Friday door.... and a little bit of politics...

Something a little different in the villa door world to end another busy week. Not so hip and cool this one but a beautiful shade of blue to match that stained glass.

I'm distracting myself from the 'open warfare' and 'blood letting' of the week... overused cliches but they actually do best describe Australian federal politics this week.

In my real job I do not gaze at lovely interiors and critique front doors, I dabble in the political world in as a journalist. Part of me usually loves the thrill of a political story like the Gillard and Rudd #respill.  (That's the twitter hashtag that's caught on - I like #kevenge).

As a political yarn it's a belter but I'm sick of it.  I was sick of it before it became more than just a rumour in a few weekend newspapers.

I want Labor to sort themselves out. I want the Opposition to stop sniping. I want to feel inspired, even just a little, and led by our leaders.

Anyway this is not work and I am not at work today so back to that door.

I don't want to be critical but (don't you dread sentences that begin with 'I don't want to be cruel/rude/racist?).... it needs a bigger doormat. I guess if they'd known I planned to take a picture they'd have rushed out and bought one.
If some local blogger is planning a walk-by to snap my door, please wait.

You can barely see my doormat for the  leaves, acorns and stones collected on the way home from school and discarded and webs from the army of arachnids settling in on the verandah.

I've been waiting weeks for the broom fairy to visit but I may just have to don the tutu myself. Or bribe the husband.

Now that's a nicer picture to leave you with than Kaptain Kruddy, Juliar and the Mad Monk.**

Happy weekend. x


*My apologies to those overseas who didn't even know people would bother fighting to be in charge of a far off land like Australia. We do have more money than Greece and a mining magnate richer than the Queen of England.

**Not my terms I'd hasten to add. Mr Rudd, Ms Gillard and Mr Abott is what I would call them - if they'd agree to come on my program.

Friday door, named... and my pinterest push...

Now this Friday door is a little different, a difficult door to deal with but done well.
It's awkwardly placed in a corner on the side of a house with no defined front path.

The plants and the address etched on the glass (or the sticky stuff that looks like etched glass) leave no doubt that it's the main entrance.

I very professionally blurred out the address  (is there no end to my talents?) in case you start spamming the owners with 'like' mail. One can't be too careful.

If you like it 'pin it'.

Yes I have finally joined pinterest.   I refused to listen when people told me how great it was. I thought it might just be another thing I don't want to make time for.

It's not. It is GREAT... a clever, simple, useful spot to save those pictures, products, tutorials and reviews you've read online and can never find again. I'm using it to save fabrics I might like for cushions, cushion sellers on etsy, recipes, doors, you name it.  Clearly I love it. Do it. Please.

Weirdly you need to be invited to join. Let me know and I'll invite you. Even if you don't I'll invite you. I'm a born -again pinner.  A pushy one.

Friday door, white on white on white...

A Friday door that's fresh, crisp and spells summer.  Apparently they're not having such a crisp sunny summer in Auckland where I spotted this door before we left last year.

We have summer in spades in Melbourne this month. It's been so hot that on occasion my older son wants to leave Australia. It's only 35 degrees I tell him. Toughen up, next week it could be 42.  Of course when it hits that we'll both be melting into the same greasy puddle.

It's also been a week of few words on the blog. Life is busy isn't it? I don't mean to join the competitive 'I'm busier than you are' conversations that people delight in. And I'm not importantly busy at all... not solving any Big Issues or raising seven children while working full time. Or even cleaning my house. Hell no.

I did go back to work yesterday on a public holiday - Australia Day -  and fought to get a car park among all the people gathered to celebrate their Australian-ness.

That's the trouble with journalism. We journos may be bottom feeders but we have to work on all the best days and because we're not saving lives nobody cares. That's why every summer you see those  'There Are Too Many Public Holidays' stories in your newspaper.

We whinge on hoping against hope that someone somewhere will care. Anyone?

Friday door... from Hobart this time...

My Friday door favourites are back in 2012.... some I have found on my travels, some from my new Melbourne neighborhood and some oldies from Auckland.

This is the door of one of my favourite Hobart houses. I pass it on every trip back and always think how much I'd like to live in it.

This time when I passed with my new camera in hand it had been given a new coat of paint and some smart new pots.

I like what they've done to the place.

May your Friday the 13th pass without incident.

Friday feeling...

Friday and time for an Auckland villa door.... I think this appeals because what I'd really like to do for the next month is plant myself on that bench and watch the world walk past... or the rain thunder down. Auckland has been doing what it does best this week - pouring rain one minute and sunshine the next. Not the best weather to be without the car we sold yesterday.

I am feeling very mixed up this week. On one hand I am looking forward to the new chapter back in Australia, on the other I am dreading leaving the life we have here, my home, my community and my friends. That mixed up feeling deserves a post of its own when I have time to think and write.

My son finished school today with a lovely final assembly and some very kind words from his teacher and principal. I have had coffees and lunches with friends and am getting ready for a very casual get together with kids and mums and dads tomorrow. Oh yes and I have made lists and lists and ticked off lots of necessary but rather tedious things - that is why that bench beckons...  

Goodbye week... I won't miss you much...

Friday and time for another door, blue this time. Apparently blue is back - all because a girl called Kate wore a blue dress to match her sparkling new sapphire ring. She did wear it well and I think this front door does too. 

I'm becoming a blog bore... sorry.  There's been little time for much fun lately and a streaming cold taking up what little head space I have left. 

There's always next week. Tea and tissues anyone?

A little more about the move....

There won't be too many more doors... Auckland's home owners can breathe easy again. I love this one and have been trying to take a picture for ages but the family living behind it quite often leave it open to let the sun stream in.

Thank you for all your good wishes. I think I forgot to say yesterday that I am happy to be heading home to Australia but also really quite unhappy to be leaving Auckland.

It wasn't an easy move here and if you'd told me then that I could leave I would have whooped all the way to the airport. We arrived in the middle of a wet bleak winter and it took a while for me to meet people and make friends.  I think because I'd moved a lot I thought I could snap my fingers and settle straight away.

Nearly two years later there is rather a lot to leave behind. Good friends for all of us, great schools, a beautiful country we've hardly had time to explore and an easy, pleasant family life.

Now I just want to snap my fingers and fast forward a year - in three months we'll have moved and after nine months in our new home I know we'll feel fine. That's my nine month moving theory - so grateful to have a chance to test it again....

Melbourne is not really home for me but I lived there for ten months or so five years ago and loved the little life we built then. Last time we lived in an inner city suburb - this time we're looking for a little more space for the boys so it will be an altogether different Melbourne life.

My six year old is embracing the move - I was very worried as he didn't like moving much at all at the age of four.  This time he's very interested in getting a new house, a new school and new friends and most of all very, very pleased that his new life will include lots of time with his very cool Uncle. We're very pleased too.

Door love...

Here endeth a week that would be best forgotten. One sick little boy and a bigger boy with a broken arm.  Just a 'greenstick fracture of the distal radius' as he will proudly tell anyone who asks but there is a rather large cast from wrist to shoulder. No soccer, backyard cricket or swimming. No swinging from the furniture. Oddly enough he does need reminding.

The damage was done slipping from the school monkey bars. I'd like to blame the rickety playground but of course I can't. He was leaping down onto the bars from a great height so that sounds much more like his fault. As many kind friends have pointed out it is amazing it's taken six years.

He's fine and hasn't complained once. If I were in a cast from my wrist to my shoulder you'd hear me moaning from where you're sitting now.  One can learn a lot from children.

So it's been a little quiet on the blog front and will be even quieter in the coming two weeks. I am having a blog free break over the school holidays to tend to the wounded. Actually I'm going on holiday.  Happy holidays to you all.

Oh yes, this week's door. I don't really like it. 

Call me old fashioned but I just think it would look better on a sleek new house not a villa. And the picture quality is rubbish as our zoom button is broken so I'd have to walk up the stairs to get a nice close shot. I may be old fashioned but I'm not crazy. 

Door love...

In amongst all the slicked up, glossy and rather groovy front door makeovers in the streets around here is this front entrance to a rather  rundown little wooden cottage. It's like a traditional Kiwi bach (holiday home) in the middle of the inner-city suburbs. I rather like it.

Happy Friday to all.

Door love...

One of the nice bonuses about going away for a few days is getting back to the blogs I usually read every day and reading four or five posts at once.

It's like saving up your Easter eggs and then eating them when everyone else is done. Of course I was never that kid.

So to end a very short week for me, some Friday front door inspiration. I'm actually not a big cat fan but he or she looks thoroughly happy here and rather adds to the scene. Not that I would recommend getting a cat to enhance your front door mat. That would be wrong.

I could, however, stain my stairs just like that. If we had stairs.

Door love...

Friday and a little bit of villa love to end the week. 

A little trendier than last week... I see high heels, gin and tonics and designer furniture behind this door. No doubt dark floors and whiter than white walls.

Love that grey and black with lashings of white. The door knob is pretty 'on trend' too. 

Hell, as if I know... pass the gin will you, it's Friday after all... 

Door love...

Each Friday I thought I might close the door on the week (sorry) with one of the villa doors that has caught my eye in our patch of Auckland. Remember this copper door? And this rather retro number just around the corner?

I love this deep brick red door.  It's not particularly 'on trend' or even freshly painted but it looks warm and welcoming and like a family with a nice life is nestled behind it. 

The wellies seem to be a permanent fixture on these steps.  I now own a pair - and three rain jackets. Auckland is wet and Auckland soccer grounds are wet, muddy and rather miserable places for ballet flats or converse in winter. Soccer training starts next week which must mean our lovely endless summer weather will end soon. Just not this weekend please.

Door stalking...

Remember the copper door I showed you? I've been at it again - door stalking in our neighborhood. Lovely for me and infuriating and embarrassing for those walking with me.

I've always liked this etched front door. It looks very cool and retro and maybe is actually retro. Shameless as I am about taking photographs, I am a little too embarrassed to ask.

Normally you see glass etched with exotic birds, flowers or twiddly embroidery style patterns. This is pretty offbeat.

On reflection (no pun intended) I should have waited until they'd given it a wipe down with windex or vinegar or whatever you do with grubby windows but I could hardly knock on the door, camera in hand, and ask them to clean up their act for my blog... could I?!

Villa doors...

I took a shortcut home the other day and found this...

I can't decide whether it's simply fabulous or not fabulous at all but I have certainly never seen anything quite like it on the lovely Auckland villas I showed you here and here.

Sadly, my first thought is that it looks a nightmare to clean. When did I turn into a 1950s housewife and if I have why does my own house look a lot less clean than I'd like?

I will leave you to ponder just how much copper is enough while I take my boys back across the ditch to Australia for a spring break. Friends, family, a christening, my school reunion, free and willing babysitters and hopefully a little sun.

I may blog sporadically and I will probably visit you and your blogs. I will definitely finish the darn Martin Amis book that has been putting me to sleep most nights.