Rundell & Rundell workshop

Last week I had the opportunity to have peek into the workshop of super-talented and passionate craftsman / chairmaker / woodworker Glen Rundell, of Rundell & Rundell. 

Much has been written about Rundell & Rundell, and the rather beautiful shop in Kyneton run by Glen and his very talented wife Lisa (see The Design Files and The Countryphiles) but I was particularly excited about seeing inside Glen's workshop where all the magic happens! 

Glen is a woodworker and chairmaker who hand-crafts his pieces in an age-old traditional style, using the same techniques as would have been used 200 years ago.  The process to create his hand-made Windsor chairs, Shaker oval boxes and other traditional household items is immensely time-consuming and labour intensive, including harvesting much of the timber himself which in itself can take months to dry.  Like many artisans however, the timely process to craft his products is a labour of love and Glen is passionate about preserving these traditional crafts and creating products that are beautiful and long-lasting.  The Rundell & Rundell shop is testament to his desire to only stock 'fine traditional goods, beautifully crafted by hand'.   

Glen's Windsor chairs are an absolute work of art taking many precious hours to create, and on the
day I arrived to photograph the workshop he was in the process of a 7-day workshop teaching students to make their own Windsor chair.  It was great seeing the workshop in full swing, and I even managed to score a piece of delicious banana cake (with passionfruit icing no less) made by Lisa - this was a real treat and worth doing the workshop for alone!

Tools of the trade

Some of the beautiful Shaker oval boxes

Big thanks to Glen for allowing me to wander round his workshop poking my camera around! For more information about Rundell & Rundell including the workshops see the website, and Glen also writes a blog covering his woodworking escapades and his rather epic house renovation!

Kyneton Cookbook Illustrations

Sometime ago I blogged about some kitchen and food illustrations I'd been working on, and here is the finished result.  The illustrations were to accompany recipes for the Kyneton Kitchen Cookbook, put together by the hard-working mums of the Kyneton Playgroup (myself included!)    





It was a great project to work on as I really just created my own brief.  I'd been wanting to work on some more food-based illustrations for a while, and also to experiment with working in a linear style with pen and ink. 

The majority of the illustrations were based on things in my kitchen such as condiments, bowls, saucepans and utensils, and of course I tried to ensure that the illustrations matched the recipes.  As well as creating the illustrations, I managed the overall layout and design of the book, so it was great to play at being a graphic designer for a while! 





 

I loved working on all the illustrations and creating the foody artwork, and it made a really nice change to be in charge of my own brief and not to be restricted by the usual commercial constraints.  The freedom of working with a dip pen instead of my usual watercolour technique, and creating a more 'simplistic' range of artwork in a limited colour palette was really refreshing and I hope to get the chance to work on similar food-based illustrations in the future.     

 

Duck Duck Goose & Larder

For a small town Kyneton really punches above it's weight with a great selection of shops, cafes and fresh local produce, with Duck Duck Goose & Larder being a rather gorgeous addition to the scene.   

Housed in a large brick building (I believe used to be the old Kyneton Market) Duck Duck Goose & Larder stocks locally sourced fruit, vegetables, dairy products and meats, as well as a really tasteful selection of local, Australian and international range of sauces, pastas, olive oils, cordials, teas, preserves, and delicious pantry items.

At the front of the store a cafe opens onto an outdoor area facing Piper Street, with a selection of delicious home-baked pies, cakes, tarts and a yummy breakfast / brunch menu.  Dotted around the place are terrariums and succulents planted in old pots and enamel containers, which is right up my street (makes me realise how much I've neglected my little succulents recently) and I want to take them all home with me.

As well as food produce, there is also a small selection of very cute gift items, including this fabulous yellow Scandi-style teapot and cup set - cute! 

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day and the Gelati was very popular with little mr J. 

The selection of goods available has been really carefully selected - almost curated like a gallery - and I love all the beautiful packaging of the food.  How gorgeous are these small Panettoni boxes, I'm sure the sweet breads are delicious, but I'd buy them for the packaging alone.   

Duck Duck Goose & Larder 17 - 19 Piper Street, Kyneton

New house bits and pieces

Five weeks ago we picked up the keys to our new house and began the upheaval of shifting all of our belongings into a new space. On the one hand it's exciting to be moving, but it's always an exhausting and overwhelming process.  We were lucky with a sunny day for the move, and with our things piling up in the garage Mr J checked out the new pad, whilst Jolly cat was a bit bewildered with it all!

Slowly we have been unpacking, cleaning, dusting and trying to locate things buried in forgotten boxes.  The empty new house we moved into is gradually turning into our new home.  Books are finding their way onto shelves, clothes are in wardrobes, pots and pans are in cupboards, and I'm trying to find new 'safe' homes for teacups, coffee pots and all my ceramic bits and pieces - having them all out on display was fine before having a two year old running around!

My studio space is a lovely light filled room overlooking the garden, and I've got all my favourite pieces of reference material / inspiration images pinned on a big wall in front of me to gawp at.  I'm trying to be organised, de-clutter and have a big clear out - but I'm such a hoarder that I struggle to let go of a lot of things!  Consequently my studio is packed full of things I love - which makes it a great personal workspace for me :)         

The kitchen is relatively new, so I'm doing my best to 'de-newify' it by getting all my favourite second-hand tins, retro cups and general vintage kitchenalia out to break up some of the plain white cupboards and laminated work surfaces.  I'd like to put up some more shelving to display kitchen stuff I use on a regular basis......but I'll have to persuade Mr B to get his tool kit out for that!     

Kyneton Daffodil Festival

Over the weekend we had the annual Daffodil Festival.  Kyneton is just bursting at the seams with Daffodils at this time of year - they bloom in all the public parks, along pathways, and every garden shimmers with yellow.  The Festival celebrates this yearly event and also welcomes the start of Spring - hurray!   

The children's petting farm was a particular favourite event with chickens, ducks, sheep, goats, rabbits, turkeys and even a deer roaming around, happy to have a cuddle and a stroke.  Very exciting for a two year old - and even for some adults!            

Kyneton turned on a fabulous Spring day with beautiful warm sunshine, and it was great to get out and support the local schools and CFA with their fundraising - sausage sizzles and buying yummy home-baked cakes isn't too difficult to support!  It's a really social event and lovely to catch up with people and see all the community getting involved.        

The colour of Autumn



It's been stunning around Kyneton and the Macedon Ranges over the last few weeks, with Autumn turning green leaves into claret and golden hues.  It's been lovely to get out for walks in the Botanic Gardens and make the most of the last rays of warm sunshine.  Already in the short space of time since I took these photographs, the leaves are falling off the tree's revealing bare branches in preparation for winter and the colder months ahead.    

 

Mr J loves helping to rake up the fallen leaves and put them into his wheelbarrow - or better still to just jump and play in them!   

Market day

This Saturday was market day in Kyneton.  It's one of my favourite days and a lovely way to kick-start the weekend, with a coffee (OK and a muffin) from a local cafe, followed by a stroll around the market.

The farmers market is held once a month and is full of lots of beautiful local produce, with a great selection of fruit, vegetables, olive oils, home-made dips, preserves, jams, freshly baked breads, farm eggs, beer, wine, chooks and plants.  The sellers at the market vary depending what is in season, but you always know it's locally made and produced.

The market has also spread further along Piper Street and into the local church, to incorporate the Makers Market.  Hand-made products and local arts and crafts are on offer, including stationary, gift cards, children's clothing, hats, knitted items, wooden toys, clothing and plants.

The fruit and veg looked particularly colourful against the Autumn leaf backdrop, and with my basket of goodies I've made a vegetable curry and a delicious vegetable and barley soup - yum!

A lovely Autumn weekend

'Run the Rock' at Hanging Rock - with the local Kangaroos and a

hot chocolate being the star attraction

The Teddy Bears Picnic at the Kyneton Botanic Gardens

 

We had a lovely weekend last weekend with such perfect weather for Autumn.  The weekend kicked off on Saturday morning with Mr B doing a 10km fun run at Hanging Rock, raising money for Cancer Council Victoria.  The star attractions (other than the super-fit runners.....of which I certainly wasn't one of them!) was one of the local kangaroos clearly wanting to take part in the event, and best of all a hot chocolate to take away the early morning chill.

 

Then on Sunday we had the Teddy Bears Picnic, held amongst the trees and fallen leaves in the Kyneton Botanic Gardens.  It was great fun seeing all the children running around with their favourite teddy bears, dancing to the band, throwing leaves and taking part in games.  It was a beautiful setting in the botanic gardens, surrounded by the statuesque trees with their glorious coloured Autumnal leaves.   

My new town