Pretty things

I have recently been given some beautiful things, like this Wedgwood vase in a pattern called Sweet Plum, from my Mamma.

My sisters and father got together and gave me some beautiful quartz and gold earrings. I love them, but they are reluctant photo subjects and this is the best I could do - which isn't very good at all, in fact, you can barely make out they're earrings.

A lovely friend gave me a much-longed-for Waterman pen. I love it because it's heavy and quite masculine, and of course, beautifully made. He's a powerful pen.

A couple of wonderfully thoughtful girlfriends found this swan for me. I think it will have many incarnations, at the moment it's an orange holder.

The occasion for this gift giving was my 40th birthday, which was on April 5.
If you are on the cusp of your own 40th, do not fear. I didn't wake up with a face full of wrinkles, or feeling any different to when I went to bed.
Forty is a very poignant age me thinks. It's no longer feasible to put things off for 'when I grow up'. The time is now. It's an age that signifies a half way mark some what. It's a time to pause, catch your breath and make sure you're on the right path still. Or at least, it feels like that for me. I'm looking forward to my forties, whole-heartedly.
Enough about that. Onward and upward.

The New York Times website is my home page, which isn't really a good idea, because I can accidentally browse it for half an hour or more every time I turn my computer on. I found this interesting story today, about people who are caretakers to the 19 grand homes owned by the City of New York, most of them like Van Cortlandt House, which is pictured above. The caretakers are more or less regular people who are lucky enough to live in these grand homes, rent free. You can read the story here.

Here's a kitty in a brolly, just to finish off. That's it.

Strange but true

I'll tell you what I love. I love fashion editorials that are photographed in a supermarket. That's very specific isn't it?
I think it's because I spend 40% of my time and 30% of our money in a supermarket. I appreciate when some distant connection between Woolies and glamour is made - whether it's intended as ironic or not, it's a link.
This is how I prefer to view my visits to the supermarket.

Swanning around

You know my penchant for swans. I found this at Hobohemia in Paddington yesterday. It's a child's rocking toy, but apparently it can't be used as such any longer.

Hobohemia is worth a look if you're around the traps. It's just next to Presents of Mind in Paddington.

Whilst we're in the neighbourhood. Has anyone spotted the shell chandelier/lampshades in A.P. Design's window?  I love a good shell chandelier too.

Remember this 'project'? My spun fibreglass table base?

I finished it. I painted it with white gloss enamel, and after three attempts, finally managed to get a piece of glass for the top. Now it looks like this. I know, even I'm surprised! It's not a good photo - the good photo wouldn't upload and rather than hurl my computer out the window, I decided just to use this inferior shot.

I love the contrast of the white fibreglass against the black floorboards. 

In other breaking (and irrelevant) news, The Shoe Station in Paddington has 25% off a very handsome range of Winter boots.

I hope all you lucky Foxtel watching folk are enjoying the new season of Mad Men. I myself have to wait for it to appear on dvd - it's like the dark ages!

There be treasure

If you regularly trawl through op shops and garage sales, chances are you've come across the odd find that you're genuinely chuffed about. Usually some little bit of domestic fluff you drag home smugly, and spend the rest of the day reorganising the cave so it fits in perfectly. It seems we all need to get somewhat more ambitious with our expectations though.
Ninemsn recently published a story on treasures that have been discovered in garage sales and op shops. It's an inspirational read. Have a look here.
My favourite story would have to be the stash of jewellery and silver found in a St Petersburg house by workers. It was wrapped in newspapers from 1917 and was hidden by a noble family just before the Bolshevik Revolution. The workers found over 1000 pieces of jewellery, silver and just blatant genuine treasure. The story is here. It's the stuff that dreams are made of (that, and world peace obviously).

Then there is the guy who bought a drawing at a garage sale in Las Vegas and found it was an Andy Wahol. That story is here.

So there you go people. Romance is not dead. If you're at a loose end today, get busy and go treasure hunting, apparently there is still treasure to be found.