The House of a Million Displays { Mum's House }

My Mum's house. It is a true reflection of her personality. As all good houses should be. So many bits and pieces. Carefully placed, hung and displayed.

Sometimes growing up, it felt more like you were growing up in a shop rather than a home. And my siblings and I had mixed feelings about it at times. Knocking your head constantly on baubles that hang from chandeliers in the kitchen, soon wears thin when you're a tall person, and just trying to make your breakfast while half asleep.

While I always found peace in the garden, I haven't always felt the same about the inside. I have been known, to cut down in an "I've had enough" type frenzy, ridiculously large cane balls from ceilings after hitting my head on them a few too many times. And to clear one of two dining tables (in the same kind of frenzy mentioned above), so I could just sit down somewhere and eat without a flower arrangement poking me in the eye.

But, as with anything, you appreciate something more when you aren't surrounded by it all the time. And that does describe my feelings about the inside of Mum's house now. While impractical in some areas, it is a beautiful collection of things. Amassed over a lifetime. It fills every heaving shelf, corner, and wall in this home. And my daughters love it all. The baubles, the bells hanging everywhere. The more they look, the more they have discovered.

It's crazy, cooky, confident and sometimes a bit too much and garish. A mixture of traditional, bold, modern and crafty styles. And maybe all of that, kind of describes Mum too!

A very small example, of all that unfolds inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 While it might all be a little crazy and colourful, this space is definetly filled with all things love.

The Strawberry Farm

Small town living. It really is the little things that make for happy, fun moments. A quick trip to the local strawberry farm. For a punnet of fresh strawberries (which you can pick yourself), and some of their well known and often talked about ice cream.

I can't help but think to myself during this holiday, why the hell did I leave this place to begin with? You truly do take for granted, all that you have around you at times. This visit home for me, is certainly proving that.

Tasmania's produce, certainly is world class. I just love all the little places like this one that are slowly emerging, celebrating all that this state has to offer.

Yum!

The Feeling a Little Better Afternoon

Not the best start to our holiday at Mum's. A nice strong dose of highly contagious Norovirus arrived with us from the Pilbara. Courteous of my youngest daughter. The man who collects the trolleys at the local supermarket spread it round town by coming to work sick. That after a day spent previously in hospital suffering it's effects. So the rumour goes anyway (and you know how accurate those things can be in small towns).

I'm not judging him. Sometimes, you just have to go to work. For whatever reason. But the fallout for our small town has been seriously felt. Lots of sick people. Vomiting. Unable to keep fluids down. Not good in daily 40 degree plus temperatures. Especially for the little ones.

Both of my daughters and Mum, have been affected so far. My sister and I, are feeling fine for now. Somebody had to play nurse to the other three night and day.

Finally, the day has arrived. Our first vomit free day of the holiday. The bodies are still feeling a little achey, the stomachs a little tender, and the diet still consists of mostly dry food, but they are at least now up and moving. Keeping fluids and food down. Which is such a relief with young children. Especially my littlest who was both first, and worst hit by this nasty little virus.

So it was time, to get out of the house. To put the bleach bottle down. Give the washing machine a rest from the towels, and bed linen that it has laboriously cleaned over the last three days. And get some fresh air. Of the sea breeze kind. The kind that we don't get living where we do.

I'm hoping all that fresh air is going to blow away any last trace of sickness!

Home Sweet Home { Mum's House }

Well, a days worth of flying. It finds me on the opposite end of our very vast country. And in an entirely different world. Mild weather. Lush green. Flowers. Civilisation. Home.

Nothing quite compares to your family home. Regardless of where you move to. Nothing changes. You return to the same bed that you always slept in. This time with a sleeping toddler in a portacot beside you. And a second daughter in your sisters room next door. Not much different at all really.

My daughters, are experiencing a bout of sickness. Norovirus. There has been plenty of vomiting going on here. Mum has caught the bug, and is also unwell. I'm still waiting for it to catch me. I think it's only a matter of time. I've been quite in the thick of things.

In the meantime, while my daughters sleep off all of their exhaustion. A chance to take a quick walk through Mum's garden. A house, and a garden, that is truly worthy of it's own blog. Inside and out. Certainly more than my company home that is our current residence.

Not just our family home. But our family house. Built by my Great Great Grandparents when they first arrived to Tasmania from Australia. It is a home, special to us in many ways. One we are privileged to still be able to call our own. Even if it is, as all federation homes can be, bigger than you need them to be, with more garden than you necessarily have time to care for, in need of constant maintenance, and impossible to keep warm inside. 

But the charm, and history of this house still outweighs everything for now. I love coming home to here. It is a slice of our family history that we are lucky to have back in the family. That I was privileged to have grown up in. I love looking at trees, and bushes, and knowing that my ancestors first planted that. This place holds so many memories, not just for myself and my siblings. But also for my Grandfather, who spent his childhood here, visiting his Grandparents. Not many people, get the chance to revisit whenever they please, pieces of their past like that.

So a tour of Mum's garden. It is the kind of garden, full of all sorts of different nooks and crannies. Where visiting grand-daughters, and their imaginations, can quite easily turn it into a fairy garden in their own little minds.

Mum asked me to not take photos of the weeds, but in a garden like this, weeds are aplenty. Even if you're in the garden most weekends. So excuse the weeds please!!

The arbour where my husband and I were married. 

My Great Great Grandmother standing in front of the house circa 1925.

The house was built in 1908.