Little Moreton House

Thank god I don't have Foxtel. I am distracted enough with the home and cooking shows on free to air. I was watching Restoration House last week when Little Moreton Hall was shown as an example of a black and white half timbered Tudor manor house.
Can you believe this place? It doesn't look real. I thought you may be interested in seeing it too. Has anyone visited it? You can read more about it here, it dates from 1504 and is sometimes called Old Moreton Hall.

On another matter, I was talking to a friend this morning and she was telling me about a seminar she is going to soon. It's all about how to get a job these days using social media and how to get recruiters to notice you in a sea of 500 applications. I thought it sounded pretty nifty. Remember when you read the job ads in the paper. You typed up your letter and posted it off with a copy of your resume? It seems things have changed somewhat from that. As a public service I've put a link to the details here for anyone who is interested. I know there are a lot of people out of work at the moment and many others expecting to be any day now.
It's not really surprising. Where have all the people gone? I parked in the city during Christmas. I parked for 46 minutes and lined up to pay a machine $44. Surely at that rate the carpark owners could provide a human to take my money?
Remember when there was a person at the petrol pump to put the petrol in your car? Now it costs $80 to fill the tank and you have to do it yourself. There used to a rubbish man to drive the truck and two others hanging off the back to empty the bins. Now there is just the one in an automated truck.
Where are all these people? What are they doing now? Let's just say it's a worrying trend and it doesn't make sense.
Now let's look move on to something cheerier. Here's a picture of Don to cheer us up. I've seen season 5 finally. I know I don't generally come across as an optimist, but I just know that Don and Betty will get back together again soon. I'm serious.

Old men, giant flamingos and retrenched Christmas fairies

Happy new year (albeit belated)! I absolutely did not mean for so much time to slip by between posts, not that I imagine many people were on the edge of their seats waiting for me to utter my next word. The universe was against me in everyway; unexpected disasters, Blogger issues, photo uploading problems, a misplaced camera cord, unreliable internet connections, and so on.
We had a busy end of year, as everyone does, and then my (soon to be) 82 year old father became incapacitated, then hospitalised. Hands up anyone who has experienced the joy of transitioning an elderly parent from their own home to a nursing home (although we're constantly battling to use other names for it).
For the past week he has been trialling a lovely 'ah hm' at Clayfield. It's beautiful, heritage listed, all meals are made from scratch on the premises, it has beautiful gardens, air conditioning, it's close to everything, it has lots of common areas and easy accessability of course.

But guess what! He hates it, it's full of old people! This ageing parent business isn't easy on anyone, least of all the baby of the family. Poor me. So now he's back off to his own house to battle along a bit longer, then I imagine we'll start the whole process again.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I finally managed to get my hands on some giant flamingos. My Era buddy has a pair which I've coveted and I now I have my very own. With the stuffed peacock and now the flamingos the living area has taken on a rather 'camp' tone, which I don't mind a bit.

I also got these two brass goblet-ty things at the Salvos, tarted them up with some white paint and popped in some succulents. Yes I know a monkey could have done it, but I was still chuffed with the result.

Here is some more of my handy work. I acquired these two cane chairs, also from the Salvos. Then I whipped out the Janome and made some new covers for them. It made for a highly productive Friday night, and as it turns out, they are the most comfortable chairs ever put on the face of the earth.

This is a bonsai Fig I found in my father's garden. He said it's about 30 or 40 years old. We love it. It also had a mate, but after Peaches jazzed it up with a swing and a slippery dip it strangely passed on to the big garden in the sky. Considering it had sat happily unattended in Dad's garden for a few years it was a rather insulting gesture to turn its toes up only weeks after coming to living with us. Good riddance I say.

The girls have taken to calling regular trees 'big bonsais', which I suppose technically they are.

While we're on the subject of show and tell, this was one of my Christmas presents. I squeezed myself into it and wore it on Christmas Day. It gave the effect of a giant Christmas fairy, who had somewhat let herself go.

The stonework out in the garden is now pretty much complete and is just waiting for its plants.

She's coming along the old girl, slowly but surely.

The magic of mid-century furniture

May I just kick off with a quick plug for Era Home & Vintage? Have a look at this absolutely fabulous mid-century, spun fibreglass setting. Just imagine that in your pool house or on the verandah. Those cushions and covers are special uv fabric too you know, so they won't fade or go mouldy like normal fabric. This setting is destined for our store at the Woollongabba Antique Centre, as soon as space permits.

This beauty is in the shop right now this very moment - pop over to Woolloongabba Antiques and check it out in real life. We've chosen cheery yellow, being the colour of the century and all. That turquoise smudge on the floor, in case you're wondering, happens to be a Moroccan handmade, camel skin pouf.

Whilst fossicking for things for the shop I came upon the perfect setting for our verandah.

Isn't she gorgeous. I just couldn't let it go...and from another angle....

...bit closer up....

Look at the surprise on the table top. I've put coloured fabric under the glass, which I can change daily should I wish to (I don't of course). The shell doiley is very old and used to belong to my grandmother, Ellen. The geranium is called Big Red and it was a gift from my mother, thus far there are no issues with keeping it alive.

You know what I'm doing, you're probably doing it too even if you aren't aware? I'm cocooning. This term was coined by the New York based 'futurist' Faith Popcorn years ago. Faith isn't a wacky psychic, she predicts social trends before they happen, based on her observations. You can read her trends here.
Cocooning has become big business. It's basically fitting out your home so you don't need to venture into the big bad world.
It manifests itself in the form of coffee machines in domestic kitchens, 'resort style' pools, industrial sized washing machines/dishwashers/fridges, wine cellars and cold rooms, games rooms, 'parents retreats', media rooms. Do any of those sound familiar?
Large companies employ Faith as part of their product and service development. I believe she was the person who advised McDonalds on the upcoming trend of eating breakfast out of the home, hence they introduced their breakfast menu.
Anyway, if you find social trends interesting, you may get a kick out of reading Faith's website.
I have been cocooning like crazy because the compound was infiltrated last Tuesday night. That's right. Demons entered our private property and broke into our cars, as they apparently did six other properties around Red Hill and Paddington. I spent Wednesday morning driving around collecting my husband's work papers, which had obviously been flung out a car window at intervals as someone rummaged through his briefcase.
Well we will not be foiled again! Enter Savage Guard Dog.

She is meant to be a pure bred red cattle dog, she's not. She is supposedly toilet trained, I assure you she is neither that.
Although, she is pretty, smart and affectionate, and has fitted in perfectly. She goes by the name Honey, because she is both honey coloured and a honey bunny.

Speaking of happy things, our little friend the kookaburra came back to visit, this time with spouse in tow - see on the branch in the background.

I assume he came back to be hand fed worms again, just like Cleopatra eating her peeled grapes.

Is the kookaburra the most adorable animal on earth?

If you're looking for inspiration for the garden, visit the Roma Street Parklands, which is looking a treat.

 I love a good hedge...

...and a pond.

 May you never grow so old that you stop eating your Cheezels like this!

Real-estalking Part II

I think this house above is on the Sunshine Coast? Pretty isn't it?

Every neighbourhood has these. The side by side jobs, the calling card of the property developer. What happens is a house on a reasonable size block is either knocked down or moved sideways and 'renovated' within an inch of its life, while another replica house (the same because its cheaper that way) is squeezed in beside it. I always wonder if these houses are built well enough to still be around in 100 years time? The two above are actually probably better quality than most, but as far as street appeal goes they have little to offer the neighbours.

These are similar, but with a more 'flamboyant' design. To me, this modern style of house always look like they've been made from leftovers, and provide a stark contrast when they back themselves in between two beautiful old Queenslanders in a character area. I'm sure plenty of people will disagree with me, but that's my opinion.
I've prattled on in the past about not being too clever when renovating, and working with the style of your house because building mistakes are usually very costly.

Having said that, these two houses below are both terribly photographed but they are traditional styles with twists that really work.

The house above is a traditional Ashgrovian and it's had a level added to the roof which is painted a darker green than the rest of the house. It's really well done.

The house below has not photographed well but in real life its stunning. It's unusual in the way that the front verandah has been built in. It's gleaming white with smart black trim.

Again, my shonky photography doesn't do this house much justice, but it's also beautiful. The house is only a couple of years old at most. It has lovely proportions.

I could live here. This house is back in Paddington. This is their view below.

Ok, now that's done, I'm off to pack my bags to move to Ikaria. It's in the Greek Islands in case you're wondering. You can read all about it here.

Real-estalking Part I - Six of the best

I write many, many blog posts in my head, however, very few make it to the world wide web. I'm here now though, so let's get started.
Red Hill and Paddington have lots 'o pretty houses, and I wanted to share six of my favourites with you. In the process of doing this I've realised not all houses are photogenic, especially with my camera skills, and the appeal of other houses relies heavily on their positioning.
I would consider moving for this house. It's in a row of four similar houses, all relatively untouched and separated only by a debacle from the sixties. Isn't it lovely. I wouldn't change a thing. Probably.

This house above is another in the same row as the first house. It has beautiful leadlight windows, and sits opposite the laneway to the house pictured two down (with the conifers).

This lovely lady above is not necessarily one of my favs, but it represents the well maintained Queenslander - one that hasn't strayed from its origins, or been tampered with too much. It's just a beautiful family home, gracious in its 'unpretentiousness'.

This house above and the one below are both new houses, and proof that a new build doesn't have to be harsh or hideous. The pistachio coloured beauty above is about ten years old.
As for the photo below, it's a bad picture of a great house which has been built on an awkward block. I really didn't take the photo at the best angle, but trust me its fabulous.

This house above is pretty as a picture. It's all white and has beautiful ironwork gates. It looks like a cottage, but looks can be deceiving when it comes to the size of these houses on sloping blocks.
As an added bonus, may I also show you what would have been one of the best houses in the neighbourhood, had it not befallen an 'accident' a few years ago now. It sits under the Paddington water tower and has an incredible view across town. It has been in its decayed state for many years now. It's for sale if anyone is interested, the details are here.

We have been keeping an eye on the house below. I'm not sure what its story is or whether it is inhabited at the moment? It reminds me of a nuns' house for some reason. The unusual brick structure at the back is an extension to the timber Queenslander at the front.

Renovation Don'ts - Part II

Every time I open a property paper lately, I see this beautiful house for sale in Coorparoo and it reminds me of, what I believe, to be a very important 'Renovation Don't'.

You don't need to race in and change everything about a house immediately for the sake of change. Think people.  Once features are ripped out, they're gone for good, and there's some things that can't be faked, like the patina of age and time that gives a house its charm and character. If you don't want charm and character, if you want everything to be shiny and perfect, maybe an old house is not for you?

Every time I see a picture of the kitchen in this house, I automatically think of that saying; 'Fools rush in'.

How beautiful and gracious is this kitchen? I can just imagine the lady of the house clicking around in it in her kitten heels when it was brand new, making sandwiches for her girlfriends and a tray of g & ts on a hot day. Call me a pessimist, but I just know some doody head is going to make it their mission to rip this pretty girl out and install some sleek pre-fab eye sore.

This is how I would have loved our kitchen to look, but the existing 'kitchen' in our house was more just a room with a sink and a recess where the wood burner had been.

Just look at this beautiful house. It's at 251 Chatworth Road, Coorparoo.

If you're about to renovate, may I suggest living in your house as is for six or twelve months. The plans that we had in mind when we first moved in changed completely after living in our house for 12 months.

You probably don't remember it, but when Alex Baldwin's character was made the head of CNN in 30 Rock, he say's 'Well, the first thing I'll do is redecorate my office, even though it's perfectly fine the way it is'.

It's human nature to go into a new place and mark our territory. Remodelling or redecorating is the more civilized equivalent of peeing around the boundaries.

Just keep in mind, it's not always necessary. Old houses are gracious and romantic, two qualities that are being wrung out of the world on a daily basis. You may find it very refreshing to forgo fashion in the name of something more classic and nostalgic.

Say no to remodelling and redesigning more, and embrace the practice of restoring and preserving, at least that way, you can always change your mind.