Manual Labour

Yesterday was a BIG day. MONT and I spent it working at Number 3.

We left Number 10 around 6.30 am and didn't arrive back home until just after 7pm

It was a long, hard day but we achieved a lot and got the house ready for the painter to start on Monday and for the floor sanding man to weave his magic Monday week.

The plumber rocked up around 2.30 and got the heater installed, after MONT spent ages drilling through 2 courses of brickwork to create a hole big enough for the gas pipe to fit through. The plumber also fixed up a couple of small problems in the bathroom and fitted all of the taps. He also installed the new kitchen sink and tap. It looks terrific too!

This is the overgrown passionfruit vine that's taken over the carport

The rear of Number 3. The room here with the rusty tin roof is the bathroom

This is the overgrown side garden. As you can see, the pergola needs a good clean and a new coat of paint. That will get done soon.

The upstairs room with the dormer window is a loft bedroom.

MONT finished tiling the kitchen, which looks mighty fine! I, on the other hand, was charged with washing down some walls that had been splattered with concrete and staining and coating some architrave to try to match the one that got damaged while it was being removed.

All in all it was a hectic day, but a really terrific one because the house is looking fabulous!

Grey Suede

We all have our preferences when it comes to fashion. My girlfriend "G" loves anything with a hood. As soon as she sees a hooded top or jacket, she's instantly compelled to try it on.

I'm drawn to anything with pockets. And GREY.

I didn't see anything with pockets yesterday, but I was drawn to these grey beauties.

I found them at a small shop in Heidelberg while walking to the hairdressers and had to have them.

The Taranto store has some absolutely gorgeous shoes and many are heavily discounted, as these were. I was drawn to the soft, muted colour and, while suede isn't necessarily practical for Winter, I do love them and will put them away for next year. I'll just have to get a can of water repellent to keep them looking good.

A Little Splurge

See this baby? Well, she's all mine. Yep, it's a she.

It's the Ryobi 250 watt orbital sander and I bought her today. My old Black & Decker died ages ago and I'd used MONT's a couple of times, but it's not the same as having your own power tools. It's just not.

It's been a bit of a crazy day for me today and I'm glad it's nearing wine-o'clock.

I had work this morning, then.....

Hair cut - check

Shopping - check

Pay bills - check

Book carpet bloke for Number 3 - check

Pay more bills - check

Book floor sanding bloke for Number 3 - check

Buy extra tiles for Number 3 - check

Get myself a little power toy - oh yeah check

I can see some furniture tweaking coming on this weekend.

Where's that bottle?

A Bygone Era

I got an email today from Vogue Patterns notifying me they have a special deal on. It's a one day sale where all Vogue Patterns are $6.75 US$. With the exchange rate the way it is at the moment, that's a pretty good deal seeing they can cost in excess of $20 here.

Earlier in the day though I was trying to find a pattern from the 1970's...and came across these gorgeous designs from the 1950's and '60's.

Oh to have a waist this tiny.

Then there are these two. They're in the current Vogue catalogue and look pretty good too.

I'm told these sorts of designs can hide a multitude of sins. I wonder if that's really the case.

Extreme Makeover

Hi all...how's it going?

I have to admit I love second hand furniture, always have. In fact a lot of our furniture here at Number 10 is "pre-loved". Over the years I've searched high and low through old second hand furniture shops and op-shops to see what they had. I've bought cabinets, dressers, cupboards and drawers and given them a new life.

Well this weekend, I didn't have to look any further than my own street.

Our neighbours across the road have been having a big renovation done and have also been having a clean out of old bits and pieces they no longer want or need.

On Saturday afternoon, I noticed they'd left this chest of drawers and an old wardrobe on the nature strip...so I snaffled them up, with some help from the kids next door.

As you can see, the chest of drawers are in need of some major TLC. They're very heavy and sturdy so I plan to give them a good clean and a sand and paint them in a lovely "off-white" colour, then put some nice new knobs on them.

The old wardrobe, which is a bit hard to see here lying on its side, will also be given a clean and a good sand. It also needs the legs to be reinforced because they're a bit wobbly.

I can't wait to get stuck into them, but have to wait till MONT gets home this afternoon because they're a bit heavy and awkward for me to move at the moment.

Snoozy Sunday

What a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Everyone at Number 10 is snoozing.

Not a bad way to spend a cool and overcast afternoon though I must say

19 Again

UK Fashion magazine "19" was a bit of a trendsetter in the 70's methinks.

Look at these outfits.

Jeans, printed t-shirts, bucket hats and old army style shorts....they were my favourite

In fact I went to one of the army disposal stores back in the 70's and got myself a pair of khaki shorts after seeing this image.

I already had the plastic sandals, were they called jelly sandals? and I had the t-shirts...so I was set. I eventually bought myself one of those army shoulder bags too. Yeah, I was really "with it"

Have a great weekend and just "chill out". I will be.

A Model Child

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic lately as I've been exchanging some old photos with a girl I used to go to primary school with.

Yvonne and I met when I first moved to the area and started at my new school and we remained friends right through to Grade 6... We were still friends at High School, but drifted apart a little because we were placed in different forms, as they were known back then.

During our time at Primary school though, a few of the girls were selected to model in the Enid Gilchrist Pattern Catalogues. I tagged along one day and got recruited to wear this little sailor dress number.I recollect that the dress was a pale pumpkin colour, but I could be wrong. I still remember those sneakers though. They were blue and green tartan/plaid. Loved them and am still a fan of blue and green together, without a colour in between.

My Mum still has some of the Enid Gilchrist books and it's been fun scanning the photos of Yvonne and sending them off to her...she got quite a shock, to say the least.

...and yes, I always stand like that with one foot extended, as I'm about to raise binoculars to my eyes and look into the distance.

Hunter Gatherer

MONT has two loves....and fishing is numero uno!

Every year around this time, MONT heads off on a little four day pilgrimage, a sabbatical where he connects with nature, does without all the mod cons and just spends his time sitting in his boat, trying to catch that elusive trout

He and some of his mates head north, to Lake Dartmouth which is looking pretty good this year. It's been pretty low in recent years because of the drought

The "dart'" covers an area of around 6,400 hectares. There are only a couple of areas where people are allowed to camp and you have to get to them by boat. There's no running water, hot or cold, no toilets and no power. Whatever you want you have to take with you.

What amuses me each year though is, while he's only away for four days, the preparation, planning and sorting through all his lures and sinkers and other camping equipment takes ten times that...but I think that's the same with lots of things. The anticipation, planning, packing and thinking about what you're going to do while you're away is an integral part of the trip.

In fact it's half the fun

Blue and Green Wedgwood

My taste in china, and just about everything else, leans towards white. Just plain white. But recently my girlfriend "G" and I were wandering through David Jones and saw these and both stopped dead in our tracks....then slowly moved towards the display.

They're by Wedgwood and were designed by Jasper Conran and they are gorgeous!

Like I said, I usually like just plain white, but the blue and green in these is just right.

The Fashion Cycle

Everything old is new again in fashion. Every few years we seem to be re-living some perieod or other. It's how retailers stay in business, by encouraging us to continue buying things even though we may have had the very same design/style, years earlier.

I've been a sewer and a dress pattern buyer for a lot of years now. It started back in the 70's while I was still at school and has continued at a reasonably steady rate. I've loved looking through pattern books: Vogue, McCalls, Butterick, Simplicity and Style, which is long gone now.

More recently I've mostly been buying them online through the McCalls website. Each season they send out their list of "What's New" and it's almost as good as going to the fabric shop and physically turning the pages of the large pattern catalogues.

But for the past few months, I've been battling to find anything fresh and new that inspires me to hit the "buy" button... and I think its' because I've just about reached my limit of designs that can be tweaked. Sure there are some nice designs, but some are so similar to ones I already have, you have to start wondering how someone can put their name to them as "the designer"

All of these patterns for example, are from the 70's. Some are a little the worse for wear because I've used them so often and are now kept in plastic zip lock bags for protection.

I've made this "one shoulder" dress in casual stretch cotton, sparkly evening black, semi formal floral and I even considered making it in white for my wedding dress.

Then there's this one, another oldie but goodie from Stephen Burrows for McCalls. I've made this up a few times as well. It was another wedding dress consideration.

As you can see, I like my fashion fairly simple, not too many complicated pieces to fit together, gather or ease. But I often wonder what, if anything, will come along and catch my eye and make me hit the "buy" button again.

Purple and White

The Lilac's out at Number 10 ...

...and the perfume in the front garden is heavenly!

Bathroom at Number 3

MONT stayed at Number 3 again last night and achieved a lot

He's been working mainly on the bathroom, getting the waterproofing and tiling done.

Today, he's been grouting and getting some tiling done in the kitchen

Looks so much better than it did. I can't wait to show you the finished result. Just a matter of weeks now.

It's looking better every day!

Our lives seem to be centred around Number 3 at the moment, rather than Number 10, with MONT and the boys heading there again yesterday to get some more things done.

The pergola at the side of the house used to have lattice attached, but it had rotted as had some of the posts and had become dangerous.

So the lattice was pulled down, the framework replaced and the new poly sheet put on. The doorway now has a very nice little canopy over the top to help protect it from the weather.

The lounge looked like this last weekend....

Now it looks like this.

A new heater's being installed next week, the carpet will get laid in a couple of weeks and the walls will be painted the same colour as the rest of the house.

My sweet MONT stayed at the house last night and will be staying there again tonight as he's got a few more things to do and says he'd rather stay and get them finished than spend hours on the road and have to go back again next week. Love love love him.

Some Pretties...For a Change

A short move away from renovations and grey water recycling systems...just for a day

Ralph Lauren

Valentino

Valentino

Yves Saint Laurent

I had a bit of trouble with the downloading of some images, so am not sure who designed a couple of these lovely garments. If you know, please leave a comment and set me straight