spring with lily

Yesterday the weather was gorgeous - sunshine, blue skies, flowers blooming, birds chirping type weather. I took a moment to smell the roses crabapple blossom, a tree which my sister and brother-in-law gave us for our engagement almost 12 months ago. After a rough winter of possum attack I'm surprised to see it going so well...

Our giant horse chestnut tree has broken out into leaf from it's bare hibernation. Have I mentioned how much I love this tree? Love it. 

And my little friend beside me whilst I admire our Spring garden? None other than my lovely, lovely Lily - such a gentle soul is my Lily-pad. She really is the pin-up girl around here. Tessa has her fair share of mischief making and barking at night, Pippa generally just creates utter chaos wherever she goes, but Lily...well dare I say it, she's just perfect.

Lily is most likely going to live with friends/family whilst we live out our travel dreams next year. She is not a trouble at all, we have quite a few people putting their hands up for her! She may even go to the city to live with Mr M's brother, the thought of Lily trotting down Lygon Street makes me chuckle. Lily who is used to galavanting about the hills of Ythanbrae, jumping in stock troughs and riding on the back of the motorbike. She might need a bath before she goes to the big smoke!

She doesn't work much anymore and it breaks my heart to see her getting so old. I watched her out the study window the other evening making her way from the back gate down the driveway to the bonfire, she stopped three times for a rest and I nearly cried. Mr M mentioned to me the other day that Lily might not be around when (if?) we come home. But we won't think about that for now.

Love you long time Lil, you're up pretty high on my list of the things I'll miss terribly xxx

Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

winter 2011

Better late than never right? Usually I do a 'what-I-want-to-wear' mood board at the start of a season, well this time I'm doing a 'what-I-actually-wore' scenario instead. This winter was super wet in my part of the world, meaning I lived in my boots. My wardrobe staple these days is also black skinny leg jeans and basic black tops, bit boring I know but it's my true Melbournian coming out, plus you can splash colour around like this warm rusty red... 

DUFFLE COAT - MODCLOTH

SKINNY LEG JEANS - JUST JEANS

BOOTS - TONY BIANCO

COWL NECK TOP - WITCHERY

SATCHEL BAG - FOREVER NEW

STUD EARRINGS - SPORTSGIRL

SCARF - FOREVER 21

How did you keep cosy this winter? Do you have winter staples that you wear religiously? I am a sucker for being clad head to toe in grey and black for three months of the year, bring on Spring colour!

Mood board by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

wordless wednesday: is that you spring?

Playing along with Faith, Hope and a whole lotta Love.

Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

autumns dusk

I think I need to accept it - Winter is here, Summer is gone, and even the loveliness that is the in-betweenness, Autumn, is waving a bold goodbye. The liquid amber tree in our front yard is putting on a show, whilst the horse chestnuts and Chinese pistachio have long since lost their brilliant leaves.

 

The other evening I took the dogs (all three) for a walk down our driveway, across the cattlegrid and along the quiet country road we live on. I wore my gumboots through the mud, Tessa skipped ahead, Pippa was on a lead as there were sheep nearby and Lily walked 'behind' as Boss has taught her to do.

The air was crisp, the light was soft. We visited the neighbours horses, waved to Des on the motorbike, collected the mail down at our mailbox, turned and headed for home back up the hill.

Home to a warm fire, to cook dinner, to hibernate and drink tea. Good-bye Autumn, you really are my favourite of them all.

Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

wordless wednesday: jack frost

Playing along with Faith, Hope and a whole lotta Love.

treasures: winter's arrival

Is it just me or has winter suddenly appeared this week? It seems so sudden - one minute it's all barbeques and hot nights under the fan and now it's slow cooker meals and watching the footy under a blanket! This week here in Thorpdale up in the hills it seems we have been in a permanently misty, foggy, cloud of rain. Brrr...very wintery (and muddy!) My thoughts have turned to hot chocolates, knitted beanies and making soup. Can you tell?

Go here to check out my winter-chill busters.

autumn 2011

What I would like to be wearing this Autumn...

ORIGINAL BLUEBELL JEANS BY EMERSON MADE | LEATHER JACKET BY JUST JEANS | PLANT THE SEEDS OF KINDNESS TOP BY MODCLOTH | IVORY KNIT BOBBLE BEANIE BY WITCHERY | POISON IVY RING BY SPORTSGIRL | MINERAL EYESHADOW BY SWEET PEA AND FAY | GREEN BOW SCHOULDERBAG BY ELAABAGS | ANNA LOAFER BY TOAST

...how about you?? With the Aussie dollar doing so well against the US I am seriously thinking about going on a little spending spree. Modcloth has my happy clicking finger all aflutter.

Image by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella

to every season

The lovely season of Autumn is starting to peek it's little head out to say hello here at Brindabella. Every year at this time I swear that Autumn is my favourite season of all - what's not to love about these crisp mornings and sunny afternoons? It seems the perfect weather.

Our fire has been lit, firewood dutifully collected each night from the woodshed, our clocks have been turned back an hour and the leaves of our horse chestnut and Chinese pistachio trees are starting to turn bright shades of orange, red, brown and yellow.

On our back porch sits a little nondescript box of sorts. It isn't made of any special kind of wood, in fact it is covered in a type of 1950's-esque lino material, nor is it a beautiful shape or of any specific craftmanship. But it belonged to my grandfather, who I have very distinct memories of sitting on the box in his garage, polishing his boots to perfection before he took me and my sister to church. Inside the box are his old rags and boot polishes, nobody has touched or removed any of it since he died in 1993 and I want to keep it that way forever. 

For now, the box sits happily on our back porch at Brindabella, with some firewood nowadays for company. My dad can't believe that I have it, he can remember the box on the back porch of his childhood home, with Grandpa polishing his boots the same way on a Sunday morning.

Is Autumn rearing it's beautiful head in your part of the world? Or Spring even? You know it's Autumn when there's a pile of firewood by the back door. What heralds the start of Autumn, or any season, for you?


Images by Emma Durkin for Cinderella at Brindabella