His arrows may go swift and far.

    Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for

    gladness;

    For even as he loves the arrow that flies, so He loves

    also the bow that is stable.

                                      THE PROPHET, Kahlil Gibran, 1923.

Adieu

This last week we have said good bye to our house that we re-built from the inside out.  It has been an exhausting experience, tinged with sadness and hope.

Saying farewell to people that had become entwined in our lives was hard.  But hopefully we will always be friends.  We really want to keep our connection to the central coast alive.

The last week has been chaotic and messy.  But gradually our new abode is taking shape.  The sky is big and open and spring is only just begining to emerge.  The nights are very chilly.

This morning we ventured out to a local playgroup at the Anglican church.  A most beautiful setting.  The group is for 0-5 yr olds.  There were even newborns there.  The church ladies provide morning tea.  It was lovely.

Everything is now so close.  The people are very friendly, everyone says Hello on the street.  On Saturday night we walked around the streets to admire the old wooden houses and come across a little gathering of neighbours having wine and a bbq on the verge. They were celebrating the success of their  garage sale.  They invited us for a drink and a sausage.  We  found an old solid dining table perfect for our new spot for eating,  amongst their wares.

On Sunday we went to the local farmers market and purchased lots of yummie goodness.

I think it will be good living here

memories of our jardin

this time last year more than half way pregnant and busy painting and wondering.   was just starting to feel I could stand upright without having waves of  nausea and lightheadness.  very much enjoying aternoons and early mornings on front verandah catching a little winter sun.

la salle de bain

These 2 shots are of our bathroom when we moved in.  There was an original cast iron claw foot bath, but the plumbing was leaking underneath it.  The hot water system was an old small electric plug into socket.  The floor was cold slate tiles.  The walls were very mouldy.

We gutted the whole room, re- arranged the plumbing for the bath and toilet and made a sepatate walk in shower. We got the cast iron bath re- enamled and de rusted and painted underneath.  The tiles we used heritage white brick style to half way all around the walls and timber lined the walls above and the ceiling.  My only regret is not going with my gut instinct, we ended up putting square white tiles on the floor.  With my hair constantly malting from breastfeeding and labrador hair wafting in from the sun room, I am constantly mopping up with terry towel nappies to keep looking clean.  I would have used a grey tile I think otherwise.

We also had to squeeze in the washing machine. For the hot water service we invested in a solar hot water with booster.  We have never had to turn the booster on.  Yeh free hot water from the sun.

I will miss my bath.  Our new place we are moving to has 2 bathrooms to use but alas no bathtub!  Most nights I have a bath with my little one.  He gets very excitied when he hears the bath water start to run.  Many nights when he has been bouncing off the walls, the bath always calms him down to get ready for bed.  Off  to bed now myself.


I hope the weekend has been restful for everyone.

renovations - le derriere

This was the back side of our house  at the first time of home onwnership.  There was no garden and the  enclosed veranda was practically falling off.  There were old frosted louvres that were so rusted they could not be opened.  The floor boards were rotten away and the internal lining was all broken pieces of masonite.

About 18 months ago with the help of a builder we gutted this back portion.  Re-stumping, recycled tarrow wood floor boards,  reclaimed casement windows, new internal wood lining.

Eventually we build our own back deck, and our garden has grown around us.