In the blogging equivalent of a chain letter, I have been awarded the Liebster Award not once, but twice! Yay for the blog! Fortunately this award comes with a short set of questions and no warnings of certain death from Gypsy curses if I don't pass it on.... so I won't pass it on, as pretty much all small blogs that I like to read have already been the recipient. I think I'm around last on the list(s).

So firstly, thank you to the lovely Natalie from In the Night Sky, a blog about the renovation of her Melbourne home, who awarded me the Liebster a couple of months or so ago... I'm sorry, I sort of intended to do it, and then forgot, Natalie!

Secondly, the award was also given to me by Naomi, from Coulda Shoulda Woulda - based in London her blog is about her travel, love of Interiors magazines, and funny observations about fashion/ life in London/ random things. Naomi has just celebrated blogging for 6 months and is (I think crazily) giving away a Hermes scarf... surely one of the best giveaways ever. So after this prodding, here are my answers.

The questions....I'm using Naomi's, just because they're at hand

1. If you could look like anyone, who would it be?

I'm happy looking like me... I know that sounds odd, but I try very hard not to compare to supermodels or actresses or people with airbrushing or professional makeup people running around them. I'm not perfect by any stretch, but there are more important things in life to worry about.

2.What character from a book do you most identify with?

Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. I think everyone wants to be like Lizzy in character.  I think that's why the book has such enduring appeal (and has nothing to do with her marrying Mr Darcy of course)

3.What is your favourite flower?

Sweet Peas. They remind me of my childhood - I used to pick big bunches from the garden, my mother always grew them. I love the way they smell and their sweet ruffled petals.



4. If you could meet one person from the past, who would it be?

The pressure to pick one! Jane Digby maybe? I read a fascinating book "A Scandalous Life" about her years ago. But this is a slightly random response... If I really reflect I might think up someone else...

5. What would you talk about?

Her romances and her absolutely amazing travelling adventures at a time when women were very much under the thumb of men (their husbands/ family).

6. Have you ever won anything? If so, what was it?

Yes, a very expensive super duper German made shower in an industry (Architects) only competition. Unfortunately we had finished renovating our place in Melbourne, so I gave it to my parent's who were still doing their bathroom at the time.

7. Which bag would you choose between a Chanel 2.55 or a Hermes Kelly?

Hermes Kelly, although I'd probably not choose either of them if I were paying... we are so close to Asia that the shores of Australia are flooded with fakes of both, which I do find a little off-putting, especially if you're handing over in excess of $2500 plus for the privilege.

8. Which one event will forever remain etched in your memory?

Standing on the tube (London Underground) platform after my first day at the Inchbald School of Design and feeling deliriously happy that I'd finally found my niche.... I had loathed and detested every minute of my 5 year Architecture Degree at University. I remember looking down at the tracks and watching all the mice running around.

9. If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one book, what would it be?

"A Pattern Language", an absolute design bible and classic, as I'd be needing to design a new civilisation on the island, and would want to get it right of course.

Otherwise if only stranded for a few months "The Cooks Companion" by Stephanie Alexander so that I could work out what to cook with the ingredients available on the island.

10. What made you finally write a blog?

Don't want to end on a downer, but it was the death of my Mother from Cancer last year. The blog gave me a bit of light relief and some unexpected support during a very difficult time.

So as I said, I'm not passing on the award, but thought I'd mention a few blogs I enjoy reading if you haven't already clicked on the links on my sidebar

In random order

The Lime Walk - written by sometimes Bowral resident Jenny, who is building a beautiful new home, and currently travelling through Europe to her house in France. She also has an absolutely amazing beach house on the NSW central coast, which I would happily live in full time.

Lovely Jublies, written by Z, a Perth Blogger who has an amazing shoe and dress collection/ habit and a very witty way of writing.

Diary of a Hobart Housewife - written by Tasmanian blogger Romy, who has currently packed her family up to live in the French Countryside for a term of school.

Jodie from About Last Weekend, is a New Zealander transplanted in California and documents her life there in a very entertaining way.

Fifi from Fifi's Fabulous Things a Brisbane based blogger who writes thoughtful posts on things she is liking at the moment, from clothes to food to music to books.

Laura from Elsee Blog, who has an adorable newborn daughter and is renovating her home in Sydney... and is a talented graphic designer.

And finally A Farmer's Wife from Life in the Country blog. Life on a large farm in Western Australia and the general happenings of day to day life in the country.

Oh, and nearly forgot one more of my favourites, and a new blog (only 3 months old) - Ruth from Clothing Fixations. A J. Crew addict and Sydney resident, Ruth writes about her wardrobe and life in Sydney.. with occasional references to her ability to read things like War and Peace in Russian... Fashion with Brains.

enjoy x

Have you seen the television programme "Fake or Fortune"? It was a BBC production hosted by Fiona Bruce and starring Philip Mould, both of Antiques Roadshow fame. Philip Mould is an Art Dealer in London, and the premise of the programme was to follow one of his very educated hunches that an average painting being sold at Auction somewhere in the world was hiding the work of a Master underneath. The process of restoration of the canvas was then followed, and the subsequent authentication process revealed a painting worth millions of dollars.



Recently, I picked up a copy of the book "The Art Detective - Fakes, Frauds and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures" by Philip Mould on the bargain table outside Dillon's bookstore on The Parade at Norwood for $6.99. It's a reasonably slim hardcover book packed full of his best stories of discovering Rembrandts, Gainsboroughs and Hogarths in places as diverse as provincial Auction rooms, on eBay (a $70 Gainsborough), and hidden behind panelling in a barn. The process of restoration he detailed was absolutely fascinating to me. I definitely recommend the book if you're at all interested in Art and history and antiques... it was full of good stories.




Now, I hide a little bit of an addiction... I love an Auction house. I was brought up trailing around after my Mother to Church Fete's, Antique fairs, and Antique stores, bric a brac shops and Op (thrift) shops, as well as Auction Houses. It's a bit of a family passion - one of my sisters finds the lure of the Auction rooms hard to resist too.

Recently, I was thinking that I should use my natural talent for always gravitating toward the most expensive item in any shop (what I like to think is caused by my ability to hone in on good design...maybe?) and apply that to the local Auction houses. There are two in Adelaide - Small and Whitfield in Unley, and Scammel's in Kent Town. So when scanning through the lots one Saturday, two children guaranteed to distract by my side, I noticed a sweet little watercolour painting, barely larger than a postcard. It was framed in a hideously cheap frame that you'd buy at any photographic supply shop - you know the type with the little turn things on the back for putting a photo into the mount. Distractingly it had a burgundy/ brownish mount, but the little painting had been stuck to it, rather than being framed by it. On the back in spidery handwriting was A.J. Hewins 1940.





In the auction catalogue, it was written as being circa 1984. Thanks to the Internet, a quick google of the Artists name revealed that it was by a water colourist that was quite well known - it's an English painting, and painted by the man who produced many of the railway posters in the 1920's and 1930's (such as those below).


I was the successful bidder for $30, and took it to a local framer, who did a superb job in framing it up. Naturally the frame was the expensive part of the equation, but it really makes all the difference.





So as for whether this qualifies as a Fortune... well, I don't think so. But I think it's worth more than the $30 I paid for it, and proves that you can find interesting and unique pieces at a local auction rooms without spending a fortune. Buoyed by this success, I'll now be keeping my eyes peeled for a Gainsborough... I'm sure there must be one lurking somewhere in Adelaide?

It's been a rather frantic week, and I've had not exactly a text book Mother's Day today... although really, it pretty much encapsulated what being a mother is all about.

It started at 6.30am with a chorus of "Happy Mother's Day" from my side of the bed, and school and kindergarten made gifts and cards shoved under my bleary eyes. Around 3 minutes later there were demands for Pancakes for breakfast, and around 30 minutes after that the sporadic breaking up of fights over toys/ positions on the sofa to watch Sunday morning tv.

Unfortunately Mr AV had his Wisdom teeth out on Friday morning and has been a little sub par all weekend. So that meant that rather than enjoying a quiet breakfast in bed this morning, I instead made him some. It's been a weekend filled with making custard and soups, scrambled eggs and bowls of ice cream for the invalid who took to his sick bed, as well as my usual mothering duties to my other 3 children.

We did however celebrate two birthdays this weekend. My youngest two have their birthday's 4 days apart this week. On Saturday, we celebrated E's 5th birthday with a fairy party with her friends. It was completely outsourced due to the ongoing renovations at a kid's party place... in fact this was an excellent decision as not only did the fairy attendees have a wonderful time, but it so happened that the concreters were pouring the stairs that day, so it was rather noisy at our place at any rate. We had themed her party to be "The Magic Faraway Tree", a book she loves and that I also loved as a child, and that it was fairy land at the top of the tree. I personalised the party a little... with my love of stationery I couldn't bring myself to give out the rather awful cartoonish invitations that the party place supplied, so organised our own. I also did the take home gifts, although that was also included in the package deal and thus walked the tightrope balance between landfill and sugar...  difficult!! At any rate it was a great success, and E was very pleased with her party.

So today and the celebration for my youngest, S and his 3rd birthday. I booked a matinee performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang the musical for the family to attend today. It was fab! S loved it (with a bit of wriggling in the middle) but we were all enthralled at the car flying across the stage, the fabulous dancing and singing and the toe tapping songs. I highly recommend it to Adelaide readers. It's already done its Melbourne and Sydney seasons, but look out for it in other states, definitely one to see.



Once home, I finally managed to get a cup of tea and macarons (made myself of course) in peace with a book... Mr AV had bought me a glass of Jansz (sparkling wine, the Aussie equivalent of Champagne) at the theatre, but it was tipped over by S after I'd had one sip, so my mother's day had up until that point been a little... testing.


Aside from the family celebrations that occurred this weekend  we have had, as I mentioned, three concrete pours this week - the main slab, the upper slab (the bit above Mr AV's office which is slightly higher than the main slab), and the stairs, both down to the cellar and Mr AV's office, and the various sets of stairs down to the garden from the new extension. Here are the concreters on the first pour


And fortunately the weather behaved... rather too well. Remember that I blogged about the endless Summer we had, and how it had finally finished? Well, rather like Dame Nellie Melba and her endless round of farewell concerts at the end of her career, Summer made yet another curtain call. 32C is not the weather you expect 2 weeks off Winter! The upside of the unusual weather was that I got to wear the dresses that I had altered and picked up last week after all.

Aside from nursing The Invalid Husband, and running around doing the usual round of children's activities during the week/ weekend, plus putting on two birthday "parties" (one real, the other slightly concocted for the 3 year old), I've reflected a little on what it means to be a mum this week.

There was the incredibly sad news that two mother's at the Kindergarten E attends had died in the past few weeks, both of Cancer. One had a particularly short battle - just over 2 weeks from diagnosis. I just can't imagine what those families are going through, and those poor children that are going to grow up with their mothers gone from such a young age. For Mother's Day to fall so close to their date of death of their mums will be particularly difficult. Just when the advertising starts to ramp up telling you to buy Mum a foot spa/ CD compilation/ new Pyjamas these families will be forever associating this time with the loss of someone so special in their lives.

So really, its made me think about what a gift mother hood is, in every sense. How blessed are those that have their Mum's still in their lives - it's my first mother's day without mine. It meant that despite the early wakeup today, the lack of Breakfast in Bed, the fighting from overexcited children, the tantrum from a 2 year old who wanted the one little chocolate I was given by the oldest, the flipping of pancakes at 6.30am for my family, the spilt glass of champagne at the theatre, the effort of co-ordinating little people's needs and wants to get everyone out of the house in their Sunday best to celebrate the birthday of our littlest family member... it's most definitely worth it. And really, isn't that what Mother's day is all about - spending time with your family, and all the imperfections that go with that word.

Happy Mother's Day x

I have a little problem with books. I love to read, and I have built up over the years quite a library full of them. I love the physical reminder of a book - the sense of accomplishment of looking at a row of books on a shelf and remembering the hours that you spent reading and thinking about the contents, as well as the actual look of them aesthetically. I love book cover design, and I love the look of books in a room. They add a richness, have the side bonus of absorbing noise so will make a space seem quieter, and are most definitely the fastest way to ascertain someone's interests and hobbies by looking at the titles on their shelves.



My sister has been on a campaign to eradicate her books - she has donated all of hers to charity and then bought them back "so cheaply!" on the kindle. It's just not the same to me. A kindle is great for travel maybe, but when the tangible reminder is gone, the memory of the book fades for me as well. This is why I've been known to borrow the same book from the library a few years apart and then realise I've already read it when I'm part way through...



The main problem that I have though, is that I don't have any shelves for my books. Not anywhere in the house. My bedside table has an overflowing bottom shelf stacked to the drawer above, so much so that I worry the table will collapse under the weight. I have a pile of Art and Design books growing precariously in the study and which can be used a somewhat unstable drinks table. Clearly something needs to be done.

We have a room in our house that we call the Study. It's going to be the one formal room in our house when the renovation is completed - somewhere to entertain other grown ups after dinner, or during the day in Winter (it's a nice sunny room, and will be very cosy)... most definitely not a space for the Children. They have the run of the house, so I don't think they're going to miss out. The problem with the Study is that it is currently used as our main Living room. We have a few pieces of furniture that will stay after the extension is completed, but the current sofa and armchair will go (to other rooms) and I will hopefully get on with organising the bookshelves that I've been trying to sort out in a very half hearted way since we moved in, and ridding the niches of the big screen tv and a random Victorian chest of drawers being used as a linen press. It's all a bit of a hodge podge. Currently, all my books are still boxed up in the Shed at the bottom of the garden. I worry about them... that they will get damp, that they will house bugs, that they will not be in good condition when I finally open the boxes and put them on the shelves that I've been trying to design for the past 2 years... unfortunately other things keep getting in the way.


I was planning to do something fairly traditional - two shelving units in the niches on each side of the fireplace with cupboards at the base a little like the image above and painted in the same colour as the walls. But lately I've been thinking about making it a little more modern... I think it might juxtapose quite well with the antique furniture in the room - the very large 1920's Scandinavian desk and chair, and the George 3rd drinks table. The curtains are modern with their random squiggles, so I was thinking that a mix of old and new might work.




And then of course I've been on Pinterest having a look... and fell in love with these diagonal shelves. Not the most practical from a book storage point of view, but quite visually interesting. I'd do them in a dark walnut veneer which would complement the dark furniture in the room. Mr AV is not entirely sold on the idea, and it would probably cost around double what I had initially started drawing up (which is still in pencil... the story of my drafting life, I never manage to ink anything up). So I'm interested to hear your thoughts... too modern, or a classic juxtaposition?