Before and After

Cover Story

Exciting to see our home in 'home' last week.

Cover dog Buster!

Before and After

A bit excited this week to see our renovation featured in Home Beautiful.

 It was photographed about 18 months ago so it's been a long patient wait for us to see it in print.  Hope you like it…

Oaks Day 2013 - Tales from the Track

Tale #1 – The Jumpsuit

Sue was very concerned that the jumpsuit I was wearing would produce a camel toe at any moment.  She was with me when I first tried it on – and cautioned me that it was a risky choice for the races.

So risky in fact that I was almost refused entry.  First, I was pulled aside for wearing thongs – my ‘pre-race’ footwear (naturally I had proper shoes to change into) and then I was asked to wait while the gate attendant called across a more senior man – to assess whether the ‘all-in-one’ met with the raceday dress code.  Seriously peeps – get with the program!

Sue in Kirrily Johnston dress and headpiece from Ginger (purchased when we were in Chiang Mai).  Me in Life with Bird and hat by the gorgeous Carla Murley

Tale #2  - The Ugg Boots and the Gladiator Heels

There’s been much chatter on Facebook about Sue’s ugg boots.  Never mind the ugg boots… did you see the gladiator heels that she changed into?   As usual, hers is a look that only the brave… the very brave can actually pull off! 

Tale #3 – Cross species

At one point (later in the afternoon), Sue teamed her Kirrily Johnston cowhide dress with a sheepskin jacket AND the sheepskin ugg boots – taking her fashion bravery to a whole new level.

(SORRY NO PHOTO!)

Tale #4 – The Sunglasses

I left my sunglasses at home.  Tragedy!  As soon as I realised, I texted my friend Kate (who did our beautiful flowers on the day) and asked if she could bring me a spare pair.  I was naturally expecting she would have a cheeky pair of Tom Fords or Prada spares in the cupboard – but the best she could muster was a crooked pair from the dress-up box.  I resorted to squinting all day.

Tale #5 – the Pink Dress

Every girl’s worst nightmare… being seen in the same outfit as another chick.

It must have been living hell for six girls who wore the Country Road hot pink dress.   Oh dear...

Here's one of the pinkys on the train home.

 Until next year...

One Very Hungry Caterpillar

On Sunday I ate:

a tomato

an avocado

2 pieces of toast

1 x kiwi fruit

leftover quinoa salad

a 500ml bottle of Coke (I never drink soft drink and I don’t drink caffeine)

1 x large bucket of hot chips

1 x punnet cherry tomatoes

Pate and biscuits

1 x large (‘Triple T’) pizza with 3 kinds of tomatoes (cherry, sundried and Roma)

1 x mango

Strawberries

Blueberries
Chocolate icecream

Vanilla icecream

1 x Caramello Koala

2 x Whittaker almond chocolate bars

Berocca

I blame Wayne Bradford’s cellar for this dietary blowout. 

The hole in Wayne's cellar

We were in Perth you see – visiting the ‘Gun-fords’ and 'Scott-Robbins' and I got a little too refreshed on our first night together.

We stayed in 'The Chameleon' house - Kath and Wayne's new home.  It's Old English Manor at the front and Tuscan Villa at the back - check it out:

Kath in the kitchen.

The bar

The posh dining room

Even posher staircase

Sitting room and upstairs library

I felt much better Monday, after 10 hours sleep and a morning run around the salubrious Dalkeith (despite getting lost - I was still a bit disoriented).  And feeling even better today after two AFDs.

Got my form back... just in time for Oaks Day today.

Thanks for a wonderful stay guys - so great to see you all xxx

Renovation - 2 years on...

A few (amateur i-Phone) snaps of our house which was photographed today for Herald Sun HOME magazine.  

Top 5 Survival Tips

It’s a jungle out there but I’m just not sure how useful it is to know that I can drink my own urine in case of extreme dehydration or to run in a zig zag when being chased by a crocodile.

I figure if you’ve made it through screaming babies keeping you awake all night, the perils of the modern piranha-filled workplace and the realization that your smile lines are now wrinkles – all while wearing shoes so high that they defy gravity, then you can pretty much deal with anything life throws at you.

But sometimes we need a little extra help – which is where these survival tips might come in handy:

1. Never underestimate the power of retail therapy
2. Happy hour can start at whatever time you want it to
3.  Some days it’s easiest to refuse to give a shit
4. Never, I repeat never, entertain the idea of spending longer than 4 hours in a car with your children
5. In case of emergency – chardonnay can be consumed unrefrigerated

Oh – and it’s also wise to keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times.