The Bach 'Who's Afraid of the Dark'

Sunday evening  and I have just shared a Scarfo's Pizza with the poodles  (my really favourite pizza, taste like old style, not gourmet or wood fired, one you are quite happily intend to feel like a pig for a while pizza)  The sailor stayed up at the bach tonight to get an early start on the carport tomorrow.  God love him,  I would have easily been persuaded to stay up for the night, we could headed down to the beach for  a swim, sat on the half finished deck and sucked a few beers listening to the whip birds whipping away.....Monday I look after my Rowan and I wouldn't miss that in a heart beat.

This is our back garden we discovered on Saturday, after we took to the whipper snipper and a kiwi bush knife and hacked our way through three metres of bamboo down to the creek.  Man that was a huge effort.  

So here we are, our first night staying at the bach.  The romantic setting I had pictured, candles, music and a bottle of French bubbles seemed a million miles off, we were so tired, speechless and physically exhausted. The bathroom inside the bach is not complete and we are using the outside laundry (quite disgusting, old toilet, 50's shower recess, heaps of spiders and recently the home of an ancient possum) as our toilet and bathroom.  It's okay during the day to pop into and have a quick wee and run out  again.... but I hadn't given a thought to the night........The sailor had mentioned a running, hopping thing he had seen that scooted across the garden at night, the neighbour told me to be  aware of the snakes and there are those possums that used to live in the laundry.....

It was getting to that time, time to go to bed and I had enjoyed a couple of well earned beers......
ME.....
"Hon, can you just keep an eye out while I go to the loo?  
"Hon, I think I'd better go to the loo again before we turn off the lights"
"Hon, what will I do if I wake in the middle of the night and need to go to the loo"
"Hon, are you awake?  Hon, your snoring, I can't sleep"
Finally I went to sleep........THEN,  I woke, I really needed to go, I tried to ignore it, I tossed and I turned,  I thought about the running hopping thing, the snake and the possum, I really needed to go bad,
the sailor was snoring so loudly.......I nudged him gently, please wake, I made a fuss about throwing the sheets off and getting out of bed, he is still snoring.  I did the cross legged dance out to the sliding doors, all I could see was DARKNESS.  I did the cross legged dance faster back to the bedroom and yelled....I HAVE TO WEE!!!!
The sailor woke, stumbled out of bed and lead me out into the darkness, stood outside the door and listened to me tinkle.  I pulled up my pj's  and ran like HELL.........over the dew laden grass, up and over the deck, through the sliding doors, leaped into bed and pulled up the covers......

I am officially scared of the dark!

The Bach 'A Retro Statement'

It's Friday and I'm loading up the ute this morning but instead of tools, paints and the likes, I'm loading in gorgeous goodies, sheets and pillows a toaster and kettle,  cause tonight baby I'm staying over.  I am so excited I want to stuff as much in the car as possible.  I forgot to mention that I am also taking the framed, yes FRAMED pineapple prints.  I think they look amazing!!!

Love this?  It's so mad men, right now.   This handsome Parker buffet is the second piece of furniture I purchased for the bach.  The first pieces, two drop dead gorgeous chairs have a lovely story to tell and I can't wait to share it with you later.

This is my kinda candy store, and believe it or not I have a box of these retro plastics in my garage, making their way into the ute this morning. 

You must know me by know.... Yes. I have packed a bottle of french bubbles for drinks on the deck tonight.  Wouldn't this look fabulous?  

I'll be taking lots more pics over the weekend and I am looking forward to sharing them with you next week.  If you haven't entered my 'Four Cow Farm' baby skincare giveaway, pop on over and enter!  These products are so naturally beautiful.

The Bach 'This Weekend'

Friday night the sailor and I stayed at the Patonga Beach Hotel.   Patonga is a tranquil bayside village just around the headland from Pearl Beach, it has a very layback vibe, some very funky little beach cottages, a caravan park and of course a great family pub with a huge open old style beer garden area and serves great pub food.  We have been popping in for lunch on a regular basis, fish and chips a plate of sliced cucumber (for Rowan) our typical order.  With a list of tasks to complete before the floor sanders arrive on Tuesday we decided to stay over and enjoy some of the local hospitality.  We had so much fun, a great dinner, a few wines, catching up with the locals, the seafood raffle and a competitive game of darts. That's Friday night Patonga style.

Saturday morning we woke to the malarkey of the kookaburras laughing at the fishermen as they pulled up their boats to the wharf and unloaded their catch.  We strolled along the wharf and chatted to the fishermen, taking a few pics before heading back over the hill.

Barrenjoey Heads  in the distant right...How beautiful does this look?

These little trawlers have a nostalgic look to them, please don't go trawlers and leave this bay empty.

I love these pics of the little red trawler.  Perhaps I should put them on canvas for the house?

Most of the day my view was flora through squares.  When I began the painting of the lattice, my initial approach was tidy and mathematical, that was slow, until it became very clear to me that the only way forward was to be aggressive with the paint brush, and get it on faster.  

All locked up and ready for the floor sanding on Tuesday.  I can't wait to see how they look on Friday.  I'm also very excited about getting some furniture delivered on Friday so we can stay in the house.  I'm very happy with my choice of Lexicon quarter strength paint, it's a cool colour, it has a fresh appeal and will need colour and warmth which will come from the furnishings and decor.  If you've just popped over you can see the befores here and here.

 

 A trip to Spotlight this week for a few metres of lace curtain.

I'm looking forward to some sewing this week,  I have some wonderful new designs nearly ready to show you.  Today Rowan and I will be hand dyeing some buttons and cutting the new styles.  If you are expecting a new baby or know somebody who is, I have a great little giveaway which I hope to post this week.

The Bach 'Colour Inspiration'

The question.  What colour do I paint the outside of the bach?  I know that I wanted a colour that is alive and bursting with personality, so the minute you arrive, before you open the door you are on holidays.  Hello you can't have a lime green, hot pink or orange house in the burbs, not my burb anyway the council would be here quicker than the first lick of paint dried.   I thought I had it all sorted,  colour was picked out and now I am having second thoughts.  I love colour and I'm not afraid of splashing it around.    

Images I love from my photo gallery.........

 St Barts Southport.  A favourite shopping haunt of mine.

St Barts  I love this footstool and the cane chair, which especially caught my eye.

 St. Barts. The pendant lights are very tropicalo

 Hibiscus, my mother propagated, still growing strong at my brothers house.  The deep lush pink makes me happy.

Poster from my house Bernard Villemont

French vintage poster from my home.  Tony Belorange

Framed Vintage Moschino Scarf from my home. (one of the first presents the sailor gave me)  I adore all the colour in this scarf to gorgeous to wear so I framed it!

Tiki painting. Lester King.  From my home.  I gifted this to the sailor on our first wedding anniversary.

Jonathan Adler  is an American designer know for his happy and chic approach to decorating.  You'll love this book, each time you open it you'll find a little something to catch your attention,  and check out his many other titles, you'll love them all.  Chic design tips, that are too easy to adapt in your home. 

It's Official - The Beach Bach is Mine

The Bach

The beach with a sea pool, perfect for Rowan

The ocean and Lion Island to the Left.  Perfect spot to watch the passing sail boats.

Today is the day, the bach is well and truly mine!  In all of it's fifties retro state, I love it.  I have been craving the excitement  of doing a beach bach project for a long time,   then one day I said to the sailor.
"Right, I'm doing it.  I'm buying a bach".  He said "Okay hon" And that was that, I was officially on the market for a beach house, this meant I could use my real name when I stalked the realtors and leave a real phone number.  
The sailor and I drove up and down and down and up the coast until I  ran out of picnic hamper recipes, and eventually deciding that the north coast was where we wanted to be.  We sail to the Pittwater  often and love the water ways and beachs, so it's the perfect choice for us to be north.
So the plan is to completely makeover the bach and have it t ready by Good Friday that's the sixth of April which gives me nine weeks.  Phew!  I can do this.


And today it all begins with a list, a trip to Bunnings to pick up some tools and essentials  a mattress a pillow and my camera.  So come along with with me as I turn this old girl into something really special.  I hope you enjoy reading about it as I go.