Feather your nest

I've always been a bit of a collector. As a kid, I used to keep little white pebbles (or 'lucky stones' as we called them), leaf skeletons, coral and shells from our beach holidays (along with a few poor little hermit crabs that I used to stash in the car without my parents' knowledge )....and feathers. I always loved finding feathers, particularly white ones, as my Nan used to tell me they were good luck. The gorgeous patterns and colours always appealed to my artistic side, too. So here's a little feather study I did the other day:

'Collected'

watercolour on paper 

210mm x 297mm

prints available in my Etsy shop

I'm thinking I may start a series of feather paintings - and peacock feathers are next on my list.I found this pic the other day:

source

They are lovely, aren't they? I personally would never use feathers unless I found them myself - I hate the thought of how some of them are harvested, but they're undeniably beautiful. 

I know the ultimate bowerbird, Sibella Court, is partial to the odd feather or twelve...

all images The Society Inc

...so I'm in fine company. What about you - are you collectors? Tell me everything.

Post Of The Month Club: May

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

[image]

Admit it,

you were wondering where we would meet

for May's Post Of The Month Club, 

weren't you?

Well, nothing says summer like

a lemonade stand :)

Grab a frosty one

Are you looking forward to summer?

Big plans?

I can't wait to see what you have been up to in May

Just link-in below your best post in May

& don't forget to become a follower :)

Could you visit at least 2 other participating bloggers too?
That would be * fab *

And if you are looking for my button to add to your sidebar or post,

you can find the HTML code on my sidebar

So sweet of you to ask

Thank you for stopping by!

Happy June Blogging ;)

Powered by Linky Tools
Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list...

Pavilion Style Beach House

I'm still in the planning stages for our new house design, and one style I keep coming back to over and over is a series of pavilions. It makes perfect sense for our climate - hot, humid summers, and mild winters. We have the space, and I'd love to wrap the house around the pool, so when I saw this house in Noosa, it ticked all the boxes.

 Hmm, pity we've just given our pool an overhaul..I'm liking those steps - very clever

 Not exactly my style furnishing-wise, but the wide-plank timber floors are divine

 LOVE the pivot louvred doors...one for the files for sure

 ...and another must-have are those clerestory windows...perfect for Queenlsand summers

 ok, so ignore the artwork, but I love the way the house wraps around the pool...and I love the Pandanus tree in the middle of the deck too.

So, my plan is slowly but surely taking shape. I like quite a few different styles, and I'm aiming to blend some of them together into a cohesive design. It's like putting together a great big jigsaw puzzle, adding pieces as I go. My biggest dilemma - not being sidetracked by all the fantastic options out there.

I'll be back tomorrow with a new painting that's just about to be listed in my Etsy shop. There'll be a little preview on Facebook later today if you just can't wait until then..... :)

all images courtesy realestate.com.au

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011

I had no idea what to expect from the ultimate flower show

aka The 98th RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London

Peony

Such a feast for the eyes!

Amazing vignettes 

where you would love to just bring a book and linger

Forever

Fever-Tree's 'Tree House Garden'
Silver Medal

The designers were very approachable 

& happy to discuss their area

with take-home plant lists

'A Postcard From Wales' by Kati Crome & Maggie Hughes
Gold Medal

There were many displays of 'living' walls and roofs

Here is just one example

I loved the creativity

and pushing of boundaries

The Irish Sky Garden
Gold Award

According to the BBC, designer Diarmuid Gavin

was inspired by the film Avatar

and Dinner In The Sky

to create this aerial garden

It moved by crane and gave VIPs a ride

This annual flower show is known for being 'over-the-top'

{which it was}

and for being hoity-toity

{which it was not}

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden
Gold Award

Incredible craftsmanship & detail

This STUNNING display was covered in dried flowers

and the entire floor was draped in fresh orchids

Inside the Great Pavilion were exhibitors

specializing in

every flower imaginable

Roses

Lotus

Himalayan Blue Poppy
My first time to see this rare and difficult-to-grow flower

Apparently one of the biggest challenges this year was the weather

for it has been unusually warm and dry here

Can you image the stress of having your blossoms peak on a particular day

(day of judging)?

Techniques included 

refrigerating plants

wrapping buds in cotton wool

& a gentle blast of warmth from hairdryers

And this was the place to spy the petaled contestants for 

'Plant Of The Year' Award

Like a 'Best In Show' for flowers

And the 2011 RHS Chelsea Flower 'Plant Of The Year' Award went to...

Anemone 'Wild Swan' shown by Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants
'Plant Of The Year'

...Anemone 'Wild Swan'

The typical problem with white flowers is that  

they rarely offer a pure white color

Yet this delicate-looking anemone was not only 

yummy-cake-frosting white white,

but some of the undersides of the petals were a lovely purple

Can you stand it?!

And I always know I am at the right place when I see the film crew

(like on the Royal Wedding route)

More than 150,000 will visit this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show over 5 days

Here are just a few of them ;)

And I was glad to see some of these guys in the

floral spirit

Outside RHS Chelsea Garden Flower Show

Flittering between so many beautiful flowers and gardens, 

I was one happy butterfly by the end of the day

- all photos by me -

Sources: RHS, BBC


Linking up to Fabulous Friday, Photo Feature Friday, Foto Friday, Macro Friday

Trip To Cornwall: Day Three

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

We were already talking about returning to Cornwall next year

as we packed the car

Dense with so much more to do,

we will be back

Cottage In Hampshire

Our drive home would be 5 hours, 

so we broke it up with a few stops along the way

Our first destination: Plymouth, Devon

In England,

Plymouth is the town at the mouth of the River Ply

The River Dart meets the sea at Dartmouth

These same-named American cities now seem funny to me,
named out of context

Flags fly over the Mayflower Steps

Plymouth, Devon

I was interested in coming here because Plymouth is where the Mayflower departed in 1620
One of my ancestors was on that ship

The Mayflower brought the first settlers (the Pilgrims)
to America

Equally significant to Australia,
Plymouth also sent off the first ships destined for its penal colony

I was really amazed how two countries got their beginnings
from the same harbor!

We're so interconnected :)

Mayflower Plaque
Plymouth, Devon

We visited the worthwhile Plymouth Mayflower Exhibition
which was small and therefore quick (just what the doctor ordered)

Tea House in Devon
(as in Devonshire cream)

Lucky me, I was in the land of the 'Cream Tea'

which meant tea, scones, and clotted cream available everywhere

A specialty in this part of England

Next stop was the seaside town of Lyme Regis, Dorset

Lyme Regis, Dorset

These colorfully painted houses were a surprise to me

The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981),

starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons, was filmed on location here

The Cobb
Made famous in film,  A French Lieutenant's Woman

Frequented by royalty, poets, writers, and painters during Tudor times,

this seaside town was also popular with Jane Austin

Isn't it charming?

Lyme Regis, Dorset

This is part of the Jurassic Coast,
famous for international fossil hunting expeditions
and quality geology (so I hear)

My son will just tell you it was 'cool!'

Fossil imprints on the rocky beach
Lyme Regis, Dorset

So after an ice cream top-up
We got back in the car to head home and saw this

Yellow fields of rapeseed!
{be still my floral heart}

Fields of Yellow Rapeseed
(think Canola oil)

And more quaint villages along the carriageway ('highway')

Somewhere in Dorset

And so here was the end of our rainbow

The most delicious and quaint country pub ON THE PLANET

(a tip from TripAdvisor)

The Chestnut Horse
Easton, Hampshire

Not only was the food FANTASTIC

but we kept talking about how we could live

in this hamlet and commute to school & work

But for now, we just have to settle with the possibility of this being our best family vacation.

ever.

- all photos by moi -

Trip To Cornwall

Day One (here)

Day Two (here)

***

Psst, Are you still there? 

Bloggers, please join the next monthly linky party 

next Tues & Wed

- May 31 to June 1st -

Yep, right here :)

Ooh, wouldn't this button look lovely on your sidebar?
You can grab the code from my sidebar
(more details here)

But before then,
I will be reporting from the Chelsea Flower Show

Major peeing-in-my-pants moments around here!

Link Ups: Sweet Shot Tuesday, Photo Tales Tuesday, 52 Weeks of Happiness, Outdoor Wednesdays

Blue and white times two

I know my posts often feature blue and white, but what can I say, I love it. So here's the latest painting in my blue and white china series - "China Blue".

"China Blue"

watercolour on paper

8" x 11" (210mm x 297mm)

original on hold, but prints are now available on Etsy

But this isn't the only new blue and white piece around here. On the weekend, I was shopping with Mum and stumbled across this beauty:

I'm not sure if you can tell from the pic, but this vase is pretty big...almost 60cm high. I spotted it in a market stall, and couldn't race across fast enough to snap it up. And even better, I paid the princely sum of $26 for it - total bargain. Of course, mum is trying to steal it off me, but for now I'm not parting with it.

there are four panels around the vase, each with a different scene. Gorgeous.

So, what do you think of my bargain buy? I used to go antiquing every weekend, visiting junk shops and garage sales, until my shed was full to the brim (actually, it still is). This was my first buy for quite a while, so maybe I should get out there again. Probably best if I don't mention that to the Mr, especially with a reno on the horizon.

That's it for me today, I have some serious work to do. Catch you soon,