Someone recently told me that they had expected to see a bit more of me on this here blog…they were surprised that there were so many pics of side-of-the-road furniture and not so much of me…this does not surprise me at all, my reluctance to be photographed is legendary….always makes it difficult to pose for a shot when trying to hide upper arms, chin, stomach rolls and chicken feet. Leaves one rather limited.
Anyway I began to muse this and found myself thinking about it more and more and after going through some holiday shots recently I had to admit, that standing most of the time behind the camera, there was not one single shot of me.
So, being rather brave and taking the bull by the horns, I hired myself a Vogue photographer and he suggested that we go into downtown Sydney…in the backstreets for a little bit of industrial chic. He said I was one of the best he had worked with. Not really. the other day Mr BC and I headed to the city for an appointment and because I had relayed the above to him and my camera was chucked in the back of the car he said righto, here we go…and wouldn’t let me off til he’d got some shots.
The funny thing is we both really enjoyed this. We laughed and laughed.
It may well have something to do with the fact that while I played model, Mr Beach Cottage rather than going for the David Bailey feel, took it down a step or two or up a shelf or two shall we say and went for Top Shelf Photographer.
And shouted things at me along the lines of ‘show us some ***’
It was hilarious and always a good thing to do when in the backstreets of working class Sydney…
Mr BC has decided he will be taking a new career path…one involving Top Shelf Photography and ahem slightly younger subjects.
I on the other hand will stick with vintage furniture.
What a fun thing to do! Good on you for having the guts to give it a go! The results are amazing and I bet when you are 80 and find those photos again you’ll be so glad you made the time to take them. Thanks Sarah!
Too funny:) My hubby would be saying very similar lines too I’m afraid, lol! Well, it’s nice to “meet” you:) And you look fab, don’t know why you’re doing all of that hiding!
Well, I think that you are beautiful! I love looking through your blog. My son died last year and since then, few things bring me peace. But browsing your blog, I feel as though I am on vacation and that is really what I need right now. Thank you.
Great fun post Sarah! You look wonderful as always, and Mr BC takes a pretty good shot. I’m always the one taking photos, but only so no awful ones of me get taken!!
hon you look lovely….what a sydney chick you are!!
there is nothing as wonderful as making memories like this with your hubby….ummm in the back lanes of sydney…tee hee!
urban cool…with a coastal twist…..tell your top-shelf husband that thats how we see his photography style…
melissa xx
Second I just love your blog!! ckeck it out a few times a week..so much inspiration!!
Thanks for sharing al these beautiful pictures and keep making my day!
Wishing you a lovely day from holland.
Hugs,
Rozmeen
Hi Sarah, My sister lived in Sydney for some time and you have the same cool Sydney look goin’ oonnn!!
Wish I was half as photogenic as you are. You look great why have you been hiding behind the camera silly? Bet Mr BC had loads of fun! Glad you had a great dayx
you rocked it Sarah. You look gorgeous and I bet it was a blast. See, I would be laughing the entire time. I agree you must have been brave, but you look totally relaxed. Love the bag, the jacket and those Boots!
I love the first pic and the last one the most……… hey I agree there needs to be more pic’s of you so good on you!!! Surely you better than an old wooden chair (ha ha)/
It is fun to see some pics of you. Some blogs, honestly, show way too pics of the author from every angle. I love that you and Mr BC were having some fun with it. I think you look very chic in your trenchcoat, and that last picture really shows how pretty you are.
Cute photos and you are darling. This is good that you did this, your kids and grandkids will want photos of you someday. Mine are going to have precious few because, I too, avoid that side of the camera!
I like the 3rd shot. It looked like that elderly gentleman sitting against the wall might have been checking you out. Great shots and thanks for sharing you real self with us.
Sarah, why on earth would you hide your gorgeous face? Crazy! Although it’s creepy that someone actually asked to see more of you! I’m glad you did. By the way I LOVE your boots!<3
Great photos – if I looked as great as you do, I wouldn’t hide. I adore your bag…. I crave your bag……….sorry, can’t help myself. Thanks for your beautiful blog.
Oh my gosh! The rolls! The chicken feet! The horror! Come on, Sarah. You look beautiful! I’m pretty shy about putting pictures of myelf on my blog as well, so I totally get it. I’m glad you stepped out and you look very chic. Not an imperfection in site.
Hi Sarah,
There we go, a smile at the end. How very nice and hip and model-ish you look! BTW I have the same top, and coat, and boots. Only you pull them off much better. Glad your Mr. BC knows not to photograph from below. Mine seems to love to show my extra chins. I say he’s passive agressive.
XO
Heidi
Always nice to match the face with the name… now I will visualize you whilst reading your posts.
Mr Bc makes a great photographer too.
Hugs ~ Kerryanne
As a photographer I run into the SAME problem. My children started complaining that if something happened to me, that they would have hard time proving I actually exhisted. They said I would get a bad reputation as “great aunt so and so” that was crazy and that’s why there were no pictures of her. They said they didn’t want to be the children of “crazy aunt so an so”, so there better be some pictures of me from now on. I’m trying……
BTW, LOVE the bag!!! It’s super cute!
God bless! Fi
G'day! I'm Sarah, I live in a tatty old cottage, near the sea in Australia with a battered old deck & a big old fig tree out the back...stripped wooden floors, old sash windows & a jumble of vintage furniture. [Read More …]
Beach Cottage ladies, we have some vintage linen and some wood/twig washed up on the beach today here in Beach Cottage Land….don’t say I don’t keep you entertained now will you . Come on in. So, yep I have posted about colanders on this blog, about things sourced from the side of the road, about [...]
G'day ladies, let's have a Too Easy Beach Cottage recipe yeah? The original place for Too Easy Recipes on the web ;-)
So, after my last salad went down a storm in my inbox, that's here if you missed it, I had to do this one seeing as I make it most weeks.
There is a problem with this salad and kiddos though...it looks, well, it looks, kinda yucky...but once they try it, they'll ask if and when they are next having it....at least that's what happens in this ratty old cottage...but I must interject here that my kiddos are 'good eaters'? ...they didn't get a choice in that ;-)
Now, stop, don't start running and hitting that next on your blog reading list, pulses are your best friend in the Too Easy Dump & Go kitchen for the busy mum, or busy anyone for that matter...that reminds me I must blog the garlic canneloni Go To for when you forgot to do dinner, feel like a bath but have three ravenous young Beach Cottage Kiddos on your hands...another day.
I am almost embarrassed to tell you how easy this is, we have it so much that I always have a couple, make that six, cans of lentils around and a jar of goat's cheese in the fridge...the great thing about this is that it's all too easy to get ready in just a few minutes, but it looks, tastes and seems like you did oh so very much more than that.
You can obviously too change it up a bit depending on what you have to hand in your kitchen, and I must say that is how I settled on this version...because one day when I made it I didn't have enough Parsley in the garden and so I chucked in some basil too, and liked the Summer feel it added.
I think of this as being a rather posh salad, not sure why, because it couldn't really be further from the truth...the great thing is that it works so well for an average run of the mill day, (when I did this for this blog post, it was a hot Sydney Sunday and I did it just simply to go with Rosemary & Garlic stuffed pork, you can see that pork here),
...but just as easily it works on a regular old Wednesday night when you have lost all enthusiasm for rustling up yet another meal, or indeed on Saturday night, when your friends are on their way over for dinner and you my friend, are in your new vintage inspired clawfoot bathtub (that's me in a few weeks time, k?) without any clothes on, a tipple and no idea what to cook for dinner...
I have a complicated and ever-changing relationship with goat's cheese...it never fails me in its performance and it never fails to impress me (you can find out a bit more on what I like in food here if you like) and I kinda collect it...because it's very easy to collect and has a fairly long fridge-life, I love trying out different ones and there's not many things I love more than goat's cheese on sourdough...but I think the best thing about it is not thinking about it exclusively in the toast/salad department...I've stuffed it in chicken and all sorts of things as a last minute and it's been fab.
But let's get down to the nitty gritty of this super salad that makes you look like an angel who has been on her knees all day scrubbing the front step when really you are in the digital world and spent most of ...
G'day Beach Cottage ladies, howdy, howdy howdy today for a Beach Cottage Too Easy recipe.
If you like cake, cream, sugar and chocolate, make this.
This is, rather than a recipe, a putting it together...as you know I am no dessert maker, but, I do make quite a few sweet things, because, somehow I have ended up with kiddos, who in their roles as offspring, believe that part of the deal, is that not only do I feed them a home-cooked meal with a few homegrown ingredients in there, yes, they also believe that dessert and not the kind that comes out of a packet is included too in this All-Inclusive Deal they call Parenthood.
So, this, for sure, is no culinary masterpiece, but if you are looking for something that is so very easy, dump-able, uses everyday ingredients and at the same time makes you look like you spent hours pulling things together plus tastes good....well, then this is for you.
Best though, you don't make this for yourself, if you have spent the most part of your week sitting on your derriere reading blogs...this my friend ain't low in the calories department...if, however, you are treating yourself to a delight in a mason jar, this is so for you.
I first had a version of this when at dinner back in Old Blighty with a girl, I once, in another life, caught the train up from our village to London with...she was a funny thing really...I am not quite sure how we got on...she was kinda prissy and a bit bothered by too much...I would run to the train flustered, having got up late, and she would have a spreadsheet on the train times, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, a few years later when we both had bambinos, I bumped into her again and we met up for playdates and dinner sometimes....this particular night, after a lovely meal she served up little bowls of creamy, cakey fruity stuff topped off with chocolate flake...it was delicious!
She didn't serve hers in little jars like this, hers were in a champagne glass and not quite so layered as these ones, plus she used tinned fruit not fresh or frozen.
Years later when said offspring kept requesting dessert, one day I wangled together somehow these from what was around in the fridge and they've been with us ever since.
Most likely, if you ever come here for dinner, and shock horror, you dont' bring the dessert with you, this, if you are lucky, will be what you will get.
Throw it all together, sprinkle a lil bit of chocolate on the top and the blog reading past-time you so rudely left in order to make this, is my friend, your oyster.
Beach Cottage Too Easy Layered Raspberry, Cream & Sponge Dessert
1 small maderia or butter cake or a pack of cupcakes (or of course make your own)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
8 tbsp fruit
1 x chocolate Flake or chocolate bar for grating
1. beat the cream cheese until it is soft
2. whip the cream until soft peaks form
3. combine & add the sugar through
4. cut your cake into portions
& layer into the bottom of your jar
5. add a tablespoon of fruit
6. layer on top the cream combo
7. repeat
8. grate chocolate or Flake on top
*Beach Cottage Recipe Notes : this is just a guide really, you can use any cream that you have on hand...I have made this with clotted cream (don't even go there unless you want to seriously get these babies on your thighs), with double cream and I have even, in desperate times squirted in that, ...
G'day Beach Cottage ladies, well I thought it was time for some blogging tips here today, alongside a few nice flowers and shells ;-)
I was recently part of a blogger discussion group over at Kidspot and a couple of hours later had a few questions from girls who couldn't make it to the live chat, one was on my Facebook page and one via email, the Facebook one I will deal with in another Real Girl Blogging Tips post...the email one asked me what essentials do I think every blog needs?
Well I have been around here for a while now doing the blogging thing, so I should know this, yeah and I mused this on my walk by the sea this morning I thought well what do you only need?
...I think it is really very easy when blogging, whether or not you are blogging up there in the lofty heights of the Super Bloggers or you are just dipping your toe in the water, to get side-tracked by 101 million different things that are 'essential' to your blog and if you are someone like me who actually gets a thrill from reading blogging tips then you are in an even worse place because you will find yourself literally buzzing with these essential things to add/do/implement on your blog.
However, walking along, gulping down that brisk sea air today (no sunshine & clouds) I thought you actually don't need any of that professional blogging stuff to be successful...but there are a few things that are pretty much crucial ...and once I started to think about it I got it down to about 5 - these are the only things that you need to concentrate on...once you have read through take a look at some of the big girl's blogs...you'll see that actually they don't have bundles of stuff on their blogs...but they do have all of these...
So here are my top things that your blog must have
1. About Page
There are all sorts of About Pages out there, and if you search on it there are many different tips and ideas for what to have on yours
Whatever blogging platform you use, adding an About Me Page is easy, quick and simple and will do everything to grow your blog.
I like a long-ish About Page, I am inherently nosy and I like to know a bit more about the person but at the least you should have on it your name and where you are located. I also think a photo is good too...over the last year or so I think this has become more important in blogging - if you are hesitant about that as I was, you can try using sunglasses or a behind shot until you get comfortable.
There is nothing worse than stumbling upon a new blog and going to find out more to only be faced with a piddly little one liner About Me Page...well there is something worse, not having one at all!
2. Contact Page
The chances are someone, somewhere will want to contact you and you will be surprised what lands in your inbox once you put yourself out there on the world wide web with a blog.
Many bloggers also use this page to include details for PR's/brands that may want to contact them and some bloggers put their stats on there too.
A short, to the point and simple Contact Page works really well...whenever I have wanted to contact another blogger I am often very busy and have limited time so I don't want to hang around sifting through information looking for an email address, so concise and clear ...
G'day lovely Beach Cottage lovelies.
So, yeah, so on a roll people, so on a roll.
I feel kinda home accessory wired right now.
I am always telling people, if anyone ever listens, that blogging is all about passion, not that sort of passion, but about passion that makes one tick.
Things like this make me tick tick boom.
I love finding things that suit my budget and let me treat my home but look amazing too.
So without further adieu I introduce you, ladies of the beach, to the blue vintage glasses that I have been stroking for about a week or two now...
These glasses are from a little boutique I sometimes happen upon, this boutique sells also pet accessories, carpet cleaner, bras and compost...it's quite unique though.
And, thanks to my friend Marnie (she blogs over here, go take a look at her praying position, interesting), who just so happens to be one day having me over for a lil' Greek dinner, has let me in on the fact that we call Kmart....The KMart...with an accent ....as in 'I love The KMart'...just like her MIL does. Oh yeah. Love that.
So I have had my eye on reproduction vintage glass blue wine glasses and being trying to find real true vintage blue glasses for like ever.
Oh yes I have spied them in Frenchy boutiques, I have lusted after them in stores that I shouldn't even enter and I have put them back pretty quickly in those shops with the hand-written price tags. C'mon, you know the ones.
And, though all of the above have tempted me, muchly, really, even with my wardrobe stashing skills I just thought that, actually, I'd rather be saving that casherooni for our next trip overseas..
Hello The KMart.
Tick Tick Boom
Vintage style blue wine glasses.
Do not come to my old place and think you might pick up one of these and smile with pleasure at their handblown quality, their weight, and be secretly jealous that my wine glasses cost more than your car...friend, that would not happen...these do not feel like that...indeed these in a funny way reminded me of my baby girl, she was a tiny little thing, with stick legs, the tinsssssssiest ankles and wrists you ever did see, she slept sideways in her cot wedged in between rolled up blankets and would only settle attached to Mr Beach Cottage or I or a (dirty) pj top of mine scrunched up under her nose...the first few times I picked her up to cuddle, being used to Honeymoon Baby who weighed in at 9lbs at birth and has never really stopped growing, I nearly threw her little bird-cum-rat down covered body over my shoulder.
These glasses are like that...be careful or you might lose your wine down the front of your shirt.
But oh baby, we are not talking picking up here, we are not talking quality, we are not talking house accessory snobbery.
Beach Cottage ladies, we are talking aesthetics.
And this is what I need in my cottage.
Blue vintage style glass, paired with coastal / nautical / beach stuff on my deck.
It's The KMart.
Tune in tomorrow, tomorrow, I have more budget foofing for your home, or maybe it will be the dress that wraps me up in supermarket-chic and makes me feel like me again.
Good Day to you my friends, wanna come hang out on my deck, talk house accessories, The KMart and drink some wine from blue glasses?
Sarah
love the urban feel, and loved seeing your face! I never have mine taken at all either.
Thanks for sharing the pictures. You look very similar to how I imagined you in my mind while reading your posts.
Fantastic! Mr BC is a good photog and you are a beautiful subject-the first one is very Sex and the City
What a fun thing to do! Good on you for having the guts to give it a go! The results are amazing and I bet when you are 80 and find those photos again you’ll be so glad you made the time to take them. Thanks Sarah!
Too funny:) My hubby would be saying very similar lines too I’m afraid, lol! Well, it’s nice to “meet” you:) And you look fab, don’t know why you’re doing all of that hiding!
Well, I think that you are beautiful! I love looking through your blog. My son died last year and since then, few things bring me peace. But browsing your blog, I feel as though I am on vacation and that is really what I need right now. Thank you.
So nice to see you!! I am glad you and Mr. BC had fun doing the photo shoot. Great photos of you! See you soon.
Teresa
Bravo Sarah, I love the city photos of you. I’ve not yet the courage. It looks like you and Mr BC had lots of fun. As always a joy to read.
Aww… Seeing Sydney in the background brings back memories of where the hubby and I fell in love … Miss it so much!
Nice! nice photos!
Great fun post Sarah! You look wonderful as always, and Mr BC takes a pretty good shot. I’m always the one taking photos, but only so no awful ones of me get taken!!
How cute are you? Lovin’ the pics!! You rock the camera, girl!
Love it! I too am rarely in any photos – being behind the camer and all. Sounds like you had a lovely day and the pictures turned out great!
Hey Sarah,
you look great!
Have a lovely day, all the best from very hot Germany,
silke
hon you look lovely….what a sydney chick you are!!
there is nothing as wonderful as making memories like this with your hubby….ummm in the back lanes of sydney…tee hee!
urban cool…with a coastal twist…..tell your top-shelf husband that thats how we see his photography style…
melissa xx
Goodmorning,
Fisrt of all you look lovely!!!
Second I just love your blog!! ckeck it out a few times a week..so much inspiration!!
Thanks for sharing al these beautiful pictures and keep making my day!
Wishing you a lovely day from holland.
Hugs,
Rozmeen
very sweet my friend…very sweet.
nice jeans also.
i can’t zip mine up anymore…damn those chocolate covered mac nuts.
Hi Sarah, My sister lived in Sydney for some time and you have the same cool Sydney look goin’ oonnn!!
Wish I was half as photogenic as you are. You look great why have you been hiding behind the camera silly? Bet Mr BC had loads of fun! Glad you had a great dayx
happy to see you Ms Sarah! as lovely as your voice on a beach cottage : )
Looking hot. Congratulate Mr BC on the first two. Premium product.
He got some great photos of you.
you rocked it Sarah. You look gorgeous and I bet it was a blast. See, I would be laughing the entire time. I agree you must have been brave, but you look totally relaxed. Love the bag, the jacket and those Boots!
I love the first pic and the last one the most……… hey I agree there needs to be more pic’s of you so good on you!!! Surely you better than an old wooden chair (ha ha)/
Wonderful pics! Tell Mr BC he did a great job!
It is fun to see some pics of you. Some blogs, honestly, show way too pics of the author from every angle. I love that you and Mr BC were having some fun with it. I think you look very chic in your trenchcoat, and that last picture really shows how pretty you are.
love, love the pictures!!! It is nice to see photos of you:)
Looking tres chic here Sarah, especially love the last pic. You and Mr BC obviously enjoyed yourselves.
One can’t go wrong with a trench coat.
xx
David Bailey set a pretty high standard…but Mr. BC is a good understudy.
You gorgeous thing you. And a round of applause for Mr. BC. You two work very well together (no surprise there!)
Gotta know – where did you get that fantastic bag?
Thoroughly outed now Sarah! But what a way to do it…Mr BC take a bow!
Cute photos and you are darling. This is good that you did this, your kids and grandkids will want photos of you someday. Mine are going to have precious few because, I too, avoid that side of the camera!
I like the 3rd shot. It looked like that elderly gentleman sitting against the wall might have been checking you out. Great shots and thanks for sharing you real self with us.
une belle découverte grâce à “little english home”
amicalement,
manon
I can’t take my eyes off of…the leather bag!!! Where, what kind,. when??????
Compliments to the photographer!
(Well, wi. th a model like you …. *smile*)
I do not sensation, somebody asking for a picture of yourself, and you can’t find any.
Great shots!
“You are built not to shrink down to less but to blossom into more”
Oprah Winfrey
Have a great day1
Love the photos! Great job to both you and Mr BC!
Sarah-girl, you sure don’t need to hide! You’re adorable. Great pics from your hubby.
Absolutely Gorgeous and quite photogenic!
great photos! love your outfit and bag! were you in paddington?
You look great. It doesn’t look as though you could have an ounce of fat on you!
Your darling! Great shots. I can just hear him yelling show your…. . So funny and such a good time.
Sarah, why on earth would you hide your gorgeous face? Crazy! Although it’s creepy that someone actually asked to see more of you! I’m glad you did. By the way I LOVE your boots!<3
Mr BC captured some great shots of you Sarah…you are gorgeous and every bit as stylish as your home.
You look great. I would love to look like that in jeans.
Great photos – if I looked as great as you do, I wouldn’t hide. I adore your bag…. I crave your bag……….sorry, can’t help myself. Thanks for your beautiful blog.
Oh my gosh! The rolls! The chicken feet! The horror! Come on, Sarah. You look beautiful!
I’m pretty shy about putting pictures of myelf on my blog as well, so I totally get it. I’m glad you stepped out and you look very chic. Not an imperfection in site.
Sight, that is.
Hi Sarah,
There we go, a smile at the end. How very nice and hip and model-ish you look! BTW I have the same top, and coat, and boots. Only you pull them off much better. Glad your Mr. BC knows not to photograph from below. Mine seems to love to show my extra chins. I say he’s passive agressive.
XO
Heidi
Always nice to match the face with the name… now I will visualize you whilst reading your posts.
Mr Bc makes a great photographer too.
Hugs ~ Kerryanne
As a photographer I run into the SAME problem. My children started complaining that if something happened to me, that they would have hard time proving I actually exhisted. They said I would get a bad reputation as “great aunt so and so” that was crazy and that’s why there were no pictures of her. They said they didn’t want to be the children of “crazy aunt so an so”, so there better be some pictures of me from now on. I’m trying……
BTW, LOVE the bag!!! It’s super cute!
God bless! Fi