Two Little Gentleman!

Image Bodie & Fou

Image The White Company

Image Jolie Home



Image Freddie and Ella

Image Chamomile Barn

Image Jolie Home

Jake & Alex

We are celebrating the arrival of my niece Carly's new identical twin boys, Jake & Alex. They were born at 38 weeks, what a mighty effort Carls!! But wait, there's more! You see the new babies have 3 other siblings, aged 4, 3 & 18 months. Yes, that's right Carly now has 5 children UNDER 5!

As we are all in baby mode (even our boys have been into the Hospital to see the babies) I couldn't resist a baby-centric post today!

Water Baby

Images Rill Decker

After the expansive & OTT luxury of Friday's post, Monday calls for something a little different. This cute weekend cabin sits overlooking a lake just out of D.C. The before & after shots of the exterior are quite amazing! I love the way the owners could see the potential of this magical setting & create a cosy, welcoming family retreat from a pretty 'ordinary' structure.

The treatment of the preparation bench in the kitchen is really interesting. I couldn't quite warm to it at first glance, with the juxtaposition of 2 very different cabinetry styles, but the more I look, the more I like! A delightfully simple & honest weekender that really does deliver the goods.

The Power of Persuasion

Images Property Finder

& Right Move

I know that my persuasive powers at work are fine, but I reckon I'd struggle with this one! You see I think I've just found our next house & will need to do the sell job on MOTH.

It's a lovely fully restored Grade 11 Listed mansion in Gloucestershire with my name written all over it. I love the clean, elegant, light-filled rooms - no musty, fusty stuff here! A few of the features that have won me over are:

• 9 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, 5 Reception rooms.



• Lift, Orangerie, Housekeeper's Cottage, 2 Guest Apartments.



• Cinema, games room, tack room with 5 loose boxes.



• Secret walled garden, Lavender Walk, Formal Terrace, Rose Garden - all on 120acres of rolling woodland in the heart of the Cotswolds.
  

There's just a couple of minor points to bring to MOTH's attention, like a change of country of residence & the small sum of 11,388mEUR (AUD$19.952m/USD$16.735m). Wish me luck, if I can pull this one off it will be my most successful sale in 20 years!!

Bespoke Beauty

Images Bespoke Interiors

The word bespoke always rings my bells. It's a word that only the English could have coined & got away with! As we are still in the new kitchen planning process, my radar is always on the look-out for inspiration. While the style is a little conservative for our renovation, there are still lots of great ideas to be 'knicked' (translation for non-Aussies is 'borrowed'!) from this fab room. Especially those 'you beaut' deep serving trays fitted into the cabinetry.

Brown Paper Packages

The Hedge's 100th post is today & I wanted to find an image that I love so much to share with you. Though this time, it isn't a gorgeous house, sublime rooms, a stunning weekend retreat or a wondrous garden estate .... but something much more intrinsic. Its about what makes me the happiest!

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved books. I grew up in the beautiful Clare Valley in country South Australia & the town was too small for a public library. So once a month the Country Lending Service of the State Library in Adelaide would send me a parcel of 6 books.

My dear Dad would drive me to the Clare Railway Station & there waiting for me in the Parcel office was my precious package. Wrapped in thick brown paper, tied with string & labelled with my name, it was a joyous moment as I skipped back to the car with my much awaited delivery in one hand & my Dad's huge loving hand firmly holding the other!

On arriving home I headed straight for the sanctuary of my bedroom, & sitting on my bed I would carefully unwrap the parcel. The anticipation of what lay inside was almost too much to bear, but I was never once disappointed. Carefully selected from the details my Mum had sent the Library (country girl 7 years, likes English classics, the Secret Seven & horses!) were my next month's supply of happiness!

I can still see those books so vividly - Treasure Island, Peter Pan, Millie Mollie Mandy, Cherry Ames - Nurse & of course the Famous Five & Secret Seven series. Whoever chose those books for me all those years ago has my utmost thanks & appreciation. The selection was just perfect, as though they were able to read my mind & understand exactly what I wanted to read next. So for the next month, I could escape for an hour or two each day - escape into the wonderful world of fictional characters and faraway places.

My Mum was a teacher, so instilled her love of reading in me from a very early age. As soon as I could read I would constantly have 'my nose in a book', & still do at any opportunity I have.

Thank you to everyone who visits The Laurel Hedge, whether it be regularly or occasionally. All your comments & support have added a wonderful dimension to my life, one that I truly never expected when I started on my blogging journey. It has been such a pleasure strolling through your sites each day - thank you for the constant inspiration, your insightful commentaries, breathtaking photos, laughter & friendship, I feel very honoured.

Upstairs Downstairs

Image APD Architects

Image Connecticut Homes & Gardens

Image Design Associates


Image Design Associates



Image APD Architects

Image ADP Architects

Image APD Architects

Image Joanna Henderson

Image APD Architects

Image Old House Journal

I'm having a love-hate relationship with stairs at the moment. Have been hopping around on a badly sprained ankle for the past 2 weeks & its driving me bananas! I slipped rushing down the stairs at my sister-in-law's house while we were in Melbourne for MOTH's big birthday celebrations & have paid the price for my inattention ever since. A huge effort was needed to get into stilettos again for the mid-year Sales Meeting in Sydney last week. I figured walking into the Board Room in my Minnie Mouse slippers would not have been a good look!

These stairs are lovely, but I'd need to ensure they were Millie-proof prior to launching myself down them!

Bliss by the Bay

Images Hickox Williams

One of my very favourite places is Boston. It just exudes style & charm & I fell under its spell from my first visit. I love the history that surrounds the city & the collegiate feel with Harvard & MIT nestling in the Cambridge precint on the outer perimeter. More about Boston in another post, but today I'm wandering out of town, down toward the Atlantic & the spectacular bay area.

Buzzards Bay is surrounded by Cape Cod, Nantucket & Rhode Island Sounds & Martha's Vineyard. This fabulous weekender was designed by Hickox Williams, a well-known Boston firm who specialize in the Cape area.

Although quite imposing externally, I love the relaxed & welcoming interior with its simple uncluttered lines. But the real highlight for me is the widow's walk on the rooftop area! Just imagine the incredible views of the Cape & out into the Atlantic on a clear evening.

Jardins Secrets

Images Jardins Secrets

After a very busy week working in Sydney I need a relaxing weekend in beautiful surroundings & I know just the place! We'll fly into Paris & then board the TGV for quick 3hr. trip through the French countryside to the ancient town of Nimes in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Tucked away behind a secret walled garden on the rue Gaston Marruejols is the exquisite Jardins Secret.

Originally an 18th century coaching Inn, this stunning building is now a delightful boutique hotel. After a morning spent relaxing by the pool in the garden surrrounded by olive trees, old garden roses & the perfume of orange blossom, we'll take a leisurely trip into Uzes to Place aux Herbes where ateliers selling linen quilts, brocantes & antiques can be found in abundance. Picking up some regional produce from the market stalls, the famous Jardins de la Fontaine gardens back in Nimes are the perfect place for a leisurely picnic lunch. Of course a visit to the Pont du Gard, the ancient heritage-listed aqueduct build by the Romans to bring drinking water from Uzes to Nimes is a must.

Later in the afternoon, a walk along the secluded beach of Beauduc in Porte de St Louis, rounds off a wonderful day. Back at Jardins Secrets a spa treatment awaits us & then a table on the terrace at Aus Plaisirs des Halles on rue Littre is ours for the evening. Delicious Provencal food & of course, a bottle or two of the amazing red wine that the Languedoc region is so famous for.

So my friends Bienvenue en Nimes!