Bit of this and that

Hello there,

I have been rather neglectful of this blog for a little while now. Things happen like that don't they? You miss a few days, it turns into a week, then another and all of a sudden a month has gone by.

Before you think I have been lazing around with my feet up... It's actually been the opposite.

There is some serious holiday planning happening  We are now on the countdown to our trip home for Christmas - 18 days to go before we jet off. (silent scream!)
It will be time to bring the suitcases out soon and air out the woolies! I have some gloves somewhere that I'll need to find and I wonder if I'll be able to remember where the thermals are?! Can you sense the excitement?

The list of places that we want to visit keeps growing and I doubt we could fit it all in even if we were away for 5 months let alone 5 weeks.

However, before I can get carried away with holiday plans there is the very important business of getting the house ready for the house sitters. Neil and I take a slightly different view on this preparation and he can't seem to understand the importance of tidying kitchen drawers and cupboards and lining up all the Tupperware and tins in the pantry! Tell me...am I alone in this? Is it really important that the cutlery drawer is in order and all the towels in the linen cupboard are colour co-ordinated?

Then in the midst of this planning and preparing Sibs is taking part in a ballet performance for a few nights. Her ballet school is putting on a show at QPAC (Queensland Performing Arts Centre). This is a pretty big deal as The Playhouse QPAC is a major theatre venue in Brisbane. It's such an exciting opportunity for the little kids to experience. I love this time of year.

getting all grown up on me and doing her own lipstick.

pink roses from Dad after her first performance

If you want to know what else has been happening then I've been snapping away with my iphone camera and sharing on instagram. You can have a nosy through the free instagram app on a smart phone  - (my user name is awelshgirl) or just click HERE and voila - my life in photos!

Have a great weekend,

Chess antiques

Yesterday we spent a day at home. Just relaxing, pottering, chilling...that sort of a day. I moved a few bits of furniture around...as you do. (Actually, I find that quite satisfying, so it was my way of switching off.) As I was in the middle of heaving beds around the place Sibs and Neil decided to dust off an old chess set and sit outside in the afternoon sunshine.

Sunday afternoon chess lesson

Years ago Neil loved to play chess. Apparently when he was at school he played against some chess master or other...
Anyhow, for his 30th birthday he said that he would like "a really nice chess set". For a man when usually asked what he would like for his birthday would  mutter "I don't need anything" this was a revelation!

We searched  and searched for a table and a chess set. In fact I think it took almost a year until we eventually found just the right thing in a small antique shop in Edinburgh.

The top of the table can be removed and turned to play chess or left as a plain top and inside there is also a backgammon board.
When we got the table home the modern chess pieces just didn't look right. Not that they were too different  like "The Simpsons" chess pieces or anything like that - they were just too shiny and plastic looking.

 A little while later Neil's mum found him the perfect present. By this time I think that he had possibly celebrated his 31st...but that's the way it goes with us.

Look how proud the horse looks?

It's funny how you can sometimes forget the lovely things that are hidden away in a box.

As with any antique, I wonder who used these pieces before. Were they on display or were they also hidden away in the box? Did they belong to a 10 year old child learning how to play or a gentleman that would sit with his brandy and cigar....?

 I've left the pieces out on the table today. They are enjoying their new home on the other side of the world.

I wonder if the original owner would ever have imagined...

Happy Monday,