Providence Farm Stall

Posted on October 25, 2019 by kathy

After a relaxing morning wandering around the rhododendron garden, we drove further through the rolling countryside in search of lunch. We had been meaning to visit Providence Farm Stall since it opened almost a year ago, this time we were wise enough to book well ahead. The rusted patina of Corten steel glowed in the sunlight on what looked like a fairly unassuming farm building.

1.exterior

Lavender and olive trees accompanied myriad potted plants around the grounds

along with a couple of rustic installations.

The hilltop setting afforded spectacular views across verdant farmland to the waters of Bass Strait.

6.vista 7.vista 8.vista

From a different angle, the ‘shed’ became something quite extraordinary.

9.exterior

Stepping through the door,

10.front entrance

the huge windows filled the walls with nature’s artwork.

11.interior

A magnificent slab of polished timber offers seating for a large group or share table

and complements the tasteful, minimalist décor.

There are plans to create a lounge bar on the mezzanine, a comfy space to enjoy a beverage while listening to local talent entertaining with live music.

18.mezzanine

The seasonal menu is limited but the food is fresh, colourful and beautifully presented. The interestingly named Poke Bowl comprises smoked ocean trout, sushi rice, edamame beans, avocado, red cabbage and carrots, drizzled with soy-sesame dressing.

19.Poke Bowl

A flavoursome Rainbow Salad is topped with cashews and a house made Thai dressing.

20.Rainbow Salad

Rich, creamy Butter Chicken is served with basmati rice and chapati bread.

21.Butter Chicken

Fortunately, we still had room for Sticky Date Cake served warm with butterscotch sauce, roasted almonds and cream

22.Sticky Date Cake

and a delicious Chocolate Bliss Mini Cake.

23.Chocolate Bliss Mini Cake

We are looking forward to a return visit to sample the Summer menu and enjoy the congenial atmosphere and friendly hospitality.

quirky cupboard

Posted on April 19, 2019 by kathy

Following the success of the bespoke bureau,

1.bureau

we used the same recipe for our next cupboard. Selecting a Huon slab from our stash,

2.Huon slab

Michael went to work with the reclaimed timbers for the frame.

We continued the theme with the rusted steel panels for the side

and created the shelves from old fence palings.

7.shelving

After much discussion and mind-changing, we decided on fence palings for the doors.

Why would you make two doors alike when they can be different?

10.doors

A few coats of Cabothane brought out the grains and colouring in the timbers.

The Huon top was precision designed to fit snugly in position, the beautiful markings enhanced by the varnish.

13.top 14.top

Another successful trip to the salvage yard rewarded us with the perfect hinges and a pair of door handles that, in a previous life, were used to hang fire extinguishers from. The brand new shiny bolts were given the rusting treatment.

Unfortunately, Dulux have seen fit to discontinue the Duramax 2-pack we used on the steel of the bureau and the alternative product we found dulled the colours a little.

18.rusted steel panel

Nevertheless, we are very happy with the result

19.finished

and the cupboard has pride of place by the door.

20.perfect fit

On with the next project….

bespoke bureau

Posted on November 30, 2018 by kathy

Having finished the back room renovation, our thoughts turned to furnishings. We searched for a suitable sideboard but couldn’t find anything that was just right, though we did get a few ideas. The answer was to create our own. We had some old timbers lying around and supplemented our supply with a visit to the salvage yard where we also found four wooden crates (there were two A.B. Tonic ones).

I cleaned up the crates while Michael slaved over the frame using various reclaimed hardwood timbers

and some old fence palings. I found a recipe for rusting nails and it worked a treat.

6.shelves

A few coats of Cabothane brought out the natural hues as well as the perfect defects.

We kept changing our minds about what to use for the centre front and side panels so Michael experimented with rust effects on steel. The polyurethane coating has preserved the colours well.

9.rusted steel panels

Precision placed finger holes and felt lining completed the crates.

Over the years, we have accumulated some beautiful timber slabs and we selected a Huon pine for this project. Trimmed and prepared,

it was fixed to the frame

15.finished

and the steel took its place in the front and sides.

Some more Cabothane on the top highlighted the grain.

We are very happy with the result.

23.finished

renovation ruminations: part 7

Posted on August 10, 2018 by kathy

Once we finished the renovation of the back room, we moved straight on to the decking of the outdoor space. We removed the old pavers

1.removing pavers 2.pavers gone

and, under the watchful eye of the foreman,

3.the foreman

built the frame while working around existing obstacles as best we could.

4.framework

After much research, we decided to use Ekodeck, a composite material that (this is the best bit) requires no oiling, painting or maintenance.

5.Ekodeck

It didn’t take long to cut and lay the planks, we used the CAMO hidden screw system so there are no screws visible on top of the boards.

6.decking 7.decking

We laid a metre wide strip to connect the doors with the garden

8.framework 11.decking

and then added the edges.

12.deck 13.decking done

For completeness, we laid a border of white pebbles

14.deck finished

and planted six dwarf camellias at the barbecue end.

15.deck finished 16.deck finished

Next is the outdoor kitchen area….

timber transformation

Posted on February 2, 2018 by kathy

Some of you may recall a post I wrote two years ago when we replaced the timbers on the bridge in our rainforest. https://cannonhillchronicles.com/2016/02/05/broken-bridge/

1.broken bridge

We had stacked the old ones and left them down there in case we had a use for them later.

2.old timbers

Our new back room needed a dining table and we thought it would be interesting to use the reclaimed bridge timbers. We then had the idea that a ‘mini-me’ coffee table would be a perfect addition. We selected the best lengths, loaded them on the trailer and took them to the carwash for a spot of pressure cleaning.

We had to rid them of stones and any nails before taking them to the local sawmill to be sized to the same thickness. It was exciting to see the fantastic colours and grains under the years of accumulated detritus.

6.sawmill

After laying them out to determine the best order, Michael went to work with the circular saw. The long edges were tidied and the ends finished.

9.trimmed

A couple of hours of sanding

10.sanding

and the true nature of the timber revealed itself.

Two coats of Cabothane

and they were ready for the frame. We had bought a firewood holder at Agfest last year from a very talented local artisan. We approached him with our ideas for the tables, wanting something with a chunky industrial feel that would showcase the magnificent timbers. He understood perfectly and, two weeks later, delivered the goods. The base frame came in, supported on two trestles

15.frame