3 Chooks+2 Dogs = The potential for very smelly shoes

So I bought these today... Cute Huh?

...and not only are they bright and cheery, they were an absolute bargain!!

I toddled into Target on my way back from the Optometrist this afternoon and lo and behold, they were there, calling out to me!

They were reduced to $19.98, with another 20% off.

But when I got to the checkout they scanned at $7.88

Thank you very much Target. They're just what I need when venturing into the yard to lock up "the girls" of a Winter's night...or check the rain gauge.

Happy weekend everyone...hope it's a good one!

I'm off for a spot of (window) shopping and a coffee with my girlfriend "G". Perfection!

Mail Exchange

G'day all.....hope you're all fighting fit and ready for a great weekend that's not too far away

I've been super busy this past week so haven't been posting much...but I thought I'd find time today, so I could tell you about the Mail Exchange I joined a couple of weeks ago.

I read about it here and thought what a darn good idea!...

Chantelle of Fat Mum Slim fame paired everyone up and our task is to send our respective exchangees a gift worth between $20 and $30. Each person detailed what sort of things they like ...here's what I selected for my mail exchanger...

There are these pieces of fabric...

A little Eiffel Tower

...and this vintage children's book and a vintage children's dress pattern book by Enid Gilchrist.

I hope she likes them! I had fun finding them all...and in the process found a wonderful fabric store that sells only vintage style prints.

I'll tell you some more about it next week... it's truly magnificent!

Beautiful Vancouver

Did you watch the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver?

Here at Number 10 we watched and cried...or at least we watched. I cried.

The TV was running hot all weekend what with the Opening Ceremony and the beginning of competition

There were a couple of stand outs for me though...

Joni Mitchell singing "Both Sides Now" Simply beautiful!

Slam Poet Shane Koyczan...and K.D. Lang's haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"

I've read a couple of comments on forums where some Canadians believe the poem "We Are More" by Shane Koyczan, wasn't appropriate for the event and in fact, displayed a type of insecurity by Canada.

I disagree. I thought it was sensational!

But then, I'm not Canadian.

Vancouver is an absolutely gorgeous city....we have friends there and will be visiting them in a couple of months. I can't wait!!!

My one true love?

G'Day all...how's it going this very beautiful Monday?

I can tell you, it's pretty darn warm in Melbourne!

Now, today's post is not about the weather. NO. It's about something very dear to my heart.

Renovating

You know, I think people fall into two categories, those who love renovating and those who would rather spend three months trekking across Siberia eating nothing but raw seal meat. That's not really a picture I want in my mind for very long, I can tell you.

Me? I LOVE it. With a capital LOVE! (Renovating, not raw seal meat)

I love the whole process...from the demolition and mess to the building and ultimately, the transformation. Have I told you how much I love it?

MONT got home from the beach on Saturday and while we were having a quiet drink and a chat on Saturday night, we decided to make a few changes and finally finish Number 10!

WOO HOO! Finally!

The first project is to relocate the back door... or move it slightly

Yes I know it looks OK, but unfortunately, it's a wasted "nook" right outside the study and the floor space could be put to much better use. Right now it's where the dogs cozy up on cooler days.

What we plan to do is remove the study window and replace it with a smaller, single one. We won't sacrifice light though as the study also has French Doors opening onto the back deck.

We'll then push the doorway out so it gives me more space inside to install a floor to ceiling cupboard. It'll hold things like the ironing board, washing things and all the cleaning stuff...as well as the clothes airers, which I have to say are one of the most difficult things to find a home for...at least for me.

As you can see below, my laundry is extremely small and extremely cluttered and messy. It started out as a storeroom, but is now my laundry/junk depository.

I used to have the washing machine and dryer in the kitchen, right here where this cupboard and the fridge are now.

But it wasn't as practical as I thought it would be, so we moved them into the storage room towards the back of the house.

So, that's the first project on the cards. It's not going to happen for a couple of months yet. But that's fine with me. It gives me time to start the planning (and dreaming) process. My favourite part.

The second project will be the main bedroom...but more about that a little later...

So, there you have it...more renovations at Number 10 coming up...I'll keep you posted about how the plans progress.

The Great Aussie Holiday

Well, I've just completed my first week back at work and I have to say it was a bit of a shock to the system.

I know I only had 2 weeks off work, but I tend to get into the spirit of a holiday pretty darn quickly, so coming back to reality is not always pleasant.

This is a part of our little caravan park. As you can see, it is perfectly positioned right near the beach.

I know camping out in a caravan is not unique to Australia, but does any other country have caravan parks so close to the water?

A couple of old salts chewing the fat.... Grampy (MONT) and the little one

Kids like nothing better than crabbing in the shallows....and boy, I can honestly say I've never seen so many little crabs in one bucket! They sure outdid themselves.

A couple of their finds

These guys are trying to avoid the spotlight and finding a new hiding place.

I did a total "relax" while we were away. While I cooked a couple of meals and made lunch a few times, I did not wash one single dish or pot.

Now that's a holiday!

Please note, no critters were harmed during this crabbing expedition and all critters were returned to the water

Bedroom Beauty

I love a nice bedroom...In fact I love a nice any room!

I especially love this. It's so glamorous.

Image-via this is glamorous

... and this...how lovely to have such a "girly" room to wake up to each morning.

Image - Polly Wreford

Don't you just love the beautiful dress on the wall as decoration?

I'd love my bedroom to look this beautiful...I don't think MONT would be too impressed though. He's not the frilly type...

I'm Back

Yep....back from my little break at the beach and back to work!

Lucky I like my job!...although I can't say I like it more than a nice relaxing holiday.

No.

Once I arrived home at Number 10, I started on the washing and drying and putting things away. The thing I want to know though is, why doesn't it all go back as easily as before? Did all the stuff I took to the beach, miraculously double in volume on the trip home?

Yes, I did do a (little) bit of shopping, but it certainly couldn't be called "over the top" and only a couple of extra things came home with me.

Anyway, I'm back into the swing of things and am looking forward to a great 2010.

By the way, I've got a giveaway over at Live Laugh Love and Cook...check it out later today.

Grateful

No flags. No symbols.

Just happy that I live here.

We're not perfect, but I think it's about as close as any country can get

As Mark Seymour wrote in an opinion piece in the Age on Sunday, "there are all these other places that have exciting, vibrant cultures with a great deal to offer...many of them just as sophisticated and interesting as ours...perhaps more so'"

Australia Day is not a day all Australians think is worth celebrating and lately it feels like it's turned into a day that's all about BBQ'd lamb. I hope that's not really the case.

This year, the Australian of the Year is Professor Pat McGorry. A psychiatrist who has worked with young people with mental health issues. All I can say is, thank goodness it's not another sportsman, specifically, a cricketer. It seems over the past 20 years or so, we seem to have had our fair share of sportspeople taking out the country's top honour.

Congratulations Professor. Your recognition is well deserved.

Life Is Good

Even though it's been raining...

...and the weather's been cool and overcast, it's been a wonderfully relaxing few days.

..and to think, it's not over yet!

Thank God It's Friday!

Or to be more specific: Thank God it's Friday, January the 15th, because that means from tomorrow the residents of Number 10 are on a two week break!

It means, MONT will (hopefully) be using this a lot.

I'll be doing a lot of this....

I'll be seeing a lot of these guys...

...and on Australia Day, if it's a clear night, we'll grab our deck chairs and sit down and look across the bay and watch the fireworks display from Melbourne.

We take our annual two week break from tomorrow and up until now, neither of us have been able to get into the "spirit of the holidays". But I know when we crack open a bottle of something tonight, sit back and relax and start to think about it, we'll get into the spirit pretty darn quickly.

I'll have my laptop with me (for some part-time work I do) so will be able to show you some photos of our (very) lazy days by the beach.