Monday 21 June 2010

Birkdale House Circa 1888












We enjoyed a lovely first weekend in our new house. Family and friends dropped in all weekend. Lots of wine and fabulous food cooked by my brother, Sam and my friend Annie was consumed. Brad has become obsessed with lighting the fireplaces and cutting the wood perfectly with his new axe. My mother is transfixed with all the wonderful things in my new {old} garden. She created a couple of wonderful arrangements. For me the house has all of those things I associate with my dream house...fireplaces, claw foot baths, big verandahs, large block of land, lovely swimming pool, history, a name, a wonderful garden . This is the place we will stay with our beautiful boys for a very, very long time and if Brad has his way, we will never move. I am looking forward to my new project which will probably keep my busy for the rest of my life!!

65 comments:

brismod said...

What a beautiful home. Yes, it will keep you busy. Congratulations!

Hello Lover... said...

How wonderful - I'm glad to hear you had a wonderful evening and are loving your new home!

Semi Expat said...

Amazing - what a lovely house. And a very handsome looking gentleman too relaxing on the garden bench! x

Louise (Table Tonic) said...

Oh, Anna. It's positively dreamy... Good bones all over the place. Enjoy her (Does she have a name?).
xLouise

Lindsey said...

This is SO awesome! Wow! Can't wait to see what you do!!

Karena said...

Very nice Anna, family celebrations mean so much, what a great historical home.

Karena
Art by Karena

the gardener's cottage said...

hi anna,

i cannot wait to see more of this house and what you do to it! congratulations on being planted.

~janet

GLENDA CHILDERS said...

How fun to be into your new home for Father's Day. I love moving into a new place . . . all the possibilities. Blessing on your new home. Glenda

Anonymous said...

looks like a lovely home!

Natasha @ Northern Light Design said...

Anna,
That wrap-around-porch looks so great, I bet you will get a lot of use out of that!
Enjoy your new house, new baby and new life!

Northern Light

Sarah B said...

It's wonderful Anna, great gardens and a wonderful home. Ours is a little over 20 newer but we love the old feel. I'd love a claw foot bath though I'm not sure it would fit in our tiny bathroom which is the back verandah. I know how Brad feels about the fires too - people complain about fixing and keeping fires going but I love it. Stacking wood is good honest, work!
I look forward to seeing how you decorate your new home :)

Roxanne said...

Oh, Anna. . .I cannot WAIT to see more shots of your new home. I wouldn't move either. . .lovely, lovely, lovely.

iheartart said...

WOW Anna - it is just beauitiful.......
Enjoy!
Katie

Jenny M said...

Just LOVE the big verandahs and your 'old' garden. May you & your family be blessed with many happy years in your new home. from a new 'follower' of your blog.

Slim Paley said...

Congratulations! I LOVE your new home!

best,
Slim Paley

Carolyn said...

Dear Anna
Your new home looks amazing - can't wait to see rooms revealed here on Absolutely Beautiful Things.

Wishing you and your family lots of happy times in your new home.
Carolyn

Sharon said...

Wow, Ned is getting big! The new house looks lovely and can't wait to see the amazing things you'll do with it;)

Faux Fuchsia said...

Dear Anna,

That Garden looks lovely! I'd love to spend some time in it planting cottage garden treats and succulents out. You are lucky. I hope you'll action lots of roses and salvias and lavender and shasta daisies. Enjoy your new digs.

jlonit said...

I lived in one of these places from the age of 8 until about 11 years old. I had a fireplace in my bedroom, a luxury never to be repeated thus far. I was also convinced that there was a ghost but I'm sure this was my over-active imagination. All of your fans will relish updates!

jlonit said...

Ned looks pleased.

Unknown said...

Hi, Anna! Your new house is lovely! Our projects and dreams keep us alive!! Great week. Bela.

ani's house said...

love it! Our place was built in 1883 - very similar look to yours - come and visit some time!!

Madam Restora said...

We purchased a house at Easter last year. It's only 105 years old, but it's been in the same family that whole time. They sold it to us 'lock stock & barrel', meaning we got the contents also. We found old hats, china, lamps, clothes, linen, absolutely everything. It's been an interesting year! Have been blogging most of the way if you want to have a look www.restoringtheoldgirl.blogspot.com

Peta Rudd said...

How gorgeous! I can't wait to see more photos....

Brown Button Trading said...

How incredibly exciting Anna - what a fabulous project, enjoy (as I know I will watching you do it!) xx

Ness Lockyer said...

Wow. So glad you all have settled well. Your home is lovely and it is so nice to own a home with history. Ours was built in 1883 and I love it. It was my dream house too, but we have to sell it and it will break my heart. I am sure yours will be perfect once you have finished. There is always something to do in an old house and nothing is ever straight! have fun.
Ness xx

Jules said...

Just beautiful!

Olive said...

What a canvas for you to color on!

~olive~

LiveLikeYou said...

A fun colorful chair at the head of the table. What a nice touch!

Becky Brocato said...

So lovely! Enjoy your new home and many years of decorating bliss!

Bohemian Grandma said...

Congratulations on your beautiful new home.
Love the silver chairs at your table on the porch.

Anonymous said...

Those are all the things I associate with a dream house too!

la la Lovely said...

Gorgeous!!! Congratulations.. Can't wait to see more!!!
xoxo

Casey Smith said...

This is such a beautiful house. I nearly bought it myself last year! I can see that you will make it breath again. The garden especially is beautifully established. It seems that we have similar paths as I also have a house on Stradie. Loved what you did with yours so much so I kept the issue which featured it.

63shells said...

Anna, what a fantastic house, from what you have shown us so far it appears to have such strong character and obvious history.

Kevin said...

What a great house!

petals and vintage said...

Welcome back to the Bayside Anna. Your house looks gorgeous!
Pam

Kelle Dame said...

Welcome home Anna! It is a lovely house. I can't wait to see how you put your signature on it!

Unknown said...

Fantastic! I live close to this property in a house built in 1860, our garden is also very well established but more like Pandora from the movie Avatar! I have broken one gardener already. I think that this house is very lucky to have you.
Bee

Paddy said...

Already you look right at home. Thankyou for sharing her.

La Petite Gallery said...

What a lovely Home. Congratulations, enjoy every minute. Living looks so comfortable there.

yvonne

Emily @ Finding My Aloha said...

Its as if I was dreaming and you pulled this house into reality! This is exactly what I would call a dream house! Congrats on your move. Have fun nesting!

Exquisite Accessories said...

What a gorgeous home, I look forward in seeing all you projects as I am sure you will want to share them, enjoy your new home. :)

Anne said...

Absolutely beautiful! :)
Best wishes to you and your family in your new home!

(I live in the Midwestern area of the US-- your gardens and veranda look so inviting-- we are experiencing lots of heat and humidity.)

Lisa said...

WOW! It looks like you'll be having a great time decorating your new home! Congratulations!

shiree segerstrom said...

When my husband was alive we used to visit Cairnes on business. I was told this architectural style is called plantation, is that correct? Lovely pictures! Shiree'

Flotsam Friends said...

This is the most beautiful house I've seen in a long time. It has such a warm feeling to it. You are very lucky! That veranda is quite something. Px

Vickie H. said...

Utterly SUBLIME!!!

Cassandra said...

Congratulations - how fantastic to know that you've found the forever house. It must be a great feeling.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful home. The mature, lush landscaping certainly begs for indoor/outdoor living, which is a personal weakness of mine. Looking forward to seeing more!

thefinaltouchideas said...

The 2nd and last images I am just in love with. Great idea!! Love the end chairs. I wish I had a deck that I could have a lovely look like that! Thank you for sharing!

Connie in Hartwood said...

Congratulations on moving to such a lovely home. We also live in an old house (1848) and we are putting our personality into it a bit at a time. Like you, I am not going anywhere else anytime soon. I am grateful to wake up here every morning.

This is my first visit here, and I expect to be a regular visitor.
Connie

Cristina Leonard said...

Anna,
Lovely blog, lovely home!

Kerri - Driftwood Interiors said...

Oh Anna, your house is absolutely gorgeous! I've always dreamt of living in a rambling old Queenslander, and yours is just divine. I'm really looking forward to following your adventures in renovating it, can't wait! K xx

Julie Richard - Shelter said...

LOVE IT! {mentioned it on my blog today}

Best,
Julie

Fiona said...

Congratulations! It is truly beautiful.

Mélanie A. said...

Magnifique, Wonderful. Your house is a dream , I can imagine you will have a lot of projects in it

The House That A-M Built said...

What a find! It's like it has been waiting just for you. What wonderful memories you will create with your boys... and a garden too... just perfect. A-M xx

Flotsam Friends said...

Hi Anna, I hope you don't mind but I've linked your new home to my latest post! You're house is magnificent. Px

Booey LaLa' said...

As I read your blog,I have a tear in my eye! Completely understand the longing of finding your dream home....somewhere in your spirit ur looking for this place that seems to be created before time....thats meant just for You.
congrats Linny

Pervaiz said...

Your blog are so lovely.
Thanks so this.
http://wofgtg.blogspot.com/.

The Houseplant Chronicles said...

Congratulations on the new house!! Very happy for you!!

Pineapple Villa said...

this just sums it up - what a home should be. i am loving those adirondacks and am pinching that idea for our new garden ! xx

Mary Smith said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Janiepip said...

Hi anna just found your wonderful blog. I am quite new to blogging, so if you drop by it, please forgive my amatuer attempt. Thank you for sharing your wonderful things. Thanks jane in the cold uk xx