Fence progress...

After much deliberation I finally decided on a timber fence with large lattice garden gate for the back fence.

Initially we thought to reinstate the existing chain wire, mainly so we could keep the views to the back property. But after much indecision we decided a pretty timber fence would be best.

Jeff has been frustrated with all the intermittent rain lately so he hasn't come as far along as he would like, but hopes to finish it this weekend (weather permitting).

Here's some pics if the progress so far...

It's funny how things just work out...

8 or so months ago when we were re stumping our house, the excavator accidentally ripped up our gas line out the front if our house. I called the gas company asking them to turn the gas on, thinking they would then realise the pipe is broken and as they are responsible for the st to meter piping fix it. But, they didn't! They simply turned it on and walked away. Faced with the possibility of blowing up the house and possibly the street with a great grandparent who is constantly here and is on around 50 smokes a day, I rung them back and asked them to cut it off. Begrudgingly i told them that I had a hunch the pipe was broken, their reply: "until we had an oven or gas water system installed to use as evidence the gas wasn't getting through their hands were tied". Grrrr - annoying! So we figured we would just hang ten for a bit wait for the ground to settle (and not look newly excavated) and try again down the track. Fast forward to last week when we were approached by workmen explaining they are replacing all the lines in the area! As u can imagine we were ecstatic, we were dreading being made to pay for the new pipes and now it's being done for free! Brilliant, funny how things work out... Oh and another bonus huddy had a front row seat to the "bigger" (digger) action all week.

Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres's Ranch

Loved reading and drooling over all the pics of this months Elle Decor feature home Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres's Ranch.  Here's some pics and exerts from the article:

 In 2009, the couple bought a property that De Rossi believed would keep DeGeneres occupied for some time: a ranch north of Los Angeles with multiple structures, including eight cabins. "I thought it might take Ellen five years to finish the project," De Rossi says, "and she did it in one. It was shocking!"

 

 Situated in tony Hidden Valley, the 26-acre property was the estate of actor William Powell in the 1920s. Later it became a monastery, then a rehab center. DeGeneres thinks part of the film Seabiscuit was shot there. "When we bought the place, it was a professional horse facility," she recalls. "But it was really not taken care of." Nonetheless, both women were immediately seduced by the landscape. The property abuts the Santa Monica Mountains and features giant boulders and oak groves. There are roaming deer, coyotes, mountain lions, and a number of feral cats that the two more or less adopted.

 

De Rossi, who was born in Australia and moved to the U.S. in the 1990s to pursue acting, has her own on-site passion: riding horses. She has two horses here, a Hanoverian called Maeby—named for the daughter of her character on Arrested Development—and a Dutch Warmblood called Mcy (pronounced Macy). "But she looks like a cow," De Rossi says, "so we call her Moo."

Don't think she has the stables to herself, however. "There are times I'll come to the barn and see a beautiful piece of early American furniture where my horses get groomed," De Rossi says. "I have to explain to Ellen that I need to fit a horse in there." DeGeneres did manage to sequester one stall and turn it into an elegant sitting room. It was there that De Rossi wrote part of her 2010 memoir, Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain.

How long the couple will stay in Hidden Valley is anybody's guess, given DeGeneres's penchant for picking up and decorating anew, but there's a good chance that this place may be for keeps. De Rossi seems particularly attached to it (both her mother and her brother's family live nearby). "If I find something else and can see having a new project, I'm open to that," DeGeneres says. "But I'd have to fight Portia, because this is her dream property. This we may just hold on to."

All photo's and text sourced from Elle Decor Website

I could be very happy here...

Recently stumbled across this magical cottage...

 ... Perfect in every way!  More about it here: http://dkshopgirl.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/shabby-chic-cottage.html

Fences on the Brain...

Now that the back fence is well under way J has started talking about what to do with the front fence - it's so funny how he gets swept up in the renovating whirlwind.  We have always talked about having amazing gates for the front and splashing out on something similar to these:

And I want to use his electrical skills to the max by installing heaps of exterior feature lighting (something our last place lacked).  You can find similar gates at Woodworkers but they are pricey around $2K for 2 Driveway gates and 1 pedestrian gate.... So the search continues.

As for the overall style I am kinda obsessed with the fence that Fun & VJ's one of my fav blogs recently installed in their own property...

Decisions, Decisions....

It's been a while... For like ever!

I have been very very slack in the blogging department of late - partly due to the lack of progress in the house and partly due to our incredibly busy schedules of late. Working full time and looking after a two year old (who seems to be picking up every bug going around atm) is tough and I have Jeff to help, can't imagine doing it alone!

Being so busy has left little time to tackle any big jobs so we have been pottering with some smaller things whilst still unpacking the last of the boxes. I have been also finding a few bargains around the place - it's fun to dress up all the white walls we have.

Here's some of my new treasures:

this print as seen in Anna Spiro's home

and here - probably one of the most blogged about prints of late

picked up these window hoods on gumtree... they are not original but that was a good thing as their condition was great and will be able to be easily re-painted.  We are thinking black :-)

this is what they looked like on the house we bought them from.

These were a belated house warming present from my Mum - Turn of the century separated leg dogs.  I am in LOVE!

Another thrifted bargain - 50cents

...And finally a vintage art deco mirror flower box

This week Jeff had the week off work (lucky sparky's and their RDO's!) - so he has been tackling the fencing issue.  We need to replace or repair the back fence and also install a side gate so that we can finally get our dogs back.  My poor parents not only had us for 8mths but also have had to look after our two poodle cross puppies.  So as they have over stayed their welcome, top on the priority fence this week is to secure the boundaries.  Here's some recent pics of the backyard:

Looking out from the laundry...

Hudson trying to escape out the backyard through the fallen down chain wire fence.

We are very lucky that we have some council land behind us and with the chain wire fence as it is it looks like the back yard goes for ages, so the first though was to re-install a chain wire fence.  However, I am concerned that this may look a bit rubbish next to the newly installed timber fence so I am torn.  Either way I am searching for a cute gate to install in the new back fence so that we can have a secret garden type look happening :-)

Here's some more pics of the backyard we finally decided on a timber fence so it's uniform but j is going to dress it up a bit.