I went up to the Blue Mountains today to measure up for stage 2 of an earlier project. I had a chance to take some shots of work already completed, a little bit further along than the ones featured earlier! We are going to add to the existing weatherboard – a bigger dining room, second sitting room and another bedroom & bathroom. Really exciting and I can’t wait to start drawing….thinking of things all the way home. I would love to use a double sided fireplace set in a freestanding stone wall – more on that later.

On the way back to Sydney we stopped in at Canberra for a couple of days. I had never been to the new Parliament house and was so impressed with the building. The quiet courtyards are really lovely areas, conducive to deep thought and reflection – I noticed one senior political figure had his curtains drawn and according to the guide keeps them shut at all times…Went to a couple of fun restaurants in Manuka where we were staying. Urban Pantry is a terrific neighbourhood bistro, great design – Brooklyn meets ACT (!) very good coffee for breakfast, fun for dinner…http://urban-pantry.com.au/

Slowly but surely, most of my husband’s family have moved to Wangaratta in country Victoria. Wonderful company, warm houses, great cooking and a handy proximity to the King Valley Wine region make winter a terrific time to visit. I thought I would post some photos taken at my sisters – in – laws’ farm last week..

We went to Beechworth while we were in the area. A really beautiful gold rush town, with a fabulous local museum complete with Ned Kelly artefacts. We had lunch at the Bridge Road Brewers – great local beers and delicious pizzas, wonderful if you are travelling with hungry children and thirsty adults…
http://www.bridgeroadbrewers.com.au/pizzeria.php

Richard’s cousin, Cathy Oddie, is a very talented potter. She made the little tiles photographed above and is in the process of launching her work online. Will report back with website details….