Do you fancy coming to the Battersea Antiques Fair today?

Am off up to London for the afternoon and unfortunately my partner in crime for these outings - my friend Miss J is not well and cannot come so if anyone would like to join me at the Battersea Decorative Antiques Fair this afternoon you'd be most welcome... I have a spare ticket and we can meet outside... Just email me and let me know.
If you cannot make it not to worry... will tell you all about it in a couple of days.  Definitely going to see my boys from  FONTAINE  there too - can't wait.

Very late back to class (and the cottage new paint finish)

So, may I officially wish you all a very happy and healthy 2013.  And say how sorry I am that I am so late with these sentiments.
Anyway, here I am back again in England after an wonderful month in Melbourne with Mr NT and my daughter - she is now back at University in Durham and I am in our little cottage in the West Country.

Remember a while back in the Autumn the house was being painted?  Well, here is the finished product which I have to say is one hundred percent better than the before photograph which was as follows :

One very sad cottage in dire need of a face lift

And now, all finished and smart ....

Close up of the front door - Farrow and Ball's Downpipe is the colour 

So, there we are - amazing what some paint can do to make a transformation but the whole job did take quite a while with lots of preparation work first.  Have to say though I am really delighted.

Now have to work on a few more small projects inside - will keep you informed as to what and when!

Christmas Decorations. AUSTRALIAN style...

So, any guessing where I am again?!  

Yes, back again in Melbourne with dear Mr NT and my daughter is here too.  Perfect. So it's a warm Christmas for us this year. Today the mercury hit 39.2 degrees C.  Phew. A little too warm for my liking but I believe it will be down again to the 20's for 'the' actual day.  I know I have said it before, but Christmas here is a much more relaxed and colourful affair. Well, I guess it does fall right in the middle of the Australian Summer and everyone is in party mode. Or so it seems....

Take a look at these lovely Christmas decorations I have snapped over the last few days... 

Bright twinkly silver wreath

Colourful table decorations at a special Christmas breakfast I attended last week at the Head office at work

Christmas tree in a local homewares shop

Rather like this table... all colours and lots of baubles

Again, that lovely 'tablescape'

What do you go for on the decoration front?  All white or a riot of colour, a la Aussie style?

Both are good.. 

Like Christmas in each country; both have their unique style and I love being in either UK or in Australia - so long as you are with loved ones it doesn't matter where you are really.

Wishing you all a fabulous and happy Christmas.

Twinkle, twinkle. Sparkle, arkle....

Tour d'Eiffel by Poppy

I love this photograph of the Eiffel tower taken by my daughter recently.. Now that really is some BIG and gorgeous twinkle, twinkle wouldn't you say?

And the next 2 photographs show a bit of twinkle at the cottage now that the nights are drawing in :

I love a few white lights around the mirror and to top it all off I have been burning this new gorgeous candle - heavenly....

Recent purchase in Paris - DELISH

Last but not least look at these for a bit of 'sparkle, arkle' for the holiday season.. my new twinkly loafers from Russell & Bromley... These will add serious glam factor to all manner of outfits I think....

The photograph doesn't really show just how much they catch the light and shine though.. Sometimes  they look silvery and then a sort of gold - very versatile indeed so therefore will pass the cost per wear criteria on many levels for sure! 

Bought anything recently for the sparkling season ahead?  

Preparing a cosy guest room

As you probably noticed from the post before,  I have had a lovely couple of weeks with a friend from America staying here with me for the past 2 weeks.  Our friendship began over 30 years ago and although we have always kept in touch we have not spent more than a long weekend with each other over the last 3 decades. That long weekend was when Mr NT and I went to Los Angeles 3 years ago for Thanksgiving (I wrote about this visit in my previous blog - Semi Expat in Oz).

Anyway, I digress.  This post is about how to (or how I) prepare for guests.

First and foremost - the bedroom.....  If you are lucky enough to have a designated guest room then that is wonderful (however, I would recommend trying out a night in the room though just to make sure all is comfy and as you would like it to be).  Our cottage is teeny weeny - I gave my friend my bedroom to use for her duration with me and for the 2 weeks I moved to my daughter's bedroom (she, is as you know, is away at University).

You need to give some thought as to what would suit your guest, male or female, old school or modern.  The bed is the obvious place to begin and you can make it comfortable with layers, (I use white linen and cotton sheets and a duvet) and a blanket at the end of the bed that can be pulled up in case of of falling temperatures. Key things in a guest bedroom I always think are plenty of pillows and a bedside lamp and of course a waste bin.  Reading material (magazines to suit the guest) and some books too are good... Little treats as well always go down well - a small box of chocolates or biscuits to ward off midnight munchies and a tiny vase of flowers always looks pretty.

Flowers for my guest

Goes without saying that plenty of towels are a necessity.  I like large white fluffy white ones and provide 2 -  a large bath towel a smaller one for hair and also a face flannel - also if you are sharing the bathroom with your guest giving them their own bath mat is a nice touch.

I  also like to set up a little basket of 'bits and bobs' in case they have forgotten any bathroom necessity or in the case of my friend from USA so that she did not have to take up valuable (shopping!) space in her suitcase.  In the basket I placed :

• Face wipes
• Moisturiser
• Tissues
• Shampoo and conditioner
• Bath gel
• Cotton wool
• Ear buds
• Tweezers
• Small tube toothpaste
• Body lotion
• Nail file
• Little scissors
• Headache tablets

Oh and I put out a spare hairdryer for her use too.

So, this is how I like to prepare a cosy room for guests staying with me....   I am sure you all have lots of little tips and tricks to share too.   Do tell all!

2 trips to PARIS in one month?!

Yes, guilty as charged....!

And sorry, I have not been around visiting blogs as much as I would have liked. Mr NT has been over from Australia and whilst he was here we went on a 36 hour trip to Paris which was absolutely wonderful. He's now back in Melbourne but here are a few photographs from that little visit. And tomorrow I board the Eurostar to the City of Light again as I have a friend staying for 2 weeks from California.  She and I knew each other when I lived in USA around 30 years ago - cannot believe how time flies however, it seems like only yesterday.....

Place des Vosges

Window shopping

Outside wonderful bakery Poilane

Restaurant I rather liked the look of

Looking down into the courtyard of our hotel - Jules et Jim - highly recommended

Back again at St Pancras railway station in London

Oh and one more photograph - my American friend G and myself... about to have  a celebration glass of fizz!

New Brogues/Oxfords/Lace-ups

I promised that I would show you my lovely new shoes so here are a few photographs... 

From English firm Barkers - beautifully crafted and very comfortable too. I am also wearing my new pants/trousers from TOAST - remember I stopped at their sale shop on the way home from our little holiday in Wales?  Turn ups and with a very slight check and the fabric is a linen and wool mix.  You can see them more clearly in the second photograph.

Happy Weekend to one and all!