Dive on in...

When we bought our house, the inground pool was a major selling point. With three kids, and the kind of sweltering summers we have here in Queensland, it's definitely had a workout over the years. Lately, it's been looking very tired, and we've had leaking pipes, broken pool pumps and filters, tiles falling off....you name it. This winter, we've had yet another leak, and at the moment it looks more like a swamp than a pool! So, we've decided to bite the bullet and give the old girl a bit of cosmetic surgery. New coping pavers, waterline tiles to replace the slate, and re-landscaping the pool area is on the cards, and not before time, I can tell you! One of the advantages of living on acreage is that we have space to play with, but it also can pose a few challenges - like where to put the mandatory safety fencing. Take a look at a few of my inspiration pics - and if my pool makeover looks half as good as some of these beauties, I'll be a very happy camper!

source

source

 source

 

paint these beams white and you have the perfect outdoor fireplace

this is a similar pool to ours - and that little poolhouse would be perfect!

source

sandstone surrounds maybe?

source 

Now that weekend sport is done for the rest of the year, (after my daughter's nail-biting one-point win in her netball grand final - nothing like giving your parents a heart attack in the process!) we'll have a bit more time to spend on getting this house into shape. Can't wait!

'Crazy Quaint' Shere

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

I bought this wonderful book, 'Footpaths for Fitness Surrey' by David Weller. We have been making our way through many chapters, and enjoying each of them. The highlight, so far, has been our walk in Shere, Surrey.

This quaint village has picturesque buildings, amazing views, and a stream through town with ducks. A pub, tea house, and ice scream shop too : ) You may have seen it in the movie 'The Holiday' with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet (also filmed in nearby Godalming). See my post about it [here].

The walk we followed would be difficult to duplicate without the book, however, if you are in the area you can blaze your own trail by following one of the  footpaths behind the town church. It was a long walk for the kids, but they brought their little cameras along and enjoyed clicking away.

Grab your walking stick - here we go...

Footpath by the church

Mushroom fairy village

Every turn was so scenic

The kids loved seeing sheep, cows, and horses along the way

A 'ford' in the river

A community garden to die for

Can't go wrong with finishing a walk at the bakery and pub!

Crumbs and The White Horse Pub

I knew it was going to be a great day 

when I saw a VW bus in town

And we were fortunate to have lovely weather. 

Don't you just love Shere?!

XO
Laura

Related Posts: 'The Holiday' With A Twist, Film Locations: The Holiday & Bridget Jones 

Reader redesign....the power of white paint

Last week, I received a lovely email from one of my blog readers, Karen. Karen and her husband had a common problem with their home, and one that I'm all too familiar with - the dreaded pine ceiling and brick wall combo! Karen had seen the huge difference a coat of white paint had made to my kitchen and ceiling, and is also a fan of Millie and Moth's work over at The Laurel Hedge, and so decided a white wash was exactly what was needed to give her family room a lift. Take a look at the before...

...and the afters

 

Karen is far from finished with her makeover - there are new lamps and accessories still to come, and her husband is building a cabinet to disguise the fridge and provide more storage. And if the transformation isn't amazing enough on its own, amidst all the reno chaos Karen underwent two eye operations! What a wonderful job, and thanks must go to Karen and her husband for letting me share their makeover success with you all.

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend,

An award...and an apology!

I have a huge apology to make...last month, the lovely Natasha from Northern Light was nice enough to pass on a the Versatile Blogger award to me, and somehow I managed to miss thanking her! So Natasha, thank you so much for the award, I really do appreciate it more than you know. For those of you who haven't met Natasha yet, she was born in East Africa, raised in Denmark and lives in America. Her blog is a treasure trove of all things beautiful, and is one of my daily reads. Here's a little of what you can expect:

So if you haven't already, pop on over here and check it out, you won't be disappointed. Oh, and say hi from me too! 

Nervous Nellie Goes To France

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

Last weekend my husband and I took the Channel Tunnel ('Chunnel') train from London to Paris to celebrate his birthday. I have always been a Little Nervous Nellie (and Claustrophobic Claudia) about being in a tube underwater - just doesn't seem natural. 246 feet deep, to be exact.

The undersea train line opened in 1994, although formal discussions began as early as 1802. Whereas the English tunnelling machines were given snoozy alphanumeric names, the French boring machines had lovely names such as Brigitte, Virginie, and Pascaline. Ooh, that sounds so pretty and French!

Our Eurostar Train in the Gare du Nord Intl Station (Paris) 

I am happy to report there are no faults on the English Channel seafloor, and it was ideal to bore into the strong chalky marl (think White Cliffs of Dover). Although a huge engineering feat, the construction of the tunnel appears to be void of colorful stories.

Although I turned some heads showing up in my big yellow life jacket and pudgy arm floaties over my cute repurposed Goodwill outfit, I never heard any safety talks including the whereabouts of my nearest lifeboat or exit.

I 'sleuthed' that fire is the biggest danger. There have been a few closures in the tunnel due to fires on the freight trains, thankfully without injuries. And conveniently I realized those scuba tanks I was wearing could double as my firefighter oxygen get-up.

View Inside Train

If I have an urge to ride more undersea trains, I could head over to the Seikan Tunnel in Japan or wait for the opening of the Marmaray Tunnel in Turkey. It is at least four years behind schedule largely due to the discovery of a Byzantine era archaeological find and to complications of building on a fault line underwater (Nervous Nellie skips that one for sure).

View From Train Window (France)

I think our train trip took about 2 hours, with only 20 minutes in the actual undersea tunnel. Cleverly, they distracted me first by pouring (free) wine before we got to the tunnel, and then brought my yummy meal and dessert just before going into the dark underground. And because we went through many short land tunnels along the way, it took a while to realize we were actually in THE tunnel - so I didn't even have time to locate my paper bag to breathe into. 

Getting off the train in my snorkeling flippers was a little tricky, though. I know, I am a dreamy travelmate : )

Source: Wikipedia.org

[You're Invited! If you enjoyed this post, please consider following: www.HappyHomemakerUK.blogspot.com ] 

XO 

Laura (Nellie & Claudia)

Kauri Cliffs

You may remember my post on Huka Lodge, with its gorgeous, stylish interiors. Well, Virgina Fisher, who was responsible for the design of Alan Pye Cottage, has also worked her magic on another gem called Kauri Cliffs. Overlooking New Zealand's Bay of Islands, the luxury resort ticks all the boxes - stunning location, beautiful design, and every luxury imaginable. 

all images courtesy kauricliffs.com

Stunning, isn't it? I've just spent the day at an athletics carnival, on a bitterly cold day, so this looks oh-so-appealing at the moment.

Hope you've all had a great day,

Oh my...

...is this not the best study ever? Just look at the library (bliss!), the vintage goodies, gorgeous floors....need I say more?

douglas friedman via greige

Ah, to dream.....

Day Trip: The Roald Dahl Museum

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

'A life is made up of a great number of small incidents and a small number of great ones'    -Roald Dahl

In an effort to make books 'come alive' for our kids, we will attempt to visit places with literary significance. Fortunately living here will make that job easier : )

As fans of his work, we took a day trip to The Roald Dahl Museum in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. Roald Dahl was the author of childhood classics such as Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, James and The Giant Peach, and Matilda. He died in 1990.

The unforgettable children's musical movie Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory was filmed in Munich, West Germany in 1970. Interestingly, Quaker Oats Company provided big funding for the film as a platform for their new chocolate candy, Wonka Bar.

You'll notice that the exact title of the book, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, was not used for the movie Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory to better promote the candy tie-in. Mr Dahl disapproved of the heavy focus on Willy Wonka and less on Charlie, so he did not allow for the filming of the sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

According to Wikipedia, that unforgettable Chocolate Room was a two foot deep river and waterfall created by adding chocolate ice cream mix to 150,000 gallons of water which eventually created a foul odor that permeated the entire soundstage. Many of the floral props were edible.

Now back to the museum. The museum took approximately two hours to tour. The focus was on Roald Dahl's life and how to get those creative juices flowing for aspiring young (and old) writers. When we entered the museum, the kids were given little notebooks to jot down creative ideas for writing a story. 

There were drawing stations, dress up costumes, dictionaries, and magnetic areas to put random words together. It was loads of fun.

You can't go to this museum without some candy, right? 

And a darling museum cafe too.

Of course the kids had to try 

the 'whizzpopper' and 'fizzy lifting' drinks!

I just finished reading Roald Dahl's fascinating autobiographies, Boy and Going Solo, which recounted his full life in boarding schools, making trips to the candy store, being a taster for Cadbury's Chocolate, working for Shell Company in Africa, and flying for the Royal Air Force in WWII. I always wonder about the life of such unique creative minds.

Click here to see the museum website

XO

Laura

A Few Fav Photos - Great Missenden

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

One nice thing about having a blog is I now go everywhere with my trusty little camera.  Here are a few photos I took last week in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. Enjoy!

My 'red door' theme...

I want that green scale! - and even my kiddos might eat

 those good look'n veggies

An adorable flower shop

I love the idea of chicken wire in a basket 

to keep the flowers upright. 'Brilliant!'

XO
Laura