THE ROOM - 3D RENDERS BY MARIA GLUZDAKOVA

Beautiful master suite - perfect, romantic yet a tad masculine! Amazing 3D renders by Maria Gluzdakova.  The polished cement finish in the en suite bathroom is superb!  A very well executed project!

Via behance

WHAT A PERFECT DAY....

To be celebrating a birthday!!

39 years ago, it was a Tuesday morning around 6:30 am, my parents were expecting a baby boy's arrival - but to their surprise it was a baby girl that came into this world with a very big voice as I took my first breath.  My dad just told me this morning he could hardly believe the cry that came out of my tiny body that day!

Now 39 years on, who would've thought I would be here on the other side of the world, living a very different life to what it would've been had I stayed put in that tiny little Southern tip of the African continent.  Africa.... its in my blood and in my bones and yet I feel so very un-African even as I'm writing this.  A country that leaves its mark on all who visit, on all who's ever been and each and every one of us who had left.

Today I am so very grateful for the experiences that have brought me here,  for some good decisions and for the not so good ones I have taken along the way.  For my parents always supporting me, whatever it is I may decide to take on board - they would always say.... 
darling if it will make you happy, do it - and we'll be happy with you!  They've set me free, and yet I always feel this pull towards them no matter where I am.

Today I'm grateful for a bright and sunny and very mild autumn day, blue skies and lots of sunshine - to wake up to such a pleasant site is a blessing in its own full right.  And I'm grateful for my friends and family who showered me with so much love and kindness over the past few days. To feel loved like this is a wonderful feeling indeed!

And on that note I want to always hear the music, I want to always be dancing and I want to always be sharing all the wonder and beauty that is around

Have a beautiful day, and if you feel like celebrating today - do it, don't wait for a special occasion, each day in its own right is special and a special day because its a gift.  None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow, yet we live our lives for the tomorrows and the next years and the Christmas's and New Years.  Lets rather live today fully and celebrate the moment and if someday that tomorrow never arrives, we'll have no regrets as we would've celebrated life and living it fully all the days of our lives

xx

WEEKENDS ARE FOR....

Oh how I would love to sleep in on the weekends; but like a flash of lightning come 7am and I'm wide awake and sometimes have to force myself that extra hour in bed.

That extra hour can be bliss,  coffee in bed and a bit of blogging or pinning or just a bit of reading.  And then the day begins....

Today I've been up and out the door by 7 - hosting a little soiree this evening and had a couple of last minute bits to get;  and now before I start I am going to have a coffee, some breakfast - take a deep breath and start baking!  Most of the prepping is already done, and I have some lovely friends who are heading over early to help setting up and getting ready...

I hope you can have a little sleep in this week-end, rest and relax and recuperate - because before you know it Monday will be upon us like a raging bull!!  And we must be ready to take that bull by the horns and show him what we're made of!  

Have a super week-end you all, and remember its ok to sometimes take things a bit slow - take in all the beauty around you without having to rush around to fill up the hours.  Its nice to be busy,  but remember what socrates had to say.... 

On that note... coffee is calling and I must not delay answering!

Enjoy each moment, and savour the enjoyment of the moment

xx

HELLO BEAUTIFUL!

'hello beautiful' .... we all know these 2 little words can just about brighten anyone's day.  Especially coming from that someone special in our lives.  Yet some of us have days when we never hear these 2 little words that can put a spring in your step, and brighten your smile.  Maybe some of us haven't yet met that someone special yet.

So today I'm sending you all a 'hello beautiful' from the bottom of my heart.  You are beautiful and lovely and you deserve to be told not only today, but every single special day of your life.  Because each and every day is special.  Lets all reach out and share a little bit of loveliness and make someone's day, lets start a ripple effect and share some love.

Sometimes when we're feeling unloved - those are the times we need to share the love even more, even if we feel empty to the core of our beings.  Keep sharing it, and you'll soon start to feel it again, little by little day by day...  And to think, it all started by opening up your heart just a little bit and by sharing these two little words

'hello beautiful'

xx

Image via Pinterest

CARLO BAGLIANI - NEUTRAL FARMSTEAD REFURBISHMENT

Beautiful farmstead refurbishment - neutral tones and minimal decor - almost monastic interior.
I love the hydrated lime finish on the interior and exterior walls, and the use of concrete for flooring throughout.  

carlo bagliani

Photo's - Anna Positano/ Carola Merello
Via - Archidaily read more here

YOU WILL FIND ME HERE NO MORE

Some thoughts on moving on

x

A MOST PERFECT SPACE

Oh but to sit by this window and think of long forgotten times .... and dream of beautiful days still to come.  This is quite frankly a most perfect space, with ceilings high enough for all my thoughts to fill the space and leave my head calm and clear and empty of all that constant noise!

Image via Pinterest

COFFEE ANYONE?

Beautiful artwork by Robert Lindstrom who is also co-founder of North Kingdom
Originally designed as wallpaper.

Definitely a 'lots of cups of coffee' kind of day!

Have a great week!
http://cargocollective.com/designchapel/En-kopp-kaffe-remake-2011

AUTUMN WE GREET YOU HELLO!

Photo:  Lindé Davies

Took this while out for a little run this morning, love these bright and clear early autumn mornings. Pleased to have been able to get some fresh air before the grey clouds came in a magnitude and covered the light blue skies, splittering and splattering with rain.

There has most certainly been a change in the air, a sudden fresh chill.  Needless to say its time for a wardrobe changeover, summer out and winter in!  

Aren't these lush chunky knits just so comforting - makes me dream of cosy winter times reading books in front of roaring fires sipping red wine in a cabin with the world outside covered in pure white snow.... but we're not quite there yet. Still only autumn; and autumn we do love you!

Forest walks, and long pub lunches and kicking up some brown and orange autumn leaves... fresh mornings, when you wish the central heating was on already,  but stick it out just for old times sake .... sleeping under my autumn duvet, slightly heavier and cosier than my summerthins!  Starting to wear boots, and the odd knitted scarf...

Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend, mine was an absolute winner all round, had some much needed solo time, got some stuff done and today caught up with some chores and a super long overdue Skype chat with my best friend who lives all the way down under in Aus... gosh I miss that girl so so so much!  You know that someone your soul-sister, your sister-friend - deeper than a sister and closer than a friend!

Hope you're all well rested for the week ahead - and get ready to get cosy, me thinks this winter is going to surprise us with a bit of a chill sooner than expected!  I may get my knitting out just in case...

Image 1 by me
Images 2-6 via Pinterest

HAPPY FRIDAY - MY SOLO WEEKEND

And this will be my weekend motto... Slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures in life...  I am having a much needed me weekend, oh the luxury of having no commitments or timings to stick to.  I have made some plans and I'm rather looking forward to them.

These past few months have flown by like an absolute whirlwind, most enjoyable and fun all the business and being sociable and out and about.  But in the act of being so actively busy I often find I loose myself half the time, and loose sight a little bit of my journey. On the other hand just being and enjoying and going with the flow is also part of the journey and I do believe it is important to actively participate in life.

This weekend I have chosen to spend some time on my own, had a nice long run after work, found some lush new music on Spotify,  cooked a lush supper while listening to 'Renaissance - The Mix Collection by Gui Boratta', a little bit of dance music never did any harm! and watched a bit of naff TV.   Tomorrow will be early risings and another run or a swim; it just clears my head in so many ways, all the random thoughts suddenly disappear and it's just my breathing, my heart beating and the sound of my feet on the path.   Trying to relax while running, relaxing my breathing,  relaxing my heart beat, relaxing in each step I'm taking. Somehow by being relaxed your body can push through so much better.  The same rings true on an emotional level, by allowing ourselves to be relaxed in a complicated situation or matter, we allow ourselves to come to a more natural understanding and ultimately the decisions me make will come from a more calm and considered space.

An early start will allow me so much more day as well. I want to wonder East and walk slowly through London Fields, breathe in the crisp autumn air and feel the chill on my skin, when it's quiet and with only a few other early risers around and some crows marching on the wet grass.  I will head over to Broadway market for slow coffee while watching the people go by.  Each in their own little universe of happiness or sorrow, love or love lost, rushing around or just taking a gentle stroll.

 I have a bit of work to do on a project and I find that by sometimes being in a different environment it can sometimes inspire more creativity and freedom in design.  I am hoping to capture some moments of my solo weekend; sadly my mobile phone went in for repairs and I will have to remember to take my little digital camera out with me.  I want to be back home by midday and reorganise my wardrobe... Summer out, winter in and I'm keen to lighten my wardrobe by at least a third!  But at the same time I want to appreciate my time and not feel rushed to get back either. ..

Taking some time out to read a new book 'the untethered soul by Michael A Singer' with the afternoon sun streaming into my room.
So far an interesting read, with many pages reread as I didn't quite grasp it the first time round.  Definitely worth exploring if you're interested in mindfulness and having a better understanding of who we really are. And how we can become free to live purposeful lives..... more to follow!

Have you all got lots happening or are there some of you who will be taking some time out also?  However you spend it, I hope you'll have an enjoyable time and do remember to be present and experience each moment, capture it in your hearts. Moments pass and you may not be in a position to revisit or relive them again as well as you can while they are actually happening.  Share the things you want to say People come and people go, have happy times with those you encounter along the way.  And when it's time to move on, do so gracefully and set yourself free without breaking the strings

Enjoy
encourage
and
embrace

Xxx

BARN BEAUTIFUL

via a thoughtful

MERCURY RETROGRADE | October 4th to 25th | BY LARRY SCHWIMMER

Found the following article on the elephant journal (dedicated to the mindful life)   
'7 Tips to Avoid Frustration & Disaster During Mercury Retrograde. {October 4th to 25th}  
and even though some of the contents may feel a little bit bohemian,  I was quite surprised to realise that last week, in the shadow period, I have already experienced 2 communication breakdowns which resulted in 2 meetings not being met by either party, where normally we'd be very good at sticking to dates and times and meeting up.  Today I'd like to share what I read, and maybe it will help ease the next few weeks even if only for one of you.....  Just realised a third thing - my phone had been playing up for a while now but over the week-end it had become particularly slow and unresponsive, and I had to take it in for repairs.  I now have a very basic dinky mobile phone, which hardly ever beeps or makes a sound as I can only receive text messages or calls.  And who nowadays picks up the phone to make a call or even send an old fashioned text message?  Least my battery is lasting forever and a day!  Oh my word... a 4th thing just occurred, it was my friends 30th birthday this weekend, and myself and another friend decided to get her some vouchers so she can spoil herself.  We both saw her place the card on the table with the rest of the gifts,  but our gift seem to have just magically disappeared into thin air by the time she got home from her party... spooky!

So back to the Mercury Retrograde, which I have taken word by word from here:

Larry Schwimmer writes....
"It’s time to prepare yourself for the next three weeks when Mercury goes retrograde and the world goes haywire with all kinds of communication problems.

Based on my readership and emails received, I can tell you that millions of people, all over the world have become believers in the cosmic event known as: Mercury Retrograde.

If you’re still a die-hard skeptic (like your ancestors—who probably burned people at the stake for believing the world was “round”), I have a challenge for you. Over the next three weeks, write down on your calendar each time a communication problem or equipment failure occurs. Make sure to include on your list: the mistakes that occurred because your communications weren’t clear, the arguments that resulted from simple misunderstandings, the plans that were cancelled at the last moment and the major delays you experienced, as well as the items you unexplainably lost.

If you add up all these incidents on October 26, you may have an epiphany that will cause you to put your hand over your mouth and exclaim, “Oh my God, so that’s why the last 3 weeks have been so crazy!” Remember: today’s believers were yesterday’s skeptics. Soon you’ll be a member of the MR club. You just don’t know it, yet.

Have You Heard About the “Shadow Period?”

It’s enjoyable writing about the retrograde period but always a challenge to come up with a new angle on this familiar topic. So, let’s discuss what is known as the “shadow period.” The shadow period refers to the seven days before Mercury retrograde begins and the seven days after Mercury retrograde ends, when you’re likely to experience the effects of the retrograde even before it formally begins and even after it officially ends. Essentially, the shadow period extends the period of the retrograde to a total of five weeks.

Therefore, if you have any extremely important decisions to make that can be delayed outside of the shadow period, you might consider doing so. Otherwise, be sure to pay strict attention to the 3-week retrograde period.

What Is Mercury Retrograde?

For those unfamiliar with the cosmic event called Mercury Retrograde, here’s what you need to know. The planets in the cosmos exert a unique influence on us, and the world we live in, much the same way at the Moon affects the tides. The planet Mercury rules our intelligence, mind, memory and, all types of communication ranging from talking and texting to writing. It also affects our self-expression, and communication style. In a more public sense, it rules commerce, computers, telephones, transportation and air travel.

How Mercury functions in a person’s birth chart explains a great deal about how they think, formulate ideas and communicate them. It indicates how someone makes sense of the everyday world they live in.

During the three weeks when Mercury is retrograde, one’s mental faculties and communication skills are not functioning well; in fact they seem to mal-function.

When this unique event happens (three or four times a year), communications of all types can go awry, haywire, or even crazy! Unexpectedly, normal communication becomes unreliable, filled with misinformation where important data is missing or misunderstood. The passage of information from one person to the other seems to be unintentionally cloudy or confusing in some way.

Why would this be the case? The answer becomes clear when we understand that Mercury rules the mind, mental clarity, talking, self-expression and overall communication. During the Retrograde period a person’s intellectual, communication and mental processes are less acute; they can become dull, careless, mistake-prone and forgetful.

The result is that actions and decisions during the retrograde often fail or seem sabotaged. This means that they will have to be re-done or restructured in some way when the Retrograde period ends and Mercury goes direct. Meanwhile, here are some tips to help you avoid the typical problems that occur during Mercury retrograde.

7 Tips to Avoid Frustration and Disaster

1. Watch Out for Accidents.

Because people aren’t thinking or in a hurry, there’s a higher propensity for accidents to occur out of the ordinary. Over these three weeks, be mindful of circumstances where you’re likely to be careless because you’re under stress or engaged in risk-taking activities. During the retrograde you’ll often read about athletes who have weird accidents or unexpected injuries.

2. Avoid Arguing or Fighting.

That means even if you love to debate—do your best impression of Mahatma Gandhi during the retrograde. Don’t argue with anyone in your day-to-day life, especially, lovers, friends, co-workers or your boss.

No matter how well you normally communicate with these people, you’ll find yourself misspeaking, saying the wrong thing and having disagreements you don’t normally have. There is a very high propensity for mutual misunderstanding. Avoid being critical or to trying to push your own agenda. This is a time to listen to those you interact with. Be willing to throw out fixed ideas and agree to have an open discussion without trying to reach a final decision on any matter.

3. Delay Buying Boats, Cars, Motorcycles or Bicycles. 

Since Mercury rules transportation, any driving vehicle you buy is likely to be unreliable in some way; so it’s not an ideal time to buy one because it may be a “lemon.” Instead, research your favorites, test drive them, and then go home and evaluate your choices. Be ready to make your decision when Mercury goes direct.

4. Minimize Travel.  

These days, traveling is already filled with built-in hassles and stress. But they are amplified far more during these three weeks. If you can’t put certain trips on hold, just be aware that you can expect an unusual amount of last-minute flight cancellations, meeting postponements and long transportation delays. Allow extra time when traveling; make sure your bags are very secure. Take extra precautions, because during this time they’re more likely to be lost or stolen. (I bring my bags on the plane for this reason.) Re-confirm your reservations. Be patient and practice acceptance of the fact that inefficiencies are part of the retrograde. Slow down.

5.  Don’t Purchase Electronic Equipment, especially computers or phones.  

The planet Mercury rules computers and communication devices such as phones. When it goes retrograde, equipment of all kinds, suddenly do not operate correctly. Your fail-proof computer crashes or you end up buying the “computer from hell”—the one that had a defect when it was made at the factory. If you need to buy equipment, make sure to get a long-term warranty. Expect glitches to occur with any new software you install. Since hard drives can fail more often during this period, make sure to back them up ahead of time.

6.  Hold Off Starting a New Project.  

This is not a fortuitous time to launch a new enterprise; it’s a time for considering and evaluating it. While it’s a great time to discuss a new idea, it’s not a good time to make that “big presentation,” that requires the support of others. During the retrograde people may either not understand it or oppose it. Or, you may find out later you left out a vitally important detail that you didn’t think of. If your project is adopted, it may either fail or have to be totally restructured at a later date to succeed.

7.  Avoid Signing Commitment Agreements. 

You’re likely to skip over important details and regret it later on when you realize what you’ve forgotten. There’s something you don’t know that you’ll find out when Mercury goes direct. For these reasons, it’s a horrible time for negotiating contracts or making decisions. Avoid entering into any agreements or signing any legal documents unless you’re prepared to make serious revisions in the future.

The Solution

Wait until Mercury goes direct on October 25th, to take action and make important decisions. When that happens, clearer communication will return, important data can again be relied on, and you’ll see matters with crystal clear vision. You’ll possess important information you didn’t know while Mercury was retrograde. This new knowledge will help ensure you’re making a correct decision.

If you heed this cautionary advice, you’ll have less frustration, fewer mistakes and disappointing failures during these three weeks.

If you want to know if you were born with Mercury Retrograde; and, where your personal transits are—to see if they are affecting you, go to the Free Transit Calculator and enter your birth date. Then, read about how each transit is affecting your life in other Elephant Journal articles by Larry Schwimmer. "

Well me for one have decided after reading this and the 4 things that have already happened either by coincidence or by the Shadow Period - I am going to lay low for the next few weeks, I am not going to have any important or heavy conversations or come to any conclusions. or make any decisions for now... I think I may just hide and hibernate and reappear when the time is right and tackle life and all it has to offer with a new found zeal and zest!

Have a good week you all and stay safe, stay mindful, and stay present!

Article via elephant journal

Images via Google Search

HUNTER & COMPANY

Just a real quick share of a fun addition to a Ski Chalet in Montana, US - this fabulous orange Ski Lift Chair adds a bit of cool and and element of fun in bright orange - and I love the polished concrete floor cut into tiles and no skirting boards!

Interior design by hunter & company

Image via Pinterest