Time Worn Style

Changes....

Things change as you get older..

you see things differently

you put up with a lot less...

you know what you want out of life, friends, family

so much more than you did in your 20's,30's, 40's...

 

and you become a lot more true to yourself..

there is some carnage on the way

don't get me wrong

many people don't understand this particular journey

they don't see the road you have travelled and the path that is before you

That's fine too...

because you are born alone 

and you die alone..

and the time in between is such a valuable thing..

drops of diamond sand

so so precious..

sometimes it takes you a while to truely see that..

and so

sometimes things change

as they must 

so that valuable time you are given

is lived fully and joyfully

to the very edge of its bursting beauty...

wouldn't you agree?

Hydrangeas....

Lucky for me

one of my favourite flowers

grows like a weed in our garden..

we have them all over the garden...

fresh in green...

crisp in white..

 

 

 they do keep popping up in my photos...

 

 

 

I love how their colours change over the seasons

from summer brights

to autumn tones..

I can't think of a better weed in the garden

can you?

I'm having a fabulous MAKE AN OFFER sale over at my ebay Australia store

check it out..

 

Cottage Garden in Olinda...

The garden is bursting with flowers and greenery this year..

I think its all the rain we have had this spring..

Its lovely to wander around in the warmer weather..

and enjoy the results of the hard work we have put in..

I have a bit of colour in my showroom at the moment too..

And we do all love a touch of colour dont we?..

Showroom is open by appointment only here on top of our mountain in Olinda Victoria 

or 

you can visit my online store over at ebay Australia and I can POST some goodies out to you!

I've got all sorts of treasures just waiting for you..

Landscaping an old cottage garden...

One thing I love about old houses is they have a story to tell..

I've been doing a bit of research on Greystanes and found out a few things about it..

Greystanes was one of the earlier blocks released for sale in the original section of Olinda..

We have a Plan of the area showing the first owner was Thomas Adams

who co-incidently also purchased one of the first blocks in the main street of Olinda..

This plan of early property holders dates from 1895 - 1918

I also found a newspaper article from 

THE ARGUS - MELBOURNE 22ND OCTOBER 1938

Olinda Garden

The lovely garden of Greystanes Olinda

was the setting, this week for a fete arranged by the Olinda auxiliary for the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind    A musical programme was given by blind musicians and Mr W C Wilmot a member of the board of management gave  an address. Various utility and novelty stalls were set up under the trees

When we moved to Greystanes the gardens weren't too good

Infested with weeds and poorly chosen plantings

But I could see that in the 1930's it would have been a magnificent spot for a garden party with the huge old trees and garden pond..

So I've been putting a lot of thought into getting this garden back into shape..

Rather than be overwhelmed by the size of the task though, we have decided to break it down into smaller sections..

 First step is this section shown in the photo above, the path to the front door and the large path down the side of the house..

The gate shown is one that I sold earlier, however I have another gate that is going in this exact spot, to close off the front turning circle from the house area..

So today in came the Bobcat..

 

and started to define the landscape..

 

Next step is to weed mat the soil area and get rid of that onion weed once and for all..

I'm pretty happy with the progress so far..

Looking forward to starting the planting..

I'm seeing big swathes of Winter Rose...

but weed matting first..

and then the gate, cant wait to see that up..

next on the list is this section which is covered in Onion weed currently..

 

Do check back on our progress, its going to be interesting!

Beautiful items available for purchase..

from my showroom here in Olinda (by appointment)

or my on-line ebay store

Watermarking your online photos...

I've been thinking a bit lately

about how fabulous this on-line world is

and how it's great that we can share inspiration

and the things we love

with the big wide world...

For example I wanted to tell you how wet and cold is was up here on the mountain today..

and show you how incredible it looks in our garden..

with the cloud rolling through the trees..

and I wanted to show you my new little row of box hedging I planted along the driveway to my showroom..

ok. its going to take a few years before they are vaugely impressive but I wanted to show you anyway..

 

I've also been sharing some pictures from around our home too..

and I love seeing all the beauty and wonder in other blogs as I pass on through..

but sometimes as I do pass through 

I actually see some of my photos on other peoples pages and blogs

as well as photos by other people I know

And I don't reeeally have a problem with this

nope - its nice to share..

but what I dont like is seeing that photo from my personal world not being linked back to me ie. my website..

That's actually illegal if you don't have their permission..

ok ok I'm not pure as the driven snow...

I've been guilty of it too

but I'm going to try darn hard to put link backs on others photos I use

because I really don't like seeing how not doing this is affecting people emotionally AND business wize.

I think we can all give it a good go dont you??

AND of course there is the water mark

Adding a visible watermark is a common way of identifying images and protecting them from unauthorized use online.

There are many ways of doing it 

For me I use my photohost - Photobucket

Simply upload your image then use the EDIT functions

too easy

 

 and have a play around with water marking your photos..

Sadly there are some hmmm how do we say "dishonest" people out there who will go to the trouble of cropping out your watermark..

But you can only do what you can do 

Please note, I'm not having a go at anyone in particular here, its just a problem that has been going on for some time..

SO 

in my opinion..

the first thing you can do..

is BE AWARE of that photo you are sharing

- who took it

- whose business does it belong to

- am I taking away from their business by not sharing where it came from??

and secondly

- water mark your photos you share online.

Thirdly

- give everyone a hug

I'm all for warm fuzzy on line experiences, and why not?

Theres so many of us who love the same things..

Making garden steps - Red Brick and Wood

 

This is a renovation to Greystanes that I've been meaning to share for a while..

Our new outdoor steps

 

 

Greystanes is situated on what is considered a "flat" block for the hills

Which means there is some slope to it

Some areas more so than others..

This particular area had a very bad set of stairs

that were quite dangerous - slippery and uneven

and some risers higher than others

(bad when carrying stuff - particularly furniture)

 

So here's the trick that our clever chippy came up with

You know those premade steps you can buy at Bunnings etc??

Put it in place but UPSIDE DOWN

so the risers are facing the wrong way...

 Then fill the spaces in with rubble etc

 

 

Fix the banisters to the sides

 

 

 

and fill in with stone..

or in our case matching vintage red clinker bricks

because our other paths are clinker bricks too...

 

 

  

 

Sprinkle sand in between the bricks..

 

 Simple idea...

lots of work putting in the bricks..

but we are really happy with the end result..

 

 

 

 now what colour to paint...

The Australian Verandah...

One of the main things I loved about this old house when I first saw it was its long and deep Australian Verandahs..

We have them on both sides of the house

You can fit a good size table and chair set on them

and in summer they are the coolest place to be sitting back with 

a G & T and enjoying the serenity..

but of course being such an old house

this more "original" section is in dire need of a makeover

the uprights are sagging

the decking rises and falls with the weather..

more to do with some earlier poor repairs rather than anything else..

 

 

and the bases of the uprights are rotted out..

the railings need to be added back in..

and the stairs replaced..

 

Theres another little room underneath..

the boards need replacing..

 

 

I think this is going to be our next renovation project

over Summer..

its a big one

we may just sit on it for another year

enjoying the serenity..

and hoping it doesnt collapse from under us

and available for purchase now in my ebay Australia store..

 

Antique boudoir clock..

 

Our wild mountain garden in Olinda..

Spring weather up here..

on our mountain top in Australia..

its unpredictable..

nice and warm one day

then foggy and cold the next

with lots of rain..

which of course means

that the garden does go a bit wild

which I actually love

and is also good

because it works in well with my poor weeding skills..

I think this is called a "flower field" garden..

all these bulbs have taken it upon themselves

to shuffle their little new bulbs

across the expanse

of field

to create a sparkle of colour

that I would like to say I planned in advance

but nature took it upon herself to do it for me

in a wonderous dance of bright green bling and a hurrah of colour

the previous owners may well have planted a bulb or two..

but its natures show now

in all its controlled chaos..

a show that I look forward to

each and very year

with a standing ovation

from my back row in the stalls...

Some lovely items in my ebay store this week too..

Postage / shipping from Australia

 

 

 

Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza ~ Decorating with Vintage and Antiques

Well it sure has been a very busy time around here.

Was a part of the very successful Shabby Vintage Junk Extravaganza

where I parted with a large number of my treasures

and met some fabulous people

even some lovely ladies I know from my blog

and my ebay store

(thanks Natalie for the lovely present ♥ )

It was just SO wonderful to meet everyone

I only had a small stall this year

but was able to fill it with lots of treasures

most of which sold on Day One

so we all had to restock again for Day Two!

What is left though I am clearing out in my ebay store right now

Prices are low and I'm happy to combine items where possible for postage

 

Here at Greystanes we have settled back into a cold winter..

We have had snow already

I love the effect it gives to the garden..

 

we don't get snow that often so when we do it's a bit of a treat..

because the kids get to make strange snow animals

that sit in the freezer for months afterwards..

 

Enjoy the real winter we are having this year everyone!!

Alicia

And so to next year....

Had a lovely Christmas here on the Veranda with family and friends

Three long trestle tables with old white linens ruffling in the breeze..

Old silver flatware ..

The weather was mild, the food delish, the company lovely...

I do love Summer on the mountain

our garden is so lush and green this year with all the rain...

 

Christmas has passed and so onto next year..

What shall it hold for us all I wonder?

Alicia

do visit my ebay store, items are reduced so grab a bargain!