After taking a break from blogging, I thought this new year would be a good time to take it up again! Thank you to some lovely readers out there who have emailed me to enquire!
Part of the reason for my break in blog-land is that about six weeks ago, we lost our darling little Shih Tzu, Bunny. She was bitten by a Paralysis Tick and as she was so small and dainty, didn't really stand a chance of withstanding that dreadful venom. What an awful way to die and of course, Penny (our other ShihTzu - pictured above) has been devastated by her loss. Anyway.. on to other happier tales...
We had a happy family holiday at our beach house. Christmas enjoyed the usual build-up of decorating the tree, preparing the traditional feast and spending the morning after, surrounded by wrapping, presents and happy grandchildren We cooked delicious food and did plenty of beach walks. We also got to meet some lovely neighbours. We had dinner at our favourite restaurant down there - Cupitt's Winery where we had the most delicious fish and watched a magical sunset.
The new house in Bowral is coming on very nicely! We have planted half of the back yard garden and I am so looking forward to continuing with the rest of the garden. The interiors are coming along and hopefully, the installation of the joinery will start this week. Below are random photos of the holiday and the new house. Happy New Year to you all and let's hope it is a very good year for everyone!
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| My favourite flower at this time of the year "Christmas Bush" an Australian native. |
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| The Christmas table |
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| Champagne before the feast! |
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| Delicious lobster - Boxing day lunch |
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| Cheeky Hugo! (my daughter's dog) |
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| Darling Penny |
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| Our beautiful beach |
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| I baked a chocolate cake which looked better than it tasted!.. I need the perfect chocolate cake recipe please! |
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| Holiday aftermath! |
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| Cooked this tuna on the Bbq and served it on a quinoa salad |
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| Smoked salmon pasta - family favourite |
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| Very satisfying! |
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| Picking flowers..- beach garden |
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| First dinner out on the deck! |
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| Newly planted rear garden in Bowral - hope it makes it through this very hot spell |
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| The new pool - tiles still need grouting |
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| Dormer window in bedroom 4 |
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| Looking through from the kitchen |
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| Batten/board panelling in the dining room |
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| Looking through living room/dining room from the entry hall |
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| Entry hall looking through to the garden |
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| Timber fencing which will weather to a lovely grey ... new plantings of box hedging etc. |
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| Deciding on tile layout for the gallery |
Welcome back Jenny! I'm so sorry to hear about Bunny. It's always so sad to loose a beloved pet, especially in such an unpleasant way.
ReplyDeleteLoved all the photos of the food - delish. Also love the beach house photos - it's looking so settled in and comfortable. Please will you adopt me? I'd love to visit for Summer hols! It's just gorgeous.
The new house is also looking wonderful. Love all the panelling detailing and the stairs. As for your new garden - I'm very envious. We have dust and swirling wind and weeds to look out at. Until the builders finish things off with the outdoor paving and we put in the pool, we have no chance of putting in the garden. But frankly, with the temperatures this week, this is not a good time to have a new garden in - 46 C is frying the roses on my rose bushes! Hope to see more house progress pictures soon. xx
Hello Heidi! It's been so lovely "bumping" into you all again and I realised how much I have missed our cyber chats about what's going on in our respective lives! Thanks so much for the lovely comments and my thoughts are with you in this dreadful heatwave. So looking forward to visiting your lovely blog and catching up on all of your news xxx
DeleteGreat blog start to the New Year, so much to look forward to with the new house!! I am going to take inspiration and return to my blog soon. xx
ReplyDeleteThe New year is a great inspiration in itself! Looking forward to showing you around soon! xx
Deletethank God you are back! love the house the food the garden the ironing the lot! xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks FF!!... I've missed you too!! ... got so much to catch up on and although we glimpse you on Instagram .. your blog is the best! xxx
DeleteAll is looking super. Sorry to hear about poor Penny - part of the family dogs. Really they are people in fur coats as one of my older friends used to say. Have heaps of ironing but way to hot to contemplate in 40 plus heat! Glad you are back - enjoying following the progress of the build. Cheers, Tonkath
ReplyDeleteHi Tonkath! Thanks so much and thinking of you all in this horrendous heat wave... but we do get through these times don't we? I remember this time last year at the beach house when it was 45deg and we were surrounded by fires! Scary thoughts... xx
DeleteBunny I should say - Tonkath
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny, So glad to read your post but very sadden to hear of Bunny. The house build is looking great as is the garden at the beach house. I love your beach house. The blue & white is gorgeous. Bonita
ReplyDeleteI almost forgot your request for a chocolate cake. I have several favourites but the most one often used is the easiest from the Women's Weekly Kids Birthday Cakes cookbook. You put into a mixing bowl 200g SR flour, 50g cocoa, 125g butter, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 275g caster sugar, 2 eggs and 160ml water. You beat for about 3-5 minutes until the mixture changes to a light colour. Bake, cool, ice, etc. It is really fudgy and there is no need to cream butter and sugar etc. You simply combine all together and beat. I hope you try it. Kind regards Bonita
ReplyDeleteHi Bonita! How kind of you to post this recipe! I'm going to try it this afternoon! Thanks for lovely comments too ! xxx
Deleteso glad you are back - we will take whatever you give us,
ReplyDeleteAs you know I was so sad by the news of Bunny. Hope Penny is doing better and you of course.
Your beach garden looks fabulous as does everything else - you even make the washing look glamorous?!? Loving the tiles as well - can't wait to read more xx
Oh you are funny Naomi! Penny has now become a permanent lap installation! She has re-discovered a spring in her step thank goodness but still pricks up her ears when Bunny's name is mentioned! Thank you for your lovely comments too!!! ... Also cannot wait to see how your reno is progressing! We are planning to be in the UK in May! I will give you lots of notice! xx
DeleteSo very sorry about Bunny Jenny but it looks as though you had a wonderful holiday - love your festive table. So odd for us to think about Christmas in the summer… Happy New Year - see you on instagram :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Stacey... so kind of you to comment and thanks for stopping by!... Wishing you and your family a wonderful 2014 too! Love Instagram!!
DeleteYour holiday looks like so much fun and your table and home look so beautiful even in the aftermath. Love following your building progress - the batten/board in the dining room looks gorgeous. I can't get over your garden with the huge hydrangeas - so jealous as we are here in our 15 degree weather...
ReplyDeleteThank you for lovely comments!... they mean such a lot coming from you! We are jealous of your cool/cold weather as there are some of us suffering tremendous heat! xx
ReplyDeleteWelcome back you have been missed. Looking forward to reading your blog again. Happy New Year to you. Tracey
ReplyDeleteHi Tracey!... Thank you so much for saying so! I also wish you the very best for 2014 ... let's hope it is a good year! xx
DeleteI am so sorry about your Bunny. So upsetting.
ReplyDeleteLove your beach house - gorgeous. We are looking at putting a pool in at The Farm and have tentaively chosen the same shape as yours!
Take care - glad you had a lovely Christmas and New Year.
Dear Farmer's wife! Thank you for your kind comments ...we did have a lovely Christmas and how funny to have chosen the same pool! We chose this pool in a matter of minutes .... opted for the fibreglass pool instead of a 'built' pool as it was the quicker option. Unfortunately, the choices as far as the shapes are concerned are limited... I liked this shape as it is quite classica.. just wish it didn't have the "glittery" coating on the inside. Having said that, it looks OK once it is filled with water! Have a lovely weekend! xx
DeleteHappy New Year and welcome back to Blogland! So sorry to hear about Bunny which must have been upsetting for all the family. Your festive table looks lovely and what a fabulous beach garden with those stunning views which must be so relaxing. I'm admiring all the blue and white touches too.
ReplyDeletehttp://missbbobochic.blogspot.co.uk/
Hi miss b! Thank you so much and it's very heart-warming to receive the above comments! As you might have experienced... I sometimes wonder at the audacity of thinking anyone else out there would be interested in my goings-on!! Have a lovely weekend! xx
DeleteSorry to hear about Bunny. Very sad to lose a family pet. Your christmas photos looked lovely. Can you share the salmon spaghetti recipe please?? Thanks for a lovely blog
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to hear the loss of your Bunny. I feel your heartbreak for losing such a darling. On the lighter note, congratulations on the new house! Such a lovely home you have, just perfect to spend a wonderful holiday in. =) Calvin @ CityBlockTeam.com
ReplyDeleteHi Jenny! Welcome back to blogging! You still have lots of things to finish on your new house, Jenny. I believe you’ve been very busy with the construction, but I hope you won’t forget to get a house warranty, so that should you need repairs for your HVAC unit and built-in appliances, you won’t have to stress yourself more. Anyway, I’ll be looking forward to seeing your finished projects. All the best! :)
ReplyDeleteLois Becker @ Finlay Brewer