More Pool Progress

The header tiles have now been put onto the pool and I have to say I love the black granite.

Its dark and rich looking, there is a texture there that was missing in my last choice and I'm so very glad that we decided to change the paving at the last minute.

I'm already imagining the way it will look with all the paving done ... however that will have to wait till after Christmas so for the moment I'm going to have to keep living with the carpet. 

Please don't get me wrong - carpet is an amazing short term option for keeping sand down and making things outside bearable .... am I glad to soon have a more permanent solution ... Hell Yes!

Little Things Cause Lots of Happiness

As the title says, its the little things that can sometimes cause you immeasurable amounts of happiness.

For the last ... 6 months the hidden cabinet behind out en suite mirror has only had 2 shelves. It seems a lit of a waste of space - 2 shelves in such a big area and yesterday to my delight ... hubby fixed it.

Have a look at my cupboard now ... I know its a small achievement but getting ready this morning I couldn't stop giggling. Nothing crammed together, nothing shoved into draws ... its perfect - all I have to do is paint the wood underneath and I will be set!

Black Pool - The Stalemate is Over

For the past few weeks we have been battling quite painfully the pool company about a colour. Today we have very exciting news to relate.

The war has ended. No sides have come out a clear winner ... the pool company will now have to wait until next year to complete the pool because of delays and we will have to pay a bit more money in order to get something we are happy with but at least things are finally moving forward.

So we have come up with a specialised colour with a wonderful company called Gemtex. Its a mix of these tiny little glass beads and quartz. At first we brushed this colour off as being too blingy however after talking it through with them we are going to use the darkest quartz mix possible and a very high ratio of black glass to clear in the hopes of getting us what we want.

Saying that there are very few pools done this dark so its going to be quite interesting to see how it all comes out.

Win number two is once we are off we are really off. The pool tiles and headers are going on this week however this will all freeze until we come back when they will finish this off.

Excitement plus in the Vintage household today. Progress .... when hard won is sweetest of them all!

Latest Purchase - Outdoor Chairs

Lately we seem to be spending an inordinate amount of time discussing out plans for our outdoor area. Its amazing just how much needs to be considered before actually making a move - provisions for lighting and retic ... how high do we want this step to be, how many chairs do we want to fit in the outdoor table.

Speaking of chairs - over the weekend we found ours and proceeded to make a decision and hit the "sold" button.

These heavenly little beauties are from Masters and are simple and elegant and oh so comfortable! 

Obviously no table or paving as yet .... carpet seems to be our preferred mode of outdoor flooring but we will get there, one item at a time!

Light & Pretty - Decor Inspiration

Sometimes you just need something light and pretty to get you through the day .... tell me these don't make you want to go back and re-design a room in your house?

Special Weekend Post

There are some people in your life that although you don't see every day make you think about the way you live your life.

For me this is my Aunt. Although she lives over the other side of the country her softly spoken, never speak a bad word about anyone, always laughing voice is often with me when im trying to figure out how to deal with a situation.

In my head I can hear her saying .... "Now love ... just ignore the sarcasm he just used, it will shit him even more thinking he's not getting to you" or my favourite "Just have a drink and you wont even care what he said"

The reason for today's special post and thoughts about those people in your life that are with you in thought if not body ... it's her birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AUNTIE NAT .... My thoughts and best birthday wishes are with you all the way over the other side of the country!

Now all my lovely bloggy friends are also wishing you well!!!

Travel Photo's - Scotland

So you all know I am now part of a photo club ... It's actually quite sad really, I'm not the most confident of people and every time I approach one of these "Photo Experts" I totally freak out and either start rambling or end up sounding like an absolute ditz.

Last weekend I went to a Camera / Coffee shop to ask a few questions about my lens and the guy who was helping me suggested I buy a hood. I took out my camera so we could see what I would need and suddenly ..... he gasps.....

"oh my god, what happened to the lens?"

Apparently a bit of the plastic (non essential plastic mind you) had chipped off. Funny enough I remember the exact moment it received this piece of damage and thought it was actually a bit of a funny story ...

"funny you should ask," I said "I was up the top of a tower in this derilict castle in the middle of an old farm and it was raining and really slippery, Obviously as its very old the stairs sort of wind up and they are not even .... I happened to lose my footing and slipped down half of them on my bum .... both the camera and I ended up with a whole bunch of really terrible bruises"

Instead of looking at the funny side of the situation .... me sliding down the spirals in my ass he chose to give me this look which to me meant .... I should have put even more of my body on the line to save the camera.

Obviously the actual lens itself isn't damaged, Its just a little chip out of the plastic and to be honest, what do you expect when you explore old castles, run down hills that half way down you realise is more of a cliff and get attacked by goats when you least expect it (another story for another time)

Anyways, In this particular instance I sounded like a ditz. The one good thing that came out of this meeting was he convinced me to submit two photo's for judging at the next club meeting.

Now did I agonise over which photo's I wanted to submit. Hell yes! But before I lost my nerve I clicked send and now they are gone .... here goes a 10 day nervous wait.

I am hoping that the constructive criticism they give will help me take better pictures on my next holiday! So for your viewing pleasure .... the two photo's I have submitted for judging.

These two I was considering but didn't make my top two list .... what do you think - Did I make the right decision?