mum's house

Tea and scones and my dear Mama's house on Sunday. She just threw it all together.  Hope you had a marvelous weekend. I had a mum date that was the most "Susie" day ever. We went to the Parnell Festival of Roses, had brunch and then bought some strawberries and fancy bread. While I was lazing with the cat at home, mum made scones. By the way, our phone chat was just the best, Lou-lou-la-lou.

this is twee, I apologise

But I truly love the tangle of poppies sitting on my window-sill. The unopened buds are a bit obscene, bristly snake heads which stare pointedly from their wiry stalks. The opened ones are just great, though. I had to take pictures with my terrible cellphone. 

rear window

Apartment living means closing the curtains before you get undressed and trying not to hear private things.

moving day !

I'm wearing my Braveheart t shirt to inspire us during our trials. I hate moving, mostly because I loathe cleaning kitchens which were gross when you moved in. Also: dust. I'm excited to actually see our new apartment...eep!

out of a suitcase

For the past couple of weeks my boss and I have been having guided tours of fancy hotels in Auckland. All I can say is: I want to live in a hotel. A fancy one. In a penthouse. With a swimming pool and a bar and a maid. Or, alternatively, in a pacific island (Tahiti? New Caledonia?) right by the sea with a floating bar. Or, alternatively, in a parisian hotel decorated by Christian Lacroix. Otherwise in a luxury spa boat in Norway. I want to live a glamorous life - just call me Eloise!

hey LOU

I think my new room is approximately the same size as yours.

I need some wall to wall, ceiling to floor shelves.

And, perhaps, a clothes rack that hangs from the ceiling.

Also, Mary Poppin's carpet bag and/or Doctor Who's pants.

Don't worry about me though, Susie is on the case.

Photos of floor to ceiling shelves from Interior Divine.

cintra

I'm feeling great! Why, you may ask?
Because I came home from one of the top five happiest weekends of my life, to find that my adorable flatmates have not only found a house for us all to live in, but found us an award winning 1930s-Art-Deco- New-Zealand-landmark-piece-of-architecture to live in.

This is a watercolour of the building by its architect, Horace Massey.

Our new apartment featured in the founding issue of Building Today, New Zealand's first architectural magazine, in 1936. They had this to say about it:

‘And so the trend towards flat-dwelling was accentuated. To this is united, in Cintra, another powerful trend – modernism. . . . Cintra is modern – modern without being revolutionary, simply the logical use of materials adapted to the sane requirements of living. . . . Cintra is a triumph of compact planning. . . . Cintra is a very fine practical home for modern living’.


After years of living in pretty, if not practical, villas, I'm slightly nervous about living in an apartment. But this is probably the best way to go about it. Could this week BE any better?

DO NOT LIKE

I DO NOT LIKE LOOKING FOR NEW HOUSES AND I DO NOT LIKE MEAN PROPERTY MANAGERS WHO TELL US WE HAVE A HOUSE AND THEN TELL US WE DON'T. MODERN LIFE IS GETTING ME DOWN. NEVER HAVE I UNDERSTOOD WHAT MADE MICHAEL DOUGLAS DO WHAT HE DID IN FALLING DOWN THAN I DO TODAY.

Pic from here

pretty

Lisianthus are my favourite flowers for home at the moment. This lovely pink and white bunch is brightening up the windowsill of my freshly cleaned room.

bouncy cat

There is a rambunctious and bouncy shiny black cat that hangs out at our house. We don't own it, by it totally thinks it owns us.

It loves to bust into my room on sunny days and explore. It especially likes to rub itself on clean sheets and leap around my room.