August 2009 / Shell Sherree

Friday Fleurish: Thou Wilt Not Wilt

28.8.09

It's Friday Fleurish, and here are some sculptural beauties for the weekend ahead: Lobster claws. I must confess, I don't usually gravitate to these as a cut flower. But no matter how much I might droop from the unseasonable heat we're - err, "enjoying" at the moment, these hardy heliconias...

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Balmy Barmy

25.8.09

It's the last week of winter here. As I sit in my studio tucked up in the eaves of our A-frame timber house, wearing a light cotton frock and chugging mint-drifted water while temperatures rise into the 30s {90s if you prefer yours in fahrenheit}, I feel like I'm in a climactic Bermuda Triangle....

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Francophile Friday: Macarons of Brisbane

21.8.09

Bonjour! It's Francophile Friday and this afternoon, I'll be eating macarons for afternoon tea. Here in Brisbane? Mais oui, that is correct! I'm so happy, so happy, happy, happy! Yes, I'm doing my happy dance because I discovered there's a French couple creating macarons almost on my doorstep!...

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Come Into My Parlour

18.8.09

Ok, it's not really my parlour. You'll need to be invited to Australian interior designer Stuart Rattle's country home to sit in that gorgeous wing chair. He transformed his weekend escape, Musk Farm, from a former schoolhouse into a comfortable and beautiful home in a hamlet on the outskirts of...

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Friday Fleurish: Bargain-villea Posy

14.8.09

I'm positive there's a little magic dust in our yard. Trees grow larger than usual and the garden constantly seeds itself, especially with mock oranges which spring up here, there and everywhere to my grateful delight. Every so often, it needs rather bold pruning to keep it at least one degree...

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I've Got Your Number

11.8.09

So here it is: my drawing of a phone book.But I'm cheating, of course. It's a lot easier to make a drawing of the phone book look pretty when you have a phone book cover, as I do. A girlfriend gave it to me many years ago and I bless her every time I look up a number the quaint offline way.My...

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Venerdi in Venice: Arch Rivals

7.8.09

Here we have the architectural equivalent of hedging one's bets, expressed in a typical arched window in Venice, grounded by geraniums running delightfully amok from the window box. I say 'typical', but the underside is a rounded {Roman} arch and the top is a pointed {Gothic} arch. And I've just...

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Bicycles and Bellinis at Le Meurice

4.8.09

When I saw Eric's Le Meurice photo at Paris Daily Photo, the inspiration for my illustration, my first thought was 'oooh, a hot air balloon'! Mais non, closer inspection revealed it to be a chic bicycle basket, elegantly clad in its very own monogrammed linen cape to signify its five star heritage,...

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