Home is definitely where the heart is…

I’m back from the land of breath-taking scenery, fast drivers, extreme weather, varying kinds of red meat and wine and of course, wildlife. There are hundreds of photos, piles of washing, overflowing suitcases and jet lag to attend to but I am hoping to sort it all out over the weekend and show you exactly what I got up to. Here’s a taster…

THE Hat

Guess what I bought myself the other day? A wide-brimmed wool burgundy hat. I feel like a total imposter wearing it, like I should have a French accent and be wearing loafers - that’s probably because it’s so ridiculously stylish and grown up (if I don’t say so myself). I had a look back through my Pinterest boards and realised that I may have been slightly influenced.

A little break

By the time you read this, I will be hopefully be gobbling up good food and resting with my family in friends in my home town of George, South Africa. I’m going to take a little break from blogging in an effort to spend as much time as possible away from the screen. But I will be back and I will be armed with a mountain of photographs so brace yourself!

Oldies but goodies – pics from the last time I was home

Bravey Navy

I’m usually all about the cool and calming neutrals and regularly splash their beauty all over this here blog, but that doesn’t mean I am averse to vibrant colour or the dark and moody – quite the contrary. Take a look at this Mount Eliza stunner posted in Design Files. First off, please note one of my favourite elements in any home, layers upon layers. The other common theme throughout are those rich navy walls. I just love how they have turned a fairly simple pine bookcase into a great feature. I’m also deeply madly in love with those battered leather sofas in the living room. I could go on. Yes, I think I could live with this kind of colour for sure.

Source | The Design Files

The mysterious shrinking saga

Remember I told you that we had a whole bunch of stuff shipped over with us from the UK? Well a few (ahem, most) of them were items of clothing I couldn’t part with. And now that the weather is starting to turn, I decided to bust a few of them out again. I started with my favourite pair of Mango jeans. They got as far as my thighs and then I needed a bit of a wiggle to work them over my hips. My confusion turned to despair when I realised there was no way I was going to button them up. The same fate befell Jordan’s jeans. Our conclusion? They shrunk in the container. That’s our story and we are sticking to it. In the meantime, I’m on the lookout for a beautiful pair of distressed jeans, perhaps in a size or two bigger than usual.

And just because it’s only slightly relevant…

A further reason why Melbourne is a badass

If you are not a fan of street art, then I suggest you look away now because I am about to post a whole LOT of it. Street art is one of Jordan’s great fascinations and ever since we were young, I have heard him wax lyrical about the beauty of Melbourne art. So it didn’t surprise me one bit when we were dragged into every dodgy alley or side street on the hunt for some famous names. And I have to admit that even I was slack jawed at the sheer scale and skill of some of the works. What’s more, Melbourne City Council embraces the practice and dedicates whole areas where street art is perfectly legal. (It took me a while to stop looking around expecting the cops to fly around the corner when I saw someone spraying in broad daylight and out in the open). Here are my favourite shots…

- All images via Wishful Thinking -