Bungalow Bliss View RSS

Right now 16 Sep 2014 4:47 AM (10 years ago)

Ok, this is the fourth attempt to write this post in as many weeks. Firstly, before I forget (and I reminded myself with this photo) THANK YOU all for your wonderful, kind, inspirational and nagging comments on my last post. They have most definitely helped me to get back here again ( I respond well to nagging but we'll ignore the fact that it has taken over eight weeks).

My last attempt at a " Right now" post dragged on over about four weeks and became completely confusing so it is sitting in drafts while I pretend it does not exist. This attempt is going to be done tonight and I am absolutely not going to fall asleep doing it.

Right now it has been almost a year since we moved back home after the renovation. There was a flurry of renovating activity back in Summer and then after Easter it stalled pretty much through all of winter. Now that we are coming out the other side of months of winter illness the motivation is coming back. Right now there are six completed rooms in the house, four that are half finished (undercoated) and another four that are untouched.

Right now, for the first time in as long as anybody can remember, my house is no longer blue. Yep, just yesterday, after seven long weeks of scaffolding and drop sheets and sanding and dust, a lovely painter finished giving Betsy her long awaited new frock. Here is a sneak peek, with some mulberries from my garden.



Right now we are all enjoying the beautiful spring weather and spring blooms.




Right now I am enjoying popping back to a few op shops ( there has been a bit of a hiatus there too) and finding some colour.




I love this pin case as it reminds me of the one my mum used when I was a little girl ( I think hers was the same but pale blue)




Right now these two curbside finds are lining up to get painted. The big one is a boot rack for the laundry, the small is going to transform into a stove for the sandpit.




Right now my girl is super excited to have won the prep prize for most bling'd up scooter on walk or ride to school day. We obviously know how to do good bling in this house.




Right now the kitchen art wall looks like this.



Well, look at that, an entire post written and I am still awake.  I very much hope to share some befores and afters of the last year but for now I am just thankful to be back, even if it is just in the moment of right now.

Time to get back on the blog 3 Jul 2014 7:18 AM (10 years ago)

I think I fell off my blog. I think I started slipping off sometime last year  and while I continued for a while out of some sense of duty, this year the words whittled away and then eventually just dried up completely. The reason for my lack of words is complicated, boring and probably better left unsaid. Sometimes there are just not the words to be found.  Sometimes finding the colour and magic in the everyday no longer becomes an everyday reality. Sometimes the great unsaid becomes too great and there is nothing left to be said at all.

Around the same time that I fell off this blog I noticed many other blogs  appeared to be drifting away. Sadly, while the big commercial blogs endure, many of my favourite  bloggers (real people who love to create/craft/renovate/op shop/share the joy of their families) have been blogging much less or not at all.

I suspect many of them have defected to Instagram. I avoided Instagram for as long as it took me to realise that if I wanted to find out what was happening on West End Cottage's renovation I needed to get myself over there (totally understandable Caroline, given that your primary job is raising those four gorgeous boys not providing reno updates for me). Having dabbled there for a few months (partly due to a dodgy internet connection at home) I have come to the conclusion that Instagram unsettles me on several levels and I really need to start blogging again.

I wondered if anyone else had felt like this about Instagram so I want to share what I have noticed.
Firstly, with horror and surprise I have roughly the same number of followers after four months on Instagram as took me almost four years blogging. Despite that, I only feel like I have genuinely connected to a handful of new people. (Many of the followers are old bloggy buddies and it is so nice to find you all again). I am spending bigger chunks of my precious time looking at pretty pictures from people I do not know and will never really know because there are not enough words, there is no story and heck that picture of a cat/rabbit/vase of peonies/gorgeous vintage fabric- who did that belong to again? Because I have just seen 357 like that today and I can't keep track of who is who because there are not enough words, no story and no layers.

I love knowing that Zara has chickens, sews her own vintage fabric frocks  (and is possibly the only person with more milk glass than me),  and Kylie has a finished laundry renovation and Brismod has moved into the Midcentury house of her dreams and Elaina is teaching herself to sew and Christina knits her own socks and  Gillian is now posh cause her house is in a magazine ( and I like knew her, before she was all famous) and Ada has just painted her lounge room the most glorious shade of blue and Mel is having tea with the 94 year old lady who used to own her house and Deb (who I have never met) just knitted my daughter the most beautiful rainbow beanie because she knows she would love it.
I also feel that Instagram has a more addictive quality, there are simply so many images to keep up with, it is easy to just pop on there ALL THE TIME.
Lastly, I have noticed that since joining Instagram I am simply wanting more stuff. Having never been an internet shopper this is noticeable as I have made several purchases and am coveting more clothes/shoes/bags/vintage goodies/pet rabbits* than I ever did while blogging. The proportion of stores and stylists and people just flogging their stuff on Instagram is massive and to me feels oppressive. Maybe I just haven't stumbled onto enough creative Instagrammers but instead of feeling inspired I feel wanting and I don't remember feeling like this blogging.

So, if anyone still actually reads blogs, I would love to know if anyone else wants a bloggy revival? Anyone else not feeling the Instagram love? And if no one is reading, woohoo, I'll just get back to writing like no one is reading and keepsake all these precious memories for my kids.

Before I forget, if my bloggy mojo can be successfully resuscitated, there are significant reno updates to be shared. I should add I'm not totally jumping ship off Instagram, but plan to be on there a lot less and on here a lot more. Lastly, I credit the existence of this post  to Mel from Coal Valley View  as she is simply the best writer out here in blog world. Rant over.

*actually this is not quite true as I just remembered coveting pet rabbits while blogging but they were much less covetable than the current rabbits (rabbits are illegal as pets where I live unless you are a magician- tis a cruel world).

20/52 7 Jun 2014 4:06 AM (10 years ago)

19/52 30 May 2014 4:44 AM (10 years ago)

18/52 26 May 2014 2:41 PM (10 years ago)

17/52 11 May 2014 4:07 AM (10 years ago)

16/52 11 May 2014 3:47 AM (10 years ago)

Welcome to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry - a Harry Potter party for a boy turning eight 28 Apr 2014 6:39 AM (10 years ago)

Back in March my boy turned eight. He had just read his way through all seven Harry Potter books over the Christmas holidays and most of his mates were reading too so this party theme was set. Like all our parties this one needed to be created mostly from what we had around the house and after stumbling across a few awesome HarryPotter party ideas on Pinterest we had a plan.

Invitations were sent out to his mates inviting them back to a new term at Hogwarts. He has one friend with red hair, one friend who is a girl, one who loves frogs, two who are pranksters and one who is happy to be the bad guy so welcome Ron, Hermione, Neville, Fred and George Weasley and Draco Malfoy. Little sister was keen to be Dobbie the house elf but refused to garb up in a pillowcase so came in her Christmas elf suit with embellishments.


First up we had a sorting hat ceremony. I quickly sewed some felt onto a witches hat from our dress up box. We poked a mobile phone into the mouth hole and lo and behold as each hat passed from head to head it told everyone which house they would be in. Lots of Gryffindors obviously!


Then it was off to Ollivanders to choose a wand. We made the wands out of tightly rolled paper, spray painted and embellished with hot glue ( I found a tutorial somewhere on Youtube). Phoenix feathers optional.


Then it was straight into our first class, Care of Magical creatures. I rounded up all appropriate creatures from the toy boxes and hid them around the garden. When all creatures were located we had a quiz that determined the security code for Gringotts bank. Once the code had been cracked each wizard received their stash of Galleons to spend later at Honeydukes.

The wizard who located Neville's toad also received the first Golden Snitch of the party. As packs of Ferrero Rochers come in five's, we only had this many so they were highly coveted and an incentive to win games.


Next up was what turned out to be the absolute highlight of the entire party. Potions class. Basically lots of bottles full of vinegar with different food colourings and lots of gruesome names. Add that to bicarb of soda powder aka powdered unicorn horn and lots of sludgy, sloppy, foul slurries in various colours and a selection of beans and seeds and a mortar and pestle or two. My personal favourite was pearl tapioca cooked up with a dash of pink colouring which made spectacular pufferfish eyes.


We had a few lessons in particular potions from Professor Snape (Legoman in a wig) and then we left them to it to concoct the most disgusting foul potion. Another golden snitch for the winner of the most foul and as everything was edible they all had to try their concoctions as well- this led to hysteria interspersed with gagging.


So for the next hour there was much grinding,


 mixing and sloshing. I had stuck a massive black tarp down on the lounge room floor but of course it was nowhere near big enough.


Lets not forget the tasting,

and the collaborative creating. They used up every last Ashwinder egg, rat tail, unicorn horn and pufferfish egg available.


 It was essentially every eight year old's idea of awesome ( that's Legoman's old Harry Potter set in the background, this is the first birthday in years where the birthday boy did not receive Lego).

The cleanup was also interesting.


Then it was time for some Quidditch. I had nabbed the cardboard rolls from leftover fabric rolls at Spotlight, the staff were happy to let me take a few home and they made great broomsticks without concern of broken limbs if anyone got too enthusiastic.


With seven kids it is the perfect number for Muggle Quidditch. Two beaters, two chasers, two blockers and one seeker. Poor Legoman had to run fast as he was the snitch.


And then we staggered home to spend those hard earned galleons at Honeydukes. I had written a full list with prices for each item and the kids took it all very seriously as they calculated which treats they could afford.


And only Legoman could cope with the tedious job of cutting out and assembling those Bertie Bots ever flavour beans packets that I found as a free printable.



And then finally a slab of the fastest cake I have ever slapped together at the last possible minute.




And that is how we do a Harry Potter party. Thank goodness I now have nine months to recover before the next one rolls around. I am wondering though if this may be then end of the road for parties for my boy, in which case it is good to go out with a bang. And this was all he wanted, this eight year old of mine.


Cookie and Jet, welcome to the menagerie.

15/52 28 Apr 2014 3:50 AM (10 years ago)

14/52 28 Apr 2014 3:33 AM (10 years ago)

On the road - vintage goodies in regional Victoria 16 Apr 2014 4:53 AM (10 years ago)

It has been nearly two months since we went to Daylesford and there has simply been no time to blog about it at all. In fact there is a major backlog of posts swirling around in my head that hopefully will flood out when I have some more time. Life has been full, too full in fact for my liking, so it is nice to slow down and reminisce over those Daylesford days.

One of the things I like most about exploring a new place is sniffing out all the op shops and second hand stores. To find something to add to the collection back home and also give fond memories of the places we went to. While we didn't have any luck in the oppies around Daylesford, it didn't matter because just around the corner was the biggest collection of vintage ephemera I have ever seen.

Would you believe that when we planned to go to Daylesford I had no idea that on the edge of town was one of the largest collections of vintage and second hand goods in the southern hemisphere? I'm talking about the Mill Markets of which there are three locations - Daylesford, Ballarat and Geelong.




If you can picture a warehouse the size of a football field and then some,  you get the rough idea. It was so big we had to take a pause half way around and have lunch in the cafe! Trying to choose goodies from this kind of smorgasbord was a little challenging, but knowing I had to squeeze any purchases into a suitcase did help.




When overwhelmed with options only the most special items would be coming home but I was more than happy to swoon over all that retro colour.




So how about the goodies?

A lovely child sized apron for my girl,



An amazing retro pvc lined bag that  knew I have a true passion for pvc lined bags (this is my third),




an amazing hat the exact size for my girl ( this was the one item I chose from the Ballarat store),







As if the Mill Markets were not enough, there was also the Daylesford Bazaar in the main street but thankfully nothing was calling  my name there.




On the way to Ballarat we stopped at a tiny town called Talbot, population 258. Incredibly there was not one, but two antique shops in this tiny town. It turns out they were owned by a husband and wife, and they each had their own shop. His was enormous and chock full of more traditional crockery and furniture. Hers was more my style with vintage kitchenalia and early Australiana items. Their shops were on either side of their house, where they could pop back for lunch and to see the pets. To me it seemed a wholly ideal scenario for two collectors with different tastes. I not only found the little green egg cup but also this lovely pastel set of bowls.






















And then at the final hour I stumbled over a wonderful pink sewing case for $5 shortly before getting on the plane - a perfect carry on bag.




In our last few hours we also made a flying visit to Gleaners Inc in Brunswick, what a lovely, lovely shop ( I may or may not have bought a dress (or two) in here).





A brief visit to the site of  "The Block",




and that was Melbourne and Daylesford and all the goodness in between.

13/52 8 Apr 2014 7:53 PM (10 years ago)

12/52 31 Mar 2014 3:31 AM (11 years ago)

11/52 24 Mar 2014 2:30 AM (11 years ago)

Daylesford delight 23 Mar 2014 3:56 AM (11 years ago)

I have wanted to go to Daylesford for the longest time. I have been to Melbourne many, many times since I was a girl, visiting my dad on school holidays. I also know the Gippsland region east of Melbourne well too from countless visits to Dad's farm. But other than a visit to Hanging Rock as a teenager I have never been  into the Macedon ranges area.




For many years I was longing to visit the Lark shop in central Daylesford ( how devastating to have the shop close 18 months before I made it there and her pop up Melbourne store close up just weeks before we arrived) and then there is the matter of that gorgeous inspirational Kate from the Foxs Lane  blog who lives somewhere near Daylesford. There just seemed to be some magic to be found in that  little town. So, we scootled out of the big city, into a land of clear blue skies, parched yellow fields, gum trees and sheep.




We found a beautiful little studio on Air Bnb, walking distance from the centre of town with a view across a paddock and a hedge of lavender. While the flowers were finished, there was still just a hint of lavender in the air.




Our first morning we awoke to kangaroos grazing near the bedroom window.




We explored the towns around Daylesford by car, venturing into Kyneton, Malmsbury, Hepburn Springs and Ballarat. Sometimes we just turned off onto little dirt roads, just to see where we would end up. This is the view from the top of Mount Franklin.




We stopped often, to soak in a view, ferret in a second hand store or photograph a hedge with a hole for a gate ( I have a weakness for these).




Even the letterboxes were inspired. (I wonder if all these neighbours pop down at 4pm for a beer and a chat while they collect their mail).




We paused for long, slow meals at Cafe Koukla at dusk. Sitting under the grape vines with the golden light all around, dipping Churros in chocolate sauce is a memory that will not fade quickly.






the hedges,


the murals on garage doors,





the yards full of feasting sulphur crested cockatoos,




the street art,




the architecture,





and the quaint little shops.




Goodies were found in shops and fossicked from the nearby paddocks.



And quite a few hours were spent with a cup of tea and a book gazing out at this view.




And did you know that Daylesford has one of the largest warehouses of vintage and secondhand eclectic ever seen? Nope, neither did I and goodness what a treat that was to stumble onto, but that is a whole other post. Back soon with the rest of the goodies.

One night in Melbourne 18 Mar 2014 5:00 AM (11 years ago)

This time last year my mum made me a wonderful offer. As it was one of those milestone birthdays with a zero on the end, she offered to take care of the children for a few days so we could get away for a holiday. The sort of holiday that doesn't involve 5 am starts,  theme parks, waterslides or mini golf.

Unfortunately due to the chaos of last year which included  being robbed, packing and unpacking our entire house twice , a six month renovation, my mother in law breaking both her hips, a melanoma and forty stitches in my leg,  we couldn't really take advantage of this marvellous gesture. Until now.




So, with five days up our sleeves, we planned our escape. One night in Melbourne and the rest in Daylesford. But because this is real life and things don't always go to plan, I hurt my back, three days before we were to leave.




A few years ago, a setback like this would have had me ranting about the unfairness of it all. I have never hurt my back before, so what are the odds that it would happen just before my first proper time away from my kids in eight years. But, these days I am wiser and I know that sometimes sucky times happen, to everyone, and you just have to push through and wait for your luck to turn.




At the airport I saw a five cent piece on the ground. Despite being drugged up on painkillers my back was too sore to even contemplate picking it up for luck. But when I saw another five cent piece on the airport tarmac in Melbourne, I made Legoman stop and pick it up. Find a penny, pick it up and all the day you'll have good luck.




We picked up our budget basement hire car and were about to leave the airport when one of the Europecar staff noticed we had a flat tyre. When I thanked him for saving us from disaster and told him it was our first holiday away from our kids, he came back with an entirely different car. An entirely nicer, upgraded zippy little VW kind of car. Look how you open the boot. Fancy pants.



After we checked into our hotel and discovered we had arrived in Melbourne the same night as White Night festival, I really knew my luck had changed. As we started walking the city streets with half a million other people, I was grateful for good painkillers and lucky five cent pieces.




Aside from just taking in all the amazing shop fronts like this florist,

and shops with stools that look like liquorice all sorts,




there were the most amazing light projections I have ever seen. This is the top end of Flinders St, outside The Forum theatre.





and if you stood quietly and waited while the throngs of people swelled around on all sides, suddenly it would change from this,




to this. For a colour lover like me it was pure magic.




We walked a little further and stumbled across this gorgeous little church. Lit up with magical patterns that changed constantly. I thought it was on some sort of loop and waited patiently for one pattern to come around again.




Every now and then it would reset, back to original sandstone then bit by bit the colours would appear.  We watched for about twenty minutes and then turned to head home.




As we left the courtyard, we noticed a little booth. With a little sign on the side.




Amidst the throng of thousands of people, there was a little booth, with a set of stairs and no queue. It seems that amidst the masses, many people stop to look, but most do not see.




And inside was this.




So as half a million people wandered past, I created my own design.





Bit over the top but I was a tad excited and had to cram every possible option in. Legoman was a little more sedate.




On a colour high, we walked the zillion blocks back to our hotel, stopping everyone who still had children awake with them at 11 pm. We told them about the little booth of pure magic just a few blocks back that half a million people never even noticed.

One night in Melbourne, with a lucky five cent piece and a whole lot of magic.

10/52 14 Mar 2014 11:47 PM (11 years ago)

9/52 6 Mar 2014 2:57 AM (11 years ago)

A busy couple of weeks 1 Mar 2014 4:49 AM (11 years ago)

Finally, some time to scratch up a blog post. The last few weeks have been chaotic and very full. Largely in part as I had a birthday and by some stretch of luck the celebratory hoo-ha appears to have stretched on for a good fortnight or so.

Firstly, a few lovely gifts that came my way. This little cat came all the way from across the seas to live at our place. Anyone guess what he is for? I found one just like this a few months back at a second hand fair, haggled a bit, kept looking, came back to buy it and while chatting to my friend and waiting to be served, saw him snaffled up before my eyes by someone else. The horror! So, I was very happy to see the return of the one that got away.



This vase which is fantastic for people like me with allergies as it looks glorious even without any flowers. And would you believe this massive milk glass jug that my stepmother ferreted out of her cupboards for me? She was given this by her Aunty Betty years ago, thought it was pretty ugly and stashed it in a cupboard for a few decades. Having seen my collection she knew where it belonged. It is massive and I have never seen another one like it. Happy days. The funniest thing is while I think this is the best possible present, she felt terrible regifting this jug she has never liked and  so bought me another present as well!




We have of course all been watching The Block every night, hence Liongirl's need to build her own "Block" with her crusts.




There have been vintage Fisher price family holidays,





a birthday cake picnic for me,




some colourful painting,






and even more startling finds uncovered from the depths of school bags. This one fills me with equal parts pride (that he wanted to run for school council and did this all completely by himself) and our usual parental concerns that the force is strong in this one and we really need to make sure he never crosses to the dark side. (Is it only me envisaging Dr Evil's voice "under my control there would be absolutely nooooo problems...."? ) Luckily, he was non plussed about losing to one of his mates.




The kitchen art wall  expands daily (unlike the painting of said walls which remain firmly back at the undercoat stage),




This hat came home the first week of prep.



First she delighted in sharpening EVERY pencil in the pack, then had the brilliant idea to empty out ALL the shavings ( Noooooooooo) and then glue them down into a rainbow. (Phew).


There is a bit of a deadline now though as we finally chose a new lounge and ideally need this room and the lounge room to be finished within 8 weeks before it arrives. As well as working around an eighth birthday party, Easter, school holidays, the school fete and minor surgery on my painting arm, all in the same time frame. Gosh, makes me wonder what all those Block contestants are losing the plot about. Really, they don't have to deal with kids, jobs or celebratory occasions. They just get to paint those white walls ALL day. Lucky buggers.

Anyway, back soon with part two of this post which is all about the best present you can give a worn out mother of small children, and how to make your birthday last at least two weeks.

8/52 1 Mar 2014 12:48 AM (11 years ago)

 She : has moved up a class in dancing and has added singing and acrobatics to her tap and ballet.

7/52 19 Feb 2014 2:35 AM (11 years ago)

He : whiling away a Saturday afternoon fossicking for treasures in the backyard with his metal detector. At the going rate of ten cents per nail, we have a flurry of other children lobbing in to earn some pocket money while clearing our yard of nails and other building detritus. The eldest Menace brother has been over twice already and taken home about eight dollars. 

She : was very quiet in the bath one night. When I snuck in to check on her, she had sorted and organised every last bath toy into those unfinished shelves. I shudder to think how she reached that top shelf!

6/52 9 Feb 2014 3:19 PM (11 years ago)

A whole new world 8 Feb 2014 4:22 AM (11 years ago)

Last week was about new beginnings. After eight years of mothering, both my birds flew the nest.

Those fuzzy days of naps, double prams, frighteningly early starts, Maisy books, sipper cups, soft rabbits that were never allowed to be washed, Bonds wonder suits, dummies, thumb sucking, swim nappies, sandpits and stick collections are fading into the distance as a new, vast world opens up.

My big bird moved up to the big school, at the top of three flights of stairs into the world of grade three. He disappeared into this safe and familiar world with barely a backward glance. He has friends who are happy to see him, a new teacher who probably knows him already and a routine that provides the predictable comfort that holidays never can.




My baby bird tiptoed into her new class, full of pride, excitement, a few nerves and only minor issues with the seams in her socks. While the teacher is new, the room and the teacher aide are like old friends she simply hasn't seen since she was two and visiting every day with her brother. And while she hasn't been there for three years, when I asked if she needed me to show her where the toilets were she scornfully told me that she remembered herself.

To have both your children happy at school is a miraculous gift for which I am very grateful. And for me, as I slowly exhale, it feels like maybe I can just sit down, enjoy a hot cup of tea and allow myself a moment of pride that we made it.

Parenting small children is immense, all encompassing, exhausting, miraculous, hilarious, relentless, incredible, magical and mostly involves much less sleep than I ever could have imagined. Parenting has taken my lofty ideals of the mother that I thought I would be, and scattered them with the winds. It has brought me to my knees,  and then slowly built me back up again, stronger, wiser, humbler and endlessly grateful for small victories.

So, as one door closes, I am hit with a sprinkle of sadness,  a dash of relief and a generous dollop of excitement that a new door is opening. It's a whole new year and I have lots of plans.



And this was my first finished project. My favourite vintage fabrics, mod podge and a Kvissle wall rack from Ikea. This is phase one of a grand plan to finally get organised.

5/52 3 Feb 2014 3:16 AM (11 years ago)

Summer holidays 1 Feb 2014 10:53 PM (11 years ago)

Sometimes, the pictures all fall into place, but the words do not. Our summer holidays were hot, slow, long, fun, full and at times very, very challenging. In our house the wonderful lack of routine that would generally create a relaxed holiday instead creates all sorts of trouble.

However, as I look at this bundle of pictures that have captured the last six weeks, it is a stark reminder that no matter how grey the day, there is always colour to be found. Above would be Roboboy's lego mini figure avatar that seems to end up in all sorts of odd places, including this bowl of florist beads the kids chose from the markets, just add water and they grow.




The stack of books my boy read this last few weeks. The only problem now is where on earth do you go from Harry Potter? (tips welcome).




The simple things are the best -  birthday parties with hills and large pieces of cardboard.




Floral arranging sessions. We walked the streets sampling all the blooms on the footpath.




We spent our usual amount of time under the hose on the trampoline.






We played jewellery shop cafe's,



Hot chocolate with marshmallows anyone ?




and built extravagant paediatric hospitals,




created storyboards for the three little pigs,



organised rooms and shuffled furniture to give my boy a desk of his own,




spent hours and hours in construction at the Ipswich Art Gallery


and just like previous times we have come to Moffat beach, there have been some milestones passed.
Like the catching of her very first wave,




first sand dune slide,




and most excitingly, the first bike ride without training wheels. Just like that she was off, haring down those paths to the sea that she knows so well.








She and I spent an afternoon together exploring. We found six sea cucumbers and a nudibranch. Not a spectacular colourful one, but amazing just the same.




We were either at the beach, riding our bikes, eating calamari and chips or in here for the entire seven days.




Summer holidays, we think we did you justice. Now it's time for the relief of that old familiar routine of school.