Outdoor chair inspiration #gardens #verandahs #outdoorfurniture #plants #nurseries

I have a few favourite shops in Adelaide that give me inspiration. One of these shops is The Conservatory on Unley Road. It is both a nursery and homewares shop.

I have bought many plants and furnishings from The Conservatory over the years and have picked up a number of styling ideas from their displays.

Don't you just love the outdoor chair settings? 

Not a chair in sight but great plants for the verandah and doesn't the
black urn go well with the green?

Our own front verandah setting above and below

You can see how I have been influenced.

The Conservatory has some stunning interior room displays that are themed.  I'll show you some of those over the coming weeks.  They may inspire you too.

In the meantime if you want to see more, you can check out their website here

A few of my favourite things #design #architecture #adelaide #beautifulthings

This bronze statue lights our
entrance hallway.

 Isn't it interesting how design plays such a significant role in our lives.

Some things are admired for their beauty, some for their practicality. 

I always think it is best when the two attributes are combined.

This french clock  tells me the time.
The old fireplace is an architectural feature but is
also capable of warming the room.

This bench top is practical for preparing food and you can never have enough storage.
As for the stool, it makes a great place for someone to sit at
with a glass of wine to keep me company while I cook.

The balustrade is athestically pleasing  and comes with the
added benefit of stopping me falling down the stairs. 

There's windows and then there's windows. This arched window at the top 

of the landing acts as a skylight.  The light dances and changes throughout 

the day. 

I love the design of these doorstoppers and how practical!

I wouldn't be without a rail for drying clothes. The shirts
dry with almost no creases. I only bought a dryer last year.  We managed
to go 35 years of married life without one.

The opening skylight in the laundry is beautifully designed and has improved the feel
of the room enormously. 

The rattan inserts in the built-in robes look 'plantation' style and
have the benefit of allowing airflow through the clothes, avoiding mould.

And how elegant are silk curtains with their luxurious tie-backs?

Just a few of my favourite things.

Eclectic I know.

Adelaide realestate #adelaide #realestate

One of the things I love to do on a Saturday morning is to go through 

the realestate section in the newspaper and then of course I have to hop

online to see more of the properties that take my fancy.

Today I was quite drawn to a property at Stepney, a small eastern suburb

only a few kilometres from the city.  It  isn't one of the suburbs with

wide tree lined streets but it has its charms and is certainly 

growing in popularity.

This property at 10 Ann Street Stepney has been extended

with a mezzanine floor and ground floor family room.

The owners have used recycled stairs and beams to 

keep it in style with the heritage feel of the place.

The property has 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 

off street parking for 3 cars.

I don't like the blue walls, but they're easily changed.

Main bathroom

2nd bathroom incorporates a laundry

I think the property is charming.  The owners are hoping to get around

the $850,000 mark.  If you are interested, you can find out more 

here

Victoria Park #Victoriapark #parklands #horses #cycling

Victoria Park, or Bakkabakkandi Park as the local Kaurna Aboriginal

people name it, is 72 hectares of multi-purpose use parklands 

sitting on the doorstep of the city.

The heritage listed grandstand was built for watching horse-racing.

The racehorses only left their parklands home in 2008.

Champion cyclist Stuart O'Grady and former Port

Power footballer Nathan Eagleton are wanting to turn

the grandstand into a 120 seat indoor and outdoor cafe, cycling gym and 

children's play area.  

There is also talk of turning the former kiosk into a cafe.

Victoria Park is a drawcard for those wanting to maintain 

their fitness in the open air, with running tracks and outdoor gym 

equipment set up around the park.

The park has a bike or criterium track, soccer, cricket and football

ovals and is home to model aircraft enthusiasts on the weekends.

The park is home to a myriad of birdlife including cockatoos, 

parrots, magpies, kookaburras, ibis and a range of other birds.  

Koalas, possums and even foxes have made their home in the park.

Part of Victoria Park is converted into a V8 car race track each year

and was formerly a section of the Formula 1 Grand Prix 

track between 1985 and 1995.

It is now home to the annual International Horse Trials.

 But most of the time Victoria Park is a tranquil place to exercise dogs,

walk, jog, ride bikes or to just sit on a park bench to soak up the sunshine.

Table set for friends

I love to cook and to entertain, especially for family and friends.

I also prefer simple table settings.

While I like to have flowers on the table, I find large vases of flowers

 too intrusive.

These unassuming little brown bottles with simple flowers do the trick for me.

The large vase of flowers sits better in a Paul Cezanne inspired silk 

painting by my very talented sister Jean, than it does on the 

dining table.  What do you think?

Thank you for reading me.

#Grange #Golf Club

Yesterday the North Adelaide ladies played Flagstaff Hill at Grange

as part of the ongoing Hickory competition.

We won 4 to 1... guess who was the 1?

It was the first match in the competition we played in the rain.

While it wasn't heavy rain, the light rain persisted for at least

two of the nearly five hours of play. It was a slow day!

Still, it wasn't windy or cold and with the right wet weather gear

it was manageable.  Indeed, it is always lovely to be on a golf

course, surrounded by trees and birds.

The first 13 holes of the west course were ready for play by 1927.

The land was originally swamp, so there's a lot of sand!

Grange is lucky enough to have two courses. We played on the 

West Course leaving the Greg Norman designed East Course

to the other club members wanting a game.

Greg Norman won his first professional victory on the East Course,

with a course record round of 64, ten under the course par.

Wayne Grady and Stuart Appleby also won their first

championship victories at Grange.