House hunting

We're on the hunt for a new house. Our lease doesn't expire for a few months yet, but I'm itching to get my hands on something we can call 'ours'. I've managed to suppress my urge to paint and hang and just generally fiddle for the best part of seven months and am about to burst. I want to put decals on Puddleduck's walls without seeking permission, I want to experiment with paint colours and I want to a space that works for the way we live.

Needless to say house hunting in Sydney can be a depressing business. There are plenty of amazing properties, but you can bet that anything stylish and gorgeous and in a good location will be priced accordingly. And the dump next door will cost almost as much.

Actually, there's every chance the dump will cost more.

Just to make it especially challenging, we're really only interested in a very small area of Sydney. An area it seems every other house hunter in Sydney is also interested in. Sigh.

We're learning the key is not to fall in love ... at least not until you've signed on the dotted line!

Puddleduck's Corner

One of the challenges of living in a small space is finding the perfect spot for furniture - especially something as cute as this "yolk" chair. I confess I bought this in one of those slightly crazed frenzies I go into when I see something I have adored for a long time ON SALE.

You know the sort - your husband could hide your credit card under a sleeping bull elephant and you'd find the strength to shift the elephant to get to your card. Actually, mine could have been under a herd of elephants and I would have gotten to it. I HAD to have this chair.

So you'll not be surprised when I admit I didn't think through the logistics. Oops!

Still, I think it works fairly well in this corner of the living room and serves as quite a functional little reading nook for Puddleduck. And there's nothing like a candy pink chair to brighten up a small space!

Look what I bought

As I've mentioned, I don't really do 'tidy' or 'organised'. In order to motivate myself to tidy our house I usually have to purchase flowers first and leave them in the sink to be arranged and displayed once I've finished tidying. I can't buy them after I've finished, that's simply not enought to motivate me. They have to be physically present and visible.

So while I am genuinely excited about getting our storage unit and clearing clutter, it's still going to be a challenge for me. I get bored easily. I strongly suspect that a few boxes into the trip from the attic to the truck and I'll be decidedly less enthusiastic than I am now.

The solution? New, pretty motivation. Flowers won't cut it - they're for weekly tidying, not major projects. I've had to call in the big guns. Big, gorgeous guns in the form of this custom couch cover from Etsy. I forget how I stumbled across FreshKnesting but I just know that the thought of this arriving soon will keep me motivated enough to get through the torture of moving boxes.

Storage excitement

I'm not an organised person. Or a neat person. Throw in the fact that I simply will not countenance throwing anything out that may hold some tiny semblance of sentimental value and it generally makes for a chaotic house.


So downsizing from a fairly decent sized four bedroom house and wall-to-wall bookshelves in the living area to a two bedroom house has been, well, challenging. We've got a lot of books. Around 10 cubic metres of them at last count.

Add to that extraneous furniture and it's been a tad cluttered for the last few months. We've finally bitten the bullet and this weekend we're moving the excess into a storage unit. As much as I object to spending money on anything practical and prosaic (vacuums, light bulbs and groceries spring to mind) I'm excited about freeing up some space. I've long-since accepted that there is always going to be excess 'stuff' lying around that has no home and up until now I've always had somewhere to stash it when required. So the thought I can now hide my junk again is extremely liberating!

Yes, that IS crockery stored on the outdoor table.

Summer blooms

I don't think it is a surprise to anyone who knows me that I love flowers. As in, I LURVE them. The house feels almost naked without them. If it came down to it, I'd probably choose flowers over furniture. Well, maybe.

The vast array of blooms available at the moment has me in a near-frenzy of flower buying and arranging. Mr Puddleduck is pleased at the variety and lack of lillies - he seems to have some sort of magnetic forcefield that drags his white business shirts into the orange stamens of lillies and it sends him nearly apopleptic every time.

I simply cannot get enough of these gorgeous flowers. So much so I am motivated to finally try and find some space in our teeny tiny courtyard for some pots of something pretty. And low maintenance. Suggestions?

Date night

With a two year old and no family in Sydney it's not often that Mr Puddleduck and I get to go out together by ourselves. Any dining out usually involves tag team eating and toddler-chasing. So it was with great delight we set out last night for a dinner where we'd both get to eat at the same time. Bliss.

We stuffed ourselves silly and finished with this simply scrumptious cheese plate. Forgive the shoddy upside down photography ... moving after three courses seemed just a little bit too hard.

Handy hints for toddler travel

Travelling with a toddler is very different from travelling with a baby. While we did a bit of travel with Puddleduck when she was a baby, we realised a fully blown 2 year old was going to be an entirely different kettle of fish when it came to 2.5 hours captive on a plane. Especially when one of us hadn't slept the night before and the other was really quite unwell. We were going to need back up. And lots of it.

Step one: Food.

I know that strictly speaking food gives toddlers energy, but I firmly believe that if you fill them up enough they become a little soporific. Combine that with the hum of the plane and you just might see them drift off to sleep. Bear in mind I said might.

Step two: Supplies.

Make sure you pack plenty of supplies, Toys, books, games - basically anything that might hold their attention for more than a few minutes at a time. When you get to the airport - buy more. You can never have too much. Trust me.

Step three: Bring friends.

Toddlers like companions they can boss around. You tell them that they have to sit in their seat and strap themselves in for take off and landing and they tell their little friend the same thing. Generally this is where they will do lots of yelling at little friend to sit DOWN and stay THERE and wag their fingers in their naughty friend's face so people assume this is how you talk to your toddler. How else would they have picked up such negative parenting techniques?

Step four: Bring electronic entertainment.

The trick here is to look like you want to use it. Once the toddler gets wind you're trying to do something to amuse yourself on the flight they're onto it in a flash. It's the ants pants and bees knees all rolled into one. A guaranteed winner.

Step five: Be prepared.

Have plenty of nappies and wipes handy. You never know who might need changing. And how long that game might distract and amuse toddler.


Step six: Accept the inevitable.

They will fall asleep. The moment you land and not a second before.