Anzac Day

Ninety-five years on, the original Anzacs, all now dead, would be pleased that the motto 'Lest we Forget' is still being honoured with such fervour. On Sunday, the dawn service at HMAS Creswell at Jervis Bay was all the more poignant because outside these heads, eighty-two sailors on HMAS Voyager lost their lives on 10th February 1964, in one of Australia's worst peacetime disasters:

After the Dawn Service, locals and tourists alike lined the streets of Huskisson for the Anzac Day march:

Followed by a short ceremony at Voyager Park, overlooking jervis Bay:

Lest We Forget.

April Weekend in Sydney

What could be nicer than tying up to the wharf at Watson's Bay, with the backdrop of the city skyline:

Being shown to a table on the upstairs balcony at Doyle's and ordering a seafood platter:

Not to mention the best view in the house:

I felt very spoilt indeed.

Best of British

It's Anzac Day, so I'm not sure why I'm in a bit of a British mood today. Maybe because I just bought the March edition of Living Etc. I instantly fell in love with this hot pink conversation sofa. The apple green cushions are a perfect accompaniment:


I'm a little over stag's heads, but absolutely love these walls, painted in Farrow and Ball's Down Pipe. My favourite elements are the red rose pouffes and the Birdie Blossom cushion by Paul Smith:


The cushion looks fantastic against the black chairs and grey walls:


The magazine also featured this yummy Liberty cushion which is part of the collaboration between Liberty and French store Merci:


I wouldn't say no to this Liberty dress which is part of the collection:


I bought two of the latest Australian interiors magazines a few days ago, but found absolutely nothing to excite me. Maybe I need to move to London.

Images courtesy of Living Etc and Libert of London.

Megan Morton

I had a look at Megan Morton's book in a bookshop this week. It's called 'Home Love: 100 Inspiring Ideas for Creating Beautiful Rooms':

I couldn't find any images from it to post, so here are some from the Design Files blog. I particularly love this Still Life After Caravaggio:

And the scullery in the lower photo. I have a thing for black pantries and kitchen shelves with white crockery at the moment:

This is a room in Megan's own home:

I love many of the images in her book, and recognise some from other books I have, such as the home of British designers Lisa Whatmough from Squint, and Atlanta Bartlett. The only reason I didn't buy it is the same reason I have for not buying Shannon Fricke's. I like to see whose houses the photographs are depicting. Design books from overseas do it, particularly those put out by publisher Ryland, Peters and Small, but for some reason, not so common in Australia. Then again, I might just buy it regardless.

The Down Side of Upcycling

I don't know whether my obsession with old things would be different if I had lots of cash to spare. I love expensive, new things too. The problem is that I can't afford them. For instance, I'd love a Kelly bag. Or a Birkin. I once read on a blog that someone had found two original Kelly bags for next to nothing at a brocante in France, but that doesn't exactly happen every day. I'd also love a piece of art by David Bromley, but they're out of my price range too. So, I'll just have to be content with this cover I bought at the opshop the other day:

Or these pewter beer mugs instead of an expensive glass vase:

And this art deco mirror:

As for never owning a Kelly bag or a David Bromley painting? I think I'll be able to live with that.

The down side of upcycling? I don't think there is one, really.

Happiness Is...

A patchwork quilt found at the opshop for $15 (I gave Iris the backing because it was barkcloth, which she loves). I soaked it in Napisan and hung it on the line:

It looks quite romantic in the boatshed, doesn't it?

Corningware for 30 cents (I didn't think you could buy anything for 30 cents any more):

And chokoes for $2 from the man next to the opshop. Just leave the money on the table on the veranda and take a bag of chokoes. They tasted beautiful steamed and sprinkled with salt and pepper last night:

What more could anyone want? Oh yes, a copy of the latest Inside Out magazine, which has some fantastic images, and a free Rob Ryan tea-towel:

Great Exhibitions

You know when you have those days when you surf the net finding lots of places you'd rather be and things you'd rather be doing? I had one of those yesterday. I happened across the website of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. There is an exhibition of quilts there until 4th July. I'm particularly interested in Tracey Emin's contribution below:



Here are some more:

If you can't make it to the exhibition, you can order quilting squares online, made from reproductions of fabrics from the quilts in the exhibition:


If that isn't enough, there will be another exhibition from 17 April - 26 September entitled "Grace Kelly: Style Icon". Here's what it says about it on the website:

"The spectacular wardrobe of Grace Kelly will be on display at the V&A. Tracing the evolution of her style from her days as one of Hollywoods most popular actresses in the 1950s and as Princess Grace of Monaco, the display will present over 50 of Grace Kelly's outfits together with hats, jewellery and the original Hermès Kelly bag. Dresses from her films, including High Society, will be shown as well as the gown she wore to accept her Oscar award in 1955. These will be accompanied by film clips and posters, photographs and her Oscar statuette. The display will also include the lace ensemble worn by Grace Kelly for her civil marriage ceremony to Prince Rainier in 1956 and 35 haute couture gowns from the 1960s and 70s by her favourite couturiers Dior, Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Yves St Laurent".

Also, from 3rd July till 8th January 2010, there will be an exhibition of illustrations from the "Peter Rabbit" books by Beatrix Potter. I think Londoners are pretty lucky. Meanwhile here in the colonies, people are queuing for two and a half hours at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra to see the last week of the Collection from the Musee D'Orsay. I've chosen to avoid that one. It doesn't seem quite fair does it?

All images courtesy of Victoria and Albert Museum website.

Beautiful Paintings

'Mariamne Leaving the Judgement Seat of Herod' by J. W. Waterhouse

'Il Dolce Far Niente' by Holman Hunt

I can't wait to see the exhibition that's coming to the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, from 20th May to 29th August 2010. It's called 'Victorian Visions: Nineteenth-century art from the John Schaeffer Collection', and contains 45 paintings, watercolours and drawings by Pre-Raphaelites and other nineteenth century artists such as Rossetti, Holman Hunt, Burne-Jones, Leighton, Poynter, Watts and Waterhouse. Among the artworks are 'Mariamne' by J W Waterhouse; Holman Hunt’s 'Il dolce far niente'; Richard Redgrave’s 'The sempstress'; and Leighton’s 'Athlete struggling with a python'.

Information courtesy of AGNSW website.

Earth Hour at the Boatshed

Last night, we turned off all our lights at the boatshed between 8.30 and 9.30 for Earth Hour 2010. So we wouldn't be in total darkness, we got ready by stringing up some fairy lights powered by a battery:

And lit some candles:

All went dark:

Then it was all over:

Here is some information on Earth Hour, care of the Bigpond News site:

Sydney's Opera House and Harbour Bridge fell into darkness on Saturday night as millions of lights were switched off across the city, kicking off a global energy-saving marathon. A swathe of homes and businesses also killed the lights at 8.30pm (AEDT) for 'Earth Hour' in an effort to lower the planet's carbon footprint and raise awareness of the environment.

Harbour ferry horns blared to signal the rolling event, which began in New Zealand, Fiji and Australia, and will wrap up 25 hours later in Apia, Samoa, at 6.30pm (AEDT) on Sunday. Supporters clasping candles gathered at city viewpoints to watch the spectacle and photograph Sydney's CBD before and after.

Earth Hour is supported by 4,000 cities in a record 125 countries and includes 1,200 famous landmarks. Egypt's Pyramids and Sphinx, the Trevi Fountain and Tower of Pisa in Italy will also take part, led by a five-minute blackout of the Eiffel Tower. For the first time this year, the Forbidden city in Beijing will also be taking part, along with 20 cities across China, despite the country's resistance at Copenhagen.

Now run by the WWF, Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007 when 2.2 million people switched off the lights in their homes, offices and businesses for 60 minutes to make a point about electricity consumption and carbon pollution. The campaign went global the following year, and it has now harnessed support from a raft of multinational companies including Google, Coca-Cola, Hilton, McDonalds, Canon, HSBC and IKEA.

Desperately Romantic

If, like me, you love romantic sumptuous furnishings, beautiful paintings and gorgeous actors and actresses, you would love the BBC 2 production, "Desperate Romantics". The last two episodes will be screened on the ABC (Australia) this Sunday 20th March. The interiors of Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti's studio could be loosely described as rough luxe meets bohemia. Unfortunately, I was unable to find very many images of the interiors on the web, but these stills from the series may whet your appetite. This is Rossetti and his model, Lizzie Siddall:

The members of the the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - John Everett Millais, Rossetti and William Holman Hunt. Second from the left is a fictional character, Fred:

The series is set in 1851 and explores the lives and loves of the artists:

Hunt and Rossetti in the studio with model Annie Miller:

The artists in a tavern:

The actresses resemble the women used as models by the Brotherhood, with their long, thick, wavy red hair:

One of the most interesting aspects for me is the depiction of the artists recreating some of their best-known paintings. In this case, Millais is painting "Ophelia":

With Lizzie as his model:

Here is the real thing:

While the series has been condemned by some critics for being a type of "Carry On" film for its many sex scenes, and for what some see as the dumbing down of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, it certainly is lovely to look at.

Images courtesy of the official BBC2 "Desperate Romantics" website and "La Maison de Vie" website

Essentially French

Recently I was lucky enought to be given this fantastic book by a friend (thanks Leo):

It's written by Josephine Ryan, a London antiques dealer:

She has photographs of various homes in London and France, particularly in Languedoc, near Montpelier and Nimes, including her own home. Look at this beautiful blue bath from her website:

I've decided to use the book as a kind of guide book when I go to France later this year (hence my being on a budget at the moment). Languedoc definitely looks like the place to be.

Luxe for Less

I haven't blogged for a while, due to that worst of all four-letter words: work. But, even though I'm now earning money, I'm on a budget because I'm saving for something. So, I still like to bag a bargain. A few weeks ago, I found this cute two-handled pot, which looks great on the top shelf in the boatshed:

It was at the op shop, and was the first thing I'd found there for ages. Unfortunately, I think the word is spreading that vintage is good, so the op shop is no longer the treasure trove it used to be. Anyway, something about this vase caught my eye. Maybe the shape or the colours:

Then, when I turned it over, I saw the name "John Campbell" and the year 1934. I realised it was much older than I had first thought, so I bought it for $8. When I got home, I googled John Campbell and found out that it is a Tasmanian pottery and the pots are reasonably valuable:

Then, last week, I saw this piece of furniture left on the street in Glebe. I grabbed it straight away, deciding it should look good painted white:

Then I went to one of my favourite stores, No Chintz and found the perfect handle for it:

So watch this space for the finished product - as soon as I get a chance to paint it. While I was there, I grabbed a bundle of remnants for $4. I love these fabrics and will make some patchwork cushions: