to suancol......a 'yellow/pink based beige'? Having trouble trying to get my head around that colour and 'seeing' it in my mind's eye, suancol! If one had to mix it up....could it also be described as a...pinky beige with some yellow in it... or a yellowy beige with some pink in it? Or is it a pre-mixed colour that can be bought off the shelf so has an actual brand name? I'm very curious! From what I've learnt about colour..and what comes from mixing this with that...I've learnt that BEIGE, like GREY, is one of those indefinite hues that can be a combination of several colours.,,,its not a colour in itself... I was looking at a designr's page where many of the bedrooms featured were in Grey and I was surprised that I really liked some of them...so serene and pearly soft....then it dawned on me, Photography combined with Photoshopping is very clever today. I bet if I painted a my bedroom exactly in those grey colours it would resemble a tomb...probably because of the amount or quality of light coming into the room. So not a fan of grey for interior decor, nor a fan of beige...whatever hue these are. Not crazy about all white interiors either where the colour interest comes from..."pops" of this or that.

Depends on so many things! I agree a decent cup is the first step. Fine bone china keeps the tea hot much longer. A shape and size and visual appeal to suit the drinker would be even better. Fresh water boiled immediately, and not left on the boil for too long if on a stove top. Filtered water if you live somewhere with heavily chlorinated water would be better. Brewed with the leaves loose in a pot will give the tea leaves more room to 'swim', allowing them to impart their flavour faster and giving a more full flavour without over steeping, which leaves a bitter flavour from the tannins being released. Use a tea cozy to retain heat if not using a fine bone china teapot. Different types of tea are best steeped for different times, so see the packet of your favourite tea for ideal steep time. Add more or less tea leaves to increase or decrease strength rather than changing the time, as otherwise it either just tastes like hot water or tannins. Add cold milk, lemon and/or sugar to taste. If you can't tell how any of that makes a difference, use a tea bag in any old cup you like, but don't squeeze it out or you will get a super dose of tannins. If you like bitter tea, you can end the debate now and just say you can make your tea however you like. ;-)

House has many good features, I love how the bedrooms are divided from the living area, that can be very important if you have young children. I even like how the door to the laundry is screened from the dining area - little things like that are important to me. The toilet in the bathroom would annoy me, but having the second toilet in the laundry would offset that. I think I would be inclined to close off the lounge room as a TV/Media room that would free up the general living area for just living. The outdoor areas look well planned with excellent access from the house. Oklouise's idea of relocating the kitchen looks an excellent idea but plumbing could be an issue here, firstly it would be expensive just to move the plumbing and something to be generally avoided with renovations, and secondly with rooms underneath the house, it may not be possible. As the kitchen is now, opening it more to the living room could be a good idea except I can see possible safety issues with the hotplates being exposed to passing traffic - especially with young children in the house. I agree with David - you do have to think about how you are going to live in the house and the lifestyle you envisage. For this reason, if you do decide to purchase, I would strongly suggest you live in the house for a year before doing a thing. That way the things that aren't working for you will become very obvious as well as things you need or would make life easier making decision making simpler. You will also get a feel for the lighting in the house, where it can be improved and the aspect of the house - what rooms may need warming (south facing rooms) or what rooms need cooling (west facing rooms).

I really can't stand the word mindfullness. It's like wellbeing - just combining two words to make a new one feels so clunky. How about being conscious, aware, present, in the moment. I voted for #3, as i appreciate fresh air and natural light more than silence or seclusion. I dont have a space like this at the moment, but maybe a stool in my courtyard could do the trick. Thanks for the inspiration!