Road trip

I'm planning a little trip away, to one of my favourite parts of the world - Byron Bay and the hinterland town of Bangalow. Although I'm combining business and pleasure in this trip, I can't think of a nicer place to 'work'! My first point of call is my all-time favourite shop - Island Luxe.

images courtesy Shannon Fricke

 maybe a bite to eat

it's such a gorgeous, laid-back town

On to Byron, to visit Strangetrader:

...and everything else Byron has to offer

I can't wait! What have you got planned for the summer?

Byron beauty

I've always had a soft spot for Byron Bay and the surrounding areas. Besides boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in Australia, the area is bordered by rolling green hills and quirky little country towns. This month, Inside Out magazine featured a lovely white beach house, with a touch of the Caribbean thrown in for good measure. It probably comes as no surprise to hear that the story was styled by our very own Shannon Fricke, and photographed by Prue Ruscoe. Are you ready for some Byron magic?

source

We've finally had some decent weather, and at long last, work has resumed on the pool. The pool guy put in a solid six hours yesterday (!!!) so hopefully it will be all done and dusted next week. But you know, when I see the floods in Wagga (thinking of you, Katrina!) I remind myself to stop whining. Having the pool finished is rather insignificant in the whole scheme of things, you know? As is having the letter 'i' pack it in on your keyboard :)  

Have a lovely weekend everyone, 

Heavenly hideaway

I don't know about you, but now the kids are back at school, I could do with a holiday! Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love school holidays, but they can be exhausting. So when I saw this little gem, it looked like the perfect place to relax and recharge. Oh, and the fact that one of the guesthouses is called 'Driftwood House' doesn't hurt either. With a choice of accomodation styles, there's something for everyone:

this design was inspired by fishing cottages on the Danish coast

or choose Little Palm guesthouse for a taste of luxury

fresh, bright and breezy - perfect

love this kitchen!

or maybe you'd prefer an authentic American Airstream caravan?

drinks on the verandah anyone?

all images courtesy of Atlantic Guesthouses Byron Bay

So, what do you think - looks rather appealing, doesn't it? I'll see you there!

Have a great week,

Is this Australia's perfect house?

A few years ago, there was an article in the paper about a property that had been awarded Australia's best. There was a small picture of the house, and when I saw it, it literally took my breath away. Of course, that small pic only whet my appetite for more, and after some serious stalking, I found just what I was looking for. Take a look. Perfect location (Byron Bay hinterland - delicious!) and beautifully considered design. No wonder this home took out the top prize - I don't think it gets much better than this:

the home features a 100 year-old turret from Scots College, Warwick (A-M, this one's for you!)

 the dam is stocked with perch

 

I might just take a dip in the 21 metre infinity-edge pool

there's a section of rare rainforest on the 100 acre property

the home took five years to build - the 150 custom-made verandah posts were designed especially for the property

the attention to detail is amazing - look at those windows!

no, this isnt the main house - it's just the garage/games room/studio

the home was decorated by Coco Republic - nothing but the best

You can read more about this gorgeous home here and here. It was on the market for only $7.5 million. Worth every penny I think - if only I had enough of those pennies to snap it up for myself!

Thanks everyone for your lovely comments, wishing my son luck with his football. They worked wonders - the boys won both games convincingly yesterday! Fingers crossed today will bring more of the same - they have one more pool match this morning, before heading into finals over the rest of the week.

Hope you all have a great day too,