We are heading like a steam train into summer here…it always gets me how fast it suddenly arrives…nice to be able to head down the beach in the sunshine though!
I love Spring though, I think it is my favourite, although actually I think I say that as Autumn heads in too.
There’s a lot going on outside with the weather….we have been roasting all day here, with high humidity and according to the weatherman the worst storm in 10 years is about to hit our shores…but as I sit here this evening it is still pretty warm…the fans are humming for sure…and the sky though is the most divine shade of pink and light blue mixed up and down at the beach a while ago, the moon was out over the water, with a pale pink sky…nice…
So, for Good Life Wednesday I have been very much screwing my neck back in, getting off my broomstick, looking for the good in life and trying to rack it up and be grateful…
When I need to do that, normally I just like to hang around at home.
So then some pictures from the last few beach cottage days, pre and post broomstick, as we wave goodbye to Spring here in the lovely Down Under…
In the garden, hydrangeas are blooming…I have mostly white ones, this year that is changing….I love the blue ones too, and so last year I planted blue ones and I took some cuttings and they are doing well…Mr BC has dug me another bed…hydrangeas are going in there…my hope is that they will get really big…we will wait and see…the soil is very sandy…
Someone once told us, Sydney was best in Spring for the amazing colours & flowers…not just all about the beach…I think they might have been right…
When having a day of pottering, I brought in that old vintage door I found on the side of the road by the beach…I decided that the white one (remember I found two, the other one is cream) would actually be a pretty nice feature in the cottage…I love the old quirkiness of it and the peeling paint and rust that money cannot buy….boy is that baby heavy…as one who has been perusing a shed load of doors recently (yes thanks to our lovely builder, one is ordered and on the way) they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore…
I have not cleaned it up yet and had vague smatterings of ideas for chalkboard paint on it, but to be honest, I’m kinda over that already (don’t really need any more chalkboards in here)…so for now it’s just in here and it’s just as is…soon it’ll be detolled and possibly stencilled…not sure…but it looks lovely…(will show you more soon)
I am also pottering at the moment with herbs and lovely produce…
We love asparagus, I must say, being a girl with English blood, I had always heard that English asparagus was the creme de la creme...and thought nothing much more of it…now I know that is true…this is pretty good though, I alternate between steaming and roasting this…my little one loves it and would eat pounds of it…he prefers it steamed but thrown in the oven with a few anchovies is pretty easy on the cook
After the Broomstick Day, I decided to take on board what someone on Facebook said about taking oneself off and reading…I haven’t done anywhere near enough reading lately…so I did mid-morning for Morning Tea (which was actually cafe au lait, French Bread, jam and cheese)
…I sat with a few cookbooks and leafed through for clafoutis recipes , I have made it a few times,
I first had clafoutis in France, a long long time ago, before I met Mr Beach Cottage, when I was on holiday with a friend who was au-pairing over there…we sat in a little cafe, on the beach, drank coffee, looking out over the Med and with our pale English skin soaked both it and the ambiance up…I never thought it would be as easy as it is to actually produce one of one’s own…I have tried it with a few different fruits now, strawberries from my little Aussie garden is next on the agenda
We have been eating a lot of herbs and salads from the garden…I have been experimenting with the best way to get rid of the little extras that come with grow-your-own, also known as caterpillars and ants…I also like to have a jug of these in the kitchen…the fragrance is lovely…
I am finding that soaking these in a bowl for half an hour or so keeps the garden goodies crisp & gets shot of any friends…then I just wash it as normal and spin…
…love it when the tomatoes come in and are local…I rarely buy them in the Winter….the ones in my garden are doing very well, but not ripe yet, oh actually tell a lie, a couple of the yellow ones have been ripe, plus one red one…I love eating them just sliced like this with Maldon sprinkled on and the odd basil leaf or two…
We also made lemon water…’made’ is possibly a bit of a stretch of the truth here people…throwing some lemon in ice water is hardly difficult
Apparently it helps with the chi…ahem….if it is clogged and stagnant…I am assuming with broomsticks flying around here that mine is
…also said to cleanse the liver and enhance the skin…(mucho needed)
I must say I have tried to drink this warm, as I have seen that is better for your digestive system…pretty revolting to me like that…I either like drinks hot or cold…so I either have this from the kettle hot, or rammed full of ice and then just sit with it, slowly warming up…I just make up a jugful and keep it in the fridge…(sometimes I do it with sparkling mineral water, mostly just plain)
So, those are the little things for me as Beach Cottage Spring closes on the beaches and what I am grateful for this Wednesday…amazing how focusing on the things in life that make you smile but are pretty ordinary can really make a difference….
…little things like lemons & coffee
herbs and flowers,
Well, at least, that has worked for me..
See you tomorrow I have lots of things going on here on the reno…beach cottage deck is in & looking good…sure needs some foofing though, new bathroom is ordered and on the way & old one about to be ripped out, we have a front door and the Summer House is having a serious facelift…
I have a lot to show you, that is of course, if you like befores?
I’m lovin the colors at yours Sarah… So spring and laid back Needless mentioning great photographs.
Your jam-butter toast and coffee is inviting too. Am I hungry or is it the photograph?
Thanks for throwing the party again Sarah. We’re right in the midst of a nasty storm, so I’m gonna go for now as I think were going to lose power in a minnie. I be back later for a sticky beak.
x Marnie
I just love those summery outfits you wearing. especially Love the Red top and blue scarf!
Amazing pics as always ~ who needs a magazine when you got a beach cottage?
loving the display of colour you have bought us today – I think it’s gorgeous and bright.
A pondering question:
if you won a ,ill ion dollars tomorrow – would you still have the same things in your “tatty cottage” as you put it – or would you do a major reno or shift?? Something I have wondered and meant to ask you for a while
loving the jam and the bread with the tea – mmmmm…. delightful for the warmth of the heart, now we only need the scones or the pikelets and cream and I’d be right.
well on the beaches a million dollars wouldn’t get you very far…perhaps a few metres down the road haha
errm I would defnitely have the same things in my cottage…though I would have a KitchenAid and about a million totes too…
I think our place is about the gathering of things that mean something and an aesthetic that says comfort and home, not about money…though sometimes more of it would be quite nice
Enamel jug! Swooooon! I’m also a lifelong bougainvillea enthusiast – it’s gotta be that intense purple kind, though.
In my broomstick moments I warn my nearest and dearest not to listen to a word I say. Then to recalibrate, I listen to emotional overdramatic rock n’ roll (must include searing guitar solos).
Dreamy photos Sarah… I love your enameled jug!!!! I have been hunting for one for years now! You lucky girl. I love that white door…I am very much looking foward to all your befores and afters – how exciting. Thanks for cheering me up a bit, it has been a bit of a blue day (actuallly more like weeks) around in my head space. I loved the pop of colours in your photos, absolutely gorgeous…
Your images of spring are lovely! Although, they are taunting me while I am pointed toward late fall and winter!
Thank you for hosting!
Kerry at HouseTalkN
I have to admit it is a little crazy to see your world heading into summer, when here the leaves are almost all gone off of the trees and frost is on the ground! I could definitely trade summer for winter right now! I guess I’ll just have to live vicariously through your warm sunny pictures!
Okay. It may be time for you to let us know the origin of the scarf and maybe the shorts. They look very cool and comfy and my old ones are all punted on. White paint of course!
Oh my goodness your pictures are just so beautiful!! I am thinking I need to have a home there and a home here so
it could be spring and summer all year ~ I am totally not a winter kind of gal so when I read that it is almost summer there
I get really envious
Thank you for sharing your beautifulness with us!!
love your blog – as an Aussie in Ireland would! love your style and did you know you have great pins?? I can say this as I have led envy of everyone as I have tree trunks!
Oh! Lovely! We just got our first big snow of the year here in Alberta. I’m loving it for now, but ask me how I feel about winter about six months from now! Thanks for the party.
It is so lovely to see things come alive in your part of the world. Gardens are going to sleep for the season around here and I already miss my flowers and barefeet.
Have you tried River Cottage’s instant hollandaise with your asparagus. I have a how to on my blog for it and I think my husband would eat it everyday.
After all that, I just have to say…. I am in LOVE with that aqua scarf!!! It’s my favorite color (add sigh filled with longing.) I’d love to decorate with a beach cottage feel and have aqua accents throughout.
Oh, and I can almost smell those herbs just by looking at the pics.
sarah
funny because here i sit wondering what happened to summer weren’t we just in the swimming pool?? i love fall but i hate what comes next here winer in mich i like the artic tundra!!! lol no really!!!! i dont know what the heck happens that every yr there we are in aug and people mention christmas and i will say shhh its summer i dont wanna hear it then it is like i swear a month passes and it is nov leading into dec!!! and i just want summer and flowers and sunshine back!!! enjoy that spring beauty! love the pics i too love that lemon water i add a packet of sweet and low in mine!! soo yummy i love anything lemon! have a g’day friend!!
Ah , the simple ordinary things that make up our days !!! How wonderful , and I am smiling because you and I have been on the exact same wavelength , even though it ‘s late Autumn here in Canada ! Love , love your photos …and everything you touch !
Beautiful as usual…I love how your pics and writings take me to where you are….truly amazing! It is Fall here in VA but I’m not sure if summer really wants to leave yet. It has been rather warm for this time of year during the day and cooler nights. I could live with Summer year round. Yes, I do believe that lemon water is supposed to be good for digestion, at least that’s what my Mother used to say and my Dad at 80 loves it. Cheap drink he says! I love your old door. Have you ever thought of hanging the door perhaps above your couch for an architecural element?….or on one wall for a focal point of the room. Can’t remember where I saw that but it looked really neat. Thanks as always Sarah for brightening my day!
Hi Sarah, please tell me the make/colour of your white nail polish! I have been searching forever for a good white colour, but they end up either transparent or like a French manicure white!? Thank you
Oh, loved the cafe au lait, cheese, baguette and jam scene. My favourite weekend breakfast! And Clafoutis, I just adore them. So easy to make and always seems like you have spent ages and oh so delicious. Love the shorts and red t Sarah. Just love your casual look that somehow always looks elegant too. You made me smile, had a tantrum today, and I decided I needed some Beachy Love. thanks honey.
P.S. Where are the shorts from, likely I wont find them in DK. xx
I’m so envious of you in the southern hemisphere with summer right around the corner! It’s just not as much fun getting into winter mode.
Your blue hydrangeas are absolutely stunning! I’m not sure what kind of soil hydrangeas like best, but adding aluminium sulphate and/or iron to the soil helps keep the flowers blue.
Your pink flowers are also beautiful too, as is everything you shared with us in your lovely pictures
I’m so jealous of your garden’s bounty. We’re heading into winter here, and all that gorgeous color and fresh produce is just a memory. Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing.
We’re in the middle of autumn here, so I love reading your spring post. Love your pictures…first time linking to your link party! Thanks for hosting…I’m a new follower now!
Love the splashes of colour, not just from the garden but also on you!
I spy some colour sneaking into your wardrobe and I like it.
I have been wearing my Kmart scarf a lot (perhaps it is the oh so now coral rather than the tangerine I thought it was?) and getting lots of comments.
Like your colourful top and aqua scarf too.
Bit of colour brightens everything up and it really doe pop against your white background!
Can’t wait to see your new bathroom. I have finally found a picture of a vanity that is somewhat like what I want…it’s a start!
Looking forward to your “new” front door. I knocked on my new neighbours front door this week. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, they had replaced the original front door with one of those 3 glass panelled front doors that the door guy said to you were ‘very popular’. They are like a virus in suburbia.
Sarah, I need your and fellow bloggers’ advice. I made a half quantity of my usual successful microwave strawberrry jam, very proudly using my organic strawberries (guarded by my beer traps) and my daughter’s organic lemon juice. Well, it came out looking fabulous as usual but set like a blob of rock hard red resin. I’m thinking maybe it was caused by pectin overload or because I halved all ingredients. I would love some feedback. Here is the recipe:
Microwave Strawberry Jam
500g strawberries
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups sugar
Cut strawberries in half, remove leaves and place in microwave safe bowl.
Cover with cling wrap. Pierce and cook on high for 4 mins.
Mash strawberries into a pulp.
Add lemon juice, sugar and stir well.
Cook on high for 20 mins, stirring now and again.
If mixture looks like boiling over, reduce to a medium heat.
Let stand for 5 mins.
Stir and pour into hot, sterilised jars,
When cool, seal and label.
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
I’m lovin the colors at yours Sarah… So spring and laid back
Needless mentioning great photographs.
Your jam-butter toast and coffee is inviting too. Am I hungry or is it the photograph?
Thanks for throwing the party again Sarah. We’re right in the midst of a nasty storm, so I’m gonna go for now as I think were going to lose power in a minnie. I be back later for a sticky beak.
x Marnie
I just love those summery outfits you wearing. especially Love the Red top and blue scarf!
Amazing pics as always ~ who needs a magazine when you got a beach cottage?
thanks Kirsten…I have no choice but to be summery…it’s roasting here! x
Hello Sarah
loving the display of colour you have bought us today – I think it’s gorgeous and bright.
A pondering question:
if you won a ,ill ion dollars tomorrow – would you still have the same things in your “tatty cottage” as you put it – or would you do a major reno or shift?? Something I have wondered and meant to ask you for a while
loving the jam and the bread with the tea – mmmmm…. delightful for the warmth of the heart, now we only need the scones or the pikelets and cream and I’d be right.
have a lovely day
loulou, from hereiamloulou blog
x
well on the beaches a million dollars wouldn’t get you very far…perhaps a few metres down the road haha
errm I would defnitely have the same things in my cottage…though I would have a KitchenAid and about a million totes too…
I think our place is about the gathering of things that mean something and an aesthetic that says comfort and home, not about money…though sometimes more of it would be quite nice
xo
Loving that aqua scarf……
Your pics are so lovely Sarah.
They create stories. Beautiful. Love
your door.
Chris
Enamel jug! Swooooon! I’m also a lifelong bougainvillea enthusiast – it’s gotta be that intense purple kind, though.
In my broomstick moments I warn my nearest and dearest not to listen to a word I say. Then to recalibrate, I listen to emotional overdramatic rock n’ roll (must include searing guitar solos).
Such gorgeous photos. Spring is my favourite month too!
And look – I made your 40 garlic chicken! I posted a pic of it in my latest post. It was delicious! And easy! Thank you!
Beautiful photos today Sarah- the colours of Spring in Sydney- gorgeous- so vivid against all that simple white….
Your first photo- the red/white straw…the lemons…THAT jug- heaven!!
Is that jug enamel??
There just looks to be a little lovely rusted edge to it that you get on french enamel- great size too!
Sounds like you are off that broomstick & back where you need to be…it’s always the small things that remind us isn’t it!
Melissa x
PS
I’m also loving that very cool aqua scarf- !!!
Dreamy photos Sarah… I love your enameled jug!!!! I have been hunting for one for years now! You lucky girl. I love that white door…I am very much looking foward to all your befores and afters – how exciting. Thanks for cheering me up a bit, it has been a bit of a blue day (actuallly more like weeks) around in my head space. I loved the pop of colours in your photos, absolutely gorgeous…
Thanks…
Your images of spring are lovely! Although, they are taunting me while I am pointed toward late fall and winter!
Thank you for hosting!
Kerry at HouseTalkN
I have to admit it is a little crazy to see your world heading into summer, when here the leaves are almost all gone off of the trees and frost is on the ground! I could definitely trade summer for winter right now! I guess I’ll just have to live vicariously through your warm sunny pictures!
Okay. It may be time for you to let us know the origin of the scarf and maybe the shorts. They look very cool and comfy and my old ones are all punted on. White paint of course!
Oh my goodness your pictures are just so beautiful!! I am thinking I need to have a home there and a home here so
it could be spring and summer all year ~ I am totally not a winter kind of gal so when I read that it is almost summer there
I get really envious
Thank you for sharing your beautifulness with us!!
xoxo
Lori
love your blog – as an Aussie in Ireland would! love your style and did you know you have great pins?? I can say this as I have led envy of everyone as I have tree trunks!
Oh! Lovely! We just got our first big snow of the year here in Alberta. I’m loving it for now, but ask me how I feel about winter about six months from now! Thanks for the party.
It is so lovely to see things come alive in your part of the world. Gardens are going to sleep for the season around here and I already miss my flowers and barefeet.
Have you tried River Cottage’s instant hollandaise with your asparagus. I have a how to on my blog for it and I think my husband would eat it everyday.
Hope everyone likes this week’s pumpkin pizza.
no I haven’t ….instant hollandaise sounds like my kinda hollandaise, thanks I will google it x
Love the lemons with the red and white straws – great colour combo and light.
After all that, I just have to say…. I am in LOVE with that aqua scarf!!! It’s my favorite color (add sigh filled with longing.) I’d love to decorate with a beach cottage feel and have aqua accents throughout.
Oh, and I can almost smell those herbs just by looking at the pics.
I’m right into aqua at the mo’ Liz….brightens up the day!
Warm lemon and water – bleugh, I’m with you there!
Gorgeous, light filled pics cheering me up on a drizzley, mizzley day in Blighty! x
sarah
funny because here i sit wondering what happened to summer weren’t we just in the swimming pool?? i love fall but i hate what comes next here winer in mich i like the artic tundra!!! lol no really!!!! i dont know what the heck happens that every yr there we are in aug and people mention christmas and i will say shhh its summer i dont wanna hear it then it is like i swear a month passes and it is nov leading into dec!!! and i just want summer and flowers and sunshine back!!! enjoy that spring beauty! love the pics i too love that lemon water i add a packet of sweet and low in mine!! soo yummy i love anything lemon! have a g’day friend!!
opps was supposed to say winter here in mich IS like the artic tundra believe me i do NOT like the artic tundra!! lol
Ah , the simple ordinary things that make up our days !!! How wonderful , and I am smiling because you and I have been on the exact same wavelength , even though it ‘s late Autumn here in Canada ! Love , love your photos …and everything you touch !
thanks Sylvia, too kind! x
Beautiful as usual…I love how your pics and writings take me to where you are….truly amazing! It is Fall here in VA but I’m not sure if summer really wants to leave yet. It has been rather warm for this time of year during the day and cooler nights. I could live with Summer year round. Yes, I do believe that lemon water is supposed to be good for digestion, at least that’s what my Mother used to say and my Dad at 80 loves it. Cheap drink he says! I love your old door. Have you ever thought of hanging the door perhaps above your couch for an architecural element?….or on one wall for a focal point of the room. Can’t remember where I saw that but it looked really neat. Thanks as always Sarah for brightening my day!
Oh wanted to add… have you ever tried a tomato sandwich with regular white bread and mayonnaise? Try it I think you will like it.
yes I have, but I don’t normally but mayo in..will do next time xo
Great pictures, I feel like I am there having drinks and coffee with you !
Thanks for hosting — Happy Spring!
Hi Sarah, please tell me the make/colour of your white nail polish! I have been searching forever for a good white colour, but they end up either transparent or like a French manicure white!? Thank you
G’day Jules!
I got the polish at the nail salon so I am not sure the name of it, but it is OPI, if that helps xo
Oh, loved the cafe au lait, cheese, baguette and jam scene. My favourite weekend breakfast! And Clafoutis, I just adore them. So easy to make and always seems like you have spent ages and oh so delicious. Love the shorts and red t Sarah. Just love your casual look that somehow always looks elegant too. You made me smile, had a tantrum today, and I decided I needed some Beachy Love. thanks honey.
P.S. Where are the shorts from, likely I wont find them in DK. xx
my shorts are from a cheapo shop…bigw….I’ve tried shorts from everywhere…the cut on these I like x
P.P.S. On broomstick days I read your blog.
Thanks for hosting as always. I am loving the flowers. Great pics so relaxing!
I’m so envious of you in the southern hemisphere with summer right around the corner! It’s just not as much fun getting into winter mode.
Your blue hydrangeas are absolutely stunning! I’m not sure what kind of soil hydrangeas like best, but adding aluminium sulphate and/or iron to the soil helps keep the flowers blue.
Your pink flowers are also beautiful too, as is everything you shared with us in your lovely pictures
Well…”when Life gives you Lemons…”
Looks like my favorite breakfast there!
I’m so jealous of your garden’s bounty. We’re heading into winter here, and all that gorgeous color and fresh produce is just a memory. Beautiful pics! Thanks for sharing.
I have always loved spring most! We are farthest from it now. First really really cold day of autumn— snow tonight! andrea@townandprairie
We’re in the middle of autumn here, so I love reading your spring post. Love your pictures…first time linking to your link party! Thanks for hosting…I’m a new follower now!
Love the splashes of colour, not just from the garden but also on you!
I spy some colour sneaking into your wardrobe and I like it.
I have been wearing my Kmart scarf a lot (perhaps it is the oh so now coral rather than the tangerine I thought it was?) and getting lots of comments.
Like your colourful top and aqua scarf too.
Bit of colour brightens everything up and it really doe pop against your white background!
I love the lemon photos. I find everything tastes better with a stripey straw, don’t you!? Thanks for cheering up my cold and grey London day
Can’t wait to see your new bathroom. I have finally found a picture of a vanity that is somewhat like what I want…it’s a start!
Looking forward to your “new” front door. I knocked on my new neighbours front door this week. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, they had replaced the original front door with one of those 3 glass panelled front doors that the door guy said to you were ‘very popular’. They are like a virus in suburbia.
Sarah, I need your and fellow bloggers’ advice. I made a half quantity of my usual successful microwave strawberrry jam, very proudly using my organic strawberries (guarded by my beer traps) and my daughter’s organic lemon juice. Well, it came out looking fabulous as usual but set like a blob of rock hard red resin. I’m thinking maybe it was caused by pectin overload or because I halved all ingredients. I would love some feedback. Here is the recipe:
Microwave Strawberry Jam
500g strawberries
juice of 1 lemon
2 cups sugar
Cut strawberries in half, remove leaves and place in microwave safe bowl.
Cover with cling wrap. Pierce and cook on high for 4 mins.
Mash strawberries into a pulp.
Add lemon juice, sugar and stir well.
Cook on high for 20 mins, stirring now and again.
If mixture looks like boiling over, reduce to a medium heat.
Let stand for 5 mins.
Stir and pour into hot, sterilised jars,
When cool, seal and label.
alison