This hasn't been a healthy winter!

The past three weeks could not have crawled by more slowly if they tried!   Naomi from one of my favourite blogs Coulda Shoulda Woulda spoke this week about the Mercury Retrograde.  I'm blaming the two week break-down of our wifi,  Pneumonia and Shingles that was circulating in this household, entirely on this Retrograde!.. I mean - what other explanation could there possibly be.  My poor little grand-daughters have been constantly sick as well.  At last it feels (I hope) that things are slowly improving!   

So, while I wasn't lying on the sofa feeling sorry for myself,  I spent some hours on the computer doing 'house-stuff'!  The joinery drawings went off to be priced two weeks ago and I thought I'd show you a couple of the kitchen drawings and my choices.  It's such a coincidence that Heidi from Adelaide Villa is at a similar stage of her building as I am.  I am full of admiration of her skills as an architect//project manager and full time Mum to three little children.

Please go over to her blog and look at her kitchen choices as they are really beautiful - I especially love her choice of steel windows and the simplicity of her joinery.

I was inspired by lots and lots of kitchens .. and in particular...

Anyway - here are a couple of pics of my kitchen joinery.  As yet,  I am not sure whether the finish will be 2pac or hand-painted.  It depends which price is more attractive!  Unfortunately, I don't have all of the elements together in one picture so  fingers crossed it will look OK when it all goes in! 

I will probably use Hogg's Bristle half strength as the colour on the doors. I am still undecided about what to use for the bench tops...Probably Caesar Stone... or Stainless or both?  As you can see,  it is a very traditional design Not much glamour - hopefully functional, warm and inviting!  I have a lovely collection of old copper pots and Majolica which will be displayed.  I will also have terracotta pots with indoor plants on the deep window sill alongside the sink.  

This kitchen tap from Perrin & Rowe at the sink.

 

I have posted this pic to show the subway tiles as a splash back.  

This fitting above the Island - in chrome and clear ribbed glass shades.

I will be using a grey grouting 

Polished Nickel door knobs

Polished nickel drawer pulls

These oak floors throughout the Butlers pantry, kitchen and Breakfast/living

The Butlers pantry and kitchen

The East elevation of the kitchen.  The windows above the sink(not shown) are bi-fold.  The door on the left through to rest of the house is glass with glass side-lights

The view into the pantry from the kitchen.  The half-glass door through to the dining room.  Bottom right is a wine fridge, and bottom left of the door is a drawer dishwasher.

The dishwasher to the right of the sink will unpack mostly into the eastern side of the island.  The above shows the layout.  The tiles shown in the pantry are incorrect...we are using timber flooring.


I have also been dreaming about the garden.. probably as I've been inspired by Faux Fuchsia blog and her recent visit to many beautiful gardens in the UK.  

 In a way,  planning a smaller garden is more difficult as there is nowhere to hide .. ie - every square metre will be have to be planned out.  There is a level change in the back garden,  and we are planning a knee-high basalt stone wall with stone steps up to the higher level.  The pool is situated on the higher level.  I am using a timber pool fence which will weather grey and will compliment all of the pergolas which will be in natural timber as well.  I would have loved having the pool in the courtyard off the house,  but pool fences are ugly - no matter what material they are in.  Below are Pinterest images which I love.

Here's hoping for a bright, healthy couple of weeks ahead for everyone!  

A visit to Bowral for the day - and new house updates!

BUILDING UPDATES!

I have been very quiet on the blogging front!  We have not had the internet for over a week!!!.... Bigpond have almost driven Mr R-I to a mental asylum!  I have been using my iphone as a 'hotspot' which is not really reliable and anyone who blogs will know that reliable internet is essential when uploading photos!  

Anyway - we spent the day in Bowral on Tuesday.   I was delighted with the progress of the house as the roof installation is almost complete!  It's amazing how quickly the roof goes on, once all the box-guttering/flashing etc, is completed.  

It had been raining in Bowral and the site was very wet and soggy.  The good thing about having the roof on is that it allows for work to continue inside in all weather.   Some friends popped in as well to see the progress and we had lunch afterwards at our favourite cafe.   

I have also decided on the floor finishes!  Taking a leap of faith and using tiles in the gallery - which is a 2m wide passage, glass doors on either end,   linking the bedroom area and the kitchen.  It has large windows facing the courtyard and I thought tiles here would be great!  I am using timber and sisal carpet everywhere else - Timber in the kitchen/living and butlers pantry ( except there's no butler!).  

Looking at the back garden from the south facing verandah off the gallery.  That large tree is a Ginko Biloba.  The pool is on the left.  There will be a level change and I plan to contain the levels with knee-high stone wall.

Looking back at the courtyard off the gallery and between the kitchen/living and the bedroom wing.

View from the upstairs landing

Taken a few weeks ago before the roof installation

The wide street

The living room - impossible to see this room as it's a complete mess at the moment!

Looking across the courtyard from a kitchen bi-fold window - not the size seen here as it is above bench height.

Looking across the kitchen/living towards the fireplace.

upstairs bathroom window looking onto a lovely tree (in summer)

The Cupola!

Window of Bedroom 3

Looking at the front door entrance area - between the living room and the study(left)

My tile choice for the gallery

Timber floor

Bedroom 1

I am hoping that photos from now on will be a little more interesting!  Have a great weekend!

The Lime Walk | Before and After

THE LIME WALK

The Lime walk at Sissinghurst

The Lime walk at South Acres farm was very close to my heart, and this post tells it's story.  This might also have had something to do with the re-naming of this blog from South Acres Farm where we used to live to "The Lime Walk".

I watched a programme on the Lifestyle last night, presented by Alan Titchmarch the very well known  English gardener, Tv personality and novelist.   Alan was visiting Sissinghurst.  I am not entirely sure I can explain why I have never visited Sissinghurst -  it seems unthinkable.  I have been fascinated with Vita for years and have read numerous books on  her life, her marriage and her wonderful garden.    I have known of the Lime Walk at Sissinghurst for years and have always dreamt of having my own Lime Walk,  and yet I have never visited the garden.    The lovely "FF" of the blog Faux Fuschsia recently visited a number of gardens in the UK,  Sissinghurst being one of them.  I am now hoping to  put The Chelsea Flower Show and numerous famous gardens in the UK into next year's travel diary.  Sissinghurst,  Great Dixter  and a few others.  Any suggestions of other great gardens to visit in the UK would be most welcome.    

Even in winter the Lime Walk at Sissinghurst is lovely in it's structure.

I have also been giving lots of thought about the design of  our new garden for the new house in Bowral which will be completely different from South Acres as it will be a small town garden.    As most of my gardening books are in storage,  including my book on Perennials,  this is proving to be problematic!    

Part of our previous garden in Cape Town - also a small garden.

When developing the garden on South Acres, in 2006,    I went on a tree buying binge.  It was difficult to restrain myself as most of the "exotics" available here in Australia,  had not been available in South Africa while I was living there.  It was during the tree buying trip to Victoria,  that I saw the Lime trees or "Tilia Cordata".  There they were, in their huge tubs,  with strong stout trunks.  I ordered 16 of them along with numerous other beautiful trees.  We had to wait for winter to arrive before the trees were delivered.  The day was very cold and it was raining.  The truck was packed full of huge bare-rooted trees.  At this stage,  there was no garden plan - just my plan for a pond and a Lime Walk somewhere. In the pouring rain,  we sited these trees and left the Lime trees to last.  I was panicking - they had to go in - the machinery and manpower was there.  I had no idea where to plant them. 

In the end,  the only place I could think of was to plant them in a curve, connecting the front garden to the back/side garden.  Try to imagine,  sodden mud,  minimal visibility, tired people and these magnificent trees being planted in my hand-drawn semi-circle.

The day after planting - see the mud-caked wheels of the trolley!  

Of course,  time passed, and the spring and summer came and so did the drought.  Mr R-I and I spent hours and hours each with meters of hose in hand,  watering all of these precious new trees - many of which were advanced.  Believe it or not - they all survived.  

The Lime Walk, however, almost didn't make it - and not because of the drought.   In his book  "The Complete Gardener"  Monty Don demonstrates how he prunes his Lime Walk and  one bright afternoon,  John our trusty gardener and I decided,  to follow Monty's  instructions and pruned the Limes to within an inch of their lives!.  The result was that they took years to form the pleached hedge I had been dreaming of.   Fortunately however,   they all survived, despite our eager efforts!

After their first severe pruning - stakes tied between the trees the side branches trained along them.

Slowly they start recovering - I planted white Valeria between the box hedges - the idea being that their billowing frothy flowers would be caught and held between the box hedges.

On the left of the walk is the Hornbeam hedge which struggled along for four years before it became established.

At the end of summer - unruly mess - Valaria smothering the box hedge and the Limes needing a good trim

That's better!

These beautiful 'exotics' beyond the Lime Walk in their autumn colours - 

Still lovely in winter.

Very early one morning

We also had a Pear Walk!

Unlike the Lime Walk - the Pear Walk was dead straight!

I wonder whether there are any other curved lime walks out there?