The Peacock Makeover

One of the perks of being the only girl in our family is that Eleanor has now scored a room of her own and so we spent the weekend changing bedrooms around and tarting hers up a bit. She wasted no time outlining the brief - blue walls, polkadots and lots of bright rainbow-y colours. We were on a very tight budget, allowing just a tin of paint to be the most costly item. She chose Dulux "Oceanus" - her favourite shade of blue. It's bright and a complete change from the otherwise white interior of the rest of the house. I did suggest toning it down a bit to a quarter strength but she wanted this colour specifically and really wanted it more than I wanted it a different colour so in the end she won. She loves owls, peacocks and birds of any kind, so when we found this Peacock Bedhead at the tip over Christmas, we couldn't believe our luck - it was just $10 and in perfect condition. Sold! I have seen these exact Bedheads go for over $400 so it is one of my best bargains yet. About 6 months earlier I picked up a Peacock Chair at the very same place for $5. It needs a bit of work where the cane is coming loose on some areas but we have plans for yarn bombing those spots. Are you familiar with this new craze? 

We painted them white and if your eyeballs are ready for a colour explosion here is how they look in the new blue room. Please ignore the Whippet's long sad face in the photos - he puts it on for the camera. I did manage one shot of the room before he stole the limelight.

The bedside table was a lucky roadside find which is actually Tassie Oak and super sturdy. The pillow cases were $7 from the Sheridan Factory Outlet and the little cat pillow was 50 cents from the local Op Shop. The Granny Blanket was also $5 from an Op Shop which I bought almost a year ago. The Red and White spotty valance is just a piece of material I already had - I could probably sew a hem onto it but why bother? The little colourful rug in the above photo and that was just $1.99 from Spotlight. The owl on the wall is in a strange place but it's hiding the ugly underfloor heating switch box :-).

The feature i love the most is her wall of artwork - all done when she was in Year 1 in Sydney as a 6 year old. Her more recent work is scattered around the house but these earlier ones look great in her room and are a lovely reminder of her time in Sydney.

If you look closely you can see a Picasso inspired portrait, a Pro Hart inspired Still Life and an interpretation of "Where the Wild Things Are". It's an absolute credit to her wonderful Teacher who placed a huge importance on creative arts as a tool for learning.

There's some Monet inspired Waterlillies too and my favourite is the one with the Mum and Daughter in the rain. As I was sticking it on the wall she thought it was funny that she drew the water droplets upside down - I had actually never noticed that.

The final project is to transform the daggy brown built-in wardrobe on the opposite wall where the desk is. I'm thinking maybe painting over them or adding wallpaper just to the wardrobe bit. I'm also thinking of converting the part of the wardrobe for hanging clothes into a little reading/cubby nook. If anyone has any idea for colours for curtains/wall covering I'd love to hear.

Eleanor loves having her own little space after all these years of sharing, even though the boys are still in there a fair amount of time playing "Schools" with her. 

The Whippet has stamped his seal of approval too :-)

Floored

I was going to Post over the weekend but at 9am on Saturday Morning the Pianoman decided he would rip up the carpet in the living room, install the new floor boards himself, and have a beer in hand by 3pm in readiness for the Football Grand Final. I completely admire his drive and optimism but I'm a realist and therefore shelved all other activities I had for the weekend and also packed the laptop away so I could deal with the chaos created by our first foray into DIY renovations.

We essentially live in a 3 bedroom house but the living room is the size of a small football stadium and you can see why I suspected it may take a little longer than 6 hours.

The activity provided much enjoyment for the Kidlets though. 

There was dancing, wrestling, and.....

Indoor Gymnastics.

The Whippet resists change and does not cope with upheaval of any kind, especially the kind that involves losing any of his creature comforts. He followed the sun around the room and lounged on the last remaining edges of the carpet until there was none left.

The Football match came and went and I suggested it might take a bit longer than he thought, to which he responded, "I'm on a bit of a roll now, I'll get it done even if I'm up till midnight!". Well midnight came and went and so did Sunday.

This is how it looked Saturday night. One row completed. By Sunday night a few more rows had been added in between some socialising, ferrying kids around as well as running a press conference.

I really can't wait to show you when it's finished. I think it will be amazing. The carpet has been in this house since it was built 30 years ago. It was really revolting and the pale green colour was just not conducive to life with lots of kids with muddy boots and Whippets with muddy paws and a new baby who would have to navigate it's way through all the filth.

I was tempted to leave the floor bare and have the concrete polished, a look I absolutely love. We have underfloor heating throughout the concrete slab (and I could just the kiss the feet of the previous owner who had the foresight to have that installed when she built the house) so I wasn't worried about the 'coldness' but I just really didn't think it suited the style of the house. I also just about died when I got the quote to have it polished - $7000.00. Thanks but no thanks.

So that was our weekend.

I was then just about to get the laptop out this morning but the Whippet thwarted those plans when he came inside to show me a huge gash in his back. It is the worst injury he has had and necessitated an urgent trip to the Vet to have himself put back together again. Five staples. They are obviously gold-plated because the Bill came in at $250.00 which makes those staples at $50.00 a pop the most expensive staples in the universe. I was floored.

So we wandered around the Harbour for a few hours while we waited for the sedation to wear off (the Whippet that is) and despite some minor hyperventilation on my part at not only worrying about poor Remy but also having to fork out so much for staples, it was a glorious Spring day and I couldn't help but admire how pretty this little city is.

So, I have no functional living room and the saddest Whippet in the world who will need more attention than the 4 kids and the Pianoman put together but I am delighted to let you know the winners of my little giveaway:

Book - Lisa

Wooden Bear - Mumofsix

Wooden Buttons - Annie from Knitsofacto and Brydie from Cityhippyfarmgirl

Yellow Crochet Potholder/Coaster -  Fiona from Arbordale Farm

Christmas Heart Crochet Holder - Grammy Braxton

Ladies, if you could please e-mail me a postal address and I'll have these off to you this week.

Thank you all so much for all of your feedback on my Blog and saying nice things and I just wish I could give something to everyone.

Have a great week!

Outback Whippet

This is the town of Silverton. 

I love what they've done to the place.

Not a soul in sight but I think the population doubled when we descended upon the township.

In the height of its mineral wealth in the early 1880's, Silverton was home to 3,000 people but the larger mines of nearby Broken Hill opened up so by 1899 everyone had literally taken their homes and carried them by Camel and Donkey in search of greater wealth in Broken Hill. The population is reportedly less than 50 now but has a thriving Arts culture with visitors from around the world attracted to its rich History and vibrant Art Galleries.

If the scenes above look vaguely familiar it's because Silverton is the location for countless commercials and many films such as Dirty Deeds, Mad Max 2, Mission Impossible 2 and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

It has also been the backdrop for some great Australian Miniseries like the 1987 Dirtwater Dynasty and my favourite, the 1981 Mini-series A Town like Alice based on Neville Shute's novel of the same name and starring Bryan Brown and Helen Morse, which if you ask me has one of the best on screen kisses of all time.

While we are on the topic of Bryan Brown, anyone else with a thing for country boys? I'm a huge fan of his and usually think of him as the father of the young Rebecca Smart in The Shiralee but he was quite the spunk in the early 80's wouldn't you say? I'm thinking a cross between Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal.

The kids were busy fossicking for more rocks but the Whippet was more than happy to visit the sights with me and pose for the camera. 

Don't worry about the Whippet. The Whippet is loving the adventure as much as us. He gets lots of attention. There aren't many Whippets in the Outback. He gets lots of treats because people think he's too skinny. He keeps quiet because he likes the treats and doesn't talk.

source

Bryan Brown and Helen Morse in "A Town Like Alice" source

Another Whippet Tale

The Whippet is displeased.

He had a little trip to the Vet today. Nothing serious. But he is still giving me the silent treatment. It should be the other way around!

Let me explain. He needed to have his teeth cleaned. The Vet mentioned it last time we were there. He said he may need some teeth removed which could be costly, up to $1500.00. Holy goodnight! I asked if it could wait till after Christmas. No problem he says. That was last Christmas. It is now October. Oops!

So I finally made the appointment for today. His breath was getting so bad the kids were suggesting he was eating his own excrement. It was time. And I didn’t think the Vet would look at me kindly if I asked if it could wait until after another Christmas.

So we dropped him off. The girl who took him said it would only cost up to $400 for a standard clean and scale and they’ll call during the procedure to let me know if they have to take teeth out (and therefore add a further $1000 onto the procedure). I’m still stuck on the $400 just to clean his teeth! How can a dog cost more than a human? I’ll do it myself I think. Or did I say that out loud? The girl starts explaining that they have to knock him out even just to clean his teeth and the anesthetic is costly. I ask if that is really necessary. She now thinks I’m a bad dog mother and worried about the cost so she just smiles. The cost is one thing, but I’m also worried about his mental capacity to cope with such a thing. He’s a Whippet. He’s sensitive. But he’s so placid you could poke him in the eyeballs and he wouldn’t flinch. Anyway, I agree he has to have it done. His health may be at stake if the teeth be rotting into his poor body.

I dare to ask if she would mind trimming his nails. She agrees and suggests he gets a shampoo too. What are all these crusty patches on his coat, she asks. Oh that’s just the drips of icing from the cupcakes we made yesterday, I say. She looks confused. Either she doesn’t have kids or she doesn’t have a Whippet.

In the end, I am relieved to hear he didn’t have to get any teeth taken out whatsoever. He needed the odd tooth brushing done at home and some more chew toys. Another problem. The Whippet doesn’t like dog chew toys, just the expensive wooden toys belonging to the kids. And I’m not buying him any of those. I think he'll just wait till we are back on the farm and he can chew on bones.

But it still cost $398. It has been an expensive day. Suddenly, the $20 haircuts I was whinging about the other day don’t seem so bad, do they?

The Whippet

Well since I have introduced you to some of my Kidlets this week it would be remiss of me not to introduce The Whippet, and so I will!

Meet REMY!

The Whippet was our 'first' baby and we actually went to the trouble of researching what breed to get so it would fit into a possible future family with kids as well as the double-income-no-kids-warehouse-living-lifestyle we were leading in Port Melbourne at the time. Seriously, who does that? Slightly obsessional I know but also practical - I had seen many a friend pick up a dog that ended up being a disaster (or  unsuitable for their requirements) and therefore returned to the original owner. So I figured the Breed was important. I grew up with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and also a German Shepherd and knew how different dog breeds could be.

On our list was a dog that was independent for longish periods while we were working but still enjoyed chasing a ball - I didn't want a needy dog that suffered separation anxiety the minute we left the house, or one that destroyed the house while we were out or slobbered all over the furniture. The 4 kids down the track would take care of that!  It had to be happy indoors because we only had a tiny courtyard. It wasn't allowed to shed hair because The Piano Man has eczema and I hate cleaning and it wasn't allowed to bark because barking just drives me insane. Must be great with kids.

So we settled on a Whippet - the elegant creatures you can imagine strolling around the ancient Egyptian Palaces (actually they are more like a glorified cat but don't say that too loud). We got him from a fabulous breeder in Daylesford, Ibiza Whippets, and I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions we made. He has been a perfect addition to the family. I'm not sure how the Whippet feels though.

He has been with us for 8 years and is the only creature that truly knows our family intimately. If he could say what he was thinking I suspect it would be something like this.








This is me as an 8 week baby. Note the black and white colouring, not a single grey hair.






















This is me now at 8 years old - My eyes are tired and every time they bring a baby home I get a few more grey hairs. 













But I still cut a fine figure. Look at my long thin legs! Other breeds are wild with envy.












I am built for speed. I love runs on the beach. I am one of the fastest dogs over a short distance did you know? Although I only need 5 minutes and then I prefer to spend the rest of my time curled up on the lounge or someones bed.

Oops, not too close to the water. I don't like it. Why? See my long legs? They are like knives slicing the water and therefore I can't swim. I have tried but it looks ridiculous. Yes, I have some quirks, no dog is perfect.


















See the big Ferry in the background? Well because I can't swim you will NEVER get me on that thing. Pardon? I'll have to go on that Ferry to live in Tasmania. Holy Moly, it better not be rough! What? It's going to be that trip when Bass Strait decides to produce record swells and it takes twice as long to get there. I will be seasick. Oh, did you say  despite my feelings on the matter the family will take me on that ferry again and again.

While we are letting it all out there, my other quirk is that I can't go up stairs that have gaps between each stair where I can see through to the other side. They freak me out! The family has to carry me up such stairs and they are very embarrassed by my phobia when their friends come around and ask why I am yelping at the bottom of the steps. They think I should see Dr Harry about it. Maybe I should. I think self-awareness is the main thing here.
























See this luggage conveyor belt? This is where I had to go when the family took me to Alice Springs to show me off to the In-Laws. But due to my aforementioned phobia, I had a total meltdown because I don't like gaps between me and the ground and there was a fairly significant one between the plane and the ground!









So the babies started coming home and I had to share the lounge.






















                                                                                                                                                                                   But that was fine because as it turned out their bouncers and capsules were extremely comfy.

Well there was no alternative - the chooks started taking over my bed!



















And if it's not the chooks stealing my bed its the bloody possums eating my food!












Finally, although I don't bark, whenever any of the kidlets cry I start howling like a wolf. I don't like them in pain and their crying distresses me. Another quirk of mine. It's my protective mechanism at its finest. Of course the mum doesn't like my howling because it frightens some of the other kidlets who then may start crying because they are worried about me and then I howl more which just exacerbates an already stressful situation. But we're working on it.

I often wonder if it is true what they say about about dogs resembling or picking up quirks from their families because if so that doesn't really paint our family in a favourable light. Does anyone else have a pet with quirky traits?