Images of the Festive Season

My one concession to Christmas decorating in the boatshed - colourful paper lanterns from Chinatown:

Good food and great company:

New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour - fellow revellers in a neighbouring boat capture the spirit of the evening against the backdrop of the Opera House:

Waiting for the fireworks:

At the Bottom of Our Street

We've just spent a few days in Sydney and while I was there I got to thinking about the idea of being a tourist in your own town. So I decided to try and see the sights I was so familiar with through the eyes of a tourist. Our boat was moored at the bottom of our street, and looks quite good against the local harbourside parkland :

And against the backdrop of the city skyline:

We've just refurbished the interior so here's a peek. We had the cushions covered in a charcoal- coloured Warwick fabric and I made a curtain and cushions from some striped fabric from No Chintz:

Coming ashore at the jetty, you stumble across Bellevue, a gorgeous Victorian house. You can just make out the boat through the trees:

And here is a view of the Anzac Bridge from the shady front veranda:

Bellevue is owned by the City of Sydney and was restored a couple of years ago, but remains empty. I love the way they maintained the 'rough luxe' look by leaving the internal walls with layers of peeling paint like a palimpsest:

And close by is a secret garden, lovingly maintained by our friend Tass:

Seeing your city as a tourist certainly makes you appreciate your surroundings. I thoroughly recommend it.

Gorgeous Rooms

These photographs are of the Presidential Suite at the Radisson, Sydney, where we stayed on Saturday night. The interior colour scheme is a combination of tobacco, mustard, caramel, chocolate, cream, black and grey. Very stylish.