@ jeannie...that's Oipe, my dancing Queen...despite her size she's very nimble and does a little dance for her bowl of dinner. She's a Norwegian Forest cat. In the winter she grows another coat on top of her shorter curly woolly one...not FUR but a long straight coat of waterproof wool! Here sh'e in between seasons so no "Puss in Boots" UGG BOOTS and no gaucho pants! Can you imagine that!? After one litter she decided she wasn't doing that anymore...and I was sort of glad too....with all that wool around her nether regions! She gets shaved mid Spring, looks very funny but its more comfortable for her. Her favourite red mate 'Yodle' is smaller. Oipe is classed as 'red' ( ginger) even though her coat colour is much closer to a pale apricot. Have a friend who collects all Oipe's wool from her periodical groomings and her annual shear, spins it, crochets baby clothes and sells them...much in demand, better than Alpaca and as rare as....cat wool! I think Oipe weighs a bit more than 22lbs. Everyone is taken by her and she's such a " lol-about and couldn't give a darn" that she allows all the attention and loves it. My lifestyle is every bit as fantastic as it is just plain hard Aussie 'yakka'. I planned that this house would be where I lived and died. All sounds so romantic and close to Nature...and it is...but one can get really muscle sore, and brain weary working oneself into this lifestyle. Thankfully I am quite a strong Aussie country woman now..but getting here from being a thin city lizzy with not much strength, let alone country naus, was an ordeal I thought I would not survive. I've needed every bit of brain and braun I could accrue... and all on my own. I've met some wonderful country folk who have taught me bush skills I never knew existed. Did you know, for example, that we should never kill ants? Black ants are the natural enemies of the white ants or termites. You need to know where your black ants live and keep them fed so they'll stay outside and hunt the termites. If you find termites just surround them with a handfull of sugar and bring a clump of dirt and black ants to where they are...you won't need to spray...ever! Once they know they'll alert all their relatives near and far and anything wooden in your dream home will be safe. Glad you all like my story..THANKS...it makes all the hardship all that much more worth it! Oipe reaps the full benefit of my, at times, sore, tired body. When I'm flaked out on the lounge from hauling in the heavy ironbark firewood for the night...she just ambles up and plonks her voluminous self right in my lap and up my chest and decides I need grooming and exfoliating with her raspy tongue. Then I get a massage! She purrs and vibrates like an idling diesel engine...its kinda relaxing! P.S. Never thought anyone would catch me wearing Jeans! The only place I wear a skirt is to church..and sometimes I'm too tired to be botheredironing it...so have a pair of Sunday jeans ...there's no such thing as a day of rest...but time for the gentler jobs...like cooking enough to last the week! All the girls get together for that...NICE. I think I'm one of the lucky people!

I've got a bit of a mixed response on this. First priority is - it must fit. Much as I love things like the Le Courboisier chaise and the Eames lounge chair, they simply are too big for my home. Second priority - if it's a major piece (sofa, buffet, chair, bed, dresser) it should be good quality - solid hardwoods for case furniture, properly constructed (and comfortable) chairs and sofas. I do not want to be replacing expensive items in five years time. Third priority, if it's a lesser piece, I'll sacrifice top quality for convenience, price and good design (IKEA, I'm thinking of you - and thanking you for the leather lounge chair I bought 24 years ago, which is still in good shape, although it will soon be replaced by a Stressless).

Hi I am really interested in this discussion for similar reasons. Currently our plans squeeze in a pantry under the stairs so 1.5 m X 1 m. Builder suggests we shrink ensuite from 3350 x 1650 to 2350 x1650 long so it becomes a proper walk in pantry 2m x1.5 m. I was concerned I will end up with two nonfunctional spaces. But it sounds like the pantry will work. What are everyone's opinion on a master ensuite size. It means I'll have a single basin vanity only 500 m wide

We discuss and plan everything for months before we start. We don't even get quotes until we have planned out what we want, worked out fall back/cheaper options, and priced what materials we can. We project manage together, physically do whatever we can to reduce costs e.g.. some demo, all of the painting, buy the tiles/taps/handles etc and pick them up, daily clean-up. We will be doing the kitchen in about 12 months and are already planning, talking to kitchen designers, looking at appliances, figuring out if we can get the finishes we want or need a backup design. Once we can see final costs/ quotes we will choose the finishes we are willing to pay for. This may involve trading off a preferred benchtop for a preferred appliance, bespoke colour for a standard colour. The important thing is that we discuss everything in detail until we agree. This sometimes involves give and take. When one feels strongly about something, we trade with the other to give them something they feel strongly about. We have very similar tastes and senses of colour and design, which helps enormously,