It's been a while

Yes its been a while since I've posted. I've finished Illusion ... well almost. Last chapter is imminent. Also doing my Masters in Creative Writing, a real buzz.

That aside, the house is cooking along. We need to do some gardening and of course the floors for some reason could do with a thorough cleaning. I can't seem to get the boards clean enough - what with two dogs, a cat, an 8 year old and her friends and our noisy Alexandrine.

Michael has put up shelves in the garage which has helped with the clutter. Given its our laundry as well it all helps.

I'll post some pics when I get around to it.

Tonight we had a great dinner at Gaucho's in the city. Steak and prawns ... yum.

signing off

Dy

Illusion 1,2,3

Chapter 1-3 Illusion

feedback welcome!

Sleeping beauty

Sleeping beauty at its best. But it's not our favorite bedtime story.

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty from Darragh O'Connell on Vimeo.

Product previous amazon

Praise for Shiver: "A lyrical tale of alienated werewolves and first love... Stiefvater skillfully increases the tension throughout; her take on werewolves is interesting and original while her characters are refreshingly willing to use their brains to deal with the challenges they face."

Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2)ShiverShiver

Authors

I've been delving into urban fantasy of late and love it. As a genre it would have to be my favourite. Before we left for Borneo I sneaked into Borders and purchased a couple of hundred dollars worth of books and tried hiding them in the bottom of my hybrid trolley but Michael found them (after my luggage weighed in at 30 kgs) and pulled them out. So I repacked them again but this time split them between three cases.

I read the Robin Hobb trilogy which was great but ended on a bit of a grim note IMO.

Latest great read has been Ilona Andrews.. she has kick ass heroines, great mystery and action.

Love it.

For something cute

Have been wanting to get Amelia one of these for a while now and they sell pretty quickly so haven't managed to get my hands on one.

They are Nooshka dolls and as cute as pie.

I'm looking for unique items for Amelia's birthday .. a year has gone past so quickly. So far she's asked for a science kit, girls lego and a pool (in the middle of winter!)

and my favourite





We'll have to see.

2 years later!

We are back from Borneo which was as hot as Hades but we had a great time.

It is a lovely place to live and I must post some pics soon of our garden which is growing well.

We ended up building sleepers up against the back fence (reinforced of course so the fence doesn't fall down) to create a layered effect in the backyard. We planted magnolias against the 15 metres of back fence so when they get big it should look beautiful. Most of the plants are living well and we haven't had many losses so I guess digging down and getting rid of most of the crappy soil worked for us after all.

The lawn is looking a bit yellow given its winter and one thing we do regret is laying couch instead of buffalo but you live and learn! Eventually we will pull up some more of the lawn and put in a pond but that is a way off yet.

The deck is a bit of a pain, especially where it gets hit by the elements. Even if we use the good stuff we have to oil it more than every 6 months or it begins to look tired. Some of the Malaysian timber boards are warping a bit so we wish we had gone with an aussie hard timber for the deck.

Neverthless the rest is holding up well. No major leaks or problems with the house now we've had the floors finished again. We don't use a lot of the space upstairs so it is interesting that we built a big house and ended up using 2/3 of it. But it is nice to have!

Visiting Borneo

We're off to Borneo soon for a month or so. So far we've booked 4 nights in Singapore, 10 in Kuching, 4 in Mulu, 4 in Danum Valley, 6 in Kinabatangan and oh the joy 10 nights in Kota Kinabalu.

Don't know what I've done but for most of the trip we are staying in national park accommodation .. very basic. At Bako the toilets don't flush and you have to tip water into (dunno what we sit on actually ... hope its high enough or my leg muscles wont hold me up ... and then oh god I'll fall into....) the hole but they don't provide you with water because the National Park is a bit dry atm lol. Then there are the macaques who are downright mean and steal your stuff. Given there are large gaping holes in the screens of all the rooms we won't be taking much luggage. They can take Michael's trekking socks coz they'll make the room unbearable anyway.

Amelia was frightened to hear about the large apes and asked what would happen if one abducted her up a tree. Despite her light weight (making her easy to transport) and orange hair (almost orangutan-like) I assured her they would return her immediately once they realised how hard it is to get her to eat and how many toys she desperately needs to keep her happy. She thought about that for a while, nodded and thought it made good sense. My theory ... no decent ape would take my girl if they knew what they were in for.

Ok sounds a bit basic but its the leeches that really terrify me. I hate needles so I'm hardly likely to be inspired by any blood sucking bugger attaching itself to any part of my body. Some intrepid traveller was bitten by one on his stomach. He was pissed because it wouldn't stop bleeding for a week (leeches release an anticoagulant) and it wrecked his expensive tshirt. Damn ...if I have to pry one off my darling daughter I'll go quietly hysterical.

That being said (distraction needed)... I took Mia to the museum during the holidays and we happened upon the Borneo exhibition. Amelia was terrified .. ok the organgutans looked bigger than expected but I doubt we'll have an Asian elephant, rhino, male and female orang, 5 species of macaque, bearded pigs, wild boar, probiscus monkey and gibbons all together in 6 square metres! Plus they were up on a stand (she says trying to stay calm). Her sympathetic gf suggested she stay with them while we are away but nope ... all for one and one for all.

On the upside I've found some great homestays and eco huts to stay in. So for all you doubting Thomases that think you know me well and are giggling and thinking I can't live without life's little luxuries .. you're in for a surprise. Coz unless I'm attacked by a man eating crocodile .... I'll never confess to having a crap time.

Landscaping

Some kind soul just told me that the rambling plant that Michael loves in the front yard is from South Africa so I have had a win and we will be pulling it out tomorrow. We're aiming for a Aussie native landscape so I'm on the hunt for some Banksia birthday candles or cherry candles to replace the sprawling Pigface.

cherry candles


I'll have to post some pics of the garden after we have finished landscaping. We've started to design the front and side yard around aussie natives and a modern paving design.



I just love the simple lines of modern pavers, decorative pebbles and green foliage. Divine.

Planting

After 12 months the front yard needs another couple of trailer loads of biomat. The soil does seem to be improving as the good stuff 'bleeds through' the heavy clay soil. The natives are doing well ... we lost a few in the heat wave but most have tolerated our ho hum gardening methods. The house next door is nearly complete so we can start thinking about boundary planting.

We've decided on a row of Eucalyptus Caesia or Silver Princess, and will try and source Hakea Victoria for the other boundary. Beautiful plants.



Hakea Victoria

Artists

Some gorgeous designs by Cassie Thring who sculps with coils or rolled slabs of clay and decorates the pieces with paint, shells, broken china and mosaic tiles.

Unique pieces of art that would be perfect in a niche.







Porcelein by Tamara Hahn, Susan Frost, and Bridgette Minuzzo

winter warm soup

One of my most successful potato and leek soup recipes which is beeewtiful.

35 g butter
3 thickly sliced pieces bacon
paremesan cheese
2 leeks sliced (white parts only or it will turn green and not taste as good)
1 medium brown onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
600 g potatoes peeled and chopped
3 cups chicken stock or veg stock (I did half and half)
1 x 375 ml tin evaporated milk (alternative is cream or milk)
salt and black pepper to taste
pinch nutmeg

method:
melt butter and gently saute onion & garlic & leeks for 3-4 minutes. Add roughly chopped bacon and cook for extra 5 minutes. Don't let the saucepan get brown. Add potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes. Add stock and simmer uncovered until potatoes are tender. Don't overcook the potatoes. Puree mixture (you can use a potato masher, bamix or blender). Return to heat and add evap. milk or cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bring to boil and serve with grated Parmesan, garlic bread or brown bread.

Another version is to cook the bacon first until crispy and take it out of the pan. Then put it back into the soup at the end for some yummy crunchy pieces.

Gorgeous soup... even Miss Fussy loved it.

kids pressies take 2

Found these ruffled pettiskirts from Princess Ratbag .. strictly for the girly girl who loves to twirl. These gorgeous floaty pettiskirts are made from 7 metres of chiffon with an elastic waistband and draw string waist. Mia just loved them.





The printed tights and light weight stockings are pretty cute as well.

Kids presents take 1

I've been looking around for presents for our daughter's upcoming birthday and came across these laser cut acrylic necklaces. The animals have zwarovski crystal eyes, and are finished off with a cute heart logo charm and box for safe keeping. I'm sure she'll love them.

Measurements
Charm is about 1 1/2 inches tall
Chain length adjustable from 16 to 18 inche

You can get them in Australia from Monkey and Wellington or from the US (Destroyed by Design).




etsy - destroyed by design

Mix and match

This week I've been on the lookout for a side table for the family room and coffee cups. This Zaishu stool from Nicola Cerini caught my eye as did the coffee cups

Changing fabric

This is the fabric I am thinking of purchasing to recover my antique chair


the cushion that I just purchased - Cloth Fabric


I'll update with pics of the room/chair soon, so Kate can help select the right fabric.

Supporting a creative mind

While hunting for something special that was reasonably educational for Miss 6, I came across Lyra pencils from Waldorf and Stockmar crayons. She loved them so I purchased a few metallics and a pencil roll from Dragonfly. They are long lasting, soft and highly pigmented pencils that have a triangular grip for little hands. Fantastic for school projects and artistic flights of fancy. Best of all ... she takes care of them!


Another favourite has been the Djeco range from Thats My Toy that are designed for preschool and primary school children. She has enjoyed the felt tip brushes, coloured sand kits and beautiful collages.

Next stop for her birthday is a few natural beauty and craft kits that will help her create her own recipes, inventions and concoctions ..... from Seedling.

Natural Textiles

I adore these screen printed textiles from Cloth Fabric. Julie Paterson creates the designs on natural fabric in Sydney using the beach and local landscape as her inspiration. The small batch production ensures that each piece is unique. I fell in love with several of her designs and purchased a stunning patched cushion from Little Bird in Port Elliott. Kate, the owner personally picked the fabric remnants for the emerald/grey cushion. I think I've found the perfect colour story for my family room and the old chair that is desperate for an update. Here are a few products and fabrics that caught my eye but there are many more to choose from:
fabric

rugs

cushions

Industrial design

A few unique creations by Marc Pascal who creates unusual stoneware ceramics and modern accent lighting. He works with a small team in his Melbourne studio.

Lamp

Mimi chair

Eyoi Yoi Table lamp

Wish list

A couple of my current drool items - I think I need to start a wish list for Christmas.

Emogayu hancrafted bowls and vases replicate nature and lava. The series is called 'Volcanoes'. The artist is originally from Japan but nows lives in the US.





Stainless steel and ebony inlaid jewellery from Tivi at Polli.
Greeting cards that turn into lovely hanging decorations.


A gorgeous Bird Zaishu stool that would work well in our bedroom as a side table.