Back from Bagdad

Just back from a two day shoot staying at the most beautiful Armytage House in Bagdad.

What a place.

I want to move there.

Picture if you will a converted barn set amongst the most delightful gardens, filled with groaning apple, quince, hazelnut and walnut trees.  The highlight for me however, and the setting for most of our work, was the rustic outdoor kitchen with a pizza oven and a massive brick hearth, all kitted out with a stylists dream of collectable vintage kitchenware. The theme of the shoot was cooking with fire, and I ate so much delicious food cooked on the hearth I thought would burst.

I've finally unpacked the car, taken some gorgeous kitchen props back to the lovely Tammy and now can relax and look at the photos.  Somedays I need to pinch myself because I get to do such amazing things.   If you love to cook and you ever visit Tasmania, you must visit Bagdad and stay with June & Gil.

In my kitchen

Yesterday was one of those gorgeous days in the kitchen that puts a smile on my face every time I think of it.   Totally perfect.    Meeting in real life a delightful family I've known online for years, cuddling gorgeous baby Poet and talking to an adorable young volcano scientist.  Eating Rayburn toast and jam and apple cake.

I thought I took loads of photos but I didn't. Oh well, luckily there were a few other people taking a snap or two.  Can't wait to see them. They'll be lovely memories of a very sweet day in my kitchen.

 

Something new from something old

The builders have just left.  Off to finish another job.  In their wake, piles of dust, timber offcuts and buckets pasted with the remains of grout and plaster lie scattered all over the kitchen and back porch.  The kitchen floor is crusted with muddy sawdust footprints.  The table is completely filled with piles of pots, crockery and appliances. And the fridge sits untidily in the middle of the room, with a hastily scribbled invoice for a rather large amount from the builder stuck on the door.  And I'm so happy I could cry.

The kitchen is almost finished.

There is a photo shoot in this kitchen on Saturday. Early Saturday.  I'm excited to meet IRL a dear old blogging friend.  But there is lots to do before then.  Like a giant jigsaw puzzle, I've got to arrange all this stuff onto new shelves, paint the timber work and wait for the floor tiles to dry before we can finally put the fridge in its new home.

For now, I'll turn my back on the rubble and admire the hallway with it's new coat rack those builders installed for me.  I found this old blackwood mantle piece at my favourite local salvage store.  Circa 1880 they told me. It's rather large and I love to imagine what grand Georgian mansion it might have been rescued from.  A song for $50. The hooks I bought off ebay.  Those lovely builders measured the hooks, screwed them in place then installed the whole piece onto the lathe and plaster wall. No easy feat, it's rather heavy. Then I polished it with beeswax.  And put some of my favourite things on the shelf.  Practical and beautiful. I love it.

Now, time to turn around and face the kitchen.

Another gorgeous day...

...shooting at the farm.  Styling, learning, laughing and of course, eating! 

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And so it begins...

It's a bittersweet moment when your littlest baby loses his first tooth.  A significant milestone on that path to growing up.  A giant step away from infancy and towards big kidness.  Sob.

Yesterday, that first wobbly tooth fell out, while Hugo was munching on our first loaf of bread baked in the new oven, not an insignificant event either.   In anticipation of a special visit from the magic folk,  last week I helped Hugo sew a little pillow with a pocket on the front   Before bed he carefully tucked his tooth in the pocket and placed the pillow next to his head.   In the darkness this morning, I was woken by a boy showing a me a coin in one hand and a gem in the other, with a look on his face so beautiful it made this growing up caper a little sweeter for one mama to bear.

Steam punk kitchen...

The kitchen's looking a little steam punk here today with copper pipes, brass fittings and gauges cluttering up the space.  We're on the home stretch now. I think we can light the oven tonight.

Meanwhile, the table is covered with the creative mess of sickly peeps making paper dolls :: pencils, sharpenings, tracing paper and scissors.

It feels truly autumnal today, cold and rainy, with a chill inside caused by the wide open doors to allow the plumbers' lengths of hoses, pipes and lagging to flow out the kitchen.

Hugo is home sick with a cold, but we have the fire on, apple sauce simmering, (from our own apples!) and our tomatoes ripening on the window sill.  A perfect day to light the Rayburn. Yes, all is well here in the steam punk kitchen.

White on White

After the great bedroom swap of December, we moved into the kids old room, which has a wonderful big window and built in cupboards. Trouble was, I hadn't got around to clearing out the clutter from our now lost study so we were sleeping in half bedroom half office.   The walls, painted a greeny icy blue, were cruddy and marked with little and not so little kid scribbles, beeswax sculptures and glitter glue.  Not the calm and soothing sanctuary of my dreams.

Yesterday, I had ten kid free hours, the perfect time to tackle painting the room and clearing out the mess.  Our whole house is pretty much painted Antique White USA, which is lovely when it's freshly painted but I'm finding that it tends to look too yellow after a time, so I went for a brighter white.  Dulux White on White.  I love it.  It's my new favourite white.  The only trouble was I couldn't reach the top of the walls so I had to leave it blue.  I don't mind it but I don't think the Mister does.

I will wait a few days before a hand some pictures, but for now I'm loving the clean white clutter free space.  We bought the old ladder years ago from a country fair in NSW somewhere.  We were living in a modern studio apartment in Sydney's Chippendale, it only just fit through the door and our friends thought we were nuts.  After carting it around for years, I think it's finally found a home.  A place to hang my new Cabbages and Roses coat, that I just can't wait to wear once the weather turns cooler.

Next week, we have some final renovations of the kitchen kind.  I can't wait to show you.

Right now...
Loving this space...via 
Can't wait for my copy of this to arrive...
Excited to be meeting this lovely lady soon...
Scared but hopeful by this talk