Collect.

So on Thursday lunchtime I discovered that I had had my first article commissioned for the magazine Tasmanian Style. I was a bit excited and may have had wine at lunch to celebrate. By 8.30pm on Thursday night I realised that it had to be submitted to the editor by Sunday......I had yet to write one word. Oh, and it was to be about our house and the photographer was coming at lunchtime on Monday. Panic stations. We had intended to go to a swanky fundraiser on Saturday night......we cancelled.

I still had to go through with the dancing, sailing, party pick ups and drop offs scheduled to occupy almost every minute of Saturday, day. But somehow I wrote the story.....let's face it it is one of my favourite subjects.....and for one hour yesterday my house was heart stoppingly neat:

You would have been hard pressed to even find one weed in the front garden......OK, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. Needless to say that it wasn't long before the toys and general paraphernalia starting being redistributed back throughout the house.

After weeks and weeks of trekking out to Gowans Auctions, as is my habit on Thursdays, I finally found lots on which I wanted to have a bid. I missed out on this box of Lily of the Valley plants:

Yet had success with these faux ancestors:

Which I promptly hung in the bedroom:

I am seeing silhouettes and cameos being my next big collecting addiction and have had them in the back of my mind ever since I clapped eyes on this stunning picture in Janelle McCulloch's gorgeous book Coast: Lifestyle Architecture:

Obviously, I have a long way to go.

So I will now need to focus my attentions not only on my initial:

But also on butterflies:

As well as on small antique gilt mirrors: 

The sighting of any of these objects is guaranteed to make my pulse quicken and my palms sweaty. Can you believe that my husband doesn't like going shopping with me?

Rx