Visiting Queenslanders in the street

This morning I had morning tea with a lady who has lived in our street for 27 years. V contacted me when she stumbled upon this little old blog a few weeks ago. She was researching butterfly chairs and covers when she came across my blog posts and then realised the Sow's Ear shared her street address.

V and I have a lot in common apart from living in the same street. She and her husband have been renovating their home for over 20 years. They own one of the oldest homes on the street. It's an original 1910 two bedroom Queeenslander cottage which they have tastefully renovated while raising three children. It's such a lovely family home decorated in an eclectic style over the years with collected and found objects.

When I visited V this morning, she took me through her home and gave me a run down of its history. She had old photographs of the home which she obtained from her neighbours. She is so lucky to have photographs. There was one photograph of what the home looked like when it was first built and how the roads were just dirt.

V and her husband bought their home in the early 1980s and were even married in the backyard. It is a home which is obviously well-loved.

Here is a small snippet of V's home. I just love how the integrity of the main home is still intact even after a major renovation...that is a rare thing in this day and age.

Central hallway to the main house with bedrooms on either side.

Dining room. The casement windows with green and amber glass are original to the house.
This room was originally the lounge room and part of the bathroom prior to the renovation

Another view of the dining room.
The bedroom at the end is the master bedroom but it was originally the kitchen!
You can also see the back door which leads to the laundry and downstairs bedroom for the teenager.

This is part of a new section that was designed by a heritage and conservation architect. It adjoins the main house but is essentially a separate building to contain the living and kitchen area.

V's island bench is a salvaged church altar. It is amazing.
She also mentioned the resident ghost that periodically visits....wooohoooo....She had lots of ghost stories about certain  homes in the street...woohhooo.... 

The fire place and bay window are part of the extension. I like how it is sympathetic to the era with the use of salvaged leadlight windows and some period pieces but it is still decidedly modern in its construction

This is the front verandah. It was enclosed when V and her hubby bought the house. They've opened up one side to create a lovely seating area.

Anyway, V has inspired me to approach some of the elderly neighbours still in our section of the street. They may know more about the Sow's Ear...I just have to get over my shyness...or maybe I'll just send Jason over?