cold, wet, and yet...

It was very, very wet and quite cold in the nation's capital this weekend; but despite that it was anything but miserable. It was a weekend to...
curl up with cups of tea...using the giant cup that the first born bought me for mothers day...

do a bit of magazine browsing...

watch a DVD or two...

dream of what I want to do with the tranquil townhouse while watching the rain fall down outside...and yes, painting the woodwork white is one of those things...and new dining chairs

confirm that I need to go and get some wood for the fireplace...which is not really a fireplace but a stove thingy...that I really don't like the look of, but I know it's going to be great when I get around to lighting a fire in it...[this is my first winter living here and when I came to the open inspection the fire was going...and well, you know how it is!]

enjoy the fact that the 22 year old was in Sydney visiting his sister (and the house was mine, all mine for the weekend...no offence Ben!)...ssshhhh, can you hear the silence...

make a small purchase...and give in to my boho tendencies...not that that's hard!

take some photos of the garden in the rain...a different kind of beautiful...

[quite pleased with those photos; just as well...I got a bit wet taking them!]

visit a friend who wants me to help him plan his bathroom reno...so excited about doing something with this [below] because it's all kinds of wrong as it is!

tackle the pile of work-work that seems to be never ending at the moment...that's definitely not me BTW...

try and get the vampire slayer to stop sleeping on the furniture when she has a perfectly good cat basket to sleep in...fur-lined and everything. Actually, it's a dog basket, but I hardly think that's an excuse for her not to use it...it's not as if she's smart enough to know the difference! No, don't defend her...she's not!

And best of all, spend some lovely time with the MGM. So not too shabby a weekend at all bloggy peeps. Hope yours was equally good. And I do believe that this post is my 100th...how in the heck did that happen! Thank you everyone for all your support...big smooches all round. To you, and you, and you...as the Von Trapp children would say (except they'd say it in German, or was it Austrian...oh I don't know...you get my drift!)

all images by me except the ones that aren't....they're from flickr

soul food friday ~ art and music to soothe

Take a few minutes out...just for you...even if you're not a Don McLean tragic like me, who happens to know all the words to American Pie! Turn the sound down if you must and just feast on the beauty that comes from the hand, mind and heart of Vincent Van Gogh. This version put together for patients at the Mississippi State Hospital.

You can read more about the amazing masterpieces exhibition that I saw at the National Gallery of Australia here (where Starry Night and other extraordinary works of art were exhibited). 
Thank you to my friend Sally in Canada...I saw this lovely tribute to Vincent on her Facebook page.  Sally and I first met in England in 1990 and we've recently reconnected through another friend Mary (who follows my blog, bless you!...don't you love the interweb!!) Sally is a very talented artist...you can visit her blog My Painting Life here for some more soothing.  And here are a few of her paintings...aren't they wonderful. Canadians are so clever! And nice!

Weekend is nearly here...hope you have a wonderful one...here, there or anywhere!

all images courtesy of Sally Chupick

top 10 pictures from the week

A little while back I said that I get pretty tired by the time Thursday rolls around and just want to post pretty pictures. I've mostly been taking them from books on my bookshelf...but, ever one to change my mind (surely not!) I've decided...for the moment at least...that Thursday will be devoted to posting pictures that I've seen over the past week on other sites. Pictures that have made me go aaaahhh....or oooooh....or on some occasions have rendered me speechless (no mean feat that one!). Not that I'm qualified to judge these things really, but does that matter? No. Didn't think so.

stills locations via greige

Naturally, as I only just thought of this yesterday, I haven't been putting aside jawdropping images all week (no, that would require organisation and forethought) so it's taken me a while to put this together, which kind of defeated the purpose. And I have no doubt that I've seen many pictures this week that should have made it to the list. But...as this is my first attempt you will, I'm sure, cut me some slack.  Next week though, I'll be stockpiling as I blog stalk...that's the plan anyway! Enjoy...

la porte rouge

via belle maison

pia ulin via just about everywhere

via two little dicky birds

via home-designing

collette dinnigan's house via the diversion project

polly eltes via mostly older than me

the little things

artefact via la dolfina

Thank you to all of these wonderful bloggy places and websites for giving me such tingles!

cheap ideas from BHG

BHG = Better Homes and Gardens...a daggy mag to be sure...but here's a few good ideas from their website...
Stretching fabric around the panels in cabinet doors...requiring a small amount of fabric and a staple machine thing...preferably electric...and careful aim... 

Door knob coat hooks...you will need door knobs, a drill and wall plugs...then all you've got to do is get the ferals gorgeous kiddlywinks to hang their stuff there...could work on the back of a door too...now that's a novel idea...door knobs on doors!

Framed tea towel...look at that dopey bird...

goodness me...I already did that...read all about it here if you haven't already...it's mildly amusing (and you'll be pleased to know I've got a better camera now and have learnt a thing or twenty-two about taking photos)

Group clear glass bottles, jars, vases together with or without flowers. OK, I'm almost sure this wasn't wholly and solely THEIR idea...but it does look pretty nice doesn't it?

Hang some plates on the wall...

...so granny but...bless me...if I haven't done that as well...even if one plate is now a clock...you can read about that little saga here...(notice how I'm giving you these links just in case that little linkedwithin gadget doesn't know what it's doing and because I like to get a little extra mileage out of my posts as they usually take so bloody long for me to compose!)

And last but not least, BHG tells us we should make our sinks sparkle-arkly with Gumption. Not pretty...but practical!

So, does reading Better Homes and Gardens officially make me a dag? I suspect so...is there a helpline for that do you know?!? A 1300 number I can call??

[n.b. for overseas bloggy peeps not familiar with the word dag; in this context it's used as a term of endearment and not given its literal meaning...that, believe me, you do not want to know!]

all images from here; they're claiming you can do all of these things for less than $20...and I suspect they're right! Although not if you were to count the cost of my labour...nothing, but nothing is ever that straightforward at the tranquil townhouse!

a simple solution for a small annoyance

No, Buffy is not the small annoyance I am referring to...she's a much bigger problem! But this jewellery box, bloggy peeps, believe it or not...was the simple solution...

to this small annoyance...a candle plate that I have had for years and quite like...which of course you can no longer buy the right size candles for (at the right sized price at least)...

What to do? Fill in the gap of course...and create a whole lot of different looks while you're at it...I tried beachy...

pastel...

tribal...

a touch of old worlde charm...(that was my grandma's brooch)

chinoiserie...

bold and modern...

organic...

love anything remotely boho...

elegant...

a bit of bling...(see that Burberry perfume...a little goes a long way believe me!)

and the life aquatic...

 And then what happens...?

...you find a candle that fits almost perfectly...and it doesn't cost the earth. Sigh. Life's like that.

I'm linking this to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

...well it's kind of one I think even though it required no power tools or paint!

all images by me...they took forever to stage, but it was heaps of fun! Just one more procrastination project brought to you by a tranquil townhouse!