Giddy up for Derby Day!

Shop this bow Facinator here

Next week I am taking a few days off to head over to Melbourne with my girlfriends to attend Derby Day. I cant wait, although I will miss my boys sooo much.

Thanks goodness for Grandad who is coming over to look after them whilst I am away and Paul is busy reaping our crops (of course harvest is about to start just as I leave).

I have loved looking for outfit inspiration for the day. What I really love about racing fashion is that it is all about classic, sophisticated and elegant style. No tacky mini dresses or boob tubes allowed!

The shoes I will be wearing!

Derby Day traditionally sees women dressed in a Black and White theme. 

Hats on the field; image from The Age

Perfect for me! 

Any Melbourne folk have any tips on where girls in there 30s should go for drinks and dinner?

Around the Garden in Spring

The Irises and Roses are coming out!

There is something quite satisfying about cutting fresh flowers from your own garden. 

 I love this time of year, the irises are out and the roses are well on their way.

There is fresh growth on the hedges and the lawn is greening up.

The hedges have beautiful new green growth!

Looking across to the shearing shed

My healthiest of the Manchurian Pears

Looking across to the footy lawn

Harvey- camera shy!

Our newest area the Rose Garden - still needing to be hedged

The barley crop is ripening ready for harvest

 Harvest is getting pretty close and we are hoping to start in about 2 weeks!

I am rather impatient but this still relatively new garden is finally coming together. To anyone starting a new garden- hang in there it is worth the wait!

Hope you are all having a fabulous week.

PS If anyone has any tips on what to do with irises after they flower please share. I hate how they look after when the leaves die off.

Friday Flowers

I am so lucky to have a beautiful group of friends who make the effort to catch up on a regular basis no matter how busy we all are.

Last Friday they all (one lady was missed as she was sick) came over for lunch with their kiddies to make the most of the last day of the holidays.

Some people may ask 'How do you find the time?' or 'Why do you do that so often?'

Simple really! You have to make the time. 

Let's face it we are all busy. No matter if you work or don't. Life is continually filling up with so many things. 

These beautiful flowers were given to me by one of the ladies, straight out of her garden. 

Lucky me!

Black & White Glamour

The beautiful Living/Dining Area- spot the lovely White Hydrangeas from moi?

  It is no secret I am forever trawling the internet in search of the perfect cottage to have as a 'home away from home' when we stay in Adelaide. 

Although it may be some years before the boys will be off to boarding school,
 (I think I'll be spending a lot of time down there then) I don't think it hurts to do your research.

I was so excited when I found this Black & White Beauty for sale located in Stepney, one of Adelaide's leafy suburbs .

On closer examination I started recognising quite a few of the homewares from my little online shop. After a little investigation I worked out the it belonged to none other than my gorgeous customer Courtney.

Lovely styling by Courtney- one of my best sellers the White Butler Tray.

The second bedroom- I could have easily removed the pink and popped in a bunk bed for the boys.

The stunning kitchen

ohhh that floor!

Glamorous Master Bedroom

Stylish bathroom in black & white of course!

The pretty and functional outdoor area- I could have seen myself sitting out here for breakfast!

Courtney and her lovely husband Justin have done the most superb job renovating this beautiful cottage.
A BIG thank you to Courtney for letting me share this with you. I knew my readers would love it.

Courtney and Justin are leaving South Australia due to a work promotion. I wish them all the best on their new adventures and life interstate. Keep in touch!

School Holidays

Checking the canola crop

Do you love or loathe the holidays?

I LOVE them. 

The best thing is not having to rush off anywhere in the mornings (can you tell I am not a morning person?) and having my boys home.

I actually don't want these holidays to end.

We have just got back from four wonderful days away at the beach with very dear friends and their awesome boys, who just so happen to be my two boy's besties. 

Great mates!

I am not normally a beach person but had the best few days away.

The kids attempted a water ski but the water was a little cold!

The weather has mostly been beautiful which has meant lots of outdoor activities like footy and cricket. We have also been eating outside whenever we can.

Not sure what game this is but Tommy is using the bug net rather unusually!

There has also been some time for a few farm lessons.

Ollie 'driving' around the farm

Hope you are all enjoying the school holidays and having lots of fun too!

Black, White & Raspberry

Cushion combination!

So nice when a project you have been working on for months finally comes together!

The client of this beautiful country property loves all things English Country but was after an updated version for their home.

Camellias from the garden - the perfect accessory

There were some really significant pieces that needed to be coordinated in to the scheme.

Firstly an old black chest made by a family member which is used as the coffee table. To incorporate this we added the black through the patterned and check cushions.

A challenging room to arrange given the many windows and staircase.

Secondly was the framed floral print which the client has had for years and still adores. This was the base of the colour and fabric choices made.

The client's print was instrumental in the colour choices and theme of the room.

It was also really important to them for everything not to 'match too perfectly'. The rest of the house has quite a collection of eclectic treasures such as microscopes, old posters, books, books and more books, therefore we opted for lots of different, mismatched but complimentary cushions. 

Beautiful custom cushions teamed together.

Still some finishing touches to be added such as window dressings, accessories and lamps, but already I am really pleased with the look we've achieved. 

More importantly I think we have captured the home owners personality perfectly! It's not decorated with what is on trend or in style but as a true reflection of their lifestyle and loves.

PS. Looking forward to sharing more of this home as we continue with its special transformation.

The Tree Lined Driveway

Can't wait to drive along between the trees after they have grown up in the next few years! 

Do you remember my post on the Tree Lined Driveways nearly a year ago? If so you will be pleased to hear that is is finally planted. This has been something I have always wanted even as a little girl. I remember driving along Victoria Avenue (those of you from Adelaide will know this street) and being mesmerised as we drove through the 'tree tunnel'.

With so many restrictions as to what we can plant in our area is was not an easy task finding a tree that would tolerate our conditions. My first choice would have been London Plane trees, but talking to friends in the area who had planted them they were not recommended.

We already have 22 Manchurian Pear trees in the house yard which are going extremely well and have had very little water or care given to them.

The Manchurian's Blossom was beautiful this year.

Given this I decided to stick with the pear family and have opted for another ornamental  pear the Glensform -Cleveland Select down either side of the driveway.  They are more upright than the Manchurian Pears but not quite so much as the Capital Pears I have near the veggie garden.  They should spread nicely but not too much over the driveway. 

Image via Pinterest- hopefully ours look like this one day.

A big thank you to my farmer for his hard work planting and Harvey for supervising!

Have a great week all!

I am delighted to be spending it with my two little boys. I love school holidays and having them around. I must admit I am a bit of a sook and miss them when they are at school.

The Big Boys Turns 7

Hard to believe that it has been 7 years since of first little baby entered the world!

One week overdue so not so little at 9lbs 5oz.

The new dad was happy to be in charge until I came out of the general anesthetic!

On Saturday my big boy Ollie turned 7!

Me & my boys 

He was lucky enough to have his birthday dragged out over a week.

The previous weekend he celebrated with his gorgeous mates and their families with a BBQ and bonfire.

I was told 'not to do too much decorating or fussing' over the day so was rather restrained, but I did think the big boy deserved a fabulous cake. I employed the services of the amazing Donna yet again!

On Saturday (his actual birthday) we headed off to Adelaide and caught up with his cousin Harriett for another cake!

Sunday was a special day for our family. It was the second time we have been in the City to Bay fun run together.

About 12 weeks ago (barely able to run for a minute straight) I began a running program 'Couch to 5kms'. My goal was to be able to run with my boys. They have been my inspiration as I have been going up and down the dirt road at the back of our farm!

After the run!

The boys and I dropped Paul in the city centre and headed off to Glenelg (my birthplace) to watch him finish the 12km run.

The boys were extremely proud of their dad as he strode in in a new PB of 46.54 minutes.

We then all headed back to the 3km mark. Paul and Ollie ran this together and Tommy and I ran together.

To say I was proud of these two little fellows would be an understatement! I wasn't sure they would even be able to run the whole way, but they did!

It was great to see so many families out there being active and supporting each other at this amazing event. 

This was a fabulous end to a great 'Birthday Week' for Ollie.

Looking forward to doing it all again next year! Perhaps we will have to attempt the 6kms?