Thursday, August 18, 2011

Out with the Old.

My real life friends know that we've bought a new house, conveniently just around the corner.  Not only are we moving within the same suburb, but we're not even leaving the neighbourhood!  The kids can walk the same way to and from school, they'll just get there a couple of minutes quicker :-).

More about the new house when we're moved in (it's bigger, on the flat and has lots of storage), but for today a few random things I'll miss about my home of the last ten years.


1. Pink tiled fireplace.  Who else has a pink fireplace?


2. Red in the kitchen.  I guess I can repeat that anywhere, but it goes so well with the white windows and cream tiles.  I'll miss my kitchen full stop - everything is in just the right place, I never really thought about it until I realised in our new kitchen the dishwasher is on the opposite side of the room from the sink, and the stove top at the far end of the room from the oven.  What were they thinking?


3.  Delusions of grandeur.  I love the way these modest little bungalows have quirky touches that really belong in a much bigger and flashier house.


4.  Modest Arts and Crafts detailing.  Just to contrast with the silly domed ceiling.  The builders were a little confused in 1926, throwing in a bit of this and a bit of that...


5. Morning glory vine? 


6.  The square bay windows that make me think of an Elizabethan ship.  I love lying on the sofa and looking out this window at the trees and the sky.


7.  The sunporch that makes me feel I'm at the beach even the midst of a winter storm.  And it's great for watching the waves in a storm!


8.  The view from my bedroom window.


9.  Wood panelling in the hall way.


10.  Original clawfoot bath.  This bath makes me rediculously happy.  It's 5'6" long inside - how convenient that I'm 5'5" long and can lie full length in it :-).  You can bath four kids in one go as well.

as you can see, a great house for someone obsessed with all things old and quirky.  But eventually the need for a bit of space, a built in wardrobe or two, some flat land for the kids to run around, a warm, well insulated home and other such practicalities over took the need for quirky style.  and luckily the place has its own fair share of quirkiness!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

oops, I was wrong!


I think I said it never snows where I live.  Oops, I was wrong - seems it does snow once every 50 years or so, turns out I just hadn't lived long enough ;-)



Yesterday we had real, proper snow for over an hour, and then flurries on and off for the rest of the day. More is forecast for tonight! While Wellington does occasionally get a little snow in the higher hill suburbs, down at sea level where I live it's very, very rare.


The children were at school, but it sounds like they didn't spend much time in the classrooms.  Bet they were glad I made them wear their jackets and gloves.


A confession, before yesterday I'd only once in my life been in falling snow (and that was at age 34).  So when the flakes started falling thick and fast I was out there playing too, amazed and delighted.  Just like these people:

Snow on Cuba Mall in central Wellington (HD) from Ro Tierney on Vimeo.


Sweet.

Later in the day the weather deteriorated into a terrible storm with gales and thunder and hail and sleet and even more snow.  I think it might just be the spirit of the Antarctic come for Happy Feet - our very own chilly ET.

I'll leave you with a snowy cabbage tree, Dr Suess craziness as a friend commented: