Golden hues down winding roads.

The boys and I stopped off for coffee at ONA on the Lawns in Manuka this morning.

 

 

 

While we were waiting for our babycinos and flat white, we made the impromptu decision to head out to Tidbinbilla for a play. Cause that's how we roll in school hols...spur of the moment road trips are our style yo!

 

Secretly...(OK, not so secretly, who am I kidding!)...I wanted to see some golden autumn glory along the winding road between Cotter Dam and Tidbinbilla. So...wagons roll!

 

I mean really...

 

 

 

It's just too beautiful to miss!

That big blue sky and those golden avenues of poplar and birch.

 

 

 

Not to mention these golden goofballs.

 

 

 

 

After much stopping along the side of the road to oooh & ahhhh at the view, we reached Tidbinbilla, said hi to the emus and the boys burnt off some energy on the flying fox and super high slide along with dozens of other kids.

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch was just down the road at the Space Centre where we decided we'd happily live if we could plop a cottage next to the satellite dish.

 

 

 

 

Another play in the Space Centre's new playground and then it was time to plod home, stopping off now and again to oooh and ahhh at more Autumn pretty.

 

 

 

 

xx Em

 

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Feature Wall...the big reveal!

Finally...it's done!

 

The ghastly half patched wall in our lounge room, that used to house the old wall heater, has been transformed into a black, white and gold feature wall. Am so pleased. My inspiration for this project came from here.

I painted two coats of black chalk paint onto 3mm plywood then, with Husband's help, attached it to the wall with screws. For the wall art I found a tonne of free printables on Pinterest and popped them into cheap dollar store white frames. For the gold accents I painted a couple of small canvases in antique gold. The three white-on-black woodland images were hand embroidered by myself and framed in embroidery hoops also painted antique gold. It's a bold step away from the rest of our antique filled nana-esque house and I've been longing to freshen up our interior with some metallic hues.

 

Speaking of metallic hues...I spray painted our tired old bentwood chairs a gorgeous antique copper while I was in DIY mode and I'm utterly chuffed with the gleaming, glinting results.

 

 

xx Em

 

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An Autumn Stroll

We took a meandering drive through the countryside this morning, along dusty dirt roads, past one horse towns and paddocks dotted with cattle and sheep until we reached the cool green of Lowden Forest Park. It's a gorgeous spot in the Tallaganda State Forest with relics of a 170yr old logging camp. We had a picnic lunch in the camp ground then did an easy hike through the forest. I love cool climate forests. Every fallen log was covered in a blanket of moss and lichen and the narrow walking trail was thickly edged with ferns. The boys loved the old water wheel and the tiny stream that fed it. With the exception of a tiny army of eager leeches that managed to freak poor Harry out, it was a really beautiful little day trip and we'd love to come back to camp for a weekend before it gets too cold.

 

 

 

Just another reason why we love living in the Canberra region.

 

xx Em

 

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Jolly Old Goulburn

It's the first week of school hols for us and today was the perfect day to head up the highway to Goulburn to snoop around an historic roundhouse full of old steamies and diesels. It was the perfect weather to have a picnic by the river and soak up the autumn sunshine. But best of all it was the perfect time to hang out with beloved friends.

 

 

 

Life is beautiful.

xx Em

 

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