Remembering a weekend in October of last year, about a week before we lost JA’s dad. Such a lovely weekend in the spring time, with the doggies, my parents, our bubba, and Frank, very special memories that we will cherish. Photos 2 to 5 were shot by Rafa himself, first foray into using a DLSR for him ;)

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Today would have also been Altarra’s 32nd birthday, if she were still with us. She would probably have 2 or 3 kids, be living in Sydney and be crafting it up every weekend. I miss her.

Thank you my families for a really lovely day, we had breakfast with JA’s side and lunch with mine, and our first Easter egg hunt with Rafa was deliciously fun and adorable =D

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Renovating a bathroom requires rigorous organisation and research. With literally thousands of products from which to choose, there can be so many variables to consider that it can seem like an enormous undertaking. However, with this handy checklist, you can tick off all the key areas as you go, and create your perfect bathroom without hassle or headaches.

Light and Space
In Britain we have the dubious honour of having the smallest average domestic room size of any European nation, which, in an effort to retain the largest living and bedroom spaces possible, often results in us having smaller bathrooms than we would ideally like. Any additional light sources will help to make the room feel larger, as will light coloured walls. Light pastel walls will help to enhance the sensation of light and space, without the somewhat sterile effect that white walls can sometimes have, especially in addition to an all-white bathroom suite. An illuminated mirror is a stylish and contemporary way to create not only a larger-feeling bathroom, but a glamorous vanity area as well.

Your Bathroom Suite
Replacing an entire bathroom suite can be an expensive and time consuming affair, so if your current suite is still performing to the standards you require it to, then replacing the taps, wastes and flushes is a cost-effective and easy way to give your suite a fresh new look. Modern chrome-finished hardware will look chic and contemporary, whilst ceramic disc technology in modern taps will give you greater control over water temperature and flow rate than ever before.

Storage We all tend to accumulate far more cosmetics, toiletries and cleaning supplies than we really need, and without sufficient storage space available, even the largest bathroom will begin to feel cluttered and cramped over time. Fortunately, bathroom furniture is the hot trend at the moment, and is more popular, and more affordable than ever before. To keep your bathroom neat and organised, with all your products discreetly stored out of sight, just to or three units will be sufficient to create a thought-out, designed bathroom aesthetic, as well as catering to all of your storage requirements.

Efficient Fixtures and Fittings
Around 60% of all domestic water usage takes place in the bathroom, so it’s vitally important to have efficient fixtures and fittings in place to help keep bills down over time. A dual flush toilet will greater control over the mount of water your toilet is using, and multi-purpose products, such as a chrome finished heated towel rail will help to warm your room whilst also being a strong style statement.

Style and Design
Chrome is the must-have material for bathroom hardware and smaller fittings, whilst natural wooden cabinets and natural stone tiles are to go-to products for those wishing to create a truly stylish, contemporary bathroom that is right on trend.
This list should help get started on planning your project, but take some time as well to have a click around and find best products for you. Good luck!

Helen Davies is a senior content writer for Better Bathrooms, who sell good looking contemporary and traditional bathroom furniture at realistic prices.

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I guess most gardens are probably classified as DIY, aren’t they?!

Well, I decided to build a small 1.2m sq in May of last year, to plant vegetables and fruits in time for the current summer.

After a few false starts (buying treated wood at first, then correcting the choice with hard wood pails) I built the structure all by myself (proud! ps, corded electric drills work WAY better than cordless ones whose battery never charges properly) and using the giant fat Kitchen Garden Companion by Stephanie Alexander, I prepared the soil and got the bed ready.

Annnnnnd 7 months later HOLY WOW! We have been rewarded with humungous zucchinis and the juiciest, best tasting tomatos ever.

People keep asking me what I’m doing to yield such good results, and the answer is “nothing”! So far, we’ve been lucky to avoid any caterpillars or birds or snails trying to eat anything, and all I do is give it a good water every few days if it hasn’t rained. Lucky or what?!

I planned spaghetti for dinner tonight, and forgot to check if we had any zucchinis before I went to the shops, so I got one just in case. I came home, and picked these two beauties right off the vine. Makes the shop bought zucchini look pathetic really!

This is my crop of tomatos from today:

I also made a quick bruschetta for an entree from the mini romas, on top of some store bought garlic bread, and oh. my. It was super delicious.

I’m definitely going to make a bigger garden for next summer!

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Last weekend we got up at O-dark-thirty to get JA to the bus station to go pick up his car from Sydney. Raf and I kept going and went down the coast, and JA eventually met us there later in the afternoon. We only had one night there with our lovely friends, but it was glorious to put our toes in the sand and duck our heads under the waves. I love the ocean.

Stretching out legs in Braidwood, aka run away from mummy as fast as I possibly can

Perfection

Gloomy but wonderful

Buddies on the beach

Ahhh

Practicing his surfing technique

Check out those curls… Don’t get to see them too often in my pics because they’re only at the back ;)

Favourite everything

Last one… Having withdrawals already *sigh*

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