last weekend

Our rustic campsite...

The gumnut girl...

The toilet? Oh yeah, the shovel back there...

Gorgeous wild flowers.

Whoever was here before us left these great marshmallow toasters...

Friday

If I had to describe my style I would say rustic.  And eclectic.  Particularly for the home.  My heart skips a beat when I look at things crafted from clay, timber or linen.  I love that old-world feel. 

Toast catalogues (when they produced paper ones and shipped them around for free) were always my favourite coffee table book/style resource. 

And I have kept every one, much to the ire of David :)  But why wouldn't you?

My favourite blogs display beautiful home settings with all the materials I love.

There is also a satisfaction I feel in doing things the slow (a word that has become the movement of the moment) “old-fashioned” way.  One of my favourite books is Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  The exquisite detail of everyday life.   That isn’t to say I want to hunt deer and pig, salt and store the meet or blow up the pigs bladder for Maggie to play ball with! And while it is reportedly like terrine, boiling a pigs head to make “head cheese” does not sound romantic at all.  I tried to read it to Audrey last year, but she didn’t show the same enthusiasm for it at the time. 

 But using essential oils to make cleaning products, or making beeswax candles and sewing linen napkins is appealing to me.   I can waste so much time looking at images of these things,,,  Even in my early teens I always wanted to visit museums and old homes and soak in the images of yesteryear.  At 15 I was a volunteer guide at Lanyon homestead and was always besotted with the out buildings, the kitchen and stables.

When we went camping early this year I loved stopping by huts and looking at the walls, papered with newspapers, now worn and yellowed.  Easy to think romantically about living in such a place and not about the bare necessity of warmth, light and food.

For now I will read the stories and look at the pictures.  I burn beautifully scented soy candles (made by others) and wait for my soft, crushed linen to arrive from Lithuania.  Then I will start by sewing my coveted crushed linen napkins.  :)

Friday

I can almost hear the cries "heretic! liar!" I see the stones being thrown.  I have always been in two minds about it myself.  Much like my dilemma of book vs kindle.

Audio book.  Being somewhat of a puritist, I always felt I would be hypocritical if I say I have read a book, if I had listened to it on audio.  Not that I have really listened to any, other than The Enchanted Wood or Fantastic Mr Fox on cd with the kids....
But with my books to read pile ever growing, I thought this might be a way to get through a couple of books.

A woman in my book club was once discussing her favourite Jane Austen novel (Persuasion).  She has read the book many times, but she said that she also enjoyed listening to the audio book, read by Greta Sacchi.  That was enough to peak my interest.

The other day I read a conversation on the subject which was posted on Good Reads.  And many people were in my camp.  Life is busy, can't always get through books quickly, so why not listen to an audiobook while doing the housework (or sitting in a dark room waiting for a toddler to go to sleep).

Then someone commented:  "I am blind.  This is how I read."  That nailed it for me.  Why not?  And even better if it is well read by a familiar actress.

Saturday

If a picture says a thousand words I have a lot to say.  We had a wonderful 4 days at a beach house that had been offered to us.  It was the perfect getaway which gave us the opportunity to relax and take our time without rushing out the door the minute we woke up.

Breakfast on the deck, a bit of Nickelodeon, a coffee down the road and lunch on the beach.  It was too cold to swim of course, but beach balls, kites and building sandcastles provided plenty of fun.