Rise Hall

[Rise Hall]

I managed to catch the first instalment of Sarah Beeny's Country House Restoration program.

She bought the 200 year old house for £450,000. Sodden to the core, riddled with rot and structurally compromised, the 200 year old House was downtrodden to say the least.

I won't be able to see the next two parts of the series as it's already been broadcasted in the UK - so I snuck a peak of what the house looks like now and my heart swelled. It's stunning! Sure it would have been a harrowing experience of restoring a country estate, but it seems like a tempting prospect, just so I could swan around like Elizabeth Bennet... after all the paint cans and scaffolding had been packed away of course.

Weekend away

Hotel heights

National Gallery

Things I learnt during my weekend away:

- Ned Kelly was occasionally partial to cross dressing and riding side saddle

- Lake Burley Griffin isn't usually so brown

- Don't mix white wine, Champaign and vodka as it induces nightmares and sleepwalking

- Canberra has a bounty of beautiful trees

- Diaghilev put the balls in ballet

- Koko Black create swoon worthy sculptures of Christmas snowmen. nom nom nom

- Going out of state to a friend's housewarming, to avoid participating in your own home renovations is a mighty smooth move