Summer Holidays....

I Love ...

Christmas - New Year Summer Holidays -

Often best spent at the beach...

Here's a few pics of my little slice of heaven [two people included!].

Where's your fave summer holiday spot?

Enjoy,

 

images via Sarah Verity - Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions

The Christmas - New Year Holidays....

It' been a little while between posts - I hope you have been keeping well and inspired! I have missed you ...

Lots has been happening on my side with jobs, family, house renovations & landscaping and I have embarked on more study - certifications in business & management, and diploma in marketing! With that I have been updating my business website & the Verandah Home & Garden Living Solutions facebook page - please visit and like me!

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed your Christmas with your family and friends... and the Summer [in Australia] and the Winter [in the Northern hemisphere- for my sister and her family].

This Christmas was especially fun as our little 2.5year old Isabelle really got the jist of it all including Santa and the idea of the Nutcracker guarding the gifts! Christmas is magic once again with little ones...

 

And you're enjoying a little rest over these holidays and gearing up for a fun new years!

Take care - Enjoy,

 

images via Sarah Verity - Verandah Home & Garden Living SOlutions & homelife.com.

Australian Country Style - photography Prue Ruscoe - styling Shannon Fricke

Happy Weekend!

So happy it's Friday and the weekend will be upon us soon! The sky is getting higher here in Sydney as Autumn approaches us soon [in the southern hemisphere] we have equinox on Tuesday 20th and for the state I live in [New South Wales] our extended daylight savings comes to an end Saturday 31st March into Sunday morning.... nearly a farewell to summer and a warm hello to autumn.

I have had a number of posts ready to publish this week and each time the day has passed me by... hence a few catch up posts today - you might have noticed? 

It's been a little crazy in my 'Palatial' world at the moment and I must confess my focus and thoughts have been straying else-where - but not too far away! I promise. Just a few projects that have needed some serious attention! Now I cannot wait for some weekend time with my family - my little girl Isabelle, and husband 'Mr. Palatial', the 'Palatial Poochies' - with time on home renovation projects at our aptly named home 'Bundaleer' [a beautiful indigenous meaning for 'among the trees'] and celebrating my father-in-law's 60th Birthday! Yay!

So here's to your weekend for those of you who have some R&R planned... Thanks again for joining me this week at Palatial Living!

Enjoy!

image via the meet cute, tumblr, crush cul de sac, pretty stuff, sweet montant, isawicameiconquer

enjoying summer time...

Blood Orange Cosmopolitan - Cocktail
Ingredients - 45ml vodka |15ml Cointreau |10ml fresh lime juice
2 drops bitters| 30ml cranberry juice| 30ml 'Schweppes Agrum Collection' Blood Orange -
Or - use 2 Juiced Fresh Blood Ornageswith 30mls Tonic water

Method - Add all ingredients into a Boston glass

Add ice, shake and strain into a cocktail glass
Top with Schweppes Agrum Blood Orange

Garnish with Burnt orange zest

Couldn't think of any better ways through these delicious fresh and opalescent blood orange, strawberry, lime colours to celebrate summer [here in 'Oz'] . I have included a couple of little favourite recipes of mine... Here in Australia - we say Cheers!

Cheers to Summer!

Enjoy,

Sarah x

Guava Margaritas

Ingredients - 1 3/4 cups freshly squeezed lime juice, plus wedges for serving

2 3/4 cups [your favourite] tequila |1 1/3 cups Grand Marnier

2 3/4 cups guava puree | Coarse salt, for rims

Directions - Stir together lime juice, tequila, Grand Marnier, and guava puree in a large pitcher;

stir to combine. Refrigerate until chilled.

                                 Just before serving, rub a cut lime around the rim of each glass. Fill a saucer with

salt, and dip each glass, upside down, into the salt. Pour margaritas into glasses, garnish with

 lime wedges, and serve immediately.

images via crush cul de sac, pretty stuff, miss wallflower, diet coke and smoke

Happy 4th July to My American Friends!

Wishing my lovely American friends, especially Jen & Lauren, a very Happy 4th July Independence Day!

Hope you have an awesome summer's day on your national holiday!

Cheers,

image viz pretty stuff tumblr via note to sarah

Where I'd Rather Be...

Today with Sydney's searing & soaring 40C plus weather - this is definitely somewhere I'd rather be, back in these amazing waters out of our little over water bungalow at Kani, Maldives - our honeymoon spot! Even my poor little lap top is too hot!

How about you? Stay cool, Enjoy

image via flickr

Feeling like Summer Time...

It was one of those wonderful warm summer days today with dark clouds moving in and out of the way... I meandered through my image files and thought that the colours and a sense of play made it just perfect! Does this conjure up feelings of long summer days for you too?

Enjoy,

images via tumblr, pretty stuff, east Atlanta, a little of that.

January Heat...

A hot January Monday... I love January it's always a great time to take an excursion to the beach, or the zoo - somewhere you will enjoy the outdoors, or visit friends on the weekend - maybe a swim & a bbq, go to an outdoor dinner and a few drinks in the evening through the week, easing back to work - the office hasn't picked up to full speed just yet - with another public holiday just 'round the corner, and also a great time to clear out cupboards & a little 'summer' cleaning - now that Christmas decor has been packed away for another year!

The Sydney Sun has real bite in it today... it hit around 33 degrees today and even at late afternoon there wasn't a cloud in sight! So cover up, grab your hat, post your umbrella, slap on the sunscreen, or just stay in the air con!

Tomorrow looks to be a little of the same then some rain in the afternoon....

Enjoy,

images via design by delight & life of polarn per 

Summer Holidays...

Happy New Year to You!

I'm back from our family summer holidays.... but easing into it to say the least! Like most I had a tonne of washing to get through after our wonderful travels , and had to de-decorate the very dead Christmas tree and lovingly tissue wrap the baubles and trinkets away for another year! Wow that Christmas / New Year went by fast...

So I am still lamenting in my summer daze, and wanted to share with you some gorgeous images I came across and others from from a lovely blog I follow from time to time, Brabourne Farm, and Decor8 [you may already know of]. These images just spell summer to me....

Happy Days, I'll check back soon! Enjoy & Happy 2011,

images via kate headley phtogrpahy, tumblr, pretty stuff

Happy Friday ~ Welcome Weekend...

Today's post is for all us who love the end of the week, Friday, and just can't wait for the weekend....It's also for my sister, Felic, who lives in London - and has posted a status on facebook that she has had to wear her hat, scarf, gloves, and puffy jacket just out of her apartment because it's sooo bitterly cold in London town! Here in Sydney this weekend it's supposed to be a beautiful sunny warm November weekend with tops around 28 to 30C- a real precursor to true Summer weather!

Thank you for visiting Palatial Living this week... I hope to have a surprise for you next week! So Stay Tuned! Until then I hope you have a wonderful weekend & Enjoy...

It's Friday & The Weekend Is Here...Take Me to the Beach!

It's Friday - Hope you have a wonderful weekend... It's very, very hot here in Sydney reaching up to 39 degrees Celsius (that's 102.2 F for our friends in the U.S) so Friday Flowers & Fruit may be a little wilted today! So I'm thinking that going to the beach, or getting poolside, or hitting the cool air of the movies will be high on the agenda this weekend! Hope your visits to Palatial Living were inspiring this week - Thank You for stopping by! Have a fun & colourful weekend... Enjoy x S.

Image from Vi.sualize.us - What Anna Loves

Summer Oasis...

With hot summery weather upon us here in Australia I came across this fabulous room & oh I just love this sun room - it reminds me of a Queenslander [closed in] verandah brought to life with a fab mix contemporary & traditional furniture and colours .

What a gorgeous - cool & relaxing room to be in on a hot summer's afternoon.. just need a pitcher of cold lime water & a favourite mag. I love the floorboards painted in an azure blue hue which appears less stark and much easier on the eye than if painted white, by using this shade on the floor it also allows another accent colour to be incorporated into the soft furnishings & decor items...hmmm simply irresistible.

Image from House Beautiful

Glad to Be Back Home...

Well I have missed you all to say the least... and it's so lovely to be back home!

I had limited access to the Internet & very limited time whilst I was travelling through Europe to be able to blog... so I do hope that you will join me again at Palatial Living. I saw some amazing & beautiful places and things throughout Europe, & having studied art, history & architectural styles it was such a treat be a part of it all and be able to place it all into scale & perspective. So in the next few weeks as I gather together my couple of [thousand] photos I will post & share with you what I found and saw through my travels....I know you will love what I found

Coming back home it seems that Spring has definitely sprung, and in Sydney, as with much of the east coast of Australia, my garden suffered from the red dust storms and I am desperately trying to resuscitate a few plants that have been 'suffocated' with the dust's oxidisation! So with that I want to 'channel' healthy - happy outdoor & garden spaces in the positive view that with some TLC, Seasol and Garden Gold we'll get there! Thanks again for coming back to Palatial Living I know we'll share some gorgeous images & fabulous ideas over these Spring Summer festive months.. Enjoy! S xxx

Image from Country Living