Happy Easter

Egg Sculpture and Mosaic by Dianne Sonnenberg. If you enjoy sculpture and mosaics too, you can view how it was made here by clicking here. This beautiful sculpture sits on a private ranch in Texas. I so love seeing sculpture sitting in fields like this. Some years ago we were living in Ballina and the Tea Tree Plantation used to hold annual sculpture exhibits in their acreage, it was such fun to wander the path. One year there was a giant red chair in the paddock. It was like being in a set from Alice in Wonderland.

We woke to a wet Good Friday here in Helensvale, just managed a short walk with Molly and Casper before the rain started again. Looking out from our house sit onto the water is lovely though even in the rain, I love the many moods of water. A swan stopped by to say hello this morning. I thought it was going to come ashore when it saw us watching it, but no and it swam away again.

Molly and Casper checking the lines.

Time for a coffee. Wishing you and yours love and togetherness this Easter...

and a great big share of chocolate eggs. (Easter Egg by Jeff Koons)

Skydiving and Yachts

From time to time we toss up buying a yacht. A MacGregor has been contemplated more than once, then we watch episodes of Sailing La Vagabonde and toss up buying a catamaran, and then it all gets too hard so we sit on a Marina and look at them instead.

But you can't go too far wrong, sitting at Hope Island having a lovely coffee at one of the cafes here.

Or take a stroll around and look at the lovely gardens and native frangipanis...

And if you feel like it, a sun downer at Two Friends Wine Bar Hope Island Marina. On the weekends you'll also enjoy a musician from the Conservatory playing for you.

A lovely way to finish the day.

PS... In case you haven't seen them yet, and if you like yachting and vicarious travel videos visit Sailing La Vagabonde - click here for their youtube channel.

Helensvale House Sit

We headed off for our Helensvale house sit, just ahead of all the storms that have been kissing the NSW and Queensland coasts. This time we discovered Kingscliff on our way. What a great little sea side town.

Loved the sculptural tribute to the surf life savers of Kinscliff NSW.

I never realised it was so close off the highway, and given the choice of a service station rest stop and a gorgeous sea side cafe, I know which one we will pick. With the storm chasing us, we headed off to Helensvale to meet the new little treasures, that we are minding for just over a week.

The beautiful view over the lake.

Next morning Molly and Casper showed us their neighbourhood.

Casper and Kevin discussed the pros and cons of fire hydrants,

and we noticed these beautiful red frangis.

Meow has been showing up every so often, having quite a few chats, and even ran down with the dogs to meet us when we returned from a kayak tour today.

A relaxing end to the day.

Gardening at Versailles

"The story I want to tell is one of a simple, intimate, and I think, unknown Versailles - a gardener's Versailles." ~ Alain Baraton.

After a wonderful house sit not far from, and many happy hours spent at, Chateau Versailles, we came home singing it's praises. A dear friend tucked our stories into her memory banks, and surprised me with a copy of The Gardener of Versailles by Alain Baraton for Christmas.

Have a little insight into a gardener's day

Some of our memories from Versailles.

None of our hedges are safe, and are now trimmed a la Versailles. BTW Alain, I would love to have a potter in the gardens, if you invite us to house sit!

I've been having a wonderful time in my imagination wandering the gardens again with the Gardener of Versailles. How lucky we were to have spent so many hours there wandering the gardens, exploring and getting a sense of the 'enchantment' that Alain speaks of in his book. What a life you have had to have spent so many years living in Molière's former home within Versailles.

And I can imagine taking my glass of champagne to various areas in Versailles.

like Marie Antionette's Hamlet - although it could get a tad creepy on the walk back.

Alain is such a natural story teller, he weaves his story enchantingly, much like Versailles enchants many of it's visitors. It would be very entertaining to be at a dinner table with him.

Tour with Alain around Versailles, the video is in French, English subtitles are available by clicking on the cog at the bottom right hand side of the video. Enjoy.

Alain, if you ever want us to house sit, we'll be there in a minute - well actually a few hours that is given the distance from our home to yours. Thank you for the stories Alain - from our garden to yours, santé

A very Aussie Day

Is it just me or has January flown by? We are starting to get back into our routine and thinking about house sits for the year. With the humidity so high here in Port right now, we've been having some lazy days, and a little pottering in the garden. I've been doing a bit of much needed pot plant care, while Kevin restores some outdoor furniture. A little bit of journalling fills in my days, as well as long swims in the pool and walks on dog beach late in the day. It's a very Aussie start to the new year and we've had some gorgeous visitors that I thought I'd share here.

I so love it when the koalas make an appearance in the trees adjoining our yard. I can sit for hours watching their sleepy antics, them moving so quickly from branch to branch, reaching out to touch another koala's hand. I hope you enjoy sharing our view of them.

Hope you too got to have a good chew, and a snooze on Australia Day.

Happy New Year 2018

Happy New Year. May it be one full of adventures, health, happiness and fun. Now all I have to do is to remember to write 2018 instead of 2017!

December 2017 - A Farewell - And a Celebration

No house sitting for us for a few months now,
as a family member's illness has kept us close to home.

We've had some lovely moments and some very tender ones.

This December we said goodbye to a dearly beloved member of our family. A couple of weeks prior to Christmas, my brother, sister and I held our dear mum's hand, as she passed away.

She was always one who loved creating a beautiful Christmas for her family, and so this year we carried on the tradition with her in our hearts.

A Hui Hou Kākou (Until We Meet Again)

Take care, kiss the ones you love.
As this year draws to an end, we wish you joy,
and time with those who matter.